I attended Princethorpe from Year 7 through to Upper Sixth, leaving in 2023 after studying Biology, Chemistry and Psychology at A-level, with EPQ.

I have wanted to be a vet since I was young. I grew up in a rural area, helped during lambing season since I was seven, and have always worked with animals, with a passion for being their advocate. I loved the Immunity and Health topics in GCSE and A-level Biology, and had always been interested in medicine and biological systems, so Veterinary was the obvious choice for me!

My first term at Nottingham has been amazing. It is the best Vet school in the country in every respect. I chose Nottingham because of how practical the course is at Nottingham compared to other Vet schools, and the unique skillset Vet graduates from Nottingham get. We have had practical sessions since Day One, including equine handling, dog behaviour management, cranial nerve examinations and ultrasound scanning. There are at least two practical sessions a week focusing on the anatomy or clinical skills we learn that week, including dissections, clinical examinations and handling.

We started the year with the ‘Animal Health and Welfare’ module, which included how to safely handle different species, the husbandry requirements for each species, abattoir work, biosecurity regulations and what is ‘normal’ in a healthy animal. I particularly loved the handling sessions in this module as I got to interact with species not everyone would be able to in their lifetime, such as bearded dragons, chinchillas and tortoises. The abattoir visit was also incredibly interesting, as we learnt about the biosecurity and food standards that vets are involved with to assess meat entering the human food chain, as well as the ethics of the slaughter process.

The next module we moved onto was ‘NMSK’. This is the neuromuscular skeletal system. ‘NMSK’ is the anatomy-focused module, ranging from bones and joints to neuro, ophthalmology and the brain. I particularly enjoyed learning about the brain and cranial nerves, which I’ve been interested in since the biopsychology topic in A-level Psychology. The best part of this module was the dissection practical sessions. We dissected many limbs, brains, and most recently performed an enucleation - the removal of the whole eye from the eye socket. The dissections really help with visualising the 3D anatomy and the layers of muscles. Ophthalmology and neuro were the best part of ‘NMSK’ for me, which included diseases of the eye and nervous system, eye examinations and complex surgical procedures on the brain and eyes. We have just moved onto ‘CAR’ which is the cardiorespiratory module, focusing on the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system. So far, we have covered the heart anatomy and cardiac cycle. I am really looking forward to the dissections in this module!

In my free time at university, I have joined the Tennis and Clay Pigeon Shooting societies, which have both been incredibly fun and have great socials, such as the Sports Ball. We play tennis matches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and attend club socials afterwards. VetSoc is the main society for vet students, and they host many workshops, talks and handling sessions which are always great to go to. They also host the annual Vet Ball, which is the biggest and most iconic VetSoc social each year.

I am really looking forward to Years 4 and 5 which are the clinical years, where we get to go out into Practice and learn from licensed vets. It will be really exciting to be able to make life changing decisions and have the responsibility of caring for animals, which for me is what makes Veterinary Medicine the best career. It is the most rewarding vocation, as animals cannot thank you verbally, so you can only tell you have made a difference by observing their recovery in the patient follow-up examinations, which are incredibly fulfilling when you can see you’ve made a difference to the animal’s life.

I would tell anyone going into Veterinary Medicine that is it hard, but once you understand it and start your clinical applications, it truly is the best degree and job to be doing. You become the advocate for your patients and work with some incredible species; and of course, pick Nottingham!

At Princethorpe, it was my GCSE and A-level Biology teachers that encouraged my passion for biology and anatomy and the workings of living organisms. I particularly loved the Immunity module, and this pushed me towards the path of Public Health and Infection Control as a potential career specialism post-graduating. Some of my favourite Biology lessons were the practical sessions looking at hearts and eyes, which sparked my interest in cardiology as a potential specialism too.

My highlights from Princethorpe were the South Africa Sports Tour, the Leavers' Ball and Prom, Sixth Form and being Head of School. My favourite parts about being Head of School were the amazing opportunities for public speaking, organising open days, leading school councils and the prefect events like the 12 days of Christmas and prefect video.

The opportunities I gained from being Head of School helped immensely with my confidence, public speaking, leadership and teamwork skills. These skills I acquired at Princethorpe have allowed me to perform well in my Clinical Relevance sessions and to handle huge responsibilities in Veterinary Medicine and at Vet School, to give my patients the best care possible. I’ll always look back on my time at Princethorpe feeling extremely lucky to have been given so many amazing opportunities and inspiration, and meeting the most amazing people.