Criticisms of UC Davis

[splashnits]

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Hi all,

I was wondering from any current (or past) students what some of your criticisms about UC Davis are/were.

Also, would you say that there are more "prestigious" schools vs. less "prestigious," and does that matter at all in your career after school?

Thanks!

 

[Bill59]

Also, would you say that there are more "prestigious" schools vs. less "prestigious," and does that matter at all in your career after school?

I don't think so and absolutely not.

In vet. med, the people that claim a particular school is more prestigious than others are usually graduates of that particular school.

You will find some employers that have a preference for graduates of a certain school, but that's usually because either that's where they graduated from, or they've had a previous good experience with a graduate of that school.

 

[pathognomonic]

I am not a Davis grad but I went there for a neurology conference last year and was very favorably impressed by the faculty presenting the program and the students who were attending/volunteering that day. I thought the students were bright, enthusiastic and compassionate and the faculty superb instructors and subject matter experts. I would recommend it to anyone.

A Cornell grad

 

[mtrl1]

Hi all,

I was wondering from any current (or past) students what some of your criticisms about UC Davis are/were.

Also, would you say that there are more "prestigious" schools vs. less "prestigious," and does that matter at all in your career after school?

Thanks!

I don't the "prestige" of the school really matters as long as it offers what you need.... Talking to different students at the SAVMA symposium this year, an example would be that some schools really don't have an exotics caseload. Obviously, it's kind of a seller's market, but if you have a choice, making sure your area of interest exists at the school is a good idea. Otherwise, no....there's only ~80,000 vets in this country, and we have a shortage.

As for your question about Davis, is there something in particular you had in mind? I think the biggest thing one could possibly criticize is that the program is too "tracked"...the curriculum is not too friendly to students wanting to go into mixed animal practice. The flip-side is that there are tons of electives and advanced classes in subjects pertaining to whatever species you want to work on. Overall, I've been very happy with the courses, instruction, and support so far. If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[thereservoirdog]

I'm not a vet student yet, but the only bad thing I've heard about Davis came from a vet tech I know that works at the school. Basically she said students don't get enough hands on learning there, and she was upset that she had to teach a bunch of fourth years how to draw blood. Again, I'm not in vet school so I can't really comment, maybe someone that actually goes to Davis could chime in.

 

[Bill59]

I'm not a vet student yet, but the only bad thing I've heard about Davis came from a vet tech I know that works at the school. Basically she said students don't get enough hands on learning there, and she was upset that she had to teach a bunch of fourth years how to draw blood.

Does she think students are born with this skill? One of the main jobs of a tech. at VTH is to teach 4th years how to do procedures like venipuncture.

 

[RazorDoc2010]

I don't buy into any prestige factor in vet school. As long as you go to the school that offers what you want and fits you best, you'll be fine.

On a side-note, I met several UC-Davis people at symposium and all of them were extremely nice and seemed to absolutely love their school.

 

[pressmom]

On a side-note, I met several UC-Davis people at symposium and all of them were extremely nice and seemed to absolutely love their school.

Same here.

 

[VAgirl]

Because of the name of this thread, whenever I see it at the top with a new comment, I feel myself bracing to hear something negative about Davis. Heh. 🙂 I'm glad people seem to have a similarly positive impression to my own.

 

[lilhmbrg]

I'm a 2006 grad from UCD. By the end I was so tired of school I couldn't wait to leave, but now having been out 2 years I think the quality of medical education I got was top-notch. My complaint is that we were not adequately prepared for "the real world." That is, clients who are not so keen on spending $30K (or even 1K) on medical care. Clients for whom springing for that most basic of diagnostic tests, the "minimal database" (CBC, chem, UA) is a hardship (whether it's truly a hardship or because they just got back from Hawaii or just bought a Coach purse, take your pick). UCD did a fabulous job in teaching us how to diagnose and treat but not so great in preparing us to deal with the real public - not the ones going to a tertiary medical facility. I supposed this is not limited to UCD - any vet school grad probably has similar concerns. I do know that Davis is now offering "doctoring" courses starting first year... to get into these real-life issues.
Also, daily things like foxtail removals (i'm in CA, can't you tell 😉, cat bite abscesses, etc were definitely glossed over in school and I learned those from other docs in my practice. But when I saw my first Addisonian dog, I knew what to do!