Laura Tennant

Laura studied BSc (Hons) Zoology at Hartpury and specialised in dairy fertility. When she graduated she got good advice from her lecturer that she should consider getting experience in human sciences so she went to St George’s in London for a master's in human reproductive science and medicine. She now works at the National Institute for Medical Research, which has 700 scientists. A massive part of medical research is animal research, which is where her degree comes in.

Laura's Hartpury Experience

"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 massively helpful with my research. They even asked me to work part-time at the dairy and I absolutely loved it."

Developing Industry Connections

"My ultimate goal is to do a PhD and move back into dairy research. I am an animal scientist through and through, but in a time of change, you have to adapt and be open to new possibilities.

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 in a vet practice, a cattery or help out with lambing. Be around animals and it will progress from there.

Getting my job at the institute was very competitive. There were 135 applicants and I think the fact that I had an animal science degree stood out because a lot of the other applicants had biology or human biology degrees – so my background was different. My boss looked at my animal reproduction knowledge and saw how it would be helpful with the research we do at the institute."

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