Work experience
Experience of working with animals is a key part of our entry requirements.
You should gain as much and as varied as practical work experience as possible, which should include time spent on:
- Seeing veterinary practice, both large and small animal if possible.
- Livestock farms - dairying and lambing are particularly useful.
- Other animal establishments, such as zoos, kennels, catteries, wildlife centres, pig farms, poultry farms and stables.
- A day at an abattoir is recommended but not demanded.
We encourage experience gained in veterinary or medical laboratories to help you appreciate the scientific basis of veterinary medicine.
We do not ask for specific types or the number of days/weeks required for work experience as it depends, to some extent, on the opportunities available to individual candidates.
The broader the experience, the better but you should not gain experience to the detriment of your academic studies.
Application process
You should describe your relevant practical experience together with its duration in the personal statement section of your UCAS form. Your personal statement gives us an idea of your skills, achievements and motivation, which are important factors in assessing your application.
When applying, all candidates must submit a Work Experience Summary (WES) prior to the 1st of November. Applications submitted without a WES will be considered incomplete.
References in support of work experience undertaken are no longer required at the application stage but may be requested if called for interview.
A conditional offer may include evidence of relevant experience as a pre condition for entry to the course.
This article was published on Nov 2, 2009