VeganChick, I'm really sorry if I made you feel bad about Ross. My feelings about the school are definitely skewed right now, since I'm in the middle of 2 weeks of finals and one of our professors has done several things that are against the school handbook, so I'm feeling a bit down about it at the moment. Don't feel bad about coming to Ross at all! You'll have fun, make great friends, work your ass off, and, although you have more hoops to jump through, you will become a vet. I was in the same boat as you- I came here because it was my only option (besides waiting a year and reapplying, which isn't a guarantee, and let's face it, I was getting impatient). If I could have gone somewhere else, I would have, but only because 1) I don't like this island and 2) it would be easier not to have to go through the PAVE or ECFVG. Has nothing to do with the quality of the school, which I think is great for the most part.
david- I'm not sure about attrition rates, but we lost probably about 10 people from last semester. We also gained some from the class above us that were repeating 2nd. I do know that my class was one of the biggest incoming classes they've had in a while, for one reason or another.
About getting around the island without a car... it's possible, but for me personally it wouldn't be a comfortable situation. First of all, there are plenty of place to live near campus (I can think of 8 of my classmates off the top of my head that walk/bike ride to school every day). If you do live that close, you'll also need a way to get to the store. There are taxis (about $7 US for a round trip) and buses (about $1 US to hop on), but personally I wouldn't take the buses, because they creep me out. When I lived on campus 1st semester, I took a taxi to the grocery store every weekend. Another option is asking to hitch a ride to the grocery store with friends when they go. The big reason all of these options bother me is that I don't like depending on other people for my transportation, but that's just my issue, so if you don't mind it, then you should be fine.
Some other transportation options to think about: a scooter or ATV (there are a few on the island), or a bike. Once in a while someone's selling a bike, and I think there may be a bike shop somewhere, but I'm not sure if it sells them or just repairs them. One of my good friends brought her bike from the states down here with her- she took it apart, put it in its box, paid $100 to take it on the plane, and put it back together when she got down here.
Whew, I'm long-winded! Okay, back to physio I go...