A&M vs Ohio State vs NC State

[htexasapplicant]

Hello everyone!

While I am still waiting to hear back from NC State, I have been fortunate enough to have received acceptance from both Texas A&M and Ohio State. All three of schools have an incredible program; and, regardless of where I end up going, I am looking forward to my next four years. With this being said, I am having an extremely difficult time determining where I want to go. The most obvious choice for me would be to attend Texas A&M University as it is my IS school; however, it's not that simple. Especially considering NC State would roughly equal out to the same total by the end of my four years. On the topic of price, Ohio State now grants IS tuition (plus a $5 fee) to OOS students after their first year. In addition to the cost of attendance, I am also concerned with the location and climate. I have lived in Texas my whole life; therefore, I haven't experience much of a change. I am somewhat looking for a change of pace and would love to hear from different perspectives.

ANY advice is appreciated as this isn't a decision I am taking lightly. Thanks in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Georgethecat]

Congrats on your acceptances!!! I recommend looking at the Cost of Education map. It's great that Ohio State allows for IS tuition rates after year1, but the price for year 1 is STEEP. Tuition for year 1 is $72,923.

Looking at tuition alone, NC State is your cheapest at $106,520, then A&M at $107,275, and then Ohio State at $192,697. Cost of living has a lot of variables, but offhand I'd agree that COL in Raleigh is a good deal more expensive than College Station. But overall the difference in COA between A&M and NC State is less than $10k. The overall difference between A&M and Ohio State is over $80k. An extra $80k is a lot of money.

I'd highly recommend confirming with NC State on how easy it is to receive IS tuition after year 1 and directly confirming costs with each school.

Best of luck in making your decision!

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? - Vet School Bound

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Map is here to help. A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an...

vetschoolbound.org

Financial Resources

vet.osu.edu

 

[PhiloslothicalStudent]

I totally understand where you are coming from, as I am in a similar situation where I have been accepted to TAMU, but also LOVE the OOS schools where I have been accepted. As far as Ohio State goes, it would still be significantly more expensive, their IS tuition is still several thousand more per year, along with 4th year being 50,000+ in tuition alone. Even just 40,000 can make a huge difference on interest and repayment, significantly impacting your life. For me personally, I don’t feel like the extra debt is needed, because regardless of where you go you will end up being a great doctor. NC State is definitely lower cost, so for sure wait to hear from them, but for me between Ohio and Texas, I would stick with Texas. I’m sure others will have other opinions as well!

 

[htexasapplicant]

Congrats on your acceptances!!! I recommend looking at the Cost of Education map. It's great that Ohio State allows for IS tuition rates after year1, but the price for year 1 is STEEP. Tuition for year 1 is $72,923.

Looking at tuition alone, NC State is your cheapest at $106,520, then A&M at $107,275, and then Ohio State at $192,697. Cost of living has a lot of variables, but offhand I'd agree that COL in Raleigh is a good deal more expensive than College Station. But overall the difference in COA between A&M and NC State is less than $10k. The overall difference between A&M and Ohio State is over $80k. An extra $80k is a lot of money.

I'd highly recommend confirming with NC State on how easy it is to receive IS tuition after year 1 and directly confirming costs with each school.

Best of luck in making your decision!

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? - Vet School Bound

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Map is here to help. A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an...

vetschoolbound.org

Financial Resources

vet.osu.edu

Thanks for your response!

In my research, it does seem qualifying for IS tuition in NC is relatively easy! Other the other hand, it does also seem Ohio has a lot of scholarship opportunities which of course receiving enough scholarships to drop the price to meet Texas A&M's cost of living is unlikely but... During the Ohio State Informational Session, it was mentioned they are trying to get to a point where each student gets one year free. While isn't something that I'm holding out for at all, it does seem Ohio State is one of the more progressive schools in offering financial help to their students (Ex. the $5 OOS fee).

I think the biggest question I ask myself is the debate between cost vs happiness. While that is rather cliche, I have been more than impressed with Ohio State, their campus, students, etc. and would hate to let money be the sole determining factor in my decision.

 

[PhiloslothicalStudent]

I think the biggest question I ask myself is the debate between cost vs happiness. While that is rather cliche, I have been more than impressed with Ohio State, their campus, students, etc. and would hate to let money be the sole determining factor in my decision.

I know TAMU mentioned that they were going to have a zoom were we get in interact with current student and have a virtual tour, maybe that will help some? In vet school I believe you will get back what you put in, I’m also from TX and if you want to PM about any of your specific reservations to TAMU I would be happy to chat about it!

 

[Lupin21]

Keep in mind that being close to family is also a positive. You never know if something happens and if you are closer to home, that may be a key factor as much changes over 4 years.

 

[SardonicWit]

I can't say much about Ohio State or NC State (though I do love NC, so I can appreciate the struggle there just geographically!), but if there's anything I can tell you about A&M and/or College Station that might be helpful for you, I'd be happy to help. I can certainly appreciate your dilemma - I've been in Texas for what feels like far too long, and I was incredibly tempted to use vet school as an opportunity to move somewhere new. I ultimately decided to stick with A&M because of some family situations, but there was almost a pang of regret when I accepted my position. Don't get me wrong, I was beyond thrilled to be accepted, and the vet school facilities are unbelievable, but committing to College Station for another four years was a little painful.

That said... I'm glad now I stayed here. There were definitely aspects of other programs that I liked better, and there are things about A&M's that I'm not thrilled about, but I figure there's always a "grass is always greener" mindset. Overall, it really is a fantastic program, the price is great when compared to the alternatives, and to be frank... I don't think I would be able to appreciate a new area while I'm in vet school anyway. The program keeps me SO busy. It's comforting to know that family is close, that I more or less know my way around, and that I don't have to adapt to weather I'm not used to living in, because a lot of days, I think just one. more. thing. that caused me stress would break me. I'd rather save the money and use my breaks to travel. Then I can actually enjoy myself and get a feel for the place.

(Just a side note... A&M is fantastic with scholarships. Basically they have you fill out a rather simple form annually, and someone in the office matches you to available scholarships that are a good "fit." I was fortunate and received enough to cover a good portion of my tuition, and a 2VM friend of mine mentioned that his scholarships increased considerably for second year. I have no idea what is or isn't typical because it's kind of an awkward thing to ask, but just something to consider.)