Vet school

[Tiredpanda]

My daughter is in year 9 so maybe a bit early to ask. She has always wanted to be vet. She is attending a grammar school with science and maths grades working between 7-9s. All her other grades are also between 7-9s. I just wanted to ask how difficult it is to get into vet school and if anyone has any tips for her?

I'd suggest looking carefully at the vet school websites for admissions criteria.
She will need predominantly science A Levels (Chemistry and Biology are usually required but it varies between unis), & she will need work experience - again, the amount, type and time frame within which it needs to be completed varies from school to school.
Also, look at why she wants to be a vet and what she may need to be successful and have a healthy outlet outside of work (sport/hobbies etc). You need to be very resilient, it is very people-focused as pets don't come in by themselves, and unfortunately the suicide rate for the profession is high (which is why I chose not to pursue it as my MH is not robust enough).

It’s not much making poorly cuddly animals better either - it’s a lot of euthanising animals because their owners can’t afford treatment, dealing with animals who should have been treated months ago but weren’t because their owners couldn’t afford it, and being screamed at by owners who want you to treat their animal for free/cheap, watching an animal in pain leave with their owner without treatment because again they can’t afford it… Needs massive amounts of resilience to deal with owners.

My DD’s friend is a fully qualified vet now, she was volunteering from 14 with hedgehog rescue then the pdsa, other hobbies too for a varied look on her ucas application. Got offers from several universities and then it was 6 years at university then 2 years afterwards, she just earning enough to rent a flat rather than shared house (not London, it’s not expensive where she is)

I wanted to be a vet, ended up doing Marine Biology, and now work in real estate…vet science is extremely hard to qualify for. It’s a long course. They also have one of the highest suicide rates as a profession. It’s not all fluffy cute animals.

Read all the complaints and insults in the comments on the BBC today, and re-think the 5+ years of study and massive student loan!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7zpgn5n47o

My daughter is a vet (now in her 20s). You basically need 3 As at A level and the equivalent of mostly A/A* at GCSE. Top grades in Sciences at least. You don’t have to be brilliant.

Work experience also crucial. All the vet schools have slightly different admissions criteria and quirks and A level combos they accept. Check their websites regularly. The Student Room website is a good source of knowledge, especially for work experience ideas though not always accurate.

My daughter had extensive work experience. This consisted of assisting in a vets over a period of time, lambing, volunteering in 2 rescues, 2 dairy farms, a city farm, stables etc etc. Don’t panic about the work experience quality is better than quantity.

Then there are the assessments at the Vet Schools…

My daughter loves her work and works as a small animal vet in an independent practice. She earns £50k about 4 years after qualifying in her second job. Not amazing but OK.

The article linked above about vet bills illustrates why we should be grateful for the NHS! And why people should rethink becoming a vet

I honestly feel so sorry for vets so make sure she goes into it with her eyes open. They see a lot of stressed owners and seem to be on the receiving end of accusations that they rip people off. That isn’t my opinion as I am always grateful I can pay to get a vet to see my dog quickly unlike the NHS for humans.

Too many people have pets they cannot afford. Then it’s the vets fault. However many do love what they do and most owners are fine.

Id second work experience. Farmers and dc of vets get a huge advantage here! Your dd will need to make up for that by engaging with a variety of animals in differing situations. Then get top academics!

Very helpful, what's a good third a-level in addition to biology and chemistry?

Physics or Maths are common choices (as vet med students tend to be academic and science-focused) but honestly I'd probably go for whatever you subject you a) are likely to get a A in and b) enjoy. Better an A in English than a C in Physics.