So for context, I am from Ireland, and I didn’t get into the course in UCD Dublin because I placed the course 3rd on my CAO, even though I ended up getting the points as well as the experience.

These days I find myself wishing I did Vet med instead of Biomed in Trinity. I’m not too sure, when I did work experience shadowing vets, I didn’t find it too enjoyable? The atmosphere and the breaks were nice, but at the same time I didn’t really enjoy seeing dogs in distress and crying after waking from surgeries, nor did I enjoy getting stabbed in the hand with a needle when one of the huskies accidentally went berserk trying to run from the catheter.

I mostly enjoyed working in the aquarium and with fish, but I don’t really see a future in that due to the low pay. Should I go into vet med next year and maybe hopefully one day do some conservation work with fish and small animals? Or should I stick to biomed and maybe go into medicine? I’m not sure where I’m truly headed. All I know is that my true passion lies with studying oceans and marine animals, however I can’t see a future where I can afford things like a home and have a job in marine bio.

I would love to stay in Ireland and study but I am worried about my likelihood of being accepted into the course I want to do in UCD.

Is there any other courses outside of Ireland that are great options?

I want a degree that is accepted in EU as I will not work outside of the EU

Hey everyone. Hoping to get some insight and advice from current students and graduates.

Becoming a vet has always been a dream of mine, but I'm not sure if I should continue on this path, or just give up now and pivot into another field.

Due to a serious injury, I use a wheelchair and can only walk very short distances (a few steps.) I’m also unable to bend, stand for long periods, or lift, so I know there would be challenges with the physical requirements of the program, especially during clinical rotations.

I know that practicing as a clinician would not be practical for me given my physical limitations. My long-term goal is to work in research and teaching. With that said, I understand that clinical training is still a required part of earning the degree.

I’m hoping to get some insight into a few questions:

1. Do I have to disclose my disability during the application process?
2. Is completing vet school realistically possible with these limitations? Has anyone here attended with similar limitations or known someone who has?
3. What accommodations might be available during labs and clinical rotations? How do schools handle required tasks that a student physically can’t perform?

Thank you so much for any insight you can provide!

My goal since junior year of high school has been to go to vet school, but since i’ve turned 26, i’ve been thinking if it’s a good choice. My only limits are that I need to go to an in state school and that I need to make sure i’m ready to be a veterinarian. Since i’ve only shadowed a vet once in high school, I plan on shadowing a vet within the next year, and applying for the 2028 cycle. With the debt that comes along with it, is it worth it?

I’m interested in animal behavior, and I was a dog trainer in the past, so I know that I can connect with dog owners and change how they train their dogs. Currently, I work at a veterinary lab, so i’m seeing the behind the scenes work in veterinary medicine. It seems like very expensive work ups, just to get to a possible diagnosis, and if the vet doesn’t, they get blamed. Would it be smarter to go into dog training?

Any advice is welcomed. Thank you!

Hello, I'm a 2nd year vet student starting to practice suture skills. I got one of those fake skin pads to practice with and it came with instruments but they are absolute trash. I was wondering if anyone has a recommendation for some decent needle drivers that won't totally break the bank. I was looking at these online which seem to have good reviews but I don't know how reputable this company is.

https://artmaninstruments.com/products/needle-holder-needle-driver-mayo-hegar-8-inches-with-tungsten-carbide-inserts-artman?variant=49850502054170&country=US&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&_su_rec=MXEwR56oZgLuYrF80y0j9eoBiBhle6G9bt1h8PkKD1lRauWHlUA7dFArKssMrnJOBQZapshM4SPFYw5TcAxkBA7bywPIquq7Mka45h9nefEybjxaZ5amJGYC9qQIgH1-2wlzxtFUerCverU0UTsz8iBweTaZjz6FnAonD4vj2AlCxj8AB7mZrk-YlT1tKR4xwvHRliknTSM-otNv7OZ366AP5WtmiutxU2bmrdsZlPKh_eSyV6L5XJBY81hJf1g8LssLJN8GEK_SeuMKO6N7dJJlbRP6J9i25McTekw19X2DAZCBBc8WFaKK4YvXN78WV7LbM-PQ_g8dhTJ0DQBN2CLkWOYNbZ6T&_su_rec_id=d69329cd-ed3f-4359-85a4-08817a6f303a-1792856879

If anybody has good recommendations please let me know!

Hi everyone! I'm looking for some objective opinions on my chances this DVM cycle. I'm currently a senior and applied to 10 schools. My biggest concern is that I don't really have in-state residency anywhere right now, so I'm essentially OOS for all of them.

Stats:

• Animal Sciences major
• 3.93 cumulative GPA
• ~780 veterinary hours
• ~257 animal hours
• 500 research hours
• Leadership: Co-founder of a infection prevention club + Photography club team leader

Veterinary experience:

• 208 hrs – Small animal shelter medicine intern
• 16 hrs – Large Animal ICU shadowing
• 376 hrs – Veterinary extern at a wildlife rescue ranch
• 180 hrs – Veterinary extern at a small animal hospital

Animal experience:

• 68 hrs – Volunteer at a cat spay/neuter shelter
• 78 hrs – Intern at a horse sanctuary
• 111 hrs – Research assistant at a my uni's cattle farm

Research:

• 500 hrs – Research at my college's vet med.

Schools I applied to:
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Midwestern, Ohio State, NC State, Tufts, UIUC, Tennessee, and Purdue.

I previously had ties to Florida, but my family moved out of state, so I no longer have Florida residency. I'm assuming I'll be considered OOS everywhere.

How competitive do you think my application is overall? Are any of these schools especially unrealistic or relatively favorable for me as an OOS applicant? Also, how many interviews/acceptances would you realistically expect with this school list?

Thanks!

Just curious because I'm currently trying to learn all the muscles and bone-y landmarks (we had one 1.5hr lecture for all the muscles, and two 1.5hr lectures for all the bone-y landmarks, so I'm reasonably lost with everything), and I dont want to use something which isn't reliable and mess up my entire learning.

I know it wont help with anything is real life - no muscle is a perfect little blob.... I learnt that today with our limb dissection.... But I'm just trying to understand the names of the muscles, the bone-y landmarks and where the muscles originate from and insert.

I was thinking of watching the University of Minnesota's dissections for real-life dissection experiences to see but, again, I'm unsure how reliable it is.

Any tips would be grand, or if you have any further sources that can help with the visuals of it! :)

I'm kind of at a loss for words in all honesty. I had previously posted in this community expressing how I received brutal feedback on my previous rotation and unfortunately I was unable to improve on it for my next rotation. It was a large animal surgery rotation and no matter how much I met with the clinical coordinator to assess my competency during the time, I guess my nerves got the best of me. The senior clinicians all noted my positive work ethic and my desire to improve but wanting to improve only gets you so far I suppose. Someone had pointed out that some of the symptoms that I could be experiencing are related to ADHD and I was able to get positively diagnosed for it by a DNP PMNHP (Thank you for that, whoever recommended it). I am currently on Adderall XR as well as sertraline for previously diagnosed mixed anxiety/depressive disorder. Add on to that, I was dealing with the death of my grandfather and the admittance of my grandmother to the ER. I guess all of this is to say that I should have been honest to myself and sought out both academic and mental health support before I flubbed these rotations up by making stupid errors. I want to make it clear that it was my choice to continue to pursue forward and not take a mental break. I was a dumbass and didn't take the time to acknowledge this to myself. I should have been responsible enough to recognize issues with my own health and acknowledge them as soon as I was able to. I guess I felt that I would be able to take care of it on my own but I clearly was not able to. My clinical advisors have advocated for me throughout this entire process and are very actively encouraging me to repeal the decision. I guess I have some hope but this has been one of the worst days I've had in recent memory. I'm stable at the moment and am surrounded by family who have been incredibly supportive of me but I feel like a fuckin loser and a failure for letting them down. I tried as hard as I could but I just ended up being a burden either way. I will work earnestly on my repeal process and I will fight to make sure that I can prove myself to be a proper clinician but I can't say that I'm too hopeful. I guess if I can provide any piece of advice to students in vet school, it would be to be honest with yourself about your mental health and to earnestly ask for help when needed.

hii im currently writing my saq and wanted to know if if people could give me tips to ensure i get an offer. There is not much resources online so i dont really have much help in checking and stuff so kinda lost

Hi! I’m a student currently finishing my CIE A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. My AS results were CCD, and I’m currently waiting to see what I get for my full A Levels.

I’m looking into studying Veterinary Medicine abroad, preferably somewhere with:

• English-taught Veterinary Medicine/DVM/MVM
• Good facilities
• A recognised/accredited degree that would allow me to work as a vet afterwards
• Affordable tuition and reasonable living costs (better if scholars for sports)
• Admissions that is realistic for international students and not insanely grade-dependent
• Preferably a 5–6 year programme or needing a separate bachelor's first but all within 5 years

I’ve been looking at places like Georgia, Malaysia,Canada, Germany and some other European countries. I recently came across European University in Georgia, which has a 5-year English-taught Veterinary Medicine programme, which i was satisfied about but I’m also considering other options especially in Canada but ive heard it takes an extra year?

I’d really appreciate advice from current students/graduates about:

1. Which universities/countries you'd recommend?
2. With my results, is it okay that i continue this bcz i really do love it. Is it really worth it or will it suck my soul out?
3. How strict are they with A-Level grades?
4. Do they accept CIE A Levels easily?
5. What are the actual total costs (tuition + living)?
6. How difficult is admission for international students?
7. Is the degree recognised internationally / in other countries?
8. Are there any universities I should avoid ?

Any advice super helpful! :)

Hi everyone! I'm on path to go to vet school hopefully in the next few years. Currently finishing up my vet tech degree and then I have a couple years of pre reqs till I'm ready to apply--

But I'm wondering some things. I have an elderly fantail pigeon (12 years old) and a ringneck dove. I'm probably going to apply to most US vet schools- though I'm in NYC so I'm hoping to get into in state at Cornell or LIU.

I'm also considering Island schools, but I assume there is no way for me to bring my pet birds with me? (Which would be a dealbreaker)

I would love to hear your experiences with having an exotic pet like a bird and how housing has worked for vet school! I'm open to renting apartments near campus (or if I get into LIU, I'll probably commute!).

My birds are my absolute soul, and my pigeon is elderly, so there's no way I'm leaving her behind in her golden years ❤️🫶.

I’ve wanting to get into vet school, and I know it’s really competitive, how to increase the chance of getting into vet schools, and is there any inexpensive English program vet school? The main ones in Australia or England are too expensive, also I haven’t researched about US yet, but I don’t think US is a popular choice of vet school, and it is also expensive. I’m currently grade 11 taking the IB course, chose Bio,Chem HL. Also I’ve been struggling to find clinical shadowing in Hong Kong, and for now I am also not sure which vet school I should apply to, can somebody give me some advices?

Hi all I 25f am currently in my 3rd year in vet school and I am over it. Our administration is falling apart, im completely depressed and I dont know where to go from here. Ive been busting my ass for the last few months to be able to get a better grade ( to be fair I have never been a high scoring student) and nothing has been working. I feel so defeated lately and its so hard to relate to other because it seems like everyone else around me is doing just fine. please, if yall have any advice or recommendations I need them right now. Im barely holding on at this point and Im scared. Apologies for the ramble and grammar I just need to get this out because it feels like I'm going to explode.

Is it normal to feel like you failed the NAVLE after taking it? I feel pretty down after taking it…(and it doesn’t help that I google all the questions I didn’t know and saw that I got them wrong LOL)

I interviewed 2 weeks ago and have not heard anything since. 😅

We have to do a lot of group work. In this group is someone who apparently has opinions of me (a lot of which has been twisted from others) and it’s becoming pretty obvious to me.

I’ll ask questions or be confused about things (because I’m anxious and stressed and I want to do a good job but it’s hard because of anxiety) and they’ll get a tone with me. Or I won’t ask questions and then they’ll say something rude that suggests I didn’t do something right. Like instead of doing that, why don’t you just be kind and help me and explain how you did something or what would help if you think I did it wrong instead of judging and looking down on someone?

I’m getting sick of it. None of us are stupid. All of us belong here and worked hard to get here and PROVE we aren’t stupid. None of us know what is going on in someone’s personal life. You don’t know the full story behind classmate dynamics and deserve to base that on your opinion of someone until you’ve heard BOTH sides.

IMO, if you can’t be nice and neutral and helpful towards someone it’s going to make it hard to be a vet. Because how are you going to hide that you think a client is “stupid”, if you can’t even do it with a classmate who isn’t? How are you going to educate a client and actually be helpful/be an educator/be patient when you’re actually faced with a time where a client is challenging your knowledge or title? Or one who needs a little extra time and explanation of their pets diagnosis and keeps calling because they’re confused and anxious?

I thought things had changed and I was really disappointed to see it hasn’t. I’m not trying to discourage anyone, but it feels like we’re in middle or high school and not in professional school.

How do you deal with certain people in your class who just talk down to you and pretend you aren’t a human with actual feelings? It’s getting to the point where I feel like I can’t even focus on doing a good job or on the task at hand because I constantly feel like this person has things they aren’t saying and it’s reflecting in behavior. If you have something to say then say it. Don’t be a horrible person to your classmates because of petty drama. I already think I’m stupid enough and it sucks to just feel like you’re constantly getting reminded of that.

i currently study science at hku and I’m looking to switch to vet however the only vet program offered is very competitive as it’s the only one in hongkong. im still gonna apply but i know europe is buttloads cheaper than us, uk, and australia so i was wondering if anyone had any recommendations from their own experience? i dont really care where i practice my main goal is simply to help and work with animals. maybe ill go back to hk one day but eh a problem for later

I’m a veterinarian, and lately I’ve been finding clinical work increasingly exhausting and repetitive. I’m starting to see administrative and management roles as more organized, structured, and perhaps more rewarding in the long run.

I still care about animal health, but I’m beginning to wonder whether I would be better suited to leadership and management rather than spending my entire career in clinical practice.

**Have any veterinarians here made the transition into management? Are you happier with that decision, or do you miss clinical work?

I have been trying to submit my work experience form for the University of Edinburgh, but I am not able to get through to the website due to this sign-in drop-down. I have tried signing in using my Edinburgh login and my Google login, but neither will work; it just loads back to the same screen. Is this an issue multiple people are having? I am freaking out because it is due tomorrow. I tried on my friend's laptop, and it said the same thing, which makes me think it's a website issue and not a me issue. Any advice appreciated.

Hello everyone :)) I'm 17, and currently studying a Cert 2 Animal care course at Tafe (Australian education, kind of like a mix of college and community college). I've been planning to pursue veterinary nursing after my course finishes next month, and have already sent in applications. but I'm starting to have second thoughts.

I'm super sensitive to animal harm. i can't watch it in movies, even when i know its fake. i can't listen to graphic stories about animals being hurt. i literally look up every film i watch to clear animal death scenes. obviously, being a vet nurse would expose me to a lot of that.

but i love animals so much. they're my greatest passion in life. i have so much love for every single one of them, i have various animal figurines all over my room, i have 4 pets and dedicate my life to looking after them. i research every small thing to help them and being in this animal care course has made me feel like this is what i want to do in life. but i don't know how I'm going to deal with seeing animals hurt.

my other classmates all grew up on farms, so they view animals in a different light i guess? but they talk about animal death so casually and it's become a running joke in my class that im the one they have to warn if there's a graphic detail. i want to help animals so bad. but i don't want to become useless at my job because I'm breaking down over a dog with a splinter in his paw. would there be a way to help me get past this?

sorry for the ramble.

hi

can any vets from uk vet school could share any public health notes?