Book 4: Welcoming you to R(D)SVS

Don't worry too much about travelling to campus for your first few days, coaches have been arranged from the University's central area in line with your timetable. Exact pick-up location can be found on your Welcome Week Timetable. 

Vet School is based on the Easter Bush Campus which is about 45 minutes bus ride from the Central Campus. Bus numbers  15, 37 (Easter Bush), 47B and 141 all stop at the Vet School bus stop. For information about how to get to the Easter Bush Campus, please visit the Transport Website. 

If you are aged under 22, you can apply for a Young Scot card once you arrive in Edinburgh. Bus travel in Scotland is free with a Young Scot card. If you are not eligible for free bus travel, the Vet School also offers a bus subsidy which reflects the total days travelled to campus for each year group; there will be more information on this once you arrive.

Free parking permits are available for Easter Bush; you can make an application for a permit once you’ve arrived. Without a permit you may still get a parking ticket. Please note that the travel subsidy is not available for private motor vehicle users.

Order your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

You don't need to buy everything all at once so please refer to guidance in Booklet 2 with regards to protective clothing, before making any plans.If you want to arrange purchase of your own clothing from your own suppliers then you are free to do this.

GEP: You can buy direct from Hewats, or you may have some of these items already. 

5 Year Programme: Our student-led Final Year Club (FYC) are planning to provide an order service for new students to the 5 year programme, which commences in September. The FYC representatives will be in touch with you in mid-August about this, but you can also buy direct from Hewats.

If you do order clothing via the FYC this is normally available to collect during Welcome Week and Week 1 of teaching, and arrangements for collection will be communicated to you. If you have any queries regarding FYC or your order please direct these to the contact on the order form.

Please do also note the information on Infection Control Requirements, which you can find with the PPE list.

View the Clothing Requirements and link to Hewats

Purchase Locker Key & Dissection Kit

As bags and coats are not permitted in the laboratories, and you will have a lot of PPE to store, we recommend students use our lockers. If you wish to use a locker to store your items on campus for the duration of your studies, you will need to purchase a key through the VTO Shop.  Select “Locker Key Deposit” and pay £3.00 for a key – please note that the deposit is non-refundable. Once paid, you can collect the key on your first day on campus, along with your student card and badge. 

5 year Students - please purchase a dissection kit, or bring one if you already own one. If buying one, we would recommend you get it from the VTO shop as they have been put together with the instruments you will require.  You can delay making the payment for the kit until you are with us. (GEP students will be provided with a dissection kit).

Buy these items from the VTO Shop

The Vet School hosts a variety of events to make your time here memorable. Here's a preview of some of the events you can look forward to:

• White Coat Ceremony: Your welcome onto the Veterinary profession.
• Campus Sports Day: A fun-filled day of friendly competition, prizes, food and drinks.
• Pre-Burns Supper: An evening celebration leading up to the traditional Burns Night.
• Wellness Week: Hosted by VetPALS in January, Wellness Week is a fantastic opportunity to engage in activities to promote your health and wellbeing.

Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) supports all students throughout their time at the University of Edinburgh. September Welcome Week is packed with events for you to get involved in and events continue throughout the year. We encourage you to enjoy yourself and connect with students from different backgrounds, cultures and courses. 

If you are a GEP student, Welcome Week coincides with your revision week before your first exams, but we encourage you to join in with some of the events to meet people from other Schools and Programmes. 

The Vet School has its own Students’ Union, the Dick Vet Student Union (DVSU). In addition to representing students, the DVSU is host to a variety of events, clubs and societies specifically for Vet Students.

Look out for the Dick Vet Societies Fair, happening in the afternoon on Tuesday, 15th September in the Vet School Building. This is your chance to explore various Dick Vet student societies and sports teams and find out how you can get involved.

Your key contacts will change as you progress through the BVM&S programme. In this month's newsletter you met members of the student support team, including your Student Adviser, and last month you were introduced to your Year Director/Cohort Lead and Year Administrator.

At the Vet School, as well as having your Student Adviser, you will also be assigned a Professional Mentor (PM) who will follow you throughout your BVM&S degree. Your Professional Mentor will help support, guide, and advise you in matters relating to academics, professional and career development.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly, using the email contacts below. You can also find general information for all Univeristy of Edinburgh students on the New Students website.

GEP1 (4 year programme)

• Year Administrator: Briony Curtis ​​​​​VetTeachingGEP@ed.ac.uk 
• Student Adviser: Ali Ross RDSVS.SA.AliRoss@ed.ac.uk 

Year 1 (5 year programme)

• Year Administrator: Andy Newcombe VetTeaching1@ed.ac.uk
• Student Adviser: Megan Hawkswell: RDSVS.SA.MeganHawkswell@ed.ac.uk 

You can also call 0131 651 7300 during office hours - these are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (BST)