South Wilts Grammar School

Sixth Form

A guide to applying for

Veterinary Medicine

2020-2021

Contents

In the beginning P.3

Choosing a Vet School based on what

they offer

P.4

What you need to do to make an appli-

cation for Veterinary Medicine

P.4

Applying for vet school

- Work experience

- Admissions tests

- Extra and supra curricular

- Personal statements

- The interview process

P4—12

Investigating veterinary schools P. 8—13

What happens when? P.13

In the beginning

Applying to study Veterinary Medicine is quite different from an application for many other courses. There is lots of information available online, but this booklet may help to guide you along the path.

Getting a place at vet school is very competitive and you will have to have an outstanding profile to be successful.

You will have to have evidence of:

Communication and Motor Skills

Communication and motor skills Good communication skills (listening, writing and speaking) Good hand-eye coordination, dexterity and precision motor skills Animal handling skills

Personal attitudes and attributes:

Resilience and self-motivation A caring ethos (compassion, tolerance, patience, empathy) A sense of social responsibility

The ability to cope with change and uncertainty and to overcome challenges whilst understanding your own limitations

Self-confidence and self-reliance Good personal organisational skills and time management The ability to work independently and as part of a team, integrate, cooperate and be

flexible Initiative

An understanding of the work of a vet (an appropriate and realistic view of the role of a veterinary surgeon)

Having seen veterinary professionals in their working environment An awareness of the positive and negative aspects of a veterinary career An awareness of current important issues and developments in veterinary medicine

and science Sound reasons for wanting to study Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Reasons for wanting to join a particular Vet School

A useful introduction:

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/education/i-want-to-be-a-vet/

https://www.vetschoolscouncil.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/VSC-course-guide.pdf

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/museums/museumofveterinaryhistory.html

Because vet med courses as so competitive, you can only apply for four vet med courses. Your fith must be something related and there are many other opportunities which could enable you to combine an interest in science with a role working with animals.

Choosing a Vet School (To become a vet, you must have a degree accredited by the RCVS)

Bristol University Veterinary Science

Cambridge University Veterinary Medicine

University of Edinburgh Veterinary Medicine

University of Glasgow Veterinary Medicine

Harper and Keele Veterinary School Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (check whether it is RCVS accredited)

University of Liverpool Veterinary Science

University of Nottingham Veterinary Medicine

Royal Veterinary College Veterinary Medicine

University of Surrey Veterinary Medicine and Science (not currently accredited with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons)

Entry requirements vary from A*AA to AAB –depending on the University.

Admissions Tests

Check the entry requirements carefully for each school. You do not need to take either the BMAT or UCAT for entry to vet school, but you will need to take the Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA) for entry to Cambridge University and the majority of schools require you to sit a further assessment or situational judgement test.

What do you need to do to make a Vet School Application?

Here are some suggestions of sites to research:

RCVS https://www.rcvs.org.uk/home Journal of the Association of Veterinary Students: https://www.avsukireland.co.uk/javs New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com British Veterinary Association: https://www.bva.co.uk

Read and research

Research a clinical, scientific or animal health-related topic which you can write about in your personal statement or talk about in an interview. Try and get an insider’s perspective of what it’s like being a vet for your chosen topic. If doing an EPQ, your choice of subject may be relevant for your veterinary medicine application.

Read around the subject as widely as you can. This should include, scientific articles, academic books, as well as books written by vets. For example: ‘So you want to be a Vet?: The realities of studying and working in Veterinary Medicine’ by Neil Paton.

Stay up-to-date with topical vet med news and take time develop your own thoughts and ideas about these issues. Consider whether your reflections would make you a good vet and why a Vet School should make you an offer.

A Career in Veterinary Medicine

Summer Schools

Sadly these have probably been cancelled for 2020 but keep an eye on the websites for other similar courses. These courses are worth attending but be aware, some are quite costly. You may be able to apply for a bursary to attend.

Sutton Trust summer schools:

https://summerschools.suttontrust.com/course/university-of-cambridge/veterinary-

medicine

Websites/podcasts that might be useful eg:

The Life scientific: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000y8g

RVC podcast: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-referrals/news-events/clinical-podcasts

VETgirl podcast: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/ny7pu-37a10/VETgirl-Veterinary-Continuing-Education-Podcasts

Work Experience

Preparing for a Veterinary Medicine application means demonstrating a commitment to the profession and having an understanding of what it is like to be a vet as well as showing you have the right disposition to treat animals. This means getting a good variety of work experience at a local veterinary surgery, on a farm (eg during lambing), at a kennels, cattery, zoo or abattoir. Volunteering in settings such as a Dogs Trust Centre, wildlife sanctuary, Riding for the Disabled, RSPCA will also be extremely beneficial. Contact friends/relatives etc who work in veterinary or animal settings to see if they are able to make suggestions

REMEMBER! It’s not always about the volume! What you learnt from a placement is far more important than how much you did. There is no point in spending 4 weeks at a vet surgery if you didn't gain anything from the experience.

Some universities now require a separate online questionnaire to be completed which details work experience that you’ve undertaken so be sure to check out the entry requirements. For example, see the following from the University of Liverpool:

All applicants will be asked to declare their work experience via an online questionnaire. Applications which do not include a completed work experience questionnaire will NOT be considered as they are incomplete and will be rejected. The questionnaire will be available online from September 2020 and needs to be submitted by 23.59 hrs on 20th October 2020. We do not wish to receive work experience references at this stage.

Work experience in the COVID-19 pandemic

The current situation means it is virtually impossible to get work experience in preparation for a Veterinary Medicine application. You should nonetheless be considering how you can get experience in readiness for when restrictions are lifted. You should also contact the Admissions Office of the universities you are interested in applying for, to obtain their advice.

Keeping a diary of your experiences could help you to monitor whether or not you are on track. This could simply be brief notes in your study planner which will remind you of things you have done and read. This would also be useful when you come to write your personal statement.

Personal Statement

You will be given advice in the coming weeks to help you write your personal Ssatement and you should also refer to the booklet ‘Applying for Higher Education’.

Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to demonstrate why you think you would be a good vet and why the university should select your application over those of other candidates. It forms a crucial part of the selection process in assessing an applicant’s motivation and suitability for the course. Applicants are expected to demonstrate that they made a significant effort to understand what it is like to work as a veterinary surgeon.

The personal statement is assessed to see if the applicant has demonstrated:

That they are realistic and informed about a career in veterinary medicine

That they have quality work experience in veterinary practice

Animal related work experience/volunteering (eg rescue centre, farm, abattoir)

That they have made contributions to school/community activities, have varied interests outside the discipline, personal achievements etc.

Applicants must have at least one week’s work experience in both veterinary practice and animal-related settings in order to be considered for interview. When assessing an applicant’s work experience at this stage, maximum credit is given for more than four weeks’ work experience in more than one veterinary practice and in varied related areas (ie. more than eight weeks’ work experience in total across a number of varied placements).

It is primarily an academic statement and you should target it directly towards veterinary medicine though most universities will also want to know something about your more general interests. Show your passion for the subject; make yours stand out.

A diary of your experiences, both veterinary-related and extra-curricular will help you to remember key activities. Admissions tutors are looking for your ability to reflect on what you have learned from your experiences. This is more important than simply listing what you have done. It’s a good idea to compile a table of the different schools you may consider and listing their selection criteria.

Words are precious - make every sentence “tick a box” on the admissions tutor’s checklist.

Interviews and the Selection Process

Applications are screened academically before all the other information that you have provided is taken into account. If the sum total of all of this meets the vet school’s particular criteria you may be invited to interview.

Each of the schools vary in the way they select and then conduct interviews. The following are a good sample of what questions you may be asked:

Subject specific vet school interview questions

It is important to demonstrate that you have seriously considered veterinary medicine as a career, and that you have thoroughly researched the subject. Here are a few of the questions that your vet school may ask to assess your understanding:

What appeals to you about working as a vet?

What difference do you think you can make in this career?

What areas of veterinary medicine interest you most and why?

What would be your ideal job after graduation?

What challenges do you think vets come up against?

What experience have you had of veterinary work?

Did that experience change your view, and if so how?

What are the positives and negatives of life as a vet?

Personal vet school university interview questions Being a vet is incredibly demanding on your time, your patience and your expertise, with long years of study followed by extended hours in practice. Your interviewers will want to assess if you are cut out for the stress and pressure of training and working as a vet. You may be asked questions such as:

What skills do you think a good vet needs?

Give examples of times you have shown these skills

How well do you work in a team and can you lead with confidence?

How do you think you will cope with the intense studying required?

Everyone’s pet is important to them. How do you show you care and yet still keep to your demanding schedule?

How would you tell someone bad news about their pet’s health?

You want to help everyone, but there simply isn’t time. How do you prioritise?

You suspect a pet is being mistreated; how would you deal with this?

Ethical vet school interview questions

There are perhaps more ethical issues in veterinary medicine than any other field of study, and work as a vet often involves compromises that are far from ideal. Your vet school may ask you a number of questions that make you feel uncomfortable, but you should answer as honestly and ethically as you can:

Would you put a healthy animal to sleep if the owners no longer wanted it?

How do you feel about euthanasia as an alternative to costly treatment?

Are the nips and tucks of pedigree breeds justified, even if they cause health problems?

Is badger culling morally acceptable if it stops bovine TB?

Should commercial considerations outweigh the welfare of animals?

Would you refuse treatment to a sick or injured animal if the owner could not pay?

What do you feel about the use of live animals in veterinary studies?

Should exotic species be kept as pets?

Summary of how each of the Universities assess applications

IMPORTANT

Set out below is a summary of the entry process for each of the Vet Schools. All of them require you to apply

through UCAS but their selection criteria vary enormously. For example, Cambridge don’t require you to

have done Biology at A level and Bristol don’t normally use the Personal Statement to make an assessment

and are very unlikely to interview. The overall message is that you should research very carefully. The

information below was correct at the time of going to press but of course (May 2020), may change!

University of Bristol

Applicants are assessed based on their academic record, according to their achieved or predicted results, on their completed work experience and on further assessment of the Veterinary Admissions Assessment Form.

Applicants who meet the minimum academic requirements and the minimum work experience requirements will then have Section B of the Veterinary Admissions Assessment Form read and scored. Ranking for offers is based solely on assessment of Section B and offers are made to the top ranking applicants.

We do not normally use the UCAS personal statement to assess applications. Instead, we rank applicants who fulfil our academic and work experience requirements, solely on the basis of the completed Section B of the Veterinary Admissions Assessment Form.

In some cases, we may refer to the personal statement and reference to differentiate between applicants with similar academic and professional profiles. In these cases, we use the following criteria:

Evidence of interest in, and motivation and commitment to, the study of Veterinary Science

Attitude to studies

Wider interests, including sport, music, drama and contribution to the community

Standard of written English

Applicants must have one week’s (35 hours) work experience in a veterinary practice and one week’s (35 hours) work experience in an animal-related setting. This work experience must be undertaken in the three years prior to the application cycle opening. We do not consider future work experience placements and applicants will not be given extra credit in exceeding the required amount.

Veterinary Admissions Assessment Form

Once we have received the UCAS application, applicants will be sent an email containing a link to the Veterinary Admissions Assessment Form. Please ensure you read the email carefully before starting, as it contains important information about how to complete the form.

Section A of the form (Work Experience) will enable applicants to declare their work experience placements so that the minimum work experience requirement can be checked. Those who meet our academic and work experience requirements will then be scored on their completion of Section B of the form.

Section B of the form (Attributes, Experiences, Understanding and Reflection). The form will ask a series of questions designed to enable us to assess the following criteria:

Awareness of required attributes to succeed on the course

Ability to reflect on experiences and recognise own strengths and weaknesses

Understanding the role of the veterinary surgeon in society

The form is not available prior to application. Applicants must return the form by the specified deadline otherwise their application will be unsuccessful.

Interviews

For this course, applicants are not routinely interviewed. In the majority of cases, admissions decisions will be made on the basis of the application information alone. In exceptional circumstances where an interview is deemed necessary, it will be conducted by at least two people.

University of Cambridge

All veterinary schools receive more applications than there are places available, but if you are passionate about wanting to study veterinary medicine and have a strong interest in science, we encourage you to apply. It is a competitive process but all applications are considered extremely carefully. Most of our applicants are interviewed, which provides a great opportunity for you to really show your passion for the subject and your scientific abilities...

if you are doing well in school science/maths, you may find the Cambridge veterinary course is the easiest to secure a place on

we do not require extensive work experience - we suggest ten working days, if possible

you do not have to have a 'veterinary background' - few of our students have parents who are vets, and many come from schools and communities from which few students have gone on to study veterinary medicine

a recent decision to apply for veterinary medicine is no disadvantage, and you do not need to be studying biology

over 70% of applicants are interviewed, usually in two simple-format, half-hour, conversational interviews

we welcome applications from candidates who have previously applied unsuccessfully to UK vet schools, including Cambridge, if they have since reached or exceeded the university's typical conditional offer (e.g. A*AA at A level)

we welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, specific learning disabilities or other health conditions

Once the UCAS application is completed, an online supplementary application questionnaire is sent to applicants in all subjects - thus, it is not veterinary-specific. However, you must fill it in!

Some of the questions may not seem very relevant to you – you may feel you have already put most of what you want to tell us on your UCAS form. This is fine: do not worry if you do not write in some of the boxes on the additional form.

This questionnaire is not equivalent to the questionnaires sent out by some other vet schools, to which your answers may be extremely important in their selection processes.

Over seventy per cent of our applicants are called for interview, usually early in December.

Veterinary Medicine applicants are asked to take the University’s pre-interview ‘Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment’.

Applicants for all subjects at Cambridge are encouraged to undertake some preparatory supercurricular activities: going beyond their school curriculum, usually by reading about scientific/clinical topics which interest them. It is important to emphasise that (1) this can be in any biological science, physical science, mathematical or clinical topics; (2) we do not recommend what to study, but prefer applicants to be guided entirely by what interests them; (3) it can take any form, including printed books and magazines, online resources and courses, and the University's own veterinary and non-veterinary HE+ pages; (4) your supercurricular studies may or may not be discussed at interview.

It is important to emphasise that we do not demand large amounts of veterinary work experience.

Edinburgh University has produced a useful interactive quiz:

https://www.class-central.com/mooc/1675/coursera-edivet-do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-

be-a-veterinarian

University of Edinburgh

Work Experience

The broader the experience, the better but you should not gain experience to the detriment of your academic studies. You should however gain both veterinary practice and animal work experience. Types of work experience could include time spent:

Seeing veterinary practice, both large and small animal if possible Livestock farms - dairy 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 Please note: the above are suggestions and ideas for work experience. This is not a checklist and achieving all these placements is not a requirement.

Applicants should provide detailed information on their practical experience (number of days/week spent and species worked with) in the appropriate section of their UCAS or VMCAS (North American graduates only) application. Candidates should be aware that the selectors can only take into account work already undertaken and not work planned. Applicants may receive an offer conditional on gaining further specified work experience. Work Experience Summary (WES) - UCAS Candidates Only. All candidates applying via UCAS are required to complete and return a Work Experience Summary (WES) prior to the deadline of 22 October. Further details about the WES is available under How to Apply Interviews The Edinburgh BVM&S interview format is a form of multiple mini interview. The interview will be a series of seven 10 minute stations with an interviewer at five of the seven stations. Two of the stations will be unstaffed. There are seven stations:

· Work Experience · Career Exploration and Awareness of being a Professional · Scientific Data Interpretation · Awareness of Animal Welfare · Moral and Ethical Dilemma · Practical Manual Task · Numeracy (pen/paper only. No calculators or electronic devices permitted)

University of Glasgow

Candidates are selected on the basis of all-round ability and personal qualities appropriate to a career in veterinary science. Academic capability is important; the programme is long and demanding, and we aim to select individuals who are able to sustain a demanding study programme.

The interview programme consists of two individual 15 minute interviews and a computer based exercise which explores ethical awareness and critical thinking. The interview panels will be made up of the Director of Admissions or Admissions Officer, one additional member of academic staff and, if possible, a veterinary practitioner. On occasion we may also have an additional observer present.

You will be asked about your work experience, hobbies and interests and your school work. You should have a good knowledge of the profession as a whole and what would be expected of you as a veterinary surgeon. We not only assess the breadth of candidates' experience of working with livestock and companion animals, but we also examine personal attributes which demonstrate responsibility, self-motivation, a caring ethos and resilience. We are interested to hear of candidates’ special interests, or hobbies, outside veterinary science. You should be aware of any current topical veterinary issues so it is advisable to keep up to date with Media information.

Summary of our admissions process:

1. Applications are screened in line with our published entry requirements

2. Candidates are interviewed and offers made to the required number of applicants on the basis of interview performance

3. Additionally, we require to manage the number of students admitted to our programme in line with targets set by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council.

Please make sure you download the necessary forms as stated in your interview letter and return the work experience form at least 7 days prior to your interview date.

University of Harper and Keele

Applicants should ensure that they are available for a selection event between November 2019 and March 2020. Due to the number of applicants who will attend the selection events, we may not be able to offer alternative slots. However, applicants who apply after the 15th October deadline, and are offered a selection event place, may find this will take place in March or later. All applications will be assessed and scored taking into account the personal statement, reference, work experience and entrance qualifications. Due to the large numbers of applications expected, we will be unable to invite all applicants to a selection event. The selection event will be held on the Harper Adams University campus and will be ‘station’ based interviews designed to assess the various attributes of the applicants. They will include animal handling, which is an essential skill for a veterinary surgeon.

University of Liverpool All applicants will be asked to declare their work experience via an online questionnaire. Applications which do not include a completed work experience questionnaire will NOT be considered as they are incomplete and will be rejected. The questionnaire will be available online from September 2020 and needs to be submitted by 23.59 hrs on 20th October 2020. We do not wish to receive work experience references at this stage. Our selection process has three stages: Stage 1 (October – December): Applications who meet our academic requirements proceed to stage two. Stage 2 (November): The work experience questionnaires are assessed and applicants meeting our stage 1 requirements and work experience criteria will be invited to interview. Interviews We run a multiple mini interview system. Applicants spend five minutes each at a number of stations on various topics with different members of staff or veterinary surgeons. Example stations include animal welfare and knowledge of the veterinary profession. Short written questionnaires or numeracy tests may also be included in the interview process. The top scoring applicants will receive an offer of a place.

University of Nottingham

Once we receive your application though UCAS, we will review it to check that you meet minimum academic standards. We do not consider predicted grades. We will then score you against academic attributes we consider necessary for a veterinary career, including: knowledge and scholastic ability intellectual ability and style basic numeracy literacy, verbal skills and good knowledge of the English language Normally only the marks you achieve at the first attempt of sitting of A levels (A2) will be recognised. However, we will consider applicants who have re-sat A levels, although these will be viewed against the pool of applicants. You will be required to attain AAA on your second attempt, rather than our standard offer of AAB (grade A in chemistry and biology). We do not consider any further resits after the second attempt. Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) assess your judgement in situations you will encounter while studying veterinary medicine. It assesses key attributes identified as important for you as a veterinary student. The test will evaluate your interpersonal skills and ethical values rather than knowledge or clinical skills. The SJT is only accessible through the online questionnaire, which we will email to you after the 15 October application deadline. You will have a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the SJT and it can only be completed in one sitting. You will complete a set of hypothetical but relevant scenario-based questions associated with the veterinary profession. You'll be asked to make judgements about possible responses. Your answers will be evaluated to build a picture of your situational judgement in that context. The competency framework consists of four attributes: empathy and building client relationships professional integrity and trust resilience teamwork A rating is used from a scale of 1 to 4 where you will be asked to either: rate the appropriateness of a series of options in response to the scenario rate the importance of a series of options Your responses will be evaluated against a pre-determined automated scoring system. You must complete the SJT for further review and short listing for interview.

University of Nottingham (continued) You will be asked to complete an online questionnaire which will provide us with further evidence about your motivation, abilities, and attributes for a career in veterinary medicine. We will consider your other experiences or achievements, for example sports, music, expeditions. Your answers will be marked by qualified veterinary staff and the questions are derived from the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct. You will be ranked on your overall score and if successful you'll be invited to attend our assessment centre. The assessments will identify if you: are academically able to cope with the course are motivated towards a career in veterinary medicine and surgery have insight into the implications of this career choice have or appear to have the potential to acquire the personal skills expected of veterinary practitioners are suitable for admission to the University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science No student is admitted without interview and assessment. The interview will normally be conducted by two staff. One will be a vet, who will act as lead interviewer, introducing you to the panel and putting you at ease.

Lasting approximately 30 minutes, the interview will assess your:

motivation, insight into a veterinary career and interest in veterinary topics academic ability, communication skills, animal orientation personal attitudes and attributes, fitness to

practice as a veterinary surgeon

Practical aptitude assessment

You will be expected to deal with animal material and clinical information. We will assess your enthusiasm and aptitude, including observational and analytical skills and animal-orientation, rather than your knowledge.

Team working activity Conducted in groups we will observing your ability to work with a peer group.

Royal Veterinary College

Work experience criteria Applications are initially screened to see whether the applicant has completed and submitted our work experience questionnaire (see http://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/applicant- work-experience-form) by the 15 October deadline. Applicants who have not submitted their questionnaire by this date will not progress any further. Our unsuccessful decision will be processed through UCAS and the applicant notified, in due course. Applicants who have submitted their work experience form are then screened against our published work experience criteria. Any applicants who do not meet our minimum requirements will not progress any further. This decision will be processed through UCAS and the applicant notified, in due course. Academic criteria Applications are then screened and scored according to whether or not they meet our published minimum entry requirements, as detailed on our website. Applications that miss our entry requirements by one grade are not necessarily excluded at this point but they will score less than those who meet our requirements and therefore will be at a disadvantage. Any applications that fail to meet our entry requirements by more than one grade will not progress any further. This decision will be processed through UCAS and the applicant notified, in due course. Interviews follow a multi-mini interview (MMI) format. The interviews are designed to test different attributes and characteristics at each station and are intended to test applicant’s non- academic attributes and suitability for the course. Applicants will also undertake an observed group task for which they are scored and this is added to their total score. Further details will be provided to successful applicants in their interview invitation. University of Surrey

Work Experience Applicants are expected to have gained at least four weeks of animal related work experience to include a week in a general veterinary practice. Experience could include farm, stable yard, kennels, rescue centre, research laboratory or abattoir work. A broad range of experience is an advantage. Applicants must have completed the minimum requirement before they apply and should clearly state how they have met the requirement in their UCAS application. .

University of Surrey (continued) On submission of a UCAS application all applicants will be asked to upload to their online applicant portal references to cover our work experience requirement. Stage 1 - Preliminary Shortlisting Applications received from UCAS are initially considered on the basis of academic achievement, achieved/predicted grades and animal related work experience. Applications which do not meet the minimum requirements will be rejected at this stage. Applications with incomplete information may also be rejected at this stage. Applicants who pass the preliminary shortlisting will be emailed details of our online questionnaire. Stage 2 - Online Questionnaire Applicants are given five days from the email sent date to complete and submit their questionnaire. After this time, if the completed questionnaire has not been received the application may be rejected. If you are unable to access the online questionnaire please contact the Recruitment and Admissions office on 01483 68 2222. The online questionnaire is designed to enable you to demonstrate your current knowledge understanding of the veterinary profession and that you have the necessary motivation and insight to undertake a degree in veterinary medicine including:

· Insight into the Veterinary Profession including current topical issues, medical developments and research · Motivation for wanting to study veterinary medicine and an understanding of the personal commitment

required to study this programme · Understanding of the different areas of veterinary medicine and research · Understanding of the personal attributes required of a Veterinary Surgeon and consideration of both the

positive and negative aspects of the profession · Communication skills; (including listening, writing and speaking) and the ability to work comfortably within

a team · Animal Handling skills and experience

The completed questionnaires, are given an overall mark and placed into one of three categories accordingly: 1: Interview 2: Hold in waiting list 3: Reject All Veterinary Medicine programmes are highly competitive with limited places. Therefore, it is possible that a number of very good applicants will not be invited to interview due to the very high number of quality applications. Stage 3 - Multiple Mini Interviews Once short-listed for interview you will be sent an invitation to an interview day at the University of Surrey Vet School. Candidates will undertake a Multiple Mini Interview cycle that lasts under one hour. Scoring and decisions Our assessors will score and recommend a decision to offer or reject your application. This decision will be based on your performance during the assessment, and comments and feedback will be recorded. If there is an exceptional recommendation for an offer or rejection, reasons will be fully documented.

Timetable Year 12 Extra-curricular activities to improve your application

Continue volunteering and work experience

Do well in subjects in predicted grades

Narrow down vet school choices

Summer of Year 12

Brainstorming Personal Statements Continue with work experience

Start attending Vet School open days Start working on UCAS application

Year 13 Oct

UCAS vet school applications close

Send off Summary of Work Experience if required

November

Vet School interviews begin

December to March/May Summer

Vet School Interviews Sit A levels

Vet School offers start Get A level results and Vet School place

Get A level results and start plan B