Ask questions about being a vet student at the RVC

Hey! I would like to know why you picked the RVC over other universities? And also how did you prepare for the interviews in general? Thank you

Hey, thanks for messaging! I got offers from all 4 uni's I went to, but I had an unconditional offer for RVC due to already completing the grades required for the gateway course I applied for (alongside BVetMed). This meant I knew I could get into RVC, and I had always dreamed of going there - but I equally did love Nottingham and Surrey too! I found that the idea of London's social life and opportunities drew me in the most, and I'm soooo glad I picked RVC purely for this reason, as I can't imagine I would have got a fraction of the experience at another university. The academics are incredibly specialist and you do find that you can advance further in the vet field when you have the tag of (no. 1/no. 2 vet school in the world via QS world rankings).

Tips for interviews:
- Practice MMI with friends and family, get them to ask you questions which won't have a yes or no answer and time yourself to see if you can complete it in a certain time limit e.g. 5 minutes.
- Revise over your personal statement and pick out any bits you may need to relook over in case you get asked about any aspects of it in the interview
- Be yourself (they're not there to trip you up or catch you out, they just want to see how you answer their questions)
- Be comfortable in what you are wearing and make sure you get lots of rest and inform everyone around you that you have it coming up so everyone knows to give you some space if required.
- Be confident! They need to see how you deal under pressure or in different circumstances and being confident is a way of showing you are certain of your answers, and if you are not then acknowledge your change in decision-making and explain why (we are all human at the end of the day and we don't always get it right the first time!)

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions xxx

Hi, I'm currently halfway through my degree at the Royal Veterinary College and have been a member on here since my application for vet school. I have been a RVC student ambassador for a couple of years and I wanted to offer the opportunity to ask some questions what it is like being a vet student at the university and living in London

Hi Danielleegolds!
I have received an offer from the RVC for Vetmed! I’m super excited!!
My question is what is it like for mature students with kids? I’ll be 30 with 2 kids and feel like I’m going to be a bit isolated. I’ll be travelling in from outer London as can’t move in.
Thank you x

Hi Danielleegolds!
I have received an offer from the RVC for Vetmed! I’m super excited!!
My question is what is it like for mature students with kids? I’ll be 30 with 2 kids and feel like I’m going to be a bit isolated. I’ll be travelling in from outer London as can’t move in.
Thank you x

Heyya, I've an offer for the 4y programme. I imagine first year will be very intense and I probably will only have time to enjoy life when we move to Hawkshead. How do you find the student life in Hawkshead?
I'm also considering bringing my dog with me. Wondering if you have any experience or heard of others that are able to manage caring for a pet during vet school? TIA!

Hi, would it be possible to let me know when RVC do their exams in the year and whether like other vet schools RVC does 'mock exams' throughout the year (during first year) in which don't count towards your grade, in which are just there for you to get use to the new testing style as well as for staff to see where people are going wrong/ if they need more support?

Hi! It may change for future years so don't quote me word for word, but the RVC do 'formative' (i.e. mock exams) prior to the 'summative' exams (the ones that count). The feedback is a lot less individual as it is mainly MCQ (multiple choice question) and PSQ (problem solving question) which means answers are up for less interpretation - but they are really great at going through and explaining the reasoning for each answer. Some types of assessed work are not in examination style, you may have some coursework style assignments which you don't tend to have feedback sessions for, but normally you can submit drafts (it depends on each individual assignment). With the oral exams (ISFs) you get the chance to practice these first and the examiners give you personal feedback and how you can improve for the real sittings! Also with animal handling exams (DOPs) they are great at providing you with feedback too and make sure to support you with additional animal handling sessions if you need them before your next sitting of the exams

RVC tend to do assignments and mini exams in the 1st/2nd term for 1st year of the BVetMed course which count towards 10% (in previous years), and then the main exams are in the summer around early-late June. It differs for each course though so those doing Biovet would most likely have their exams a little earlier on, those on the gateway course have their exams throughout each term etc.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!
It’s great that you do get feedback/ have a chance to improve yourself
How would you say your overall experience at RVC been? What’s the vibe like? Does it get fairly competitive around exams?
^ sorry for the millions of questions :/

Hi, I'm currently halfway through my degree at the Royal Veterinary College and have been a member on here since my application for vet school. I have been a RVC student ambassador for a couple of years and I wanted to offer the opportunity to ask some questions what it is like being a vet student at the university and living in London

Hi, I'm currently halfway through my degree at the Royal Veterinary College and have been a member on here since my application for vet school. I have been a RVC student ambassador for a couple of years and I wanted to offer the opportunity to ask some questions what it is like being a vet student at the university and living in London

Hi
Thank you so much for helping us all out! I was just wondering if you know of many people in your cohort who got in from the waiting list? I just want to see if I have any hope as RVC is my dream school but a few months ago I was placed on the waiting list for the four year course

Hi there, I’m thinking about applying to RVC this year but i’m worried about the social aspects. I live in the centre of England quite far away from London so I’d hope if i got an offer for the RVC i’d get a room in college grove, but if not i’m not sure i’d be able to afford accommodation close by, even so i’m unsure whether it’s easy to make friends with people from other universities? Not being from a city it would be quite new to me and i’m just worried that i wouldn’t make friends and i’d be alone in a big city with a very stressful course? Can you offer any advice? I’ve visited Camden in the day and loved it, is it safe for students?

Heya, that is amazing, well done!!!

The first year can be very academically intense but luckily there is always an opportunity to join in with societies, clubs and events throughout the year. Hawkshead is a little less eventful as Potters Bar isn't really full of any nightlife opportunities, but being only 20 minutes away from Kings Cross has its perks (when covid isn't an issue..). Luckily all of the sports tend to occur in Potters Bar so both campuses have their advantages, but you will definitely get the chance to enjoy yourself at least once a week on a Wednesday afternoon when all university is closed so that clubs and societies are guaranteed to have time to carry out their activities across all year groups and courses.

Definitely bring your pet(s) if it is not too much of a financial burden, as there are so many vet students in PB with pets who love it and feel a lot less homesick. Not so many students in central London have their pets, but now the gov has made it so that landlords can no longer automatically ban pets in the UK, it will be a lot easier for you to find suitable accommodation in central London. If you need some advice on bringing pets to uni (only in private accommodation, pets are not allowed in university accommodation) then contact RVC during your offer holders day and ask if you can be put in contact with someone who has some specific tips on travelling to London with their pets!

I hope this info helps, let me know if you have any other questions

Hi! I would love to understand a bit more about RVC life as I am trying to finalise my UCAS choices. Please may I be cheeky and ask a bunch of questions - how do people afford to socialise in Camden? (I see the rent alone is £14k pa in the named accom!). Do many people go home on the weekends or are the campus/ halls still busy? When I went to the offer holders day, I was surprised that many of the students I talked to seemed to live at the railway station rather than on campus and this puzzled me as the Potters Bar campus is so beautiful (and the accom cheap!) so I wondered what the social life is like at the campus? I see RVC has rave reviews for student satisfaction wrt the course. Is the same true for general happiness socially etc? Do you mingle with the other London universities or do most people just hang out with RVC students? The interview and offer holders days were both wonderful experiences and I really enjoyed the people and places but am hoping for an overview on how it is to live in the two places. Thank you!