A young farmer from Co. Galway is pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a vet – embarking on her studies this year in Poland.
27-year-old Katie Larkin, who has amassed a large following on social media platforms where she showcases farm life in east Galway and insights into cattle halter training and show season, received a huge response to sharing her news online recently.
Katie, also known as ‘The Abbey Cowgirl’ online, told Agriland that she will be travelling to Warsaw this month, marking the beginning of her five and a half year degree at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Warsaw University of Life Sciences, taught in English.
Animal-lover
Katie holds a dairy business degree from University College Dublin (UCD) and has worked in the agricultural industry since graduating in 2021.
She has worked in jobs including milk recording, alongside working on the family farm of pedigree and commercial Simmental cattle, located just outside the town of Loughrea.
She knew the work she was doing was not her dream, but the experience still stands to her.
Veterinary medicine had been her top choice course when animal-lover Katie did her Leaving Certificate, but admission to the UCD course is very competitive and Katie unfortunately did not get enough points in her exams.
But she decided at the time to continue on to college and complete the course she was offered a place on.
Ever since, she has felt like “something is missing” – and feared that if she did not try and become a vet now, she “might regret it for the rest of my life”.
Applying to vet studies in Warsaw
She explained to Agriland how applying to Warsaw came about.
“I was chatting to a farmer and he had kids the same age as me, and his daughter was going to do dentistry,” Katie said.
The plan for her was to study dentistry in Poland, and the farmer said to Katie, “why don’t you look into Poland and go out there?” for veterinary too.
He remarked that “there are vets around who have come home from Poland” having gotten their qualification, which is recognised here.
Then, around February this year, Katie got in touch with a woman who shows cattle who had experience of studying in Poland and “she gave me all the information – and then I never looked back”.
Katie applied through International Medicine Studies (IMS), which collaborates with universities around Europe offering veterinary, medical, pharmacy, and other degrees.
To successfully enroll in the programme in Warsaw Katie is undertaking, prospective students must pass an exam that verifies special aptitude for studying veterinary medicine in English.
In cooperation with the university, IMS organises the in-person exam in Ireland, which Katie did in mid-April.
Part of this is an English language test, along with 40 science-related questions.
In addition to her delight in passing the exam and receiving confirmation of her place on the course within weeks, Katie speaks fondly of the time she spent studying and brushing up on her biology and chemistry this year with her sister Tess.
She said: “Last time I did biology and chemistry was the Leaving Cert.
“My sister was doing her Leaving Cert this year, so I was doing the biology study with her and we were quizzing each other on it.”
Support
Sharing farm life online, Katie said that “everyone has been so supportive”, and she has been inundated with well wishes since announcing her plan to study in Warsaw, which she said she will be documenting online too.
Katie will set off for Poland later this month, with the first semester from October to January, and the second from February to June.
She said that many people have gotten in touch with her to say they have Irish family members and friends over in Warsaw studying. There is a strong community of Irish out there she is looking forward to joining, with even a GAA club set up.
Katie, who is prominent in cattle showing circles both as competitor and judge, assured that she will return home to the farm between semesters.
“Shows start in July and we finish the end of June [in college], so I’ll be home for the shows – and then we’re not back until October so I’ll be here for the ‘Ploughing’ as well,” she said.
Options limited for vet studies
Katie did consider going back to study veterinary medicine as a mature student in Ireland. However, with options so limited, she decided Poland was a good fit.
Tuition fees can be very high for students who opt to go abroad for their veterinary studies.
However, there are other benefits, such as Katie securing on-campus accommodation with ease and at a fraction of Irish prices.
The vet course is also lengthy, but Katie’s belief is that the time will pass anyway, and “do you want to be stuck in a job for the rest of your life that you hate, or educate yourself and go on and enjoy the job that you’re working?”, as she told her social media followers.
She feels that young people who have gotten their Leaving Cert results and college offers in recent weeks should “not to put too much pressure on themselves”.
They might not get their dream course or career “today or tomorrow”, but there is no time limit on doing it, Katie expressed, and there are “so many possibilities now”, she added.
