Absolute FAVORITE School

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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designerVet

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  1. Veterinary Student
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We need to burn time!! Let's start a new thread.

Of all the schools you interviewed at (even if it was only one), which one is your favorite? ... so far.


mine...
University of MN. (still waiting to hear from TN).
 
MN for me too. Very friendly people, love the curriculum.
 
I think Miss. State was my favorite, with Michigan State a close second.
 
Mississippi, with Purdue a close second.
 
I interviewed at Kansas, Western and Minnesota.

My favorite: Minnesota! Beautiful campus in the metropolitan area ... students and professors super nice and friendly.. I really hope I get into Minnesota. Would definitely be a dream come true!
 
Davis - sunny, brilliant, great town, great resources.

I also really did like Cornell, although sometimes I feel like I'm in the minority about that!
 
hoodle said:
I also really did like Cornell, although sometimes I feel like I'm in the minority about that!
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I loved Cornell too. It was a dream come true for me and way above my expectations!
 
glasgow all the way....they were so laid back & friendly....i even got to explain guitar hero to one of the interviewers...it was classic.
 
MN for sure! But... I'm biased! 😀

Love the new Equine Center though! Hopefully I will get to take advantage of the state of the art tech as a student!!!
 
Iowa State. I'm probably biased because it was the first school I interviewed at. 😛 The faculty/students were SO friendly (the DEAN scraped ice off of my car windshield!), the atmosphere was so laid back, everything seemed really organized, and they're building all new facilities. I grew up down south in a really urban area, so a colder climate and rural area sounds appealing, too!
 
Despite it being located in something of a s***hole, I really liked the vibe at Western and definitely came away the most positively influenced by my visit to that campus! C'mon Western!! You want me!!!
😉
 
nyanko said:
Oh yeah, you weren't at the orientation where it rained all day! :laugh:

It rains for a week straight or so every once in awhile in the winter. Just don't be shocked if you come here and find that out. 🙂
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's alright - I'm from seattle. I don't melt. 😎
 
hoodle said:
's alright - I'm from seattle. I don't melt. 😎
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haha yeah that'll do it!

I moved here from Florida and everyone from SoCal complained about the rain up here when I told them where I was moving. This is nothing compared to a Florida summer (or even Pittsburgh, where I'm originally from, year round) and I'm sure it's nothing compared to Seattle either. 😛

It's just the fair warning I think everyone should get cause a lot of times when people think of CA they're like "ooh it must be so nice and sunny there!" and I'm like "no I'm freezing and wet from riding my bike in the rain thanks!" :laugh:
 
good luck on your interview, nyanko!
 
nyanko said:
Oh yeah, you weren't at the orientation where it rained all day! :laugh:

It rains for a week straight or so every once in awhile in the winter. Just don't be shocked if you come here and find that out. 🙂
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While it did rain for orientation and all through the weekend, it was sunny and beautiful today for my interview! I found myself with a huge grin on my face when I looked out at the courtyard outside Valley and saw students sitting outside studying...in February! I really hope the adcom agrees that Davis is the place for me.
 
For me its Florida. Ive gone here for 4 years of undergrad and I just plain love the atmosphere. Its a big school which makes it like a city within a city. All types of people, everyone is crazy about sports which makes for great school spirit, we get great concerts that come here. Just love it!
 
pupsforseeing said:
While it did rain for orientation and all through the weekend, it was sunny and beautiful today for my interview! I found myself with a huge grin on my face when I looked out at the courtyard outside Valley and saw students sitting outside studying...in February! I really hope the adcom agrees that Davis is the place for me.
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I was on campus today as well to meet with my student host. It's a little chilly for me but yeah, bright and sunny. 🙂

And thanks hoodle! I go in at 1 pm tomorrow, first one after lunch. 😱
 
VMRCVM for me!--I'm a little biased, but they made me feel that I "fit in" long before I applied. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging. Auburn was great too. They are my close second. Illinois was OK. Cornell (I didn't apply there) was OK. Penn (Didn't apply there, and never would) were terrible! Admission person was EXTREMELY rude. She told me that my GPA didn't mean anything to her and that my school was less competitive than what they want and it was a very big indicator of EVERYTHING that I've done in life apparently. It's not a big deal: I can handle that, but it's THE WAY she said it. I scheduled that appointment 2 months in advance AND drove all the way to Philly for her to basically tell me: "I have no time for you" and "no way in hell unless you sell your soul to the devil, drop out of your school, leave your full scholarship, and go to Penn (or other 1st tier) we would even look at you!😡 She also told me: "Why would you apply here (hand held high in the air) when you have your in-state school here (hand held much lower)" Indeed, why?😉
 
Ohio State was my favorite, the people there were all very helpful and friendly, and I like the location
 
VetMed555 said:
VMRCVM for me!--I'm a little biased, but they made me feel that I "fit in" long before I applied. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging. Auburn was great too. They are my close second. Illinois was OK. Cornell (I didn't apply there) was OK. Penn (Didn't apply there, and never would) were terrible! Admission person was EXTREMELY rude. She told me that my GPA didn't mean anything to her and that my school was less competitive than what they want and it was a very big indicator of EVERYTHING that I've done in life apparently. It's not a big deal: I can handle that, but it's THE WAY she said it. I scheduled that appointment 2 months in advance AND drove all the way to Ithaca for her to basically tell me: "I have no time for you" and "no way in hell unless you sell your soul to the devil, drop out of your school, leave your full scholarship, and go to Penn (or other 1st tier) we would even look at you!😡 She also told me: "Why would you apply here (hand held high in the air) when you have your in-state school here (hand held much lower)" Indeed, why?😉
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Whoa. Way to represent Penn in the worst possible way. They must be so proud🙄
 
I love WSU! I have spent time there and love the facilities and all the people there! I really hope I get the opportunity to go there!!!

Iowa State was right up there for me...until they rejected me....
 
I <3 Western. 😍 Small, you get to do clinical stuff right away (which makes so much more sense than lecture for 3 more years!!!), the PBL sounded great, everyone was super nice (well, except during my interview... still have no idea how I did during that), and it's an hour from my boyfriend who currently lives 1500 miles away. Yeah, sounds perfect to me!!!

*crosses fingers*
 
athenaparthenos said:
I <3 Western. 😍 Small, you get to do clinical stuff right away (which makes so much more sense than lecture for 3 more years!!!), the PBL sounded great, everyone was super nice (well, except during my interview... still have no idea how I did during that), and it's an hour from my boyfriend who currently lives 1500 miles away. Yeah, sounds perfect to me!!!

*crosses fingers*
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Word! I'm wishing, hoping, praying I'll be there this fall--and I'll do the same for you and clawbeatskin! May Fortune shine down upon all of us!!
:luck::luck::luck:
 
VetMed555 said:
Penn (Didn't apply there, and never would) were terrible! Admission person was EXTREMELY rude. She told me that my GPA didn't mean anything to her and that my school was less competitive than what they want and it was a very big indicator of EVERYTHING that I've done in life apparently. It's not a big deal: I can handle that, but it's THE WAY she said it. I scheduled that appointment 2 months in advance AND drove all the way to Philly for her to basically tell me: "I have no time for you" and "no way in hell unless you sell your soul to the devil, drop out of your school, leave your full scholarship, and go to Penn (or other 1st tier) we would even look at you!😡 She also told me: "Why would you apply here (hand held high in the air) when you have your in-state school here (hand held much lower)" Indeed, why?😉
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Not that what I have to say is really productive, and I don't really mean to offend anyone (Penn folks), but I haven't liked the vibe I got from almost anything I've heard about Penn. There are some schools I might wish I could have applied to (met their requirements, etc.) but I have to say that has never been one. So I'm with ya, VetMed555. Anyone that rude is just a big fat stinker.👎
 
Whoa! 😱
It doesn't matter WHO you're reprezentin' for--that's just bad PR!!
 
Ohio 😀, they were all extremely nice and overwhelmingly helpful. Before my interview, I had some problems getting them a letter of rec (back and forth- I faxed it...we didn't get it kinda thing). They were always patient, and did not let that little app bump get in the way. When I was there, everyone seemed so excited and proud to be there. It wasn't a hautiness or anything...just a pride in veterinary medicine and happiness that they were there learning what they really wanted to. I also really like Columbus, and the people seemed to be nice there too. In fact...the only thing that did not impress me were the tornado shelter signs around the vet building...but coming from NJ it was just a shock haha!
 
VetMed555 said:
Penn (Didn't apply there, and never would) were terrible! Admission person was EXTREMELY rude. She told me that my GPA didn't mean anything to her and that my school was less competitive than what they want and it was a very big indicator of EVERYTHING that I've done in life apparently. It's not a big deal: I can handle that, but it's THE WAY she said it. I scheduled that appointment 2 months in advance AND drove all the way to Philly for her to basically tell me: "I have no time for you" and "no way in hell unless you sell your soul to the devil, drop out of your school, leave your full scholarship, and go to Penn (or other 1st tier) we would even look at you!😡 She also told me: "Why would you apply here (hand held high in the air) when you have your in-state school here (hand held much lower)" Indeed, why?😉
Click to expand...

It is unfortunate that this happened, but everyone has their bad days. I am certainly not here to defend Penn. However, if you look on the Penn thread it is obvious that people in the admissions office (like Rob) try their hardest to help people out. I called one time and he pulled my file right there and gave me an update. That has never happened at any of the other schools where I have applied.

For the people who didn't apply to Penn this year or are planning to apply to Penn in the future, the people in the admissions office can be (and usually are) VERY helpful. Don't judge Penn from this one post. They answer the phone (and those who have called schools know this isn't a given) and they try to answer your questions. They seem to really want to help you, but there is only so much they can do. Sometimes it is a waiting game with them, no matter how qualified you are. Some schools are barely starting to contact people, so why the ridiculously out of proportion reaction to Penn taking their time to interview the people they want (this is coming from someone who also had to wait their turn)?

Regarding the hints in this thread that Penn is elitist, I didn't get a hint of that during my time there. They are more interested in helping you find out if Penn is the right place for you, rather than selling why Penn is so awesome (and it is).
 
so BobDog - is it your favorite school??? hmm???? and for the record, I think Penn is great.
 
Actually, I was really surprised to read this about Penn too! All of my dealing have been with Rob as well, and he seems amazingly nice. In our first conversation, he pulled my file, and found out I am from madison, wi (which he is too) and we talked about adjusting to life on the east coast. then, when i just pulled my app from them, he emailed back asking if i was going to wi -- i said yes -- and he goes, "oh, you'll be so happy there, its a great school! best of luck!". so, clearly a very very nice man. I'm really sorry vetmed that you had such a terrible experience! i know that would turn me off of a school VERY quickly. hopefully she no longer works there!

that all being said, i didn't like my impression of purdue when i visited. i was very pro, and then i went in for a consultation (about making myself more competitive) and she was very unhelpful (i had to ASK for brochures about the school, and she wouldn't answer ANY of my questions). and also pretty much said that my GPA wasn't going to cut it (i knew it was bad ... ) etc. this was all just after i had talked to WI, where they pretty much will do a file review with you before you apply, and then they rounded up all the cornell alum on staff at the school for me to meet. i'm sure its a great school -- i just came away with a bad impression.

anyhow ... back to the original purpose of the thread:

I loved UMN when I visited for my interview, and I loved Wisconsin when i went in before i applied, but i didn't get a tour then, so i will definativly post after the open house.
 
hoodle said:
so BobDog - is it your favorite school??? hmm???? and for the record, I think Penn is great.
Click to expand...

I liked Penn, and I just don't like people (especially ones who didn't apply to Penn) bashing a school that I think did a very good job with the admissions process. 😀
 
BobDog said:
I just don't like people (especially ones who didn't apply to Penn) bashing a school that I think did a very good job with the admissions process. 😀
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IMO, just because you didn't apply to a school doesn't mean you didn't look at it and might not have valid points to make about it. (Not regardin the admissions process, perhaps, but ways in which the school protrays itself. The image a school puts out there is a valid thing to discuss.) Not trying to start anything. I really do respect your opinion a great deal, BD. But some people had different experiences with the school, and that's worth noting along with all of the folks who think great things about it.
 
VAgirl said:
IMO, just because you didn't apply to a school doesn't mean you didn't look at it and might not have valid points to make about it. (Not regardin the admissions process, perhaps, but ways in which the school protrays itself. The image a school puts out there is a valid thing to discuss.) Not trying to start anything. I really do respect your opinion a great deal, BD. But some people had different experiences with the school, and that's worth noting along with all of the folks who think great things about it.
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Thanks VAgirl! I'm glad you'll be in my class (most likely?).

I am not saying Penn is all bad. It's just I had a very bad experience with them, which REALLY influenced my decision to NOT apply there. For the record, I dealt with a woman there. I don't remember her name. She was the rude one. I don't know how good/bad they are. I do, however, know that most doctors I worked with from Penn (3) were somewhat elitist themselves (in comparison to Tech, North Carolina, Tennesse, and Ross). But again, it doesn't prove anything statistically. I'm happy for you guys who got into Penn. I know that school is not for me, that's all I'm saying.🙂
 
VetMed555 said:
Thanks VAgirl! I'm glad you'll be in my class (most likely?).

I am not saying Penn is all bad. It's just I had a very bad experience with them, which REALLY influenced my decision to NOT apply there. For the record, I dealt with a woman there. I don't remember her name. She was the rude one. I don't know how good/bad they are. I do, however, know that most doctors I worked with from Penn (3) were somewhat elitist themselves (in comparison to Tech, North Carolina, Tennesse, and Ross). But again, it doesn't prove anything statistically. I'm happy for you guys who got into Penn. I know that school is not for me, that's all I'm saying.🙂
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Maybe we should just concentrate on the topic of the thread, which is Favorite school 😀 😀 😀. I understand what you are both saying (vetmed555 and Vagirl), but I just needed to point out that most people on this board have had a pretty good experience with Penn (even if they haven't all gotten interviews/accepted). Is this a good sample of all applicants? Probably not.
 
VetMed555 said:
VMRCVM for me!--I'm a little biased, but they made me feel that I "fit in" long before I applied. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging. Auburn was great too. They are my close second. Illinois was OK. Cornell (I didn't apply there) was OK. Penn (Didn't apply there, and never would) were terrible! Admission person was EXTREMELY rude. She told me that my GPA didn't mean anything to her and that my school was less competitive than what they want and it was a very big indicator of EVERYTHING that I've done in life apparently. It's not a big deal: I can handle that, but it's THE WAY she said it. I scheduled that appointment 2 months in advance AND drove all the way to Philly for her to basically tell me: "I have no time for you" and "no way in hell unless you sell your soul to the devil, drop out of your school, leave your full scholarship, and go to Penn (or other 1st tier) we would even look at you!😡 She also told me: "Why would you apply here (hand held high in the air) when you have your in-state school here (hand held much lower)" Indeed, why?😉
Click to expand...

When you say "her", I assume that you are speaking about Rosanne Herpen. If so, I really can't believe that she was rude to you. This is my second year applying, and for two years she has been extremely tolerant of my constant pestering of the adcom. The other members of the committee have also been very generous with their time. Although I was told in the beginning of my trials that my application was deficient in several sections, I was given a clear and polite explanation of what I would need to do in order to improve my chance of admission.

If your GPA is low, just take classes. If you like penn and there is no way for you to be accepted as an OOS applicant, you have the option of moving to PA. I wish you the best of luck in becoming a vet, but please don't bash my future school. I love UPenn. Penn Vet is inarguably one of the best veterinary schools and research centers in the world.

Most importantly, the students that I've met at interviews and online have been friendly and unpretentious, especially for such an elite school.

I bet that if you were to put the work in and get accepted in the future, your attitude would change dramatically.
 
Pennvet said:
When you say "her", I assume that you are speaking about Rosanne Herpen. If so, I really can't believe that she was rude to you. This is my second year applying, and for two years she has been extremely tolerant of my constant pestering of the adcom. The other members of the committee have also been very generous with their time. Although I was told in the beginning of my trials that my application was deficient in several sections, I was given a clear and polite explanation of what I would need to do in order to improve my chance of admission.

If your GPA is low, just take classes. If you like penn and there is no way for you to be accepted as an OOS applicant, you have the option of moving to PA. I wish you the best of luck in becoming a vet, but please don't bash my future school. I love UPenn. Penn Vet is inarguably one of the best veterinary schools and research centers in the world.

Most importantly, the students that I've met at interviews and online have been friendly and unpretentious, especially for such an elite school.

I bet that if you were to put the work in and get accepted in the future, your attitude would change dramatically.
Click to expand...

I wrote a long post, but it didn't post. Yes, it was Rosanne Herpen. My point is, if I was rude to YOU, you wouldn't really care that I'm the nicest person to everybody else.🙂 As far as my GPA and other stats go: they were sufficient enough to get me into two wonderful schools as of now, so obviously I'm doing something right. I did put the work in, and it did pay off. I never applied to Penn, so I never had the privilege of being rejected by them.😀 So best of luck to YOU.
 
Pennvet said:
If so, I really can't believe that she was rude to you.
...
I wish you the best of luck in becoming a vet, but please don't bash my future school.
...

I bet that if you were to put the work in and get accepted in the future, your attitude would change dramatically.
Click to expand...

Wow. This is totally uncalled for... everyone is allowed to his or her own opinions, including that they didn't get a good feeling at a certain school! I'm pretty miffed at Tufts for reasons which are unimportant. Does that mean I'm bashing the school? Or anyone who goes there? NOt in the slightest!

My other two thoughts - 1) Pennvet has no idea of what whoever said, said. Don't second guess what VetMed555 says, simply because you disagree with her.
2) there is no need to make personal attacks about people's intelligence or qualifications, simply because you don't agree.

Really, try to be more sensitive!
 
Ah hoodle, voice of reason 🙂

I've put in plenty of work and got an interview to Oregon State... and after the interview I was thoroughly unimpressed for a variety of reasons. Does that mean it's a bad school? No... it just means that I don't think I would be happy there. And even if lots of people have had great experiences with Oregon that doesn't mean me having a bad one or speaking with a rude person or finding people unhelpful or whatever negates their good experiences, it just means that with the experience I personally had, that I didn't feel good about it.

Someone not liking a school for themselves doesn't equal bashing 😛 "Penn is the worst school ever and anyone who goes there will get a subpar education" would be bashing, not "Someone was very rude to me and I'm glad I didn't apply there."
 
Awww, hoodle and athenaparthenos,

Thank you guys, I feel loved.😀 In all seriousness, my only intention was to share my unpleasant experience an state that Penn is not the school for me. I'm sure it is for some people. Actually, my boss' boss (the guy who used to sign my paychecks) was from Penn, and he was the nicest guy ever. So there, I found a non-elitist nice person from Penn.😉 On a different subject, I recommend all of those who plan on applying to Penn or any other school to visit campus if possible. I would've applied to Penn have I not gone there, and, IN MY CASE, it would've been a mistake. So I am really glad I went. It helped me narrow it down to 4 schools, I actually would want to go to. One of the vets I work with now did NOT apply to her in-state school, but applied to Penn and got in. She loved it that much. And some other vets I worked with got turned down by VMRCVM in a very rude way, which is REALLY hard for me to imagine, because Joyce (in admissions) was always SUPER nice to me.
 
VetMed555 said:
Overall GPA 3.6 (3rd Tier school )
Science GPA 3.9
Last...4 years 3.9
GRE: 710Q 550V 5.0A
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i dont know why she said those things to you. your stats (posted on the successful apps thread) seem decent... she has always been very nice to me whenever I have talked to her.

everyone has bad days i guess.
 
This forum is like something out of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", only way more lame (I feel like I've said this before.) I never meant to step on anyone's toes (save Jade Kitten), so I'm sorry if I caused your feelings to be hurt.

I still don't believe that Mrs. Herpen was (objectively) rude to you (esp. about your GPA.) If you have a 3.6, the avg admitted student has a 3.58, and I was accepted IS with just under a 3.3, it just doesn't make sense.

Congrats on your acceptance, and thanks for wishing me luck.

I am over this forum entirely, have fun guys.
 
Oh...I'm ready for this thread to be over, but still. Just to clarify: she didn't say it about my GPA. She said: "Everyone who applies here has high GPA" and then she said: "Your SCHOOL is not competitive enough, and it will be very hard for you to get in based on that."---I wouldn't care that much if it was about my GPA, I just felt like I was completely overlooked as a person. And yes, she was rude. Even my hippie-like peace loving husband (who went with me) could not believe the way she treated me. Anyway...I'm not over this forum, but I am over this thread😀
 
Oh, the drama! :laugh:

...so, anyone else want to mention their top school choice?
 
NoleDevil said:
Oh, the drama! :laugh:

...so, anyone else want to mention their top school choice?
Click to expand...

I don't have an answer to the question, but thought I'd try posting on topic and helping restore the SDN love!! I wish I had a top choice school! I spent so long convincing myself not to waste my time getting my heart set on any one place that I'm still trying to figure it out! So everybody weigh in with their school love and maybe that'll help inspire those of us who are still working through it!
 
VAgirl said:
I don't have an answer to the question, but thought I'd try posting on topic and helping restore the SDN love!! I wish I had a top choice school! I spent so long convincing myself not to waste my time getting my heart set on any one place that I'm still trying to figure it out! So everybody weigh in with their school love and maybe that'll help inspire those of us who are still working through it!
Click to expand...

I am going to go ahead and agree with VAgirl. I respect all you people who can figure out what your top choice school is. I just applied to all the schools i had prereqs for (14😀) b/c i had a low gpa and wanted to avoid having to apply again and take another year off at all costs. I figured when i got in id start to learn about the schools enough to make a decision! But...I had a hard enough time picking an undergrad school (I went to the post office on the deadline day with 2 checks in my hands b/c i waited till the last minute to make a decision). So if i am lucky enough to get into more than one school - im going to have a dilemma! 😛
 
Mississippi State for me! I have only seen UT, CSU and miss state though. All very different programs. I just felt the most "at home" at miss state.😀
 
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