Hi, I'm in year 12 at the moment and looking around universities and was wondering if some one could give me some advice.
I want to apply to do veterinary medicine but am worried I won't get in. Some one suggested to me that if I don't get in first time round I could do another course and then apply to do vet. med. as a postgrad. Is this true and if so what courses would give me the best chance of getting into veterinary college?
Thank you!

Hi,
I doubt if taking a first degree before applying for entry to a veterinary school as a post-grad would help you. The vet schools seem to pay most atention to A level results - straight As in Physics and Biology with an A* in Chemistry seem to be essential. Your best thing to do would be to approach the universities themselves. Do not forget the new veterinay school at Nottingham, nor St George's University in Grenada, which accepts students from the UK for their pre-clinical years before sending them back to the UK or the US for their clinical studies. (Web site:www.sgu.edu
Good luck!
W

Ah ok then, thank you very much! =D

Basically beware!! If you do another degree first, then there are huge financial consideration to take into account. Somebody mentioned nottingham. this new medical school does NOT offer a 4 year accelerated Vet med course for graduates... it never will (for reasons I am not going to go into). Liverpool/Glas.Edin and the RVC have a 4 year course, but the RVC is the only one with the same fees as school leaver - basically over 3K as opposed to 18K. Who can really afford 18K a year in fees ? The reason the government does this is that they think coz they "PAID FOR MOST of your first degree", they don't see why they should subsidise your second one. This is madness, as the NHS pays for medic's fees when they do medicine as a second degree.

I am going on the RVC 4 year course from September, sp e-mail me with questions if you have any. If you fear you may not get 3 A-grades, I recommend that you apply for the 6 year gateway program at the RVC, you can get in with BBC or so with this course. No shame in this route and it is quicker overall!

Don't do a degree to get into veterinary medicine. It is three years of hard work, and then you enter a pool of more qualified and determined individuals. The full fee tuition fees cannot be raised easily, and anyone who thinks they can are mistaken. If you don't get into veterinary medicine first time around, take a gap year, earn money, get lots of work experience, travel and mature. You will appear as a much more appealing candidate. You will feel more prepared for university. If you dont get the grades, resit. It shows your determination, and trust me it's a lot easier than doing a degree (which costs a lot of money). There's also a 6 year program at Nottingham and pre-veterinary year at Lincoln. Don't believe what you hear about having to fit a set of criteria to be eligible for these courses (ie. ur parents need to have below a certain amount of money, knowbody in ur family should have been to university before you etc). If you fit 1 critera, you can get in. Please dont do a different degree if you want to be a vet! Universities just want bums on seats to get government funding, and they will tell you anything to get you to take that biology/animal sciences/equine studies place. last of all, good luck.

Hi, Saz,

With the greatest respect, that is a load of nonsense.

To work as a veterinary suregon in the UK, one MUST HAVE a degree in veterinary science froma university recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

It is an offence punishable by law to practice any form of veterinary medicine or surgery in the UK without being registered as a member or fellow of the RCVS.

W

I think you are mistaken Walter, she states "Don't do a degree to get into veterinary medicine" meaning don't do one degree( eg. equine science) and then transfer into veterinary, not don't do the vet degree at all! Of course you must be qualified and the rest of her post clearly explains this.
Hannah

Hi, hannah,

OK, we read different meanings into Saz'z message. A degree does not guarantee entry into the veterinary course, anyway. I had a would-be vet student working with me who had a PhD in molecular bioplogy and could not get into a Uk vet school!

W

Hello i am in the middle of doing a zoological conservation degree and have decided that i would like to study veterinary medcine. I would be very grateful if you could give me some information about the gateway programme and what course you are studying. I would be very happy if you could help me make my dreams come true

Kirsty Medcalf

Hi Saz, I would just like to know where you received your information re.applying for Vet school as a graduate? I am a graduate in Zoology and now want to go to Vet school, while the fees are ridiculously high I have been informed by many that it is possible to raise funds. Of course it is not going to be easy but i disagree with your negative attitude of "do a degree and you wont get into vet school" many people choose this route and like myself, some dont realize they want to be a vet until later in life. My advice to anyone in this position is to stay positive and please dont listen to people with negative attitudes. Ideally yes, do the A-levels and apply for Vet school if you know its what you want to do, but think of all the other students applying for the same thing who are equally as qualified. A degree will set you apart from the rest but you need to be prepared for high fees in the majority of the schools. Saying that, London and Nottingham don't charge these extortionate fees which puts you in an ideal position compared to your competitors.


Kirsty as a graduate Edinburgh will recommend you apply for teh 4 year course and london will decide for you once they have assessed what you are capable of. My advice would be to speak to Peter Traynor from the RVC admissions office regarding this. His number is +44 (0) 207 468 5147. Hope that helps!

Hi, Nix,

Thank you for your contribution, which I think some will find helpful.
However, I do take issue with you about 'ridiculously high ' university fees at vet school. Yes, they are among the highest course fees anywhere, but you should bear a few things in mind.
Firstly, ir was a decision by Government that Universities should charge 'realistic' fees and Goverment support was reduced accordingly. Veterinary courses have to charge high fees ( though they are 'capped') for several reasons : Vet schools have to buy their patients (their teaching material), and cattle and horses do not come cheap these days. Also, the proportion of staff to students is very high - in the clinical years it is about 0ne to four, and staff costs are high accordingly.
Would you prefer all clinical teaching to be done by watching videos, and would you prefer to have 'simulated' patients rather than the living breathing animal?

W?

Hi, Im so glad this subject came up, becuase I am speculating around the same thing. I was thinking, If i don't get into veterinary science straight away, I would initially do a pre-vet course, or even a zoology course to get into an accelerated course. I didnt quite realise how high the fees were for the accelerated courses though! I was thinking of the gateway programme, and everything applies to me (parents neither going to university, poor schools etc) except the fact about their income. Just wondering if anyone knows, (sorry changing subject) if that the £30,000 household income, is the maximum they will go considering that? Will they look at where the money goes, and aspects regarding money?

So, basically, If i was to choose, first of all, a under-grad course, like bio-vet, zoology or something similar, my costs would be subsidised, and when I completed that, and tried to apply for veterinary, i would be expected to pay 18K or something? Do vetmed schools prefer to take on fresh a level students?

I realise how difficult its going to be to get onto a gateway course, (like all vet courses) but what is it, that will put you ahead? Is it mostly considering work experience, extra non cirriculum activities, your application and interview?

Hi, Janek,

I am not qualified to comment very specifically on the points raised in your e-mail. You would be best advised to contact the Admissions Secretary for each of the university veterinary schools.
If your A grades are good enough, you may well get a direct entry into a vet school. I am under the impression that pressure on places is nothing like as high now as it was a few years ago.

W

Hi,
Can you email me as I'd like to talk to you about the RVC course thats 3K and not 18K. I've been trying to get in for 6yrs and they still say its 18K.
Thanks
Mel

I have a BA(Hons) 2.2 and I have been looking at the veterinary courses, id like to know if anyone can help me what does a vet earn?

Hi,

1. I doubt if a BA (2.2) would get you into a vet school anyway
2. If your first ( and only) questsion is how much does a vet earn you clearly do not have a vocation.

W

Dear Mel

You can get in with a 2.2, you just have to pay the full amount, this year 18,000 GBP.

Sinderella,
I can see as to why you are asking about how much a veterinary surgeon will earn.
Undertaking a second degree in vet med is very expensive, so it is worth knowing how much you may be earning once qualified so you can weigh up if its feasible or not to take it as a second degree.

I would be very grateful for any advice:

As is often the case, I wanted to be a Vet from as young as I can remember. In the end i didnt apply to vet school because I didnt have near enough the experience that the admissions people would require. I was so desperate to go to University and leave home that I applied for Biology courses and chose to go to Nottingham. I got a first class degree and then went to Leeds to do a research masters in biodiversity and conservation with the idea that i could maybe go into a career in wildlife conservation or ecological consultancy. It was only when i completed this masters that i began to realise again that really for me a career as a veterinary surgeon was the only thing that I would ever want to do. I have spent the past 2 years working as a civil servant - finding any ecological job was near on impossible. I am now 26 and cant stop thinking about being a vet.

I would like to apply to Edinburgh and will be contacting the admissions people there. I have saved up as much money as I can from my current job and when that contract ends in July my plan was to get as much experience on farms, vet practices etc as possible during the next few months and then apply for vet school ethier for October 2012 entry.

However, i have been offered an interview for a short term job as a ecological field assistant. If i cant make it as a vet then this would be another option, however if i accept this job then there goes the opportunity for me to gain my vet experience over the next year.

My grades at GCSES includes 9A*s, 2A's and a B. At A level I achieved A in Biology but B in Physics and Chemistry.

Any advice would be most welcome as I am reaching that turning point in my life where I need to make a decision if i want to fufill this dream. I am fully aware that the financial cost would be very large. I am more concerned that, even if i managed to build up substantial experience, the admissions people may not accept me because i went down a different career route. Has anyone had any similar experiences as a mature student/postgrad student?

When I was at vet school, albeit 20 years ago, we always had some postgrad students. I think your qualifications would make you an attractive candidate to a vet school. The only problem these days is how long will it take you afterwards to pay off your fees and living expenses because there will be no time to earn money in the vacation because you will be doing vet stuff which is compulsory. The real question has to be how much do you want to be a vet and will you be able to afford it in the future? Bear in mind it is likely to take you at least 10 years of work to pay off your debts. Best of luck whatever you decide.

Hi Catherine_B,
How are you getting on with your plans? I'm in a similar situation myself, wondering if you had many any decisions?!
Pepper

Hi Catherine. I would love to know how things worked out for you - we have a similar situation with our daughter. Hope you find time to update......