Choosing a Veterinary School

[laurenita134]

Hello everyone! I have been fortunate enough to have a difficult decision to make regarding which veterinary school to attend. All of the schools I have been accepted to are out of state, and cost is not a limiting factor for me. I am very interested in wildlife medicine, zoo medicine, and surgery. I was wondering, does it really matter where you go to veterinary school or will I have equal opportunities everywhere? It seems of the schools I am interested in, Ohio and Kansas have the best zoo medicine programs although Edinburgh also has some international draws (it is accredited by the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, and Australasia). I know my interests may change in veterinary school, but I would like these programs around so I can at least try them out.

I know cost is the number one deciding factor, but are there any other things to consider? Thank you!

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[LyraGardenia]

I highly recommend checking out the factors when picking a school thread if you haven't already! Factors when picking a school There was some good discussion there recently (page 22) on the pros and cons of going to a school that doesn't have a specialist (or isn't "known for") a field that you're interested in. Basically a lot of what you get out of vet school is what you put in, even if you go somewhere that doesn't have a great zoo med or wildlife program, you can still do externships during breaks and summers to get experiences in that field. I'm pretty sure any school would set you up well for small animal surgery, although again you'd want to do externships to get more surgical experience. As far as cost goes, I don't know how much tuition is at Edinburgh, but don't forget to take into account cost of living, flights back and forth to Scotland wouldn't be cheap.

 

[laurenita134]

Thank you! I had skimmed that thread, but I'll look at it more closely. Both Kansas and Ohio have great zoo/wildlife/small animal surgery opportunities, and they'd both allow me to do externships so I am really torn haha. Tuition at Edinburgh is actually less than either Kansas or Ohio, though I know traveling and living there will make it a comparable cost to the other two. Thank you for the feedback!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Thank you! I had skimmed that thread, but I'll look at it more closely. Both Kansas and Ohio have great zoo/wildlife/small animal surgery opportunities, and they'd both allow me to do externships so I am really torn haha. Tuition at Edinburgh is actually less than either Kansas or Ohio, though I know traveling and living there will make it a comparable cost to the other two. Thank you for the feedback!

Any vet school would allow you to do externships. I haven't heard of a single school where that wouldn't be a possibility. For some students, externships are the only chance they get to see zoo/exotic animal medicine.

Also remember to spend your summers wisely regardless of where you go, go to conferences, etc. I know a lot of zoo-hopeful students that attend schools not known for zoo/wildlife stuff and they have earned themselves plenty of opportunities.

 

[that redhead]

cost is not a limiting factor for me.

If every school will literally cost the exact same amount to attend (including cost of living), only then is cost not truly a factor. I'm of the opinion to go to your cheapest option and make your own opportunities - work in your fields of interests over the summers, attend conferences and get to know people in your field. Good to acknowledge that your career aspirations may change (or may not play out as you had hoped).

 

[pinkpuppy9]

If every school will literally cost the exact same amount to attend (including cost of living), only then is cost not truly a factor. I'm of the opinion to go to your cheapest option and make your own opportunities - work in your fields of interests over the summers, attend conferences and get to know people in your field. Good to acknowledge that your career aspirations may change (or may not play out as you had hoped).

Agree. "Cost is not a factor for me" either means you/your family are truly quite wealthy or you have no idea how much debt you'll be in, and how hard it will be to pay it off.

 

[Coopah]

If every school will literally cost the exact same amount to attend (including cost of living), only then is cost not truly a factor. I'm of the opinion to go to your cheapest option and make your own opportunities - work in your fields of interests over the summers, attend conferences and get to know people in your field. Good to acknowledge that your career aspirations may change (or may not play out as you had hoped).

Agree. "Cost is not a factor for me" either means you/your family are truly quite wealthy or you have no idea how much debt you'll be in, and how hard it will be to pay it off.

Just as an note on that. I know people here who don't have to pay for school, mostly family money. I still believe that even if it's your family's money you should go to the cheapest school. Even if it doesn't matter. I was OOS everywhere too and am very fortunate I ended up at a school that will allow me to switch to IS tuition. Hope I'm not nagging.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Just as an note on that. I know people here who don't have to pay for school, mostly family money. I still believe that even if it's your family's money you should go to the cheapest school. Even if it doesn't matter. I was OOS everywhere too and am very fortunate I ended up at a school that will allow me to switch to IS tuition. Hope I'm not nagging.

I agree completely. Even if you have the means, why pay more than you have to? If your family is really itching to 'give' you $250k, ask for a new car and a down payment on a house after you graduate