The Student Room Group

veterinary as a second degree!! HELP!

Hey,
I am currently doing a MSc in animal behaviour and Welfare, and have a bachelors degree in Forensic science. I have always wanted to do veterinary science and now seems like a good time to get started! BUT.. does anyone know if all the universities in the UK charge more for second degrees? i understand that the government doesn't subsidies second degrees, but from what i have seen the prices are around £22,000 a YEAR! :frown: does that sounds about right?

Also do you think having a bachelors and a masters degree will help my chances at getting in?

Any advice would be great!! thanks alot x

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Hey, yeh that price is right. RVC and Nottingham charge £3000 a year (but no one knows whats going to happen when the fee changes come in), and cambridge i think works out at like £15000 ish a year, but again that will probably change next year.

Because RVC and Notts charge less fees there is massive competition for those spaces. Unfortunately, having the degree and masters doesnt seem to make too much difference, a lot of your grad competition will have the same. If you have a degree, you're still expected to have the correct A levels, so even though you've done a degree etc etc they still expect you to have AAA/B. Its extremely crap! On top of that there is all the work experience needed, which people seem to aim for around 10 weeks ish...there is lots of stuff on here about that.

The uni's that you need to pay the crazy money for are a lot easier to get into, probably because no one can afford them! I remember the year i was going to apply for grad vet med, Edinburgh had clearing spaces on UCAS! mental. Anyway, with me not being rich and all that it wasnt going to happen.

I know exactly how you feel, its such a horrible feeling realising how difficult its all going to be. In the end i chose to go abroad and am now half way through my 2nd year (of four) on a grad course in slovakia. Again, there is lots of info about that on this site too if you were interested. Try not to lose hope, it is possible and like you can see, grads on this site are getting into London atm, so it does happen!
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=30603484 Heyyy... Post it in this thread, there are loads of people in the same position as you, and a lot who have reapplied and got in :biggrin:
Reply 3
Original post by tigercallie

Original post by tigercallie
Hey, yeh that price is right. RVC and Nottingham charge £3000 a year (but no one knows whats going to happen when the fee changes come in), and cambridge i think works out at like £15000 ish a year, but again that will probably change next year.

Because RVC and Notts charge less fees there is massive competition for those spaces. Unfortunately, having the degree and masters doesnt seem to make too much difference, a lot of your grad competition will have the same. If you have a degree, you're still expected to have the correct A levels, so even though you've done a degree etc etc they still expect you to have AAA/B. Its extremely crap! On top of that there is all the work experience needed, which people seem to aim for around 10 weeks ish...there is lots of stuff on here about that.

The uni's that you need to pay the crazy money for are a lot easier to get into, probably because no one can afford them! I remember the year i was going to apply for grad vet med, Edinburgh had clearing spaces on UCAS! mental. Anyway, with me not being rich and all that it wasnt going to happen.

I know exactly how you feel, its such a horrible feeling realising how difficult its all going to be. In the end i chose to go abroad and am now half way through my 2nd year (of four) on a grad course in slovakia. Again, there is lots of info about that on this site too if you were interested. Try not to lose hope, it is possible and like you can see, grads on this site are getting into London atm, so it does happen!


Oh thanks for the quick reply! It is absolutely crazy... Dont really know how anyone can afford those prices. I have the right A-level results, and applied for 2 years with no success! at that point i thought 2 gap years was my limit! but now im dying to get started!
I was thinking about going abroad aswell.. there is one in South Africa that looks amazing and is affordable..! how are you finding it abroad? I take it that you study in English?
Reply 4
Original post by Smelly Ellie

Original post by Smelly Ellie
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=30603484 Heyyy... Post it in this thread, there are loads of people in the same position as you, and a lot who have reapplied and got in :biggrin:


Thanks :smile: ill do that! (im new to this whole forum stuff)
Original post by amymoshi
Oh thanks for the quick reply! It is absolutely crazy... Dont really know how anyone can afford those prices. I have the right A-level results, and applied for 2 years with no success! at that point i thought 2 gap years was my limit! but now im dying to get started!
I was thinking about going abroad aswell.. there is one in South Africa that looks amazing and is affordable..! how are you finding it abroad? I take it that you study in English?


Yeh i study in english, i love it here! Im at UVM Kosice and there is a whole thread here about it somewhere. I chose UVM cos it was £6000 a year when i started, its £6500 now, and its the only european one that does a specific grad course, so we're only here for 4 years, instead of the usual 6 it takes in europe. How much is the one in SA? I remember looking at it, but i thought the price and the whole living in a compound thing didnt sound great, plus it was far from home, expensive flights etc. Is pretoria recognised by RCVS or would you have to sit the exams to practice in the UK?
Reply 6
Original post by tigercallie
Hey, yeh that price is right. RVC and Nottingham charge £3000 a year (but no one knows whats going to happen when the fee changes come in), and cambridge i think works out at like £15000 ish a year, but again that will probably change next year.


about half that actually! even with £9,000 fees next year it shouldn't work out as much as that!
Original post by schizopear
about half that actually! even with £9,000 fees next year it shouldn't work out as much as that!


Really? but then there's the college fees on top of that isnt there? Its also for 6 years so i guess you dont save too much, or do they do a grad one?
Reply 8
Original post by tigercallie
Really? but then there's the college fees on top of that isnt there? Its also for 6 years so i guess you dont save too much, or do they do a grad one?


including college fees it's still only around £6-£7,000 per year - £3,000 tuition plus £3-4,000 college fees. they do do a grad course in that you don't have to do the intercalated year so it's a 'normal' five year course.
Reply 9
If it's any help to you, the college fees are around 4k but you don't have to find them in cash. There is a government loan that specifically covers Cambridge college fees.

It may have been withdrawn by now, but it definitely existed when I looked into it last September.
Reply 10
I am originally from Canada and I am studying at the R(D)SVS in Edinburgh as an international graduate entry student.

Like you, I had an undergrad degree (animal bio) and a masters (also animal behaviour and welfare). I DO think this helped me get in, but maybe it is different because I was coming from Canada. The courses they asked for final marks in were my behaviour/nutrition ones they didn't seem to care about my stats or other courses. I received a conditional acceptance based on achieving a "B" in my behaviour seminar course and my comparative nutrition course. A classmate of mine did a masters in genetics and her conditional acceptance wasn't based on courses but on completing her masters (she did by thesis I did by coursework) so it seems to vary.

I pay 20,900 pounds in tuition. Yes it is a lot of money and in addition all the EMS makes it hard to get a job in the summer, so it is definitely something to consider/be aware of. I only looked at the programs that were also AVMA accredited, I remember Ireland being MORE expensive but don't remember what Glasgow or RVC were sorry.
Reply 11
I am from Canada as well. I do not have a full first degree, I have done some undergrad though. I am going to Nottingham this September. Does anyone know if these fee changes will affect international students as well, seeing as how we pay much higher fees anyway?
Reply 12
I do not know for sure, but I don't believe so. My understanding is that at least part of the fee increase is due to a withdrawl of government support, which international students don't receive anyways. As I said I am not 100% sure though.
Original post by Horsegirl
I am from Canada as well. I do not have a full first degree, I have done some undergrad though. I am going to Nottingham this September. Does anyone know if these fee changes will affect international students as well, seeing as how we pay much higher fees anyway?


Nope, it wont change the international fees
Reply 14
Original post by Horsegirl
I am from Canada as well. I do not have a full first degree, I have done some undergrad though. I am going to Nottingham this September. Does anyone know if these fee changes will affect international students as well, seeing as how we pay much higher fees anyway?


I doubt it will change international fees are your paying nearly 20,000 per year anyway. Its extortionate!!! But if you have the cash you can have your choice of Vet schools:mad:
Reply 15
Original post by amymoshi
Hey,
I am currently doing a MSc in animal behaviour and Welfare, and have a bachelors degree in Forensic science. I have always wanted to do veterinary science and now seems like a good time to get started! BUT.. does anyone know if all the universities in the UK charge more for second degrees? i understand that the government doesn't subsidies second degrees, but from what i have seen the prices are around £22,000 a YEAR! :frown: does that sounds about right?

Also do you think having a bachelors and a masters degree will help my chances at getting in?

Any advice would be great!! thanks alot x


I will be graduating with a BSc Hons Animal Science this year, and you can apply as a grad, which will cost you loads of cash depending on the school you go to of course. But having a degree doesn't really seem to help with anything. I am holding a grudge now as I have a good chance of getting a 1st in this degree, and I didn't get an interview form RVC. But I know some individuals who are getting lower grades, and have places offered because they are international students, or are applying to the schools that charge 22,000 per year. ITS CRAP
Original post by misswager
I will be graduating with a BSc Hons Animal Science this year, and you can apply as a grad, which will cost you loads of cash depending on the school you go to of course. But having a degree doesn't really seem to help with anything. I am holding a grudge now as I have a good chance of getting a 1st in this degree, and I didn't get an interview form RVC. But I know some individuals who are getting lower grades, and have places offered because they are international students, or are applying to the schools that charge 22,000 per year. ITS CRAP


Come to slovakia :smile: i gave up the UK fees battle a log time ago :rolleyes:
Reply 17
lol maybe!
Original post by misswager
I know some individuals who are getting lower grades, and have places offered because they are international students, or are applying to the schools that charge 22,000 per year. ITS CRAP


I completely agree with this, *cough* Edinburgh *cough.* Unfortunately it's only going to get a lot worse; at the moment universities are only allowed to take a maximum number of students. The current government want to change that, so that they can take a maximum number of funded students, and then as many full private fee paying candidates as they like.

So there will be a fixed number of poor students, who pay 9k in fees with a massive loan; and then if you happen to have £20,000 a year odd you can buy a place at the institution of your choice. Universities being able to take as many of the full fee paying students as they please.

Essentially, the idea being those of us who are poor compete for a limited number of places; and those who are rich can buy one of an unlimited number of places.
Original post by pirate_eye
I completely agree with this, *cough* Edinburgh *cough.* Unfortunately it's only going to get a lot worse; at the moment universities are only allowed to take a maximum number of students. The current government want to change that, so that they can take a maximum number of funded students, and then as many full private fee paying candidates as they like.

So there will be a fixed number of poor students, who pay 9k in fees with a massive loan; and then if you happen to have £20,000 a year odd you can buy a place at the institution of your choice. Universities being able to take as many of the full fee paying students as they please.

Essentially, the idea being those of us who are poor compete for a limited number of places; and those who are rich can buy one of an unlimited number of places.


Yup, they dont even always interview grads at edinburgh

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