Thuy Dan Nguyen

After recently finishing her undergraduate degree in Biomedicine, Thuy saw an opportunity to combine her passion for medicine with a love for animals and started her first year in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Many students from her home country, Vietnam, choose to study in the US and Canada. “The US and Canada are very far from family and friends and the climate and cultures seem hard to adjust to. I chose to come to Melbourne because I knew it would feel the closest to home in terms of weather and culture and it’s a shorter and direct flight home.”

Coming from a large cohort to a small collaborative group, Thuy has found it easy to make friends and it has reinforced her decision to change paths. “Here we all know each other and can progress through the course together, it’s a tight knit community and our teachers and lecturers are very caring. They always find time to spend with each of the students and they look out for us”

When not out socialising with friends or studying, Thuy enjoys listening to True Crime podcasts and watching movies.

“My favourite part of being at Melbourne is all the friends I have made so far. From knowing no one during my undergrad studies to having so many friends in a short time has really changed things for me. I now have like-minded people I can communicate with, and we help each other through our studies. They will be my colleagues in the future.”

Veterinary students need to have access to many types of animals to increase their learning experience and expertise. “One of the most surprising things about Melbourne its large campus, close to the city, with many different animals like cows, horses and sheep. I never imagined you could find this so close to the city. This is very cool for students like me”

For students thinking about becoming a Veterinary Doctor, Thuy highly recommends researching carefully and looking into the Accelerated Pathway into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. “If you know you want to be a vet there is a pathway offered at the University which will allow you to complete the course in a much quicker time than I did.”

“Veterinary is not highly regarded in Vietnam but it’s a career that you can travel with and get lots of experience all over the world.”

Thuy hopes to stay in Australia and gain more experience with small animals but looks forward to the doors her Doctorate will open for her around the world.