Academic DD wants to go to the Brit school

You don't have to have gone to the Brit School to have a career in the theatre. If you want to be a vet, though, you do have to have very, very good academic results (as well as appropriate work experience). Put bluntly, if she went to the Brit School she would be limiting her options; if she stayed on the academic/university track she wouldn't. I had several university friends who went on to enjoy variously successful theatre and film careers after having graduated in very different subjects from university.

Blue Cross minimum age is 16 I think and Battersea 18. If OP or any other Londoner wants to PM me about the work experience DD did I am happy to share the info. DD was about 16 when she started though. We are in central London.

What about Blue Cross? Or Battersea?

That's good Brits Boon lotts is one of the very few good ones. However it still won't really be classed as work experience by many vet schools as it's not relevant to the role of a vet in the UK. Good from a social development or travel point if view though, but if costs are a concern you'd be better off spending the money on train fares and B and Bs in the UK to allow her to get a variety of experience here

Does she know that many of the best actors and singers didn't go to the Brit school at all? Does she know about the Royal College of Music and RADA?

How many gcses do they do at Brit.

Dd will do 9, the same as the academic private school.

OP
Please don't send your daughter to an elephant project in Thailand
www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/24/tourism-elephant-trade-burma-thailand

The vet schools want to know that applicants are serious and have an understanding of the work they'll be doing ( very few Thai elephant vets in the UK) Farm and vet practise placements are much more valuable.

Also it's never too early to start work experience. Yes some students don't start until later, but those that start earlier are often able to get a wider variety and this is an advantage

OP,
I am not sure I agree that a year 9 needs to go out and get animal work experience but I think she needs to start doing so by say year 11 if she wants to apply for entry at the end of year 13. My daughter only decided to be a vet at the end of year 11/beginning of year 12 so she deferred a year to build up work experience.

Bear in mind that a lot of work experience places are "booked up" a year in advance. It is difficult under the age of 16 to find places to take you in London, many prefer 18 and over. Quality and variety is better than say working at the same kennels for 3 years. Perhaps arrange to shadow a vet during the next school holidays and see if she still likes the idea. As mentioned above Student Room has everything you need to know about work experience and entry requirements.

Re the Brit School, I mentioned above that my 15 year old daughter got in during year 9 for the Art strand but turned the place down. She does now regret it - we talked about it last night.

I would say to let your DD apply. If she gets in she can make the decision then. I don't think being restricted to fewer GCSE subjects would destroy a potential scientific career but it might make it a bit more tricky. One of my DD's friends is doing a scientific degree with very competitive entry and did not do GCSEs OR the foreign equivalent at all because of very unusual circumstances - just AS and A levels.

Your DD is still very young. Let her follow her dreams for now. Perhaps agree that if she wants to follow the musical path/theatre she will need a backup plan. I think if she gets into the Brit she and they will be realistic about her chances of a musical career and point her in the right direction.

I saw people at Vet School open days who were at least in their thirties. I imagine the retirement age for your daughter will be 70 at least. There is time to follow more than one career should she wish to do so.

OP it is. a dilemma.

DD used to talk about attending a performing arts school post GCSE. DH was completely against it, wanting her to get good A levels first to keep every avenue open.

Fortunately what happened was she got a part in a West End show and while she loved it she made a decision to complete her academic education.

In fact she had chosen an obscenely academic school for sixth form.

What happens after 18 is up for debate but at least for now I feel more comfortable

If she's planning on applying to vet school she need to start racking up work experience in vet practises, on farms, in stables, boarding kennels etc now. She doesn't need to be 16 for this. It sounds as if neither of you are clear on what the entry requirements actually are do I'd suggest spending some time researching both routes and seeing which is a best fit. If she 'wants to be a vet' but has no actual experience if veterinary practise, then it's likely the reality will be very different from what she might expect

How old is she?

My dd is 13 & either wants to be a musical theatre performer or a physiotherapist.

She is currently at Hammond, she turned down a place at a highly academic independent school to go there. She is doing very well academically & will take 9 GCSES. However we are not sure whether she will stay there for A levels as she will only be able to take 2 A levels on their Upper School Musical Theatre course which will rule out physiotherapy.

However she will keep her options open until Year 11.

Entry requirements for vet school are SERIOUSLY challenging. A'level sciences are also very demanding. She needs to be 110% committed to going for it, and given that she is really keen to try for the Brit, maybe it is just a pipe-dream?

If she wants to keep her options open to stand a chance of getting in, I would suggest waiting until Y12 to apply for the Brit (I know a girl who did this) - that way she can work hard to get top grades in appropriate GCSEs and decide which way she really wants to go for a career.

Britsornot we are Londoners and DD1 is applying this year. Most of her work experience has been in the London area you just have to look out for it and keep asking. She only started at the beginning of year 12, hence my advice to start early. She has taken a gap year as she was not convinced she had enough last year, she has now got a full time job in a vets as well as around 12 weeks animal husbandry and 12 weeks vet in three practices not including her new job.

Studentroom has a wealth of information about requirements but there are some "adult" threads on there.

I know nothing about applying to vet school. ~My hairdresser, whose DD applied last year, told me that you need 16 different types of animal experience to be considered seriously. I do not know if this is true! Her DD had helped at an animal rescue place, helped at Battersea Dogs & Cats, done the elephant experience you describe, had her own horse. Probably other things, I don't know, but she didn't get in and is off on a gap year to South Africa to help her application for next year. It struck me as incredibly hard.

There are plenty of small animal vets in London! Also stables, City farms she could help with, and lots of livestock farms just outside London, but within m25 for lambing. Abattoirs, the zoo and aquarium too.

Does she really want to be a vet? Sounds like her heart may not be in it if she's thinking about Brit.

I wouldn't let my DD, if she seriously wanted to be a vet, go to the Brit School. I live near it, and have known the children of lots of friends who have auditioned, some of whom have got in, and some haven't. Of the ones that have got in, they and their class mates all want to work in the performing arts, be it back stage or on stage. It is not, imo, the right place for someone who wants to be a vet, as I doubt that is what the school is used to, leading to them being unable to provide the support she needs. Friends, also, would not be in the same position.

Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for someone who was sure they wanted a career as an actor, performer, sound technician etc.

The other thing to bear in mind for vetmed is that she needs quite a lot of work experience and she really should have done some by year 11. It might not be possible to do this with a long commute or theatre commitments.

It is easier to make the transition to A level after doing separate sciences but not essential. Most vet schools ask for Biology and Chem at grade A with the third in any academic subject.

My DD got into the Brit School on the art strand but had changed her view by the time results came out and no longer wanted to leave her friends etc. Perhaps let her audition and see what happens.

She needs 3 sciences or two sciences and maths. Chemistry is obligatory

My son goes to the Brit. He does design. He likes the school and the academic teaching is good, though GCSE subject choices are limited (english, maths, 2 x science, 1 x language, 1 x humanity, 1 x arts) because the strand choice is a double BTEC counting for 2 GCSEs. The pastoral care is good. Do you definitely need to do 3 sciences for vet school/proceeding to science A levels? If not maybe she could go for it and still keep her options open to move to another 6th form if she is interested in being a vet at that stage?

Australian National Ballet
Bloody phone just makes words up!

A good friend if mine danced with the Australian Bational Balket until the age of 24, then went to Uni as a vet student and qualified. As someone in the vet profession I would support your daughter in what she wants to do. Veterinary surgeons have one if the highest suicide rates if any profession, hours are long and remuneration is relatively poor. It's not a job for someone who isn't totally committed. Having said that an Am-Dram background will be beneficial for the multitude if vet school productions that occur