Cambridge - Vet Med: any advice?

[BCBG]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread but reading about the stresses of this year's candidates made me think it would be helpful to ask for advice as early as I can! {grin]....DS2 is hoping to read Veterinary Medecine at Cambridge in 2012 but so far has not had great advice or support from his school...he has done one week work experience at local vets so far , is taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology: has 10 A* GCSEs. Keeps being told that Vet Med is beyond competitive....? Is attracted to Cambridge because it is a collegiate University first and foremost, and has a choral tradition: he sings in a very good choir although he is unlikely to be good enough to win one of the few choral scholarships available. Please, can any one offer any words of advice or encouragement to him?

Medicine

Have you looked here BCBG

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1031706

He has done very well so far. He needs a lot of work experience to show interest in and commitment to animals and this can include things like volunteering at a shelter; helping a local farmer; getting involved in animal charities, local agricultural or pet shows; local canine societies. You are likely to have active ones within reach where he can learn about issues to do with breeding, training etc.

It is great to be with vets as much as possible, but most farmers/responsible breeders have a great deal of basic veterinary expertise and years of experience in handling and animal husbandry which would give your son "animal sense" and confidence.

Good luck to him.

There is some straightforward advice on the Cambridge website www.vet.cam.ac.uk

Work experience is emphasised by many universities although Cambridge don't seem too fussed, emphasising variety rather than quantity of experience.

Vet medicine is competitive, Cambridge is competitive, but someone's got to do it and your son sounds exceptionally bright.

He should do plenty of research, have a back up plan, but definitely go for it.

Work expereince all the way.

DH (who, without giving too much away, really knows what he's talking about on this subject) says -- great GCSEs, great choice of A Level subjects, and Vet Med at Cambridge is nowhere near as competitive as human Medicine. It would be good for him to get a bit more experience of working at the local vet surgery, or maybe a bit of large animal practice (helping out with the spring lambing on a nearby-ish farm, perhaps).

Girton College take more Vets than anyone else, but he should also think of St Catherine's and Selwyn. All three have excellent choirs, and you don't need to be a choral scholar to sing in them.

But bear in mind the bottom line as ever is academic standards. The Cambridge course is still quite a science-based course. He should see when the Cambridge Vet School has its open days and attend if at all possible.

If the increase in fees is likely to put him off, he could think about seeing if there are any police or army scholarships (though they require several years service after qualification). These are also really interesting areas in which to practice vet medicine. The army still uses mules in Afghanistan, for example.

bean let - that is fantastic advice and he is really grateful, so thanks

I was at Cambridge in the late 90s, and although not a vet alot of my friends were. From what I recall the Cambridge faculty is quite pro research relative to some of the other vet schools. One friend was rejected by all vet schools when she was studying A-levels. She reapplied during her gap year and bolstered her cv by getting some placements that were research focused rather than practically orientated. She got into Cambridge and was rejected by all the other vet schools. At interview the interviewer majored on this placement. I thought the research angle is something for your son to consider in addition to the excellent advice you have already received.

Lots of luck to your DS.

I probably sound like a complete idiot , but what exactly would a research placement be? I can ony think of practical ones...

Sorry! I was wondering whether to post the specifics intially. As far as I can recall my friend worked on transgenic pigs. I'm really sketchy about the details but there was alot in the news about it at the time. HTH.

beanlet just wanted to come back and say a specific thank you: because of your advice a local farmer took ds on today to help with the animals ( pigs cattle and sheep) and has promised to put in a word for him with the farm vet they use! So thank you for the advice, really grateful

He will need a variety of work experiance at difernt vets and also diferent animal places ec. Kennels.farms catteried.
That what my baughter was told.

DD is set on becoming a vet. I have YEARS to go till the actual decisions have to be made - she's yr 8
But, a question
Looking at the web sites for the courses the applicant / place ratio is all over the shop.
Why is Bristol so in demand, Cambridge less so and London so variable?

Take a look at

www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/events/
DD managed to get a place at the summer school event (3 days from memory) at Gonville & Caius. She went to local comp but was encouraged to apply by Gifted & Talented co-ordinator at her school. There were 600 applicants for 100 places. She throughly enjoyed the residential stay and the taster lectures provided. BMAT exam is required for Human Medicine at Cambridge, not sure about Vetmed. Its a very challenging exam. DD did apply (although for Human medicine), got an interview but didn't get a place in the end. She is now studying medicine at another uni though.
Hope this helps. :)

Can I just reiterate that lots of farmers are grateful for help and also enjoy passing on their skills/knowledge as so many people are just not interested in this kind of thing anymore. With the lambing season coming up there might well be some really good opportunities to help out with that - and also see a few 'medical type things. (My Dad's a farmer). Where are you based? (In case you happen to live near my parents!)

At the moment she is young and horse obsessed.
I'd like her to do some "stable hand" work so that she can see the messy side of animal care.
Farmers - mostly arable round here (Hampshire) but we're looking at all options.

Input is very welcome. Thankyou.

Any idea why the relative demand for the courses is so variable?

Bristol was on tv, Cambridge is a 6 year course.

More suggestions for work experience (and collect references) - laboratory (doesn't have to be animal related, any sort of research lab would be worthwhile), fish farm, sporting estate, slaughterhouse, wildlife reserve, zoo, local Animal Health dept - variety is the key. Vets don't always work in general practice - many work in pharmaceutical companies, for the government, in specialised sectors like intensive pig and poultry farming, epidemiology etc. Being aware of this and having experience beyond the consulting room will make a candidate stand out.

At interview, be prepared for questions on topical issues eg hunting, vivisection. They're looking for an opinion, not a correct answer!

Stickers
phew - I suspected the TV issue was the case but hoped Vet students were not that facile!!

Work experience ideas - THANKYOU.

That's just my idea, not sure - Bristol may be highly rated for teaching just now, I'm out of touch.

As everyone else has said lots and lots of work experience go and look at the other colleges too. Be very aware that in many general practices Cambridge grads do not have a good reputation and having been burned twice I personally would never employ another one. Cambridge training tends to be less practical based than the other courses. All other graduates I have employed graduates from all other vet schools and they have all been great. Currently my top choice unis for good practical graduates are London and Edinburgh.
Having supported a number of people in to the vetmed course in the last 2 years they are going to ask about euthanasia and tuberculosis at interview. Understanding how devasting emotionally as well as financially Tb can be to a farm seems to be a big plus point just watch countryfile for a few weeks and you will see Adam and his vet regularly undergoing this rollercoaster. Also actual experience of attending euthanasias with a vet are very important to be able to cite examples of good situations.
The BMAT is required, but some, but not all colleges. It is less competitive now when I applised in 1991 there were 10 candidates for every place last year there were 1.7 mainly due to the increased number of places avaliable.
Finally if you want to be a vet in practice to you have to like people. I work in mixed practice and I like to feel I have a good raport with all my clients this means feeling personnally devasted when a farm goes down with TB and even shedding a silent tear when we say the final good bye to a much loved pet Who I have cared for for a number of years. You will be a social worker, marriage guidance support, bereavement support, teacher, dog trainer, wild cat handler, cow wrangler, floor washer and finally get to do some vetting.
Saying all of this I love my job and wouldn't change it in a million years. I give every support I can to anyone who feels they are strong enough to take on this role.

I am a Cambridge vet myself! - though I qualified in 1980s so am not particularly up to date with the course there - and have to say our practice has currently got a new grad from Liverpool who's great and have had others from London and somewhere else (not Cambridge) who were useless - so I think it's a bit unfair to criticise all Cambridge vets, although they/we do have a reputation for being a bit academic, and certainly in my day it was not a great vet school for anyone interested in farm work, for the simple reason that there are precious few farm animals in East Anglia and thus not all that much clinical material locally. But veterinary applications are generally much less competitive than they were in my day, and there is a shortage of male applicants, so your son ought to stand a very good chance if he does all the practical experience others have recommended and has a sensible attitude to the actual job. He should be prepared for interview questions about real thorny issues such as why the suicide rate in the profession is so high, what his views are on hunting and docking, how we should control exotic diseases, etc. Good luck to him.