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How hard is ucas application for vet med

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Reply 1

Statistically it’s harder than medicine but as a vet student I always say getting in was the easiest bit 😅

Reply 2

Original post
by ALEreapp
Statistically it’s harder than medicine but as a vet student I always say getting in was the easiest bit 😅


Could I have some advice like what made you stand out in your application also what uni did you apply for I want endiburgh so bad

Reply 3

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
Could I have some advice like what made you stand out in your application also what uni did you apply for I want endiburgh so bad

Are you a Scottish candidate? If not then this would be a higher risk choice

Reply 4

Original post
by ReadingMum
Are you a Scottish candidate? If not then this would be a higher risk choice


No I’m not why is it a higher risk choice

Reply 5

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
Could I have some advice like what made you stand out in your application also what uni did you apply for I want endiburgh so bad


I can’t say exactly what made me stand out because I honestly don’t know. I have a lot of customer facing experience in hospitality and in my opinion that’s potentially more important than tonnes of hours in vet practices (although this obviously is important).

I applied for Bristol, Notts, RVC and Surrey first round and got Bristol and Notts offers then second time applied to Bristol, Notts, HK and UCLan and got all offers (UCLan I got an interview offer but withdrew).
As stated above if you aren’t Scottish or international I would manage your expectations on Edinburgh. RUK students are their ‘least favourite’ eg they have a quota for Scottish students but because of the fee differences they like internationals for the money and so they take the least amount of students from the rest of uk so as an English/NI/Welsh student you are at a massive disadvantage

Reply 6

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
How hard is ucas application for vet med


Honestly it’s hard but as long as it’s something your passionate about then it’s something you can make out to be fun in some ways. Writing a personal statement was cool but it took a lot of work as I wrote out different paragraphs on different memorable moments of my work experience and tried to see what worked. Interviews were terrifying but very fun to do regardless and my first interview was in fact for Edinburgh and was my most scary and intimidating one so just be super prepared!!
I definitely know that getting into vet med is easier than vet med itself so just get over the application hurdle and keep working hard :smile:
(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 7

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
I would love the website keep me posted also what questions did they ask u at Edinburgh


Ofc I will! Unfortunately I’m not able to say what I was asked because what happens in the interviews is confidential as far as I’m aware to make it as fair for everyone as possible sorry!

Reply 8

Original post
by xitz_jessix
Ofc I will! Unfortunately I’m not able to say what I was asked because what happens in the interviews is confidential as far as I’m aware to make it as fair for everyone as possible sorry!


What uni did u chose and levels I’m doing bio chem physics further maths

Reply 9

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
What uni did u chose and levels I’m doing bio chem physics further maths


I chose the RVC and I think it’s brilliant and feels like a family compared to the other unis :smile: I did Bio, Chem, Rs and an EPQ on canine aggression in year 12

Reply 10

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
What uni did u chose and levels I’m doing bio chem physics further maths


Are you planning on doing all 4 the whole way? Really impressive btw I genuinely wouldn’t be able to do that

Reply 11

Original post
by xitz_jessix
Are you planning on doing all 4 the whole way? Really impressive btw I genuinely wouldn’t be able to do that


Yes I am doing all 4 throughout I also did a as in physiology also I was wondering what are the pros and cons of rvc in your opinion and also when you did you personal statement and interviews what made you stand out also your so clever hope to be like u one day also how did you find epq bc that sounds interesting

Reply 12

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
Yes I am doing all 4 throughout I also did a as in physiology also I was wondering what are the pros and cons of rvc in your opinion and also when you did you personal statement and interviews what made you stand out also your so clever hope to be like u one day also how did you find epq bc that sounds interesting


Wow that’s so cool!!!
I personally loved the RVC so much so for me some of the pros include the fact that it felt like home and felt like the right fit for me, there are two campuses (one in the city and one in the countryside) so you get to study in both which gives you the ability to live two different lives which I think is really cool and it is also the number 1 vet school in the whole work - for good reasons. Ofc I’m not there yet and I’m sure I’ll discover some cons when I’m there that I’ll be sure to tell you about :wink:
I did my personal statement drafts/paragraphs before the summer of Year 12 and worked through making a more official draft over that summer to have it completely done before starting year 13 which definitely helped!
As soon as I had submitted my application, I started preparing for interviews since some could have happened in November or December (all of mine were in December. There was always a chance that I wouldn’t get any interviews but in case I did get interviews I started preparing as soon as that application was sent to be as prepared as possible and I think that was a smart move since all the interviews for me took place in December.
I think what overall makes people stand out is
1. Personality - I think they definitely appreciate someone who’s positive and enthusiastic
2. Passion - if they can see you’ve researched a lot of different things and have knowledge of not just e.g. small animal vet med but a range like large animals and food safety etc then that instantly makes you stand out
Something I can recommend is watching shows like Bondi Vet and reading into a lot of vet med hot topics AND when actually at interviews, make sure to smile and always be polite since the beginning (ideally this should come naturally rather than as an ‘act’ to try look better but that’s one piece of advice they always give for interviews)
Another thing is to just be yourself because you are you and nobody can replace that and it’s best to just show urself as you are and I’m so sure that they’ll absolutely love u!!!
Thank you 😭 I really appreciate you saying that but genuinely I think you are amazing and will go very far and achieve so many even greater things than myself ☺️
Initially I wasn’t meant to do an EPQ because I thought 3 alevels was enough and vet med applications are tough but the day before the deadline I realised a lot of people were taking it so I changed my mind and look at vet med hot topics and decided that I would do it on canine aggression because of the XL Bully ban stuff at the time and while it was tough and I didn’t go to lunch just to work on it and spent ages making it perfect, it absolutely paid off and I loved doing it and just digging into such niche parts related to my topics and I absolutely don’t regret it! I managed to get full marks so the time did pay off and it was fun without making year 12 too stressful 😁
I’m so glad you asked me all these questions because I LOVE talking about vet med and the application so if u have any other questions at all just hit me with them!!!

Reply 13

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
How hard is ucas application for vet med

Hi Ria,

It’s great you’re looking ahead to vet med, and I won’t sugar-coat it: applying for veterinary medicine is competitive and requires careful planning, but it’s absolutely doable if you take it step by step.

You’ll need strong predicted grades in sciences, a very good personal statement showing your commitment to animal care, and a good range of work experience in vet practices and animal handling. Many vet schools also require interviews and admissions tests (like the BMAT at some universities), so it’s important to check each university’s specific requirements.

UCAS itself is straightforward once you gather your grades, personal statement, references, and choices, but it’s the preparation for vet med that takes time. If you love the idea of working in animal health, it’s worth the effort, and you’ll find it manageable with good organisation.

Best of luck!
Daniel

Reply 14

Original post
by xitz_jessix
Of course!! I’m so glad people are interested in it :smile: I’ll try my best to work hard to get it done as soon as I can ☺️ If she would like help with anything or has any questions just let me know!


Thank you so much! So are you going to RVC? My daughter is completing her vet work experience this summer.. she’s worked so hard and done loads… and will start her personal statement soon so hopefully all done by September ready to submit in October. What are your top tips for the personal statement? Thank you! Do you know how late interviews are offered into December? Do you have to keep your diary clear?

Reply 15

Original post
by UEA Rep Daniel
Hi Ria,

It’s great you’re looking ahead to vet med, and I won’t sugar-coat it: applying for veterinary medicine is competitive and requires careful planning, but it’s absolutely doable if you take it step by step.

You’ll need strong predicted grades in sciences, a very good personal statement showing your commitment to animal care, and a good range of work experience in vet practices and animal handling. Many vet schools also require interviews and admissions tests (like the BMAT at some universities), so it’s important to check each university’s specific requirements.

UCAS itself is straightforward once you gather your grades, personal statement, references, and choices, but it’s the preparation for vet med that takes time. If you love the idea of working in animal health, it’s worth the effort, and you’ll find it manageable with good organisation.

Best of luck!
Daniel


Just be careful what advice you are giving applicants, most vet schools do not look at personal statements and none of the vet schools require the BMAT (or UCAT).
Original post
by QUOTE=Clairetheteacher
Thank you so much! So are you going to RVC? My daughter is completing her vet work experience this summer.. she’s worked so hard and done loads… and will start her personal statement soon so hopefully all done by September ready to submit in October. What are your top tips for the personal statement? Thank you! Do you know how late interviews are offered into December? Do you have to keep your diary clear?


Unless your daughter is applying to UCLan I wouldn’t worry about the personal statement massively as none of them look at it at all x

Reply 16

Original post
by Clairetheteacher
Thank you so much! So are you going to RVC? My daughter is completing her vet work experience this summer.. she’s worked so hard and done loads… and will start her personal statement soon so hopefully all done by September ready to submit in October. What are your top tips for the personal statement? Thank you! Do you know how late interviews are offered into December? Do you have to keep your diary clear?


Hiii sorry for the late response! Yes I’ve firmed the RVC so hopefully I’ll get the grades and be able to go there in September!
For the personal statement, I think what I did worked quite well for me - I personally made some notes on a word document about different skills that a vet should have and tried to link those to my work experience, then I wrote down mini paragraphs about those experiences/skills and in the end had pages of paragraphs that I was able to select from to use in my personal statement 😁
I also recommend being as reflective as possible - give only a little bit of detail of the actual work experience or whatever you mention but give more detail about what you learnt from it because they rlly do pay attention to ur reflection.
Interviews tend to occur between late November and early March (this also varies for different universities) so it’s best to keep your diary clear although if there are any clashes, they should be able to change the dates e.g. if u have two interviews on the same day. Some universities also allow you to choose from a few dates such as H&K whilst others give you a date
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know :smile:

Reply 17

Original post
by xitz_jessix
Hiii sorry for the late response! Yes I’ve firmed the RVC so hopefully I’ll get the grades and be able to go there in September!
For the personal statement, I think what I did worked quite well for me - I personally made some notes on a word document about different skills that a vet should have and tried to link those to my work experience, then I wrote down mini paragraphs about those experiences/skills and in the end had pages of paragraphs that I was able to select from to use in my personal statement 😁
I also recommend being as reflective as possible - give only a little bit of detail of the actual work experience or whatever you mention but give more detail about what you learnt from it because they rlly do pay attention to ur reflection.
Interviews tend to occur between late November and early March (this also varies for different universities) so it’s best to keep your diary clear although if there are any clashes, they should be able to change the dates e.g. if u have two interviews on the same day. Some universities also allow you to choose from a few dates such as H&K whilst others give you a date
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to let me know :smile:


Thanks so helpful. Thank you very much.

Reply 18

Original post
by Ria_rahman26
How hard is ucas application for vet med

Hi there,

UCAS for vet med is definitely one of the more competitive routes.

You only get to apply to four vet schools (instead of five like most courses), and the unis usually expect a solid mix of academic grades and relevant experience. That could be anything from shadowing at a vet clinic, to volunteering on farms, kennels, or animal shelters.

The personal statement is a big deal they’re looking for more than “I love animals.” You’ll want to show you understand the realities of the job: long hours, ethical decisions, and working with people as much as animals.

Most places also require interviews (MMIs or panel style) and at least three sciences at A-level (often including Chemistry and Biology). But it’s doable if you start preparing early and get a strong set of experiences behind you.

Are you thinking of applying this year? And do you already have any placements lined up?

Daniel

Reply 19

Original post
by ALEreapp
Statistically it’s harder than medicine but as a vet student I always say getting in was the easiest bit 😅


Which university did u apply for

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