Hi, second year Cornell student here!
How adventurous are you feeling, and how important is it for you to be close to family? I have friends whose families are many states away and can only afford (money as well as time) to take a trip home once, maybe twice a year. They've mentioned wishing they could visit family more often, especially when older loved ones who might not be around for many more years are involved, and feel like they're missing out when they skip seeing family for holidays.
Also, what's your preference for urban/suburban/rural? A lot of people come from NYC/other large cities and feel that Ithaca is far too rural for their comfort level. Personally, I grew up in a rural area and feel that Ithaca is more city-like than I'm used to. It's kind of a funky in-between where the center of Ithaca feels like a dense small city, but all it takes is a ten minute drive to feel like you're in woodsy farmland. The vet school is on the edge of the more populated part of town, so five minutes in one direction puts you right in the middle of Ithaca, and five minutes in the opposite direction puts you in farmland. Which I enjoy! It's easy to find housing that suits anyone's fancy less than 10 minutes away from the school. I'm about three minutes away and surrounded by forest. Other students have opted to live in the center of town to be walking distance away from stores but also a very short drive away from school.
And of course, if your goal is to practice in California, it never hurts to network throughout vet school by staying in California. But I'm sure you won't have a problem finding a job when you return to California if you chose Cornell.
You'll definitely see both here! We have student-led tutor groups that are typically seven students plus a professor who is there for guidance through the discussion. There are about three tutor group sessions per week for the major courses (The Animal Body - aka anatomy; Function and Dysfunction - aka physiology; and Host, Agent, and Defense - aka immunology) for the first three semesters. The rest of the courses are largely lecture-based +/- labs with occasional breakout sessions and group talks.
You will have
absolutely no problem finding a job here. We have dozens of unique hands-on positions in the school's hospital that suit all sorts of interests and schedule needs. Toward the end of the first semester, the school holds an info session where all the specialties present their available jobs and guide you through the application process - you can apply to as many as you want, and then get matched to one of your top choices (most people get offered their #1 choice). Even if you opt out of the match process, a lot of areas need more student workers than they get and will hire throughout the year. Some students also work as a milker at the school's dairy barn just down the road, and others work at the numerous nearby private practices. I work at the local SPCA as a vet assistant. There really is something for everyone here.
You will find all of the above at Cornell! You can take a look at what our
pathways look like here.
To me, it came down to Cornell or Tufts. I chose Cornell primarily because the cost after scholarships was lower than Tufts, but I was also happy with the location, excited for their problem based learning, and eager to join their shelter med program. Happy to elaborate on that if you have specific questions!
