Veterinary Medicine

war2k10

Hi all i am a student in my leaving cert year and after much thought i have decided that i would like to be a vet, but i feel i wont be able to get the ponts needed :O is there any other way in this country to get into the UCD Veterinary Medicine course without the proper points without having to do a 4 year science course first, if not what other options are there ?
plus i have being hearing mixed opinions on whether there is any jobs out there for vets is this true i would be interested in doing (large animal specifically bovine)
thanks to anyone that comments

thegreatgonzo

It's a very popular course, so you would need to get the points. Getting in through graduate entry is also very difficult as there is a limited number of places.
There are jobs out there for vets and I have heard from one recent graduate that there were opportunities in the West of Ireland for large animal vets as many grads now prefer to work in small animal practices. Take a look at the situations vacant each month in the Irish veterinary journal and that will give you a better idea. Just be aware that the work is very hard, the hours are long and the money really isn't great.

mrpockets09

Pretty sure there isn't any other way to get in to UCD, maybe as a mature student but you'd have to be over 23 and that's a good bit to be waiting! I'm hoping to do it aswell but I'm doing the graduate route. If I could go back in time I would have repeated the leaving cert, the fees are crazy for UCD and the majority of UK Uni's and not to mention competition! There's other colleges aswell, like Poland, Slovakia and Budapest, there5.5-6 years though and start at €7500-€11,000 a year (still half the price of UCD graduate fees). You can come back to Ireland and UK and work but if you want to work in America you have to additional exams (the UCD degree allows you to work in America). My advice is to try get it through your LC points, it will save you alot of time and money in the long run. Best of luck.

eyescreamcone

Have a look at the UCD Ad Astra scheme for elite athletes and performers.
Up to 60 points off I think for a select few.
Could make all the difference.

therunaround

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057054406/1/#post86865152

It's a job you'd want to love. Iv a family member a vet. Not something you'd do to get rich quick. But very rewarding. His advice would be work elsewhere for a few years and only work near home once you're more confident.

RedSeven7

Hi war2k10
I'm also in LC year hoping to do veterinary! I was talking to a 5th year vet med student at the UCD open day (which was brilliant - I fell in love with the place!) and she told me that if you don't get the points to just repeat! Apparently a lot of the veterinary students have done the leaving cert twice, she said one lad in her year did it 3 times :eek:

Going the graduate entry route means you have to pay full fees and the student at the open day told me that they only accept about 3 Irish students onto it a year - the rest of the places go to international students.

I myself have applied to 4 universities in the UK (the deadline was the 15th October though). I've been rejected for one, and haven't heard anything from the other three. Over there they choose candidates to interview based on grades and animal-related work experience. Then after the interviews they choose who they think are the most suitable candidates for the course. The system in the UK is much fairer if you ask me, but just as competitive!

Best of luck with the LC!