Vet med - how to get there

[stripesordots]

My daughter is planning to take A-level Chemistry and Biology. She is trying to decide on a third subject that would be well regarded and useful when applying for Veterinary Medicine.

Would Maths be a good option? Or Psychology? What about PE?

Dd is very experienced in caring for horses as she has been riding since she was 8, there are plenty of veterinary practices nearby but no farms. In terms of work experience, is it usually possible to get a Saturday job for young people aged 16 and above, or do most applicants volunteer? How do students typically go about finding placements?

Do many applicants reapply the following year if they don’t get in? If so, what do they typically do in the year after completing their A-levels while preparing to reapply?

If you have any tips at all on how to increase her chances, we would be very grateful.

My DD just got an offer from Glasgow for vet med, still waiting on two others she has already interviewed for. 3rd A-level doesn't really matter. We are Scotland but she is doing Biology, Chemistry and Geography Advanced Higher. I think some of the unis list certain A levels they don't consider like General Studies or something like that. I think all of the ones your DD is considering are good, it shows a breadth of interests if she takes another kind of A-level.
It's great she has horse experience, my DD doesn't. In terms of work experience, my DD emailed every vet practice in our city. Only one or two offered her a place, many said they couldn't insure her or that they were full with EMS students. She also volunteered at a city farm for years though most unis will only consider work experience from the last couple of years. She asked a lot of places for lambing and finally got a place last year with a really supportive little sheep farm.
She did a summer placement at a Wildlife park.
She also has a Saturday job as a tennis coach.
All unis require an interview (except Bristol). Some do online, some to face to face, some to panel, some to MMI, Liverpool do one where you video yourself, upload your answers and send it back to them. It might be worth your daughter seeing what format she shines the most in.
That's also I can think of right now. Hopefully someone will come by and tell you about retakes/ reapplying. I don't know but my DD did say that if she didn't get any offers this year, she would take a year out, get more experience and apply again next year. Good luck!

I’m a vet. The A choices levels are fine, third one choose whatever she is most likely to get a A/A* grade. I’d prioritise some vet practice work experience to make sure it’s what she wants, making sure she sees the difficult aspects of the job, she needs to see the 10 hour days, the difficult clients and upsetting situations. She also needs to know it’s not well paid in comparison to other jobs she could get as a straight A student, and there is a lack of structured career progression. There is a lot of disillusionment and a very high drop out rate in the first 5 years post qualification. Then if she still wants to proceed she needs to widen her experience beyond horses - rescue centre, a week lambing at Easter, city farm etc. I think you also need to be prepared to see it as a 2 year process and have a back up plan if no place is offered first time around, smash the A levels, get more experience during a gap year and reapply.

@Miloarmadillo2 thank you!

How can she go about getting lambing experience this year or next? She’s 16 and currently in Year 1. Do farms generally take people that young? Is it best to go in person and ask or send emails with her CV?

If she doesn’t get in on the first application round, what kinds of experience would be most worthwhile during a gap year between completing her A-levels and reapplying? Would volunteering abroad be beneficial?

Do vets ever take on paid staff aged 16+ who are still in school (for example, for Saturday jobs or school holidays)?

Alternatively, would a retail or other customer service job be considered relevant alongside animal-related volunteering to show they have experience dealing with difficult customers.

Also, is it true that all work experience needs to be no more than two years old at the point of application?

Thanks so much for your expertise.

Yes to maths, really can’t go wrong with that. My DD’s friend volunteered with a hedgehog sanctuary and got a Saturday job at the local vets, they offered her summer placements during her degree and she now works for them as a salaried vet.

In my experience we wouldn’t take on a 16 year old as paid staff - lowest rank would be ACA (animal care assistant) and they tend to have a level 3 animal care qualification and be aiming for vet nursing - often a year as an ACA before taking apprenticeship route into nursing. We’d take a keen 6th former for work experience though. My son has just got into medicine and they favoured any customer facing work experience - it’s mainly about how you reflect on your experience so if you can demonstrate that you understand the job is largely about dealing with people that’s valuable.
Farms take on temporary staff for lambing - around Easter for farms that keep their sheep outside - it’s usually a paid placement for vet students plus accommodation and food - if she was prepared to do it as a volunteer they may be happy to have an extra pair of hands. Try VetWings group on Facebook for placements.

Do not need lambing. Or cows. Just need a variety of being in a vet and around animals. Notts and Eds MOOCS also count, as does a part time job (see Liverpool criteria). Do 3rd A level in one they'll enjoy as just need the best grade - I know someone whose third was Drama who got 4 offers.

Some vets offer weekly work experience, so Weds after school for example. Many will give a week or 2, but not paid. Volunteer at local RSPCA or animal sanctuary (probably be cleaning as insurance gate if under 18). Local stables or city farm.

Mine graduated last year and loves her job. But always tired. Job situation not great at moment so be aware of that.

As an example (as they are all different), here are Liverpools wex requirements

Whatever work experience they do make sure they get a reference (just needs dates) from every place, on headed paper or email. They will be asked to submit evidence from every place !

Hi @stripesordots we are in the same position as I have a DD in year 11 who is planning on doing vetmed. I’ve been doing a ton of reading about it as I feel we are in for a hard slog over the next two years to support her through a gruelling admissions process. I have read that apart from biology and chemistry, any third A level they are likely to do well in is fine- she wants to do psychology which I think is a good choice. She has been emailing tons of vets in the local area and has two weeks work experience booked for the summer hols, and some lambing in a local farm in a few weeks. We are rural so lots of farms near us so we just asked around. I think she is aiming for more than 4 weeks but with a variety of animals and types of placements. So probably will try and get kennels and local zoo park too. Try your local wildlife rescue centres as she did a week there in year 10 and they are always keen for an extra pair of hands, mostly to clean and prep food. I think the aim is that they know that being a vet is hard work, not glamorous or well paid, working nights and that they will have to do some hard things and have hard conversations with angry owners/farmers. So yes I think customer facing experience all helps. I have tried to put her off it but to no avail, she is determined that it’s right for her so I’m putting my best foot forwards and will help her to get there if that’s what she wants. Here for the mutual moral support!

Oh also in answer to your question, all unis have different work experience requirements so they all say different things about the timings which is frustrating. My dd sat down and did a list of each one- I think RVC was the shortest timescale and said in the last 18 months, and some were as long as 3 years before applying so year 10 work exp would also count. However it’s more your ability to reflect and learn about the vets role from it that counts so I’m encouraging her to keep a reflective log after each one.

OP, do any of your nearest vet practices have a livestock branch? That way, she might get to go and see what it's like to be a livestock vet, and learn about handling cows/sheep, etc. Some of the horsey students aren't quite as comfortable with cows, despite the fairly similar size. Our livestock vets seem to have students (it's part of their course, so not a job) for a day a week. They have to arrange their own placements.

My child is in lower 6th, doing biology, chemistry and a couple of essay subject ones. We’re going through the planning stage too.

Evidence of placements is not needed by every university. Nottingham take it on trust. The only place that specifically asked for it (from the places we visited) was Liverpool.

Most of the places said they didn’t look at the personal statement.

Have you seen this document, it gives an idea of the work experience needed for each university. https://www.vetschoolscouncil.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/VSC-course-guide-2026.pdf

Most places recognise that finding work experience with animals is challenging, so they say a customer facing role is sufficient (try finding one of those around where we live!).

We are not rural and don’t have any farming contacts, so getting work experience with farm animals has been next to impossible- all the places my child has contacted have said that as they’re 16, they’re not covered by insurance.

I would recommend visiting the universities in the autumn of lower 6th. The applications need to be submitted by October in U6 so going to the open days in the September of U6 is a bit late.

@Nella68 all Unis can ask for it. Some will get everyone to send stuff and others will select people. But no one takes it on trust.

You do not need farm experience. Part of my job is to support students into vet med. And my DD got 4 offers having never met a sheep.

Things change every year so keep an eye on Uni websites as they are really helpful.

Dd got three offers last year. She is in her first year now. The most important thing is the grades I think. I’d agree with a pp, Chemistry and Biology then whatever you’re most likely to get an A

Dd put together a short CV with GCSE grades and any positions of responsibility, relevant interests then emailed vet practices in the area to ask for a week’s work experience. She also wrote to farms where she could find an email address. She ended up finding equine vets, small animal vets, kennels, catteries, lambing but we do live quite rurally. In all she did about six separate weeks. You need to get a reference with specific things in. Some of the unis have a form you can download. Dd got them completed on the last day. If anything is missing they’ll get rejected and you have to go back to the place and ask them again.

The experience forms the basis of your application in some ways. Each individual uni now sends you a series of questions you have to answer and send back. They decide if they want to interview after that. One tip someone gave dd was to read the vets code of practice before answering the questions as some of it is ethics based. I think it might be on the RVC website.

It better to retake the A levels and apply again, rather than do a related degree and apply after that. You don’t get funding for the 2nd degree.

Lastly it is quite a gory course. I think be prepared for the dissecting and castrating etc. It’s a journey but dd is absolutely loving it. HTH.

Hi
my daughter is in second year of vet med. It’s a gruelling process to get there! She got in first time but was fully prepared to be rejected and try again.

in terms of experience, I think her paid job in a cafe gave her so much confidence to be able to think on her feet in all the interviews and to be able to think about how to deal with difficult customers (farmers, animal owners etc!)

she had a week in a vet practice which was VERY hard to come by in our area - no one wanted to take on someone under 18! And she volunteered every other week for about a year at a rescue centre which had loads of different animals. So she only had the bare minimum of wex for the applications but did get 3 offers - rejected from Bristol, the only one that didn’t do interviews.

her 3rd subject was Geography. She found Chemistry very hard in the first year but worked and worked at it until it all clicked!

happy for you to pm me if I can help at all

That’s what the admissions tutor at Nottingham told us on the open day during the session, so I would be inclined to believe her.
Looking at their ‘how to apply’ section of their website they do not accept submission of references, journals and portfolios associated with work experience. So that also suggests that the amount of work experience is taken on trust.

Of the other ones we visited (Liverpool, Harper Adams, UCLAN and Bristol) only Liverpool stated that they require evidence and they specified the requirements for this (on headed notepaper or using their template).

RVC has quite specific requirements. Dd had to resubmit one because of something really minor, I think the signature wasn’t dated, even though the reference form was.

My DD has just qualified from Liverpool she had three offers and did biol chem and English lit. Chem A level js a hard slog to get an A in so chose a 3rd subject they are good at and enjoy
check the specific uni websites for WEX needed
lambing experience via here nationalsheep.org.uk/next-generation/lambing-work-experience/

The problem with the lambing list is that most of them ask for over 18s which is unlikely for students applying for vetmed. A lot also want prior experience. I’m sure it will be great for uni placements though. We just asked friends who knew sheep farmers and got there in the end. She has also done a lambing course with a local vet - look at their social media as a few vets run them- you learn all about how to do lambing from delivering different presentations to practical tasks like tail docking and castration. If they have some knowledge it should help farmers trust them a bit more. As others say, you don’t really need it but it’s a great experience to have and if you live rurally you will be surrounded by farms who need extra hands!

@Nella68 I'm afraid all Unis can and do ask for evidence. Liverpool etc get you to upload it and others take a sample. Shouldn't be an issue as getting proof is needed for so many you'd have it anyway. I'm not trying to be annoying, but I do this every year and kids get caught out trying to scramble getting references . Much easier to get them as you do them. It only needs dates (not sure what publications etc would have you do with wex ?).

Everyone who has Liverpools required amount will be interviewed. Bristol don't interview. They all require supplementary forms and must don't look at PS (but a few do for interview). Some do SJT, some do video recording interviews. And Cambridge is likely closing.

Def don't need lambing though. The MOOCS are v good.

Notts work ex - most places realise getting vet stuff is hard and like a customer facing job. It's a customer facing role - people are your clients not the animals. You'll have practicals in dealing with grumpy farmers and emotional old ladies who don't want to pay the bill.

Do you have a link to a template for the reference? Or do we just ask for each place to write their own letter? Any info about the format would be ace

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/veterinaryscience/pdf/admission/Work-experience-guidance-E2026.pdf

This is a link to the reference requirements for Liverpool.

@Onthesofawithmydog you just need a letter on headed notepaper saying you did wex there and give the dates. Only needs to be 2 lines.
Also keep a diary if things you see/do as you'll forget and it's good to have stuff to discuss at interview.