An Unexpected Journey to Vet School in Bristol, England

By Natasha Martin, MSc, BSc (Honours)I had a very uncommon path to vet school that had many twists, turns, and forks in the road. Now being a final year vet student at Bristol Vet School in England, I hope my story and crazy journey can shed light on how your path to vet school doesn’t need to be straight and narrow, and how saying “yes” to scary opportunities can sometimes lead you to bigger possibilities than you ever imagined. ​

My Undergraduate JourneyMy name is Natasha, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a vet. Helping care for animals by advancing human and animal medicine. Being the only vet school in the country that I was eligible for, I went to the University of Guelph for my Bachelor of Science degree, declaring Zoology as my major. I was the first in my family to attend university, and I came from a small high school, so it was intimidating being a little fish in a big pond. During my undergrad, I met some amazing friends and partook in clubs like College Royal and the Indigenous Student Society. I applied to OVC during my final year of study and unfortunately didn’t get an interview, which was devastating. During that time, I had not thought about applying to any other vet schools because, being from Ontario, the only vet school I thought of as an option for me was OVC. I looked at what I could do following my undergraduate degree and found a Master’s program at OVC that seemed like the right fit for me.

After my Undergraduate Degree came…
After I graduated in 2018, I started the one-year Masters of Biomedical Sciences in Reproductive Biotechnologies program at OVC in September. This course provided specific training in reproductive biology including hands-on bovine in vitro embryo production with emphasis on both human and animal medicine. I absolutely loved this course and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in pursuing human medicine, research, animal medicine, nursing, or is interested in embryology. The personal hands-on training we had was invaluable and I really valued this experience. After this one-year Masters, I decided to apply again to OVC and was once again denied acceptance. Moving forward, I was loving the research aspect of learning and decided to switch into a Masters of Science and complete another year of research. 
As I mentioned above, I was the first in my family to attend university, so pursuing a Masters degree was uncharted waters. Luckily, with my amazing advisors and mentors, I navigated the murky waters of poster presentations, conferences, and papers all until the world decided to shut down because of COVID
COVID: a blessing or a curse?The COVID lockdown allowed me to take a step back from the research lab and really evaluate everything in my life and what I wanted my future to look like. I was applying a third time to OVC in 2020, but was also thinking about other options I had. I think not being able to travel or leave my house really made me think about going to an international vet school, and how big an adventure it would be. During the summer of 2020 I secured my first interview with OVC, which was so exciting! I really think the build-up and pressure of years of waiting for an interview really came to a head and I didn’t show my best self during the interview, as I was rejected a third time from OVC, which left me feeling defeated. 

The decision that changed it all.Isobel is one of my friends from high school, and we were roommates during our undergrad at Guelph. We lived on the top floor of Johnston Hall and had the best time ever there! In third year, she decided to do a semester abroad in England and loved it so much, she decided to move to finish her Zoology degree there. She, like me, wanted to go to vet school, and we had always dreamt about being classmates at OVC together. Isobel got accepted to Bristol Vet School in 2020 and was starting that September. It was accredited by the AVMA so it was possible to sit the NAVLE and practice in North America, and had a 4-year graduate program: my two big criteria when researching international vet schools. By some miracle Isobel checked the website after I got rejected from OVC and they still had some spots available for the program starting that fall! This was one of those moments when I thought: what do I have to lose by applying? And so, I applied, got an interview, and then recieved my official acceptance on August 18th, 2020, a month before classes were due to start! It was then a whirlwind of applying for visas, booking flights, finding places to quarantine when I arrived, booking COVID tests, all while writing and defending my thesis. Somehow, it all came together, and on September 21st, 2020, I left for England to finally start my dream of going to vet school.
Above: Isobel and I during our first year of university (2014) posing in front of the OVC thinking we were for sure going there “one day” …little did we know we were destined to study together in a completely different country!

Next stop…vet school!And that is how I ended up in Bristol, England! Looking back to when I began my university journey in 2014, I never thought I would have done a Masters degree, or be in another country going to vet school, but sometimes life has other plans for you. Vet school has had its moments of stress and disappointment, but those moments have been triumphed with a lot of fun and happy moments as well. Studying abroad has given me the opportunity to travel around Europe and the UK for different placements. I have also had some fun opportunities such as being a university ambassador and a sports club facilitator, as well as getting involved with the university running club!
During my time here I have met some fellow Canadians, one whom I was leading a parallel life with! Tori and I both grew up in the same hometown back in Canada, went to the same elementary school, and even both did our undergrad and Masters at Guelph. Funnily enough our paths never crossed until Bristol! It was so crazy to discover that we had such similar paths to vet school, and that maybe my path wasn’t as uncommon as I originally thought. 
Bristol as a vet school is unique as during your first two years, you do “cased-based learning.” This really intrigued me when investigating vet schools because I liked that I would be getting “real-world” scenarios of cases I may have seen once I began practicing. The location of the vet school was also perfect for me; it is situated in the countryside close to plenty of beautiful hiking trails, while only 30 minutes from the Bristol city center. The teaching staff are amazing as well and really prioritize getting to know you as an individual. If you’re interested in going abroad for vet school, I would highly recommend looking into Bristol and considering it as one of your options. 
If I could give any advice to my younger self, it would be to explore all your options and, if opportunities come by, take them! My path wasn’t the one I originally saw myself going down, but it has made me a stronger and more resilient individual. Getting into vet school isn’t easy, and it’s okay to sometimes change your path. Studying abroad has exposed me to opportunities I wouldn’t have experienced had I studied back home, and I know it will make me a more well-rounded person as well as a better veterinarian. 
I wish I read an article like this when I was in my undergrad, so hopefully this will help you future vets explore all your options and perhaps consider studying abroad. Good luck to all of you, you got this! 

Natasha Martin (Final year vet student at Bristol Veterinary School, England