Veterinary Medicine

Mayoegian

Hi,
I'm in fifth year and really interested in Veterinary. I have more or less decided that I cannot see myself doing anything other than Veterinary Medicine in college. My questions are for the students of Veterinary.

Is it hard to get into Veterinary? What kind of results did you get in the Junior Cert and fifth year?

Did you get any work experience before going to college? What did that entail?

Are you enjoying it?

I want to work out in the country in large animal practice but also in small animal practice from time to time. Is that possible?

What books do you use in Veterinary? Is it possible that I could buy say the first year book and read it now so I can get a head-start?

Is UCD nice as a college? Is that area of Dublin nicer than the rest?

How many points do you think I will need to achieve in the Leaving Cert to secure a place in Vet School?


Thank you so much!

WeeBushy

Mayoegian wrote: »

Hi,
I'm in fifth year and really interested in Veterinary. I have more or less decided that I cannot see myself doing anything other than Veterinary Medicine in college. My questions are for the students of Veterinary.

Hi,

I don't do veterinary but wanted to do it after the lc and I am applying for a graduate place at the moment so I might be of some use... Hopefully a vet student will come along and correct me/give you some better answers.

Is it hard to get into Veterinary? What kind of results did you get in the Junior Cert and fifth year?

Last year you needed 555 points to get in so yes, it is difficult. But achievable if you put in a serious amount of work for the lc. Junior Cert results are pretty much irrelevant imo.

Did you get any work experience before going to college? What did that entail?

Its a good idea to get experience so you know its actually a career you want to follow. Its very different to a lot of people's perceptions.

Talk to a vet near you and they might let you shadow them for a day/week. Look to volunteer in an animal shelter and spend some time on a farm to get a feel for what you will encounter.

I want to work out in the country in large animal practice but also in small animal practice from time to time. Is that possible?

Yeah, its possible. There are practices that look after both small and large animals. Generally though people specialise in one area.

What books do you use in Veterinary? Is it possible that I could buy say the first year book and read it now so I can get a head-start?

I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself. That enthusiasm is good, but you'd be better off studying hard in you lc and spending your time trying to get into veterinary first of all imo.

Is UCD nice as a college? Is that area of Dublin nicer than the rest?

Lots of people have different opinions based on their experiences, but I think UCD is a nice college. Its not perfect but there are many nice people, lots of societies you can join, good sports facilities and a great night life. You kinda get out what you put into it really. But yeah, I think it's great.

Its in a very nice area as well and easy to get into town.


Hope this helps a little and good luck with your studies...

Mayoegian

WeeBushy wrote: »

Hi,

I don't do veterinary but wanted to do it after the lc and I am applying for a graduate place at the moment so I might be of some use... Hopefully a vet student will come along and correct me/give you some better answers.



Last year you needed 555 points to get in so yes, it is difficult. But achievable if you put in a serious amount of work for the lc. Junior Cert results are pretty much irrelevant imo.



Its a good idea to get experience so you know its actually a career you want to follow. Its very different to a lot of people's perceptions.

Talk to a vet near you and they might let you shadow them for a day/week. Look to volunteer in an animal shelter and spend some time on a farm to get a feel for what you will encounter.



Yeah, its possible. There are practices that look after both small and large animals. Generally though people specialise in one area.



I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself. That enthusiasm is good, but you'd be better off studying hard in you lc and spending your time trying to get into veterinary first of all imo.



Lots of people have different opinions based on their experiences, but I think UCD is a nice college. Its not perfect but there are many nice people, lots of societies you can join, good sports facilities and a great night life. You kinda get out what you put into it really. But yeah, I think it's great.

Its in a very nice area as well and easy to get into town.


Hope this helps a little and good luck with your studies...

Thanks very much for that!

It's good to hear UCD is in a very nice area because alot of my friends were telling me that Dublin isn't nice. I was in Croke Park a good many times and in the north of the city, so maybe I just saw a bad part of it!

Well, I was thinking if I had any spare time I could just sort of glance now and again at the book! My sister has Merick's Veterinary Manual so I thought it would be kinda interesting to read! Is that the kind of book veterinary students would be learning from though?

There's a vet down from us and we know them really well. (We have lots of pets! ) Would I just ring up the guy that owns it to ask for a bit of work experience or would I send a letter?!

Thanks so much again and good luck with your studies!

Ado86

Hi,

Im currently in 4th year veterinary medicine in UCD.

I'm in fifth year and really interested in Veterinary. I have more or less decided that I cannot see myself doing anything other than Veterinary Medicine in college. My questions are for the students of Veterinary.

Is it hard to get into Veterinary? What kind of results did you get in the Junior Cert and fifth year?

It is a hard course to get in to. The year I entered the points were 555. Veterinary rarely drops below 550 points, and can up as high as 565 points. Personally I dont think that it matters what JC or 5th year results are like (but obviously you would need to be working hard all along). The main thing that matters is your leaving cert results. Bear in mind that there is a requirement for 2 science subjects, with Chemistry being required. I did biology and chemistry for my leaving cert and found that biology was far more helpful. I dont understand why it is not a requirement, there were a few of my classmates who struggled in first year because they didnt have leaving cert biology. A lot of assumed knowledge from biology is required. Chemistry which on the other hand is a requirement, is barely touched on ! Who knows why they set these requirements!

Did you get any work experience before going to college? What did that entail?
Yes i did get experience before going into first year. I spent the previous summer in a small animal veterinary practice, I found this to be very helpful. It gave me a real insight into the profession, and I would definitely advise you getting experience before applying because it was very different for me from what I expected.
The only regret that I had was that I did not have any experience of farm animals or horses. I come from Dublin and would have very little experience of these. But the course does start from scratch, just personally I felt very inexperienced with them in the first year or two.

Are you enjoying it?
Yes! There isn't any other course I could imagine myself doing. It is a very tough course, it requires a lot of study and most of your holidays will be taken up with college placements. In the early years and later on for clinical placements.

I want to work out in the country in large animal practice but also in small animal practice from time to time. Is that possible?
Yes, as the other person said, you can work in a mixed practice which caters for both large (cattle, sheep and horses) and small animals (dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets).

What books do you use in Veterinary? Is it possible that I could buy say the first year book and read it now so I can get a head-start?

To be honest, as the OP said, you would be better off studying for the LC and getting good results in that that trying to cover first year vet material.

Is UCD nice as a college? Is that area of Dublin nicer than the rest?

UCD is a nice college. UCD is situated in a nice area of Dublin also. And Dublin isn't all bad. As with all areas, there are good and bad areas.

How many points do you think I will need to achieve in the Leaving Cert to secure a place in Vet School?
Unfortunately 560+ to be confident of a place would be advisable.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post again or PM me.

Thank you so much! [/QUOTE]

Mayoegian

Ado86 wrote: »

Hi,

Im currently in 4th year veterinary medicine in UCD.

I'm in fifth year and really interested in Veterinary. I have more or less decided that I cannot see myself doing anything other than Veterinary Medicine in college. My questions are for the students of Veterinary.

Is it hard to get into Veterinary? What kind of results did you get in the Junior Cert and fifth year?

It is a hard course to get in to. The year I entered the points were 555. Veterinary rarely drops below 550 points, and can up as high as 565 points. Personally I dont think that it matters what JC or 5th year results are like (but obviously you would need to be working hard all along). The main thing that matters is your leaving cert results. Bear in mind that there is a requirement for 2 science subjects, with Chemistry being required. I did biology and chemistry for my leaving cert and found that biology was far more helpful. I dont understand why it is not a requirement, there were a few of my classmates who struggled in first year because they didnt have leaving cert biology. A lot of assumed knowledge from biology is required. Chemistry which on the other hand is a requirement, is barely touched on ! Who knows why they set these requirements!

Did you get any work experience before going to college? What did that entail?
Yes i did get experience before going into first year. I spent the previous summer in a small animal veterinary practice, I found this to be very helpful. It gave me a real insight into the profession, and I would definitely advise you getting experience before applying because it was very different for me from what I expected.
The only regret that I had was that I did not have any experience of farm animals or horses. I come from Dublin and would have very little experience of these. But the course does start from scratch, just personally I felt very inexperienced with them in the first year or two.

Are you enjoying it?
Yes! There isn't any other course I could imagine myself doing. It is a very tough course, it requires a lot of study and most of your holidays will be taken up with college placements. In the early years and later on for clinical placements.

I want to work out in the country in large animal practice but also in small animal practice from time to time. Is that possible?
Yes, as the other person said, you can work in a mixed practice which caters for both large (cattle, sheep and horses) and small animals (dogs, cats, rabbits and other pets).

What books do you use in Veterinary? Is it possible that I could buy say the first year book and read it now so I can get a head-start?

To be honest, as the OP said, you would be better off studying for the LC and getting good results in that that trying to cover first year vet material.

Is UCD nice as a college? Is that area of Dublin nicer than the rest?

UCD is a nice college. UCD is situated in a nice area of Dublin also. And Dublin isn't all bad. As with all areas, there are good and bad areas.

How many points do you think I will need to achieve in the Leaving Cert to secure a place in Vet School?
Unfortunately 560+ to be confident of a place would be advisable.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post again or PM me.

Thank you so much!

[/quote]


Thanks so much for all that info!

Just a quick question about the work experience. Would I send a letter to the vet clinic asking for work experience or would I just ring up? Also would I work the whole Summer or just a week or two?

Thanks so much!

Ado86

Well if you know them really well, there wouldnt be any harm to just go into the clinic in person, it shows them that you're interested if you do it in person. They are more likely to say yes face-to-face.
But if its somewhere you dont know - a letter, followed up by a phone call is usually the way to go.
And if you're interested in large animal practice, it would be a good idea to try and get experience at Easter (maybe on your easter holidays) because this is the busiest time of year for large animal vets and it would give a good idea of the work schedule and type of work involved.

Mayoegian

Ado86 wrote: »

Well if you know them really well, there wouldnt be any harm to just go into the clinic in person, it shows them that you're interested if you do it in person. They are more likely to say yes face-to-face.
But if its somewhere you dont know - a letter, followed up by a phone call is usually the way to go.
And if you're interested in large animal practice, it would be a good idea to try and get experience at Easter (maybe on your easter holidays) because this is the busiest time of year for large animal vets and it would give a good idea of the work schedule and type of work involved.

Thanks so much Ado! I think I'll do that! I know them in the vet clinic pretty well, but I'll send them a letter and a phone call to be professional!

Thanks for your help!

caroline1111

Hi, just wondering if the course is very demanding generally? Is it a very heavy workload or do you have much free time? Also do you have much dealing with animals from the very start? Thanks.

Ado86

caroline1111 wrote: »

Hi, just wondering if the course is very demanding generally? Is it a very heavy workload or do you have much free time? Also do you have much dealing with animals from the very start? Thanks.

I wont lie, the course is very demanding yes. The hours get progressively longer with every year.
In general I wouldn't say that the course material is overly difficult. There are some subjects/modules which do require more work but it is more the sheer volume of work that is required. Take 3rd year for instance, one of our modules had over 150 lectures, 2 labs a week for 12 weeks, tutorials and other material. And to just write out the notes for one lecture to get the extra material can take roughly three hours, so when you multiply that by 150+ and thats only one module....that gives you an idea of the workload.
First year is by far the easiest year, but can be very overwhelming because of all the new terminology and expectations that lecturers have. Self-directed learning is very important. The culture of leaving cert where you are guided through what you have to know etc does not exist in college.

There is generally not much time for part time jobs, and most of your holidays will be taken up with college related placements. This does make it difficult to support yourself while in college, because you are generally required to be on placement.

I personally dont have that much free time. I spend a lot of time commuting. There is more scope for free time in the earlier years but from 3rd year on I found it very hard to find time to do things that I wanted to do. Especially at the end of the semester.

There is very little contact with animals to be honest until final year, within UCD. But you are required to complete animal husbandry placements during the holidays before 3rd year. From 3rd year on, you are required to spend holidays with a vet and gain work experience. So this is the main way to get the basics and be prepared for rotations in final year in the UCD veterinary hospital.

Feel free to ask any other questions, I would have been very glad to ask people in veterinary some questions before I entered.

FeelGleoite

Hi everyone.

Hope some of you reply me. I'm at highschool now and I'm not living in Ireland or I'm not an Irish. But I'm really interested in Ireland and I want to study in Veterinary at UCD. I really want it. I'll apply for this, but I need help about some situations. Please hear me !!

Any attention, going to be appreciated..

Ado86

Feel free to PM me or post on the boards, Im currently in 4th year vet med in UCD.