Do You Think?

[Pistol Pete]

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I was speaking with a friend in another state comparing notes about our interview experiences. She did her undergraduate work at a school that has a vet school and appears to be a strong in-state candidate. She applied to 5 OOS schools and commented how the adcoms at each of the 3 OOS schools she interviewed with so far had spent some of her interview time talking about her IS school, the cost of IS vs OOS tuition, etc.....to the point that she felt like they were attempting to get her to tip her hand about how strongly she felt about her IS school, her plan for financing school, etc.

She asked me this question, everything being equal....do you think adcoms give preference to OOS students that have no IS school since those students are going to attend an OOS school for sure. It had never crossed my mind but I can see how it might reduce the number of offers needed to fill the OOS seats.

PP

 

[WildlifeSaver]

I was speaking with a friend in another state comparing notes about our interview experiences. She did her undergraduate work at a school that has a vet school and appears to be a strong in-state candidate. She applied to 5 OOS schools and commented how the adcoms at each of the 3 OOS schools she interviewed with so far had spent some of her interview time talking about her IS school, the cost of IS vs OOS tuition, etc.....to the point that she felt like they were attempting to get her to tip her hand about how strongly she felt about her IS school, her plan for financing school, etc.

She asked me this question, everything being equal....do you think adcoms give preference to OOS students that have no IS school since those students are going to attend an OOS school for sure. It had never crossed my mind but I can see how it might reduce the number of offers needed to fill the OOS seats.

PP

That is interesting. I never thought about that. I have no clue. hmm

 

[sumstorm]

I thought that was why there were waitlists.

I think the financing question is very valid...but remember, they don't know if she will be offered a position IS. I don't think it matters whether thier OOS applicants have IS schools. I think it is just a more interesting thing to talk about than why the applicant with no IS school applied to 5 OOS schools.

 

[Optimistic 13]

.

 

[DocDVMD]

Yeah, hopefully they don't just assume you'd be going to your IS school, cause then those of us who were rejected from their IS school would be screwed! 😡

 

[shortnsweet]

Yeah, hopefully they don't just assume you'd be going to your IS school, cause then those of us who were rejected from their IS school would be screwed! 😡

True Story...Glasgow asked me if I had applied to MD/VA as my in state school during my interview..of course I said yes because it is my in-state...but MD/VA rejected me a few weeks after I had been accepted to Glasgow...Good thing I applied to those OOS schools...

 

[kef148]

I had a very similar experience to this. I went to interview at an OOS school about 5 days after being rejected from my IS school. At my interview they said things like, "Well, we understand if you have to go to you IS school for tuition purposes but keep us in mind". I didn't want them to assume I would stay in state because that was obviously not an option, but it's not like I could say, "Oh, don't worry. I was already rejected by them. Now you can have me!" 🙄 I just tried to smile, and then let them know how impressed I was with their program. I've been worried ever since that they'll overlook me, thinking that I'll go IS.

 

[Skillet9886]

I would be very surprised if having an in-state vet school turned out to be a disadvantage for applying out of state. As was said previously, wait lists are designed to fill the spots if the first accepted people decide to go elsewhere.

Personally, I think going to a university for undergrad that has a vet school has been a huge advantage. I've gotten to work at the vet school, and have a bunch of friends who are in vet school now that I can pump for information. 😉 I have talked about the UF vet school some in my other interviews, because I think it demonstrated to my interviewers that I have at least a passing understanding of what's involved in vet school. I figure if you're staring something in the face and still willing to jump in, you have a decent shot of making it through.

 

[sumstorm]

Skillet, that is one of the things I have thought about a lot...should I have attended Purdue for undergrad? It was my IS state school, but I wasn't offered ANY scholarships to Purdue, and the cost of attending a small, private, liberal arts college was cheaper after scholarships than attending Purdue. Classes with hundreds of people vs classes that maxed at 10 or 15.... a school that believed in balancing work and education vs a depersonalized institution.

I honestly felt (and still feel) that I received a better education at the school I attended, but because it isn't a highly recognized name, I wonder if it hurts me now, in applications. That, and the fact that they used credits instead of credit hours, and we were on a trimester system (not semesters...not quarters.)

Oh, well, decisions, decisions.

 

[Skillet9886]

I honestly felt (and still feel) that I received a better education at the school I attended, but because it isn't a highly recognized name, I wonder if it hurts me now, in applications.

I think that if you were asked about why you chose your undergrad school and said that sentence, it would totally counteract any "prejudice" against your school as compared to a larger university. Also, cost is a huge motivating factor. If UF hadn't been free, I definitely would have gone to the school that offered me the most scholarships (considering academics, of course). Having no student loans from undergrad is huge for me, because now I'm starting from scratch with vet school debt.

I think if you don't see your school as a disadvantage, it won't be. If you're proud of your school rather than being defensive about it (not saying you are...this is just a general statement), it goes a long way. If it's something you're worried about, you could always try to work it into an interview or essay or something. Those interviews are generally pretty easy to steer into a direction you want.

 

[feadog]

I actually had a very similar experience at WSU the other day. They asked me about IS tuition at Cornell, and what I thought it would cost to attend WSU for 4 years.

I've already been rejected from Cornell, but because it's possible (and, it seems, encouraged) for OOS students to gain WA residency after 1 year, it would actually be cheaper for me to go to WSU than Cornell even if I had been accepted.

I never considered the idea that having an IS school may be a disadvantage, though... interesting thought, and I hope it's not the case!

 

[sumstorm]

Skillet, I have to get an interview first, which I have not yet achieved.

Since there are only 2 schools that I applied to that I haven't been rejected from yet, and only one does interviews...and has done a lot already, chances are looking slim for that oppurtunity. I have no doubt, that if I could get an interview, I would stand a much better chance. I think it is really hard for must ad-comms to really comprehend what it means to work 50 hours a week while attending a full time residential school....while also serving as an RA to cover room/board. That it meant delivering newspapers at 4am, working 12 hours shifts every Saturday and Sunday off campus, tutoring in the afternoons, and working the late shift as a CNA. My GPA isn't great, but it makes more sense when people hear just how I was spending my time.

Even though my school's name isn't well know, it is ranked high in every liberal arts ranking in the country.