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?

The reality of vetting is a long way from most of the general public’s wildly held beliefs. Retention is poor and there are significant mental health issues within the Profession. However I’m a vet, and despite the difficulties, I still enjoy it after many years in Practice. I have made huge sacrifices for my career (see below), most of which have luckily paid off (in a job satisfaction way, rather than monetarily), but with hindsight I probably should have prioritised family/a life outside of work sooner.

Some things to bear in mind: wages are low, you’ll start on around 25k for at least 45hrs a week (plus around 1 in 4 nights and weekends on call in equine/farm/mixed/some small animals Practices) - my hourly work rate in my first job was around £2.30... it’s easy to say you won’t mind this, but it truly needs to be a vocation or you’ll become bitter and resentful quickly. I am now a practice owner and, despite advice on this thread, make about half what a doctor or dentist does annually (with all the risks of business ownership). Wages haven’t risen much in the last 10 years so these figures aren’t especially dated! In addition you have an annual requirement for ongoing continuing professional development, some of this will be available in work time, but most of it is done in your own time. For example, I have a post graduate certificate which took approximately 700hrs of study over 3 years, on top of a 60hr/wk job and cost me around £4000, you will need to accept that to progress once qualified you’ll need to keep making sacrifices (vet school is only the first hurdle).

The public are used to the NHS, so have absolutely no idea of the cost of healthcare, and that our prices are massively lower, and although most clients are great, there will always be some rather unpleasant ones. You need to learn to deal with these ones or you’ll be driven quickly from the job (see poor retention/high suicide rates). An important part of work experience pre vet school is to see if you can handle this aspect, you will talk about money every day of your career (and not because you’re a money grabbing horror, it’s just the reality of the job).

Vet school: there’s more options for entry these days, but it’s still competitive, e.g. not everyone on an access course will gain a place. Truthfully, I was lucky enough to not work at school (too busy playing sport) and still got 5 As at A level. I didn’t find vet school easy at all. It’s a hugely academic course with the need to also be able to apply academic knowledge practically, think logically/laterally and be hugely self driven. I mean this in the nicest way, but you don’t seem to have researched your options beyond asking on an Internet forum, I appreciate this is a fledging idea, but you’ll need an analytical mind, single minded determination and a solid work ethic to succeed in this dream and really, checking the entry requirements yourself is a fairly basic first hurdle. As an aside, I don’t accept work experience applicants whose parents apply on their behalf for this reason, you’ll need some gumption to survive and this starts at the first step!

Work experience plays an important role in your application (and appreciation of the job). It needs to be wide ranging, including small animal, dairy, equine, lambing, and abattoir work whilst not compulsory does set you apart. You will be expected to provide references about these placements and also talk about things you’ve seen/issues/topical subjects affecting the Profession at your interview. This will require further research on your part (eg. Vivisection, hunting, Brexit, COVID, farming practices, brachycelphic animals). Lots of work experience people decide it really isn’t the career for them after a week or two of gruelling days!

The truth is that it is achievable, but you’ll need to approach it thoroughly and conscientiously, accept that aiming for just achieving the minimum entry requirements on all areas is unlikely to be a successful approach (remember it’s very competitive) and that you’ll need to stand out in at least one area. It’ll take guts and utter dedication. I’d recommend you also consider the wider impact on your life/family/future family.

Good luck, it can be a great life (it’s not just a job).

I don't know about veterinary courses, but I just want to say that as university lecturer mature and returning students have often been some of my best and most committed - they tend to have focus and motivation that some (not all!) of the younger cohort lack, to understand what they're doing and why they're doing it.

I just want to tell you the story of my good friend (who I studied for my PhD in chemistry, alongside). He grew up on a rough council estate, buggered about at school and left with no GCSEs. At about 19/20 he decided he wanted to go to university so studied the necessary subjects at nightschool to get in, whilst working in the day. He got in, graduated top of the year and went on to do a PhD. He was far brighter than any of the rest of us in the lab, including the Prof, who recognised this himself and pushed my friend to speak at conferences, submit papers to prestigious journals etc. He’s an eminent scientist these days.

So it can be done! I will be a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get there but it’s possible. You’ll need good grade science A-Levels and probably some volunteer experience; start looking at animal shelters, vets, kennels etc now to see what you can get involved in.

Good luck!!

@Stormtrooper76

Can I ask how a kid from an inner city council estate would have a hope in hell in accessing work experience in any of equine, dairy or lambing areas, never mind all three?

I grew up in inner city Birmingham; my parents, while well-meaning, didn’t have a clue about further/higher education. They certainly didn’t have the knowledge, time or money to drive for miles out of the city to get me to these type of establishments, if I’d wanted to study veterinary science. Doesn’t this unfairly prejudice working class kids?

Do access to higher education certificates still exist? I took one at Richmond adult community college and got into uni with that. My class was a wonderful mix of people from all backgrounds with the youngest in their 20s and the oldest in his 70s!

Zombie thread - don’t waste too much time advising OP as she may well not be reading this thread after 8 months.

Don't listen to people telling you that you can't do it. You absolutely can. With something like this it is all about persistence, determination, and (perhaps most imporantly) patience. You will need either A Levels or an Access Course to get into University. At this point an access course could be your best best as A Levels will set you back a year or two. You can also do A Levels online though, which could be an option to get them done quicker.

Point is - where there's a will, there's a way. You can and should go for it!

@JulieAndrews101

You definitely could get into vet school!

It is important to have the right GCSE grades though - this shows which universities need which GCSEs - looks like Bristol might be good according to this: www.becomeavet.co.uk/post/what-gcses-do-i-need-for-vet-school - best of luck :)

Why have you replied to a 8 month old thread that already had a lot of comments?! 🧟‍♀️🙈🧟‍♀️

I grew up in a large city (which admittedly being northern is probably a little more rural than Birmingham, or at least has more rural fringes), I also went to the local comprehensive, and worked all the way through vet school to help pay my way (term time and holidays), so I understand your concerns. The Profession is trying to open access and make it more available to everyone but this needs to be balanced with a realistic idea of the job, which can only be gained through work experience.

My point really was that it isn’t easy, but neither is the uni course or eventual career, so success will rely on dedication from the word go. It’s difficult but not impossible to decide aged 18 that you have the A levels and would like to go to vet school, because so many other candidates have been working for years to get the work experience/CV needed. In some ways older applicants have an advantage here as they’re likely to drive/be bolder about making contacts.

The truth is that I cycled miles (6-10miles) for most placements. I could luckily get off the school bus a bit before my normal stop to attend a vets, so volunteered there from the age of around 13yrs, this led to further placements in the local area, and eventually led to a Saturday job which helped cover train fares/bus fares for other placements. I also had a holiday job in a cattery, which involved a 10 mile cycle and 7am start! For some placements I was hosted by families on their farm, and a couple of vets also put me up, so I didn’t need to travel every day. There are no vets or anyone vet related in my family so I had to get into a Practice (local small animal one) first, then the senior vet there was hugely kind and gave me lots of advice and contacts for further placements (in return for tea making and kennel cleaning duties), this is still pretty usual in the vet world, we certainly point all good candidates in the right direction whenever we can. Like most Professions there is an element of ‘mentoring’ right from the start, but you need to be brave enough to make the first contact, and muck in when you get there.

It’s worth thinking outside the box a bit as well, admissions tutors aren’t stupid and see that opportunities differ depending on your situation - however lots of cities have farm parks or animal rescue centres which are crying out for volunteers. Most large towns have some sort of agricultural market, which is worth a visit (and usually accessible by train/bus). Farm placements including accommodation are often available during lambing time and are advertised on farming forums/farmer’s union websites - experience is not usually necessary just a good work ethic! Basically, if you’d like to be vet I’d strongly recommend contacting your local practice to arrange work experience, which will hopefully generate some other placements for you and help you find a mentor who will show you the right steps! I’d never have made it without the kindness of lots of vets/nurses/farmers/random others, and, yes the occasional lift the the station from my mum.

Yes you can do it. Enquire re access courses at your local college. The access course will provide you with the equivalent of 3 a-levels in the relevant science subjects, required to be able to gain access to the university course.

I left school with only 2 English GCSE’s. My plan was to become a podiatrist. I first enrolled myself into a maths gcse course at the college, and managed to pass the exam for that. Then I successfully enrolled on a science access course (biology, chemistry and psychology) at age 42. I needed 30 credits at distinction level to be able to gain entry to the university course. Although I found the access course very hard, I was actually managing to attain the required distinction grades for my assignments, even though I had never actually gained the GCSEs for the science subjects. I managed to get myself an interview at the university for the podiatry course. I had also been working for a charity as a Footcare provider for around a year prior to starting the access course. I was on track to go to university to reach my goal, and it was only events which too place in my personal life which meant I had to change my plans and put it on hold.
You can decide to follow a new career path at any point in your life! Good luck.

Bread and dripping
Meatloaf
Stuffed marrow [Dad's marrows filled with mince...]
Going to the freezer shop, once my parents got a huge chest freezer which was in the brick shed.
Eggs from the farm in the village, Cracked eggs cheaper.
Veg from the farm in the next village.

Wrong thread!!!

Looking at entry requirements with Edinburgh, you would need 5 Highers at AAAAB pass and then BB at Advanced Higher. I'm looking at getting into Uni for a different course and I've applied to Fife College to get my Highers. They only allow you to do 3 Highers at a time, and even then they said its a lot of work. You would need to attend College for two years first to obtain your Highers, and then your AH, although I don't know where you study them to be honest.

It's that, or sit a science related degree and then apply as a postgrad. If you are in Scotland though, have you thought about funding? I think Saas only cover you for 4 years so you would need to think of other ways to cover the additional funding.

It's a tough one, but I can't see any other way of getting jn other than getting grades at school 😔

My wife is in her last year of vet science after transferring over from vet tech. She’s in her 40's. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. You can - you just have to navigate the pathway which may include more study to bridge requirements.

As a mature student you may not need those A levels. Just be confident and have the capacity to understand the content of the course.

Universities are being far more open about social mobility. If being a vet doesn’t open doors, I personally wouldn’t settle as a vet nurse - you will always be disappointed / begrudge being in a support role so would look at other careers.

Good luck!

My sister is a vet. She has 4 A's and a B at A level - the B meant she only just scraped in to college, and that was in bloody geography! You have to be EXTREMELY intelligent and hugely hardworking, and it's a mentally and physically exhausting career.

Not trying to put you off, just a reality check! Maybe when lockown is over look into doing some work experience at your local practice, and take it from there?

To answer your OP, I am going to do similar.

I had really bad family relationships and poor MH in my teenage years. I was bright but left school after GCSE's and had no real direction or motivation. Left and got a trainee position in a sector that I have no real passion for. Worked my way up to the top of what was possible without going back to uni by my mid-20's.

Now I'm in my early 30's. I was looking into pensions and plans for retirement and I realised that I likely have another 30/40 years of my working life ahead of me. So even if it takes me 3-6 years to fully retrain to do something I'm passionate about, surely it's worth it?

Definitely worth working out what courses or qualifications you would need to get in to do veterinary medicine.

Hi,
My daughter is at vet school, she got A* AA in Physics, chemistry and Biology and lots and lots of work experience from the local abattoir, to dairy farms, pig farms, poultry farms and a kennels. It is all she has ever wanted to do and she is loving it. I would definitely go for it - but find out about vet work before as its not all 'Yorkshire Vet' and Noel Fitzpatrick :-)
Some of the courses has a Foundation Year and at 25 you will not be old by any means - lots at my daughters are in their 30's and at 19 she is one of the babies. I used to be a vet nurse before training in Radiology and finally a sonographer - there are no limits to when you train and finding your vocation! Best of luck with it all x

@Tillywhim

Hi, sorry to be negative but truthfully, it's an extremely competitive course to get onto. There are only a few unis in the country that offer vet medicine, and the places are always quite limited. You will need top grades at A levels (usually 3 A's, with two needing to be in biology and chemistry) and unis will expect to see some kind of relevant experience. Some unis (RVC) are offering a gateway year for student that don't meet the normal requirements, so may be worth looking into these.

I would advise looking into animal care assistant jobs, or gaining work experience (which might be difficult at the moment with Covid) local to you, to gain some knowledge in the industry first. If you do think it is right for you, you will need to look into gaining a levels.
In my experience (17 years as a Veterinary Nurse) lots of people think they will like the job, but the reality is very different to what lots of people imagine. It is a very stressful and intense course, leading to an extremely stressful job. Although it can be a very rewarding career, job satisfaction can be low esp in new grads. For the hours worked and the level of education/responsibility, it is not a very well paid career, when comparing to other professions eg dentistry/medicine/surgery/law.
All that being said, obviously I love the job, enough to have stayed in the industry for so long!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do, it's never too late to try something new!

I’m a vet, agree with all of this.

Don’t let your circumstances make you feel defeated before you start though, if it’s something you really want and you’re bright then you can do it, but you will need lots of work experience and possibly some resit gcse/a-levels. The course is actually 5 years in the U.K. (except for Cambridge or if you do a pre-vet year) but it may take a few years to get yourself into the position to apply.

The competition is fierce. Possibly less so because you’re a mature student.

You will need to have a/a* at biology gcse, plus science a levels and work experience and that’s before the degree but if you want it badly enough nothing is impossible.

Go and give it a go OP! It’s always a wonderful thing to have adream.

@DinkyDaisy

Wrong thread!!!

I’m intrigued.... food from the 70’s ?

And unfortunately pandemics are not good for work experience, we have had final year vet students desperate for a placement to finish their course which they aren’t getting because of covid. Outdoors settings (farms etc) might be a good place to start with getting work experience.

As much as I am annoyed I'm replying on a zombie thread 😂 I just wanted to say to anyone else reading this that is thinking 'but I'm inner city- how do I get work experience' that there are a surprising amount of large animals kept in cities if only you do some good research. City farms, riding schools (although perhaps less now), wildlife parks that also have domestic animals, the FE colleges that run animal care courses...I can think of at least half a dozen places within a 15 minute bus ride of Birmingham city centre that could be approached for work experience.

Go for it!

Make sure you get a wide variety of work experience, as PP have said.

I have found that the students willing and able to do at least a day in an abattoir have a) found it much less traumatising than they expected and b) really stood out from the hundreds of candidates who couldn't/wouldn't.

Zombie thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!