Veterinary science-what A levels?

[JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots]

My Dd is year 10 and wants to do veterinary science at uni. What A levels should she be looking at doing? She's predicted a 9 at GCSE for biology and 7/8 for chemistry and physics and is working to improve those grades. Maths an 8. Everything else is a similar grade.
Thanks 😃

Biology, Chemistry and Maths are most common and would allow you to apply to all vet schools

Biology Chemistry and one other.

https://www.vetschoolscouncil.ac.uk/news/2023-entry-requirements-for-uk-veterinary-schools-published-2/ this will help. As above most require biology and chemistry.

Careers Adviser here...chemistry is her definite, biology a strongly suggested second and my advice would be a third STEM subject. Worth remembering how few Universities offer the course and the competitive nature of applications and requirement for "whole package." Good luck to her! Has she thought about work experience for this year?

Fab, thanks. Maths is her least favourite! She's one determined girl though so she'll do it. Is it 3 or 4 a levels they do? I didn't go that route to uni.

She's been looking for a couple of years now but now it's feeling so much closer she's trying to pin everything down to définîtes if they makes sense. She's got work experience at a riding school for later this year and has some experience of helping out at a stables. She's doing stable management too. The local vets won't take GCSE students due to insurance reasons.

Doesn't have to do maths, would she consider something like Geography?

Three A levels now, she can potentially do four if her college allows but it's more the question of does she need to? Her time may be spent more wisely doing an EPQ in a relevant subject of interest or extra curricular experiences which will strengthen her application. A levels are tough, not least in these subjects!

Biology and chemistry plus whichever of Maths/physics she prefers. Worth looking at each individual uni though as some will take other subjects. 3 good grades better than 4 lower, but some colleges might let her start with 4 A levels and she can drop one after a term or so when she's found the right 'fit'. Re work experience, learning about care/behaviour/husbandry of different animals is key so she could try for some work on a farm / zoo / dog groomers etc and read around animal care / behaviour.

She has the Merck manual for pet care and read that and has lots of books on animal care too. I'll direct her to wider reading and seeing what other experience she can get. Lots of places won't take her until she's older sadly and one said yes but wasn't DBS checked.

She won’t get in on results alone as a female. She will need work experience from either a vets or a kennels/Cattery and not just a weeks worth, several months. Most vet students have gone after school from about age 14 and do a few days a week helping out in vets or equivalent place with animals, could be a shelter etc.
She will need to stand out to be in with any chance of being selected for interview. And yes most vet schools interview prospective candidates before offering them a place

@Anonomom12 most places won't take them until they are 16. I've tried and it's a no due to insurance they said.

Good to know that sexism is alive and well in the veterinary world

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots Biology, chemistry and anything else as a third. Know Vets with drama, art, PE etc.

Most vet students are female - about 75% !

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots she'll need a variety of work experience, which changes every year so keep an eye on websites. All Unis interview, except Bristol. They all have extra forms to complete and some tests (SJT).

Have a look at these as a start :

www.liverpool.ac.uk/veterinary-science/study/how-to-apply/?

www.rvc.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-veterinary-medicine

You do not need lambing ! You need a good variety of both vet work and husbandry. So working at a stables, pet shop with animals, etc. They'll need to demonstrate they know what they are getting themselves in to !

(I'm the mother of a 4th year vet student).

Local vets might not take her but what about kennels, farms etc. volunteering rather than a formal work experience placement.

Lack of work experience is what lets a lot of potential vets down so the sooner it can be cracked on with the better. It’s difficult to do anything post Christmas of Y11, so if you wait for the ones that take you at 16 you’ve only really got 15 months to get it all in, on top of A Levels and PT job if that’s something she does.

@mumsneedwine thank you! She knows it's competitive, she knows it's not just grades, she's knows it will probably take a few years to be offered a place, she knows she's got to work hard, she knows she needs experience. She's wanted to do this for about 6 years now and hasn't wavered for one second.

There's a few farms locally that might want help with lambing, there's a kennels and a couple of catteries but the rescue places said no. I'll get her to contact places again but getting her work experience was hard enough. The vets who used to take year 10 students now don't.

It's unusual for vets not to take school students. I'd try lots more as most will take before 16. But if not, book in for the next year. I'd suggest 3 vets and 3 types of husbandry if you can. It's more than needed but gives you enough to discuss at interview, and to fill in those pesky forms.

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots keep trying ! Lots of bets still take students. Our local vets take them for 4 hours a week after school - we have 5 in there at any one time (I'm also a teacher).

She can do it ! Yes it's competitive but it's firm to how much she follows the criteria for each Uni. I'd read all the websites (there are only 10 places) and see what they require and work from there. And keep a diary if any work experience as it makes finding examples much easier a year or so down the line. Good luck, shout if need any help. Been there and got the t shirt 😊

Apologies for typos. Cooking at same time 😂

Thank you. There's a new and fancy massive veterinary hospital that has about 4 surgeries locally too but they said no. The small local vets also said no since they've joined a big company that has its main place about 20 miles away. They don't even open on a Saturday anymore much to the consternation of local pet owners.
I'll see where else there is that I might not be aware of. There must be somewhere.

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots if you go on the RCVS website there is a search function which will show you all your local vets.

@JustACountryMusicGirlInCowboyBoots nearer the time look at the MOOCs from Edinburgh and Nottingham. Unis take these in lieu of some work experience.

75% are female. Much easier to get in as a male as the universities have to be seen to be diverse and that means getting in more men

She needs to be looking at the entry requirements for the individual universities. They will specify what A-levels (when I applied it was chemistry, biology and either maths or physics) and they will have a requirement for extramural studies too. Some will also want a separate entrance exam too. She needs as much work experience and exposure as she can get, ideally over a number of areas - small animal, farm & equine practices, abattoir if she can. A colleague of mine I was at university with (I didn't do vetmed in the end) was offered a conditional place immediately at interview based on her wealth of knowledge and work experience alone. She didn't get the required A-level grades on results day but received a phone call saying they wanted her anyway.

My DD is a student vet. My advice is to look at the websites of all the universities offering the course to find out at this stage what A levels they require and what work experience. There are not many so I would look at all of them. As pps have said, all ask for A level Chemistry and most want biology too but they differ on what they say about a 3rd A level. They all want very high grades so my DD chose to take 4 A levels so she had a 'spare' just in case she had a bad day etc on one paper and slipped a grade in a subject (the universities she applied to did not specify which subject her 3rd had to be so should could have counted her 3 best A levels). I know others chose to just take 3 so they had more time to focus on each one- it's a personal decision.

Work experience, extra curriculars and wider reading will be what differentiates your DD from other candidates. As far as I know all of the universities ask candidates to submit extra forms as well as the UCAS application (some just ask short-listed candidates, others ask everyone). Most are very prescriptive about this and how much work experience candidates have so check that you know the requirements.

My DD found that local vets wouldn't take under 16s but some would take 6th form students for a week or 2. Farms were more welcoming, especially at lambing times etc when they need extra pairs of hands. Some schools offer specific advice and interview practice etc for students who want to be medics and vets- I'd recommend asking about this when she is deciding on 6th form options as it can make a big difference.