It’s summer, you’ve got 4 weeks till the holidays end, and then you’re back at school with teachers and advisors all badgering you about your university options.
But you have absolutely no clue what you want at university, let alone which one you want to go to, so maybe this post can shed a bit of light on some of the ways to choose your future university.
There are many universities in the United Kingdom currently offering a degree in veterinary medicine including:
- University of Cambridge (Department of Veterinary Medicine)
- University of Liverpool (School of Veterinary Science)
- University of Nottingham (School of Veterinary Medicine and Science)
- Royal Veterinary College (RVC), University of London
- University of Glasgow (School of Veterinary Medicine)
- University of Surrey (School of Veterinary Medicine)
- University of Edinburgh (Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies)
- University of Bristol (Bristol Veterinary School)
- Harper & Keele Veterinary School (A joint venture between Harper Adams University and Keele University).
- Aberystwyth University (School of Veterinary Science)
- Scotland's Rural College (SRUC)
- University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)
*Key Information - Aberystwyth University (School of Veterinary Science), Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) do not currently hold full accreditation with the RVC.
Each of these universities all offer the exact same veterinary medicine degree, yet have differing experiences of which will impact which of you choose.
So how exactly should you choose your university?
Tuition Fees
Well firstly you need to take into account the tuition fees. Whether you are taking out student loans or paying out of pocket, researching the tuition fees for each university is an essential part of your decision, as university is not only a career choice but also a major financial choice that impact yourself in the long term.
What is each university’s teaching style?
Each university will have a different way of teaching which will experience affect your experience as a veterinary student.
Take Nottingham for an example. They prefer a hands on approach meaning you can begin learning the theory while implementing it in practice from your first year whereas universities such as Cambridge favour lecture style learning for your first 3 years. The approach you prefer will depend on the type of student you are. Some prefer understanding and consolidating the first while others prefer to apply the theory and the choice if different for everybody, making a key factor so you can get the best experience possible.
How far is the university from home?
If you’re close to your family, you might want to go home every weekend which will be hard if your home is in London and your university in Scotland. On the other hand if you want to put as much distance between you and your family to live more independently, then you might prefer a university far from home.
So while distance might be a minor factor it will impact your experience so much in the long term as a structured support system in a demanding degree such as veterinary medicine can be so much more helpful for some than others.
University Life
Now this might be the most important factor in my opinion: ‘What will your life be like at your chosen university as a student ? ‘
What societies and clubs does the university currently have and what is the city itself like, is the cost of living high, and does it have a variety of options when you need to decompress from the stressful life of university?’
Veterinary medicine is such a long and demanding degree but it won’t be your entire life for the 5 years of your degree so understanding what your day to day life will look like at each university will help you to choose which one is best suited to your personality and needs as not only a student but as an individual.
Accreditation
Another thing to consider is ‘Accreditation’ which I believe is a really underrated factor that a lot of people don’t talk about in enough detail.. You should check if the the university you’re considering is accredited with the ‘Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ (RCVS) as without it you will have to register with the RCVS post graduation and may have to complete additional competency requirements to practice veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom.
While this may not be a dealbreaker for everybody it is definitely something to take into consideration when researching your chosen university as it’s better to understand the significance of this before you’ve committed to a degree.
What is the university itself like ?
For me my top choice is the University of Nottingham and this is because I loved how the environment was very woodsy and rural but was also close to the city giving me the best of both worlds.
This links into what your day to day life could look like as a student which might not seem like a massive factor, but I think it very much is. For example the RVC is located in London - a very busy city with lots of life chaos and opportunities. Whereas my personal favourite- Nottingham, has parks, greenery and a nice peaceful atmosphere to it while still being a busy university and both will be suited to different people.. The environment differs by every university and completely depends on yourself and might just be the thing that makes the choice between two equally amazing universities.
Now all of these factors are crucial for your decision but ultimately the best way to choose a university is to see it in person.
Go to the open days, meander around the campus, visualise yourself in those lecture halls and that will allow you to choose the best university possible for you in your journey through veterinary medicine.
Remember this isn’t just a choice of your career, but the choice of where you will spend some of the important years of your life and I hope this post has helped make that decision a bit easier for you all.
But if you’re still stuck and need some more dealbreakers then below are links to websites which go into detail on other factors.
https://www.becomeavet.co.uk/post/how-to-choose-the-best-vet-school-for-you
https://www.loopabroad.com/blog/comparing-vet-schools/
https://www.leadingtuition.co.uk/blog/veterinary-medicine-uk
Signing off - The Aspiring Veterinarian.
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