Nottingham Uni Vet Med Dual Entry

Are there disadvantages with it in reality, compared to other Universities single entry ?
Not really if anything more benefits as the total cohort is spilt so the student:staff ratio is higher
April cohort are disadvantaged for societies because they run over the normal september cohort but there is a specific april vet society so there are still things to do
does EMS take place in Nottingham rather than at home?
EMS is usually sorted out by students so they can choose to do it at home or not
Nottingham does include some EMS during term time reducing the amount done during the holidays
Are there enough placements?
yes if anything its easier for april cohort as there are fewer vet med students competing for the placements
Is accommodation problem if you start in April?
no accommodation for first year is guaranteed for both cohorts
do you feel like you’ve then missed out with the September cohort having already started?
no the cohorts run separately it's not a case of the April cohort joining the September one.
april have the long holiday over winter ie they're at uni during the summer
september have the long holiday during the summer ie theyre at uni during the winter
april starts when september finishes
Do the vet med students have the opportunity to mix with students studying other subjects if the vet site is so isolated?
yes sutton Bennington isnt just the vet school its also the biosciences so theres other students however it is much quiter for the april cohort as a lot of people will have gone home

Thanks so much for your reply and all the detail. Very very helpful! Another question, my daughter rides and works with horses currently… she wants to eventually specialise in equine. Could she volunteer to assist at the stables there as she loves being with horses. Also, how much contact is there with the horses there? Are the stables actually on campus? Thank you for any insight!

Not aware of any volunteering they’re DIY livery so the owners do it themselves. There are other livery yards that might let you but I don’t know.
Plenty of contact with horses Nottingham has a very practical based curriculum
Yes they’re in the farm and equine teaching facility as when agreeing to keep your horse at UoN you have to agree to them being used for practicals.
You can see more of the layout in the map

Thanks very much

Sorry tried to add the link to the map you can find it here
No worries, just let me know if you have any other questions

Thanks so much. Where else did you apply? We are currently looking at all the Uni vet courses and noting the open days but can’t go to them all so making decisions. Which year are you? Why did you choose Nottingham? Which intake are you? TBH not sure about the dual intake and the year being different timing. If you are April then you miss out on the holiday in the summer. But what’s your take on it?

Liverpool, harper and keele, and Nottingham i wanted to be that kind of area. April 3rd year.
Liverpool is well known for horses but I'd prioritise looking at the school and the teaching and seeing what you think will work best for her.
Nottingham does very well for student satisfaciton usually the best in the country and at times its had 100% satisfaction. Nottingham was the first vet school for 50 years when it started and as such it was far easier for them to adapt to the newer teaching style other unis have been slower to adapt to this. Not to say they havent done so now UoN have just had more expirence with it.I like that UoN is one campus and I'm not starting at one campus and then moving to another in later years for clinical skills etc.
This may be less of a thing for you but remember the cost of accommodation in some places you'll be paying £120/w others you'll be paying £300/w.
In terms of after graduation the uni makes no difference at least if youre planning to work in the UK. However, look at the accreditations each uni has not all will have multiple. They will all have or be working towards RCVS which would qualify you for practice in the UK Ireland Australia and New Zealand. But some will have others nottingham for instance has europe and north america which for me was something i wanted. She might not be interested in moving currently but its worth having the option to.
Here is a comparison of the cohorts approx term dates that might help you. You still get a summer holiday its just not 3 months long. I think the decision is very personal.
If you want to be busy and surounded by people doing loads of sport etc then september is better as that when the majority of undergraduates are at uni but equally the april cohort have societies and put things on. If youre going to need more money the extra time off is great for working or just some time off for a levels.

Thanks, very helpful. I hope you don’t mind a few more questions….
Now you are in third year, do you rent locally?
Do you do your EMS at home or because of the two cohorts, is some planned within term time in Nottingham?
How much practical is there initially and thereafter?
Did you value the mini gap year before starting in April? Did you still get a good choice of accommodation? Were the April starters placed together in accommodation?
My daughter is keen on Liverpool too. Also Bristol and Edinburgh. Initially she wanted to go to Cambridge but we are worried about their recent problems with the course.

Now you are in third year, do you rent locally?
I do its more challenging but its less challenging for EMS so kind of balances it out.
Do you do your EMS at home or because of the two cohorts, is some planned within term time in Nottingham?
EMS hasnt changed for me but it will for your daughter it used to be 12 weeks animals handling and 26 clinical its now going to be 10 and 20 weeks so its hard to predict what exactly theyll do or change but as it is some of the EMS is integrated meaning during normal teaching time you do some of youre required EMS. The rest is up to you to do and to set up there is a team to help with this but you can decide. It depends what you can get and if you have accomidation I just plan what ever will be cheapest to do. Notably they have also removed the species requirement. Previously you had to do a set amount with small animal/farm/equine but now its up to you but you are encouraged to do a mix. From what i hear from september students EMS is so much easier for us especially for competitive placements.
How much practical is there initially and thereafter?
very practical youre doing ultrasounds and clinical exams from the first week and the clinical years by definition are practical
Did you value the mini gap year before starting in April?
Yes i really liked having a bit of break tbh and i quite like being there in the summer
Did you still get a good choice of accommodation?
After first year i can be a bit of a struggle tbh but it is possible definitely easier for september but plently of people manage it in the april cohort and theres an acomidation team to help you. This is felt the most for the first year as really starting as early as possible is the best bet which is obviously challenging when you dont really know people. If you need to stay on campus you can theyll figure out.
I will say given the nature of the course you make friends with people on the course a lot faster than most people do at uni. Mainly because of the high contact hours but also because of the group learning and practicals.
Were the April starters placed together in accommodation?
there was a mix some people did others didnt

Thank you so much for your help- so detailed and organised! Really appreciate it! I’ll probably ask you more questions as we delve into the courses more… if that’s ok?

That’s absolutely fine happy to help