Accepted to AUSTRALIA VET SCHOOLS! Need Help Deciding!

[HAWAIIVET2011]

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Hey All,

So I got my first acceptance letter today, man those Australia school are quick! I guess they have to be when they want you to start this coming FEBRUARY! Anyway, a little about me. Non-traditional student, did my B.A. at UCSB, then switched to pre-med and was a post-bacc pre-vetmed student for the last two years. Just did my first round of applications thru VMCAS.
Cummulative GPA: 3.69
Science GPA: 3.97
GRE: 1340 writ 4.5
1050 Hours Vet Assistant
3000 Hours Avian Breeder Assistant

I am originally from Hawaii (live in San Diego now) and LOVE the ocean, hence why I applied to mostly coastal schools or schools or known beautiful surroundings (CSU, UCDavis, Western, Massey, U of Sydney, and Murdoch in Perth). My top choices are Sydney and Murdoch, then CSU, then Davis, then Western, then Massey.

Does anyone have any opinion on Sydney or Murdoch as far as their location? Education? Campus? Vet Program? Tuition costs? Costs of living? Pros and Cons of each? I am torn between the two, and seeing as Sydney wants me to accept their offer by November 18th or else they will give my place away....I need help deciding!

P.S. Did anyone else apply to the AVMA accredited Australia schools too?

 

[Nexx]

Murdoch and Sydney both provide a top education and ready access to the beaches and ocean-side life. WA is probably going to be a bit lower key than the more bustling/touristy Sydney. Also tuition at both is probably about the same although you are looking at a higher cost of living in both areas compared to the US.

Roughly speaking though tuition/cost of attendance (including living) is comparable to going to an out of state school back in the US (maybe $40-50k USD depending on exchange rate which currently isn't so hot for US residents).

I chose Murdoch because they accepted me first (similar situation to what you are having with Sydney) and they were my top choice of the Australian AVMA accred uni's because of the less big-city-like nature of Perth, I had heard good things about the uni from a previous boss who worked here, and also their teaching farm is located on campus which means less travel.

If you're a surfer WA has some great surf spots, many of which are anywhere from 15-40 min away from campus. Heck for the first 3 years of the program one of my friends lives down south (40 min away by car), takes the train in, lives 2 min walk from the beach and surfs almost every day -- and has cheaper rent! The downside is of course the extra time to travel to uni every day 😛

Can't recall if there's anyone floating on around on here from UofSyd but I'm sure there is. There's a good chunk of people who were just accepted to Melbourne that are heading over, have a look around recent threads.

Also going to Sydney may save you some $ as I think their program may allow you to get some more exemptions for previous study than you can get at Murdoch (due to curriculum changes recently). Back when I started I managed to get exempted from about 3/4 of my first year of classes due. (Bioethics, stats, cell bio, chem, etc). You'll have to look at the curriculums to see if you might be able to do either at each uni.

 

[LoveMyDobies]

I lived and worked in OZ in the summer of 2008. It's an amazing place. I would recommend Sydney because of the school and because of the coastal city. I have a bunch of friends who are currently in the program and love it. 🙂

 

[HAWAIIVET2011]

Thanks guys, I think Sydney is going to be my choice. Not just because of the location (which is awesome) but because you can get Quantas flights nonstop to Hawaii for 600 bucks sometimes, and because it's the OLDEST university in Australia, built in 1850 with a Vet school dating back to 1910. Most US schools can't beat those statistics. Only thing I'm concerned about, do you guys think that it will be harder to get hired in the US (even though degrees are equivalent) because its a B.V.Sc degree and not the D.V.M?

 

[Nexx]

Shouldn't be a problem at all to get a job back in the states if that is where you want to end up.

Your bosses won't care as long as you are able to pass the NAVLE and be licensed. It may set you out from the crowd a bit, especially since you'll be graduating in Nov/Dec -- you'll have less new grad competition theoretically. Only thing that sucks a bit is if you decide to do an internship after you need to wait that 6 months before starting really (or do one outside the match starting in dec/jan and then wait 6 months after that finishes to start a residency or also go outside the match).
I've been here almost 4 years now, don't regret the choice one bit!