UPEI AVC vs Midwestern University C/O 2019

[huevosgood]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting on here and its for a decision that's put me in quite a pickle. I'm a 25yo resident in California and I just recently got accepted into MWU off the waitlist, but I already saved my seat for an offer from UPEI. I'm having trouble deciding which school I should attend. Both campuses are amazing and beautiful in their own ways and I would jump at the chance to live in either area to experience them!

From what I can tell though, the more convenient choice would be MWU simply because its vicinity in AZ is closest to CA and its most similar in weather as well (no chance at being snowed in). Plus the hassle of factoring the conversion change between US to Canadian currency would be removed if I chose MWU.

However, AVC has amazing facilities and I have to admit living in such a different environment from my current setting piques the interests of the adventurer in me! Plus AVC is fully accredited, though I do hear that accreditation for MWU should be considered a practical non-factor. And it offers further education in aquatics, something very enticing for me to look into!

Right now (just based off AAVMC Member Institution Tuition Map http://aavmc.org/tuitionmap.aspx), MWU seems to cost $21k more than AVC for the 4 years.

Any ideas on how I should base my decision for school? (Finances, program opportunities, reputation, etc.)

Any insight or advice would be very appreciated! Thank you so much ahead of time!

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[CalliopeDVM]

MWU seems to cost $21k more than AVC for the 4 years.

Given the exchange rate, going to AVC might save you about US $25,000, as you said......but that's just tuition. The cost of living may be a little higher, but the exchange rate will also apply there. However, it will cost you more to travel back home, but you'll have a very different experience going to school somewhere different. Personally, I'd choose to go to somewhere new, and I'd also choose not to go to a private school whose goal is profit (MWU).

 

[Coquette22]

The exchange rate can burn you too. It's to your benefit right now, but that can change. Also, PEI got 18 feet of snow this past year. That's not normal (it set a record) but it shows that it can happen. I find lots of people who don't have snow love the idea of it until it comes to the reality of living with it day in and day out. Gas and food are more expensive then most places in the USA. Travellling between PEI and California will get very expensive. I am not trying to dissuade you, because AVC is a fantastic school, I'm just trying to make sure you consider all the factors.

 

[that redhead]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting on here and its for a decision that's put me in quite a pickle. I'm a 25yo resident in California and I just recently got accepted into MWU off the waitlist, but I already saved my seat for an offer from UPEI. I'm having trouble deciding which school I should attend. Both campuses are amazing and beautiful in their own ways and I would jump at the chance to live in either area to experience them!

From what I can tell though, the more convenient choice would be MWU simply because its vicinity in AZ is closest to CA and its most similar in weather as well (no chance at being snowed in). Plus the hassle of factoring the conversion change between US to Canadian currency would be removed if I chose MWU.

However, AVC has amazing facilities and I have to admit living in such a different environment from my current setting piques the interests of the adventurer in me! Plus AVC is fully accredited, though I do hear that accreditation for MWU should be considered a practical non-factor. And it offers further education in aquatics, something very enticing for me to look into!

Right now (just based off AAVMC Member Institution Tuition Map http://aavmc.org/tuitionmap.aspx), MWU seems to cost $21k more than AVC for the 4 years.

Any ideas on how I should base my decision for school? (Finances, program opportunities, reputation, etc.)

Any insight or advice would be very appreciated! Thank you so much ahead of time!

I'm from Maryland and just graduated from AVC.

In my mind, none of the pros outweigh the cons when you have an offer of acceptance to a US school. If you have a strong interest in entering aquaculture medicine, it's nice to have a few built in courses on aquaculture and have the facilities and faculty in place to offer support. If you think it's interesting from an academic standpoint, just take an elective rotation during your fourth year for the exposure.

What many people don't realize (and I certainly was among them!) is the inconvenience of living so far away from home. It's hard to understand until you're living it, but everything is different from home, despite all the Canada-US jokes. For example, their Thanksgiving is on our Columbus Day. We don't get American Thanksgiving off, and I felt extremely homesick while away, even though our class put together an American Thanksgiving. It's just not the same. The island itself is a completely different culture from not only the US but many Canadian areas - it's rural, lots of crusty old people stuck in their ways that are awful drivers and really not all that pleasant. Traveling back and forth from PEI to Maryland was super expensive, drawn out and stressful - and I was able to drive if needed! Go check airfare expenses between PEI and your nearest airport back home, look at the times of day you leave and arrive and then consider the fact that your flight could be canceled due to inclement weather. Then consider that your friends, family, SO, etc. may not be able to visit you due to weather, expense, etc. Not to mention that since the island is so tourist-dependent, a huge part of the island's attractions, businesses, etc. close down essentially at the end of September and only re-open at the end of May. It's borderline desolate out there during the winter months.

Setting up a bank account isn't too difficult, but exchanging money all the time is a pain. The exchange rate is in your favor currently, but when I started at AVC (and for most of my four years there), the exchange rate was not at all in my favor. It can change so easily. Costs of food, gas, travel and cell phone plans between US and Canada are extremely high compared to back home.

All in all, I would recommend against attending AVC if you have a US option. I'm happy to answer more specific questions if you want to PM me, too

 

[CalliopeDVM]

What many people don't realize (and I certainly was among them!) is the inconvenience of living so far away from home.

I went to school in Los Angeles from my home in Toronto - and I thought it was great. I didn't find it inconvenient, and while I was happy to move home when I was done, I had no regrets about being far from home or being in a different country for those years. Maybe that's why I'm recommending it -- going that far away for school was a terrific experience.

FWIW, that was for my undergrad degree, but I went to vet school back home.

 

[Coquette22]

LA to Toronto may be less inconvenient than anywhere to PEI. Two major cities are going to be easier to move between. Flights to Charlottetown (and even to Halifax) tend to be limted and therefore expensive and complicated.

 

[that redhead]

I went to school in Los Angeles from my home in Toronto - and I thought it was great. I didn't find it inconvenient, and while I was happy to move home when I was done, I had no regrets about being far from home or being in a different country for those years. Maybe that's why I'm recommending it -- going that far away for school was a terrific experience.

FWIW, that was for my undergrad degree, but I went to vet school back home.

It certainly was an experience - I grew and matured as a person in ways that I hadn't even imagined. I made some of the most amazing friends there. The school itself was wonderful and I feel as though I got a good education. But, most likely because my husband was back home 1200 miles away, I also had many lonely times where I was miserable.

Like Coquette mentioned, LA and Toronto are both big cities and very similar. I went from an urban area to a rural area (and an island at that). There are no international flights between Maryland and PEI during the times of the year you're there, meaning two flights to get home at minimum, sometimes three. Tiny prop planes took me between Toronto and Baltimore. There is a 20hr drive from school to home for me, often in bad weather with poorly plowed roads; sometimes they close the bridge and you can't get on or off the island. The OP is going from an area where there is no snow and it gets ridiculously hot to an area where the summer months barely break 85F and there is tons and tons of snow. Even knowing how to drive in snow when I came to the island, it isn't upkept the way I've been used to and the drivers are awful. I don't know how you addressed your cell phone plan, but I paid an extra $50/mo to get international service in addition to using Skype/Facetime. Gas is Over $4/gal currently (and it's the lowest I've seen since I went to Canada), food is a lot more expensive and flying is expensive because of no international airport. Yes, I matured and all that, but is it really worth it when there are other options?

I don't mean to make it out as "woe is me" but these are very serious considerations for someone considering moving to PEI specifically, not just studying internationally. All of my Canadian friends have told me that PEI is nothing like the rest of Canada, and from my limited time elsewhere in the country, I believe that to be true. If the OP can scratch her travel/adventure itch in another way (such as doing an international trip or rotation during school) I think it would work out better.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

LA to Toronto may be less inconvenient than anywhere to PEI. Two major cities are going to be easier to move between. Flights to Charlottetown (and even to Halifax) tend to be limted and therefore expensive and complicated.

Definitely less inconvenient with respect to transportation to and from home......but still a very different experience in other regards, and I liked (and benefited from) that.

 

[Fly Racing]

Personally, I'd choose to go to somewhere new, and I'd also choose not to go to a private school whose goal is profit (MWU).

Just to clarify, Midwestern is a non-profit. However, they are not state subsidized, so like with any out of state student at other schools, tuition has to cover the expenses of that student since the state isn't funding the difference.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Midwestern is a non-profit.

Thanks for the correction; for some reason, I thought it was part of the DeVry group, like Ross.

 

[battie]

Personally, I'd choose to go to somewhere new, and I'd also choose not to go to a private school whose goal is profit (MWU).

Just to clarify, Midwestern is a non-profit. However, they are not state subsidized, so like with any out of state student at other schools, tuition has to cover the expenses of that student since the state isn't funding the difference.

As far as profit vs non-profit, is there much of a difference at this point, particularly with the way tuition is? In the end, the point of every business is to make money, whether it is a grocery store or a school. I'm not not going to go to a school simply because it is for-profit. Remember, the NFL was a non-profit too, but there was no way their goal wasn't to make money. Some of the state school tuition prices outpace the private school tuitions, particularly for OOS students.