hmarie05 said:
for those of you who got into both places...which one do you think you are going to choose and why???
The cost of tuition for me is certainly a huge factor. Illinois, however, did offer me a small scholarship, but it was not enough to defray the cost of attending as an out-of-state student. I don't think out-of-state students are allowed to establish residency once in vet school, so the overall cost of Illinois would be much higher than attending Davis.
I was less impressed with my interactions with the faculty, staff and students and my exposure to the facilities. Davis has brand new buildings coming online in the very near future. And while the facilities at Illinois were nice, their new construction is not slated to begin for some time nor will they be completed any time soon.
Another thing for me choosing Davis is the advantage of staying close to the Bay Area and the west coast in general, where I have made a lot of contacts with veterinarians. Doing an externship at some of these locations would be nice, but one could argue that it would be better to expand my horizons and travel somewhere new. However, it's in my nature to like to pop in every now and then just to maintain face-to-face relationships with those that have helped me to get to this point.
Plus, during this transition to vet school, I'll have friends at Davis and in the Bay Area. When I decided to move to Cali after graduating from undergrad in NY, I left a majority of my friends behind on the east coast. So to move to Illinois and do that again would be tough for me.
So these seem like generic reasons, and don't really address more of the technical merits behind the schools, but I think they're reason enough for me to choose Davis over Illinois!
