Factors when picking a school

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whyrightmeow

OSU c/o 2012
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So I am in my first year and there are a few things I wish I would have considered before I made my final decision. These are only my opinion, and I won't be offended if yours varies. I am only posting this because I wish I would have read something like it before I made my decision.

I am at The Ohio State University right now as an out of state student.

Positives:
Can apply for resident tuition next year
Great school, nice facilities
Curriculum includes Professional development - basically a 1 credit course on a variety of topics including stress, time managment, finances, etc
Parking is right outside the building
Parking pass is a hang tag, so carpoolers can share 1 tag between several cars
24 hr access to building
Nice recreational facility/wall climbing
Social worker available 24/7 (for when you finally have that meltdown)

Negatives:
Quarter system (not semesters) - this complicates everything. Plus you don't finish until June.
Can only leave for 3 weeks over the summer - so any externship must be in-state unless it is HIGHLY unusual.
Lockers are tiny; a normal bookbag will not fit into them. It is also very crowded when everyone is trying to get to their locker at the same time. (seems minor, I know, but its the little stresses that are the worst)

Things I wish I would have asked:
Is anatomy lab structured, or do you just get a dog and a book? (Our canine anatomy lab is, in my opinion, poorly structured)
Are tests returned to students, or is it against honor code to write down questions from the test? (At OSU vet school no tests are returned, EVER. This bothers me after every test, since I like to know what I got wrong and what the correct answer was - this may have been a deal-breaker for me)
How much (live) animal interaction is there for first year students?
Do you buy class notes or are they posted online so notes can be taken directly on a laptop? (I was amazed at needing to buy 80% of my notes, when I came from an undergrad school that I never once bought a course pack for)
Is the schedule set, or does it change from day to day? (Our schedule has a main theme, but basically changes a little each day)

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Is there any way we can revive this document/ allow current students to post updates to the pros and cons list? I am not sure how old this document is and would love for everyone to have the most UTD information while making decisions!
@battie did you want to host the doc since you were initially going to start a new one?
 
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Is there any way we can revive this document/ allow current students to post updates to the pros and cons list? I am not sure how old this document is and would love for everyone to have the most UTD information while making decisions!

@battie did you want to host the doc since you were initially going to start a new one?
Totes your goats Fam. It'll be later tonight after Baby Bats goes to bed; I'm doing 5 12s at my ER this week, so going to take full advantage of my day off today. 😅
 
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What do you mean about Illinois having a lack of trees? Like maybe on the drive down to Champaign, but the vet school is literally across the street from the arboretum and Japan House's Cherry Trees. There are trees all over most parts of campus, a huge portion of residential streets have giant trees. The only places you really dont see them are the more industrial/shopping sections of town. Urbana has been a Tree City before as well. Also in the 8 years I've been in Illinois one Tornado has touched down in Urbana and messed up a shed.

I just feel those couple of points were off base.
 
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What do you mean about Illinois having a lack of trees? Like maybe on the drive down to Champaign, but the vet school is literally across the street from the arboretum and Japan House's Cherry Trees. There are trees all over most parts of campus, a huge portion of residential streets have giant trees. The only places you really dont see them are the more industrial/shopping sections of town. Urbana has been a Tree City before as well. Also in the 8 years I've been in Illinois one Tornado has touched down in Urbana and messed up a shed.

I just feel those couple of points were off base.

Not sure! I didn’t write the actual information myself. I just copied and pasted what other students wrote on the original document! If it’s inaccurate, feel free to change it!!
 
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What do you mean about Illinois having a lack of trees? Like maybe on the drive down to Champaign, but the vet school is literally across the street from the arboretum and Japan House's Cherry Trees. There are trees all over most parts of campus, a huge portion of residential streets have giant trees. The only places you really dont see them are the more industrial/shopping sections of town. Urbana has been a Tree City before as well. Also in the 8 years I've been in Illinois one Tornado has touched down in Urbana and messed up a shed.

I just feel those couple of points were off base.
I totes agree with all of this
 
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I totes agree with all of this
Why does everyone forget the Cherry Blossoms?!
20220416_160125.jpg
 
Hello everyone! Any updates on the pros and cons lists of the schools here? Type of programs of each school? Living experiences in the towns? Semester/quarters? Anything useful? Curious to know about UF, NC State, WS, Purdue, UC davis, OSU, Univeristy of Georgia, Oregon, Iowa, LMU, Cornell, UTK, U of A, LSU, Western Sciences, Midwestern and UPenn? Thanks!
 
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Does anyone have an info about University of Georgia? I checked the doc but there’s nothing listed 😅
 
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