Category Archives: Applications

Pick Me, Pick Me….. Application Tips

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If you’re reading this then it means you’re either interested in applying to vet school in the future or are in the process of preparing to do so this year. If the latter is you then absolutely read on.

 

The UCAS application used to be the only bit of application ‘paperwork’ that prospective new vet students had to do, with all the info that the vet schools needed included within it’s various pages, the most important of all being the hallowed Personal Statement. How, pray tell, is one to distill down the Essence of Awesomeness that is you and your compelling case for being awarded access to the fabled halls of epic that are the vet school of your choice sufficiently to fit on 47 measly lines of text?! It is indeed a challenge but like any good challenge there is a good way to approach it and a bad way.

 

Bad way = wing it, writing it in one sitting without editing, spelling and grammar checking or proof-reading, and then hit send. That’s a really good tactic to ensure it takes the least amount of time out of your busy life but it’s also a foolproof strategy for getting your application to head straight into the trash can.

 

Good way = prepare, prepare some more, plan, write, review, edit, proof-read, get someone you trust to proof-read, make any suggested amendments, proof-read again, get that person you charmed before to continue helping you, give a copy to your reference writer, think “am I done?” for enough time to actually feel confident in your answer, and then…… hit SEND.

 

If you’re an incredibly disciplined person then you’ll have most of this covered already and may even be drafting your masterpiece as we speak. If you’re like most of us, however, then you may benefit from a little expert guidance when it comes to what to include, how to structure your statement, what NOT to say, etc. It may also be helpful to have a little inspiration from, say, a bunch of people who have been exactly where you are right now and who made it in with their statements. Even great, original artists took inspiration from others – NOT copying as that is plagiarism and is quite rightly rejected for the bad thing that it is. Being inspired, on the other hand, can be instrumental in cutting through all the ‘me-too’ sameness that vet school applications can suffer from and help craft the ultimate ‘I’m your candidate’ message!

 

Remember some of the important basics:

  • Get your application in on time – the deadline for applications to the vet schools is 15th OCTOBER. Best to get yours in BEFORE that date.
  • A number of vet schools request supplementary information that is sent to them directly. For example, Edinburgh and Glasgow both request a work experience survey be submitted. Make sure you leave sufficient time to collate all the information needed and get these additional bits of admin completed.
  • Referee report – don’t expect your referee to be able to drop everything and turn around an awesome reference at the very last minute just because you couldn’t get organised in time. Who knows, they may even have a life of their own?! Start talking to them well in advance of the deadline and provide any useful info that they might need to be able to talk in a glowing, affirmative manner about you.

 

If you do feel as though some additional help could be useful then look no further than Vet School: Book 1, as it has a whole chapter devoted to this very subject. Alternatively, if you’re feeling like you want to invest in yourself and get the very best help there is then you might want to take a peek at the UPDATED Personal Statement Success service.

 

Whatever you decide and however you go about completing your application, good luck and give it your very best 🙂

Work Experience – The Cornerstone of Your Application

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Work-experience is still the most reliable way of being sure that training to be a vet is what you really want to do, as it lets you see and experience first-hand exactly what you’re letting yourself in for by choosing a veterinary career. In spite of the challenges associated with securing placements, it is a vital part of your vet school application and should be taken as seriously as your academic work. This means careful planning, determination and showing enthusiasm at every stage. If you really have your sights firmly fixed on a place at vet school then you’ll relish the challenges and opportunities presented by work-experience, and have a lot of interesting experiences to discuss at interviews.

Do the vet schools really care?

In a word: Yes. Yes, they do. Training a vet is a lengthy and expensive process, and with the competition for places the vet schools really do have their work cut out differentiating between all those students who eagerly submit applications each year. They need to feel confident that those applying to study veterinary really truly know what it is they are letting themselves in for, as the commitment from both sides is HUGE! Seeing that applicants have completed a broad range of practical experience goes some way to reassuring the admissions tutors that the student they are reviewing has given the idea serious considered thought and knows, to a lesser or greater degree, what being a vet and working within the profession actually entails. Of course there will still be aspects of the job and career that one cannot possibly glean from a relatively short period of time ‘seeing practice,’ but the surprises should be far less marked than if people simply decided to apply to vet school on a whim convinced that the job simply involved petting puppies all day.

So…… What type of Work Experience should you do?

Excellent question. The answer is a broad range of different placements is best as opposed to weeks and weeks of one type. For example, two weeks spent at a small animal practice, a week at a dairy farm, another at a riding stables, and another couple shadowing a large animal vet or doing some lambing will be far more informative and useful experience than spending 8 weeks following around the world’s greatest small animal surgeon. At the end of the day the vet schools are not looking to offer places to students who already know all there is to know about veterinary – there would be little point in trying to educate such accomplished people anyway! Seeing evidence of understanding across a broad spectrum of professional functions is the key, as this will enable applicants to speak about their experiences and lessons learned with conviction.

Placement Types:

  • First Opinion (small animal, farm, equine) – time spent shadowing and working with both vets and nurses on the frontline of clinical care is an essential. Expect to pitch in with some of the less glamorous jobs such as cleaning kennels in addition to getting the chance to see some very interesting cases.
  • Farm placements – whether calving, milking, lambing or working on a pig farm, time spent on the farm is very important. Large animal vets interact with farmers and their livestock on a daily basis and are instrumental in establishing and maintaining long term animal health.
  • Stables – shadowing a horse vet will permit some experience of working with horses but the very best way to learn more about their husbandry, health and handling is to spend some time helping out at a stable.
  • Kennels & Catteries – again, as far as gaining vital animal handling and husbandry knowledge and skills, both options are fantastic.
  • Laboratories – from quality assurance to genuine research and development labs, time spent gaining an understanding of laboratory practices is useful and could certainly help set you apart from others applying at the same time. Vets play a vital role in both disease detection and surveillance, and also in original research, all involving laboratory time.
  • Specialist Veterinary Placements – if you fancy getting your teeth a little more into veterinary then there is no better place to look than specialist, or referral, clinics. Vets will be much more specialised and focused on a narrower area of expertise, meaning that time spent at this kind of placement will certainly see you at the cutting edge of the profession.
  • Zoo/ Exotic – generally very hard placements to secure but can be fascinating. With more people keeping exotic species the demand for vets with such specialist interests appears set to rise.
  • Abattoir – vets play a vital role in ensuring the hygiene and safety of our food, with abattoirs being their stage. Gaining even half a day at one will be viewed favourably as they are important placements but very hard to secure.
  • Other/ Non-typical placements – these could be considered as the icing on the work experience cake. The type of placements which will help you really stand out from the crowd but which should not be completed at the expense of satisfying the fundamental basic requirements, such as good quality farm work or time spent in a first opinion practice. The placement that I felt helped me stand out when I was applying was the two weeks I got to spend at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket after completing my GCSEs – fascinating and the kind of placement that had I not taken a chance by writing to them and then benefited from a smattering of luck would not have happened.

How to actually secure a placement

Basically by asking. The overused cliched saying of “If you don’t ask, then you don’t get” is absolutely spot on. Do your research on a particular placement provider, for example by checking out their website, and ideally ascertain who it is you need to write to/ speak with that can make the decision as to whether or not you can do a placement with them. It might be the owner, for example, or maybe a junior member of staff who has been charged with the role of work experience coordinator. Find out who you need to contact and please ensure that you know how to spell their name correctly for the purposes of writing to them. A few rules for securing a work experience placement:

  1. Do your research – at the very least look at the website and know the basics about who you’re applying for work experience to and which person you specifically need to direct enquiries. If it is not clear from the website then pick up the phone, call and ask who you need to contact.
  2. Main contact – confirm who it is you should direct your request and ensure you know how to spell their name correctly. A person’s name is a precious thing to them and mis-spelling it can be an easy but sure way to make a poor first impression.
  3. Write a letter or email – my preference is for a letter as emails are so numerous these days that yours may simply get lost in the avalanche of electronic mail that your addressee has to wade through each day. Nicely written letters are such a rarity these days that I believe they make an impactful and lasting first impression.
  4. Write/ apply yourself – trust me when I say you get far more respect when you’re the one to actually write in rather than leaving it to mum/ dad/ auntie/ everyone else. For a start it actually proves you’re interested in the first place as opposed to being a vet simply being an idea that your parents think might be a good one. If you’re unsure of what to write or how to write a decent letter/ email then by all means seek some help but dodging the bullet of actually plucking up the courage to put yourself out there will not stand you in good stead for vet school or life in general.
  5. Follow-up – ok, so you’ve written ten letters and not heard a single reply after a week. Clearly everyone you wrote to is an a*&%hole, right? No, not necessarily. The truth is that they have probably just been so busy with their own jobs and lives to have realised that the nice letter they received from you is yet to be replied to. Do them a favour and remind them, politely of course. There is nothing pushy about follow-up. In fact, it is expected and further demonstrates maturity, pro-activity and a desire to advance. A polite enquiring phone call is usually all that’s necessary, with many placements being booked and confirmed there and then. I would give it at least a week before ringing though as there needs to be some time for your letter to actually arrive, reach the top of the ‘to read’ pile and then have a reasonable chance of being dealt with.

And after placements?

Simple really. Thank them. Again, a well written letter goes a long way to showing your gratitude and is always well received. A decent cake or some biscuits on your last day probably won’t hurt either 🙂 The other key thing to remember to do following your placement is to request a reference to be written, preferably as soon after finishing as possible whilst you’re as fresh in everyone’s minds as possible.

Work Experience is not only an essential part of any serious application to vet school but is also often good fun, so do remember to HAVE FUN and ENJOY YOURSELF.

(Remember to check out Vet School: Part One for an even more extensive look at Work Experience)

Reapplying & More

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Reapplying & More

Emma Harris, Year 1 Edinburgh Vet School

That time of year

It’s that time of the ‘applying to vet school’ year where you now know where you stand.  Some of you will have offers (congratulations) be it conditional, and now concentrating on getting those all important grades.  Or unconditional where you can sit back, relax and eagerly await the coming of September.  However, for many of you, this time will have been bitterly disappointing as you find yourselves in the horrible position of having obtained four rejections.  

Fear not my young vet school applicants, all is not lost.  Speaking from experience, I myself have managed to obtain 15 rejections from my 4 years of applying to vet school and am now, eventually, in my first year at Edinburgh. There is a huge amount that you can do if you just can’t shake that vetty feeling.

The initial shock

No one likes being rejected.  You have no doubt worked very hard over the last few years; getting top grades, cleaning up after a menagerie of animals on work experience and slaving away at your personal statements for the early UCAS deadline.  To have all that thrown back at you, especially if you didn’t manage to secure any interviews, is extremely disheartening.  However, there is a time to sulk and a time to take action!  By all means, have a mope (I did after all my rejections, including the one where I was accidentally rejected and had to wait the whole weekend for the admissions team to rectify their mistake) but now is the time to ‘chin up’, find out what went wrong and concentrate on achieving those grades if you haven’t yet sat your exams.

Now what? 

Email the universities for feedback as soon as possible.  As always, they are very busy people and it may still take a while for them to get back to you – but at least you’ve ticked it off your ‘to do’ list.  I have found that feedback from the universities is very good if you’ve had an interview.  If you didn’t manage to get one then getting a response that isn’t ‘unfortunately there are x many applicants for x many places’ is pretty rare.  However, if you didn’t get an interview the most likely reason would be due either to academic requirements or your personal statement wasn’t quite ‘up to scratch’.

 There are a number of things you can do to improve your personal statement.  I won’t list them but make sure you get anyone and everyone to have a look over it.  The more people the better, and by far the most important thing is to ensure you talk about your work experience and what it taught you about the veterinary profession.  If you’re having a gap year, dedicate a paragraph (doesn’t have to be big) for your plans – you don’t want the admissions tutors thinking you’re doing nothing in your year off!  Additionally don’t panic if at this stage you haven’t attended a lot of the work experience you have booked, as by the time interviews come around (or you have to complete work experience questionnaires) you will have done a lot of it.
 If it was your academics that let you down, things are a little more difficult. If you just missed your grades, have a look/email the universities you’re thinking of applying to.  Each has individual requirements for re-sits so check you’re still eligible to apply.  On the whole, unless applying to Cambridge, I believe module re-sits are okay as the universities don’t take them into account and just want the overall grade (check the websites, or email to make doubly sure).  If you missed your grade by a lot, then you need to consider why this happened or what you could improve on.  The veterinary course is very challenging and being realistic about why you haven’t achieved what you wanted is key to knowing and being able to cope with the work load that will be waiting when you get here.

Interviews

If you got to this stage, even if it didn’t end well, give yourself a pat on the back.  For me, the interview represents the halfway stage, you’ve sent everything off, waited patiently to hear (don’t forget that no news is more than likely good news when it comes to applying for veterinary) and have finally been rewarded!  People kept telling me that getting the interview was the hard part. For me it was the start of the worst part – and may feel like that for you to.  I was not very good at preparing for interviews. I tried to learn answers for questions they might ask me (and of course they never did). I also only got asked once, out of my 7 interviews, why I wanted to be a vet – which was a relief as I still can’t answer it without sounding clichéd) instead of knowing what I learn’t on work experience.  This is crucial.  Knowing why you’ve seen what you’ve seen, not necessarily how what you saw works.  Now, it is important, for instance, if you’ve spent x weeks at a small animal hospital to know that we remove the uterus from a dog during spaying.  However it is much more important to know the reasons for that spaying than it is for you to tell me what suture material the vet uses when doing a midline or flank spay, for example.  If you’ve been at that practice for more than 2 weeks I would expect you to be able to outline roughly what happens in a spay, but they would not ask you this outright in an interview – if it came up they would gradually build to it.  If you turn up and immediately answer simple questions with a lot of detail you will be liable to dig yourself in a hole and get confused about the simple things.  Interviewers are looking to see how you think and deal with different situations. Of course if you’ve said you’ve seen things on work experience they expect you to talk about it – but not in so much detail.  After all, if you already know it all what is there for them to teach you?

There is also the worry that everyone else who is applying knows more than you.  Social media is a great but worrying thing.  My best advice to you is to not get hung up on what other people know or are doing for their interview prep – it doesn’t mean they will get offers because they know in-depth about x which may not even come up.

 

Do I or don’t I?

So you’ve already been through that once, you followed the advice, had a cracking personal statement, got the interview but it didn’t work out again.  The big question now is do you re-reapply or go down another route?  The only person who can answer that is you.  It took me less than a nano-second to decide to re-reapply after my second lot of rejections.  I had had interviews this time round and experience; surely this next application would be a breeze?  It clearly wasn’t, but that was down to me and my, as I’ve mentioned, really bad interview prep.  After the third set of rejections, the question wasn’t so easy.  The reason I went for it was because I felt I could still improve my application.  If I had been rejected that time I would of taken my backup option, as I truly had exhausted all possibilities of improving.

When I was applying people applying a third or even fourth time was almost unheard of (or if they were they kept quiet about it). The thought of having another gap year while your friends are halfway through their degrees puts a lot of people off.  Its also difficult thinking of things to do after you’ve had a gap year of work experience and traveling etc just earning money or doing more work experience may not appeal to you.  You may have parents or friends not being very supportive and thinking you should give up, or try a different route. The graduate route is expensive, even with some of the universities now offering lower fees.  You would still be in competition with others for the places, and don’t forget, if you ever had to re-sit a year you would have to pay for that extra year as well.  You would also be older, which may bother some people.  Applying abroad is another popular choice, or doing a completely different degree altogether and forgetting about veterinary.  There are a huge variety of things that you will need to think about.  Some of you wont be daunted by the huge fees, or traveling abroad, some may even think that in the end veterinary wasn’t for them and could end up doing something else that pays better and has considerably less stress involved.  The point that I’m trying to make is that if it’s your first, or your fifth application, the decision to re-apply is one only you can make.  You are the only one that knows deep down why you wanted to apply for this course despite the high competition, crazy amount of work experience and dedication needed.

Challenges Ahead

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2014 fireworksUnless you’ve been living under a rock the past few days you’ll have been swept up in all of the New Year’s chat and will, I am sure, have your own goals and resolutions, some of which you may well have broken already! 🙂 Whatever your plans for the upcoming twelve months, and I daresay that as you are reading this those plans include applying to and gaining a place at Vet School, it is really helpful to have a firm challenge and set of achievable goals in place. After all, what is point of striving for something if it is easy to achieve? The taste of success would be short-lived and nowhere near as sweet as if you have had to really knuckle down and fight for what you want.

What are your plans this year? Many of you will be looking forward to interviews, whilst some will already have offers in place, whether guaranteed or conditional on achieving some stellar grades in exams later in the year, whilst many of you will be working on your applications, busily beavering away at work experience placements, academic work and extra-curricular pursuits, all in a bid to attract that all important offer. As ever, the best companion for this journey is the Vet School series of books, as they literally do guide you from start to end on this journey you have signed up for.

I too have set myself a serious challenge for 2014. Last year was all about emigrating to the Middle East and this year the focus is of a sporting nature as I train for my very first Ironman triathlon race. There is more on this on my personal blog, the Nerdy Vet, but safe to say that as far as challenges go I have definitely chosen one that will be a struggle to achieve.

So…. whatever your specific goals and ambitions are this year, here’s to hard work, a little luck and success in 2014. Happy New Year to you all.

The Waiting Game

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With November here and the countdown to the ‘C’ word set to begin many of you will be waiting for responses from the vet schools to your applications. The annual ‘Waiting Games.’ It is a weird period because it is, as I am concerned, the only time during your applications where you have no real power over the outcome. You simply have to trust that you have done an awesome job with your application and that the admissions tutors appreciate that level of sheer brilliance and follow suit by sending you an invite to interview.
We’re the kind of people, however, who don’t enjoy sitting around waiting idly – it’s not really in our DNA. The good news is that there are still things that you can be doing during this period of time to further enhance your chances of an ultimately successful application. The goal of submitting a UCAS application for most of us is to be invited to interview. The next real challenge thus becomes nailing the interview and this is one major area where you can be very proactive in preparing for the event. There are already some good interview related articles on this blog, in addition to a cracking chapter dedicated to interviews in the book.

Interview Preparation

The famous saying, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice,” is as applicable to vet school applications as it is to becoming a successful performer. Even if you have not yet received an invite to an interview, starting  to prepare is a good idea, as by the time you do then you’ll be firing on all cylinders and ready to absolutely storm the interview as if it is the most natural and laid back activity in the world. If you have read the frankly huge chapter on interviews in my book (if you haven’t then I wholeheartedly suggest you start there) then you’ll already have a good idea of what to expect at interview and how best to prepare, the main method being to get at least one mock interview under your belt.

Read Widely

Vet school interviews will often involve discussion of topical subjects in science and veterinary-related areas such as farming. Having even a very superficial yet broad grasp of some of the key topics is a very sensible idea and if you really are totally committed to securing a place at vet school then it is highly likely that you already maintain an active interest in such news and topical affairs simply because you enjoy doing so. I used to keep a keen eye on the news and with news websites like the BBC it is easier than ever to keep abreast of the key topics. No one will expect you to be an expert on any of the topical issues but drawing a blank when asked about the issues pertaining to the badger cull, for example, will not win you any support from the interview panel. So that’s probably one of the main activities you can be doing during the waiting period: read.

Work Experience Questionnaires & Supplementary Questionnaires

A number of the vet schools quite rightly appreciate that trying to cram all of the pertinent information about yourself into a single UCAS application is difficult and so several will send out additional questionnaires for you to complete. Having the relevant info to hand at the time will make completing these so much faster and less stressful. Ensure you have any work experience references already in your possession and, if necessary, take a look back at any work experience journals or diaries to help jog your memory of the placements.

Use the time to focus on academic pursuits

Needless to say but most of you will be offered conditional offers, meaning that they are dependent on your ultimate grades. I know it’s probably pointing out the unbelievably obvious but just continue to work hard and apply yourself to your studies. This period is a great time to just regroup and focus on those areas that really need your academic attention. After all, there’s little point in getting too hung up on interviews if there is a danger of your grades slipping.

Do something truly altruistic

It’s a nice feeling to do something nice for others and this is as good a time as any to do just that. Why not help out future vets following in your footsteps by giving me the chance to send your school library their very own copy of Vet School. I firmly believe that having access to a fantastic resource like Vet School can, for some prospective vets, be the difference between a successful application and having to look for alternative career options. I want as many future vets to have that chance as possible and school libraries are often one place we all start our career planning.
So…..you can help out your school and future generations of young vets like you by enabling me to send your school a copy of Vet School. There is more information about this here.

No news is good news

Remember that if you have not yet heard from the vet schools then it means your application is still being considered. Therefore, no news genuinely is good news.

Work Experience – Top Tips from Phoebe

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Veterinary Work Experience

Phoebe Russell, with her horse, LuckyPhoebe Russell

My name is Phoebe Russell and I’m from Norfolk, currently in year 12. I’m hoping to apply to vet school this September, for a 2015 deferred start, after a gap year. I work at a local petting farm, and have a pet snake called Casper, among a menagerie of other pets, including a horse too, called Lucky!

We all know the journey to vet school is a challenge; the course is competitive, and everyone applying is going to have tip top grades. So, to set yourself apart from the crowd, you really must get some work experience under your belt. Although not always an easy task to find placements, they are so valuable and will pay dividends when it comes to writing up your personal statement, and during interviews.

Obviously there will be loads of keen vetty hopefuls who are also applying for placements at your local vets or farm, for example. So how do you get the establishment to notice you? I’ve found it best to generally write a formal letter to them, one directly tailored to the particular institute you’re applying to, not merely a one for all. This proves you have genuine interest in their business, and you’ve not just sent a stock letter out willy nilly, and hoped for the best. Also, it may sound obvious, but remember to include:

  • Your name
  • Your age
  • Address
  • Email
  • Telephone number
  • Reasons for wanting the experience
  • What you are currently doing (e.g. sixth form/college)

It could also be beneficial to mention previous placements if you have any, and that you are willing to send a CV or references, if required. Better still, you could send them with the letter in the first place. Lots of contact information gives the person you’re writing to very little reason to not get in touch. After all, you’ve made it so easy!

However, do not expect that by merely sending this letter, you will actually get a number of responses. In fact, you’re lucky to get any offers at all. Vet practices in particular want to see that you really do want the placement, and you’re a worthy and willing candidate, so you should write a follow up letter, a week or so later, if you’ve not heard back. Otherwise, give them a call, drop them an email, or go straight in and ask! Being confident enough to do so would be admirable by potential placement establishments, and what’s the worst that can happen? They tell you no? Suck it up!

 The same issue stands with farmers or abattoirs too; they’re incredibly busy and you’re not their prime concern, so your letter may be at the bottom of their “to-do list”, so get in touch!

In a desperate panic in mid June, I realised summer was quickly approaching, and I needed to fit in some placements! So I hastily picked up the phone, called two vet practices, an abattoir, and a research centre. Straight away I was given the opportunity to organise placements, with email addresses of the person who I directly should contact thrust at me! Fab!

Remember your “pleases” and “thank yous”, before, during and after your placement; it will be completely appreciated and you never know, you may be offered a job at the business, which is always great. A card or phone call afterwards shows you truly are grateful, and the experience has been beneficial- the place is more likely to accept future applicants if you’ve not been a hindrance to them!!

So, my top tips are:

  • Be enthusiastic!
  • Be organised and get booking early!
  • Be polite!
  • Be confident and go that extra mile to get where you want to be: vet school.

In The Hot Seat

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People are interesting, especially when they’re at vet school studying to do what they have always wanted to do. One of our clinic’s regular work experience students, Guy Wolfenden, very kindly agreed to be placed in the Vet School Success Hot Seat recently so that he could answer questions about studying in Australia and his life as a vet student.

vet student, Guy WolfendenGuy Wolfenden

Murdoch University Vet School – Perth, Western Australia

4th year of study

I did A-levels at a British school in Dubai, completing Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics with A grades, and an AS level grade A in Art & Design.

 

 

 

 

Had you always wanted to be a vet?

In theory yes, however, there was a stage in my school life where I pondered over Law or Veterinary science – however, I’m not the biggest fan of reading, so Law went out the window as I was told most lawyers spend most of their evenings and any other free time reading!

I also had a toss up between Medicine and Vet Science, but I feel as though I would prefer to help animals instead of humans and I’m not sure I would want to be forced to treat dying patients (humans) who could not legally be humanely let go to a better place.

 

Did you find it easy to source useful info to help with your preparations for vet school applications?

My university applications were done from two different sources. I applied to British Unis through UCAS at school during sixth form – a straightforward process that was shown to us by our teachers and careers advisors.

However, I also applied to Australian Universities externally, using the Internet as my sole source of information. Applications were done through individual university websites and I had to contact and seek advice and Visa approvals from Australian education agencies here in Dubai. All in all, both ways were relatively straight forward, just with lots of different forms to fill out and send off to respective Universities. The Internet is an extremely useful tool.

 

How much work experience did you have before applying?

I had worked at a vet clinic in Dubai as part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, it was my ‘Service’ for Bronze, Silver & Gold – so all in all I had spent approximately 6 weeks at a veterinary clinic. However, most of this time was spent doing tasks completely unrelated to veterinary science itself, more so to help out the clinic staff with tasks and cleaning. I undertook a game-ranger course in South Africa the year prior to university. This was a two-week intensive course that gave me vast knowledge of wild life and game reserve management at a very busy national park in Africa.

To be completely honest, I enjoyed working/helping out at the vet clinic prior to university, but I could have just as easily started university without the experience as it didn’t serve to bolster or give me a head-start when Uni started.

 

What have you enjoyed most about the vet course so far?

Up until busy and intense 4th year, my favourite aspect of vet school was my friends and the fun we had both in and out of vet school. The people are fantastic and all in the same boat, so everyone wants to be learning and getting good marks, everyone wants to help each other and get as much experience as possible in practical classes. However, since the beginning of 4th year (approximately 6 months ago), surgery has been my favourite thing! There is nothing quite like the high when you finish a surgery and admire (in some cases!!) your work!

 

What have you found most challenging?

Finding the right study technique – I must confess, the first year or two I didn’t work hard enough during term time. I spent a lot of stressful nights, close to final exam time, cramming as many missed lectures into my head as I could! Even know, attending all lectures and being proactive with study and keeping up with the workload, it is often difficult to find the right way to study and retain the knowledge when it comes to exams. Keep up to date, and make notes during term time – good ones!

 

What is great about living and studying where you are?

Its Australia! I’m English, but there’s no denying, the lifestyle in Australia is a lot better! Studying in the sun and being able to unwind in the sun and play sports is a great bonus.

In terms of studying, Murdoch University is one of only a few Vet Schools that has its own farm and production centre on campus. That means no travelling to and from practical classes or to farms. It is just a two-minute walk down to the farm! A great bonus and I would highly recommend Murdoch University to anyone interested in studying within Australia.

 

Where do you see your career taking you?

I’d personally like to specialize in small animal surgery and open, or at least become a partner in a clinic(s) where I can set up a cat-friendly environment and offer the best possible service to all those purring-creatures!

But the great thing about vet science is that there are so many different avenues. I have friends in my class who have no desire to practice veterinary science, but use their degree to do research and pharmaceutical work to help advance the drug side of the industry.

 

Any helpful hints?

Keep focused on what your overall goal is, but don’t let the idea of ‘vet science is so difficult’ get the better of you. It’s a great degree and offers you a great outlet for meeting new people, learning great subject matter and most of all, having fun!

Also, MIND MAPS are a great study technique, for both school and university!

Work hard at A-level/IB – the hard work is rewarded in the end – the 1st year of vet school is basically one big party, so its definitely worth the hard slog at school!

Results Day – Scariest Day Ever?!

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Exam results day is the culmination of all of the hard work done to date and hopefully the confirmation of the fact that you’ll definitely be heading off to vet school, either this year or following a nice relaxed and interesting Gap Year. As such, there is rather a lot riding on it all and the stress can be quite overwhelming. I should know as I have been there.

The first thing to point out is the obvious fact that you will be nervous. Even if you’re Mr or Miss Super Cool and Unflappable, the mere fact that you don’t actually know what it says on that results sheet will lead to some nerves. Embrace it though and recognise the feeling of nervous anticipation. It is, however, important to realise when nervousness is morphing into panic and act to prevent it. At the end of the day there is nothing you can do at this stage to change the results and reminding yourself of this fact is useful. Reassure yourself that you have worked hard and that this hard work will be reflected in your results.

Preparing for the Big Day:

1. Get a good night’s sleep – such a mum and dad thing to say I know but its true. Being rested and alert on the day will enable you to either react swiftly and decisively if the results don’t pan out quite as you’d hoped or to at least savour and enjoy every moment of success assuming you do as well, or better, than expected.

2. Arrive early – if your results don’t come out as expected and it looks as though your conditional vet school offer is at risk then being one of the first to be able to ring the vet schools will place you in a much stronger position compared to being one of hundreds later in the day. Similarly, if your grades turn out to be stellar and you don’t have a place or were on a waiting list then getting straight on the phone as early as possible is the surefire way of turning that opportunity into ultimate success. Surely it’s worth getting up nice and early just this once 🙂

3. Take a list of the vet schools’ contact details, especially the Admissions Offices – having the essential information to hand, such as who to call, will save valuable time and could be the difference between being one of the first to get through to the vet schools or being in a frustrating queue. When you’re in a bit of an emotional state on results day, the last thing that you will want to be doing is scrawling through the internet looking for the correct telephone numbers to call. Do the legwork beforehand and save yourself the headache.

4. Charge your phone and ensure you have call credit – rather obvious you might say but you’d be surprised how many people will turn up to results day, need to or want to call someone and find that they can’t as they’re out of battery. How rubbish would it be if you were on the phone to a vet school admissions tutor and the phone cut out? Pretty rubbish is my assessment. Don’t let it happen.

 

The Big Day itself:

1. Eat something – you’re likely to be super nervous and as such not feel like eating. That would be a mistake. Your brain needs fuel to work properly and if you need to step to it and be all proactive in calling the vet schools then you’ll want your brain along for the ride. Feed it beforehand.

2. Check you have everything you need – charged phone, contact details (as above), car keys etc. I am bit of a nerd and so tend to set out everything I need the night before so I can see if I am missing anything. That way, on the morning in question I can simply scoop everything up safe in the knowledge that it’s all present.

3. Arrive early – not only will you get to open your results in relative peace without the entire school buzzing about but you’ll also be in a great position to act quickly if necessary and call the vet schools before half the world has the same idea. You can, of course, then stay on and enjoy the buzz as everyone else arrives to get their results – after all, it’s potentially a great day of solidarity and celebration between friends so should be enjoyed.

4. Opening your results – the MOMENT OF TRUTH! Take a deep breath, relax and embrace the reality 🙂 I remember time slowing right down and the words and letters taking a few moments to really come into full focus, and then for my brain to compute them. What I remember really feeling, more than elation, was just pure relief. Relief that I had done what I had set out to do by getting the required grades and confirming my place, and also relief that I hadn’t let anyone down. As daft as that last statement might sound I don’t think I was, or am, alone in feeling that way. We place so much pressure on ourselves and the expectations placed on us, either real or imagined, from everyone around us is often huge. As such, when I saw my results I just thought “phew!” It doesn’t mean to say I didn’t enjoy the fact that I had achieved something big, just that the response was a bit more complex.

 

What if you do better than expected?

First of all pat yourself right there on your back – you legend! If you have not got an offer from a vet school then get on the phone immediately and see if that situation can be changed – you owe it to yourself to try, right?! Otherwise you may have another plan in place, in which case good luck and enjoy the rest of your summer.

 

What if I miss out on my conditional offer?

I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen to any of you as I know the crushing disappointment that comes with not achieving what you really had your heart set on. First of all, expect to ride a huge wave of emotions, from disbelief, to bitter disappointment, to anger and many more emotions still. Again, the key is to get on the phone immediately to the vet school that you have an offer from and see whether you can still take up the place. Sometimes the schools will have liked you so much that they are prepared to look past the black and white nature of your results – the only way you’ll know is to ask the question, so get on it. If you are not successful then your options at this stage are to either take a Gap Year and reapply, take up a place doing another non-vet course at uni, or do something totally different instead.

So, there you have it. A potted guide to how to handle what can be the single most stressful day of your academic career (so far). All that remains to be said is GOOD LUCK and ENJOY YOURSELVES 🙂

Gap Years – A Vetty Perspective

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Anyone who has read my books will know that I took a Gap Year before starting vet school in Bristol and absolutely loved it. In fact I would go so far as to say it was one of the most important years of my life in terms of preparing me well for life away from home as a confident, self-reliant student whilst at university. I had, however, been set to go straight from A-levels into the vet course but when results day came around I suddenly had this overwhelming sense of needing to press the pause button and just take a breath for a bit before diving head first into several years of intense training and a major life change.

Thankfully, Bristol was open to the idea of me deferring – in large part due to having been oversubscribed that year from what I understand – and so I had the green light to go off and fill a year before taking up my (now confirmed, phew!) place the following Autumn.

So….. what to do? I had been so used to having a structure to my days and a firm, fixed goal in mind – do well in exams, get grades, go to vet school – and yet now I had a blank slate on which to create something. Where on earth do you start?! I had initially advised the university that I intended to spend the year working, primarily in order to save money to pay for what I knew was going to be a very expensive stage in my young life, and complete some more work experience, perhaps somewhere overseas. Other than that basic ‘plan,’ if indeed that’s what you could call it, I was clueless.

Where to Start?

When contemplating the unknown it’s never a bad idea to do some reading and see what others who have trodden a similar path before you did and look for inspiration from them. I guess that’s what you are doing when you read Vet School, for example. So, a trip to the library and a pile of ‘Gap Year’ titles was the result. This was, however, all done against the backdrop of finding a job as I knew that whatever I decided to do I would need some dosh. Agency sign-up complete. Rather dull but regular office temping job secured. Now time to do some dreaming and planning.

What to do?

It quickly became apparent to me that the idea of spending an entire year just working for the sake of saving was about as appealing as documenting paint drying and I started to get those classic twinges that come with the travel bug. I had always enjoyed seeing new places but until then my experiences were very very limited indeed. I had never really traveled properly or been out of Europe, unless you count my time as a foetus in Florida or my first 3-4 years in South Africa, of which all I can really recall is hiding out in a large laundry basket (odd what you remember!). As such, the world very much was there to be explored. But where should I go? What should I do? Should I be going off and engaging in some selfless charitable work? I quickly decided that the cost alone of signing up for some of the expeditions on offer was prohibitive and would only have enabled me to spend a very short time ‘traveling.’ Well, I knew I wanted adventure and I was sensible enough to realise that chucking myself in at the very deep end of the global traveler experience might have been a little much. My dad had, for a period in his hairier days, spent time living and working in New Zealand and so I had always been a little intrigued by the land of the long white cloud. A little research later and it was confirmed – New Zealand was perfect!

It was English speaking, which as a first time traveler made me feel a little more confident, far away so as to feel like I really was going on a huge adventure, and had so many options for doing crazy, nutty, adrenaline-fueled activities that it was as if it had been designed as an adventure playground. I had always wanted to try skydiving and bungy jumping and skiing, and all of the other such sports that Kiwis just get to do almost as a matter of normal life. With the where confirmed, I then did some more research and discovered that you could apply for a working holiday visa for a year. Perfect! Adventure that was going to pay for itself. Rather than jump on a plane myself and jet off into the unknown I did, again, think somewhat sensibly and found out about an organisation called BUNAC, who ran trips out to various parts of the world, including New Zealand. The advantage of booking through them was that they helped with every aspect of putting the trip together, from the important work visa, to booking flights. The most important reason, however, for electing to go through an organisation rather than be all independent was that a) I got to travel out to New Zealand with a diverse group of like-minded individuals from all over the UK, providing not only some semblance of reassurance – remember, I was a fresh faced naive wee young thing from Norfolk, UK – and a great social circle from the get-go. Meeting so many interesting and varied characters at the very start of the adventure was a great introduction to the experience of truly traveling and being somewhere new and embracing the rich experiences on offer – much like starting university where meeting and getting to know new and unknown people is so vitally important. The other advantage of traveling with an organisation was that I had a known support network in place once in New Zealand. Although my time in the country was ultimately very independent and I soon headed off on my own adventures, I knew that should things go awry then I had the backup of a team of professionals in the UK and Auckland in New Zealand. The other advantage was that I often ended up bumping into many of my original ‘BUNAC buddies’ during my travels round the country, which was lovely.

I guess the take-home message here is to a) have some idea of what you might like to do during a Gap Year – is there anything you’ve always wanted to do? Anywhere you’ve always wanted to visit? A Gap Year is the perfect time to indulge in such dream activities. However, the other thing to try and remember is to b) keep an open mind – do some research, talk to people who have had Gap Years and this way you’ll be surprised at how much inspiration and how many ideas you can generate that you wouldn’t originally have come up with. A Gap Year is, ultimately, a very personal experience and it is very much your blank slate on which to etch on to. Of course, if you’re planning on taking a Gap Year in order to resit exams or apply/ re-apply to vet school then there are some restrictions. Having said that, it is still a great chance to organise something unique, perhaps a “golden ticket” work experience placement.

Deferred Entry

As I mentioned, I had intended to enter vet school straight after my A-levels and so I guess I ended up deferring by rather unorthodox methods. I think the chances of being able to do the same are slim and if you apply to go this year then I daresay you will be expected to turn up this year. The options when it comes to deferred entry are therefore two-fold:

1. Apply for deferred entry – some vet schools will consider applications for deferred entry, the advantage being that you have an offer confirmed and can head off into your Gap Year safe in the knowledge that you have a place at vet school to come back to. Not all do so it is worth checking the latest applications info on each vet schools’ website to see if they clearly state their position on deferment.

2. Take a Gap Year and apply during it – after getting your results you could then take those stellar grades and submit an application for the following year’s intake. Obviously you would then need to be on hand to attend interviews and deal with any other associated administration, such as work experience questionnaires and university accommodation, and finance matters, but there would likely be more than enough time and opportunity – especially once final offers have been made – to indulge in some great Gap Year activities.

Include in your application/ Personal Statement?

I am asked often whether students should mention their Gap Year plans in their application personal statements or not, and my answer is “it depends.” If you have something firmly planned and confirmed, and it is of relevance to your vet school application then absolutely include it. The key with personal statements is reflection and illustrating your suitable and favourable qualities for vet schools so if you have organised a trip to go off and do some amazing experience somewhere, not even necessarily animal-related, then mention it and say what it shows about you (eg adventurous, determined, charitable, eager to educate etc etc). Simply stating that you are heading off to kayak the Zambezi without any further explanation does nothing really for your application, even though on the face of it is awesome. If you don’t have any plans for a Gap Year or they’re just unconfirmed ideas at the moment then I would pause before writing anything. Remember that it is easy to say what you’re going to do – for example, I am “going to” complete an Ironman next year – but universities are only really interested at the end of the day in what you have done as this is all they can realistically and fairly assess candidates on the basis of.

What are you up to? Any ideas?

What ideas have you got for an amazing Gap Year? Share your ideas and plans here or on the Facebook page so that others can feel inspired. Some ideas that I can think of to get you started include:

  • go to ‘Safari School’ in South Africa
  • work on a ranch in the USA
  • spend a year on a working holiday in Australia and New Zealand
  • learn to dive and volunteer at a small animal clinic in Thailand
  • build a school in Africa
  • teach English in Peru

The options are endless…..!

Summer Planning – Laying the Foundation for an Awesome Application

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The sun is shining (occasionally), the weather is sweet (yeah), makes me want to move my writing hand…. and produce an awesome application in September.

Perhaps not the lyrics to an epic summer anthem but surely summer is indeed a great time to be thinking of and preparing for the application obstacle course that is soon approaching. It is truly amazing how rapidly deadlines can loom – I only have to think of the ones I impose on myself for writing the newsletter (and have, to my shame, occasionally missed spectacularly) – and the one for your vet school applications will be no exception. In fact, as far as deadlines go it probably represents one of THE most important ones you will have at this stage in your young lives.

Deadlines

Personal statement preparationSo, when is the deadline? Well, when it comes to applications submitted through UCAS to Cambridge, Oxford and professional courses, including Veterinary, the final deadline for application submission is 15th OCTOBER. Go ahead and write that somewhere prominent in BIG, BOLD lettering as it is very very important to keep that date firmly in mind.

Although many deadlines are there to be actually reached, this is one that you should really aim to come well under. In other words, you would be wise to aim to get your application finalised and submitted in advance of the deadline, with the best time to do so actually being when applications start to be accepted, which is September. “Why so early?” you might ask. The fact is that most applicants will leave theirs until the very last minute and as such the admissions tutors at the vet schools literally receive huge tsunamis of applications close to the deadline. They only have a finite amount of time in which to carefully read and appraise each and so naturally the time available to really appreciate your carefully crafted masterpiece is limited compared to much earlier in the process.

If you had a million and one (thankfully not literally) applications to read through you would be very keen to skim read and quickly assign submissions to either the “yep, lets interview them” pile or the “nah, not feeling it” pile. You have a much higher chance of being in the former the earlier you submit, in my opinion, purely due to fact that tutors will be able to spend a little more time actually reading your statement properly, thus enabling all of the wonderful things there are about you and your prospects as a future vet to be fully appreciated, much like taking the time to really savour a fine wine as opposed to quickly glugging it down.

Planning to Succeed

Okay, so you know that you should aim to get your application in early. What next? Well, planning and writing is the key step here and this time of year is the perfect time to start doing both. How do you write a masterpiece? Funnily enough authors tend not to just sit down and have a bestseller flow effortlessly from their fingertips in the first sitting. They ponder, plan, jot, scribble, cross out, proof read and generally go through several drafts before they are finally happy with the finished product. That, as it turns out, is also the key to a great personal statement. I won’t go into too much detail here about what should be your statement as that is a whole blog post, and actually chapter, in and of itself. Instead, the key take home message here is to prepare yourself adequately for success by starting early and preparing well. The old saying “to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail” is so true but the good news is we can do something positive to avoid it applying to us.

Key Steps to Preparing to Write an Awesome Personal Statement:

1. Be aware of the character and line limit – as much as you want to tell the vet schools everything about everything, there is only a finite amount of space for you to effectively state your case for why that vet school place should be yours. Being aware of the limit will help you get used to being succinct and to the point.

2. Summarise your work experience to date & identify lessons learned – vet schools want to see evidence of reflection following work experience and not just a meaningless list of placements completed. They want to know that you actually paid attention and identified what important traits go towards making a great vet and why you have shown evidence of such traits. I would advocate taking a large sheet of paper, making a big table and writing down what placements you have done so far, when they were, what key experiences stood out from them and what important lessons or skills you took from them. For example, working with the nursing team to prepare a patient for orthopaedic surgery at your small animal placement may well have highlighted to you the importance of effective teamwork and communication. By tabulating your experiences in this way you will also be able to spot at a glance any areas of experience that might need adding to, with time over the summer to hopefully do so. The other advantage is that you have a very simple to refer to summary of all of your work experience placements for when it comes to completing any additional supplementary work experience questionnaires, which some of the vet schools do ask you to complete.

3. Identify skills and attributes that you demonstrate through school and extra-curricular activities – the vet schools are keen to see that you bring more to the table than just an impressive ability to ace exams. What else do you do, both at school and outside of it and what do these activities tell the vet schools about the kind of person you are, and the sort of vet you might make? Again, summarising with the use of a large sheet of paper and a table can really help to pick out the key points when it comes to writing your initial drafts.

4. By all means be inspired by what others before you have written – the key word there was to be INSPIRED, not simply plagiarise. There is nothing wrong with taking a look at what others have written, including their style of writing, the flow of their statements and the kind of information included. What is not acceptable, however, is simply copying the work of someone else and passing it off as your own. Your statement should read and feel like it is actually you speaking and if it doesn’t then it will certainly become obvious come interview time. As I say, there is nothing wrong with gaining inspiration from others and there are a number of sources of previous veterinary personal statements that you may be able to use, from friends or family who have already been through the process of applying to vet school, to the example statement included in my Vet School book, or even to other example statements that become available. We all need a little inspiration sometimes. This, however, is definitely something to do at an early stage in the writing process as you will want to be focused on your own words later down the line.

5. Write drafts, scribble notes, read and read again – it is highly unlikely that you will produce a perfect statement on your first attempt so several drafts are to be expected. Write something initially, read it and then you have the basis for tweaking. The earlier you start this process then the easier it will seem and the better the results you will see.

6. Do a little each day – the cumulative effect of spending small amounts of time each day working on a project, such as your personal statement, can be incredible and I guarantee that by applying yourself in this way, as opposed to panicking and trying to bring everything together in one last minute mammoth effort, will lead to you producing better work and feeling much happier in the process. Don’t worry if it feels as if you’re not achieving huge amounts initially – that’s the beauty of cumulative effort: it adds up over time to a big, impressive result. Why not start or end each statement preparation session with a short period of reading up on scientific and veterinary current affairs, thus applying the same cumulative principle to your interview preparation. It will barely feel like work.

A few sage bits of advice I am sure you would all agree. The hard bit, however, will be implementing them and practicing what I preach. It will be worth doing so though. Good luck and enjoy your summer – you’ve earned it!