Oklahoma State vs KSU

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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zxz130

zxz130

Mizzou CVM c/o 2014
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So, I got called off the Oklahoma State waiting list after accepting a position at KSU. After talking with Dr. M..(forget what her name was was exactly :oops:) for a while on the phone I am seriously considering Oklahoma. For one it will be about $9000 cheaper per year, smaller class size (which I like), and they also seem to place more emphasis on hands-on/application. However, I haven't visited there and have visited KSU, and really like it, so it makes me scared to make a decision. I am still waiting to talk to some of the students there to get a better idea.
In the meantime would anyone who has visited OSU mind giving some information about the town, teaching hospital, atmosphere, etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated :love:.
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zxz130 said:
So, I got called off the Oklahoma State waiting list after accepting a position at KSU. After talking with Dr. M..(forget what her name was was exactly :oops:) for a while on the phone I am seriously considering Oklahoma. For one it will be about $9000 cheaper per year, smaller class size (which I like), and they also seem to place more emphasis on hands-on/application. However, I haven't visited there and have visited KSU, and really like it, so it makes me scared to make a decision. I am still waiting to talk to some of the students there to get a better idea.
In the meantime would anyone who has visited OSU mind giving some information about the town, teaching hospital, atmosphere, etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated :love:.
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Well, I really really liked KSU, and got waitlisted there.

I was accepted to OSU, and loved it. The town itself is very comparable to Manhattan (except it lacks a target :( ). I felt like there were better options for housing in stillwater than Manhattan. While I saw a lot of crappy houses in Stillwater, I was very happy with the one I decided on. Driving around Manhattan, it looked much more like undergrads living all over the place, but that might have been the areas I was shown.

KSU has way better restaurants in the area though.

Facilities wise, KSU's facilities were bigger, but like you said, they have a bigger class. I absolutely LOVED how KSU gave you your own desk in the lab. OSU doesn't do that :( Is that worth an extra 9000 a year though?

Other than that labs, I felt the schools were pretty comparable. I liked OSU's facilities. The classrooms were older, and could use more outlets, but again, that wasn't a deal breaker. Hallways were narrower, most of the rooms themselves were smaller, but clinics seemed relatively equal in available equipment/case loads/ etc.

At OSU, you have to walk outside to get from classes to the hospitals themselves, but it's not far.

I liked Stillwater, everyone seemed very friendly, in the town and the vet school, and all the rental places I looked at. If you can get by all the orange, and the hideous bright pink/lime green building (what is that place, anyway, TT? ) everything else seems nice. It's a bit closer to a major airport than KSU is (1 hr vs 2ish), if that's a concern of yours.

If I get called off the waitlist at KSU I might mourn for a little bit, but I think I'm decided on OSU for sure. For the few little things that made me like KSU better, it's just not worth an extra 40K in the long run.
 
Hi zxz130!

I've hesitated to join SDN as I enjoyed lurking, but felt compelled to join as I made a decision between the same two schools (I'm OOS from California)

I thought that these two schools were quite similar to each other. The facilities at each school were comparable. Both campuses were large, but I thought OSU's was absolutely beautiful. The town's were very similar, Stillwater may have had a bit more charm.

The cheaper tuition and smaller class size clinched OSU for me. I would say don't be worried if you haven't visited the school, it really impressed me.
 
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cowgirla said:
Well, I really really liked KSU, and got waitlisted there.

I was accepted to OSU, and loved it. The town itself is very comparable to Manhattan (except it lacks a target :( ). I felt like there were better options for housing in stillwater than Manhattan. While I saw a lot of crappy houses in Stillwater, I was very happy with the one I decided on. Driving around Manhattan, it looked much more like undergrads living all over the place, but that might have been the areas I was shown.

KSU has way better restaurants in the area though.

Facilities wise, KSU's facilities were bigger, but like you said, they have a bigger class. I absolutely LOVED how KSU gave you your own desk in the lab. OSU doesn't do that :( Is that worth an extra 9000 a year though?

Other than that labs, I felt the schools were pretty comparable. I liked OSU's facilities. The classrooms were older, and could use more outlets, but again, that wasn't a deal breaker. Hallways were narrower, most of the rooms themselves were smaller, but clinics seemed relatively equal in available equipment/case loads/ etc.

At OSU, you have to walk outside to get from classes to the hospitals themselves, but it's not far.

I liked Stillwater, everyone seemed very friendly, in the town and the vet school, and all the rental places I looked at. If you can get by all the orange, and the hideous bright pink/lime green building (what is that place, anyway, TT? ) everything else seems nice. It's a bit closer to a major airport than KSU is (1 hr vs 2ish), if that's a concern of yours.

If I get called off the waitlist at KSU I might mourn for a little bit, but I think I'm decided on OSU for sure. For the few little things that made me like KSU better, it's just not worth an extra 40K in the long run.
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Haha, seems like you loved pretty much the same things I loved about KSU. That's for all the input it really helps hearing from someone who has been to both places. As for restaurants, it's not a big deal for me. More reason for me to cook Chinese food :laugh:.
I guess I'm also a bit afraid of being able to fit in there since KSU has more OOS students. But, I guess being an asian guy I'd stick out like a sore thumb at any vet school. :laugh:
All that being said, I think I'm definitely leaning towards Oklahoma right now. Thanks cowgirla!
 
2014VetToBe said:
Hi zxz130!

I've hesitated to join SDN as I enjoyed lurking, but felt compelled to join as I made a decision between the same two schools (I'm OOS from California)

I thought that these two schools were quite similar to each other. The facilities at each school were comparable. Both campuses were large, but I thought OSU's was absolutely beautiful. The town's were very similar, Stillwater may have had a bit more charm.

The cheaper tuition and smaller class size clinched OSU for me. I would say don't be worried if you haven't visited the school, it really impressed me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! Glad you joined so I could hear it! :)
 
zxz130 said:
Haha, seems like you loved pretty much the same things I loved about KSU. That's for all the input it really helps hearing from someone who has been to both places. As for restaurants, it's not a big deal for me. More reason for me to cook Chinese food :laugh:.
I guess I'm also a bit afraid of being able to fit in there since KSU has more OOS students. But, I guess being an asian guy I'd stick out like a sore thumb at any vet school. :laugh:
All that being said, I think I'm definitely leaning towards Oklahoma right now. Thanks cowgirla!
Click to expand...


No problem. I'm a New yorker, so yeah, a little concerned about the lack of OOS students from far away, but everyone I've talked to is wonderful and have done amazing things to dispel my irrational fear of being stuck in a tornado....

And if you cook chinese, I will eat it. Hows that sound??
 
When you consider that 24 of 82 students are OOS at OSU, that's 30% of the class. Granted it isn't ~50% like KSU, but that isn't a bad OOS spread.

I can't offer you anything for comparison as I haven't been to KSU. I will say that cheaper OOS tuition and cost of living are not things I'd take lightly.
 
cowgirla said:
No problem. I'm a New yorker, so yeah, a little concerned about the lack of OOS students from far away, but everyone I've talked to is wonderful and have done amazing things to dispel my irrational fear of being stuck in a tornado....

And if you cook chinese, I will eat it. Hows that sound??
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Deal! More dinner parties are always a plus.
 
I was also accepted to both schools. The towns and the schools are very comparable. I have heard that OSU let's you get more hands on experience sooner than KSU. OSU has a brand new small animal ICU that is very very nice. I'm from OK and am about to finish my undergrad at OSU so I may be a little biased but I felt more comfortable at OSU. The main thing that factored into my decision was tuition/being close to family. Also, Kansas tends to be colder and get more snow, and I know sometimes weather plays a part in decision making. If you're into sports OSU is better at football and KSU did better in basketball this year.


The ugly pink and lime green building is a boutique. Businesses in that building tend to not last long though (I think because of its size) so maybe the paint job won't either!
 
crittergal said:
When you consider that 24 of 82 students are OOS at OSU, that's 30% of the class. Granted it isn't ~50% like KSU, but that isn't a bad OOS spread.
.
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Yes, but half of those OOS people are from Texas and other places that are less than a four hour drive away :p

So they don't count :)
 
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^^^ :lol: This makes me look forward to August even more.

zxz130- you should go with OSU. We're gonna be a riot of a class :D
 
crittergal said:
^^^ :lol: This makes me look forward to August even more.

zxz130- you should go with OSU. We're gonna be a riot of a class :D
Click to expand...

Haha, I'm very close. A conversation with the school tomorrow may do it.
 
I'd choose OKSU over KSU. Just my worthless opinion.
 
The person you talked to was Dr. Katrina (Tina) Meinkoth, BTW.

I'm a seasoned Stilly resident and know the vet school inside out, so you can ask me questions too. But I've never seen KSU. :)
 
Thought I'd throw in my own input.
I got accepted to both KSU (OOS) and OKSU (IS)

I will be attending OSU woo!
so reason 1 why you should attend OSU is because me and a bunch of other people on here who are awesome will be there!

okay but for serious... I'd definitely say the towns are comparable. I liked Manhattan and I like Stillwater. both smallish but close enough to bigger cities. OSU is digustingly filled with orange, but you can't do much about that one. plus honestly, as long as the town has a wal-mart and a bar I think I'll survive vet school :D

Neither has a unique emphasis... you will get a good SA/LA education at both.

KSU is higher ranked, but meh, no one really cares too much about that. Smaller class size at OSU is definitely nicer.
Both have equal chance of tornadoes, but KSU will get slightly colder in the winters.

ummmmm I didn't look at housing, but stillwater has TONS of housing and its all nicely priced.

plus, if you go to OSU, you are only 1 hr and 30 min. from Norman, OK which is where you will see some REAL football in the fall.

but really, you'll get a good education anywhere. I loved KSU, but I immediately discarded it because of the price tag. An extra 9K a year plus interest is quite a few more years in debt for the exact same degree.

okay i blab too much, go OkSU!
 
There are lots of bars! Thursday nights at Eskimo Joe's guys pay $5 for all you can drink beer and girls drink beer free! There is a bar on the strip that makes a 32oz cup of deliciousness called a limey that will knock you on your ass and you won't realize it's coming. Lots of other bars too. I can give you a tour of the strip if you want!
 
How is nature/parks in the Stillwater area? Another thing I really liked about Kansas is the landscape. I really liked the idea of being able to walk out on the prairie to de-stress/relax. I know wierd, but its just the thing I need sometimes. :rolleyes:
 
zxz130 said:
How is nature/parks in the Stillwater area? Another thing I really liked about Kansas is the landscape. I really liked the idea of being able to walk out on the prairie to de-stress/relax. I know wierd, but its just the thing I need sometimes. :rolleyes:
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I'll let someone else answer this one, but the prairies in Kansas were gorgeous!
Stillwater had a couple little puddles that they call lakes. I'm sure there's more once you get a little outside the main town. But I don't know, so a native OK'er will have to let us know.
 
I've never lived in Stillwater so I'll let someone else answer that

but I can definitely tell you there is plenty of wide open space! stillwater is kinda out in the middle of nowhere, so it doesn't take long to escape the city.
it's about an hour from both Tulsa and OKC. in-between those two? there is nadda.

a bunch of cows really.

dunno about parks in stillwater but oklahoma in general has plenty of wildlife reserves and lakes and stuff like that.

http://www.travelok.com/listings/sid.10/tag.Stillwater/seed.237702
 
Looks like this thread is just being dominated by Ok-Class of 2014 people.

Vet school is like a car. Both get you from point A to point B, just depends on how comfortable the ride is along the way.

I am from CA and coming to Manhattan was a HUGE change, but I embraced it and I am having a great time. Plus our class is planning the party for the class of 2014, and I don't want to say anything bold but.....you would DEFINITELY not want to miss it ;)

Hope you can pick the one that you truly are happy with.
 
I know this is slightly off topic, but what is KSU's OOS tuition rate? I was really confused by the way they did the whole credit hours thing on the website. :confused: And I couldn't find anything on OKSU's tuition either...
 
teatime said:
I know this is slightly off topic, but what is KSU's OOS tuition rate? I was really confused by the way they did the whole credit hours thing on the website. :confused: And I couldn't find anything on OKSU's tuition either...
Click to expand...

Yea, it's really hard to find on the website
Figures for 2009-2010 school year for OOS are
KSU:~$40,500
OkSU:~$31,400
 
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If you drive in one direction for 10 minutes or so (going away from Stillwater) you will, in all likelihood, end up on a gravel road by the end of the 10 minutes. If you drive a truck, it would be great - roll the windows down on a warm day and go scooting along through pasture and farmland. If you drive a Civic... well, I don't do a whole lot of driving on the backroads. There's definitely open land to be had here.

Cowgirla, you saw a man-made lake and a puddle that Meridian put in front of the school to look pretty (if not a bit red). If you didn't drive out to LAke Mcmurtry or Lake Carl Blackwell, and you didn't take the turnpike back and go over Keystone Lake... well, you haven't really seen any Oklahoma lakes at all. ;)

There are parks here too, but generally not 'prairie'... we have prairie, but it's usually owned by someone. A little searching and I bet you could find something, I'm sure. I'm not the outdoorsy type. :)
 
zxz130 said:
How is nature/parks in the Stillwater area? Another thing I really liked about Kansas is the landscape. I really liked the idea of being able to walk out on the prairie to de-stress/relax. I know wierd, but its just the thing I need sometimes. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Although I promised my roommate I would stay off of SDN for a week...

Nature around the Stillwater area is not that great. We have some parks and some places to go birding/herping/fishing if you're into that. I personally love Oklahoma, and while Stillwater itself is ok...I think to really get out in nature you have to drive at least 2 hours. We have great rivers on the eastern part of the state, very cool 'mountains' in the southwest, and then when you get to the southern 1/4 of the state there are natural falls and caves along with a fairly large sized lake with lots of fossils right at the Tx/OK border. If you like hiking then Stillwater is likely not going to do it for you, however there seems to be a pretty good population of bikers and some very challenging bike trails (as in, dont ride them unless you want to bleed).

Good luck with your decision!
 
Just finished sending my letter to OkSU. Thanks everyone for all the information and support. My heart sinks a little not being able to go back to KSU :(, but excited about OkSU at the same time! Hope to meet everyone in August!
 
yay zxz! though I do understand, it's sad turning down any vet school you love!

but its in the past/mail now, so yay for being classmates! join the facebook group as well! It's called OSU Vet Med class of 2014. My name is Andrea btw
 
that70sfan11 said:
yay zxz! though I do understand, it's sad turning down any vet school you love!

but its in the past/mail now, so yay for being classmates! join the facebook group as well! It's called OSU Vet Med class of 2014. My name is Andrea btw
Click to expand...



Woohoo! Good choice...I'm Ashley, incase you don't figure it outby my location!
 
Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I'll admit I got a bit *emotional* initially, but it's gonna be so cool to meet you guys in August. Oh and since we're doing names, mine's Zijin. But most, if not all, my friends call me Z.
 
zxz130 said:
Just finished sending my letter to OkSU. Thanks everyone for all the information and support. My heart sinks a little not being able to go back to KSU :(, but excited about OkSU at the same time! Hope to meet everyone in August!
Click to expand...

Sad....panda.....

JK, have fun being a cowboy.
 
oh and fyi, from what someone said on the waitlist thread, Kansas has had 132 people accept an offer for 118 positions. so don't feel too bad, because you are now doing them a favor!
 
that70sfan11 said:
oh and fyi, from what someone said on the waitlist thread, Kansas has had 132 people accept an offer for 118 positions. so don't feel too bad, because you are now doing them a favor!
Click to expand...

Glad I could do them a favor! Hopefully I'll be visiting OkSU soon this summer so I can first hand see the college, facilities, town, and of course find a place to live :eek:. I can see how good/bad my decision was :laugh:.
 
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