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?

It doesn't sound like your grades are sufficient to get in for veterinary medicine (unless you think you could have done a lot better but were held back somehow?) but you could consider veterinary nursing?

If you think you're academic enough to get 3 As at A-level, 2 of which need to be biology and chemistry, then you should crack on and do those and then apply for veterinary medicine.

You can definitely do it! Go for it!

Did you do single, double or triple sciences for GCSE?

@HavelockVetinari you don't need bio a level, same as for medicine. Chemistry is the only subject you must have

When DD applies a few years ago, Liverpool would accept Chemistry at AS only, but that was the exception. They also didn't look at the personal statement.

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

If you have the ability, anything IS possible.

Don’t be 35, still in a dead end job, wishing you’d been braver.

Harper Adams opens this year and Aber next. Please don't think you need slaughterhouse or abattoir experience because you don't. You don't need As at as level as suitable BTEC courses are fine (on Uni websites), and for Gateway required grades are much lower (CCC at RVC). They think you can do the course with those grades ! You don't need top grades at GCSE either.
There are loads of myths around applying to be a vet and some people get put off. My DD did 5 weeks vet practice experience (most vets will take you - she did 3 small animal, 1 equine and 1 farm), and then she had 1 week at rescue, and lots at stables. And got all her offers, one of which is AAC.
Go for it - what have you got to lose 😊

Such a lack of respect for the veterinary nursing profession on the thread.

Online diploma, honestly what a load of crap

Do people look at human nurses and wonder when they will decide to up their game and become doctors?

Sorry to derail your thread op but it’s really annoyed me!

@Bergerdog

Such a lack of respect for the veterinary nursing profession on the thread.

Online diploma, honestly what a load of crap

Do people look at human nurses and wonder when they will decide to up their game and become doctors?

Sorry to derail your thread op but it’s really annoyed me!

Yes, trying to bite my tongue. Even comments from those in the profession have been a bit disrespectful. Yes, we are all obviously settling, wanted to be vets but couldn't quite make it. IT'S A DIFFERENT JOB guys!

Ucas tell you... Entry requirements range from BBC to A*AA at A level, with the universities and colleges most commonly asking for AAA. You can drop a couple of grades post-offer but that's it.

Agree on the annoyance re vet nursing, I think people maybe dont realise how incredibly competitive vet nursing is to get in to it! It honestly is very very different and like human nursing, a career choice not a career fail!

I would absolutely start with the starting point of getting experience in a vets- you cant know if you want to be a vet until you spend time there seeing the job you aim for. There are a lot of downsides to be aware of. You may realise you'd prefer to be a vet nurse, You may realise you love it and its worth going for, you may realise its not the job you imagine it to be (a lot of vets and net nurses hate it, do reduced hours, leave the professional altogether etc - its not very family friendly etc so things to think about and experience is the way to know if its worth it or not.

@EmperorCovidula

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.

This really isn't true. The vast majority of people aren't able to get the necessary GCSE and A-level grades to get onto a VetMed course. As other gave said, there are access courses and access to access courses that would probably be a better route but the reality is that VetMed is a highly academic course. You wouldn't say the majority of people could get the grades required for medicine and VetMed is similar.

OP that doesn't mean you can't do it. Just have a think and be prepared that there night be better options within the industry for you. As long as you start an access course knowing that it may not end with you qualifying as a vet (or have decided you definitely do have the academic ability to get on and through the VetMed course) then take the first step and see where it leads you. You are way too young to give up on a dream easily.

Oh and listen to what vets tell you about how poor the pay is!

Just to echo the comments about vet nurses. My DD is going into her 5th and final vetmed year. She worked as a pet care assistant alongside the nurses in one of the big vet chains for 6 months and has nothing but respect for the nurses. She has vowed to always treat them properly in her professional life.

They are not failed vets, it's a completely different specialism with a different competency set with a great deal of skill, responsibility and compassion needed. A really hard and often thankless job.

Nursing IS a different job entirely, BUT if OP wants to work with animals it might be something she'd consider - the academic entry requirements are significantly lower, and it's a less taxing course (although that's not to say it isn't very tough and competitive to get in to).

Nobody is saying vet nurses are second best!

Be realistic with yourself -you say your gcse grades were ok, but were you regularly top of the class, or were you middle-of-the road?
I don’t know about access courses etc, but I do know that the vet course is extremely intensive and academic, such that previous high flyers struggle to keep up. Its all very well people telling you to go for it, but 5-6 years is a long time to be under that stress assuming you did get in.

Be realistic with yourself -you say your gcse grades were ok, but were you regularly top of the class, or were you middle-of-the road

She has already said that all her teachers thought her able but she didn’t take school seriously or apply herself.

Why are you (and some others on this thread) so keen to hold her down to the level of her teenage underachievement?

Vet nurses are awesome. Admissions tutors told us that if you want to care for animals become a nurse, not a vet. It's a fantastic qualification and some can even do surgery.

Really helpful tips, thanks!
I've booked myself onto the RVC virtual open day to see what it's all about too!
Very interesting mumsneedwine
I do want to care for animals, I want help and make a difference. I enjoy working with public too.

Caring for animals, help and make a difference... get work experience before you throw money and time at this. Especially at one of the corporate owned practices (CVS or IVC)... If you look at the practice websites you will get an idea how many are now corporate owned.

You might be happier working at PDSA or similar practices - check locations and potential salaries and see if these work for you.

A LOT of vets in corporate jobs consider themselves in a dead end job with nothing to show for the approx £60k student debt.

I'm not going to judge if you can, but seriously consider if you should, very few idealistic vets stay the course in the current environment, because it's pretty damn miserable doing lots of PTS on economic grounds because life saving emergency surgery costs £2k for a medium sized dog...

to add to previous post above PTS is 'put to sleep' euthanasia, something that you do on a regular basis in veterinary practice, and the issue of doing it for economic reasons or reasons of convenience etc is one of the major causes of depression/ moral stress in the profession.

In your shoes I’d book into college to do A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and one other. If you’re predicted grades are high enough apply for Vet Medcine. If your predicted grades are not high enough but are good enough for Vet Nursing apply for that as plan B.

Sorry, your not you’re...

Vet Nursing isnt a plan B! its a different job! Once you work in a practice you will see how different!

Also re comment above on not doing a degree before vet medicine - I wanted to explain how hard it is to get in to it - so that the realistic picture is that some vets do another science degree before getting accepted to vet medicine - not just for fun.

I absolutely would retake GCSEs but most importantly do the work experience at the same time so you can check the reality and therefore see what kind of role you would like in practice.

I agree with the disparaging remarks about vet nursing - it is a different job and the profession is changing, more and practices expect vet nurses to have a degree and they are taken on more and responsibility within practices. My daughter is off to study vet nursing in September and she has excellent A level grades and 22 weeks of work experience under her belt as well as two animal management qualifications. The competition was fierce to get on her course. She does not, in any way, feel like she has 'settled' because she is not studying to become a vet. She wants to have more time with animals and less with people and is toying with the idea of specialising in animal behaviour. Nothing is impossible, OP, and I would say go for it but be realistic about what the job will be and be prepared to work very, very hard to get onto a course.