Considering Australian schools

[NeonMountaineer]

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I recently talked to advisors from several vet schools at the pre-vet symposium, including a few from Australian vet schools. After talking to them I am now considering adding those schools to my list of schools to apply to next summer. I have already considered the tuition costs and the factors involving moving to and living in a different country. Is there anything else I should be considering? Also, could going to one of these schools be a better option than going to a Caribbean school, for cost at least?

 

[that redhead]

Also, could going to one of these schools be a better option than going to a Caribbean school, for cost at least?

If you've "already considered the tuition costs and factors involving moving to and living in a different country", you would have answered this question for yourself already, no?

It sounds like you've covered the important parts - tuition, a HUGE move (and lengthy quarantine for pets) - and have likely read the international students' thoughts on moving to a foreign country in other threads. Those things (conveniences, being away from family, etc) are all things that you can't really know until you're living it, but shouldn't necessarily deter you from applying abroad by themselves. If you got into a US school and were trying to decide between the two, I'd urge you consider the intangibles more closely.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

Make sure you look at only the AVMA accredited schools, IMO.........getting licensed back in the US is a difficult and expensive process if your vet school is not accredited (and not all vet schools in Oz are).

 

[KCgophervet]

Flights to Australia are going to be pricier than to the Caribbean, and the time difference is much greater (impacting jet lag and communications with home). They are also often 5 year programs vs. 4, and for Australians often commence immediately after high school if that's a concern for you (it increases the tuition considerably adding in another year, and at least the program I looked into you started the first 2.5 years getting another undergrad degree, then moving on to the vet stuff). All things to consider.

However living in Australia is pretty sweet so you'd have that going for you 😀

 

[deleted498041]

If you got into a US school and were trying to decide between the two, I'd urge you consider the intangibles more closely.

I think this is a huge point that people really underestimate. I think a lot of people would like to go somewhere new and different for school (whether it's vet school, study abroad, whatever) -- and don't get me wrong, Australia is awesome! I love going home. I love my family, the food, the people, the towns, all of it! However, for an American moving all the way to Australia for school, you need to consider how much you're going to miss home.

Are you going to drive while you're there? Okay, well you'll need an Australian license after a certain amount of time and I hope you take a driving course because everything in the car and on the road is switched to the other side.

Will you work while you're in school? Goods and services are more expensive in Australia, but that's because people, on average, get paid more. Unfortunately, for a U.S. student on loans, you may not have the income to offset that. Maybe some more international students can chime in on that.

How often will you go home? When I go to Australia it takes no less than 36 hours and four plane flights. You can't just pop home for a weekend. Even going for a week is really too short when you consider the time spent traveling and the jet lag.

I only moved across the country for vet school. It takes me 5 hours to get home by plane, the currency is the same, driving is the same, and I understand the economy. That being said, moving across the country was too much. I almost count down the days until I can get back home and not have to travel back and forth across the country. I can't wait to get out and graduate and go back home. I miss my family and my horses every single day and while school is a welcome distraction, I never could have anticipated how much I'd miss home. I couldn't imagine moving to another country for 4+ years.

 

[NeonMountaineer]

Goods and services are more expensive in Australia, but that's because people, on average, get paid more.

1 Australian dollar = 0.76 US dollars. Is that what you mean?

 

[NeonMountaineer]

Thanks for the tips so far. I don't have any pets to bring, so that's 1 thing that I don't have to deal with. I know it would be a big change to be away from my family and friends, but I'm ready to spend a few years outside my comfort zone if I have to.

 

[KCgophervet]

1 Australian dollar = 0.76 US dollars. Is that what you mean?

When I studied abroad in Australia in 2008 (yikes) the minimum wage was somewhere around $14/hour. Now I can't remember if that was converted to USD or just in Australian dollars but either way, people got paid more. As such, things like food and rent etc also cost more. I think that's what's being referred to.

 

[that redhead]

Thanks for the tips so far. I don't have any pets to bring, so that's 1 thing that I don't have to deal with. I know it would be a big change to be away from my family and friends, but I'm ready to spend a few years outside my comfort zone if I have to.

Some people are okay with it for long periods of time, but four years really does add up. At first, it's just that: out of your comfort zone. Most people can adapt to that - learn the area, local customs/lingo, currency, find a place, make friends. What starts to take a toll is the time away from family and friends for extended periods, especially during holidays, birthdays and big events both happy and sad. I missed the funerals of two grandparents, the wedding of good friends, four Thanksgivings and countless other events and I was only 1200 miles away in Canada. I don't discourage including these schools, but if it does come down to deciding between an acceptance state-side or going very far abroad, I would really encourage you to reconsider.

If you have an itch to travel or get outside your comfort zone, there's no reason you can't find an awesome summer experience somewhere, too 🙂

 

[CalliopeDVM]

1 Australian dollar = 0.76 US dollars. Is that what you mean?

It's far more than about purchasing power of the Australian dollar........Islands are notorious for having higher costs of living because so much has to be imported, and companies have to have an incentive to make that extra cost worthwhile. Also, the taxes on various items is different than in the US (for instance, taxes on tobacco are higher).

 

[DVMDream]

Another thing that I think people believe is that they are going to get to study somewhere new/exciting/whatever and for the first few months at least, it is new and exciting and cool, but after that it just becomes where you live. Riding on a bus past a castle just becomes routine. Missing events takes a toll eventually and while you might not be able to attend theses events while attending vet school in the US, you are able to easily grab a phone and call family while still in the same country. It isn't as simple when you are out of the country especially once you figure in the time difference as well.

I've missed many birthdays, births of nephews, Thanksgivings, my grandma's funeral. Also, dealing with the stress of a sick family member sucks, it sucks even more when in order to contact family to get updates you must be available from x time to x time, you must be near wi-fi (or be willing to use a boat load of data), and your family member also needs to have wi-fi (or be willing to use a boat load of data). Add in the expense of flights, determining if you can even afford to go home to visit once a year, the jet lag, being away from pets if you can't bring them with, etc. Yes, studying abroad is very exciting and I learned quite a bit, but these are the things that people don't think of that can really wear you down after a few years.

I'm not saying don't do it, I think studying abroad can be and is a great experience. I am just saying that really consider what you are getting into especially if you do have state-side options.

 

[Cyndia]

One other thing to keep in mind that people haven't mentioned is that the style of testing/assessment in Australia is different from the US style. I'm not too familiar with their system, but since it's different there will definitely be a period of adjustment. You'll also likely be grouped with younger students since they normally attend veterinary school after high school, and the degree is a bachelors. However, a vet I used to work with in Sydney told me recently that a few schools have added a DVM program that is 4 years and post-graduate only, I'm not sure which schools (I think he mentioned USydney and Melbourne maybe?) and if they're accredited or not, but those might be better suited for you if you don't want to do the degree with a bunch of younger students.

Oh and.. are you able to visit at all before committing to attending? I would highly recommend going to check out the school and facilities, especially since you'd be committing to four years there. Last year I was deciding between coming home to the US for vet school or staying put in Europe (I spent 2 years living in England and then there just before vet school), and touring both facilities and speaking to students really helped me make my final decision.

 

[jmo1012]

I think this is a huge point that people really underestimate. I think a lot of people would like to go somewhere new and different for school (whether it's vet school, study abroad, whatever) -- and don't get me wrong, Australia is awesome! I love going home. I love my family, the food, the people, the towns, all of it! However, for an American moving all the way to Australia for school, you need to consider how much you're going to miss home.

Are you going to drive while you're there? Okay, well you'll need an Australian license after a certain amount of time and I hope you take a driving course because everything in the car and on the road is switched to the other side.

Will you work while you're in school? Goods and services are more expensive in Australia, but that's because people, on average, get paid more. Unfortunately, for a U.S. student on loans, you may not have the income to offset that. Maybe some more international students can chime in on that.

How often will you go home? When I go to Australia it takes no less than 36 hours and four plane flights. You can't just pop home for a weekend. Even going for a week is really too short when you consider the time spent traveling and the jet lag.

I only moved across the country for vet school. It takes me 5 hours to get home by plane, the currency is the same, driving is the same, and I understand the economy. That being said, moving across the country was too much. I almost count down the days until I can get back home and not have to travel back and forth across the country. I can't wait to get out and graduate and go back home. I miss my family and my horses every single day and while school is a welcome distraction, I never could have anticipated how much I'd miss home. I couldn't imagine moving to another country for 4+ years.

driving on the opposite side of the road is not difficult, and i cant think of anyone who didnt adjust within days to the switch. its not like you are suddenly learning a new language 😉 in fact, i was surprised at how comfortable i felt driving on the left

things will cost differently, but thats also not really an adjust (to understand the economy). and using another currency is also very easy once you do it for a couple of days.

i get the points you are trying to make, but they're kind of silly. 😛

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it wasnt specifically pointed out, but i dont think you can get US federal aid for most of these programs. island students cant use federal funding to go to australia for 4th year at least. private loans...blah, dont do it.

i dont think going to europe or australia is necessarily a better option, i think they all have their pros and cons. from a cost perspective, you'd have to really look at cost of living and tuition/fees for each school to figure it out. VIN can tell you that stuff for all of the US and caribbean schools.

 

[DVMDream]

driving on the opposite side of the road is not difficult, and i cant think of anyone who didnt adjust within days to the switch. its not like you are suddenly learning a new language 😉 in fact, i was surprised at how comfortable i felt driving on the left

I never tried to drive while I was in the UK (the drivers there scare me, they are crazy). However, I did nearly get run over as a pedestrian a few times because it took me a while to figure out you have to look the opposite direction for traffic.

 

[jmo1012]

I never tried to drive while I was in the UK (the drivers there scare me, they are crazy). However, I did nearly get run over as a pedestrian a few times because it took me a while to figure out you have to look the opposite direction for traffic.

i bet caribbean drivers are no less scary, they have their own set of understandings that leads to some sort of organized chaos. i tried not to drive too much - although, id take that any day to DC traffic. talk about real insanity there!

 

[CalliopeDVM]

driving on the opposite side of the road is not difficult, and i cant think of anyone who didnt adjust within days to the switch. its not like you are suddenly learning a new language 😉 in fact, i was surprised at how comfortable i felt driving on the left

I too was surprised at how easily I adapted to driving on the other side of the road (mine was a 10 day road trip vacation, not a lengthy stay to go to school). My bigger problem was that things IN the car were also reversed, and I kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of signalling a turn.

 

[KCgophervet]

To derail the thread a bit - during my semester abroad in Australia we decided to go on a weekend trip to a nearby town. Got there by bus, decided to rent a car. (I wasn't driving) Immediately when pulling out of the parking lot onto the road the guy driving turned into the wrong lane! Like seconds after talking about how weird it was being on the other side of the car. I'm glad we all survived that little excursion.

 

[Frozenshades]

driving on the opposite side of the road is not difficult, and i cant think of anyone who didnt adjust within days to the switch. its not like you are suddenly learning a new language 😉 in fact, i was surprised at how comfortable i felt driving on the left

things will cost differently, but thats also not really an adjust (to understand the economy). and using another currency is also very easy once you do it for a couple of days.

i get the points you are trying to make, but they're kind of silly. 😛

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it wasnt specifically pointed out, but i dont think you can get US federal aid for most of these programs. island students cant use federal funding to go to australia for 4th year at least. private loans...blah, dont do it.

i dont think going to europe or australia is necessarily a better option, i think they all have their pros and cons. from a cost perspective, you'd have to really look at cost of living and tuition/fees for each school to figure it out. VIN can tell you that stuff for all of the US and caribbean schools.

I dunno, Aussies have some weird slang

 

[deleted498041]

I dunno, Aussies have some weird slang

I think you're mistaken. We simply talk properly; Americans don't recognize proper English is all 😉

 

[deleted498041]

It's far more than about purchasing power of the Australian dollar........Islands are notorious for having higher costs of living because so much has to be imported, and companies have to have an incentive to make that extra cost worthwhile. Also, the taxes on various items is different than in the US (for instance, taxes on tobacco are higher).

Yeah, that's more what I was talking about. The Australian dollar fluctuates between being stronger and weaker than the US dollar pretty regularly but because the average wage there is usually (keyword: usually) higher, our goods and services are a little more expensive. It, of course, depends on what products you're looking at purchasing. I'm sure everyone has heard just how ridiculously expensive video games are in Australia.

 

[deleted498041]

I found this article (http://www.theguardian.com/business...-shows-cheapest-places-for-goods-and-services) today, just in case anyone was curious about the relative expensiveness of goods and services.

 

[katatak]

To derail the thread a bit - during my semester abroad in Australia we decided to go on a weekend trip to a nearby town. Got there by bus, decided to rent a car. (I wasn't driving) Immediately when pulling out of the parking lot onto the road the guy driving turned into the wrong lane! Like seconds after talking about how weird it was being on the other side of the car. I'm glad we all survived that little excursion.

While visiting my dad a few years back I was using his car to get some groceries and I looked the wrong way out of habit while making a turn onto a street and lets just say glad I survived that little excursion too... Although neither my dads car nor the guy's car that t-boned me made it. So in essence look both ways before turning and think twice before moving to Australia. Although it is a gorgeous country with wonderful people (mates).