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- Nov 15, 2014
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So of course I've been putting this decision off til the last minute, but now I really need to choose and I need your help. I've been admitted to Illinois for this year, and Penn for next year. I've looked at the "factors for choosing a school" thread, but there's very little in the negatives for Illinois and I was hoping to get some advice based on what was relevant for me. Here's what I'm currently thinking (I'm leaving out pros and cons if they're the same for each school, like lectures being recorded-whoo!):
Penn Pros: Much closer to home (I'm from upstate NY), really cool cases at the SA hospital, a longer history and 'better' name, located in Philadelphia,
Penn Cons: LA hospital is an hour away, I've never lived in a city before, doesn't seem like there's a lot of opportunities to learn/deal with wildlife/exotics, I'd have to wait a year (Big factor!), more expensive, not working with real animals until the third year
Illinois Pros: Everything is in one place (LA/SA), more wildlife opportunities, cheaper cost of living, clinical experience from the first year, seems like a more balanced curriculum in terms of learning about LA/SA/wildlife/etc.
Illinois Cons: Tornadoes (esp. with a cat if I'm not home during a warning), living in the midwest/far from home
And since I tend to stress out about things (and they'll be plenty to stress out about already), which should I be more worried about, crime in Philadelphia or the threat of tornadoes in Illinois (it doesn't even have to be a real tornado, just the possibility of one during bad weather!)?
Thanks for any advice!!
Penn Pros: Much closer to home (I'm from upstate NY), really cool cases at the SA hospital, a longer history and 'better' name, located in Philadelphia,
Penn Cons: LA hospital is an hour away, I've never lived in a city before, doesn't seem like there's a lot of opportunities to learn/deal with wildlife/exotics, I'd have to wait a year (Big factor!), more expensive, not working with real animals until the third year
Illinois Pros: Everything is in one place (LA/SA), more wildlife opportunities, cheaper cost of living, clinical experience from the first year, seems like a more balanced curriculum in terms of learning about LA/SA/wildlife/etc.
Illinois Cons: Tornadoes (esp. with a cat if I'm not home during a warning), living in the midwest/far from home
And since I tend to stress out about things (and they'll be plenty to stress out about already), which should I be more worried about, crime in Philadelphia or the threat of tornadoes in Illinois (it doesn't even have to be a real tornado, just the possibility of one during bad weather!)?
Thanks for any advice!!