Advice!

[Angelo84]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have deposited at Tufts and feel that it would be a great place to go to vet school. I like the fact that they combine the didactic learning with PBL. My new and wonderfully horrible problem is that I have also been offered acceptance to Cornell. I like the fact that Cornell does more problem based learning as I think that it is a great way to learn. They also have you doing physical exams and such starting right away. At the info session I felt like cornell has a great program but was very intimidated. I feel like too much may be left up to us to learn on our own. I also didn't get a feel for the professors at Cornell as they don't do interviews. So my question is for those that declined or accepted Cornell--why? are you feeling very intimidated by the program? Do you think that your left kind of high and dry or are you more guided through the material?

Thanks!

 

[silverelf]

i've met a few of the professors at cornell (i go there for undergrad) and for the most part i really like them. i'm taking histology right now, which is taught by Mizner and Suarez...I know Suarez teaches some vet school classes (she told us which ones but they're weren't interesting enough to remember! 🙂). Mizner teaches the intro gross anatomy class. I really like her, she's super down to earth, has a fantastic british accent, and is really good at teaching. I don't think you'll lost anything professor-wise at CU vs tufts. From what I know about the vet students at CU you do a lottttt of learning on your own but if you're having problems in your PBL class, your fellow PBLers are really good about helping you out and there seems to be a good amount of comradery between students.

Other miscellaneous things I can tell you...cost of living will be about the same, can be hard to find pet-friendly housing in ithaca, get used to taking the bus if you go to CU, there's NO parking on campus (unless you want to pay 660 a year for a spot)...weather is generally cold and gloomy (we got 18 inches of snow on monday...yippee )...probably about the same as MA temperature wise, but Ithaca seems to get more rain and generally less snow.

 

[Quaggi]

They also have you doing physical exams and such starting right away. At the info session I felt like cornell has a great program but was very intimidated. I feel like too much may be left up to us to learn on our own. I also didn't get a feel for the professors at Cornell as they don't do interviews. So my question is for those that declined or accepted Cornell--why? are you feeling very intimidated by the program? Do you think that your left kind of high and dry or are you more guided through the material?

Thanks!

hey angelo! what a tough decision!!! I am a first year at tufts (almost done iwth the year!) and i went to cornell undergrad. i can't speak for cornell, but here at tufts I feel like we have a really good balance between PBL and actual lecture. Our course material/exam material is well presented to us, it's not learned through PBL. PBL is just a way to solidify it and apply it clinically, which is great. for me personally, I would feel a little lost if I had to look everything up on my own. I'm much more comfortable with the whole, ok here's your 150 pages of syllabus material, go learn this, approach. but it's a totally personal decision. Also as far as hands on with the animals, we do that right away here too, we have clinical skills days starting in the beginning of the year. Also, as far as the students go, I've heard some pretty dreadful things about the 2010 class at cornell, not sure if they're true etc, but they seem to be really competitive with eachother, which is not something i can handle at all. and, as far as location, i love ithaca, but probably more for the great memories i had there than the actual location...? not sure. worcester is alright, boston is nearby and awesome, so i mean it depends on what you want (cute town, nearest city is 1 hr - syracuse, or decent sized city right here, 30-40 min to boston/providence) anyway good luck deciding 🙂 feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

-Bari
TCSVM 2010

 

[JumptheMoon]

At the info session I felt like cornell has a great program but was very intimidated. I feel like too much may be left up to us to learn on our own. I also didn't get a feel for the professors at Cornell as they don't do interviews. So my question is for those that declined or accepted Cornell--why? are you feeling very intimidated by the program? Do you think that your left kind of high and dry or are you more guided through the material?

Thanks!

I went to a Cornell info session too, and actually had a lot of fun at the mock "tutor group"..it was sort of like watching House 😛 . I too was an alternate, and left the info session wishing I had been accepted. But the longer I thought about it, the less enthused I was about so much of the program being PBL, especially so early in your training - personally, I think that how much you benefit from PBL depends very much on luck - getting a good "tutor," having a good group dynamic, etc. I actually got the call from Cornell's admissions office the other night, and decided to decline. But it's really a question of personal preference, so if you think that PBL is the best way for you to learn, then you really can't do better than Cornell!

 

[fromjersey]

Both are wonderful schools--how could you go wrong with either choice?

 

[mtrl1]

I think you need to decide what you want for your veterinary school curriculum. I did not even apply to Cornell or Western because I know that PBL is not right for me. I also know a vet that disliked her PBL experience at Cornell (albeit, she was in one of the early PBL classes).

For some students, I think it's great, but it really depends on your learning style.

I haven't visited Cornell, but I was extremely impressed with Tufts...and it was a hard decision for me to turn them down (I've accepted to Davis). I think the Tufts faculty is outstanding, and extremely committed to students. I also like the fact that you have an incredible amount of "freedom" 4th year...20 clinical weeks where you get to decide your rotations!

I think it really comes down to gut feeling about where you'll feel most comfortable at this point.

Just my $0.02

 

[Angelo84]

Thanks for your advice! I have decided to attend Tufts. I know that I will be able to handle the curriculum and it seems like it will have enough of the PBL to get us thinking that way without having to learn the material on our own. I was feeling unsure about my ablility to handle Cornell and decided that I would prefer going into vet school confident that I could handle it as opposed to nervous that I will be in over my head.

Thanks again,
Anna

 

[mkata]

I got your spot this morning!!!

 

[Angelo84]

Enjoy it! I just wasn't convinced it was the place for me.

Anna

 

[mkata]

Enjoy it! I just wasn't convinced it was the place for me.

Anna

Hehe, I can't believe that that spot cycled through 3 people on SDN!! Its amazing.

I am a little worried too about it because I have never had anything like it. But I will give it a shot! 🙂

Good luck at Tufts!