Veterinary Science Personal Statement
I am more determined than ever to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. I have been fascinated with animals as long as I can remember; from the diversity shown within the dog species, to the mechanisms involved in keeping a giraffe’s head such an extraordinary height from the ground. From a young age I spent hours putting plasters and bandages on toy animals and this progressed into a fierce passion for veterinary medicine, a career offering an unparalleled chance to learn about the complexities of animals and combine this with science and technology in a practical environment.
My first taste of veterinary practice in 2006 immediately confirmed my childhood dream to become a vet. A long term placement at a small animal practice (leading to a Saturday job there for a year) not only reinforced my passion for veterinary medicine but gave me an invaluable insight into the career and the challenges faced by vets. I saw a huge variety of cases from routine vaccinations and blood tests to victims of RTA’s and poisonings. By gaining experience at 4 different practices including a large animal vets, I feel I have a clear idea of the different roles of a vet and I have learnt about the potential diversity of the job.
After a 2 week placement at a busy kennels, I was offered a part time job as a kennel maid. The variety of dogs always keeps me on my toes and I have learnt to analyse potentially dangerous situations and act accordingly. I also have the responsibility of medicating the animals, form eye drops to insulin injections and have learnt to be observant to changes in behaviour etc which may indicate a problem. My confidence and interpersonal skills have improved dramatically as I am required to deal with customers and represent the business. I find it intriguing to compare this commercial kennels to the RSPCA centre where I spent a week in 2006 as attitudes towards owners are very different yet the dogs always receive the highest possible standard of care.
Through helping at a riding stable for many years, I learned a great deal about horses, from appropriate feeding for varying workloads to spotting early signs of lameness. I developed confidence handling and working with these large animals and enjoyed working as part of a team. Horses are a passion of mine and I am taking up a voluntary placement at a horse sanctuary 2 days a week. I also have extensive experience with llamas as I volunteered at a llama farm at weekends for over a year. I am particularly interested in llamas’ predisposition to vitamin D deficiency and their captivating herd dynamics.
Working closely with a dairy farmer for 3 weeks gave me a fantastic chance to get up close and personal with the cows in an abreast parlour. I had a great time milking the cows and learning about cell counts, feeding regimes and health care. I was able to assist injecting and drenching cows and began to recognise individuals with specific needs. It was a great comparison to working with dairy goats as the economic situation and therefore drive for the farm was completely different.
I am fascinated by science and found the depth of A Levels engaging, particularly when I began to relate my school work to the veterinary environment, for example when a vet was explaining a heart murmur to an owner. I regularly read the New Scientist and recently read the controversial “Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals” I lead a busy lifestyle; horse riding, visiting the gym and socialising and feel this is good preparation for a hectic and eventful time at vet school.
From January I will be spending 2 months at the Seal Sanctuary followed by a month lambing and I plan to visit a wildlife centre in Australia for 6 weeks through the WWOOF scheme. I have also just sent off my application to join Camp America through CCUSA next summer. I am a driven and hardworking person, committed to entering the veterinary profession and I am prepared to tackle the challenges along the way.
Universities Applied to:
- Liverpool D100 - Unconditional Offer FIRM
- Edinburgh D100 - Unconditional Offer DECLINE
- Nottingham D100 - Unsuccessful
- Bristol D100 - Unsuccessful
- Cardiff C100 (Zoology) - Unconditional
Grades Achieved:
- Biology A2 Grade A
- Chemistry A2 Grade A
- Physics A2 Grade B
- Geography AS Grade A
Comments
I applied for 2009 entry and was unsuccessful after interviews at Cambridge and Liverpool so I reapplied with lots more work experience and got 3 interviews, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol. I got 2 unconditional offers and am now a first year vet student at Liverpool vet school :D
