I do have one major question, what is the major differences between the 4 year graduate program and the five year undergrad program at Edinburgh. I got accepted to the five year undergrad program, so I have no idea if I have to repeat certain courses that I already did at my college? I know someone posted about their first year really being mostly review of material already known before getting into the real nitty gritty.
Congrats on getting into the four year programme! It's really hard, but loads of fun. And you save yourself a year.
As to your question, the main difference between GEP and the 5 yr is that GEP combines years one and two. So your second year of the programme is technically year 3 (and you'll join the students that were in 2nd year the year you began). So make nice with the second years as much as possible cuz you'll be one of them soon enough.
5 year programme
yr 1: Professional studies 1 (personal, interpersonal, and communication skills, ethics and the vet in society, clinical skills)
Body systems 1 (from cell to body structure, pathobiology, systems biology and pathobiology, integration of structure and function)
Animal Health, Welfare and Safety [aka Animal Husbandry] (VPH, animal behaviour and welfare, cattle, poultry, sheep, pigs, animal breeding, cats and dogs, horses)
yr 2: Professional Studies 2 (same as above)
Body systems 2 (nervous system, metabolism, digestion, reproduction, large animal surface and topographical anatomy [aka LASTA])
Infection and Immunity [aka I&I] (immunology, inflammation, parasitology, bacteriology, virology)
VPH 2 (epidemiology)
Animal Husbandry 2 (Horses, Nutrition, Dogs and Cats)
Large Animal Practical Clinical course
and then you enter year 3
GEP (4 year programme)
The Animal Body (anatomy, cell bio, urinary system, endocrine system, cardiorespiratory system, digestive system, repro, nervous, LASTA)
Introductory Pathology And Infectious Disease (same as I&I)
Animal Husbandry (Cattle, Breeding and Genetics, other farmed animals, sheep, poultry, pigs, small animals, animal behavour & welfare, horses, nutrition, dogs and cats)
Population Medicine and VPH (VPH, epidemiology, statistics)
Professional Studies (same as yr 1 and 2)
then you enter year 3 with the second years
A HUGE difference is that you are taught all of the yr1 and 2 stuff, but you are not taught all of the GEP stuff. We had to review cell bio, small animals, animal behaviour & welfare, and statistics on our own time. You need to be highly motivated to study in order to do well in GEP. Hopefully they'll change the programme timeline next year so that they teach you more of the subjects, and set it up in blocks so you aren't getting 6 subjects at a time.
Also, you have to do 12 weeks of EMS in one year instead of 2 years (but you get exemption for previous work and can do EMS the summer before beginning school).
