Laura Tennant

Laura studied BSc (Hons) Zoology at Hartpury and specialised in dairy fertility. She now works at the National Institute for Medical Research.

"The original plan was to be a vet, but I didn’t get the grades at A level. I wanted to stay in animal science and carve out a new career. A big part of choosing Hartpury University was that I could bring my horse and the fact that I could specialise in large animals.

While I was putting together my dissertation project, I had to spend a lot of time at the Hartpury dairy unit swabbing the cows and the team on the unit were really helpful with my research. They even asked me to work part-time at the dairy and I absolutely loved it.

For me, it’s about finding something you are passionate about. If you go into something half-hearted, it’s never going to work. I love dairy, but I know some people thinking about university won’t be exactly sure what their passion is. Animal research is a really good place to start and once you get to university, you need to be really homing in on what fires you up and grab it with both hands. Work experience is also key. You might not want to be a vet, but if you are interested in animal and animal science, you should get experience you can."

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