Dick Vet 4 year vs 5 year

Started by robert90
Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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i am so excited!! got my acceptance emaul this morning!!! of course i just had PRK on mon so i can't actually see much, i was able to make put enough of it to know i got into the 5 yr program...but now my eyes hurt so sorry if this post is all crazy. there's probs typos 🙁
 
Congrats on all those accepted into Edinburgh today! I'm so proud and happy for you all! Does anyone know if they'll send out more acceptances tomorrow or throughout the week? Previous years it looked like everyone was accepted on the same day.

Anyway, again: Congratulations to all!
 
Congrats to those who got in!!
Just a quick opinion piece. I live outside the city in a town called Loanhead. It is about 5 mins from Easter Bush. It has a Sainsbury, Marks and Spencers, Pet store, home store, Ikea, and Costco all within walking distance. I LOVE living outside the city. There is a bus that comes practically to my doorstep that goes to the city and comes every 20 mins or so. It also has a night bus that comes every hour after midnight, making it easy to go into the city for social events, its just like a 25 min ride. The bus to school is about a 7 min walk from my place. It all is personal preference really. I love living outside the city and some love living inside the city. Packen made some good points, I just don't want people who had their heart set on living outside the city thinking that they can't because the buses aren't good enough!
Packen--hope you are enjoying your first break since August!!
 
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gina85 said:
i am so excited!! got my acceptance emaul this morning!!! of course i just had PRK on mon so i can't actually see much, i was able to make put enough of it to know i got into the 5 yr program...but now my eyes hurt so sorry if this post is all crazy. there's probs typos 🙁
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🙂 I got into the 5 year program as well 🙂 🙂 Congrats! I am so excited.
 
Congrats everyone!! It's an exciting time and for those of you going over there, a lot to do in the next 6 months!! :scared:

To the OP....take the 4 year!!! I had been out of school 15 years and was ready to pull my hair out with the 'extra' stuff we had to do first year in the 5 year program. The 4yr program is absolutely doable. Yes, the culture, teaching and testing style takes some getting used to, but you should adapt quickly. Our anatomy course was nothing short of awesome and that is a downside of the 4 year, but other than that.... I can see NO reason to choose the 5yr program over 4yr, if you have a choice. A year's tuition and loss of income is reason enough IMO.

Anyways, congrats to all and you have a lot of great SDNers already over there to help you along. We all had so much support and it doesn't end once you get there...everyone really is helpful and wants you to succeed. 😀

Good Luck!! :luck::xf::luck::xf:
 
Flyhi, I'm also interested in the differences between 4 and 5 year. Could you elaborate on what you mean by "extra" stuff and why it was so frustrating? I really appreciate your feedback.
 
If you got into the 4 year (GEP), I would seriously go with that. It may seem daunting at first due to the increased workload, but it really is not that different if you were to go to an American school. The increased workload is that you have actual marked (UK term)/graded labs/practicals (UK term) and also are given a little more questions and material to know in the exams compared to GEP's. GEP's get in-course assesment essays in the middle of AB2 and AB3 modules which have been shortened to one essay!! We had two essays last year!! I would truly stick with the 4 years, it is manageable if you stay on top of the material. The material will come straight from the powerpoint notes they give you in class! Exams come right from these notes and books are supplemental to your studies, you don't really need them unless you need the extra help. Make sure you have a valid passport ready, dealing with the wonderful visa offices (fun times with them) :meanie:, and try to get some work gear such as wellies, much steel-capped boots, and waterproofs before you come. I know the five year is a bit less stressful than 4 year in terms of workload, but they have extra material that is marked compared to GEP's first year. Also, try to do some of the pre-clinical EMS if you can before coming to Edinburgh, makes your life a bit easier unless you have some exemptions. For buses, if you can find an area of the city along the 15A, 47, or 67 bus routes, then you will be fine. In terms of clubs, there are plenty with zoological society, Horse riding society, rugby, basketball, football, and a new bowling club that is starting up. Hope all goes well for you and if you have any questions, don't be hesitant to ask.
 
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duffdog said:
Flyhi, I'm also interested in the differences between 4 and 5 year. Could you elaborate on what you mean by "extra" stuff and why it was so frustrating? I really appreciate your feedback.
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sorry, i'm not on here much. Finley Monkey touched on it, as did someone else..but, basically in the 5 year you do an entire module of cell bio (GEPs do not), which includes labs (yuck) and you have to turn in a lab book at the end which consists of lab reports, which were a true pain, imo. While I personally think the 5yr anatomy course is better, you also have to turn in 2 lab books for this. They are fun to make, but also very time consuming. They look great when you are finished and it certainly helped for revision, but just another 'extra' that we had to do.

In the 5 year program, you will do more practicals at the farm since you have the extra time - not the end of the world, since you get to touch animals 😀

Plus, the GEPs got to take exams after their shortened summer anatomy course and then again before Christmas break. We did not take exams until the end of February! I would much prefer the GEPs exam schedule.

Basically, there is just more 'fluff' in the 5 year course. If you already have a degree and have some experience, you may think it moves too slow. And, this is coming from someone who had been out of school for 15 years. The 5 yr program is designed for the UKers...they are much younger and typically do not have the amount of education we do going into it, so they have to cover a bit more material for them.

Oh, and there was a cow and lambing project we had to do. While they were actually interesting and fun, still time consuming. First year felt more like undergrad to me, especially because there are 120 students and most of them are 18 :laugh: The GEP class will be with mostly N. Americans and 'feel' more like grad school. That is, until you combine in your 3rd year.

Hope that helps. Either way, it's a great school and program. The extra year of tuition and loss of income would be enough for me to choose the 4year. It will make a HUGE difference.

Good Luck :luck:
 
What else can I add to help these newcomers out? I really I am not trying to come out patronizing, this is what I kind of got from some GEP's and first year's.:
1.) Don't ever be late to Dr. Kempson's or Argyle's lectures, fair warning!! Obviously you should never be late to lectures, but you might as well not bother showing up to class if you are late for their lectures.
2.) Pack your own lunches to school, the View cafeteria is expensive, even with incentives
3.) For GEP's, take the offer to stay at Pollock Halls for the five weeks, really makes a world of difference as you will meet many of your classmates their before classes begin and will make strong friendships and future roomies there. I should warn other people stay there as well for the Fringe Festival (also great to check out and explore) and you may hear some uncomfortable moaning, screaming, and bed squeaking above your room if you happen to have sex starved couples 😕.
4.) Go visit the city and the rest of the UK by train, you will have several opportunities to do so with careful planning, even though I never got to do so except to St. Andrew's for lambing.
5.) Do what you are told and try not to anger the manager or owner of the farm/facility during EMS placement, some farmers hate being corrected when they have been doing a system or method for years even if it maybe wrong based on Animal Husbandry lectures.
6.) I would try to go to Fresher's week if you can to meet with 1st years there, sorry to GEP's but you don't technically have a fresher's week per say, and it falls on Revision Week for your upcoming AB1 exam🙄. Good way to meet more people outside your own class, have an epic time drinking, and joining clubs.
7.) Listen to your elders!! The students ahead of you are full of knowledge and are willing to lend an ear and tell you what to do and what not to do for your courses, we shall never steer you wrong, because we are in a professional course😉. Do not be afraid to ask us for help and also talk to your Director of Studies as well if you need help in anyway, they will try to do the best they can to make sure you succeed in the program, although I never asked my DoS for help and I actually just go to my DoS for light conversations.
8.) Laptop or Tablet: I guess that really depends on what you prefer and how you go about studying. I have seen classmates with tablets and Ipads in class and it seems to work fine for them as others use laptops to type in notes during lectures.
9.) How do I study for vet school? Again, people do what is best for them. Flashcards seem help really well and are a quick way to study through the notes. Some people rewrite the notes/lectures after class in their own words which helps reinforce the material. I am a bit more lazy as I just tend to re-read the notes over and over until I have them memorized in my head that it becomes photographic or idedic (I did do flashcards for pharmacology this past semester so I can't say I was completely lazy). Some people make charts to compare and contrast different material from different lectures in how it all fits together. Just need to work out what best suits your study style, there really is no wrong way to study unless you just don't study at all and don't slack off!!
10.) Use the virtual vet on EEVEC which is a great complement to your studies as it will help you through many of your pre-clinical and clinical components of your studies!
 
Wow! Thank you so much for your help! This is the kind of info we can't simply look up. 🙂
Are you happy being a student at Edinburgh? It sounds like you have everything figured out!
Boo. I'm sorry that GEPs don't get a fresher's week. 🙁
 
I could not be any happier right now! I enjoy living in Edinburgh and I love being a veterinary student at the Royal Dick. I am currently in year 3 of the programme (technically my 2nd year being here in Edinburgh, did the 4 year GEP route). All the professors are knowledgeable and most are great to be around with and start getting used to Dr. Argyle's Birmingham sense of humour as all Americans are slow but Canadians are slower!! I don't think I have got everything figured out in terms of my life:laugh: but I am always open minded about the future. I am just enjoying my last few days of break before classes start up again, so if there is any questions about the programme you want to ask, go for it and I will do mys best to answer them.
 
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DickVetMan said:
What else can I add to help these newcomers out? I really I am not trying to come out patronizing, this is what I kind of got from some GEP's and first year's.:
1.) Don't ever be late to Dr. Kempson's or Argyle's lectures, fair warning!! Obviously you should never be late to lectures, but you might as well not bother showing up to class if
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IF you are late to kempsons class she will kick you out, if you talk in her class she will kick you out, if you eat in her class she will kick you out- or atleast she threatens so far she has not kicked anyone out but its very entertaining.
For 5yers freshers week is very fun, GEP for a break on wednesday, of freshers week, you can go to one of the sports "try outs" or if your coming for ladies football, soccer, basically we just have a match for a laugh so its very good fun if you need a study break
Hope all of you are getting excited 🙂 eventhough it is 7months away
 
Yes, all true but Kempson was my absolute FAVORITE. She is lovely. Got a Christmas card from her all the way here in the US 🙂

Oh, get a Capital One credit card in the US before you go. It's one of the only cc's that does not charge any international fees for transactions abroad!
 
Thank you so much for all of the info. I'm so excited I can hardly sit still! (*insert frolicking...) Does anyone have any info regarding cost of living off-campusin Edinburgh? Or a link to a website like craigslist? I'd want to bring my pups over so off-campus is a must.
I'm trying to figure out how much money I'm going to need for housing, and such. I've been accepted to RVC but I want to go to Edinburgh. The tuition is 10,000+ more each year than RVC so I'm trying to find a way to justify the costs. I know London is ridiculously expensive but I'm not sure if living in Edinburgh is significantly cheaper; if it is cheap enough to make up for the higher cost of tuition at Edinburgh, I'm golden. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
 
http://www.gumtree.com/edinburgh
I think this is the one I saw people list previously!

I got accepted to the five-year and I am a little bit nervous about the cost of the extra year and being with mostly with younger people (recent high school graduates)! I don't want to feel old, I am only 22! haha....but the main worry is obviously the cost of tuition/living and looking at loan information makes my head fuzzy and makes me fall asleep in terror.

I am going to visiting in late march/early april to get a feel for the city/vet school to make sure it is the right place for me and I hope that this visit along with the reception in SF will appease my worries.....any suggestions for what to see/do while I visit? Are there any tours of the vet school or students that are willing to show people around?
 
Thanks! If you contact Victoria and tell her you are coming, she said she would set up a one on one tour with a professor. Top notch if you ask me. 🙂
 
If you are going to visit in April, that is when our Easter Break occurs and most students will be doing their EMS work. I am only off during the first week break March 26th-April1st and then I am doing EMS work. There are staff that will more than willing to give you a tour of the school. In terms of what to do: see the castle, travel along Princes Street, visit the zoo, go on the highland tour, visit another city in UK if you want (I enjoyed St. Andrew's), try some of the local cuisine (Haggis), and that is only what I know. There others on this site and the school that can also tell you a lot about places to go and see while you are here to visit.
 
Thanks guys! I've been thinking of switching my banking company, so I will get a capital one card. I'll also email Victoria! Ahh I am so excited! 👍
 
Just get a capital one card, I don't think you have to worry about switching banks unless your bank has been giving you hell :laugh: . Banks out here to choose from are Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC, Clydesdale, and the one I use, Santander (which owns Sovereign in the States). It is not too much of a hassle to get a bank account set up in Scotland, at least not as bad as getting my VISA issued (pain in the arse). I am happy with Santander and other students are happy with the banks they use, so ask around which gives the best incentives.
 
DickVetMan said:
Just get a capital one card, I don't think you have to worry about switching banks unless your bank has been giving you hell :laugh: . Banks out here to choose from are Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC, Clydesdale, and the one I use, Santander (which owns Sovereign in the States). It is not too much of a hassle to get a bank account set up in Scotland, at least not as bad as getting my VISA issued (pain in the arse). I am happy with Santander and other students are happy with the banks they use, so ask around which gives the best incentives.
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**Sorry intruding on the Edinburgh thread 😛 , but I would not go with RBS. They are going to start charging you at ATMs when you withdraw money unless it is at one of their own, or Tesco. All the others allow you to withdraw from any ATM at any time, no charge. Personal favourite is Lloyds!!
 
DickVetMan said:
Just get a capital one card, I don't think you have to worry about switching banks unless your bank has been giving you hell :laugh: . Banks out here to choose from are Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC, Clydesdale, and the one I use, Santander (which owns Sovereign in the States). It is not too much of a hassle to get a bank account set up in Scotland, at least not as bad as getting my VISA issued (pain in the arse). I am happy with Santander and other students are happy with the banks they use, so ask around which gives the best incentives.
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I was just looking through all of the Capital One cards. Which type do you recommend? There are so many different kinds! AHHH!!
 
I would go with the VISA signature Captial One Venture Card. It is the one I use and their have been no problems so far from what I have been using it. Also, I had no idea Bank of Scotland is going to charge extra fees to use ATM's from other bank ATM cash machines, go figure 🙁 . Oh well, quite a few of my classmates use Lloyd's Bank and some use Santander so I would suppose go with one of those two.
 
bigkittinteef said:
Thank you so much for all of the info. I'm so excited I can hardly sit still! (*insert frolicking...) Does anyone have any info regarding cost of living off-campusin Edinburgh? Or a link to a website like craigslist? I'd want to bring my pups over so off-campus is a must.
I'm trying to figure out how much money I'm going to need for housing, and such. I've been accepted to RVC but I want to go to Edinburgh. The tuition is 10,000+ more each year than RVC so I'm trying to find a way to justify the costs. I know London is ridiculously expensive but I'm not sure if living in Edinburgh is significantly cheaper; if it is cheap enough to make up for the higher cost of tuition at Edinburgh, I'm golden. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
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London is pretty expensive compared to Edinburgh, IMO. It depends on where you want to live in Edinburgh (out near school, or in the city) and if you plan on roomies. I have friends out near Easter Bush (loan head, penicuik, roslin) who have 2-3BR flats/cottages for 500-800 GBP/month. These typically have a really nice yard (garden) and plenty of green space around to hike with your pooch. I think with a roomie, you could easily get a place for around 300-450 GBP/month. If you live in the city, you will need to factor in cost of transportation everyday, if you are going to take the bus. There are a ton of places to live in the city and something for everyone.

I'm sure you can gather up some RVC students to give you the low down on cost of living. Two totally different experiences too, especially now that Edin vet school is out at Easter Bush. London is massive in size compared to Edin.
 
shortnsweet said:
**Sorry intruding on the Edinburgh thread 😛 , but I would not go with RBS. They are going to start charging you at ATMs when you withdraw money unless it is at one of their own, or Tesco. All the others allow you to withdraw from any ATM at any time, no charge. Personal favourite is Lloyds!!
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Lloyds for sure! I got a bank account in an hour and it took some weeeeeks to get an account with RBS. Plus, no charge on the account per month at Lloyds.
 
Santander took me an hour as well and only need 50 pound deposit into the account to get everything set up. The only drawback, I had to pay 5 pounds per month for the first six months and then it was free. What I am waiting for is free money exchange from my US account when Sovereign (US and Santander owned) will allow to do these exchanges which I hope sometime this year :xf:, which would be quite convenient and would not take as long either to get money into my UK account. We should move on from bank accounts to.....actually......I have no idea what else to talk about for what to do in UK, specifically Edinburgh in what to do to prepare for vet school life here? I will let the newbies ask further questions!
 
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Hey guys

So I've been lucky when it comes to paying for my education. I went to a community college before I went to a 4 year University and obviously didn't have any debt. And luckily I had a really amazing public university only 20-50 (depending on traffic 🙄 ) near my house that I got into. My parents agreed to pay for that portion of my education, so I don't have any experience with taking out loans! This is great, but now that I am navigating the treacherous waters of financing my education I think I am confused....

So for Edinburgh, I've gathered that they only sign off for direct loans (from US gov). And from the options listed (I put the link at the bottom of this comment) the Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) seems like the way to go. In this loan you pay for a maximum of 25 years at 20% of your income during that time period and after that it is forgiven. This seems like a reasonable loan to me, but at 6.28% interest, I'd still be paying back around 400K, which is a huge amount of interest! So my question to those at Edinburgh: what loans did you guys take out and from where? Is there a possibility to shop around and are there other options? ---and for anyone that has the ICR plan, is there the option of paying off more than 20%?

And....my bigger and probably extremely naive question: If you're paying 20% of your income for 25 years and you stick to that plan, what difference really does the amount you take out in your loan really make after about 200K? You're still going to be paying the same amount of your income for those 25 years, unless there is the option to pay OVER the 20% of your income during that time to pay the loan off faster.

Ah the complexity of loans....👎




http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/OtherFormsOfRepay.jsp
 
To be honest with you Howister, I did not get into great details about the loans because either way, I am going to pay back the my over 200K debt for God knows how many years, probably until the day I die I what I am looking at. I took the maximum Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford loans (7,500 Sub and 12,500 Unsub which has a 3.1% interest rate at the moment) and interest rates vary year to year. The Grad plus is the killer! That has an 8.5% interest rate (that is set) and you can take out an additional 44,000 dollars from there is you choose to take that much out. You are allowed I believe 64,000 dollars a year at the max in terms of loans from the US loan scheme. The ICR I thought about, but I was bit skeptical on deciding on that. I figure it will take me anywhere from 20-30 years to pay back my loans over time so, I thought screw it all! Take what you feel is necessary to cover tuition, rent, utilities, mobile phone, food, and etc. I am sure there are others who may have better knowledge of loan schemes, but I just took out loans to cover what I felt is necessary and TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF DEBT I WILL BE UNTIL I AM DONE WITH VET SCHOOL!!:laugh: :scared:😕 It is a pain to think about finances and loans, but just get a gauge on what is best for you, its your future after all! Wait to hear back from others on what they did as well.
 
I feel queasy thinking about it all. I should hire a financial adviser before I yak all over my keyboard. 🙁
 
I have a couple of questions. Are there any computers/products we should buy specifically for Edinburgh? Is there anything required for school? I know my friend's school required a specific computer and for him to buy a lot of expensive equipment (urgh...WesternU of course). I just want to know if there's anything like that at Edinburgh?
I've also heard that kindles (or other tablets) are really nice as a replacement to traditional vet school textbooks; they are lightweight compared to textbooks and supposedly carry a lot of the required texts (sometimes at a cheaper rate), is this true? If it is cheaper (or at least similar in price to a used book) and if the books required are actually offered, it would seem worthwhile. Has anyone found this to be a worthwhile investment?
 
In terms of buying books, that is your call. The notes are sufficient enough to get you through AB1-AB4 and that is really all you will need. Now there are definitively books out there worth while to get to supplement your notes: Dyce Sacks and Wensing Anatomy books, Wheaten (I think that is it) Histology, Guyton Physiology textbook or pocket guide version to name a few. The tablet you speak of (Ipad or Android) is certainly EASIER and there are electronic versions of these books to buy at a cheaper rate so that is certainly advised! My parents got me an android, but I am not going to be able to get it until I go back home this summer:laugh:. You really do not need to be technology savvy when coming here, a basic laptop with flash drive is all you will need if where taking about the bare minimum. Just be up to date with your adobe and real player downloads and you are fine. Oh and the financial aspects and loans.......you can look and plan all you want, still a lot of dough to take out and pay back in the end, just plan for what you will need! Once that is done, put it on the back burner and try not to think about it😉.
 
FYI, for those of you who haven't heard.. there are no more subsidized loans for grad students in the US. Therefore, all of your loans will be unsubsidized. A huge hit for medical students, imo.
 
Howister said:
http://www.gumtree.com/edinburgh
I think this is the one I saw people list previously!

I got accepted to the five-year and I am a little bit nervous about the cost of the extra year and being with mostly with younger people (recent high school graduates)! I don't want to feel old, I am only 22! haha....but the main worry is obviously the cost of tuition/living and looking at loan information makes my head fuzzy and makes me fall asleep in terror.

I am going to visiting in late march/early april to get a feel for the city/vet school to make sure it is the right place for me and I hope that this visit along with the reception in SF will appease my worries.....any suggestions for what to see/do while I visit? Are there any tours of the vet school or students that are willing to show people around?
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No need to worry about that, I got accepted to the 5 year programme and am 25 years old right now. You definitely won't be feeling too old. Looking forward to seeing you in person! Some how I have a feeling I'll be making friends with class mates closer to my age..lol
 
DickVetMan said:
What else can I add to help these newcomers out? I really I am not trying to come out patronizing, this is what I kind of got from some GEP's and first year's.:
1.) Don't ever be late to Dr. Kempson's or Argyle's lectures, fair warning!! Obviously you should never be late to lectures, but you might as well not bother showing up to class if you are late for their lectures.
2.) Pack your own lunches to school, the View cafeteria is expensive, even with incentives
3.) For GEP's, take the offer to stay at Pollock Halls for the five weeks, really makes a world of difference as you will meet many of your classmates their before classes begin and will make strong friendships and future roomies there. I should warn other people stay there as well for the Fringe Festival (also great to check out and explore) and you may hear some uncomfortable moaning, screaming, and bed squeaking above your room if you happen to have sex starved couples 😕.
4.) Go visit the city and the rest of the UK by train, you will have several opportunities to do so with careful planning, even though I never got to do so except to St. Andrew's for lambing.
5.) Do what you are told and try not to anger the manager or owner of the farm/facility during EMS placement, some farmers hate being corrected when they have been doing a system or method for years even if it maybe wrong based on Animal Husbandry lectures.
6.) I would try to go to Fresher's week if you can to meet with 1st years there, sorry to GEP's but you don't technically have a fresher's week per say, and it falls on Revision Week for your upcoming AB1 exam🙄. Good way to meet more people outside your own class, have an epic time drinking, and joining clubs.
7.) Listen to your elders!! The students ahead of you are full of knowledge and are willing to lend an ear and tell you what to do and what not to do for your courses, we shall never steer you wrong, because we are in a professional course😉. Do not be afraid to ask us for help and also talk to your Director of Studies as well if you need help in anyway, they will try to do the best they can to make sure you succeed in the program, although I never asked my DoS for help and I actually just go to my DoS for light conversations.
8.) Laptop or Tablet: I guess that really depends on what you prefer and how you go about studying. I have seen classmates with tablets and Ipads in class and it seems to work fine for them as others use laptops to type in notes during lectures.
9.) How do I study for vet school? Again, people do what is best for them. Flashcards seem help really well and are a quick way to study through the notes. Some people rewrite the notes/lectures after class in their own words which helps reinforce the material. I am a bit more lazy as I just tend to re-read the notes over and over until I have them memorized in my head that it becomes photographic or idedic (I did do flashcards for pharmacology this past semester so I can't say I was completely lazy). Some people make charts to compare and contrast different material from different lectures in how it all fits together. Just need to work out what best suits your study style, there really is no wrong way to study unless you just don't study at all and don't slack off!!
10.) Use the virtual vet on EEVEC which is a great complement to your studies as it will help you through many of your pre-clinical and clinical components of your studies!
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SUPER helpful! Thanks! How many 5 year programme students live in the dorm the first year? I'd rather not if I could find great roommate/s to share a flat with, but I can see your point that it is a great way to meet new friends.
Also, does anyone just use plain and traditional pen and paper, or are most students using gadgets during lectures?
 
yann said:
No need to worry about that, I got accepted to the 5 year programme and am 25 years old right now. You definitely won't be feeling too old. Looking forward to seeing you in person! Some how I have a feeling I'll be making friends with class mates closer to my age..lol
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I'll be 23!!! The more of us "old fogeys" the better! 😉
I will probably live in the dorms for the first 5 weeks but move out after that. I really hope to meet some nice people in that time, to move out with. :xf:
I hear that the 4 year program students will be there about 4-5 weeks earlier and have the advantage of time on our side for swinging something like this. Just throwing this out there, I would like to find a place with other students if anyone is interested in trying something like that. No rush though. We've got time! I can't wait to meet all of you in person! 🙂
 
yann said:
No need to worry about that, I got accepted to the 5 year programme and am 25 years old right now. You definitely won't be feeling too old. Looking forward to seeing you in person! Some how I have a feeling I'll be making friends with class mates closer to my age..lol
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Hi!!

Congratulations on getting accepted! 🙂

I am 24y old and I got accepted on the 4year program! Will any of you be attending the Open Day on the 25th of January?

I am still trying to figure out what loans I will take from the US or UK to cover the tuition costs etc. I read the threads that were talking about this matter, but everything seems very confusing at the moment! Has anyone concluded on how to cover the tuition fees?

Hopefully, I will have an idea on the 25th when I visit the university (??).
 
yann said:
No need to worry about that, I got accepted to the 5 year programme and am 25 years old right now. You definitely won't be feeling too old. Looking forward to seeing you in person! Some how I have a feeling I'll be making friends with class mates closer to my age..lol
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I will be 22 when I matriculate if I end up at Edinburgh!
 
So everyone is wondering about staying in the Pollock Halls or Sciennes (which runs along the bus 67 route to get you to Easter Bush). There are people who stay at Sciennes Dorms in their first year as it is the most convenient of the dorms in your first year if you cannot find a private flat before you come over here. Sciennes is situated very close to the Meadows (a huge park) and plenty of shops, cafe's, and a very popular pub (Drouthy Neebors) which I am sure many of you will spend time each weekend to relieve stress. Also, Sciennes is right near many bus routes that can easily get you to the city centre and to be honest, you can walk to the city centre in about 15-20 minutes max. What I have seen is people stay at Pollock for about six months to one year and then find a flat with a letting agency or contacting a private landlord. A majority of students live in the main city centre of Edinburgh anyway (Newington, Morningside, Brunstfield) or you could go out to Loanhead (closer to Easter Bush, but just not much activity going on but the 37 bus route run there and can get you to the city centre). If you can find a flat close enough to the 67, 47, or 15A then you will be fine because those take you to Easter Bush. To those who think your too old, I am 25 and that is nothing. I have classmates in their 30's and 40's and they are doing pretty well in their studies and I really like them. They are great people and hell, they still act like their in their 20's at times (I really like them:laugh:). You will be going to class with students who are only 18 years old in the five year programme because this is a bachelor's degree in the UK and so kids come right of high school from the UK to enter the programme (and yes some of them can be still a bit immature😉.
 
I have a -maybe- silly question (again!!!).

Does anyone know if they allow cats in dorms? I will probably find a flat after the first few weeks or after the first year, though.

My cat is blind and even though my family will be taking care of her, I am seriously thinking that maybe I should have her with me. She is 13 years old and we have never been separated... so this is going to be hard for both of us. :/
 
I don't think university dorms allow any cats or dogs. In terms of flats, that is determined by the letting agency or private landlord if pets are allowed, so you just got to be persistent and find a flat that allows pets.
 
DickVetMan said:
I don't think university dorms allow any cats or dogs. In terms of flats, that is determined by the letting agency or private landlord if pets are allowed, so you just got to be persistent and find a flat that allows pets.
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Ah, dorms are out of the question for me then, since I have a year old cat and will need her for comfort and stress relief (ie attacking her fluffy belly in the middle of the night while she's asleep or relaxing).
 
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bigkittinteef said:
I'll be 23!!! The more of us "old fogeys" the better! 😉
I will probably live in the dorms for the first 5 weeks but move out after that. I really hope to meet some nice people in that time, to move out with. :xf:
I hear that the 4 year program students will be there about 4-5 weeks earlier and have the advantage of time on our side for swinging something like this. Just throwing this out there, I would like to find a place with other students if anyone is interested in trying something like that. No rush though. We've got time! I can't wait to meet all of you in person! 🙂
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I'll probably end up looking for a flat from the very beginning, so hope to meet you in person and maybe we'll end up sharing a flat then! 🙂

I'm typing this in front of my bf (we're gonna do long distance) so I'm pretending to look solemn, but I can barely contain my excitement of the whole idea that I'll be a vet student from this Fall... Can't wait to be in Edinburgh!
 
yann said:
Ah, dorms are out of the question for me then, since I have a year old cat and will need her for comfort and stress relief (ie attacking her fluffy belly in the middle of the night while she's asleep or relaxing).
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Lol. I would bring my cat but my little sister would throttle me because he is "her baby too". I've had him since 3rd grade (such a sweet stray). He's about 16 or 17 and now and he gets subQ fluids nightly so I guess it's for the best that he stays. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up with some new critters! Dear god I want a corgi.... Or a newfie. 🙂
I can't imagine being in vet school and not being surrounded by animals as I always have been so dorms don't sound like a viable option to me either.
 
yann said:
I'll probably end up looking for a flat from the very beginning, so hope to meet you in person and maybe we'll end up sharing a flat then! 🙂

I'm typing this in front of my bf (we're gonna do long distance) so I'm pretending to look solemn, but I can barely contain my excitement of the whole idea that I'll be a vet student from this Fall... Can't wait to be in Edinburgh!
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Lol. Ah the obligatory solemn face. Well I look forward to meeting you. We can practice our stoically solemn faces at the reception perhaps? I'm crazy excited!!!
 
on the pet side of things.... many have written extensively about the process (including myself), but it is a bona-fide hassle (and very expensive) to get animals over there and stressful for all. If your pet (especially older ones) have a nice home to stay at while you are away, I would SERIOUSLY consider it. Besides the cost and gazillion hoops you have to jump through to get a pet to the UK, it will become an issue when you want to travel/do EMS. If you plan on going home for breaks, you will need to find someone to watch them. You will be gone on EMS quite a bit as well.

Some of my former classmates have adopted cats from over there and that seems to have worked very well. It's much, much, much easier getting them back to the US.

You need to allow probably 8 months for the process. Remember, you need 6 months AFTER the rabies titer until they are eligible for entry.
 
flyhi said:
on the pet side of things.... many have written extensively about the process (including myself), but it is a bona-fide hassle (and very expensive) to get animals over there and stressful for all. If your pet (especially older ones) have a nice home to stay at while you are away, I would SERIOUSLY consider it. Besides the cost and gazillion hoops you have to jump through to get a pet to the UK, it will become an issue when you want to travel/do EMS. If you plan on going home for breaks, you will need to find someone to watch them. You will be gone on EMS quite a bit as well.

Some of my former classmates have adopted cats from over there and that seems to have worked very well. It's much, much, much easier getting them back to the US.

You need to allow probably 8 months for the process. Remember, you need 6 months AFTER the rabies titer until they are eligible for entry.
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I have to do my research on this a bit more, but I believe the regulations for bringing pets to the UK has softened down to the rest of the EU standard, so it's not as strict as it was until last year. At least, that's my understanding. I'm very unaware of the cost though, I was assuming cost would simply be the vaccines, the PE, and the flight fee which my assumption was that it would cost much less than people.

Will be microchipping and vaccinating my cat tomorrow. My issue is I want to go back home to Japan first before the big move to Scotland. Am considering leaving my cat with my mom until next year...bringing in a pet to two different countries within a couple months seems a bit too harsh for my cat, and the specific regulations may deny my cat entry.
 
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