Mingtong Yuan

Year 1 BVM&S GEP from China Agriculture University

What made you decide to study abroad after your BS at China Agriculture University?

I would like to study abroad because it is a great opportunity to broaden my horizon by getting experience of veterinary practice in a different country.

What made you decide to apply to The University of Edinburgh and The R(D)SVS?

I had been planning to study abroad after the degree in CAU, and the GEP programme appears to be an excellent chance.

What was the application process like?

First I submit the documents required by UoE in October,2016, except for language requirement. Then I entered the interview session in January, 2017. It took around 1 month to get the result (conditional offer). After that I took TOEFL in April,2017 and obtained the unconditional offer when the result of TOEFL came out in May.

What aspect of the BVM&S degree do you enjoy the most and why? 

The intensive study pace and lifestyle pushes me to go further, though it is difficult sometime, but I feel I acquire a lot more by pushing myself to the limit point.

Was it difficult to transition into life in Edinburgh and studying abroad?

It was, at first, mainly because the language skill I acquired before, was far less enough to cope with professional terminology in a veterinary medicine degree. But after several months I got used to it.

Has Edinburgh become your home away from home?

Yes. UoE is really supportive, and student wellbeing and support service is always ready to help.

What do find is the most challenging aspect of your degree?

Medical terminology is very difficult to learn. Also this degree involves lots of communication requirement which needs good listening and responding skill, which I still need some time to work on.

How is your programme equipping you for your future career?

It equips students a comprehensive foundation not only in medical related contents, but also animal life and husbandry, animal handling, communicative skills, and clinical relevance, which appear to be extremely useful in terms of career development.

What aspect of student life do you enjoy the most?

Almost every aspect except for the curriculum, which is extremely intense.

If you could give one piece of advice to any prospective students thinking of applying to the R(D)SVS, what would it be?

Practice more before coming rather than only spending time in school.

Learn some medical English and Latin.