Vet .. way around the high points??

WanaBeVet

Hi .. I want to be a vet but dont think i can get the high points ...

I heard that you can do some scince course for2 years first and then continue on to vetinary medicine ?????????

was just wonderin is tat true and wats involved ???????????

Thanks v.much people

Ginja Ninja

WanaBeVet wrote: »

Hi .. I want to be a vet but dont think i can get the high points ...

I heard that you can do some scince course for2 years first and then continue on to vetinary medicine ?????????

was just wonderin is tat true and wats involved ???????????

Thanks v.much people

you CAN do a science course and then go for vetmed afterwards as a post grad[you will have to do an interview,get great marks in your first degree and then it's only a maybe]

From the few vet students I know,getting the 570-ish points is the start of it,if you can't manage that,you won't be fit to do the course.[Not trying to be an ass here,I wanted to vet and after some hard thinking about it switched to Agriculture]

So,yeah in a nice way,if you can't work hard enough to get the points you won't make the grade in vet,they have insane hours every week and the learning curve is really steep even then.

Again,not trying to burst your bubble,but getting the points is one of the easiest things about vet[the exact words from a vet friend of mine]

shu

In the last few years has been quite a lot of Irish people who didnt have the necessary points to study veterinary in Ireland going over to study in Budapest and Slovakia. Another possible option worth looking into.
But as Ginja Ninja said, it's an incredibly tough course intellectually. Have you ever considered studying veterinary nursing instead?

convert

Ginja Ninja wrote: »

you CAN do a science course and then go for vetmed afterwards as a post grad[you will have to do an interview,get great marks in your first degree and then it's only a maybe]

With the new graduate entry in-take you can now technically do any primary degree and then apply for veterinary medicine. As far as I remember, the graduate entry is based on a 'points' system, with science/ag based courses getting more 'points' than, say, arts courses. Oviously you'll need to have a strong grade (no less than a 2.1) in your primary degree.

There are also points for having a Masters, MLitt or PhD, with 'relevant' disciplines receiving more points. Experience also is taken into consideration.

From the few vet students I know,getting the 570-ish points is the start of it,if you can't manage that,you won't be fit to do the course.[Not trying to be an ass here,I wanted to vet and after some hard thinking about it switched to Agriculture]

I don't think this is necessarily accurate. I know lots of people who received 600 points in their leaving and struggled with courses such as medicine and veterinary, while those who have gone in via the graduate system have found it a breeze. Just because somebody has 570 points doesn't mean they've got an aptitude for the course; somebody with less than 500 points can do equally as well.

From experience, in arts it's not all that unusual to have somebody with c. 300 points come out with a better degree than somebody with 500 points. It all depends on the individual and their aptitude.

You've got lots of options open to you, you just need to sit down and consider all your options, whether you decide to work extra hard to get the points, go via the graduate route or go abroad to study (an increasingly popular option).

wolfpawnat

OP there is something called the Access Programme, it is for Socially, Economically Disadvantaged students. they base it on family income, etc but if you are successful they will let you off with a few points!

Budavets are not seen as well by prospective employers. This is due to the fact there is no clinical experience offered in those colleges, something essential in the vet degree.

Also you better look into veterinary before you choose it as a degree, it has a high drop out rate and is more scientifically based in 1st and 2nd year than you can imagine. My sons' dad did 1st year in medicine and veterinary and he says vet is harder hands down!!!!

I hope any info here helps, I always wanted to be a vet too, but was no good at Chem

caroline1111

Hi, sorry to hijack the thread, but does anyone think the points for veterinary will go up this year?:o

ant043

WanaBeVet wrote: »

Hi .. I want to be a vet but dont think i can get the high points ...

I heard that you can do some scince course for2 years first and then continue on to vetinary medicine ?????????

was just wonderin is tat true and wats involved ???????????

Thanks v.much people

If thats what you want to do then go for it. Don't have regrets in 10 years time. After trying for irish/uk entry i'd advise going to budapest. As other posters have said alot of irish go there every year and the course is accredited in Ireland. Plus don't settle for second best until you have tried every available avenue.

Ado86

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Budavets are not seen as well by prospective employers and still have to pass the vet board exam in Ireland after they qualify, not as many budavets pass it as Irish vet students!
Also you better look into veterinary before you choose it as a degree, it has a high drop out rate and is more scientifically based in 1st and 2nd year than you can imagine.

What are you basing this information on ?
There is no test for Irish vets to pass once they qualify, the degree entitles you to practice here once you register with the veterinary council of Ireland.
And secondly, where are you finding the information as it having a high drop out rate ? This is absolutely not true. I am in 4th year vet, we have not lost any people through dropping out...there isnt a trend in other years either. It is such a difficult course to get into that when people get there, even if they have to repeat a year that they do so.

I would re-iterate about the difficulty of the course. It is a VERY demanding course in many ways, intellectually, mentally and physically. Without sounding harsh, and I know this will, if you aren't able to get the points to get into the course then the likelihood is that you won't be able for the course.
I know people who have gone to Budapest to do veterinary, and although the requirements are lower than to get into UCD, the course is as tough there as here.

Anthony16

Ado86 wrote: »

What are you basing this information on ?
There is no test for Irish vets to pass once they qualify, the degree entitles you to practice here once you register with the veterinary council of Ireland.
And secondly, where are you finding the information as it having a high drop out rate ? This is absolutely not true. I am in 4th year vet, we have not lost any people through dropping out...there isnt a trend in other years either. It is such a difficult course to get into that when people get there, even if they have to repeat a year that they do so.

I would re-iterate about the difficulty of the course. It is a VERY demanding course in many ways, intellectually, mentally and physically. Without sounding harsh, and I know this will, if you aren't able to get the points to get into the course then the likelihood is that you won't be able for the course.
I know people who have gone to Budapest to do veterinary, and although the requirements are lower than to get into UCD, the course is as tough there as here.

But why go to budapest if u can only work here or the uk.Most of last years ucd grads have gone to US/Oz due to lack of jobs here. I highly doubt a degree from budapest is avma accredited and the lack of jobs here means there will be unemployment among vets in the next 5-7 yrs.
Try the graduate/uk route imo

wolfpawnat

Ado86 wrote: »

What are you basing this information on ?
There is no test for Irish vets to pass once they qualify, the degree entitles you to practice here once you register with the veterinary council of Ireland.

Yes I am very sorry, I was wrong. I mixed it up with medicine. As I said in a previous post, my partner was in Med and Vet so I got confused as we discussed the Budapest route for both. I apologise for my previous mistake!

Ado86 wrote: »

And secondly, where are you finding the information as it having a high drop out rate ? This is absolutely not true. I am in 4th year vet, we have not lost any people through dropping out...there isnt a trend in other years either. It is such a difficult course to get into that when people get there, even if they have to repeat a year that they do so.

My son's father is in first year, they have lost over 10 in their year. One was a girl that as soon as she saw that she would have to work with both large and small animals for the entirety of her degree ran like the wind!!!!!! (no I am not basing this on what he alone has told me, I have spoken to some of his class mates too)

Ado86 wrote: »

I would re-iterate about the difficulty of the course. It is a VERY demanding course in many ways, intellectually, mentally and physically. Without sounding harsh, and I know this will, if you aren't able to get the points to get into the course then the likelihood is that you won't be able for the course.
I know people who have gone to Budapest to do veterinary, and although the requirements are lower than to get into UCD, the course is as tough there as here.

Yes as I previously said, Medicine according to my sons dad, is easier.

As for the Budavets comment, one of the first years was there last year before she got into UCD and she said that the course is useless!!!! No anatomy, no dissections! They are told to sort stuff out for themselves if they wish to see any of these things!

Also OP you can kiss a summer job goodbye for at least one of the summers, you have to obtain 12 weeks work experience before you can enter 3rd year, and after that you still need to get experience!

convert

wolfpawnat wrote: »

OP there is something called the Access Programme, it is for Socially, Economically Disadvantaged students. they base it on family income, etc but if you are successful they will let you off with a few points!

Are you referring to New ERA?

I don't think that's based on family income; it's more focused on the area from which you come and upon your social background. There's more info on it here.

convert

wolfpawnat wrote: »

Also OP you can kiss a summer job goodbye for at least one of the summers, you have to obtain 12 weeks work experience before you can enter 3rd year, and after that you still need to get experience!

If you're really serious about becoming a vet you would need to spend the time gaining experience each summer and Christmas, not just for one summer.

One was a girl that as soon as she saw that she would have to work with both large and small animals for the entirety of her degree ran like the wind!!!!!! (no I am not basing this on what he alone has told me, I have spoken to some of his class mates too)

That has nothing to do with the difficulty of the course; that's to do with the fact that she couldn't be bothered to/didn't research the course much before she applied. Any sort of basic research into the course would have told her that she'd need to focus on both large and small animal practice.

noodler

Ginja Ninja wrote: »

From the few vet students I know,getting the 570-ish points is the start of it,if you can't manage that,you won't be fit to do the course.

I honestly disagree with this line of thinking.

I, for one, excelled when I got to college rather than in school. To suggest you may not be able for X in college something because you were unable to to excel at Y in school is certainly not an absolute truth.

Ado86

noodler wrote: »

I honestly disagree with this line of thinking.

I, for one, excelled when I got to college rather than in school. To suggest you may not be able for X in college something because you were unable to to excel at Y in school is certainly not an absolute truth.

Was this in veterinary ?
Some people do better in college than school for sure, but thats not the point that is being made here. It may hold for some courses, but I personally - and I have experience of the course, do not think it is the same. It is that the coursework is very demanding academically and that if you are unable to cope with achieving the points to get in, then you are likely to struggle with the course when you do get in.
The hours in college plus the study time required on top of college are enormous. It makes it very hard to have much of any sort of a life when you get into the upper years especially.
There is a massive amount of work required on "holiday time". From christmas of 3rd year you are required to complete 24 weeks = 6 months, of ems - which involves you spending time with vets and seeing practice. And even in the younger years, 1st and 2nd, you are required to complete animal husbandry placements e.g. lambing, calving, pig experience etc It makes having a part time job very difficult, and finance is unfortunately a big consideration to take into account when taking on veterinary. And not to mention that you will be a student for 5 years - it is a very long time.
Vet is definitely much harder than medicine, I have friends in med and we compare things. There is a massive amount of difference, you have to learn for at least 5 different species, and they are all quite different although there may be some similarities in them. When a med student has lectures on endocrinology for example they only have to learn about one species, when vets learn endocrinology you have to learn for dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and sometimes other species too!

wolfpawnat

convert wrote: »

Are you referring to New ERA?

I don't think that's based on family income; it's more focused on the area from which you come and upon your social background. There's more info on it here.

It was when I applied for it. But they may have changed it.

convert wrote: »

If you're really serious about becoming a vet you would need to spend the time gaining experience each summer and Christmas, not just for one summer.

Yes I agree, but the minimum requirement is apporx one summer, one easter and one xmas.

convert wrote: »

That has nothing to do with the difficulty of the course; that's to do with the fact that she couldn't be bothered to/didn't research the course much before she applied. Any sort of basic research into the course would have told her that she'd need to focus on both large and small animal practice.

but it shows the notions some people have Veterinary. Some seem to think it is all about little rabbits and cute puppies!!!!! There is alot more to it than that. On girl told the lecturer "I dont need to know that, I am not going to work with large animals" Pure madness.

Alot of people in Vet are those who missed Med and took it only as a second choice.

Ado86 wrote: »

It makes it very hard to have much of any sort of a life when you get into the upper years especially.
There is a massive amount of work required on "holiday time". From christmas of 3rd year you are required to complete 24 weeks = 6 months, of ems - which involves you spending time with vets and seeing practice. And even in the younger years, 1st and 2nd, you are required to complete animal husbandry placements e.g. lambing, calving, pig experience etc It makes having a part time job very difficult, and finance is unfortunately a big consideration to take into account when taking on veterinary. And not to mention that you will be a student for 5 years - it is a very long time.

+1 Goodbye to a summer job so it is not for the financially unable, parents dont seem to know that about it either.

My son will be in senior infants before his dad qualifies!

Ado86 wrote: »

Vet is definitely much harder than medicine, I have friends in med and we compare things. There is a massive amount of difference, you have to learn for at least 5 different species, and they are all quite different although there may be some similarities in them. When a med student has lectures on endocrinology for example they only have to learn about one species, when vets learn endocrinology you have to learn for dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and sometimes other species too!

In some ways med is harder (you go into such detail about cardiology,etc) but vet you have to go into the minute differences between several animals and even different breeds of the one animal. And of course certain drugs work for cows, but not for horses, and doses differences and all, not easy by any rate

Ginja Ninja

noodler wrote: »

I honestly disagree with this line of thinking.

I, for one, excelled when I got to college rather than in school. To suggest you may not be able for X in college something because you were unable to to excel at Y in school is certainly not an absolute truth.

Just to clarify I'm not saying all degrees are like this at all,I find my course much nicer/more accessible than the leaving cert ever was,I just wasn't good at the non science subjects.

However,in terms of workload[as I'm sure nearly all vet students will agree] it only goes upwards from leaving cert level.I know a good few people who would make a great vets in practice and others who won't make good vets,even thoug they are doing the course.The practical side of it gets a lot of different reactions from people.

NY_972

Ginja Ninja wrote: »

So,yeah in a nice way,if you can't work hard enough to get the points you won't make the grade in vet,they have insane hours every week and the learning curve is really steep even then.

Again,not trying to burst your bubble,but getting the points is one of the easiest things about vet[the exact words from a vet friend of mine]

Disagree with that big time.

Ado86 wrote: »

I would re-iterate about the difficulty of the course. It is a VERY demanding course in many ways, intellectually, mentally and physically. Without sounding harsh, and I know this will, if you aren't able to get the points to get into the course then the likelihood is that you won't be able for the course.

And this.

There's a lot of scaremongering going on here. I've done 4 years of vet in UCD and I have to say it's a tough course, but it's doable. The hours are fine for the most part and the course is engaging and if you're interested in the material you'll get along fine.

I had a Summer job for 2 summers, went on a few holidays, worked part time for 2 years and I have lots of friends who did the same; one worked part time up until the middle of 4th year. Took most of my christmas holidays off completely, the march breaks were taken up with large animal experience though. So you get loads of breaks, especially at the start! Your free time only really starts to diminish once you hit third year.

Some people in my class went on J1s in the first year or two or did other things non vet-related, which is good so you can have a break in between the years. It's a university course, it shouldn't take over your life. Yes you have to study coming up to the exams but I honestly think if you have the motivation to get in in the first place you can manage the workload.

Overall it's a great course, if you get in do not let it take over your life, especially in the first 2 years...work hard and play hard. The social life is really good, loadsa parties and nights out organised throughout the year. The classes are small enough so everyone gets to know each other and mostly everyone gets on really well, which is great because your class are your future colleagues so it's nice to build relationships.

And I wouldn't let people who take veterinary too seriously put you off. Unfortunately some people in the course have a superiority complex...

It's possible to study and enjoy it and fly through it without working yourself to the bone or centering your life around it. I thought getting in was the hardest part. Good luck with it anyway, whatever route you choose!!

ghostchant

With regards to all this talk of 'if you can't get 570+ points in the LC you're not smart/dedicated enough to do Vet/Med/whatever', that definitely isn't a general rule that covers everyone. For starters I'm aware of people with less points than that who have gone into courses like that through access programmes and have fared just as well as the 600 pointers. I think the cut-off for points (back then) for access programmes was ~450, meaning that the course coordinators (or whoever) figured that people who could achieve that were capable of doing the course...or so I would presume.

I didn't apply for courses with point requirements like that, and wouldn't have gotten in if I had (wasn't very good at History or German, so wasn't cut out to be a doctor apparently). I did get into Theoretical Physics, which may or may not be as demanding as Vet, unless someone out there has done both we don't know. Anyway I fared pretty well in that course (1.1, IRCSET, etc.), mainly because my academic weaknesses have nothing to do with the course I chose.

High points requirement means high course popularity, not (necessarily) high difficulty, though I'm sure Vet Med is perfectly difficult/demanding

rantyface

It's easier to get high points if you go to a good school and work hard. The school where my mam teaches don't even do higher level subjects, so if you want to do vet or medicine you have to stay behind after school to learn the honours courses. Some smart, hard working people find it harder than others to make the grade but when they get to college and have the same chance as people from areas with better schools, it's likely they could do just as well.

pseudo_23

i too cant help but think your question itself gives enough information. If you're looking to cut corners to get into veterinary, then perhaps you're not cut out for veterinary.

noodler

pseudo_23 wrote: »

i too cant help but think your question itself gives enough information. If you're looking to cut corners to get into veterinary, then perhaps you're not cut out for veterinary.

Another awful, unhelpful generalisation.

maggie82

I'm in the middle of applying for the graduate route. I have a BSc and an MSc, am registered vet nurse and am just waiting on GAMSAT results. I have seen a lot of vet students seeing practice in my place and tbh most of my friends are now vets and nurses.
I dont think how well you do in the leaving has any bearing on how well you do in college. In my case I got around 450, but I did very well in biology, chemistry, maths all the subjects you'll need for veterinary. I think the leaving handicaps people who are more specialised in their strong areas, like I did horribly in english and history because I just didnt care!
The graduate entry route is if you have biological science background and cost €19,500 per year for 4 years, so its not to be entered into lightly. TBH if I never tried to get in I dont think I'd ever be happy so OP go for it!!

WanaBeVet

Thanks lad and ladies.Some great advice and direction and info given on vet courses.

Just like to add that im well fiancially suported but 19500 a year sounds like an awful amount.:(

anywho I was just wonderin where would i do 1 of these sience courses and how many points would that be.

with regards my ability in school:I'm quiet good at most subjects but not great with science so i will and do spend my time studying chemistry because the rest all do fine in.

Sid_Justice

maggie82 wrote: »

I'm in the middle of applying for the graduate route. I have a BSc and an MSc, am registered vet nurse and am just waiting on GAMSAT results. I have seen a lot of vet students seeing practice in my place and tbh most of my friends are now vets and nurses.
I dont think how well you do in the leaving has any bearing on how well you do in college. In my case I got around 450, but I did very well in biology, chemistry, maths all the subjects you'll need for veterinary. I think the leaving handicaps people who are more specialised in their strong areas, like I did horribly in english and history because I just didnt care!
The graduate entry route is if you have biological science background and cost €19,500 per year for 4 years, so its not to be entered into lightly. TBH if I never tried to get in I dont think I'd ever be happy so OP go for it!!

With your background and experience and a decent gamsat you'd probably get an offer from the UK unis. Maybe you've applied there as well. As much as I'd like to be a vet I really don't think I could pay 80k plus interest to go to UCD when one could probably get a place in london for 3k a year. Even assuming you live at home in dublin (no rent, lower living costs) and have to pay rent etc. in england, works out considerably cheaper.

Just giving you some (hopefully not unwelcome) advice.

WanaBeVet

that sounds good about London.Would you happen to know the names of tyhe particular collages or university that offer vetinerary med as a course ??

maggie82

Sid_Justice wrote: »

With your background and experience and a decent gamsat you'd probably get an offer from the UK unis. Maybe you've applied there as well. As much as I'd like to be a vet I really don't think I could pay 80k plus interest to go to UCD when one could probably get a place in london for 3k a year. Even assuming you live at home in dublin (no rent, lower living costs) and have to pay rent etc. in england, works out considerably cheaper.

Just giving you some (hopefully not unwelcome) advice.

Hi, not unwelcome at all, I have looked into all UK and Scottish unis doing graduate entry programmes but I havent applied to any, all grad entry routes are in and around £20,000, except royal vet college but I don't meet all the entry requirements:(, so tbh its gonna work out cheaper to do it here in thelong run, with living, flights, etc.
OH doing grad med and has got nearly interest free loan, I was chatting to dean of veterinary in ucd and she did say they are in the middle of negotiations to set up similar for vets.
Fingers crossed or else I'll be going nowhere near the place!!

WanaBeVet

maggie82 wrote: »

Hi, not unwelcome at all, I have looked into all UK and Scottish unis doing graduate entry programmes but I havent applied to any, all grad entry routes are in and around £20,000, except royal vet college but I don't meet all the entry requirements:(, so tbh its gonna work out cheaper to do it here in thelong run, with living, flights, etc.
OH doing grad med and has got nearly interest free loan, I was chatting to dean of veterinary in ucd and she did say they are in the middle of negotiations to set up similar for vets.
Fingers crossed or else I'll be going nowhere near the place!!

HI, was just wondering what you have done to get that far ??

I'm still only in secondary but wat to know what to be focusin on ??

WanaBeVet

Oops sorry maggie ... I forgot about your earlier post

ehh does anyone no where i can do a science course in Ireland and how many points needed for it ??

ghostchant

You can do a science degree in any of the universities, as well as in ITs. Points requirements vary from place to place and year to year, I haven't kept track of current points requirements, but this will probably help you:

http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points

convert

wolfpawnat wrote: »

It was when I applied for it. But they may have changed it.

A friend of mine did New Era and only got it because they went to school in a very disadvantaged area. Both parents worked and had a considerable income.

but it shows the notions some people have Veterinary. Some seem to think it is all about little rabbits and cute puppies!!!!! There is alot more to it than that. On girl told the lecturer "I dont need to know that, I am not going to work with large animals" Pure madness.

If someone was stupid enough not to research the course properly then they probably shouldn't be doing that course...

If someone is good at maths and the science subjects, but is brought down because their talents don't lie in languages (of which they have to do three for the Leaving Cert.) and they consequently don't get enough points for veterinary, it doesn't mean that they're not able to do it. As was mentioned above, it's very likely that they'll do well in college simply because they're focusing on subjects for which they've got an aptitude.

maggie82

WanaBeVet wrote: »

Oops sorry maggie ... I forgot about your earlier post

ehh does anyone no where i can do a science course in Ireland and how many points needed for it ??

hiya just one thing you should check before doing a science course, the ucd.ie/vetmed website states that it sould be in a related field, ie animal science, zoology, biomedical degrees so check yours would leave you eligble for entry.
it also has to be level 8 (ie 4 yr honours) and you need at least a 2H2. you need to do a cv, available on the ucd website and they give marks for various things. they also recommend getting some practical experience and you get marked on this too.
sorry i have no idea about points, i did my leaving 10 years ago, but check cao website for previous years.
would you think of repeating the leaving? i totally regret not doing that but ah well, hindsight is great:rolleyes: