Boston Pre-Veterinary Schools

[BarkyLove]

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Hi everyone,

Since I am from the west coast I wanted to get some advice on schools in the northeast and in particular Boston.

I am moving to Boston at the end of this summer and need to finish some science pre-reqs before applying for veterinary schools. I am particularly interested in attending Tufts so I was wondering if I should finish out pre-reqs there in hopes of a higher chance of acceptance, or if other schools would be better (like Mass U Boston). Since I'll be paying oos tuition, it would be cheaper to go to Mass U Boston.

But I wanted all of your advice and opinions..any great schools that I may be overlooking..better pre-veterinary programs, etc.

Thanks for your help in advance!🙂

 

[RdLessTraveled]

It depends on how many science pre-reqs you have to complete, and if you want an actual pre-vet program.

To finish up my pre-reqs, I've been taking classes at the Harvard Extension School. It's cheaper than the other schools in the area, and the classes are great. You are also able to have access to the Harvard facilities and professors. You can opt to join the Health degree program, but when I was considering applying to Tufts, I spoke to them about it, and they said that the program itself didn't matter as long as I completed all the necessary pre-reqs. That enabled me to take Harvard Extension courses during the school year, and take summer courses at other schools.

I didn't end up applying to Tufts this round because I didn't have the math requirement fulfilled. If I hadn't gotten in to programs this year, I'd take more courses and apply to Tufts in the fall. Tufts admissions said that alot of non-trad students take classes at the Extension school.

The Harvard courses are tough, but really prepare you, and I'd definitely recommend them. You can't beat the education or the cost.

 

[Dsmoody23]

Hi everyone,

Since I am from the west coast I wanted to get some advice on schools in the northeast and in particular Boston.

I am moving to Boston at the end of this summer and need to finish some science pre-reqs before applying for veterinary schools. I am particularly interested in attending Tufts so I was wondering if I should finish out pre-reqs there in hopes of a higher chance of acceptance, or if other schools would be better (like Mass U Boston). Since I'll be paying oos tuition, it would be cheaper to go to Mass U Boston.

But I wanted all of your advice and opinions..any great schools that I may be overlooking..better pre-veterinary programs, etc.

Thanks for your help in advance!🙂

UMass is probably your best bet, if price is a concern.

Tufts, NE, BU etc. are all going to set you back about 40-50K per/ year.
And that's not including rent and cost of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

 

[that redhead]

Vet schools don't really care where your pre-requisites are/were completed. Some people complete them at CC, others at four year institutions. So I would stick with the cheapest option you have.

 

[RdLessTraveled]

Exactly - for example, at Harvard Extension, Orgo is $1,125 per semester, which is including the lab cost, and a single semester course, like Genetics, is $925.

If you compare that to say, UMass - where even with in-state rates, Orgo is $1,059 + $353 for the lab fee*. I mean, the couple hundred dollars may not seem like a huge deal, but like Dsmoody pointed out, Boston is a really expensive city.


*this is the Summer 2011 rate, I couldn't find the Fall 2011 cost. Harvard doesn't have Extension School available over the summer, so the prices for Harvard Summer School are higher.

 

[deleted266066]

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[Minnerbelle]

My vote's for harvard extension if you're going to be working at the same time. I had a bunch of pre-med friends who did that during their gap year(s). It's pretty cheap compared to other options, and your job won't have to accommodate your school schedule much at all.

 

[breester]

Did al of mine at UMass Boston. They have a pre-med program which lets you pre-register for all classes.

 

[ORvetgirl]

I'm a west coaster who did my undergrad in western Mass...I didn't personally take classes through Harvard Extension, but had several friends who did and spoke pretty well of the program. I agree with the above posters who have said go wherever is cheapest.

 

[mas185]

You really DON'T want to do them at Tufts actually. It doesn't help and the classes are way more expensive and harder than at the Harvard Extension school. From personal experience with doing Organic Chemistry for my pre-vet requirements ... you definitely want to go with Harvard for the better grades and cheaper price tag, don't make the same mistake i did!!

(I don't know anything about the UMass program personally but from everyone I've talked to between pre-vets and pre-meds, the harvard programs seem to win every time.)

 

[rubygirl]

UNH is another option, its a little over an hour from the city, but i have loved the program and the advisors are great at helping with making a decision on whats best for you, they are are mostly veterinary pathologists at the diagnostic lab. for out of state its $359 per credit, most of the pre-req courses are 4 credits.

 

[Whyevernot55]

Just a note after talking to Tufts today for my file review - Harvard Extension is on a later schedule than most schools. This means that they don't get your fall grades in until AFTER they've made most of their decisions. Obviously this can be problematic, and now I'm swimming. I am a post-bacc student, but it seems like the courses available at most schools to post-bacc students are absolutely horrendous.

Feel free to correct me there - I've got to find someplace to take upper level classes this fall!

 

[RdLessTraveled]

Just a note after talking to Tufts today for my file review - Harvard Extension is on a later schedule than most schools. This means that they don't get your fall grades in until AFTER they've made most of their decisions. Obviously this can be problematic, and now I'm swimming. I am a post-bacc student, but it seems like the courses available at most schools to post-bacc students are absolutely horrendous.

Feel free to correct me there - I've got to find someplace to take upper level classes this fall!

Hmm, that's interesting - this year, the grades were released Jan. 12th, which I didn't think was that late. None of the schools I applied to seemed to have an issue with me sending them at that point. When I was considering applying to Tufts, they didn't mention that Harvard Extension could pose a problem in that respect. It might depend on how many courses you have to complete, and what your past grades are.

 

[BarkyLove]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I wasn't aware of the Harvard Extension program and definitely am looking into it. The reason I was looking at Tufts was for their post-bac pre-med program, but it is pretty pricey.
For those of you familiar with the Harvard Extension Prorgram, will taking pre-reqs from it hurt my chances when applying for vet school since its an extension program?

 

[RdLessTraveled]

I don't think it will in the slightest - like I mentioned before, Tufts told me that many of their non-trad students fulfill requirements through Harvard Extension. The classes are taught by Harvard professors, and I think that schools understand that sometimes a full-time post-bacc program isn't the best fit for everyone. I couldn't afford to do a full-time program, and being able to take night classes and work was the only way I could get my pre-reqs done.

I was concerned about the exact same thing when I decided to take classes there, but a quick call to admissions for several schools set my mind at ease. You should do the same - ask admissions if they tend to look more favorable on one program or another. The overall feeling that I got from schools was that as long as I got my pre-reqs done (with decent grades, of course), I wouldn't be at a disadvantage - as Harvard Extension is a well-known program.

I think they can appreciate the fact that you'd rather spend about $4000 a year (if you take 2 classes/semester) than $26,000 - especially knowing that once you get into vet school, you're looking at another $40,000/year.

Anyway, just my opinion.