Did I choose the wrong vet school.

[mlpine]

Hello everyone,
I saw a post on the med student post and it sparked some inspiration to come here. I was between two schools, both OOS, in April. One allows in state residency after a year [I'll call this school A] and the other did not. The cost of attendance is quite different, with one being about 150k more-this being Cornell. Throughout the acceptance waiting period, I told myself if I did not get into my in-state school, I will go to school A. Everyone at my school was hoping to get in school A also and I was lucky to be one of the few that did. Everyone also had a similar plan to me of choosing this school if rejected from in-state. School A is closer to me and I am pretty family-oriented so I like being close to my family. It seemed like a great plan... then I thought of the *idea* of Cornell. An ivy. I am quite low income, and honestly, I could not fill out the CSS profile and the customer service told me to get a tax preparer to fill it out-hello, I am not paying for that so I truly do not know if I would have received a lot of aid. I asked quite literally asked everyone in my close circle [family and friends and mentors]-everyone said to choose school A. "Vet school rank doesn't matter" "I did not like Cornell when I went" "COA alone should choose school A" So I did. At first, I was scared I would not like school A when I chose it, but I visited and I actually liked the vibes but I am still scared that I chose the wrong school. Cornell is not extremely far from me but way farther than school A so I cannot/couldn't visit on a whim. I am also a minority and my culture is a very big part of me-being low income and a minority at an ivy where legacies go kind of scared me. I know the idea of an ivy should not be the sole reason to choose a school [maybe to some people lol] but I had no help throughout my academic career [also first gen] so in an ideal world I can show it all was for something. This may not be the best way to get an answer, but writing this alone made me feel better and I hope someone out there may make me feel a tad better I may have made the best decision at the end of the day.

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[WildZoo]

It sounds like you have every reason to go to school A. It's cheaper, it's closer to home, and you liked it when you visited. I can assure you that no vet school lives up to the ~idea~ of it, and no vet school is worth an extra 150k period. You made the right choice!

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Everything WZ said 110%

I was thankful to have multiple offers when I applied. One offer was 1300+mi away but way cheaper like 60k+. Another one of my offers was my IS which was actually more expensive (exception to the rule). I packed up my life and moved away. I just graduated, but I am so glad I went to the cheaper school- you just never know what is going to happen and at the end of the day you have to live with the debt. We lost learning opportunities due to covid-yeah it wasn't great, but imagine that happening and having chosen the more expensive school. Also because I did go to the cheaper school I am actually able to buy a house in this crazy market with lower interest rates and fees than a physican's loan. I'll also hopefully have my student loans gone in the next 5 years or so that way I can live my life the way I want to and not have to worry about that tax bomb (don't get me wrong, IDR plans have their place and are the best choice for some, but I hate having debt hanging over me personally and don't trust any of the programs).

Vet school has its ups and downs. I met my best friends in vet school which I wouldn't have ever met if I had gone to my IS. On the other hand I had to move 1300+mi. At the end of the day if you put in the work you'll get your DVM. Your hiring offer will be the same ivy school or non ivy school. Vet school is hard no matter the program. Period. You'll have everything to show when you earn that DVM I promise. You earning that DVM as a first gen is showing the world [from a fellow first gen]

No vet school is worth an extra 150k. Embrace your choice and goodluck!

 

[TheDogFather]

Echoing what others have written, enroll where you feel most comfortable and (much more importantly) is cheapest. You could line up a graduate from every vet school in the country as well as the Caribbean and you will find no discernible difference. No employer or client is going to care whether or not you went to an Ivy League school and to most of the population the Ivy League is comprised of Harvard, Yale, Princeton and any other northeastern school that has a funny name. I've forgotten the exact details, but while both Cornell and Penn are Ivy League schools, they also have a significant public component to them as well--for whatever that is worth.

 

[battie]

Ivy league distinction doesn't mean anything in vet med. We're one of the few professions where that holds true and we truly are better off for it. "You never know what's going to happen" is a very true statement to live by; I ended up repeating a year of vet school. So I ended up with an additional 64k in loans (COA). Had I been at my in state (never accepted), it would have been an additional 32k. At 7% interest, that's a lot of money.

 

[SkiOtter]

150k less is a whole ass HOUSE, when you add in the interest. You made the wise decision. Don’t let the people who will not be paying back your loans make you feel guilty for choosing the more financially responsible school.

 

[mlpine]

Everything WZ said 110%

I was thankful to have multiple offers when I applied. One offer was 1300+mi away but way cheaper like 60k+. Another one of my offers was my IS which was actually more expensive (exception to the rule). I packed up my life and moved away. I just graduated, but I am so glad I went to the cheaper school- you just never know what is going to happen and at the end of the day you have to live with the debt. We lost learning opportunities due to covid-yeah it wasn't great, but imagine that happening and having chosen the more expensive school. Also because I did go to the cheaper school I am actually able to buy a house in this crazy market with lower interest rates and fees than a physican's loan. I'll also hopefully have my student loans gone in the next 5 years or so that way I can live my life the way I want to and not have to worry about that tax bomb (don't get me wrong, IDR plans have their place and are the best choice for some, but I hate having debt hanging over me personally and don't trust any of the programs).

Vet school has its ups and downs. I met my best friends in vet school which I wouldn't have ever met if I had gone to my IS. On the other hand I had to move 1300+mi. At the end of the day if you put in the work you'll get your DVM. Your hiring offer will be the same ivy school or non ivy school. Vet school is hard no matter the program. Period. You'll have everything to show when you earn that DVM I promise. You earning that DVM as a first gen is showing the world [from a fellow first gen]

No vet school is worth an extra 150k. Embrace your choice and goodluck!

thank you for your story! Congrats on graduating! This and everyone else's responses definitely make me feel better about my choice. I do not know a lot about the veterinary world other than what I've seen so I still have a lot to learn.

 

[5Hs5Ts]

Ranking doesn't matter at all. People go to my school almost exclusively for its rank. I think it's hot garbage, I would transfer out in a heartbeat if I could. The instruction is poor, administration is utterly confused, the practical learning is poorly planned, and the list goes on. You will find things you like and things you dislike about every school you can imagine, just go to the one that will graduate you with the least debt possible.