RVC C/O 2018 Applicants!

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I made my decision yesterday to go to RVC this fall!! :claps:Anybody from the US who goes/went to RVC have any advice!? I'm incredibly excited about the school and the program but a little terrified of up and moving to Europe!
 
sarah21090 said:
I made my decision yesterday to go to RVC this fall!! :claps:Anybody from the US who goes/went to RVC have any advice!? I'm incredibly excited about the school and the program but a little terrified of up and moving to Europe!
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First off, congratulations!! That's awesome! I made my decision around this time 4 years ago (holy shizz....) and felt the same.

My advice is to live on campus the first year. If you can swing it, do College Grove. It's right next to college so getting to class on time is easy, and it makes going out into central London a lot easier (3 different tube stations nearby; Mornington Crescent, Kings Cross, and Camden). Try not to buy clothes here. It's expensive. Do as much traveling as you can fit in while you can. Once you get into later years it's not as easy to get away. Embrace Fresher's week. Make sure to get to Beerdrinking (the last event of that week). Expect to re-learn how to study; I can't explain it, but things are different in the UK school system. I had a hard time with my first formative exam and it was a wake-up call.

And lastly, don't panic. You're gonna love it!
 
Thanks so much! I was definitely thinking I want to do College Grove so that's good to know! You've made me even more excited! 🤣
 
Has anyone who attended Taster Day gotten their packets yet? I don't remember when they said that they were going to send them out... I'm being super paranoid that mine got lost in the mail somehow. 😱
 
I haven't gotten mine earlier and I thought we would be getting an email as well as a snail mail packet.
 
Right! I forgot about the email. Well, that makes me feel a lot better.
 
I haven't gotten mine either, phew! was getting nervous
 
Has anyone ever done a skype interview for the RVC? I was supposed to go do an mmi interview in London this week, but they canceled it and offered to interview me via skype instead. Kind of nervous because I don't know what to expect, and I've never done a skype interview before.
 
has anyone who interviewed for the five year program on jan 16th heard anything back yet? i thought we were supposed to have heard already but I don't remember..
 
I haven't... They said at Taster Day that they would be sending them out late February/early March, so it should be any day now... maybe?
 
I got my letter Thursday of last week. It was dated the 26th of February so it should be coming anytime now 🙂
 
Did you interview or were you already accepted? I interviewed and haven't heard anything back since so I'm getting a little antsy.
 
lotl101 said:
Did you interview or were you already accepted? I interviewed and haven't heard anything back since so I'm getting a little antsy.
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I only just interviewed last Friday, they've finally finished all of their interview dates so decisions should hopefully be out soon. They told me I'd hear by the end of the month..
 
Cyndia said:
I only just interviewed last Friday, they've finally finished all of their interview dates so decisions should hopefully be out soon. They told me I'd hear by the end of the month..
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Oh thanks so much for the update. I feel so much better knowing there's a reason I haven't heard. My brain was filling in "she's so bad we can't figure out how to say it" haha
 
Sorry for the double post, but I got my acceptance letter this afternoon. Snail mail, was so excited I have no idea when it was postmarked.
 
It was postmarked March 11th, and I received it the 18th, a week later. Good luck everyone!
 
Oh god, I am freaking out right now. My old flatmate in London messaged me saying she got a letter from the RVC for me! She's out of the house right now, so I'm waiting for her to get home in about an hour and open it for me.. Ahhh!
 
Hi I'm attending this fall and looking to live off campus with my dog. I would like to live with another vet student and was hoping to find a flatmate. It would be great if you had a dog/pet so our pets would have a friend.
 
I'm not sure just yet if I'll be going to RVC, though I'm strongly leaning towards it, and was wondering if any current students could help me out by giving me their view on the school? I'm from down state NY, nearish but not in NYC with a BA and an IB diplomate so I did have a smidge of experience with international education systems. The only time I've been to Europe was a 2.5 week study abroad to Ireland, which while I enjoyed I understand is a different culture than I'd experience in either London or Hertfordshire. Thanks!
 
Did you have any specific questions about RVC or the UK school system?
The education system in general is quite different than the US. At RVC there is only 1 exam per year, so very different than some US schools which test often. There's a lot of self learning as well. And because the class is so big (hopefully that'll change in future years) you have to make a real effort to get to know professors. That being said, the professors are amazing and really nice. Most are very approachable, love their jobs, and love teaching (and they're good at it). The hospital is big and very busy as well.
RVC is a fine choice if you're outgoing and able to take initiative. If you're going into small animal or equine its good, but the farm animal clinical teaching leaves a lot to be desired.
 
When you say there's one exam per year, does that mean your grade in the class is entirely down to one assessment? thats kind of terrifying! what if you're just having a bad day? and I have ADD, so do you know anything about accomadations? I'm looking to be small/exotic mixed 🙂
 
Yup, everything comes down to 1 exam. They do accommodate all sorts of learning disabilities (ADD, dyslexia, etc). They have separate exam rooms with fewer people, they give extra time, and sometimes use of a computer instead of hand-writing essays. If you fail (which most people don't) there's an exam re-sit usually a couple months later, and most people who fail the first time pass this.

There are several practices in the area which have a high exotics caseload, so you can definitely get that experience on externships. But honestly they're covered very little in the curriculum and are relatively uncommon in the SA hospital.
 
Glad to hear about accommodations, thanks! As far as grades go, I think I remember something about weekly quizzes from taster day if Im not mistaken. How does that fit in with the whole one test thing? Are the exams practical, multiple choice, essay, mix or other? What other things can you tell me about how classes are graded? When you say exotics are covered only a little in the curriculum, is it enough to pass the licensing exam? And how does that work? I know I'd be accredited in the states, but it wouldn't be the NAVLE I'd take?
 
In the first year (or 2 on the 5-yr course) you'll have 2 other exams, 1 at Christmas and around Easter before the final. But they count for so little you can easily fail both and still rock the final and do well in the year (and vice versa). In year 2 of the 5-yr there is a written paper (and possibly the first year as well) which counts for something (not sure how much). And then in the clinical years there is a research project/paper which also factors into your final grade. Definitely don't have any sort of quizzes. There are multiple choice questions online for each module (course) but they're just practice questions for yourself. For every year of the the exam format is a bit different. It consists of any combination of written, oral, multiple choice and practical skills.
The course is divided up into "modules" or classes but they're not tested individually. Its really a complete crap shoot as to what comes up on the exam. Thus, we just have 1 grade at the end of the year and the UK grading scale is different than the US scale. People from RVC do get internships, jobs, etc in the states....so for some reason not being able to interpret our grades isn't too important.

I would guess that if you only covered the exotics material in our course you wouldn't be OK for the NAVLE. However, RVC pays for Vetprep software which shows you for the types of questions and covers the US-specific topics, like rabies, enough to prepare you. Everyone I know who took the NAVLE this Nov-Dec passed. Yes, you take the NAVLE to be licensed in the states. Its offered in London. You can also work your rotations schedule (like I'm doing) around the test date and be in the states for it, the school is very good at accommodating scheduling requests.
 
Would I be taking the NAVLE and whatever test British people normally take, or does the NAVLE replace that? How does that all work?
 
There actually isn't a British equivalent to the NAVLE. We have final exams here that when you pass you get your degree and you're qualified in UK/EU. The NAVLE is a separate exam you can choose to take and it only covers licensing in the US and Canada. From my understanding (and I've only heard this from a former Cornell student) is that the US schools don't have final exams. They have to complete their rotations requirements and pass the NAVLE.

I hope that's clear. With so many different rules it can all be a bit confusing!
 
Oh ok, that makes sense! It's a bit difficult trying to wrap my head around everything that's different. I'm pretty sure I'm going with RVC, but I want to be sure I know what I'm going to be getting into, y'know?
 
Hi everyone!
So I'm a little late to this post, but I've been accepted and will be attending RVC this fall too! Ahh I can't even believe it!! Can't wait to get to meet you all!! 😀
 
Accepted my seat and trying to figure out the financials! So excited! Anyone have any advice for the move or getting adjusted to London?
 
I'm paying my deposit as soon as my credit card payment clears! AAAAH I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! 😀
 
Hey guys! So a good friend of mine who is going to be attending next year set up a facebook group for the 4 year course. He asked me to share it with anyone who's planning to attend, so if you send me a quick PM I'll link you to it 🙂
 
hey guys! I'm attending the RVC next year as well! Has anyone figured out living situations yet?
 
burnt_toast_91 said:
hey guys! I'm attending the RVC next year as well! Has anyone figured out living situations yet?
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Congrats!!!
I know I'd like to live in the Mary Branker house, but I haven't actually heard anything about living arrangements. Has anyone else?
 
No idea yet, other than I NEED a kitchen so I"ll be living in whatever dorm lets me have one
 
lotl101 said:
No idea yet, other than I NEED a kitchen so I"ll be living in whatever dorm lets me have one
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Both college grove and mary brancker have decent kitchens in them. I lived in college grove last year, it was insanely convenient since it's literally next door to the main building. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the only common area was the kitchen (it was quite large though and had a big table for us to sit at), whereas the flats I saw in mary brancker all had a little lounge sort of area by the kitchen (though the kitchen was slightly smaller), so it was easier to be social.
 
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