Univeristy of Illinois vs Kansas State

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Smileystar5

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I hate to make one of these threads that is so tailored to my interests... but I need so much help! Both OOS, my IS is not an option. I'd really appreciate your thoughts and input!:eek:

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I'm also from Ohio (Elyria/ Rocky River) and OSU was not an option for me. I will be attending KSU next year. I felt a really great vibe there and I'm super excited about it. I felt as though they were really open and have a lot to offer. I do have a friend that will be attending Illinois, but it is her IS. She was also excepted to Kansas but went with her IS due to price and closeness to home. I hope that helps a little!

PS- I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you decide!
 
I am from Illinois, and I got accepted to both schools, as well as Minnesota.
After much deliberation, I am attending Illinois, but primarily because it is my IS, and tuition is much less.
However, I loved Kansas and even MInnesota much more than IL, and since both are OOS for you, it would be the same financial difference.

Both schools have their advantages.

IL has the new clinical skills lab that is great and extremely helpful. Also, the mini rotations are great to get hands on experience in a variety of different fields prior to deciding a track in your 3-4 year. The Champaign-Urbana area is also very nice and resourceful (more so than Manhattan).

KS has nicer people and slightly nicer facilities. And for exotics, they do have a few zoos nearby that frequently send their animals there.


The programs at both schools are going to be the same. So ultimately, it would be a decision between the atmosphere. Both schools have a great, helpful atmosphere, but I felt like the students at KS were a little more friendly.

I just got done deciding between MN and IL, and the ultimate deciding factor for me was the tuition. I truly loved MN and KS, but paying that much money when my IS was an option was just not a smart decision.

Good luck!!
 
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I was thinking I was going to K State but have just been called off the waitlist at U of I which is my IS...I honestly have no idea what to do. I dont want to regret the decision and make the wrong one. HELP
 
Go to Illinois since it's your IS. KSU looks to be a great school (and I'm super excited to be going there), but paying ~$44K a year for 4 years when you can be going to an equally nice school for half that would be silly. Break down the costs for each and then look at it objectively. That would be your best bet.
 
I was thinking I was going to K State but have just been called off the waitlist at U of I which is my IS...I honestly have no idea what to do. I dont want to regret the decision and make the wrong one. HELP
Honestly I would go for the IS option. Both are good vet schools from what I have heard, so I would definitely preffer to save thousands by going in state. If you think you would be unhappy at your IS then by all means you should go to Kstate, but I don't know what you are looking for in a vet school. Congratulations BTW!
 
The way students act during tours and when admins trying to recruit you are different than the way other students are going to act during most of vet school. I don't really believe in "friendlier" schools because all vet students become stressed and difficult at some point (unless they're really amazing people), but I do believe that some cities have different "vibes". Just my $0.02.
 
I can't comment to UI, but my experience at KSU has been good for the most part, as good as I imagine any vet school can be by the end of hell year. I think we do have some really great professors who for the most part are experts in their field and really want us to do well. That may not always translate to "actually" doing well, but that's not the prof's fault - there is just far too much information second year for most mortal minds to really absorb and comprehend. One thing I think is great here which sounds like it might not always be the case at other schools, is how helpful classmates are. There is really no ruthless competition; people are always willing to share information and resources. We have some people who are super on top of everything and put together awesome study guides and send them out to the whole class, and a lot of this stuff gets handed from upper classes to lower.

Assuming costs and location don't make much difference to you, I would just recommend looking at the curriculum and schedule for the four years. It's really hard for that to mean too much to you at this point when you don't really know what the classes are like or how hard they might be, but try to imagine what you'll be taking when, how things will lay out, how tough different semester might be. I think that might be a problem at KSU - and really probably most vet schools, there is just so much to cover in such a vast program in a relatively short time. As long as the DVM degree is what it is, I don't see how it can really be made much better, it's just the nature of the beast. But try to get an idea how the two schools might compare in that regard - are there free blocks during the day or are you in class a solid 8ish hrs everyday, that kind of thing.

I know this isn't the OP's question, but for any of those who do have a choice between IS and OOS... assuming you are not rich and unless there is some very specific program or resource you want at an OOS, you are CRAZY to not take your IS. Any of the vet schools will get you a great education, and with debt loads and dismal salaries, I don't see how anyone could possibly turn down the chance to save probably about $80K on the degree.
 
Do you know what your specific interests are and what you want in veterinary school? I'm attending UIUC this fall but I can tell you a decent amount of what I've learned from current students that I've met.

  • The Wildlife Clinic is a great place to get real world hands on experience. It's entirely student run with some vets to go to for help, but basically if a case comes in, students and other volunteers assess the animal, decide it's treatment plan, and do the treatments. I plan on volunteering there this fall.
  • UIUC's required surgery experience is minimal. In 3rd year and 4th year you do two surgeries (I think you get two surgeries each year, I may be wrong about that, it may be 1+2) . Ideally they try and get each student a spay and a neuter but it doesn't always work out that way.
  • If you want extra surgery experience, the shelter rotation at CCHS is good. There's also a monthly low cost spay/neuter clinic there where 4th year students do the surgeries.
  • The clinical skills lab and extra clinical rotations throughout years 1 to 3 seem to be pretty well liked.
If you want to know something specific, I can try and get more information for you.


Something else to consider - how easily could you get in-state tuition at each school? I know students do it each year at Illinois though I don't know what they do specifically to obtain residency.
 
You won't be able to get IS tuition at K-State, they are big sticklers about that (unfortunately!)

As my classmate up there already mentioned, everyone is super helpful in our class. Nobody competes for grades or anything like that, so it kind of feels like we're all in this together. Some of the professors seem like they share this sentiment, and some of them make it fairly clear they do not. I'm guessing that's the same at every school though.

My lab partner got into her IS (also Illinois) and chose Kansas because she wants to do large animal, which apparently Illinois lacks. If my IS were an option I would take it though, because the debt is ridiculous!!
 
This thread is so funny for me because I was in this same position! Kansas and Illinois were my two top choices and I got into both. My in state in Davis which I got into but I want to go out of state which wont be too much more expensive than in state at Davis (sadly...). I chose Kansas because I feel like the curriculum will be more well-rounded and I want to go into a mixed practice so I need that. I had no idea Illinois is lacking in large animal stuff so I'm glad I dodged that bullet.

I would say your best bet, if the tuitions arent too different for, as in both OOS, is to look at the curriculum and see what you want to get out of it. I wouldn't count on getting in-state at Illinois. They were really reluctant to even talk about it because it is so difficult. You have to have a job where you dedicate quite a few hours to each week. But I guess it would be possible for some people!
 
I had to chose between OKSU and KSU so needless to say, I spent a lot of time going over the school with a fine tooth comb. Their curriculum really is broadly based with a mix of everything. I talked to a few graduates from the program who said their large animal surgery experience was limited, and the vet I work for supposed that may be due to the sharp increase in charges from the large animal side, but along side this, I have heard hundreds of stories of camaraderie and "belonging" from the students at the Vet school. I know quite a few of the students who will be in the KSU class of 2016 and definitely believe they would all make a great support system. I was originally planning on attending there, signed the lease, made the friends, got the jobs, but I don't have finances to support it. Out of state is mean nasty and I'll be saving a considerable chunk of change going to Oklahoma. However, If you decide to go to Kansas, I've already found you a place to live! August lease, no deposit down, $275/mo + 1/3 bills (for your financial planning). :D
 
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