Need help with choosing vet med work experience

I do agree that dairy is probably better - but if spending the money on the transport etc would make you really struggle then the fair is fine too as a pre vet applicant. The reason for dairy and probably why vet schools like placements like that is you have to think of what a vet normally deals with - a farm vet will be dealing with dairy a lot, and this is what a lot of vet school teaching focuses on, thus having a grasp on the basic concepts pre uni would help. As much as the fair may have several types of animals, the ordinary vet will be dealing with 'pet' farm animals etc far less, and thus vet school teaching with animals like cows sheep chickens pigs etc focuses on the farming aspect, and things like llamas are more of a mention than a focus - what you will see with how they are treated at the fair etc is not likely not too reelvant to what you will be learning at vet school for the most part as that is a much smaller aspect of farm work etc. Also they are probably a lot more friendly than what you would deal with at a farm, and thus handling them would be different - I think as a pre vet it's ok to just get comfortable with being around large animals and learn basics like putting on a headcollar etc, so it would be sufficient, but if you want more insight into stuff taught at vet school and where a farm vet comes in then the dairy would be much more useful.

Are you sure the dairy cannot provide accommodation so you only need to travel at the start and end of the placement?

If we're talking plainly from the point of view of trying to get into UK vet schools, the dairy work is probably the most valuable placement here. Farmers will have specialist knowledge about the dairy industry, which vets are involved with. You will learn a lot about farm diseases and their prevention, as well as public health and the food chain, and the vets role within these.

However, the fair doesn't necessarily seem like a bad opportunity. If your 'soft-skills' on your application are lacking, then educating the public etc. might be a useful thing to add. Additionally, it's hard to ignore cost. Could you afford to not take the paid work, and in addition pay for transport to the dairy?
This is purely my own experience and not necessarily a fact, but I've found that the placements I've been on where there is a variety of animals, tends to be the placements where I learn the least about the husbandry for each species, if that makes sense. e.g. I learnt way more when lambing just sheep than I did when I went to an animal sanctuary and cared for many different species.


Ultimately I won't tell you what to do because there isn't a 'right' answer. You should use what I've discussed to weigh up which experience would be most useful for your individual application. I hope this helps and I've raised some useful points for you.