Does it really matter where you're coming from?

[SUNYAggie]

I attend a small, not very well known SUNY. Any high school failure could be accepted here. The standards are pretty low. I got into all of the other undergrad schools I applied for such as CSU, PU, MSU but I came here solely because of the tuition. It is in-state and cheap, and I got a scholarship here, which leaves me with no debt. If I had went to PU or CSU, I would have been paying a good 35-40k which would put me in debt when Vet school is already expensive. But I would have also been paying for the name of the school.

I have heard from various professors that coming from a school such as CSU compared to a less competitive and unpopular SUNY school, your chances of being accepted into prestigious vet schools would be increased.

I want the best possible chance of getting into the school of my dream, and if it takes a transfer to another school because Vet schools really care about where you did your undergrad, I am all for it.

I thought going to a cheap undergrad school and saving money for vet school would be ideal, but not if a vet school isn't familiar with my undergrad college.

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[cowgirla]

I attend a small, not very well known SUNY. Any high school failure could be accepted here. The standards are pretty low. I got into all of the other undergrad schools I applied for such as CSU, PU, MSU but I came here solely because of the tuition. It is in-state and cheap, and I got a scholarship here, which leaves me with no debt. If I had went to PU or CSU, I would have been paying a good 35-40k which would put me in debt when Vet school is already expensive. But I would have also been paying for the name of the school.

I have heard from various professors that coming from a school such as CSU compared to a less competitive and unpopular SUNY school, your chances of being accepted into prestigious vet schools would be increased.

I want the best possible chance of getting into the school of my dream, and if it takes a transfer to another school because Vet schools really care about where you did your undergrad, I am all for it.

I thought going to a cheap undergrad school and saving money for vet school would be ideal, but not if a vet school isn't familiar with my undergrad college.

You aren't exactly the bottom of the SUNY totem pole...I'd rank Morrisville below Cobleskill anyway, at least when it comes to the animal science program. I nearly went to Cobleskill, but then UNH offered me a pretty significant scholarship. And I know people from both schools who have gone on to vet school.

I think as long as you do well, and have a solid reason for choosing Cobleskill (Ie, the tuition, not the fact that you couldn't get in elsewhere) you'll be okay.
You might not get into Cornell even if you are a NYS resident, since they tend to look highly on GPA and where you're from, or Penn, or Davis. But there are hundreds of little-known schools out there turning out future vets. As long as you do well and could be a strong asset to a veterinary program, I don't see it being too much of an issue. Not ALL schools care about where you're from, they care more about what you've made of yourself.

ETA: You might find a transfer to a bigger school benificial in other ways, though. I'm going back a few years, but I don't recall Cobleskill having much in the way of "facilities". You might find a bigger school, even if it's just Cornell's undergrad state side (kind of, sort of affordable!), offers you more advanced courses and opportunities in the way of learning/research etc, as well as a stronger professorship.

 

[zeebra44]

I attend a small, not very well known SUNY. Any high school failure could be accepted here. The standards are pretty low. I got into all of the other undergrad schools I applied for such as CSU, PU, MSU but I came here solely because of the tuition. It is in-state and cheap, and I got a scholarship here, which leaves me with no debt. If I had went to PU or CSU, I would have been paying a good 35-40k which would put me in debt when Vet school is already expensive. But I would have also been paying for the name of the school.

I have heard from various professors that coming from a school such as CSU compared to a less competitive and unpopular SUNY school, your chances of being accepted into prestigious vet schools would be increased.

I want the best possible chance of getting into the school of my dream, and if it takes a transfer to another school because Vet schools really care about where you did your undergrad, I am all for it.

I thought going to a cheap undergrad school and saving money for vet school would be ideal, but not if a vet school isn't familiar with my undergrad college.

So, I noticed you're from Cobleskill. I lived not too far from there, and went to school at Cornell for Animal Science as a transfer student. It was such an excellent decision, especially if you want to get involved in undergraduate research...the research and networking opportunities are endless! And if you're interested in attending Cornell Vet, you can get your foot in the door by being part of the An Sci program. So, if you want to transfer out, I recommend that you try and apply there...quite a few students were from SUNY Cobleskill! And if you're worried about cost, Cornell is more than willing to help you with tuition. If you majored in An Sci, you'd be part of the Ag School and pay less tuition anyways..it's an endowed college. I graduated with less than 20k in debt, not too shabby for an Ivy League. PM me if you have any questions! I'd love to help.

PS: Cornell is familiar with Cobleskill. ;-)

 

[david594]

The guy who sits in front of me went to one of the smaller SUNY's for undergrad. And since he is sitting in front of me, it couldn't have hurt his vet school chances too much. I wouldn't about it as long as you manage decent grades and get good experience.

 

[lalzi22]

There are also other SUNY's that you can transfer to. Binghamton (where I go) and Stony Brook both have fabulous science programs, and I know personally that Bings bio department is great. I know a lot vet students who went here and the admissions people had heard great things about Bing (especially the reps from Cornell).

 

[zeebra44]

There are also other SUNY's that you can transfer to. Binghamton (where I go) and Stony Brook both have fabulous science programs, and I know personally that Bings bio department is great. I know a lot vet students who went here and the admissions people had heard great things about Bing (especially the reps from Cornell).

Yeah! I had the opportunity to meet some students from Binghamton at a pre-vet meeting I went to. One of them had been accepted to Colorado State for vet school (I can't remember his name, but this was a few years back).

 

[cowgirla]

There are also other SUNY's that you can transfer to. Binghamton (where I go) and Stony Brook both have fabulous science programs, and I know personally that Bings bio department is great. I know a lot vet students who went here and the admissions people had heard great things about Bing (especially the reps from Cornell).

Stonybrook. =drool=
I grew up ten minutes from SB. I did my advanced bio courses in HS in conjection with them and the Cold Spring Harbor lab. Talk about amazing facilities! The labs at Stonybrook are awesome, even if the campus itself is a little sketchy in some areas.
I was born in their hospital!

 

[HopefulAg]

Soooo....what's a SUNY?

 

[lalzi22]

State University of New York. Its like saying "state" after a college. Public university. its a state school. but like in any New York fashion, we have to do it our own way.

 

[cowgirla]

Soooo....what's a SUNY?

Not to be confused with CUNY--City University of New York!

We New Yorkers feel the need to make the lives of others complicated!

 

[lalzi22]

Not to be confused with CUNY--City University of New York!

We New Yorkers feel the need to make the lives of others complicated!

and not only do we love it, but we are AWESOME at it! Gotta love New York!

 

[twelvetigers]

Soooo....what's a SUNY?

I lol'd. I know you live in Texas, but...

 

[HopefulAg]

State University of New York. Its like saying "state" after a college. Public university. its a state school. but like in any New York fashion, we have to do it our own way.

So one can move freely between New York Universities? Or 'SUNYs'?

I lol'd. I know you live in Texas, but...

We like to keep things simple round here. [/endstereotypicaltexanaccent]

Well except for when it comes to things like the state constitution, then we just go bat**** crazy.

 

[Groominator]

So one can move freely between New York Universities? Or 'SUNYs'?

No. You can take classes at other SUNY/CUNY schools on an epermit but to get a degree from a particular SUNY you need to complete a number of credits there. To actually move between them, you have to apply and transfer and hope that your credits are counted right. Moreso a lot of these schools have "reputations". Baruch is a CUNY but they're under the impression that they're a fancy private school and they refuse to accept CC credit for example. Generally moving between CUNYs is easier than between SUNYs.

Its a system you get used to.

 

[HopefulAg]

So when I count my blessings in a few days, "I don't go to school in New York" will be amongst them...and then a muttered "except maybe Cornell".

 

[lmscout]

It really does not matter. I went to a really really small private school where there were 5 people in my molecular cell biology course!! 10 people in my organic classes, and 12 in my biochemistry course!!

Anyway, I spoke to an admissions person, and they told me they look at it a little bit, but to go to the place that best suited my interests and where I would excel.

I wouldn't worry about it unless you feel like the program is not suitable at all.

If you just can't shake your concern, I would contact an admissions person at a vet school you are possibly interested in attending, and they can tell you what you need to know.

 

[turnbackhelly]

For what it's worth... I'm a New York native and did my undergrad at a well-known SUPER EXPENSIVE private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie. Vet school was not the plan at the time, but regardless, I now have upwards of $60K in student loans and I haven't even been admitted to vet school yet. I don't regret my choice of undergraduate school because it definitely opened up (and continues to open up) a lot of opportunities for me, but there are definitely days when I say to myself "Damn... I probably should've gone to SUNY Geneseo..."

There's something to be said for thinking about money, because I definitely had no concept of it when I was 18 years old.

 

[SUNYAggie]

Thank you so much guys and gals! I'm still having a bit of trouble believing that where you did your undergrad compared to others only plays a small part in being accepted. I will take the advice of talking to an admissions person in the schools I plan on applying for.

An A student at Cobleskill may not be great enough just because Coby is a small college.

When it comes to finances, I believe I made the right choice. But the coursework here simply isn't enough. I need more Science classes than they can offer. Currently thinking about transferring. Cobleskill has an associate pre-vet program in which you do 2 years at cobleskill but you finish undergrad at Cornell. I'm not sure how great such a thing would be for me.

 

[Shanomong]

.

 

[deleted266066]

I'm still having a bit of trouble believing that where you did your undergrad compared to others only plays a small part in being accepted.

Well... honestly, if it didn't matter where anyone went, why would people kill themselves throughout high school to get into certain colleges even "just" for their undergrad? I find it annoying when some kids at certain "less good" schools get mad at students at "better" schools for tending to be looked upon more favorably when applying to graduate schools. The better places tend to have better resources for the students, thus giving them more opportunities to get involved with things such as important research. They are also often more strict with grading and give a better reflection of the students' potential.

I have taken courses at two other "easier" institutions than where I attend now (both were "good" state schools), and my goodness it would have been so much easier to get in the range of a 3.7 there, than the crappier GPA I have right now, had I continued taking more courses at those places! So heck, I better get some recognition for busting my butt more than I would have had to at these other places just to look the same on paper.

I'm also not saying that the non "top" schools don't provide a good education, but I do find it aggravating that certain vet schools DON'T take your undergrad institution into consideration. It should not be the primary aspect of someone's application, but it should play at least a minimal role in the decision process.

Sorry if this sounded bitchy at all. I've been grumpy about my school choice since realizing that their goal is to tear down students one by one and just hope it pays off in the end lol

 

[Groominator]

That's because it doesn't, coming from someone who went to CUNY (Hunter) undergrad and was rejected the first time. In my follow up they told me my school was one of the 2 major players in their decision... the second was my history major.

So Hunter itself was a factor for rejection? Science-heavy Hunter that churns out tons of pre-meds every year? The same Hunter whose Bio 100 has been jokingly called Bio 5000? Well that's unfortunate for me! And here i am busting my arse.

Its odd because I've always heard that Hunter has a good reputation with med schools, even out of state. While its not the same thing, the fifty thousand pre-meds have to take the same sciences as the four pre-vets in the school (I've met so few besides me that I can count them on one hand). Actually we have to take more.

 

[canis13]

Well... honestly, if it didn't matter where anyone went, why would people kill themselves throughout high school to get into certain colleges even "just" for their undergrad? I find it annoying when some kids at certain "less good" schools get mad at students at "better" schools for tending to be looked upon more favorably when applying to graduate schools. The better places tend to have better resources for the students, thus giving them more opportunities to get involved with things such as important research. They are also often more strict with grading and give a better reflection of the students' potential.

I have taken courses at two other "easier" institutions than where I attend now (both were "good" state schools), and my goodness it would have been so much easier to get in the range of a 3.7 there, than the crappier GPA I have right now, had I continued taking more courses at those places! So heck, I better get some recognition for busting my butt more than I would have had to at these other places just to look the same on paper.

I'm also not saying that the non "top" schools don't provide a good education, but I do find it aggravating that certain vet schools DON'T take your undergrad institution into consideration. It should not be the primary aspect of someone's application, but it should play at least a minimal role in the decision process.

Sorry if this sounded bitchy at all. I've been grumpy about my school choice since realizing that their goal is to tear down students one by one and just hope it pays off in the end lol

Thanks for saying this, TheEvilShoe. Coming from a school where there is a true lack of grade inflation, I am counting on vet schools to take this into consideration (my college does send out a letter attached to each transcript explaining the lack of grade inflation, so hopefully they won't overlook it). A's in many classes are reserved only for truly exceptional work, meaning only a few students will earn As. Part of me wondered if this was just a reputation thing, but it really became true for me when I took general chem at a different (large public) university, and got an A both semesters without trying as hard, whereas I've gotten B's on all of my other pre-reqs.

But yeah...if vet schools didn't take into account academic rigor of your college, then I would've transferred to the large public university so I could get straight As in everything.

 

[Shanomong]

.

 

[lalzi22]

But yeah...if vet schools didn't take into account academic rigor of your college, then I would've transferred to the large public university so I could get straight As in everything.

I go to a large public university and there is basically no grade inflation (with the exception of orgo where the average was around a 37, so the avg was bumped up to a 50). Other than that, my upper level sciences didn't curve, and A's were damn near impossible to achieve. I know some large universities are easier, but don't knock them all. I worked my ass off for my grades and I went to my school so I would have zero debt going into vet school.

 

[cowgirla]

I go to a large public university and there is basically no grade inflation (with the exception of orgo where the average was around a 37, so the avg was bumped up to a 50). Other than that, my upper level sciences didn't curve, and A's were damn near impossible to achieve. I know some large universities are easier, but don't knock them all. I worked my ass off for my grades and I went to my school so I would have zero debt going into vet school.

A's? What are those???

I agree--just because a school is a "state university" doesn't mean its easy!
UNH is a tier 1, and has had many graduates go straight to Penn. Penn certainly doesn't look down on it because its a public university.

 

[deleted266066]

A's? What are those???

I agree--just because a school is a "state university" doesn't mean its easy!
UNH is a tier 1, and has had many graduates go straight to Penn. Penn certainly doesn't look down on it because its a public university.

I know you quoted someone else, but I didn't mean to come across as saying "all state schools are easy" or anything. Sorry if I did. What I was trying to say is that I think ALL schools that are more difficult than others should have that taken into consideration. Whether that be private or state, or even a very rigorous CC (because there are definitely some CC's that are more difficult than full 4 year institutions). Basically I'm just bummed and scared that vet schools won't take note of the the higher difficulty of achieving A's, as I'm sure it worries you all as well. If all schools rebelled against grade inflation (we literally have a grade "deflation" policy, although it is named something different yay), then I would be okay with everyone's GPA being compared the same. But that's not how it is

Oh and for the record... I know of at least two ivy schools that are fairly generous with their students' GPA's. They don't necessarily "hand out" A's, but they don't stop their kids from getting them with unnecessarily evil curves either. (Cornell is not one of these. I feel bad for anyone that goes to Cornerll lol, I've heard the curriculum and grading is ridiculous!)

 

[canis13]

I go to a large public university and there is basically no grade inflation (with the exception of orgo where the average was around a 37, so the avg was bumped up to a 50). Other than that, my upper level sciences didn't curve, and A's were damn near impossible to achieve. I know some large universities are easier, but don't knock them all. I worked my ass off for my grades and I went to my school so I would have zero debt going into vet school.

you're right...i think that o-chem, for example, is probably hard no matter where you take it, and i definitely agree that not all public large universities are the same, as my best friend goes to the univ. of vermont and i know that he works pretty hard too and is getting a really good education (although comparing experiences, he can definitely slack a lot more than i can).
i took gen chem at portland state, and i'm pretty sure it's not nationally ranked. i think it can probably be a good school once you make it to upper level and specialized classes, but in my own personal experience, it was much much easier to get through an intro level class there.

i do want to say that it's not necessarily true that going to a private liberal arts school will land you with a ton of debt. it can, but if you qualify, they are pretty generous with financial aid. my roommates parents aren't paying anything for her to go here, but she's going to end up with less than $10k in debt. lalzi22, i don't know what your personal circumstances are, and i realize that not everyone can easily qualify for financial aid, but i just wanted to point out that private liberal arts school does not equal tons of debt for everyone.

cowgirla - I don't think Penn does or should look down on public universities. And I don't think that all, or even most, state universities are easy, especially w/ the traditionally harder courses. But again, there's a difference between my school where only 7 people in the last 25 years have graduated with 4.0s and other schools where working your ass off will, more times than not, earn you that A. Like TheEvilShoe, I hope that vet schools will see that. But you, cowgirla, probably have the advantage if you do earn more As, as those translate into "good applicant" a lot easier than my deflated grades.

 

[lalzi22]

lalzi22, i don't know what your personal circumstances are, and i realize that not everyone can easily qualify for financial aid, but i just wanted to point out that private liberal arts school does not equal tons of debt for everyone.

I would qualify for approx $0 dollars financial aid. My parents set aside a large amount of moeny since I was born for my higher education, whatever that may be. Since I knew I wanted to go to vet school, and I knew I was never going to qualify for financial aid, going to a public institution means that I have zero debt and will have about 1 years worth of vet school (OOS amount) paid for, which I think is pretty fantastic, thus my four years at a state school.

 

[deleted266066]

lalzi22, that sounds like a good plan. A friend of mine is going by the same idea for medical school. She will only have to pay for 2 of her years at med school rather than all 4, because her savings won't be used up. Smart.

That being said... I originally went to a state school, but it wasn't in my home state. So I (well, my parents... :-\) paid about as much as a private school would've cost. Then I transferred to one of the more expensive private schools in the US and they gave me no aide. My parents also never saved for my or my brothers' educations but it worked out okay with smart saving in the last few years. Given various life circumstances, this was the right decision for me, but I realize I'm gonna be buried in a grave of loans some day lol

 

[BurntFlower]

There are also other SUNY's that you can transfer to. Binghamton (where I go) and Stony Brook both have fabulous science programs, and I know personally that Bings bio department is great. I know a lot vet students who went here and the admissions people had heard great things about Bing (especially the reps from Cornell).

Oh, cool another Bing student!

I'm also from SUNY Binghamton and I'm very pleased with the bio program here. I know one person from this school who went on to Cornell vet school, and another one who went to Iowa.

Just remember, reputation matters somewhat but GPA, GRE, animal/vet experience, extracurriculars matter so much more.

 

[Bearby]

I think it's so funny what is considered a competitive school. I went to a large University for my first two years of undergrad that had an animal science/pre-vet major. I took ~17 credits a semester and didn't really have to study to do well (and I didn't just take lower level classes). The school that I am attending now is about 1/5 of the size but still a public university and in-state so a hell of a lot cheaper. This school I'm taking ~14 credits a semester and having to bust my ass to do well. Granted there are always going to be some classes that you just get and don't really have to concentrate on and there will always be some that rape you every time. However, if the adcoms compare the two schools they would probably say that my first school was more competitive and the courses were more difficult. I would have to disagree strongly.

 

[marycatherine]

Is there a way to determine what tier your undergrad school is on? My school is damn hard and has definitely made my GPA suffer. I'm an English/Spanish major and am taking 2 more years to get all my sciences done, however I know my GPA won't be up to snuff. (The max I can get, if I get As in all my classes left, would be a 3.35)

 

[deleted266066]

Marycatherine, I don't really know how the whole tier system thing works (I'm more aware of school "rankings" by something like US News) so I'm not of much help, but that is definitely the kind of thing I was referring to when hoping that vet schools take grade "deflation" into account :-\ There are some "top" schools out there that hand out A's as if they were free candy, then the kids at lower ones with harder grading often look worse. *thumb down*

Basically I think the general consensus of everyone here is that your school rank sometimes will be taken a little into consideration (ie: let's say two candidates look identical on paper with equally good LORs, and essays etc... but one went to a "better" school, the one at the better school would have a higher chance of getting in). However, I don't think anyone is sure whether or not the schools take into account the fact that some schools never so much as even dangle A's in your face.

Anyway. Tiers I am not familiar with. I'm sure someone else will provide a more enlightening answer though