Course details
At Homerton
We take up to five vets at Homerton each year and our pre-clinical DoS is Dr Liz Hook is responsible for vet students across the first two years with Dr Rachael McKinney looking after Extra-mural Studies and then taking over as our clinical DoS in year 4.
Homerton is increasingly a centre for bio-medical study, with our proximity to the Bio-Medical campus at Addenbrookes Hospital, and we have only recently started admitting students for Veterinary Medicine. Although we are not the nearest college to the Vet School (so bikes are recommended), we are delighted to see that our vets are forming part of a strong and enthusiastic group of Fellows, key researchers, postgrads and undergraduate students committed to the rigorous application of science to human and animal care. For most cohorts, we hope to be able to offer 6 years of accommodation.
All of your supervisors at Homerton are passionate about their subjects and extremely approachable and include many individuals who are experts in their field. We have a growing co-curricular delivery with sessions on ethics and professionalism shared with our medical colleagues and a plan to develop practical skills teaching in college.
The great thing about veterinary medicine at Cambridge is that the veterinary hospital is so close to the centre of town, so right from the start you get to see and handle animals. As well as that we can offer you really top class science here and the opportunity to be involved with cutting edge research as you study. The first two years teach you all the basic sciences to equip you for veterinary practice and your third year is spent on a specific area from pathology or pharmacology through to non-veterinary areas such as history and philosophy of science, should you be so inclined. At the vet school the great thing is that the year group is really small so you get lots of chances to be involved in clinical work, operating with our surgeons or with your hand up the back of a cow if farm work is your desire!
When assessing the paper file of applicants for Veterinary Medicine, we hope to see an engagement with the subject beyond the curriculum. Strong applicants are able to communicate the relevance of and learning from their wider experiences, in particular their veterinary experience. We look at the ESAT scores but this is not the only factor taken into consideration.
The two interviews will explore all aspects of the application from scientific ability to work experience and commitment to animal welfare. At interview, strong applicants are able to apply their existing knowledge in unfamiliar scenarios and integrate data to suggest and evidence hypotheses; they show a willingness to work outside their comfort zone of existing knowledge and an enjoyment of and engagement with the challenge that this presents. We are looking for a strong performance across all domains.
In order to explore Veterinary Medicine in more detail, we would recommend the introductory reading and resources for prospective applicants and offer holders available here and here. You can also explore your chosen subject through the Homerton Resources page.
The vast majority of successful applicants to Veterinary Medicine at Homerton have three of Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics.
Admission Assessment: All applicants for Veterinary Medicine must sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Assessment (ESAT) as part of the application to the University. Applicants must be pre-registered for this test.
Written Work: There is no requirement to submit written work for Veterinary Medicine.
For information about the Veterinary Medicine course, entry requirements and how to apply, please see the Veterinary Medicine course page on the University’s Undergraduate Study website.
