RVC in London vs RDSVM in Edinburgh???

[WildZooVet]

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Heya,

Does anyone have any infomation about the differences, pros/cons, reputations ect for either the RVC in London or the RDSVM in Edinburgh?

 

[hopefulvet21]

I just went to the reception for Edinburgh today. I have visited both schools. One of the presenters today mentioned that Edinburgh, RVC, and Glasgow are all pretty much on the same level. They all offer a great quality education, all have connections, great research, excellent student support, excellent facilities, and wonderful cultural experiences. In my opinion, if you are deciding between the UK schools, I think you should try to visit them and make your choice based on which city you like best and which works best for you financially. By your user name, I'm assuming you are interested in wildlife and exotics. I don't know about Glasgow, but Edinburgh has great opportunites for that and works closely with the Edinburgh zoo, and RVC works very closely with the London Zoo in Regents Park. I think both schools will give you the same opportunities for that. As far as reputation, I would say they are both held equally in very high regard on an international scale. These are just things I've learned through friends at RDSVS and through touring the schools myself, but maybe someone who goes to one of them can give you more details.

 

[jellyfishing]

i think RVC has a larger class than most vet schools ~200+ students

the great hall can hardly fit everyone in lol

 

[annaig]

Heya,

Does anyone have any infomation about the differences, pros/cons, reputations ect for either the RVC in London or the RDSVM in Edinburgh?

The cost of living in London is much higher than in Edinburgh.

Pros for UoE

• Dick Vet is in the process of building a brand new vet school out at Easter Bush (slated for completion in 2010) that is going to be AWESOME!
• Fun city with lots of (free) museums, churches, events, Fringe Festival in August
• The school is in a safe area of the city (I'm not scared of walking home in the wee hours of the morning)
• There is a mini mountain, Arthur's Seat, withing walking distance of the school
• We own a herd of ponies for our riding pleasure
• School gym membership is cheap, and there is a little gym at Easter Bush that I think is free
• Long summer nights
• Good bus system
• Great vet student community
• Sweet summer trips (last year to China for an accupuncture course, this year to Japan)

Cons for UoE

• School (both Dick Vet and the uni) can be disorganised
• Not all classes are at Summerhall, so you spend a lot of time walking around the city to get to class (sometimes with very little time)
• Very short winter nights
• It get cold, and very wet
• Parking is tricky
• Very few resources for the vet students in the city (poor selection at the main bookstore, small store in summerhall)
• Some profs are horrible and shouldn't be allowed to make their own ppts (but most profs are pretty awesome)

However, the best way to decided is come visit both schools are get to know some of the students and profs. Good luck choosing!

 

[jakem333]

Hey, a few questions about UofE, regarding transportation once the vet school has been fully moved to Easter Bush.

1. What sort of bus line is there from the city centre to Easter Bush/vice versa, and how long does it take?

2. Do you think most students will live out near Easter Bush once the move is completed?

3. Finally, do most have a car, or is it unnecessary?

I'm curious about this mainly because i'm strongly considering UofE because I love the city so much, so i'd like to know how city life will change once the new vet school is built.

thanks alot

 

[annaig]

1. What sort of bus line is there from the city centre to Easter Bush/vice versa, and how long does it take?

There are currently four bus lines that go to or near Easter Bush, but only one goes from Summerhall to Easter Bush. It's about a 30 minute bus ride. Until the school moves out to Bush, the school provides a private bus for students (free the first year), and we are sent weekly timetables. You can only use that bus if you are scheduled to out ot to Bush of Langhill.

2. Do you think most students will live out near Easter Bush once the move is completed?
I have no idea. I think the school toyed with the idea of building dorms out there so it's easier for students to get to school. But, it's harder to live in that area without a car since things tend to be far away (stores, bars, etc.). I'm leaning to no since a lot of the upper class students live in the city even though they are always at Bush for class.

3. Finally, do most have a car, or is it unnecessary?
I think most people do not have a car. Between petrol prices, tax, insurance, and parking issues it's really not worth it. Most places are within walking distance, and there is a bus to get you to far places. Most of the people with cars are UK students. If you really need to drive, there is a company that lets you rent a car for the day.

 

[WildZooVet]

Thank you for the information. I really do hope that I get the chance to visit the schools.

 

[cwazy cat lady]

I would love to hear anything else that Edinburgh students would like to share. I'm still very indecisive about vet school, but U o E and Cornell would be my top choices, I think.

 

[annaig]

Every vet school has its good, bad, and ugly. Dick Vet also has an OMG HAWESOME! That's Dr Sue Kempson. Google her; pretty much any result that has to do with horses is her. Look her up on Facebook, she has her own appreciation group! The woman is near godly in her knowledge of anatomy, especially equine. Tough lady, but sooo smart and really funny. And her diagrams are legendary.

 

[wannabeavet]

annaig can you tell me about the grading system. i hear the uk system is quite different from the states. hows that work? and do you get class ranks?

 

[annaig]

annaig can you tell me about the grading system. i hear the uk system is quite different from the states. hows that work? and do you get class ranks?

I don't think we have class rank... but I still don't totally get the grading system. One of the profs talked to us yesterday about upcoming exams, and I think he gave a good explanation. Basically, they want to see that we understand the concepts enough to be safe at 3rd, 4th, 5th year and beyond. If they feel we are safe enough to be turned loose into the world, we pass. If we aren't, we fail. The system has arbitrarily placed pass at the 50% mark. He said even if pass was at the 5% mark, we would still need to have the same level of knowledge. It's just a number.
Now, there are different levels of pass. 50% is just pass, 60% is credit, and 70% and up is distinction. I guess it's like honour roll/dean's list type thing.
HOWEVER, there can be exceptions. For examply, the GEP students have two Animal Body written exams. We were allowed to "pass" the first one with 40% if we could make up the points through in-course assessments and the second exam. As long as all the points added up to 50% of total points available for the course, we are in the clear.
Also, we have a chance to redeem ourselves in the summer. We can resit exams that we fail (up to a certain point I think). I've even heard of some hardcore students resitting exams so they can get higher marks!
Scotland has its own schooling system that is a bit different from England and N. Ireland, so I'm not positive that the grading system is the same, but it's probably close enough. Maybe someone from RVC could pitch in with their grading system?

 

[wannabeavet]

Hey Annaig. You said you were in the 4 year GEP program. I was wondering if you could tell me about your class size and about how many of the class is from the US? Does the GEP program have more American students then the 5 year program since a Bachelor's degree is required for acceptance? Do you get along with your classmates? How did students from the UK perceive you as an American? Thanks for your advice 🙂

 

[annaig]

I was wondering if you could tell me about your class size and about how many of the class is from the US?

Officially the class started off as 50, but I think only 48 students actually came. About half are North American (3 or 4 Canadians) and the rest are from the UK and Ireland. Previous class sizes were 30 and 70, but I think the school is going to stick with 50.

Does the GEP program have more American students then the 5 year program since a Bachelor's degree is required for acceptance?

I am not really sure how to answer that. GEP students are combined with the 5 year programme; we get integrated with the current 2nd years to make a really big 3rd year class (GEP '08 + 2nd yr '08 = FYC '12). But I can only imagine that there are more Americans in GEP '08 than there are in the first and second year classes.

Do you get along with your classmates? How did students from the UK perceive you as an American? Thanks for your advice 🙂

Everyone gets along great. We all have seperated into our own little groups. We joke about the Irish kids ganging up (all in good fun though!). And some people get along better than others, but that's to be expected in large groups.
The UK students think we are weird sometimes, and we think they are weird sometimes. There was a lively discussion on spelling and pronunciation before our afternoon class today. Even the professors get in on it, and we usually have a good laugh over it. Of course, you do need to learn chips (big, yummy french fries) v crisps (potato chips in the states). And pants = underwear. In general, it's been great and I have never been discriminated against for being American. 🙂