Vet School Funding

< EDIT: Donations received “offline” (via paylah/paynow/cash) will be recorded in the “updates” section and reflected in the amount raised offline.

Hi! I’m Bethany and I’ve been working towards my goal of being able to treat animals as my career.

Since the start of my diploma course, our lecturers have emphasized that apart from hardwork and discipline, we would require “half a million (SGD)” to even think about becoming a veterinarian. When I was 17, this sounded like a problem that I wouldn’t have to face until adulthood, where I would have to start slogging to repay my several debts with interest, even though it is a job I know I would be fulfilled in.

I have since graduated with a diploma with merit in Veterinary Bioscience, and also won prizes for my final year project conducted at Singapore Zoo. I have gained experience working at animal-related facilities (eg. canine hydrotheraphy) and am currently working as a technician in an emergency setting to gain more practical experience and knowledge, as I always felt slower and less confident with hands-on clinical skills while I was still in school. As exhausting at it is, I really enjoy my current job and am still learning a lot every day.

I am fortunate enough to have been accepted by University of Glasgow for their 5-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS) Course, which happens to rank first in the UK for several years now. Based on my conversations with current veterinarians and technicians, the debts accumulated from vet school is a real problem and one of the biggest factors that deter promising students from accepting their vet school offers. In this case, money is more important than hard work.

Thus, I am appealing to my family, friends, or strangers on the internet to donate for my education. Here is a breakdown of my expenses:

• Tuition Fees: £32,000/year (SGD 54,248.91).
• Allowance: £13,060/year (SGD 24,604.70) for accommodation, books and travel

Total of 5-years: £225,300 (SGD ~421 000)*

*(The “total of 5-years” will be decreased based on donations received on my paylah/now)

I will also be applying for student loans. However, most student plans available only allow loans up to SGD 150,000, with interest rates of around 4.5-5.15 % per year. Any savings I have from my current gap year, as well as from my terminated life insurance would also go to funding my studies.

The starting pay of a fresh grad vet is around SGD 3.2k if they are lucky, and it is a tough salary to work with when having to clear a half-a-million debt. Any donation made is immensely appreciated and would lift a great load off my supportive family’s and my shoulders. I would also be able to focus on my studies or job without having to worry too much about my impending debts when I graduate in five years’ time.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this, and thank you for supporting me with your words, care, and donations, in my journey to become a veterinarian.

- Bethany

P.S. The image in the cover is a picture I took of cross-matched feline blood under the microscope. The “stacked coins” are actually red blood cells, and this is known as a Rouleaux formation, commonly observed in cats and horses. It is not the same as agglutination of red blood cells.