Help! Torn between CSU, OSU, and WSU!

[tofur]

Current Vet Students PLEASE help!!

I'm a WICHE-sponsored student from Arizona and have been accepted to Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. I have visited all three vet schools and spend multiple days in each town to decide which school would be best for me, but I am even more torn than before in my decision. I was hoping some students that already go to these schools could give me their opinions or some info/advice. And please be honest! As of now, I basically have no idea what I want to do--maybe small animal specialty, maybe zoo, maybe SA clinical research, but probably not equine or LA. Anyway, this is what I have found for each of the schools:

Colorado: I absolutely LOVE the town of Fort Collins and seems extremely conducive for meeting friends and relieving stress from school, but exactly how much time do you spend going out with friends? Do you think the city you live in is a major PRO for going to CSU or do you hardly ever have time to enjoy it? Also, the class size of ~140 makes me nervous and makes me think that you must have to be really aggressive to get the opportunities you want (jobs included?). Plus, with so many residents/interns, it seems like you would get even LESS exposure/experiences. Also, how do you feel about the exams online that you take based on the "honor system"? That seems a little sketchy to me. I'm sure out of a class that large, there are students that work together and/or use their notes and books, right?? Lastly, how are the staff at the school? The other schools have been extremely helpful/informational and are basically bending over backwards to choose their school. Since CSU is ranked #2 (which by the way, I believe means absolutely nothing and does not come into my decision), do you feel as if the school pays less attention to you? How aggressive are they in WANTING students to succeed, be happy, and experience as many great opportunities as possible. WSU and OSU are offering me additional scholarships ten times the amount that CSU is offering, and I feel that CSU offers practically nothing because they think they are better than the other schools and don't need to. What do you think?

Washington: I really liked the school and how all of the buildings are connected together. I also REALLY liked the staff and faculty. They were super nice and did everything in their power to make my trip eventful. I feel like the class size of ~95 is perfect too. They had me meet with the director of admissions, the dean, and are also offering me a $12,000 scholarship. Since the school is smaller than CSU though, I don't know if there are still as many opportunities available for the students? Because I do not know what I want to do, I want to make sure there are as many opportunities as possible so I can try them out and find what I want to do! And the biggest factor for me: Pullman!! Ahh it is SO small (I am from Tucson) and isolated! I flew in at 7 PM on a Sunday and it was DEAD quiet, like it was 3 AM! It seemed like everything was closed and no one lived there. Even Spokane, which is over an hour drive, seems pretty small to me and gets me depressed-feeling. Although if you feel like as a vet student, you're always in school or studying, the town must not matter much.

Oregon: OMG the new anatomy lab is AWESOME! And since you probably spend so much time in it, it seems like a pretty big factor. It is the most amazing lab I've seen (I visited 9 schools). The facilities are new and beautiful as well. I like the small class size of ~55 because the teachers know you and that will be good for getting residencies, etc. but do you think it's TOO small? OSU lacks many board-certified specialists, research, and probably more--how does that factor in? Do you feel disadvantaged or does OSU do something to still help you tour all fields of VetMed? Also, when I visited Texas, almost 95% of their class is from Texas and I seemed really out of place when I met the students. I didn't get a chance to meet any students from Oregon, but if almost all of their students are from Oregon as well, I feel like I'd be in the same boat. Do a lot of the students drive back to Portland too for the weekends? Then what would I do since everyone leaves?! Biggest factor: RAIN!! 160 days without sunshine?? I feel like I would be clinically depressed! Doesn't the rain de-motivate you to study or even go out?? I guess if you're from Oregon, though, you're used to it. But then again, OSU is offering the biggest scholarship of the three: $16,000 and they had super friendly staff as well and are trying really hard to recruit me.

ANY advice/opinions/personal pros and cons would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thank you SOOOO much!

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[Bill59]

Whichever one is least expensive (tuition + cost of living).

Disregard this if you are already stinking rich.

 

[nohika]

I'd pick WSU because of the scholarship.

 

[DVMDream]

Hello fellow Arizonan here! Glad to see that WICHE worked out for you, Congrats!

Honestly, just from your OP you seem to be really excited about Oregon. You seem to love the class size, the facilities, and the only bad thing is that you have only seen people from a few states. I would not worry about that you will make friends and everything will be just fine. Also, another bonus is that not only did you seem to really like Oregon more from your post but they are offering you the biggest scholarship. IMO, I would say pick Oregon just because it seems like YOU like it better than the other two. Good Luck on your decision and congrats on your acceptances.

ETA: I was born and raised in Phoenix and then moved to Flagstaff. I would not worry too much about the rain or snow or anything. It is something that you adjust to fairly quickly.

 

[ORvetgirl]

I go to Oregon State, and thought I'd put in my two cents (my roommate is giving comments also). We agree, our anatomy lab kicks ass, and as native Oregonians, we are very jealous of your scholarship offer...we don't know of any in-staters who were offered scholarships. I'm from the suburbs of Portland, and I can say quite that those of us from the Portland area do NOT go home on the weekends...there is no time! I'd say most of us have maybe gone home a handful of times at the most, other than over the winter break. Also, since we have a small class size, the percentage of out-of-staters is actually pretty high...I don't think the out of state students feel left-out. As for the weather, well, I'm a native so I can't relate to Arizona whether, but I did do my undergrad in western Mass., and I'll just say that at least it's better than 5-6 months of snow. Plus, at least when it's raining you aren't tempted to go out and do something fun instead of studying. Finally, it's true that we don't have some of the more specific board certified specialists (ophthamalogist, dermatologist, etc.), but if you want to do one of those, you're going to have to do an internal medicine internship first, and you can get letters of rec from people you meet there, or get experience in those fields over the summer.

Overall, I love my state, but I think you should go wherever the cost is lowest unless you're independently wealthy, and wherever you got the best vibe.

 

[Caninerepro]

CSU all the way, but it is a far tougher school. Face it, would you want to live in Ft. Collins for four years (yes), or Pullman, in the middle on nowhere? You will not be working at a job during vet school anywhere. You will be studying.

CSU does not have to recruit you, they are CSU. Yes that is their attitude, and they have earned the right to be that way. Plus they have a bar on campus, and more microbreweries per capita than any other city in the US. You need to be able to relax every once in a while.

Disclosure, I did my BS and MS there.

 

[squeegee]

I've only been at CSU since August but I can give you my impressions...I think it's a great place and could not be happier here. It's nice to have FoCo to hang around in, and depending on how you manage your time there's certainly opportunities to enjoy it. I personally don't go out too too much, but on the other hand there are plenty of people in my class who go snowboarding on the weekends or hang out in Old Town a lot, and they must be doing ok academically because they're still in my class I'm from a pretty urban area originally, and while I don't go out a lot its still nice to know its there if I ever need to escape for a while.

It's true we do have a large class, and I don't really know how the job availability is because of it, but I will say I've heard its pretty difficult to find a job in the vet med field around here. There are lots of students plus the pre-vet undergrads that are looking for experience to get ready and apply, and there's a vet tech school in Denver that kind of saturates the market around here...though I'm pretty busy already and can't really imagine having a job on top of everything!

I admit the honor code testing sounds a little shady, but I feel like everyone pretty much adheres to the policy. Of course there's no real way of knowing what people might do if they're taking the test at home, but really at this point in our education if you feel like you need to cheat in order to pass a class (and miss out on actually learning key info for you career!) you're really only hurting yourself. Plus it will probably bite you when you have to take the capstone

Maybe it doesn't feel like CSU staff is "bending over backwards" to get you to come here, but I will say that if you do choose to come the staff and faculty here are awesome! All the professors I've had are friendly and approachable, they're reponsive when questions arise in class, and they truly work hard to help you make the most out of your time here. Since you sounded interested in the anatomy program at Oregon, I will add that I thought the VCA was a very useful program here and I think it definitely made anatomy less painful than I was anticipating.

So all in all, I enjoy it here and feel like it's a great fit for me personally. But I'm sure you will get a quality education wherever you wind up

 

[tofur]

Finally, it's true that we don't have some of the more specific board certified specialists (ophthamalogist, dermatologist, etc.), but if you want to do one of those, you're going to have to do an internal medicine internship first, and you can get letters of rec from people you meet there, or get experience in those fields over the summer.

Thanks so much for your reply! About the specialties though, I'm more asking about "testing them out" rather than pursuing them. I know that at CSU, they have many specialties that you can rotate through just to see what the field is like and perhaps spark your interest in a certain specialty. How does that work at OSU with only two specialties? What do you do if you want to see what dermatology, ophthalmology, etc. is like?

 

[tofur]

CSU all the way, but it is a far tougher school.

How is CSU tougher than the other vet schools?

 

[BlacKAT33]

How is CSU tougher than the other vet schools?

i think he means harder to get accepted into?

 

[ORvetgirl]

Thanks so much for your reply! About the specialties though, I'm more asking about "testing them out" rather than pursuing them. I know that at CSU, they have many specialties that you can rotate through just to see what the field is like and perhaps spark your interest in a certain specialty. How does that work at OSU with only two specialties? What do you do if you want to see what dermatology, ophthalmology, etc. is like?

Well, we have more than two specialities...off the top of my head, I know we have at least radiology, cardiology, small animal IM, large animal IM, small animal surgery, large animal surgery, pathology, and we're in the process of hiring a new oncologist. In some other fields, such as neurology, while we don't have a board-certified specialist, we do have professors with PhD's in the topic. For anything else, you just set up an externship somewhere else...for example, if you're interested in zoo animal, we have a relationship w/ Wild Life Safari, or you could apply for an externship at the Oregon Zoo. You can also take the initiative to set up visits with specialists over the summer.

 

[Electrophile]

Whichever one is least expensive (tuition + cost of living).

Disregard this if you are already stinking rich.

This.

 

[TSUJC]

Fort Collins is a wonderful place to live, finding a good place to live does make a huge difference. Four years can be a very very long time if you don't like to town you are in.

I was reluctant about the class size as well but I can name almost everyone in my class and to be honest I like having some many people from varied backgrounds. I never feel short changed in class or lab because of our class size, the anatomy lab is huge and we have 4 people per dissection group... just like other schools. Also, I feel that spending 4 years with the same 80 people is harder than spending 4 years with 140 people. However, you are right. Jobs ARE hard to find here. BUT I have more competition from the undergrads than I do from other vet students because pre-vet students will work for free to gain the experience!

The honor code is wonderful! You can take your exam at home in your PJ's. It reduces the anxiety and stress associated with testing. I'm sure there are people that cheat but honestly there are people that cheat in every vet school. When it comes time for the NAVLE it will become apparent that there are some people who didn't take the time to learn the material and that is their problem not yours.

As far as CSU feeling like they are "better" than everyone else…I don't see that here. It is a great school but they aren't as arrogant as some would think. On the other hand I have been to schools that DEFINETLY do think they are "the best"!

Lastly, I have never met a group of professors that care about their students the way our professors do. They put on skits and hilarious presentation. They offer extra help all the time and are extremely approachable. If you come to CSU for no other reason it should be because of their professors.

We have only lost 1 person this year. CSU loves their students and tries very hard to help them succeed. If you fail an exam they will even provide you with a free tutor. They want you to have a good vet school experience and offer you the opportunity to experience all aspects of vet med.

Any school that you go will provide you with a good education, go with your gut. I can only speak for CSU but I am sure the other schools have a lot to offer as well.

 

[TSUJC]

Sorry, double post!

 

[lailanni]

CSU all the way, but it is a far tougher school. Face it, would you want to live in Ft. Collins for four years (yes), or Pullman, in the middle on nowhere? You will not be working at a job during vet school anywhere. You will be studying.

A lot of people do work. Some do only a handful of hours a week, others work much more. I've done approx 12-15 hours a week and been fine. Many students work at the hospital and they're very flexible with the hours. You can also work in research labs, the profs here are very good about that.

 

[Vetinator]

So, which school did you finally decide to matriculate?

I live in Colorado currently, and think that Fort Collins is a great town. I went to CU for undergrad, and really didn't like Boulder at all and still don't. It DOES matter what town you go to, however.

My advice is : don't pick a school in a town that you really don't like. Vet school is hard enough already, and you WILL get time to be human in between tests. There IS a life outside the classroom. In fact, make it a self mandate that you will find that knowledge. Learn to do that while you are in school, and it will be easier when you are out of school.

Also, I agree with most everyone else regarding expense. Pick the cheapest place that is in a location you would actually like to live in for four years (or more). When it comes down to it, and you are sending in your hard earned cash to pay off those student loans, you will be glad you picked the cheaper school. Education wise, you are going to come out a vet. There is so much to learn, you can't retain it all anyway. Vet school will teach you the basics to get you into your first year of practice. That's when you REALLY learn.

I have spent time in Pullman as well. I think the school was fantastic from what I saw during SCAVMA (especially the anatomy department) but yeah, Pullman is pretty boring.

I have a friend at Oregon now that really likes it.

Don't worry so much about deciding what you want to do. That might change during school anyway. However, if you want to be a marine vet, KSU probably isn't your best choice. And down deep, you probably already know where you want to go after school is done. Would you be happy as a GP?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

A lot of people do work. Some do only a handful of hours a week, others work much more. I've done approx 12-15 hours a week and been fine. Many students work at the hospital and they're very flexible with the hours. You can also work in research labs, the profs here are very good about that.

Yup. I worked part time jobs all through vet school, until fourth year of course. Given the right job, it's very doable.

But I agree - the lowest cost should trump (almost) all, especially with the current economy that is likely to remain depressed for a while.

 

[sbdgonzales]

Current Vet Students PLEASE help!!

Washington: I really liked the school and how all of the buildings are connected together. I also REALLY liked the staff and faculty. They were super nice and did everything in their power to make my trip eventful. I feel like the class size of ~95 is perfect too. They had me meet with the director of admissions, the dean, and are also offering me a $12,000 scholarship. Since the school is smaller than CSU though, I don't know if there are still as many opportunities available for the students? Because I do not know what I want to do, I want to make sure there are as many opportunities as possible so I can try them out and find what I want to do! And the biggest factor for me: Pullman!! Ahh it is SO small (I am from Tucson) and isolated! I flew in at 7 PM on a Sunday and it was DEAD quiet, like it was 3 AM! It seemed like everything was closed and no one lived there. Even Spokane, which is over an hour drive, seems pretty small to me and gets me depressed-feeling. Although if you feel like as a vet student, you're always in school or studying, the town must not matter much.

I'm a WSU student... here's my pitch.

I love this school. There is no vet school that is perfect, but I think that WSU does an exceptional job. The prof's care a lot about our success, and for the most part a good teachers. People dis Pullman a lot... but it's been the same at every college town I've been in. It is really quiet here on holiday weekends, and summer/winter break, but there usually is plenty to do. Also, during the spring and summer, this place is awesome. I am also an Arizonan - I don't appreciate the winter weather, but the Palouse in general is incredible.

In terms of experience, I think you can get that here. There are a lot of jobs available, some more competitive than others. I don't know anyone who wants one that has not been able to get one. Also, you don't have to work to go help out in the hospital! We have complete access from day 1: at first you might watch more, but as the doctors and staff learn who you are, they will often invite you to join (for instance, one of my friends spent 4 hours in surgery our first semester after being in the right place at the right time).

Bottom line, it's a great school/region!

 

[twelvetigers]

The OP has presumably chosen a school and is halfway through the first year by now... just pointing out the age of the thread.

(Which everyone may have already noticed anyway )

 

[AHorseOffCourse]

Wanted to put my 2 cents in.

first a disclosure - I know either current students or alumni from all these schools and they are all great in their own way. I too would have a similar problem choosing!!!!!

Except.....I know I have SAD. (seasonal affective disorder). I get really depressed without enough sunshine. Even though I live in CA, if it's an especially long winter, I can get pretty bad. I don't particularly want to take drugs for it if it can be avoided. Based on this, for myself I would chose CO. I find that the rain and "Blahness" of overcast days definitely affects my studying and my motivation to do ANYTHING other than lay in bad and sleep.....

But obviously I'm a one rat study here and your mileage may vary.

 

[AHorseOffCourse]

Ah!!!!! I didn't notice the age of the thread! *sigh*. CAn I blame this on my feeble-mindedness caused by a UCD interview Tuesday?????