I will be an advocate for NOT just following the dollar signs. Or running away from them, as it were. I'm choosing a school that's about $10-15 thousand more per year than another option. Stupid? Perhaps. But I chose my undergrad based on cost, convenience, and availability of a solid pre-vet program. And I regret my choice. Got a good education, but was not so good for my personal development. Granted, paying about $15,000 more is probably my limit. Had I actually gotten accepted to North Carolina (ha.ha.), I would totally be going there, no questions asked. Probably even if everyone was miserably mean there. I'm not stupid enough to pass up that kind of insanely low tuition. My point is, that it's not ALL about the price. That's just one factor.
OP, try making a chart for all the different factors you think are important. Do a little research (yes, research 😱, whether it be on SDN or the schools website or good old google) and rank each school in each area (ie, the cheapest school gets a 1 and the most expensive gets a 4, the school with a really unique opporunity suited to your interests gets a 1, the school with a really weird curriculum set up gets a 4, a school in a mediocre location gets a 2 or 3, etc.) When you're done, average the rankings and see what you get! You can even included a gut feeling ranking (ie, how you felt after you visited the school). I started making a chart like this and it was on its way to being really helpful--but then I realized I had already decided where I wanted to go and the results of chart weren't going to change my mind, so I stopped. Even if you don't follow through with making the chart, the thought process of figuring out which factors are important, starting to rank the schools in some areas, factoring in your gut feeling, might help you realize that you already know what you want to do!
Some people decide where to go to vet school based on practical considerations (ie, convenience, price.) Some people make their decisions based on reputation (even though everyone says rankings don't matter that much) Some people go based on their gut feelings (that'd be me). And others want to make their decision on pain staking research involving factors such as electives offered, unique clinical rotations, chances for international travel, chances to dabble in research, what sort of specialists do they have on staff, when do you get to start working hands on with animals, how do they set up their curriculum, do they teach on a systems based approach or a more old fashioned approach or are they really wild and do pbl? the list could go on. In summary... no one can really help you make this decision (as much as we all try to). You need to figure out not only what you need in a school, but what you want. And chances are, you'll have to make compromises. There is no single school that is going to be better than every other school in everything you want.
