Choosing the right vet school

[zooanimal]

Hi guys,
Not sure if there is a similar thread going on here for general choosing purposes. I'm sure there is, but I couldn't find it! Feel free to redirect me if you have one! I am absolutely blessed and grateful to be faced with the decision of choosing a school. I was accepted at Auburn, UF, UGA, and NCSU. I want to go into zoo med so I have declined my invitation to Auburn, as they don't have an established exotics program. I'm in love with UF's program but thinking realistically, I probably won't be able to pay out of state tuition (my in-state is UGA).

So it's pretty much between UGA and NCSU. Can anyone give me advice on how to choose? I know tuition is a factor, but you can claim residency in NC after a year so it's not as much of a barrier as other OOS schools would be. My Georgia friends are telling me to go where it's cheaper, but I am really interested in what NCSU has to offer (their zoo program, options for aquatics, research...). I know that by "ranking" NCSU is higher, but does that really factor in? Since all vet schools are extremely selective it seems like it's splitting hairs to rank them anyway. But I'm not sure of course! Help much appreciated!!

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[allygator13]

It sounds like you're leaning towards NCSU for a variety of reasons, and since tuition there isn't a huge reason because of their ease to claim residency, I think it sounds like your decision is made!

 

[Lissarae06]

Go wherever is cheaper.

 

[bbeventer]

Go wherever is cheaper.

 

[that redhead]

Hi guys,
Not sure if there is a similar thread going on here for general choosing purposes. I'm sure there is, but I couldn't find it! Feel free to redirect me if you have one! I am absolutely blessed and grateful to be faced with the decision of choosing a school. I was accepted at Auburn, UF, UGA, and NCSU. I want to go into zoo med so I have declined my invitation to Auburn, as they don't have an established exotics program. I'm in love with UF's program but thinking realistically, I probably won't be able to pay out of state tuition (my in-state is UGA).

So it's pretty much between UGA and NCSU. Can anyone give me advice on how to choose? I know tuition is a factor, but you can claim residency in NC after a year so it's not as much of a barrier as other OOS schools would be. My Georgia friends are telling me to go where it's cheaper, but I am really interested in what NCSU has to offer (their zoo program, options for aquatics, research...). I know that by "ranking" NCSU is higher, but does that really factor in? Since all vet schools are extremely selective it seems like it's splitting hairs to rank them anyway. But I'm not sure of course! Help much appreciated!!

Seconding go where it's cheaper. Georgia has the aquarium and zoo nearby and your education will be essentially the same. You can always do external rotations when it comes to fourth year.

 

[wolfpackprevet]

Remember how cheap NCSU is once you get residency though, which happens after a year for almost everyone...

 

[that redhead]

Remember how cheap NCSU is once you get residency though, which happens after a year for almost everyone...

Cheaper than UGA in-state for all four years? If so, go for it. If not, well, I think even saving the smallest amount is worth it since there won't be a huge difference.

 

[wolfpackprevet]

My GRE reflects my mediocre math skills, but looks like the difference would be about 20 grandish. POCKET CHANGE! Just kidding, but sometimes it seems like it when you're looking at such large numbers. *I know money is real, I'm just being disillusioned by looking at Ohio State out of state tuition stuff as I'm filling out my FAFSA*

 

[gugoodoll]

According to the vin foundation website, there's about a 30K difference over 4 years, including tuition and living costs. That extra 30K will accrue interest as soon as you start borrowing, so by the time you graduate you'll be owing much more.
That being said, I think you just need to go with your gut. If you feel like you'd be much happier at NCSU than Georgia, by all means go for it. You'll be getting an excellent education either way. Just keep in mind this- will you be regretting choosing NCSU once you start re-paying your loans? I don't know your financial situation, but if you feel like you could handle going to a slightly more expensive school then I think the decision has been made : o)

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Make sure you look up the residency requirements for various schools. I know many will not allow you to claim residence if you are only there for school. For example, some require that you can prove you paid income tax (i.e. have a job) in that state. They don't give up that OOS tuition rate without a fight.

 

[equineconstant]

I had a very similar choice last year between my IS and a school that I liked better and where I could get in-state tuition after the first year. I chose my IS, and even though the biggest reason I did so isn't really relevant anymore, I'm really glad I did. I haven't even started paying off loans yet since I'm just starting, but I am glad I stayed closer to home. My undergraduate institution was across the country from my family, and I had a great time there, but I really like being able to go home for a weekend sometimes. I also feel like moving to a completely different part of the country (needing to drive in snow vs. any ice on the road is a snow day, for one thing) would have been more stress than I needed on top of vet school. All in all, it is up to you, and cost shouldn't necessarily be the only factor, but staying IS was the right choice for me.

 

[Trilt]

Assuming you don't do something stupid (like have parents buy you a house here...), it's almost guaranteed that you get in-state tuition after the first year at NCSU. I'm pretty certain every single person who tried to switch residency in my year was granted it (yeah orcagirl ?)

With that said, 30K is not a non-trivial amount of money, and I've definitely heard good things about Georgia's zoo program in the past.

 

[carpexdiem87]

I'm having a similar problem to zooanimal. I'm from NJ (thus, don't have a state school), so I applied to a bunch of programs, never thinking that I would receive as many offers as I have. I'm currently deciding between OSU, CSU, UPenn, and UW-Madison, but I'm also an alternate at Cornell. I really like Cornell's program because of their PBL structure; however, I'm having trouble finding characteristics that distinguish the schools that I have actually been accepted to, besides price. Cost is an important factor, but I wouldn't say it's my first concern. I plan on being a mixed animal vet, but primarily small. Other things that are important to me in a school are having a lot of opportunity for hands-on experience, even in the first couple of years, and programs that do not track or having flexibility in their tracking. I would appreciate any information that you guys have! THANK YOU!

 

[hpequalslove]

I'm having a similar problem to zooanimal. I'm from NJ (thus, don't have a state school), so I applied to a bunch of programs, never thinking that I would receive as many offers as I have. I'm currently deciding between OSU, CSU, UPenn, and UW-Madison, but I'm also an alternate at Cornell. I really like Cornell's program because of their PBL structure; however, I'm having trouble finding characteristics that distinguish the schools that I have actually been accepted to, besides price. Cost is an important factor, but I wouldn't say it's my first concern. I plan on being a mixed animal vet, but primarily small. Other things that are important to me in a school are having a lot of opportunity for hands-on experience, even in the first couple of years, and programs that do not track or having flexibility in their tracking. I would appreciate any information that you guys have! THANK YOU!

Are you planning on going to the UW open house next week? We have a very strong special species department, large animal, and small animal faculty members as well and I go here so obviously I'm going to push for it... Haha. We don't have such a PBL based structure and I actually chose UW over my Cornell acceptance (there were a few reasons why I didn't choose cornell, feel free to PM me for that). I also know CSU is great but much more expensive for OOS (I want to say around 60K) and I have many friends who go there who also love it. For me, it's really about what school and city you feel like you'd be happiest in and think you can walk away from with the most knowledge and overall skills after four years (and the least amount of debt..l because seriously that's important!!).

 

[clementine92]

I'm having a similar problem at the moment - I was accepted into University of Tennessee's program, but I'm an NC resident (I was not accepted to NCSU's program). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to swallow the huge amount of debt that will come with UTK (with my savings and parents' help, I can get it down to about 85k of loans), or try again for NCSU. I genuinely believe I should have been accepted into NCSU, so I'm very, very hesitant to take a year off and try again, out of the fear of not being accepted again (I've heard some horror stories...). I know NCSU is ranked much higher than TN, but I am so eager to get a vet degree that I'm thinking of just going ahead and biting the bullet - I'm not sure what to think of rankings anyways.

Any thoughts?

 

[Jamr0ckin]

I'm having a similar problem at the moment - I was accepted into University of Tennessee's program, but I'm an NC resident (I was not accepted to NCSU's program). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to swallow the huge amount of debt that will come with UTK (with my savings and parents' help, I can get it down to about 85k of loans), or try again for NCSU. I genuinely believe I should have been accepted into NCSU, so I'm very, very hesitant to take a year off and try again, out of the fear of not being accepted again (I've heard some horror stories...). I know NCSU is ranked much higher than TN, but I am so eager to get a vet degree that I'm thinking of just going ahead and biting the bullet - I'm not sure what to think of rankings anyways.

Any thoughts?

Rankings don't mean anything, really. As a UTK student, I believe our program is awesome and I really believe that we provide students with a lot of opportunities. What are your interests? Have you discussed with NCSU why you were denied and do you feel like you could change that into an acceptance for next year? The debt is big and very real... But you have an in somewhere that you might not have next year. Good luck with your difficult decision!

 

[clementine92]

Thanks so much for the response - NCSU will not meet with me until May, but I've basically deduced that it was my supplemental application (they don't do interviews) that may have hurt me, meaning I disagree with NCSU's philosophies on VetMed. Not sure if I want to reapply somewhere that I won't fit, even if it is a lot cheaper. Right now I'm interested in small animal medicine, but I've also considered Public Health as I come from one of the top public health universities in the country (UNC-Chapel Hill). I really like UTK's MPH program, so that drew me to the school as well.

 

[dyachei]

I'm having a similar problem at the moment - I was accepted into University of Tennessee's program, but I'm an NC resident (I was not accepted to NCSU's program). I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to swallow the huge amount of debt that will come with UTK (with my savings and parents' help, I can get it down to about 85k of loans), or try again for NCSU. I genuinely believe I should have been accepted into NCSU, so I'm very, very hesitant to take a year off and try again, out of the fear of not being accepted again (I've heard some horror stories...). I know NCSU is ranked much higher than TN, but I am so eager to get a vet degree that I'm thinking of just going ahead and biting the bullet - I'm not sure what to think of rankings anyways.

Any thoughts?

Rankings have little to no bearing on the quality of education. Also 85k is a lot less debt than a lot of people have and is very manageable comparatively. Having known people that declined to reapply and didn't get in, I'd recommend going IF you want to be a vet.

 

[Trilt]

Thanks so much for the response - NCSU will not meet with me until May, but I've basically deduced that it was my supplemental application (they don't do interviews) that may have hurt me, meaning I disagree with NCSU's philosophies on VetMed. Not sure if I want to reapply somewhere that I won't fit, even if it is a lot cheaper. Right now I'm interested in small animal medicine, but I've also considered Public Health as I come from one of the top public health universities in the country (UNC-Chapel Hill). I really like UTK's MPH program, so that drew me to the school as well.

Not related to your application, but I'm curious about what philosophies you disagree with? I haven't looked at the recent supplemental essays, but couldn't imagine anything super controversial was added since I applied.

85K is a very manageable amount of debt. Also worth noting that if you hold off for another year on the chance of getting in somewhere else, you're losing a year of working as a veterinarian and making that increased salary (assuming you don't have an established, well-paying career right now).

 

[dalmatiandoc17]

Thanks so much for the response - NCSU will not meet with me until May, but I've basically deduced that it was my supplemental application (they don't do interviews) that may have hurt me, meaning I disagree with NCSU's philosophies on VetMed. Not sure if I want to reapply somewhere that I won't fit, even if it is a lot cheaper. Right now I'm interested in small animal medicine, but I've also considered Public Health as I come from one of the top public health universities in the country (UNC-Chapel Hill). I really like UTK's MPH program, so that drew me to the school as well.

So I'm in the same situation as you (sorta).
I emailed Jeff Huckle and told him I was trying to decide between reapplying and going OOS and so I couldn't wait until May. He told me he would try to get me information before the April 15 deadline....he hasn't yet but I just sent him a gentle reminder email because I figured he has been busy with the open house before now. So I suggest doing that!
Also I am going to OSU and going to be over 200k in debt so that 85k looks beautiful to me . If you think you can be happy at UT I suggest you go there and get your education that you really want because there's no telling if NCSU or any other school will accept you next year.

 

[that redhead]

I would take the UTK acceptance. As much as you believe you should have been accepted to NCSU, there is absolutely no guarantee you will be accepted next year even if you change your application significantly. And $85k of debt is about half of what the average student graduates with, so I (personally) don't think it's that big an issue.

 

[clementine92]

Right - I've known Jeff for 3 years now, and he's still refusing to meet with me until May-ish, so I think it's because committee members are holding off on giving him any info. I really do love UT, and I'm definitely leaning that way, but I can't seem to fully commit! I really, really, REALLY don't want to take a gap year at this point, since I've been banking on going to vet school somewhere next year.

As for the NCSU supplemental, there were questions regarding some animal welfare issues and what sort of diversity I would contribute to the class, and I'm guessing I just didn't have the answers they were looking for. I was accepted into all of the other schools that I applied for, as well as all of the schools I interviewed for, so I somehow didn't seem attractive to NCSU, but again, not sure why.

 

[KCgophervet]

I would ask yourself why you applied to UT in the first place. Obviously you wanted to go there (or were okay with it on some level) when you were deciding which schools to apply to.

That being said there's nothing wrong with taking a gap year, but then ask yourself what happens next? Do you JUST apply to NCSU because that's really the only place you're willing to go? What happens if you don't get in again?

My suggestion: Go where you got in!

 

[dyachei]

Right - I've known Jeff for 3 years now, and he's still refusing to meet with me until May-ish, so I think it's because committee members are holding off on giving him any info. I really do love UT, and I'm definitely leaning that way, but I can't seem to fully commit! I really, really, REALLY don't want to take a gap year at this point, since I've been banking on going to vet school somewhere next year.

As for the NCSU supplemental, there were questions regarding some animal welfare issues and what sort of diversity I would contribute to the class, and I'm guessing I just didn't have the answers they were looking for. I was accepted into all of the other schools that I applied for, as well as all of the schools I interviewed for, so I somehow didn't seem attractive to NCSU, but again, not sure why.

or the applicants this year made competition harder. Adcom decisions are a mystery to almost everyone (and I'm pretty sure that includes adcoms).

What is holding you back about UT? If it's the rankings, they really dont matter. At all

 

[clementine92]

I think moving away from family and friends may be the biggest factor, and the rest was rankings and money. But you all are giving me courage, that's for sure! I really did love the school, and I love Knoxville, I just don't feel ready for the big move, haha. I'm sure by the time it rolls around I'll be ready. I think I'll end up going to UTK, I'm just anxious and nervous about everything.

The pros are definitely in UTK's favor, I don't want to take the risk of taking a gap year and not getting into NCSU. I think I might just still be trying to get over the heartbreak!

 

[dyachei]

I think moving away from family and friends may be the biggest factor, and the rest was rankings and money. But you all are giving me courage, that's for sure! I really did love the school, and I love Knoxville, I just don't feel ready for the big move, haha. I'm sure by the time it rolls around I'll be ready. I think I'll end up going to UTK, I'm just anxious and nervous about everything.

The pros are definitely in UTK's favor, I don't want to take the risk of taking a gap year and not getting into NCSU. I think I might just still be trying to get over the heartbreak!

In reality, UTK isn't really a long drive from NC. It's definitely doable for weekends (I have a brother in Raleigh I visited when I lived in Knoxville).

 

[clementine92]

You all are totally right - since I'm still getting over the shock of NCSU, I think I'm just trying to justify my decision to go to UTK, since it's always hard to lose your first choice.

Thank you all so much for the great advice and reassurance - I can't wait to start my veterinary career!

 

[Jamr0ckin]

You all are totally right - since I'm still getting over the shock of NCSU, I think I'm just trying to justify my decision to go to UTK, since it's always hard to lose your first choice.

Thank you all so much for the great advice and reassurance - I can't wait to start my veterinary career!

I can't wait to welcome you to my UTK family!

 

[twelvetigers]

I say this again, here, for everyone that happens to be reading this.

RANKINGS ARE STUPID

THEY AREN'T BASED ON ANYTHING SUBSTANTIAL

DON'T CHOOSE A SCHOOL BASED ON RANKINGS

My school isn't even ranked because they don't participate. There are only 28 vet schools in the US (plus those three programs that finish at another institution which the grumpy old fart part of me doesn't want to acknowledge) so really... do your own research into the programs and make decisions based on that.

 

[that redhead]

I think moving away from family and friends may be the biggest factor, and the rest was rankings and money. But you all are giving me courage, that's for sure! I really did love the school, and I love Knoxville, I just don't feel ready for the big move, haha. I'm sure by the time it rolls around I'll be ready. I think I'll end up going to UTK, I'm just anxious and nervous about everything.

The pros are definitely in UTK's favor, I don't want to take the risk of taking a gap year and not getting into NCSU. I think I might just still be trying to get over the heartbreak!

It's definitely scary no matter how far you go if you haven't made a big move away from home before. I moved 1200miles to a new country and I was not feeling too excited either. But I'm really glad I decided to go because I'll be graduating in 2015 whereas I might've still been applying to school right now! I miss home a lot but I can't deny that I've really grown as a person because of it. Worth it in the end.