Tanydd Williams

Aspiring vet secures spot at Bristol 

An animal lover who has spent the last couple of years on a quest to become a vet has proven that hard work and dedication pays off after securing a spot to study a veterinary science degree following an unconventional route to university. 

Coleg y Cymoedd learner Tanydd Williams, 21, from Aberdare, will be heading to Bristol University’s veterinary school this September after completing an access to higher education diploma in bioscience at college. 

Having grown up surrounded by rescue pets, including her beloved Staffordshire bull terrier cross Zeus, now 10, Tanydd always knew she wanted a career working with animals in some capacity. 

While at school, she took part in a placement at a veterinary clinic where she observed consultations, surgeries and treatment, sparking her desire to follow the career path herself. 

The aspiring vet signed up to do A levels in biology and chemistry, as well as a diploma in medical sciences, to achieve her goal but saw her studies severely disrupted by the pandemic at the time. The first to admit that being constantly at home without the encouragement and support of tutors negatively affected her work, Tanydd struggled to find the motivation to get her head down and work independently. The result was that she did achieve the grades she wanted or needed to go to university. 

Taking a break to work in retail for a year, Tanydd decided to go back to college and refocus her attention on veterinary sciences. 

Initially intending to re-sit her A levels at college, which would also require re-sitting some GCSEs, tutors informed Tanydd that she had another option that could see her realise her dreams much sooner – an access to bioscience diploma that is accepted by Bristol University.  

The one-year course, the equivalent to three A levels, sees learners study Biology, Microbiology and Chemistry alongside Mathematics and Study Skills to prepare them for progression to Higher Education to study Biomedical Sciences and related subjects.  

Tanydd said: “I do well when I’m surrounded by other people and learning in a classroom environment, so working from home on my own, while spending the rest of my time at home during the pandemic, was really hard for me. I knew it would impact my grades and it did. After that I decided to work in Tesco to save some money, but I knew one day I wanted to go back down the veterinary route. 

“I felt lost when I realised I couldn’t re-sit my A levels and thought that I wouldn’t be able to go to university, but my tutors did all they could to help me and reassured me that there was another route to a veterinary degree. When I heard about the access course, I jumped at the opportunity, and I have worked really hard ever since to get the grades I need to secure my place.” 

Not wanting to leave her dog Zeus behind when she goes to university, Tanydd has decided that she will commute each day rather than stay in halls so that she can continue to care for him. 

She added: “My dog is elderly now and has a few health issues, so I really want to be there to look after him. He’s been with me since I was 11 – I’ve grown up with him and he’s so important to me, having been by my side for a decade. 

“I’m now really excited to start university. I’m a little bit nervous too as I worry about everyone else having A levels, but I need to remind myself that I am just as deserving of a place and that we will all be in the same boat when we start the degree.   

“My tutors have told me that I need to have more faith in myself and have helped me prepare for my course. They’ve been amazingly supportive and given me constant access to help both in person and via Teams, telling me I can message them at any time, which has been incredible.  

“I really just want to show other learners who might not have done as well in their A levels as they’d hoped, or who are thinking about alternatives to A levels, that there are other options out there to get university. There’s not one route. The traditional route may not be for everyone and that’s okay.”