Reservations about attending WesternU vet

[ChinoandButters]

So I just want to say I'm entirely blessed to be offered a seat to vet school at Western but I do have concerns.
1. debt to income ratio; $300,000 for debt seems almost insane
2. Lack of reputation, the school is unranked due to recently being granted full accreditation. And where are the most recent graduates now?
3. I interviewed at my IS OSU (my dream school!) and sadly was denied--- there's always next year right?
4. Learning style, PBL does sound like it has great benefits, such as promoting independent thought, however this is completely new to me and sounds extremely challenging
5. Would my degree be less respected coming from a private school versus a public school by other professionals?
6. no referral hospital

I just want to make the best decision and any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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[LetItSnow]

So I just want to say I'm entirely blessed to be offered a seat to vet school at Western but I do have concerns.

2. Lack of reputation, the school is unranked due to recently being granted full accreditation. And where are the most recent graduates now?

I would not worry about this one. Western students seem to do just fine. I had one professor - who is part of the COE - comment that Western students can crank out differential lists like nobody's business. So there are certain strengths that Western and/or PBL has. I don't think reputation/respect is something that you should worry about.

The debt ought to be a concern, and yes, there would always be next year at OSU. There's also the chance you don't get in there next year, too, though. Tough call. But that's a lot of debt.

 

[EngrSC]

I work for a doctor that graduated from Western a couple years ago. She's fantastic and no less competent than the other doctors (from Cornell, Davis, Ohio and Penn). The debt though

 

[deleted676737]

Western has been around long enough at this point that I don't think that "lack of reputation" is really much of an issue, if at all. I'd be far, far more worried about the cost at this point. $300k is a lot, especially since you do have an IS that is cheaper. You can always apply to your IS next year but do know that there are absolutely no guarantees in this process and you may still be rejected next year, too. Keep that in mind.

It really comes down to this dilemma... do you go with the acceptance you have in your hands right now and brunt the very real, life-altering debt, or do you re-apply, cognizant of the risk that you may not get in again?

That being said... the costs of applying again for one or even two or three cycles are absolutely minuscule in comparison to the difference in debt. And the extra loans you'd be taking on at Western have the potential to seriously impact your quality of life after school. Really think about it.

 

[twelvetigers]

For most of your concerns, I would brush it off and tell you that it would be fine. However, two of them are worth giving consideration to.

1. PBL is not for everyone. We recently gave someone a very hard time for wanting to apply to schools that offer lots of PBL vs. those that don't despite the additional cost of these schools. In the end, you get the information crammed into your head one way or the other. However, being a person that wants PBL but having to deal with traditional lectures seems like it could be easier than trying to accommodate to PBL if you just want didactic learning.

2. The cost. $300k isn't almost insane... at this point... it may actually be insane. Reeeeeeaaaaally think about it. Don't just brush it off as, "I've been fine eating ramen and having roommates and my car is paid off, I can handle not living like a millionaire while I work and pay off debts." Yeah, no - ramen isn't gonna cut it. Sit down and calculate what your payments would be per month (10 year, 20 year). Then see what the minimum payment would be (assuming that IBR is the route you would need to take after passing out from the previous two numbers) for you to break even - meaning no new debt gained, but no progress made on the loan. Then consider how much extra you would need to put in to make honest progress on paying the loan down. Is it feasible?

I feel like a lot of students with higher debt loads are ending up in situations where they just absolutely can't make any progress paying their loans off. It's scary business.

 

[Coopah]

For $300,000 worth of debt your monthly payments on an average salary of $67k/year would be:

10 year Repayment Plan: $4,031/month with ~$157 left over to pay bills
25 year repayment plan: $2,374/month with ~$1,814 left over to pay bills
IBR: $0-591/month with ~$186,930 to pay in taxes at the end of 25 years
PAYE: $0-394/month with ~$200,445 to pay in taxes at the end of 20 years

Source www.vinfoundation.org

If you can swing it, go for it. If it makes you want to vomit a little bit, you might want to consider a cheaper route. This is not considering any outstanding debt you have from undergrad.

 

[ChinoandButters]

For $300,000 worth of debt your monthly payments on an average salary of $67k/year would be:

10 year Repayment Plan: $4,031/month with ~$157 left over to pay bills
25 year repayment plan: $2,374/month with ~$1,814 left over to pay bills
IBR: $0-591/month with ~$186,930 to pay in taxes at the end of 25 years
PAYE: $0-394/month with ~$200,445 to pay in taxes at the end of 20 years

Source www.vinfoundation.org

If you can swing it, go for it. If it makes you want to vomit a little bit, you might want to consider a cheaper route. This is not considering any outstanding debt you have from undergrad.

Thanks for the link I will definetly crunch the numbers and see how and if I can get that debt figure down (that number was assuming I take out the max but considering the cost of living in CA I assumed I would have to borrow something)

 

[Coopah]

Thanks for the link I will definetly crunch the numbers and see how and if I can get that debt figure down (that number was assuming I take out the max but considering the cost of living in CA I assumed I would have to borrow something)

Good plan, I always crunch the numbers before I decide anything but maybe that's just because math is my first career lol.

 

[Ashgirl]

For $300,000 worth of debt your monthly payments on an average salary of $67k/year would be:

10 year Repayment Plan: $4,031/month with ~$157 left over to pay bills
25 year repayment plan: $2,374/month with ~$1,814 left over to pay bills
IBR: $0-591/month with ~$186,930 to pay in taxes at the end of 25 years
PAYE: $0-394/month with ~$200,445 to pay in taxes at the end of 20 years

Source www.vinfoundation.org

If you can swing it, go for it. If it makes you want to vomit a little bit, you might want to consider a cheaper route. This is not considering any outstanding debt you have from undergrad.

For curiosity sake, what would those numbers be if she got accepted at OSU (which VIN puts at ~$228,000 for CoA)?

To the OP- @Rwwilliams is a Western student and could probably give you her opinion on the matter as well.

 

[rockatiel]

That price tag should be your only reservation, otherwise the school is excellent. I understand it can be tricky to turn down an acceptance but you really need to start weighing the pros and cons of this debt. I mean, my debt will be about $180K (before interest) with no undergrad debt and I'm still scared. I'm waitlisted IS so I totally get it, I didn't put down my deposit until 4 PM on April 15th. It took a long time for me to decide if it was worth it. Heck, after my file review with LSU next week, I may even decide to try again if I was close. Idk.

That said, Ash beat me to it. @Rwwilliams is deifntiely the source for everything Western.

 

[Minnerbelle]

For $300,000 worth of debt your monthly payments on an average salary of $67k/year would be:

10 year Repayment Plan: $4,031/month with ~$157 left over to pay bills

Who says you get ~$4200 take home pay with a salary of 67k?

I'm on prosal and my base salary of $80k leaves me with just under $4200 per month take home pay...

I think those calculations are a little optimistic esp if you live where there are state taxes.

I think my first job with a 70k salary had me at $3400-3500 take home per month.


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[DVMDream]

Who says you get ~$4200 take home pay with a salary of 67k?

I'm on prosal and my base salary of $80k leaves me with just under $4200 per month take home pay...

I think those calculations are a little optimistic esp if you live where there are state taxes.

I think my first job with a 70k salary had me at $3400-3500 take home per month.


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Is that $4200 post taxes and health insurance and other things, like 401k?

 

[Minnerbelle]

Is that $4200 post taxes and health insurance and other things, like 401k?

Yes to both, but the vin calculator also assumes a tax of 25%.

One thing to consider is that people are going on their spouse's health insurance or going through the marketplace, that has to come out of their paycheck too. So there's more that come out than just taxes.

Even then, I'm looking at my paycheck and it's off from the vin calculator. The calculator is telling me I should have $5000 per month of post-tax pay with my salary. If I exclude the $300 per month I have deducted for my health insurance and HSA, my actual amount paid post tax is $4500. That's 10% less than the calculator.


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[DVMDream]

Yes to both, but the vin calculator also assumes a tax of 25%.

One thing to consider is that people are going on their spouse's health insurance or going through the marketplace, that has to come out of their paycheck too. So there's more that come out than just taxes.

Even then, I'm looking at my paycheck and it's off from the vin calculator. The calculator is telling me I should have $5000 per month of post-tax pay with my salary. If I exclude the $300 per month I have deducted for my health insurance and HSA, my actual amount paid post tax is $4500. That's 10% less than the calculator.


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Yeah, I've been calculating my tax at around 28% since I've felt the Vin calculator to be off. My health insurance cost is ~$100 per month. I definitely get a less per month amount when I calculate compared to the Vin calculator. I'm kind of waiting to see how my first few paychecks come out to be to see if I was at all close in my estimates.

 

[cowgirla]

Who says you get ~$4200 take home pay with a salary of 67k?

I'm on prosal and my base salary of $80k leaves me with just under $4200 per month take home pay...

I think those calculations are a little optimistic esp if you live where there are state taxes.

I think my first job with a 70k salary had me at $3400-3500 take home per month.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

This.
My salary is more than 70K and I don't bring home $4200/month. Don't forget the taxes, peoples.

 

[Coopah]

Who says you get ~$4200 take home pay with a salary of 67k?

I'm on prosal and my base salary of $80k leaves me with just under $4200 per month take home pay...

I think those calculations are a little optimistic esp if you live where there are state taxes.

I think my first job with a 70k salary had me at $3400-3500 take home per month.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Yes that is an excellent point, unfortunately I do not believe I can edit the taxes they calculate. It also varies a lot by state. In NH there is no state income tax, while my husband works in MA and he gets an additional 10% or whatever taken off the top. So yeah, be warned taxes will screw you over.

 

[Jess Monster]

Did you do a file review at OSU (Ohio State, I assume)?

 

[ChinoandButters]

Did you do a file review at OSU (Ohio State, I assume)?

Yes. They told me I lost the most points from my interview. They said it was average and it needed to be excellent. They also recommended that I gain more diversity in my vet experience. I have an externship lined up at an equine referral hospital in August. And I planned on getting a management job to obtain more leadership.

 

[Jess Monster]

Yes. They told me I lost the most points from my interview. They said it was average and it needed to be excellent. They also recommended that I gain more diversity in my vet experience. I have an externship lined up at an equine referral hospital in August. And I planned on getting a management job to obtain more leadership.

I want to say improving interviewing skills is easy, but I've also interviewed at OSU twice now and know firsthand how the time of day and the interviewers chosen can influence the outcome of the interview greatly (i.e. you might not have any actual deficit in your interviewing abilities, just luck of the draw).

If I were a first time applicant, younger, and in a similar position, I would reapply. If I didn't get into OSU, maybe I would get into a different school out of state that still had a cheaper tuition rate than Western. If you were to do that, just know that Western is off the table now indefinitely and you need to identify schools with COA's that are more agreeable to you.

 

[BeamingLight]

I find it interesting that no one has addressed @ChinoandButters 's concern with point# 6-- no teaching/referral hospital. Unless someone can explain otherwise, you're not going to have access to the same complex cases and state of the art equipment that a teaching hospital provides. Relying on private practices to teach sounds like a concerning model. Isn't that one of the biggest critiques of SGU and St. Kitts?

 

[Lab Vet]

I find it interesting that no one has addressed @ChinoandButters 's concern with point# 6-- no teaching/referral hospital. Unless someone can explain otherwise, you're not going to have access to the same complex cases and state of the art equipment that a teaching hospital provides. Relying on private practices to teach sounds like a concerning model. Isn't that one of the biggest critiques of SGU and St. Kitts?

Veterinary school trains you to be an entry level practitioner. It's pretty awesome to see a CT and MRI in action, but very few private practices will have these tools at their disposal. The goal of veterinary school is to teach you to think like a doctor (developing differential diagnosis lists, using diagnostics correctly (i.e. have a reason for choosing to do an MRI- not doing it simply because you can). Teaching hospitals are awesome- it's fascinating to see the complex cases that come through a tertiary referral facility. That being said, you can still become an excellent entry level practitioner without them. In fact, that is one of the criticisms of teaching hospitals in general- students relying on complicated technology that won't be available to them when they graduate. I attend a school with a teaching hospital, so can't comment on the distributive model of teaching employed by Western, etc. I do know, however, that this school has produced some fantastic veterinarians. They must be doing something right

 

[Doktor Timo]

Veterinary school trains you to be an entry level practitioner. It's pretty awesome to see a CT and MRI in action, but very few private practices will have these tools at their disposal. The goal of veterinary school is to teach you to think like a doctor (developing differential diagnosis lists, using diagnostics correctly (i.e. have a reason for choosing to do an MRI- not doing it simply because you can). Teaching hospitals are awesome- it's fascinating to see the complex cases that come through a tertiary referral facility. That being said, you can still become an excellent entry level practitioner without them. In fact, that is one of the criticisms of teaching hospitals in general- students relying on complicated technology that won't be available to them when they graduate. I attend a school with a teaching hospital, so can't comment on the distributive model of teaching employed by Western, etc. I do know, however, that this school has produced some fantastic veterinarians. They must be doing something right

Fair, but what if you're interested in specialty medicine? I would have a very hard time deciding that I want to pursue a residency if I've never even been exposed to that field during my education. Schools with no hospital can probably do a fine job producing good general practitioners, but that's not everybody's goal.

 

[Lab Vet]

Fair, but what if you're interested in specialty medicine? I would have a very hard time deciding that I want to pursue a residency if I've never even been exposed to that field during my education. Schools with no hospital can probably do a fine job producing good general practitioners, but that's not everybody's goal.

I'm committed to specialization post-graduation (I'm a lab animal person). I would argue that it's the student's commitment that makes the inroads to a field of specialization, not the presence of the technology (or even the specialists themselves, on premises). All vet schools permit students to travel off-site for rotations. Western (and I'm guessing LMU) permits this in spades- far more than my own institution does. I agree with your statement in relation to students who aren't clear on what they want to do when they graduate. Exposure to specialists and 'cool tech' could certainly turn the tables for an individual choosing between career paths. I also think, however, that this exposure can be gained via alternative routes. I'd guess that the students at Western have the option to rotate at some pretty fantastic referral hospitals- including academic centers- if that is their interest. It's commitment that will make a difference in a student's entre to a given specialty. @Rwwilliams - care to chime in here?

 

[StartingoverVet]

So I just want to say I'm entirely blessed to be offered a seat to vet school at Western but I do have concerns.
1. debt to income ratio; $300,000 for debt seems almost insane
Not much to say here. It is obvious on its face.

2. Lack of reputation, the school is unranked due to recently being granted full accreditation. And where are the most recent graduates now?
Ranking is irrelevant. Reputation, as much as some want to completely deny it, can have a small impact, but it is admittedly pretty small. It is mostly about you. Western's reputation is fine as far as I have heard these days anyway. Life is what you make of it.

3. I interviewed at my IS OSU (my dream school!) and sadly was denied--- there's always next year right?
Why do you think next year will be any better? Be honest.

4. Learning style, PBL does sound like it has great benefits, such as promoting independent thought, however this is completely new to me and sounds extremely challenging
Too much is made of this. PBL is a long-standing reputable way of learning. Most law schools use, many business schools use it, more and more medical schools do as well. The fact of the matter is, it is much more suited to learning at professional school than didactic IMO, and I would have avoided it while applying, but changed my mind afterwards. You will learn just fine.

5. Would my degree be less respected coming from a private school versus a public school by other professionals?
Huh? Now you are just making things up aren't you? Really not an issue.

6. no referral hospital
Yeah, but you will get exposed to so many different types of cases in your rotations anyway.... it might even be better for a general practitioner. Referral hospitals are great for interns and residents, and just "nice" for vet students, IMO.

I just want to make the best decision and any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Trying to make the "best" decision is paralyzing in my experience. Just make an informed decision, and live with the downsides.... they will never be perfect cause we don't have perfect info and everything has drawbacks in life.

 

[ChinoandButters]

@Lab Vet and @StartingoverVet have good points about the referral hospital providing the most benefits to students interested in specialties. I am actually interested in mixed animal and have no desire to specialize, although I know this can change. The reason why I was worried about private schools being less respected is I shadowed a vet who told me he would never hire someone who went to the Caribbean. It's good to know this isn't common belief.

 

[deleted498041]

I don't really have time to provide much insight, sorry guys. You can feel free to PM me if you have questions on anything specific and I'll make an effort to give you a well thought out answer. I think everything that's necessary has been addressed. My debt load is not going to be $300k when I graduate, but it is going to be significant. It's a real concern and should not be taken lightly.

I really dislike PBL at this point and I feel as though there are definitely gaps in my knowledge but I think you wind up doing just fine. I, personally, think I worked SO much harder than students at traditional schools to get to the same point. Others can feel free to disagree with me. I was in class for the same amount of time as students at other schools but I still had to go home and look up the information I didn't know, learn it, and then find time to actually study it. I think I have a bit of a competitive edge as a result -- I definitely know more resources in greater detail than other students and I may be faster at finding the answer than other students. I don't know if that winds up being a worthwhile trade off.

The lack of the teaching hospital hasn't made a big difference in my education.

 

[deleted498041]

I'm committed to specialization post-graduation (I'm a lab animal person). I would argue that it's the student's commitment that makes the inroads to a field of specialization, not the presence of the technology (or even the specialists themselves, on premises). All vet schools permit students to travel off-site for rotations. Western (and I'm guessing LMU) permits this in spades- far more than my own institution does. I agree with your statement in relation to students who aren't clear on what they want to do when they graduate. Exposure to specialists and 'cool tech' could certainly turn the tables for an individual choosing between career paths. I also think, however, that this exposure can be gained via alternative routes. I'd guess that the students at Western have the option to rotate at some pretty fantastic referral hospitals- including academic centers- if that is their interest. It's commitment that will make a difference in a student's entre to a given specialty. @Rwwilliams - care to chime in here?

Yeah, we actually have the option to rotate at other universities... I've spent 90% of my time in specialty hospitals with those fun toys like CT and MRI.

 

[deleted498041]

Fair, but what if you're interested in specialty medicine? I would have a very hard time deciding that I want to pursue a residency if I've never even been exposed to that field during my education. Schools with no hospital can probably do a fine job producing good general practitioners, but that's not everybody's goal.

According to faculty members, we have more students pursuing post-graduate education and specialization than at other schools they've worked at. Obviously there's no hard and fast data behind that but we definitely do have a lot of graduates in a lot of fields. Schools with no hospital also do a fine job of producing specialists.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

I find it interesting that no one has addressed @ChinoandButters 's concern with point# 6-- no teaching/referral hospital. Unless someone can explain otherwise, you're not going to have access to the same complex cases and state of the art equipment that a teaching hospital provides. Relying on private practices to teach sounds like a concerning model. Isn't that one of the biggest critiques of SGU and St. Kitts?

On the other hand, it might actually be better not to see the complex cases and state of the art equipment.......after all, most students will graduate to jobs where they won't see many complex cases (and those they do see, they won't likely work on), and most of them won't have state of the art equipment. They might actually be better served by working on more "average" clinical cases in 4th year........provided that those outside clinics are properly vetted for at least "good" quality medicine. I would rather have spent more time seeing blocked cats (didn't see one until 4 months after graduation) or anal gland abscesses than being the 3rd assistant in an orthopedic surgery or watching an ophthalmic exam from the shadows.

 

[allygator13]

I find it interesting that no one has addressed @ChinoandButters 's concern with point# 6-- no teaching/referral hospital. Unless someone can explain otherwise, you're not going to have access to the same complex cases and state of the art equipment that a teaching hospital provides. Relying on private practices to teach sounds like a concerning model. Isn't that one of the biggest critiques of SGU and St. Kitts?

Us Caribbean kids do our fourth year rotations at stateside schools, so we will have access to all the fun toys and specialists in fourth year as US students do.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Fair, but what if you're interested in specialty medicine? I would have a very hard time deciding that I want to pursue a residency if I've never even been exposed to that field during my education. Schools with no hospital can probably do a fine job producing good general practitioners, but that's not everybody's goal.

Then you make the time to discover what you want to do, and even then it might not be served by "complex cases" and state of the art equipment. Some want to specialize in behaviour, or poultry, or parasitology, for instance. Don't expect schools to offer everything to everybody -- and most vets will still end up in GP clinical positions (regardless of species).

 

[StartingoverVet]

On the other hand, it might actually be better not to see the complex cases and state of the art equipment.......after all, most students will graduate to jobs where they won't see many complex cases (and those they do see, they won't likely work on), and most of them won't have state of the art equipment. They might actually be better served by working on more "average" clinical cases in 4th year........provided that those outside clinics are properly vetted for at least "good" quality medicine. I would rather have spent more time seeing blocked cats (didn't see one until 4 months after graduation) or anal gland abscesses than being the 3rd assistant in an orthopedic surgery or watching an ophthalmic exam from the shadows.

Well stated. Many of the vets I have met complained that too many students coming out of schools like Penn, Davis, etc. are so used to seeing the exceptions that they aren't very good at getting to the obvious right away. A referral hospital like Penn is amazing for residents, and is a great education for the vets coming out of it, but is really nothing like a typical private practice, which is why they add stuff like "community practice" rotation to at least get some level of experience at a more normal level.

 

[katezebra]

Something else to consider.... The school is just outside Los Angeles. If you haven't spent much time in Southern California, you may not realize how much of an impact traffic will have on your life! This relates to the fact that there is no referral hospital, because you will need to drive to those locations where you'll be doing clinical work. When I was there for my interview, they said some of these places were in San Diego. That's a 2-hour drive without traffic, and could easily turn into 4 hours with LA traffic. Just something to think about... may not be a deal-breaker for you, but to me (combined with other concerns I had about the school) it wasn't worth it.

OP - In terms of the PBL, did you do the mock PBL session during your interview? How did you feel about it? I would ask Rwwilliams the same question and see if she felt like the mock session gave her a good idea of what to really expect.

 

[EngrSC]

Something else to consider.... The school is just outside Los Angeles. If you haven't spent much time in Southern California, you may not realize how much of an impact traffic will have on your life! This relates to the fact that there is no referral hospital, because you will need to drive to those locations where you'll be doing clinical work. When I was there for my interview, they said some of these places were in San Diego. That's a 2-hour drive without traffic, and could easily turn into 4 hours with LA traffic. Just something to think about... may not be a deal-breaker for you, but to me (combined with other concerns I had about the school) it wasn't worth it.

Truth. I lived in Los Angeles for 14 years and let me tell you, you don't get anywhere quickly. Would I ever move to Los Angeles/San Bernardino/Orange County? Not a chance in hell.

 

[deleted498041]

Something else to consider.... The school is just outside Los Angeles. If you haven't spent much time in Southern California, you may not realize how much of an impact traffic will have on your life! This relates to the fact that there is no referral hospital, because you will need to drive to those locations where you'll be doing clinical work. When I was there for my interview, they said some of these places were in San Diego. That's a 2-hour drive without traffic, and could easily turn into 4 hours with LA traffic. Just something to think about... may not be a deal-breaker for you, but to me (combined with other concerns I had about the school) it wasn't worth it.

OP - In terms of the PBL, did you do the mock PBL session during your interview? How did you feel about it? I would ask Rwwilliams the same question and see if she felt like the mock session gave her a good idea of what to really expect.

You're not wrong, you're just slightly misinformed. Yes, we have rotation sites in San Diego but those are for fourth year. During third year, if you are more than 60 miles away from the school for a rotation, then the school puts you up in a hotel. If you have to go out of state, they put you up in a hotel and provide a car. That being said, the driving can still suck. I had a small animal rotation last year that took me an hour to get there and an hour to get home despite only being 20-some miles away.

No, the mock session is not a good idea of what to expect but I think they do the mock sessions differently now than when I interviewed.

 

[BeamingLight]

Truth. I lived in Los Angeles for 14 years and let me tell you, you don't get anywhere quickly. Would I ever move to Los Angeles/San Bernardino/Orange County? Not a chance in hell.

Where'd you live? I'm from Claremont/Pomona! Lived there for 18 years, TERRIBLE traffic.

 

[DVMDream]

You're not wrong, you're just slightly misinformed. Yes, we have rotation sites in San Diego but those are for fourth year. During third year, if you are more than 60 miles away from the school for a rotation, then the school puts you up in a hotel. If you have to go out of state, they put you up in a hotel and provide a car. That being said, the driving can still suck. I had a small animal rotation last year that took me an hour to get there and an hour to get home despite only being 20-some miles away.

No, the mock session is not a good idea of what to expect but I think they do the mock sessions differently now than when I interviewed.

Hotels and cars on the school's dime or as an addition to your student loans?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

Yes. They told me I lost the most points from my interview. They said it was average and it needed to be excellent. They also recommended that I gain more diversity in my vet experience. I have an externship lined up at an equine referral hospital in August. And I planned on getting a management job to obtain more leadership.

Did they mention anything about GPA?

 

[VetMedVetMed]

I want to say improving interviewing skills is easy, but I've also interviewed at OSU twice now and know firsthand how the time of day and the interviewers chosen can influence the outcome of the interview greatly (i.e. you might not have any actual deficit in your interviewing abilities, just luck of the draw).

If I were a first time applicant, younger, and in a similar position, I would reapply. If I didn't get into OSU, maybe I would get into a different school out of state that still had a cheaper tuition rate than Western. If you were to do that, just know that Western is off the table now indefinitely and you need to identify schools with COA's that are more agreeable to you.

This is very true, "how the time of day and the interviewers chosen can influence the outcome of the interview greatly (i.e. you might not have any actual deficit in your interviewing abilities, just luck of the draw". To: @ChinoandButters, were you waitlisted at Ohio or rejected after your interview? I interviewed there as well, and I am someone who normally always does really well during interviews. Every job I have ever applied for I have gotten. So when I had my interview, I was very disappointed because I just could not connect with my interviewers, and they were very serious. For some reason I could not get through to them. Two friends of mine had different interviewers (who were very relaxed, easy going and asked completely different questions than what I had). I felt it was very unfair, and sometimes things like that happen. In the end, I am glad since now I will be able to apply to every school (theoretically) now having all of my prereqs done. It was also the only school I applied to, so now I'll have a true chance of applying to a bunch!

What other schools did you apply to, and did you receive interviews at any other schools besides Ohio?

Being in LA with traffic is not that bad (although I am from a major city originally so maybe I am just forever used to it haha). You honestly get used to it and having the beautiful weather all year round honestly makes up for it. The thing you should think about is that that price you listed is just for tuition. Living in SoCal (even Pomona which is not too close to LA) is expensive. Much more than a lot of other schools's areas.

The other thing I wanted to mention is, if you do choose to decline your offer at Western and reapply this year, every single school you apply to will know you declined an acceptance because this is one of the questions they ask on VMCAS. I am not saying every single school will care, but some could see that as a lack of commitment. If this is the case and you decline, they'll see it on vmcas, and you''ll have to explain WHY you declined in your application. If you don't bring it up at all, that will definitely be a red flag. If you can make it into a really good reason for declining, schools may be ok with it. If you do reapply, I would consider applying to a lot of other schools to increase your chances of getting in elsewhere. Yes they will not be OSU, but most of them are still cheaper than Western when you factor in cost of living.

 

[emlady09]

Currently living in the area. Traffic is absolutely horrible all the time! And I've lived my whole life in southern ca. If you like sitting in your car and can entertain yourself for a good amount of time then maybe you can handle it. I can't wait to move away from here!
About Western itself....I currently work for a vet that graduated from there and she is the best! I also work with a 2nd year that used to work for us before vet school and comes back in the summer she is awesome as well and enjoys the school. So I would say they produce quality vets just like any other school in the country. Your biggest concern should be the debt load (don't forget COL here is expensive!) and whether you can adjust to living in CA if you've never lived here before. My two cents...

 

[ChinoandButters]

They said my GPA was fine. I have decided to attend Western. I am aware of the challenges ahead and I must make the best of the opportunities that have been presented. As a first generation college student this is an amazing offer. And the bottom line is would I be more upset if I don't attend my first choice school or if I never go to vet school? The answer for me was obvious. The debt is scary no doubt but I will do everything in my power to reduce the deficit. I appreciate everyone's advice it definitely aided in my choice. I hope this helps other students as well.


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[emlady09]

They said my GPA was fine. I have decided to attend Western. I am aware of the challenges ahead and I must make the best of the opportunities that have been presented. As a first generation college student this is an amazing offer. And the bottom line is would I be more upset if I don't attend my first choice school or if I never go to vet school? The answer for me was obvious. The debt is scary no doubt but I will do everything in my power to reduce the deficit. I appreciate everyone's advice it definitely aided in my choice. I hope this helps other students as well.


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Congrats and good luck!

 

[deleted498041]

Hotels and cars on the school's dime or as an addition to your student loans?

For third year it's on their dime. For fourth year, it's on you. This is because they expect that you plan the bulk of your fourth year rotations around one location and where you want to practice when you graduate... Which doesn't work out for me because of how little we offer in the states I'm interested in. It's all well and good when the school tells you they offer X amount of rotations in a certain state but I've probably had 20% of the sites I've contacted actually respond to me, so that's disheartening.
Another thing to consider for students hoping to plan their fourth year to save a big chunk of money while being away from California: you have to do core rotations in California or Arizona which means two one month stints out there. You're also supposed to be spend a week out there in November before boards and then the whole week of graduation. That's flights, hotels, and a car all on your budget.

 

[EngrSC]

Where'd you live? I'm from Claremont/Pomona! Lived there for 18 years, TERRIBLE traffic.

Glendora and Pasadena! Would you ever move back?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

They said my GPA was fine. I have decided to attend Western. I am aware of the challenges ahead and I must make the best of the opportunities that have been presented. As a first generation college student this is an amazing offer. And the bottom line is would I be more upset if I don't attend my first choice school or if I never go to vet school? The answer for me was obvious. The debt is scary no doubt but I will do everything in my power to reduce the deficit. I appreciate everyone's advice it definitely aided in my choice. I hope this helps other students as well.


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It was your first application try? And you chose 300k of debt rather than have a second go for in-state and half that debt? Did you really look at those payment calculators? Not getting in your first time is not equivalent to never getting in.

Wow. I mean, what's done is done, but you will need some serious (as in professional) financial planning. Not some generic "it will be hard but I can persevere attitude". That won't cut it with 300k of debt and a 65k starting salary.

 

[ChinoandButters]

When I did the math my IS was only about 60k less not half (still significant tho!) than Western. And the surrounding state schools were about equal to the debt load if not more. Not to mention it can be more difficult getting in OOS. I plan on pursuing the vet loan repayment act among other scholarships as well as working. I have worked 2 jobs my entire undergrad so working is not foreign to me. Financial counseling is a great idea though. I am sure I could use it.


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[BeamingLight]

Glendora and Pasadena! Would you ever move back?

Nice. I sang in a children's choir in Glendora when I was in elementary school. Pasadena is sweet. Umm, I will probably never move back to SoCal. I really miss it, but my S.O. isn't a fan and I think there are many other cool places to live that are less crowded and not prone to collapse from a big earthquake or a tsunami.

 

[battie]

When I did the math my IS was only about 60k less not half (still significant tho!) than Western. And the surrounding state schools were about equal to the debt load if not more. Not to mention it can be more difficult getting in OOS. I plan on pursuing the vet loan repayment act among other scholarships as well as working. I have worked 2 jobs my entire undergrad so working is not foreign to me. Financial counseling is a great idea though. I am sure I could use it.

Yeah, but that 60K would have also saved you the 6.8% interest per year (that's $4080 in interest alone the first year that you'll have to pay extra).

As for the working, many of us worked through undergrad as well. I did the whole 2 job thing too. But first semester of vet school, I'm not taking an elective or working a single job cause vet school will be nothing like undergrad and I'm going to not risk not adjusting well. Some people on here do work (one I can think of works a lot), but the consensus seems to be 5-10 hours a week. I wouldn't rely on working helping out beyond maybe paying for part of your rent, you monthly food, or your nights out.

I can see both perspectives with what you're saying and what WTF was saying, though I lean towards WTF's perspective here. If you had an average or better for everything across the board, there's the potential you could re-evaluate what schools you applied to. Yeah, getting in OOS with Oregon is pretty darn hard because there's, what, 18 OOS students out of a class of 80ish? Likewise, Kansas and Illinois aren't too bad because half their class (give or take) is OOS. I get taking what you can get. I was only accepted to 1 OOS this year. But on the other hand, my GPAs make it difficult to get accepted anywhere.[/QUOTE]

 

[rockatiel]

Yeah, but that 60K would have also saved you the 6.8% interest per year (that's $4080 in interest alone the first year that you'll have to pay extra).

As for the working, many of us worked through undergrad as well. I did the whole 2 job thing too. But first semester of vet school, I'm not taking an elective or working a single job cause vet school will be nothing like undergrad and I'm going to not risk not adjusting well. Some people on here do work (one I can think of works a lot), but the consensus seems to be 5-10 hours a week. I wouldn't rely on working helping out beyond maybe paying for part of your rent, you monthly food, or your nights out.

I can see both perspectives with what you're saying and what WTF was saying, though I lean towards WTF's perspective here. If you had an average or better for everything across the board, there's the potential you could re-evaluate what schools you applied to. Yeah, getting in OOS with Oregon is pretty darn hard because there's, what, 18 OOS students out of a class of 80ish? Likewise, Kansas and Illinois aren't too bad because half their class (give or take) is OOS. I get taking what you can get. I was only accepted to 1 OOS this year. But on the other hand, my GPAs make it difficult to get accepted anywhere.

Oregon has a class of like 50 with 16 OOS. with not doing interviews, it's tough to get in.

I sympathize with both of you obviously because my IS waitlisted me. I was pretty far down too apparently, because it did move some. And in my file review they said my chances next year purely hinged on the competitiveness of the rest of the pool. Basically, I was competitive, but there were people that were even better. I was stuck because the quantative way my school does things, and there's nothing I could really improve on to boost my chances. I didn't need to retake classes, my folder review went great, my interview was good... At most I could've retaken the gre, but even then, that wouldn't gain a lot of points. I'm attending an OOS that lands on the cheaper side but not a day goes by that I dont worry about finances.

 

[battie]

Oregon has a class of like 50 with 16 OOS. with not doing interviews, it's tough to get in.

Yeah, applied there this year. Poor life choice in hindsight. I definitely thought they had more than that as a class, but I could be thinking of another school, too.