HOw can i become a vet?

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ponyforever

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Hi
Please could some one advise me on what GCSE grades and A level's I would need to take to become a vet.
Also how much work experience do I need?
Thanks.
 
You'll need to look at the different vet schools as they have slightly different entry criteria.

The general gist is that you will need the seperate sciences. Chemistry at A* seems to be a common denominator.

Work experience: as much as you can get, whilst still getting the top grades in your exams. As varied as possible as well, so everything from working in a practice to helping out on a cattle farm to walking dogs for a charity, you name it, they'd pretty much like to see it.

D1 is considering that career at the moment, though has a couple of other thoughts as well as she would still like time to ride! :cool::rolleyes:
 
Ideally you need to be capable of getting all As and A* grades easily in all subjects, especially the sciences, as vet science is so popular they can be v v choosy these days.

If you have to work very hard to get As, it may not be a good choice as everyone who gets in will be extremely bright and academic and they are all prepared to work hard to get the grades.

As Mrs M says, you also need to give up your holidays to get work experience in as many different places as you can. My friend's daughter work experience including helping at some horse and donkey post mortems etc which she found distressing; eventually she felt the workload was too much and didn't apply in the end.

The requirements are daunting, but some people get in so if you are still keen then start getting some work experience!
 
Work and study hard, learn as much as possible about all sorts of animals, get work experience at vet practices and most importantly, keep focussed.
Have a look around and see if there are any vets who will do open days etc so you can see the work that they have to do.

Don't do what I did and lose focus when you get to college and spend too much time in the pub and not enough time in the library!!
 
you need to work hard and be very clever. they will be looking for straight As and A*s at GCSE and at A level. IME its more competitive than medicine to get in for. You definitely need the three individual sciences at GCSE and then Biology and Chemistry at A level. i would also do Maths if you are good at it and then another strong/traditional A level like Physics, or even something like History.
You also need LOTS of experience of working with animals of all different varieties- so volunteer at animal sanctuaries, see if you can get work experience with vets, the local zoo etc. also might be worth talking to your local farmers to see if they need help with lambing when that starts.

good luck...its hard work, but i'm sure a very rewarding career.
 
A minimum of an A in both Biology and Chemisty at A level, but don't feel that you have to add physics and maths to that. Uni's want to see that you can show a diverse range of knowledge/skills so something like geography, history or a language are equally as good and may even give you an edge in some courses. As others have said you need loads of work experience is as many different places as possible, many of the offers are based on how you are at interview so if you have something amazing to say that have witnessed/done on one of your placements, it may make you stand out against the other applicants.

It's a lot of work so be prepared to work hard if its what you want to do!
 
Each university publish an admission statement on their website explaining exactly what they require for each course including veterinary science. This is the first place to start so you know EXACTLY. Lots of people, including some schools accidentally give inaccurate information so this way you know for sure as otherwise it may be too late, the requirements are so specific. When I got into vet school you needed mainly As at GCSE and must have As in sciences, english and maths. You then needed a minimum of 2 As and a B (but suspect now 3 As or A*) in Biology and Chemisty plus either Physics or Maths. At least 20 people apply for every place so you do need lots of work experience to prove you know that this is what you really want to do and prove your commitment. I helped at my local vets virtually every evening and Saturday from the age of 13! As others have said, when at vet school you have to do lots of "seeing practice" in the holidays so you certainly do not get the long university holidays other students enjoy.
Some veterinary practices, like mine, will accept work experience students in the holidays. If they get to know you often they will gradually let you see and do a bit more. Some don't so it is worth writing lots of letters. Official school work experience places fill up several month in advance but we do accept some students who ask to come in their own time- usually for a 1 day trial 1st to make sure we want them back!
If you cannot realistically get the grades, give up now. If you can, make sure it's what you want to do and go for it! I wouldn't want to do anything else :)
 
My friend does vet. med. at Liverpool. When she was applying she found that most universities ask for A/A* in all three sciences and maths at GCSE. You should get appropriate work experience around/before/during GCSE time. She did 3 placements working around vet surgeries and Lpool still said she was lacking early experience. She then had to do Biology, Chemistry and Maths for a-level, and was required to get an A grade in all of them. After a-level, she took on more work experience. She is now 3 years into her 5 year course. From what she tells me, and what I know, it is one of the hardest courses to get onto at university, and if you're serious about becoming a vet, you really need to work hard ALL the time from now on. I know someone who is a fully qualified vet, and she said her course was so so so tough; and even know, she doesn't have much spare time....But, I've never heard either of them say it wasn't worth it. As some have said, if you cannot realistically get those grades, don't force it now. There are plenty of other options. Try looking at equine science/zoology courses as an alternative, for instance...xoxo
 
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One vet, a farmer's daughter, spent quite a lot of time at the local abbatoir as well for "experience" but that was in the days of village butchers, so not sure if that is available now.

We reminded our vet about all the work she had to do to be qualified when she was crouched down in a snow storm castrating a young steer, being splattered with cow muck.
 
straight A's/A*'s. I had one B at English Lit and they picked up on it and questioned me at interview about it! As much work experience as you possibly can. If you really have the right aptitude to be a vet then you dont need to be the brightest spark in the book. The course really isn't that hard - it requires common sense and a lot of thinking and those who are not naturally super academic will have to work hard but i have several friends who got offered places, dropped a grade at A-Level and still got in and got through the course fine. I didn't find it esp hard work at all. I went home every weekend and competed even during my final year. Went to the BD Winter Champs right in the middle of my finals. I now have 3 horses and have plenty of time to ride with a bit of dedication, but it is a hard job with long hours. Dont think I'd do anything else, although currently nurse a ripped open finger and a mega bruised wrist from being assaulted by various animals sometimes I do wonder!
 
Don't do it if it's going to get you into mega debt as the wages aren't anything like as good as people think. The average wage for an experienced assisstant is about £35k which is considerably lower than a doctor or dentist and about a third of a GP's wage. You'll be paying off your uni loans for years (9 years for me) and definitely don't do it as a second degree - you'll come out with ~£60k of debt which you'll struggle to ever pay off.
 
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