To think I can go to Uni to become a Vet

[Lilt1992]

Im mid twenties in a dead end job. I was brought up on a council estate with nothing, never had anyone to look up to, never took school seriously but I had potential, all my teachers kept telling me. I left with fairly ok GCSE's. Signed onto benefits by 18 years old and then went into full time work. Now that I have money behind me and I'm older, I'm regretting not going to Uni and getting a career. My dream would be to be a vet and I'm considering studying Veterinary medicine, a 6 year course. I've been doing a bunch of research but my next step is to speak to a Uni or vet surgery to get an idea of how I'll get accepted. However, part of me feels stupid to even consider myself good enough to do it. I'm having these constant doubts. Family have told me that anything is possible. Has anyone else got any experience with something similar?

Give it a whack.
You will probably need to get experience in the sector and stuff but I don’t see why not.

I think it definitely depends on your GCSEs and other qualifications if you want to be an actual vet and not a vetenary nurse. So you have all As and A*s? That’s not to put a downer on by any means just to be realistic

I believe you will need science A Levels? Speak to a local vet by email or check online. You will probably need a biology a-level at least. You can do that at a local college at any age i believe x

I changed career at 24 which required a great deal of studying. Same as you. Bright but no examples of academia to follow / look up to despite achieving a really promising set of O Levels that allowed me to move to a Grammar School 6th Form for A levels. Went to work from the age of 16 instead.
I still feel I settled a bit below my true potential so my advice is go for it.

I think you will need A-levels or a university foundation course. Both can be done at any age. It also wouldn’t hurt to get some experience (paid or voluntary) in the veterinary sector. It’s a very competitive course, so anything you can do to show you’re a good / committed candidate will set you in good stead.

You need more than ‘ok’ GCSES. Get career advice and be realistic in what you have and what you need to achieve

If you can afford to go, and can get them grades (via resit or alternative qualification) then it’s not unrealistic.

Don't settle for Vet Nurse if you really can get those necessary A levels. It's kind of what I did. I didn't feel able to go back to school / collage for the A levels I needed so I entered my profession at a different level. I have a degree now but still only able to practice to a more limited scope that maybe I may have otherwise achieved if I hadn't settled .

Do you have A levels? If not then take three a levels (look at what’s needed for your course) and see how you feel after that.

There is no reason why you can't if you are bright and hardworking but be aware that it is extremely competitive to get a place at uni to study to be a vet (even more so than medicine I believe)

It's a great idea but you will need top notch A levels to get accepted on a course. Or possibly there may be an access course you could do but you will need a good grasp of maths/biology and chemistry to A level standard to make headway.

You need to go onto the ucas website and look for universities who offer the course you want and see what the entry requirements are. You will need to do either A levels or an access course if they will accept it and you will need to look into how to fund both of these.

What research have you done that didn't include checking uni websites for entry requirements?! That's the first step surely! And given there are only 8 (ish) places in the UK that do vet med wouldn't have taken very long !

You need to get out and about and get as much experience with animals as you can. Farms, zoos, stables as well as vets - you can't have too much practical experience, and you'll get precisely nowhere if you have none.

Of course you can. I'm a vet and there was another woman in my year who had her 40th birthday in our final year. The course (and profession) is incredibly hard work so make sure you research it fully, including work experience, and be prepared to change your mind.

The best way to start would be to contact the unis that offer veterinary degrees and look at their courses. There is a drive to widening participation so there are an increasing number of access courses available that you may be eligible for. You can someone gain access with certain access courses so that's a possibility if you dont have the required a levels. Again, the unis themselves are the best way to gain that info.

You will also need a lot of work experience, and I dont just mean at a vets practice. Farm placements, abatoirs, kennels, catteries, stables etc. Remember vets arent just treating dogs and cats your course will cover everything and as such you need to gain that experience. Uni websites have info about the amount of experience required.

Universities usually have ‘widening access’ policies including ones specific to particular courses. These consider your educational and social background (eg did your parents go to uni that sort of thing) and consider this when assessing applications. If you look on a uni website for the vetinary science course and click on the selection process and criteria links. If you find nothing then email the admissions team for that course. Also sign up to an open day. Go to the school, go to the talks, look around, most important lay, talk to the current students and staff one on one. Go for it ( you’ll need to do a levels though first I’d imagine)

Please dont say 'settle for vet nurse'! They are very different careers! No one says 'dont settle for being a nurse'. They are different with different pros and cons. All veterinary work is hard going and it is not well paid. I would defo get work experience - volunteer etc and see what you think. There are new uni courses starting up now so all good chances. See RCVS and BVA websites for accurate information.

When I was at school, going to uni to be a vet needed better A levels than to become a doctor, it was such a coveted vocation.

Good luck!

Don’t let issues like affordability cloud your judgement - going to university at any age is affordable, there is just a lot of misinformation and concern that distracts from the ample public and private support that is out there.

You absolutely should go for it. Start by researching online the potential programs, and then contact the universities by phone (just because they technically accept access courses doesn’t mean they don’t look down on those candidate, so ask what else supports your application eg work experience.)

If you are willing to work hard, you absolutely can achieve this!

Look at level 3 quals and access to Veterinary Medicine - you've got this OP!!

www.rvc.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/veterinary-gateway#tab-entry-requirements

I have a friend who applied for veterinary, didn't get in and then reapplied for medicine instead and is now a doctor. So it is very hard going.

As you would be a mature student, there may be different entry requirements than A levels - have you looked into if this is applicable or what these may be? Although if you've been out of education a long time it may be a good idea to do A levels to get back into the swing of it.

Definitely get some practical experience as well!

Didn't mean to offend any one when I said "settle" so apologies if I did. I work in a multi disciplinary environment with many different roles needed to complete the team. All are valuable and no one can work to their full potential without a full compliment of staff. My boss knows he can't fulfil my role and get on with his . And I know I can't fulfil my role with my ( qualified in her own right and member of a professional body ) assistant.

Do it, you’re only mid twenties.

I wish I had gone to University but am now 43 and possibly am now in a position to go and am just narrowing down my options as to what exactly I want to retrain in.

Do it now if you can afford to as otherwise it’s so much harder once DH and children involved in the calculations 😬

Good luck. You will find at uni there are often "mature students" like I was who for one reason or another didn't come to uni to later. I tended to find they were more committed and came with a wider life experience. Worth contacting the various admission teams to ask about qualifications, as entry requirements are sometimes different for mature students and they may be able to advise on schemes for widening access. It will be worth doing course such as a levels o r access course before to help you get back into studying. You can do it part time. f

As others have said, try to get experience. You will need to write personal statement with your application and you will want to stand out. Also gives you something to talk about at interview. It may take a year or two until you're in right position to apply but keep focused on end goal!!

You need to look at University websites to find the entry requirements. Your 'fairly ok' GCSE's would worry me a bit - I think you are looking at A/A* at A level in sciences and lots of voluntary experience.
Do your research.