Veterinary Medicine 2015 hopefuls!

Great minds think alike!

Nice choices . Although personally I can't wait until I never have to study English again . I'm very unoriginal so I'm taking Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. I'm considering Further Maths as well, but I'm not too keen on it as revision for it would take up valuable wex time and from what I have heard an additional AS level won't really benefit my application in any way.

You seem to have it sussed out but in England students take AS Levels and A2s in year 12 and year 13 respectively. Most people take four AS subjects, although five is not uncommon, and then drop a subject at the end of year 12 to end up with three full A-Levels by the end of year 13.

Yeah, I have mixed feelings about it! Well apparently its kinda the same as int 2? To be honest I'm not really sure! In second year we all picked 8, or 9, subjects. Then suddenly at the end of that year they were like "OK now drop it down to 6!" :/ Also we weren't allowed to take 2 sciences, only either 1 or all three! Some people take National 4's and then some people take National 3's and in year 6 you can go back and do more National 5. We still do higher and advanced higher though! Which is good!!

Ahh I see! You are so lucky to have the option of 3 sciences! To be honest I would love to take the subjects you are picking and further maths - that sounds like a dream! English is not my favourite either - writing a 1000+ word critical essay in 90 minutes on a book which you have to memorise EVERY relevant quote for it with no help or notes!

So, if you drop an A-level half way through would you say I have an AS in .... and can you pick up an A2 subject without sitting an AS for it - if you know what I mean . It is compulsory for us to pick 5 subjects - no more, no less - and you can pick at 3 different levels: Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 or Higher (in order from easiest to hardest). You would pick the level according to what your Standard Grade grade was e.g. 1/2 = Higher; 3/4 = Int. 2; 5/6/7 = Int. 1. It appears confusing but it is pretty simple

That new curriculum seems very confusing ahaha so is a national 4 like Int 1 and a national 5 like Int 2??

Those subject choices still aren't final, I have until results day to make official choices, and even then I think I can change a couple of weeks into the courses. I'm still uhming and ahing over doing Geography or Philosophy instead of Physics or Maths, but I'm pretty confident that these are the subjects I will take.

You're not allowed to take an A2 without taking an AS in that subject, no. AS Levels are accepted as qualifications in their own right, but I'm not sure if that's true for A2, as your AS grade goes towards your A2 grade as far as I know.



EDIT: Page three already

I know the discussion feels more alive now! Hopefully more ambitious students will join soon and we'll reach page 50 in no time! Hahaha

I feel I understand the English Education System better (the Scottish one is just as complicated ). Honestly, I am a more mathematically minded person and prefer to calculate than to contemplate (not saying I don't ) - that's why I would love maths and 3 sciences over subjects like geography and english however it's entirely up to you. Vet schools don't particularly care as long as you have the essential Chemistry and Biology but I'm sure those subjects would be more desired.

That sounds complicated Although to be fair the English system probably sounds complicated to outsiders!

Over here everybody has to study all three sciences. You can do 'Core Science', which is one GCSE, 'Double Science', which is two, or 'Triple Science', which is obviously three . For Core and Double grades you receive at the end of your course aren't divided into biology, chemistry and physics, you just get a grade for science as a whole. In the case of double science, the two grades you receive will be identical. Only triple students get a grade in each individual science.

So far we're the only 2015 applicants here, we need some fresh meat!

What I like about maths is how with every question you're either 100% right or 100% wrong (if that makes sense ). With other subjects, like Geography, you could lose marks even if you know the answers if your response is badly worded.

Yep, only Cambridge ask for Maths or Physics as well as Bio and Chem, but I have no intention of applying there anyway

Wow that sounds complicated! The problem with our 3 sciences thing is that most people take it to keep their options open, and then there was limited physics teachers and for half a year my class had an art supply teacher, who wasn't very nice and spent the whole time telling us to guess what he got for christmas or stuff like that!:/ Took A LOT of revision to keep up haha! So do you take exams this year if you are in the equivalent of fourth year? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I honestly know barely anything of the English system!

Yeah I get what you mean by a definitive answer. I actually had a geography test today on farming ironically but a majority of the questions are "enquiry skills" basically common sense questions and require little knowledge which seems pointless especially as higher geography is 100% knowledge. I usually write a lot to compensate for it - hoping to get marks ahaha. I got 1s for all my geography tests but in my recent prelims I got a 2 which I wasn't too pleased about because I got 100% in the knowledge section (which is only worth 40%) and one mark off from a 1 in enquiry skills which idiotically is worth 60%! Better study to get that 1!

I know I just realised that we are the only 2015 applicants - barely know of anyone who wants to be a vet that is my age (I have heard of a few) but none of my close friends want to be one just me

I was trying to explain the English system to one of the farmers at the place where I work (he's Irish). It would be so much simpler if we all had the same system!

Yep, I have 23 exams in summer, so that's not a stupid question at all! I have nine exams for science alone, thanks IGCSEs!





I assume that '1' is the best grade you can get then? Are you not given alphabetical grades in that case? Sorry for all the daft questions!

I know one person in my year that was interested in VetMed. She actually did some work experience at the SA practice next to our school, but she's changed her mind about her career after fainting in the operating theatre! I know several people that want to do zoology though

Not at all, yeah 1 is the highest to 7 being the lowest (apparently there is a fabled 8 and 9 but I have no idea what they indicate). The Standard Grade curriculum is graded by a number scale instead of letters but highers and A highers adopt the alphabetical approach. Is it measured A-D to you? Or A-F like the American way? Because I am sitting 7 Standard Grades and an Int. 2 (Admin - my school didn't offer SG for it) and for my Int 2 it is measured A-D. I hear you can get A* down south if it is A-D I presume an A* must be similar to a 1 then? Educating each other here ahaha

It would be! Oh that must be fun! On my first day of work experience I was told that in the operating theatre I MUST say if I feel faint, and me being nervous, assumed I would. I had never fainted before and was fine, then thought about it and was like "Oh i can't faint in here, I'm going to faint! Oh my gosh!" and had to leave, I was completely fine, the gore didn't effect me at all, just I thought better leave just incase, when I felt completely fine! Typical! The one thing I am slightly squemish about is eyes, and it felt like all week I was watching treatment on eyes! It's good though because now I'm fine with them, although I will never wear contacts. I can't wait to go back!

I remember my first time in theatre I observed an English spaniel called Rita being spayed. The surgeon was lovely, she didn't mind my stupid questions! Both her and the nurse were impressed that I was able to stay in the theatre for the whole time, apparently there was a bit more blood than there would usually be and after her spay they look a bit of tissue from Rita's paw for a biopsy so obviously there was even more blood after that. The vet told me that even she fainted the first time she watched a spay, so I was really impressed with myself

Eyes can be a bit disgusting I agree. Although I do wear contacts so I think that has desensitised me to a degree.

1992. One day I'll be too old to warrant haunting this forum :'(. I will no longer be a student!

Impressive! The vet doing the operation was saying it was fine that I felt faint and the Vet nurse went "He's saying that because he still can get a bit squemish!" Which made me laugh, they were all really nice! My first was a cat being spayed, I saw mostly cats being spayed/castrated and a few dog castrations. I saw a mouse being castrated, then a great dane, which was quite a contrast! My job afterwards was to distract the mouse from its wound, harder then I thought it would be!

Hahaha that sounds fun! Distracting a mouse aha aww the first time I went it was a dog castrate and a cat castrate as well as a rat getting a lump removed from its side. From then I've seen many things including a laporatomy of a poodle because it was rapidly losing weight and electrolytes and was believed to have a bowel obstruction. Turned out it had Addison's disease (it's body Is unable to naturally produce steroids). That was really interesting watching tr vet examine the loops of bowel. I also got tasked to check the breathing of the patient was okay (which it wasn't - lucky to have two breaths a minute)

Hahaha that sounds fun! Distracting a mouse aha aww the first time I went it was a dog castrate and a cat castrate as well as a rat getting a lump removed from its side. From then I've seen many things including a laporatomy of a poodle because it was rapidly losing weight and electrolytes and was believed to have a bowel obstruction. Turned out it had Addison's disease (it's body Is unable to naturally produce steroids). That was really interesting watching tr vet examine the loops of bowel. I also got tasked to check the breathing of the patient was okay (which it wasn't - lucky to have two breaths a minute)


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Oh wow! That all sounds really cool! Poor thing I saw a few lumps removed from a dog and a few dentals on dogs, which were really interesting! I was soo close to seeing a caesarean on a dog but the owners didn't have insurance so the Vet said she would wait a just incase the dog managed to have them herself. The dog managed to that night which was great though! I saw the ultrasound which was amazing! I can't wait to be able to have more stories, I'm so excited for the Easter holidays!

Wow how interesting! The mouse castrate must have been a delicate procedure