How I got into Vet School | Failing my A Levels, Moving out & Undergrad

[@thegoodwitchpod]

I really feel for you for your secondary school experience, i had the same! pretty much shrugged off 'youll never be a vet' 'its not doable' 'look at something else' and if i asked for support on topics i was struggling on there was nobody willing to help, i also did something else for a levels but it never left my mind, im a vet student now after a long road but il never forgive those teachers who told me that. Everything is doable if you want it hard enough and school is where they should be supporting your dreams no matter what and not putting children off! Proud of you for getting here despite it and not changing your mind❤️

[@thesecretvet]

Im sorry you had such a similair experience. You should be so proud of yourself now, look how far you have come! Its crazy how many people have the same journey, lets hope future generations have more support x

[@lauraoldbury7718]

Wow Lauren,that's brilliant! What Road did you take from the normal route to get into vet school?

[@Katelyn-KLAWR]

This is just the video i needed to watch.😊 Im 17 and hoping to apply to veterinary school after a levels but I've been greatly discouraged in the past so thanks.

[@laritza8284]

Hey Georgia, I'm so sorry what you went through and am so happy for you where you are at right now! I relate to you so much at not being great in math and sciences and am trying so hard. It sucks when it comes easier for people. I'm so thankful that I have my family support system. There is really a huge mental aspect of school that people don't talk about enough. Thank you so much!

[@rachelhancock2872]

feel this deep, I am 29 and am only just starting my open degree in biology third year as ive always wanted to be a vet since I was a kid and was told by my family and all educational systems I was not smart enough... I got 66 last yea (first year) and so far am predicted above 70 (second year) young people believe what they are told and its a painful thing that so many are told they are not good enough. I am so lucky now I have a super supportive hubby and his family are so wonderful and supportive but its still hard as when I fall short on something allllll those negative thought come right back! fair play for you doing so much and sticking with it! x

[@thesecretvet]

I’m so glad things worked out for you, and you have such a fantastic support system in place! I’m a firm believer it’s never too late to achieve your dreams! ❤️

[@rcheese3094]

This video was so eye opening and I’ve now realised how privileged I am, thank you for this video, you truly are an inspiration for all of us. You deserve great things!

[@staced]

Thank you for making this 🩷 I just missed my rvc offer by a mark and it doesn't feel very nice right now but I'm hopeful for next year, thank you :)

[@annieswain8537]

Thank you so much! This video gave me hope. ❤️ Bit of background: I’m a covid kid who’s GCSE’s was handed to her on a silver platter. I never actually did my GCSE’s. If I did I’d had failed but I passed with 4,5 and at the highest a 6 but that was in art and history, 5 in English and 4s in everything else. I always struggled in school. They weren’t very helpful either. Nonetheless I went to college in animal management and they were actually horrific. They were horrible at giving extra help to those who asked. I specifically remember the teacher telling me to just sit down and do the work when I had asked for help. So it’s no surprise that I failed college and got NO qualifications from it 😔 (also forgot to mention, I was also told by even my headteacher that I was not gonna be able to even get to uni. And the teacher in college told me I was never gonna be a vet so I let it go) I don’t know how, but I managed to get into ARU with an unconditional offer to study zoology. Because my heart belongs to those lions and tigers and exotic animals❤️🐯🦁 so instead of a vet I decided to become a zookeeper Well…about a year ago I was officially diagnosed with ME(chronic fatigue syndrome) and I had done a year work experience in a zoo and it was a lot. So now with this hidden disability I decided it was no longer for me to become a zookeeper 😭 it is also last year( first year uni) that I was diagnosed dyslexic through the help of my uni (memory based and processing dyslexic, not reading a writing) so I’ve said FU to what everyone has said to me in the past and decided that I want to be a vet but specialise in zoo animals. I’m currently in my second year zoology course and one of the school I’m trying to get into is RVC If you do ready my comment, I’d really like to know how much redoing gcse and a levels cost so that I know incase i get turned away at ANY vet school. Which I’m hoping my degree in zoology may help but I doubt it will 😊 It’s good to hear that I have some hope 🥰

[@thesecretvet]

Thank you for sharing your story, when I was redoing my qualifications I had to move to a private college as that was the only one that was available around me at the time! What I would recommend is if you can revise at home, some colleges / centres will let you pay to just sit your exams at their test centre so I would look into that (but you should be fine with a zoology degree, look at going into post-graduate entry in veterinary medicine, then your A levels & GCSEs aren't taken into account, you just need a 2:i or 1st in your degree)

[@ellaqureshi6648]

This was really good to listen to! As someone who is nervous about A levels and not getting into vet med this year ❤

[@thesecretvet]

I’m glad you found it useful!! ❤️

[@OrioleBeagle]

Watch the movie "Rudy" (starring Sean Astin) , It is based on a true story. His journey from working in a steel mill to playing football at the University of Notre Dame is inspirational. His family and his high school did not believe in his ability to play football or attend college. Through perseverance he proved them all wrong,

[@thesecretvet]

I’ll have to give this a watch!

[@lauraoldbury7718]

Wow, your story is amazing, I love the way you tell it! You should be so proud of yourself for going to those lengths to become a vet, I can't imagine everyone going through everything you did to get into vet school. I am kind of in the same boat, however a bit of a different story. Being a vet had always crossed my mind, however I never really pursued it. I always thought I can't deal with euthanasia and then never thought or looked any further into the position of becoming a vet. I always felt the same as you as well that these kind of degrees (vet, dentistry, medicine) are aimed at "gifted" students and not for everyone. I still think this is the case to some extent, only because of the grades that the universities are asking for, I sometimes think they are only asking for 3A's to deter everyone from applying, as they are already oversubscribed with applicants, and if they made the grade boundary any lower they would receive even more applications and have an even bigger application cycle to deal with. So my opinion is "anyone can become a vet if given the opportunity" but the education system doesn't allow for everyone to become a vet because the grades they ask for are so high. As you mentioned you only received a C in Chemistry and a B in Biology, which proves my theory that you don't need to have A's to succeed in Veterinary school and you are the prime example of that. I know some vet schools offer gateway courses, but these have certain criteria to meet and therefore they say they are widening access to veterinary medicine, but only on their terms, I wish there were courses out there for Veterinary, Dentistry and Medicine that offered everyone the opportunity to study them but with lower grades such as BBB, BBC and no criteria to meet, I wonder what your view is on this? I myself gained 2A's at GCSE, 4B'S AND 4C'S and I sometimes think to myself that even if I got AAA at A level, I wouldn't get in because of my GCSE grades and this doesn't seem right to me. I also gained BBC in non science A levels, so question myself what would be my chances of gaining AAA in Chemistry and Biology which are probably a lot harder than English A level for example. I regret not pursuing Veterinary a lot and I feel it is too late for me as I already have a degree in another subject, how are you funding Vet as a second degree, as I think you don't receive a loan? This was a very informative and insightful video and I wish you all the best in your Veterinary studies.

[@thesecretvet]

Hi Laura, thank you for sharing! It seems that a lot of us have had very similair struggles, so you certainly aren't alone. Having another degree shouldn't be a limitation for you in this career path, if your degree is approved by the vet school you can actually study a post-graduate course (4-years) in veterinary medicine, which may be worth looking in to. I did have to retake exams along the way, and pull grades up where necessary but when you have an aim it does tend to make you work that little bit harder. In terms of funding my degree, its partially split between my savings, student loan and help from my family. You do get a bigger maintenance loan when you are 25+ so that is something I am waiting for next year for some extra help. It is do-able, you can get a part-time job if you need one and still do well at university! Thank you, and I wish you the best of luck on your journey x

[@lauraoldbury7718]

Thank you for your reply, do you mean you had to retake some of the exams on the actual Veterinary Degree, how come you aren't doing the Graduate route? Do you get a student loan to fund Veterinary as a second degree, I mean these days it's going to be £45k plus which I don't know how anyone would afford, its a shame fees are so high, but that's a different story. Thanks for your help and I hope you can answer my other enquiries, thank you xxx

[@thesecretvet]

@@lauraoldbury7718 Not the veterinary exams, just my GCSE exams I had to re-do to pull my grades up! You get a maintenance loan but you have to pay the fees yourself yes. It’s not ideal, but we take it year by year and see what we can come up with in terms of funds. I agree it is very difficult and it certainly hasn’t been easy, you do not have to pay a one off sum, you can pay the fees off in 3x instalments a year of around £3k which does make things seem less daunting!

[@cassiep.5758]

Thank you so much for sharing this experience! I am experiencing this right now, and since almost every person I talk to denied my decision, I am questioning myself. Am I really capable of doing this? But now after watching this video, I decided to give myself another shot, cause I know this is what I wanted and I may be so disappointed in myself in the future if I give it up right now.

[@thesecretvet]

Hi Cassie! I am so happy that you gave decided to give it another shot. Taking the first step towards believing in yourself is the hardest part of the journey. I have every faith in you that you will succeed, so please do not ever let others try and get in your way! You've got this x

[@natashaostrowski8950]

Well done for sharing your story! I know how hard it is for you to speak about your journey but it’s amazing just how far you’ve come and I’m grateful to have been a part of it ❤️

[@thesecretvet]

❤️

[@vm3249]

What an amazing story 🙏💕

[@thesecretvet]

Thank you so much!

[@Empem94]

This video is so inspiring and given me hope to apply to vet school!! ❤I had the same school experience and it still haunts me now that I ended up going to uni studying a subject just because 'I was better at it'. Could you advise on how you managed to secure funding for a second degree?

[@CherriMoustache]

Very inspiring video, thank you so much for sharing your experience. Know that you've helped a lot of people with this :)

[@thesecretvet]

Thank you Kimberly, that’s very kind of you!

[@hollypowell7996]

What a brilliant video Georgia - you’re such an inspiration!

[@thesecretvet]

Thank you Holly! x

[@sharonalkalay2051]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It really means a lot to hear that it is all possible! It’s crazy how much our experiences with teachers in school can falter our confidence. I took biology AS and dropped it halfway through.. I was going through a tough time at home and had no support from my teachers that I just quit. I wasn’t emotionally ready for uni anyway and ended up going to the military instead (this was also a dream of mine so all good, it was amazing) After being released and finding myself on a farm during lambing time, I learnt so much including how capable I am!!! I am starting an access to higher education course for veterinary medicine this September. I really hope the access course goes well and I get into a vet school. It’s just going to be a lot of hard work right? 😅

[@sheezalo881]

thank u

[@scarletthartigan6403]

So sorry you had such a crap experience in the education system. I also got into RVC the long way round with extra courses. Brilliant to see that you didn't let anything get in the way of your goal! 💪🤗

[@thesecretvet]

If there’s one thing i’ve learnt it’s that there’s always another route in! So glad you go into RVC too! 😃 x

[@lauraoldbury7718]

Wow that's brilliant, how did you manage to get in? What extra courses did you take? I hope you don't mind me asking, but it would help me and others in being inspired and how to get into vet school x

[@thingtodo6747]

This is really inspiring I want to be a vet but I feel that I won’t be good enough as no one has ever believed me . And for uni you need 7s in gcse and I can’t get 7 in English and stuff . But I can get high in science it’s so annoying

[@thesecretvet]

Once you believe in yourself, it starts to matter less what other people think! Don’t be afraid to ask for help with your english grades, even if it takes you a little longer than most I’m sure you can get there!

[@robjones5891]

Great Video! ❤️

[@thesecretvet]

Thanks Rob! x

[@theRcloud-]

Hey! I hope you still see this comment! My situation is exactly like yours I have an offer for bio vet at dvc and I took it to do another vet degree. You said the bio vet degree was like a 'mistake' like not a good decision. and a lot of people have been telling me that so I want to know if it really is a good / bad decision because I dont want to do three years of my life if it means it won't go to plan. Another question is okay if you won't ask as its personal, but in terms of funding for the second degree to do vet med, I've been told its really financially hard and I'm stressed about it even though I haven't even done my undergrad yet. How was it for you? Was it as hard as people are saying? I still have time to decline my place for roc bio vet but my grades unfortunate are a bit lower than yours BCC. But I can apply to do the gateway for RVC or I will do zoology rather than bio vet. Any advice would be really helpful!

[@thakshayanravichandran4003]

I have BsC international wildlife biology degree...so can I do vet medicine

[@paulmawditt8679]

I'd like to become a bit but my grades aren't good enough

[@kiaxoxo7051]

Don’t give up on it. Even if your grades arnt the best right now, now a days there is many ways to get into vet med (access courses etc). Look into it if you really want to do it. Hope u the best

[@paulmawditt8679]

@@kiaxoxo7051 ok thank you I'm going to be in year 11 next year so I do have a couple more years and I can always do TAFE

[@paulmawditt8679]

@@kiaxoxo7051 I'll let you know how I do

[@kiaxoxo7051]

@@paulmawditt8679 Yes definitely! I did well in my gcses but got EEE in my alevels cause i hated them but i’m doing an Access to science course and now i got offered a place at a uni for vet as long as i do well in this current course! I’m so happy and all my work experience helped. It’s not all about grades, you need to show persistence and determination to show them that you want it. And while you can get as much work experience in as you can (in retail, animal handing experience etc) Definitely look at what each uni requires work experience-wise and begin there.

[@thesecretvet]

Keep on trying! I got ACC in my A levels & had to retake a bunch of GCSEs just to get my grades up to get into vet school!