# Writtle college animal care



## wheaty5 (Feb 3, 2008)

Hey im just coming off the back off doing 3 years of sport at college and will have achieved a first and national diploma in sport. I have not applied to go to uni next years as i want to go the year after. In this gap year im looking at doing an animal related course at writtle college, has anyone on here been and can give em any recommendations on applying?
Also the reason for doing a completley differant course to sport is because i would ideally like to do animal management at uni and they probably wont accpet me if i havnt got and qualifications in that field.

Cheers, Matt


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

I lecture in Animal Management at an FE college in the midlands. As you have already done a level 3 course (the ND) then you would be unlikely to get onto the FD course (level 2) (well, you wouldn't at my college and I'd assume it was the same elsewhere). This would only leave you with the option of the National Diploma which is a two year course.

I have no experience of the particular college you are thinking about though!

Cheers

Andy


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## wheaty5 (Feb 3, 2008)

bothrops said:


> I lecture in Animal Management at an FE college in the midlands. As you have already done a level 3 course (the ND) then you would be unlikely to get onto the FD course (level 2) (well, you wouldn't at my college and I'd assume it was the same elsewhere). This would only leave you with the option of the National Diploma which is a two year course.
> 
> I have no experience of the particular college you are thinking about though!
> 
> ...


 
Thank you for the reply 
What would be the reason for me not being allowed to go back to a first diploma? I would see it as me going into something new just as i did when starting my sports course?

Cheers, Matt


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Progression. Once you've done a level 3 course it is assumed you have a level of knowledge adequate to cope with the demands of any level 3 course. It's a bit like mature students going to uni...they may not have the relevant qualifications but their 'life experiences' and 'vocational experiences' compensate.

Your national diploma was the equivalent of three A levels. It would be odd to then go back and do a course that is the equivalent of 4 GCSE's. There is also funding issues.


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## wheaty5 (Feb 3, 2008)

Yeh no doubt a first diploma course would be very easy for me it was just i was not too keen on taking 2 years out before uni. But obviously it is something ill have to contemplate 

I will phone the college on monday and speak to someone about the course


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## Nic123100 (Jun 13, 2009)

I went to their open day last month. All I can say is wow, the whole campus is lovely and so friendly. I'm looking at doing an honours degree in animal management. As far as I know they have another open day in June : victory:

The animal part is brill, the have an aviary working farm reptile room small mammal room kennels and an exotic birds room


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Nic123100 said:


> I went to their open day last month. All I can say is wow, the whole campus is lovely and so friendly. I'm looking at doing an honours degree in animal management. As far as I know they have another open day in June : victory:
> 
> The animal part is brill, the have an aviary working farm reptile room small mammal room kennels and an exotic birds room


....you should see our 'Animal Zone' ! : victory: :whistling2:


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## Nic123100 (Jun 13, 2009)

bothrops said:


> ....you should see our 'Animal Zone' ! : victory: :whistling2:


Ohhhhhh what do you have there , or will I get too jealous haha


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## RepBex (Jan 17, 2008)

Hi i am on the second year of the national diploma animal management 
and i wish i had never done it lol its not hard or anything its just alot of work .... and they mess it up so badly 
i go to riseholme college and so many things went wrong its all gone to pot. over half the people dropped out etc however i did the FD and got the highest grade u can and was up for top student lol this year has distroyed us

you get hardly any hands on work with the animals. i have not been on the animal unit to attually work with the animals for over a year now :whip:
the ND has put all but 2 people out of 90 off working with animals and all other are going diffrent routes....:devil:


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## wheaty5 (Feb 3, 2008)

Wow sounds pretty bad, im going try and arrange an interview with whomever deals with the animal care courses and see what happens from there.
Would love to do it though as its what i want to do at uni.

And yeh that last post sounds alot like my sports course, well the lack of practical activity does, the work is still super easy haha : victory:


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Nic123100 said:


> Ohhhhhh what do you have there , or will I get too jealous haha


Over a thousand animals of 250+ species. We have a zoo license and are open to the public at weekends and school holidays. We have the usual rabbits (30+ breeds including rare breeds such as thrianta), cats, dogs, hamsters, rats and mice, pigs, goats, sheep, poultry, ferrets, an aquarium but also a few other 'bits' including 18 species of chelonian, alpaca, wallaby, mara, zebu, capuchin, three lemur species, three marmoset species, meerkat, kinkajou, genet, skunk, a large exotics room with a range of reps and amphibs and a decent collection of spiders.....plus a number of pairs of rare parrots - red lored, blue fronted, black cheeked love bird, pantagonian conure etc (some breeding), a large avairy with sacred ibis, dameseille cranes, tragopan, mandarin and shelduck, an australian aviary........oh and we also have Haitian galliwasps..thought to be extinct in the wild.



RepBex said:


> Hi i am on the second year of the national diploma animal management
> and i wish i had never done it lol its not hard or anything its just alot of work .... and they mess it up so badly
> i go to riseholme college and so many things went wrong its all gone to pot. over half the people dropped out etc however i did the FD and got the highest grade u can and was up for top student lol this year has distroyed us
> 
> ...


sounds like you've been messed around. Its a shame that many people start the course thinking it's all cuddling bunnies and stroking baby meerkats...but once they realise that looking after animals is 90% poo picking and sweeping, they get a little dispondent.

My students get at least five-six hours a week hands on with the animals and many will get more by doing their work experience on our animal unit. We use the animal unit as much as we can and although there are a number of theory based sessions that have to be done in the classroom, most involve some unit work. Modules such as 'Animal handling and husbandry' and 'animal health' clearly involve almost 100% hands on, but I try and get the students on the unit as much as possible so even the biology and ecology modules involve hands on (as do 'behaviour', 'collections', 'nutrition' and 'exotics')



wheaty5 said:


> Wow sounds pretty bad, im going try and arrange an interview with whomever deals with the animal care courses and see what happens from there.
> Would love to do it though as its what i want to do at uni.
> 
> And yeh that last post sounds alot like my sports course, well the lack of practical activity does, the work is still super easy haha : victory:


 
Good luck with the interview and keep us posted on the outcome!

Cheers

Andy


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## RepBex (Jan 17, 2008)

i done or doing all modules u say lol ecology is quite good last practical we did was pond dippin and snail capture mark re capture .... i knew its all poop cleaning but i much prefer to do that than sat on a computer in a room full of load farmers trying to work lol

micro Bio and Bio Chem are quite good Nutrition is a bit borin but i think thats cos its mostly repeated stuff from other units and exotics is fab but i know all of it :lol2: 
animal handling and husbandry etc are piss compared to the second year tho : victory:

i say go for it but dont go to Riseholme :devil:


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## rachel132002 (Dec 4, 2006)

I've been at Writtle for the past 5years.

Did my National Diploma which was just fun fun fun, easy coursework, good lectures, practical was alright.

Just finishing a 3yr BSC Hons in An Management now and it's pretty good, a bit frustrating at times and is hard work but yeah it's all good.


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