Applying to university is a stressful time for youngsters. It involves studying hard for those all-important top grades, writing an eloquent and impressive personal statement and getting that crucial work experience to set you apart from other candidates.
One university in Scotland has decided to take it one step further, and test potential students’ true love for animals- by observing them playing with puppies!
A prestigious veterinary course at a university in Edinburgh has chosen to use dogs to sniff out the best candidates for the course.
Lecturer Dr Mary Fraser said: ‘We get more than 400 applicants for our vet nursing course, which is the only degree of its kind offered in Scotland, and only have 30 places, so it's really important we select those students who are right for the job.’
A dog named Belle, along with a black Labrador named Ellie and a terrier called Holly have been chosen to interact with potential vet nurses as a means of finding people truly passionate about animals.
Dr Fraser continued: ‘Having Belle in the interview room not only helps calm the prospective students but lets us see what they're like with animals.’
So animal lovers need not apply then!