Four A levels? Vet Sci/Med aims

It's a long time since I was applying for Medical School but in my day the norm was Chemistry plus two out of Biology, Physics and Maths. There's more flexibility these days, particularly the third subject which I think is a good thing so I'd probably opt for the subjects she's likely to get the highest grades in. To be honest, I'm retired now and still not sure what was so important about A level Chemistry but it does seem to be pretty much an ubiquitous requirement. I think the A level that served me best was actually Physics, but not really until my post graduate exams and obviously that's specialty dependent and not many youngsters know what direction they're likely to go in at this stage. Three A levels is definitely plenty and 3 top grades is much better than 4 less good ones. Work experience is very hard to come by in medicine these days and I don't think it was ever that valuable anyway. It's really difficult to give school children any real idea of what life as a doctor is like. Most Trusts do short courses for aspiring medics involving lectures, simulation etc and they're at least as much use as any "real life" experience a school pupil is likely to get in a hospital or GP surgery. I do think getting experience of working with the public is worthwhile though. The ability to communicate with people from lots of different backgrounds is a key skill for doctors of more or less all types and if you don't enjoy working with people then medicine might not be the best choice.
I don't know much about Vet Medicine but would imagine much of the same kind of things apply. One of my friends' DD is currently about half way through the course though and I know she did 3 science A levels. She did quite a bit of voluntary work for experience including on farms, at a cattery and a wildlife rescue. We are in the countryside though so those kind of opportunities are probably easier to come by here and one would hope that admission tutors will understand that some youngsters will find it harder to get work experience. In my opinion, the real value of work experience is not to enhance your chances of admission but to give you insight into the realities of the job. Both medicine and vetinary medicine are careers that get romanticised a lot and reality is often very different. I think it's worth at least trying to talk to people who work in the fields even if it it's not possible to get direct experience.

Mines just qualified. Loved every second of Uni (even the Covid bit) and now loving being a vet. It's a hard course with holidays taken up with EMS (although they've cut this down now, as well
as the wex required to get in). Agree with everything @follygirl says. Know what you are getting into.

Vet med student mum. My daughter did Economics with Chemistry and Biology as she wasn’t sure she could get an A in Maths. It has not been an issue at all, she has just finished second year.
Don’t do an EPQ unless your yp wants to
do it. It’s far more important to get a variety of work experience. Not just because the Unis require it, but more importantly it will give your yp an idea of what it’s going to be like. I still remember when my daughter did her first stint of lambing at 14, there was a Vet Student applicant there who thought the whole thing was disgusting. She hated the sheep and the gore and was terrified of the cows that were also on the farm. I’m not sure if she carried on with her application.
My daughter did lambing, dairy, worked at a stables for a year, kennels and overwintered hedgehogs for a local charity. As well as clinical.
The degree is a lot of work and it’s definitely a vocation so please make sure they know what it can entail. As an aside my daughter is literally living her best life at the moment. She loves Liverpool and the course.

@Hatwontfit I've posted the link to Notts MOOC. This RVC is free for WP - they do a paid one but no one counts that as wex.

I think the RVC course costs several hundred pounds. Nottingham used to do an online course they counted as work experience. I'm not sure if they still do. That was free. It might be a good place to start.

Bristol more holistic. But I've not had any student get in without some wex.

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/vet-school/study/undergraduate/guidance/

This is RVCs usual wex requirements

Look at this if think might be eligible

@CervixSampler be pushy. Email every practice you can as you need to have the wex by Sept of Yr13. Pets don't count I'm afraid.
Hopefully her college will have contacts too, and the MOOC does count as some of the wex. But it's more like 9 applicants per place for need to stand out and the more experience you have the more you have to talk about at interviews. Good luck !

@CervixSampler You probably don’t have local universities for vet Sci though. Possibly just the one?

Having pets and caring for them and understanding their needs is a starting point. If she can, I’d get as much horse expertise as she can and wait for other WE to materialise. What about any farm experience?

Also, there may be a time frame the experience needs to be completed with - for RVC, for example, its within 18 months of the application deadline - so don't count on experience from younger teen years. The entry requirements vary from uni to uni.

I'd go for 3 A Levels + work experience, then have a hobby / sport etc for fun.

Who was being rude? I asked if all applicants get an offer. The stats overall say 50% don’t. I’m merely saying what’s a good back up and many who take chemistry do take maths as well. They give dc an ability to consider chemical engineering for example. Not that it’s relevant here but maths is by far and away the most popular A level because it keeps options open. You might give good advice but clearly 50% don’t get in. It’s not maths vs animal experience either is it?! It’s possible to do both.

And as a A level chemistry teacher you don't need maths.

@TizerorFizz can we try not to be rude. I help many students every year and yes, most get at least one offer. Because we give good advice from v early on. Maths is not needed, asked for or helps with any vet degree. Here we are talking about a student wanting to do medicine or vet so that's the advice given. Better to get an A in drama than a B in maths.
Work experience, with references is more important for vet med. Without it you won't get an interview (or in Bristol's case an offer). Each Uni has their own extra selection form(s) as like medicine they don't read PS.

@mumsneedwine Do all applicants get an offer then? I don’t think so! If someone was good at maths, most schools believe it sits well with chemistry. As a result it’s very much a gateway subject for many degrees. It’s all very well being so sure dc will get a vet school place and doesn’t need it but everyone knows loads of dc don’t get on these courses. You are very blinkered in your advice when the success rate for vet degrees is around 50%. Many dc need to find another degree so having maths never ever does any harm, even though not needed. Obviously swerve of dc aren’t great at maths!

@CervixSampler she'll need much more formal work experience I'm afraid. With evidence. Own animals don't count. Please research carefully as needs to have been done by ucas deadline.

@TizerorFizz no vet or medical school needs it recommends maths. 3rd A level can be anything, not one Uni cares. They care about grades. I've had students get in with drama, PE, textiles etc,

Dd is doing vet med. I'd reiterate to aim for three A levels. Chemistry, Biology and a third subject she is likely to score highly in. Doesn't matter too much which one.

With work experience it's worth looking af the requirements of unis she might be interested in. Not that many unis offer it. They are quite specific about what work experience they want and also the evidence/reference required each time.

@mumsneedwine She needs a 3rd A level. Maths is useful with chemistry and recommended in many schools. Not necessary but useful if she doesn’t get into vet school because it gives her other options - so she might care.

Forgot the snapshot. Each Uni differs so check now as only have a year. And they get v booked up.

For medicine and vet 3 is enough. And no one needs maths, or cares.

For vet you're going to have to get your skates on to get the required work experience. Each Uni requires different amounts (& some v little) but if you don't have the required amount they won't even look at your application. It's also v useful to have some vet and animal care for interviews as you will be asked. This MOOC counts.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/vet-school-application-support

This is a snapshot of Notts. Others need 35 hours of each. Each Uni has its own selection form you'll need to fill in after UCAS and they'll ask for evidence if each placement on letterhead do get as you go along

For medicine, some long term volunteering or a customer facing job are useful. You don't need medical wex / this MOOC is good.

https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE

Maths is a very useful third choice with chemistry and biology.

Regarding animal experience - start with pets! Ride a horse and help look after them. Be aware of the horse’s vet needs. All are possible below age 16. Help neighbours with dogs, eg walking them etc. Get to know animals. Ask farmers if you can observe lambing. Just doing a tick box in the 6th form puts dc behind dc of vets and farmers in terms of experience. They have had a lifetime of experience. Being around animals is such good prep.

Sorry cross post and agree with this

Is maths A level a possibility? Many schools aren’t keen on physics A level without it.