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?

Your age and background is not an issue, your grades are though. I'm sorry to say you'll be v v unlikely to get a place with your grades. Most successful applicants have A-levels with AAB or above.

However I know someone said don't settle for vet nurse but with your grades that might be the best option for now.

I know a lot of vets and vet nurses, all of which really seem to love their jobs.

Your grades might not be an issue but you need to have been able to have achieved very strong GCSEs and A-levels. Do you think you could have gotten straight As at GCSE but something held you back and do you think if you did science A-levels now you'd be looking at straight As?

There are alternatives routes to entry but it is an academic course. You'll need to be able to keep up. Someone who gets C's in core subjects at GCSE isn't going to be able to keep up unless there were extenuating circumstances.

You need to be realistic about whether you would be able to pass the course even if you found a route onto it.

Talking to universities about entrance routes is definitely the right first step. As well as access courses there is also such a thing as a "pre-access" course if you need it. At least some of the places that run access courses that I know of, can do some sort of diagnostics / aptitude assessment to help you work out how much it is about filling in gaps now you are motivated and in a position to do it.

As you may have noted from the description of one above, access courses should be suitable for a variety of related routes. The process of doing one may actually help you find other areas you would like to train in, IF it turns out that vet medicine will be too much of a stretch. Definitely start from your desired end point and work backwards to find your first step, but hopefully there should be a route to further qualifications for you no matter where you end up.

(doi professionally qualified in more than one field, currently working in an area I didn't study at all at university …)

Your low GCSE grades will be an issue, but it doesn't mean that it will be impossible. If you ate prepared to work your absolute arse off and make a lot of sacrifices then you can do pretty much anything. Not feeling "good enough" is just a state of mind.

As long as you passed core GCSEs it should be fine. You might need to retake maths to get it up to a B.

Look in to an access course. To get accepted on the course you need a C in Maths and English. There will be a health and vet sciences pathway, you may need a B in Maths, but you can retake that GCSE alongside the access course. Should all take a year, then you're good to go.

I did an access course at 28 and am part way through my degree now. There was someone on my course taking their maths GCSE at the same time, to achieve the necessary grade for their desired Uni course. The actual work wasn't hard, but it was a good reminder of what being in education is like again, before the degree started. Financially, it was tricky though.

100% go for it. Take on board the advice here from posters with some knowledge and start moving forward with your plan. I retrained and went to Uni in my mid 20s and had a fantastic experience. I definitely benefitted from being a bit more mature. Messed up my A levels in my teens and had no direction or focus partly due to a difficult family situation.
Get advice, plot out a plan and don't be discouraged if it looks too challenging and just keep moving forward with it step by step. You will get there. Good luck!!

Are you anywhere near London? If so, I highly recommend the Birkbeck evening course - Certificate of Higher Education in Subjects Allied to Medicine.
I completed it a few years ago & secured interviews at several unis for vetmed - although decided against it after undertaking further work experience and realising that I wasn't a good fit resilience-wise. I had several coursemates who are now studying vetmed though.
The Student Room has some really good resources on work experience requirements. I did a couple of Easters lambing in Wales, volunteered at a city farm and a cat rescue at weekends, and did a couple of weeks at a vets.

Yes you can - I'm going to do it. I'm taking GCSEs this year (all the unis have different requirements eg; harper keels need 5 as do Liverpool, Notts want maths and English at a B for entry onto their 6 year course and Bristol only need maths and English at a C which seems odd!). I'm doing 5 to cover all bases.
Alongside that you need a minimum of 6 weeks work experience in varying places. Obviously in a vets, but also kennels, stables, abattoirs and anything else you can think of!
Next year access to science. You need to check with individual units regarding access - Liverpool only accept certain courses, Edinburgh, Cambridge and London don't accept them at all. All the others do. I'm planning on applying to Notts, Harper keele, Liverpool and Bristol.

It certainly is doable! I'm 36 with a 9 year old! If you need further advice then feel free to message me.

I would say this though - it is a vocation. Bloody hard work, long hours and stressful. Financial rewards are nowhere near what a career in medicine would bring you for example. You need to be sure this is what you really want to do.

Do you have a plan b op?

The vast majority of people should be able to achieve the necessary grades given they put in the effort, I don’t see why you can’t sit GCSEs/A-levels and go on to do this. It will take a lot of time though and you may struggle to have a family while doing this if you’re not very academic so do bear that in mind if you already have children or you want them before you hit thirty.

Ah reading your further post you'll need to resist your GCSEs. I'm aiming for 9s across the board. You need as high as possible. Also bear in mind that when you do access every uni has requirements with regards to how many distinctions etc you get.

Hi, i used to work at the royal vet college ... Have a look at their gateway courses, it may be of great help. Competition is high, try get lots of experience. You could even look at doing veterinary science then do a post grad vet medicine course if grades aren't as high? I am not sure how funding works for this but worth looking into. I would ensure you keep up with experience and try to get at least a 2.1 to do that.
I used to interview prospective students for the vet med and I would definitely think some life experiences would help with the interviews so don't be put off! Good luck x

There probably will never be a better time to pursue this currently 8 colleges offering the course ( RVC, Bristol, Surrey, Cambridge, Nottingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh) and two more due to open in next few years (Harper Adams/Lancaster and Aberystwyth). Plus the government have agreed not cap the number of places due to the recruitment issues in the profession that are likely to become much worse with brexit. Most courses are 5 years - Cambridge is the only 6 year course. You need high grades at A-level or an access course. The volume of information once at college is massive combined with long hours on rotations in the final years.
But you need to be aware that frankly the profession is in a mess 25% of graduates leave the profession within 5 years of graduation, there is a stupidly high suicide rate and mental health is in the floor and all this was prior to lockdown. Lockdown has torn the profession apart those who have worked - worked long, long hours in very difficult circumstances. Those who were furloughed are largely feeling disenfranchised and in general neither can see the others point of view.
Getting work experience is tough currently we don't even have all our staff in practices let alone work experience.
Research thoroughly be sure that you know what you are going into - veterinary medicine is not what it was even 5 years ago. If it is still what you want make a plan and throw your self at it fully.

Absolutely go for it! There is no reason why you won't manage to achieve a veterinary career. First course of action would be to contact veterinary surgeries about doing some work experience. Doing an animal technician/veterinary nurse diploma may smooth the way into getting into uni. You can do these types of diplomas online and in your own time alongside day job/work experience.

What @Lonecatwithkitten said.

I used to work in an allied profession. Back in the james herriot era vets were generally small practices, you joined one and eventually worked your way up to partner- it was having a share in the business that earned big money, not being a vet itself.

Now with the advent of chain practices there are fewer at the top and more salaried vets at the bottom. And the salary is pretty crap. 10 years ago but I think the last ad I saw for a big chain was something like 25k. I was pretty shocked.

As well as all the entry reqs, look up salaries for the kind of job you want. Add up your student loans, living costs etc and work out what you’ll be paying back and when.

I have often thought about retraining, but the cost of studying, the loss of 3-5 years salary and pension, and the time I have left working means I’m better off staying put.

You are in a very good position though that this is your first degree so you’re eligible for any financial assistance, and have the luxury of knowing more what your aims are. I went at 18 clueless, my family told me I had to go, and it’s one of my regrets I didn’t take time out, maybe do some resits, and figure out what I wanted to do.

@Littlemeadow123 veterinary nursing is a full time 3-4 year course that is either full time in practice or at university. The only online courses that have value are the level2 veterinary receptionist and veterinary animal care assistant that require you to be working in practice as well as studying. All other courses carry no value real value for applications. As an employer it give no credit to other courses having thoroughly investigated their value and as a clinical coach and level 2 work place supervisors want the hard work and effort that my staff put in to get their qualifications recognised.
@Lilt1992 read the university pages and understand their individual requirements - they are not all the same.

@Lonecatwithkitten Harper Keele has it's first intake of students in September. It's one of the ones I'm looking at.

My friend did this as a mature student, but did a 3 year equine science degree, then got into the 6 year course at Nottingham. It’s very very competitive though! You’ll need tonnes of work experience along with getting good exam results. That includes slaughter houses, farms, small animals, and horses.

@Littlemeadow123

Absolutely go for it! There is no reason why you won't manage to achieve a veterinary career. First course of action would be to contact veterinary surgeries about doing some work experience. Doing an animal technician/veterinary nurse diploma may smooth the way into getting into uni. You can do these types of diplomas online and in your own time alongside day job/work experience.

Nope. You can absolutely NOT do a veterinary nurse 'diploma' online , part time or alongside your day job! It is a FULL TIME course, done either through practice with some days at uni/college, or full time at university through the 4 year VN degree programme. The fact that you have said 'animal tech/vet nurse' as if one was equal to or the same as the other one is very telling. They are entirely different and need different qualifications, and lead to different career paths. Vet nurses are NOT animal techs or animal care assistants, and vice versa. VNs are regulated by the RCVS and are professionals named on a register held by the RCVS. So much misinformation on this thread. Sorry to derail your thread OP. I think you have a very tough time ahead of you. I'm not saying its impossible but you need to look at how much of your time/life this is going to consume for the next 5 years (longer if you need to resit your entry qualifications). Every place at vet school has many people vying for the same space. They will usually take the ones with the best qualifications and the most relevant experience. If your heart is set on it, then go for it, but be realistic about the long slog ahead of you for pretty poor pay (comparative to medics) and long hours.

Also, veterinary surgeries are very unlikely to allow random people in to get 'work experience'. Most teaching practices will only take students who are already registered on an approved course and as part of their required practical hours. This is for all sorts of reasons but also legal reasons to protect both the practice and the individual in the event of an accident etc.

The Uni requirements for a vet course used to be higher than for a human medicine course, good luck though whatever you do.

Several people have mentioned doing another degree first - I would not recommend doing that as you will not get full funding for your second degree, and graduate entry is no less competitive.

I'd really recommend checking out the VetMed threads on The Student Room, lots of good advice from current students and graduates.

I used to work in a Higher Education College and I think talking to their careers service would be of use to you. Many run access to higher education courses and this would help you plan a path.

You can do an Access course usually one year which will give you the grades to get into uni.

Do it OP!