Help making a very important choice

[CatsAnonymous]

First post (woo!) so go easy on me!

I'm currently deciding between two schools. I know the adage "choose the cheapest option" and am totally trying to live by that but I had a few questions before I commit myself to it fully. All my research (most of it from all you guys!) has shown me that there really is no "best" option for vet school because you'll come out with a stellar education no matter where you go. But does anyone have any numbers or facts on residency/internship matching rates? I really want to specialize (small animal surgery or exotics possibly?) and my two schools are Tufts and Mizzou. I know that Tufts is renown for its matching rate but I can't find anything about Mizzou. Mizzou is the cheaper option (to the tune of more than 50k) but if having a degree from Tufts will help propel me towards a great internship then is the hit worth it? Tufts also has a wonderful exotics center and their selectives would theoretically allow me a lot of experience with them. I don't know if at Mizzou I'd be able to get any exotics experience outside of externships.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DVMDream]

Getting an internship has everything to do with who you talk to, work with and market yourself to, then they look at grades, and very last if even a consideration at all is the school you attended.

Your ability to make professional relationships and connections is much more important.

 

[Ashgirl]

First post (woo!) so go easy on me!

I'm currently deciding between two schools. I know the adage "choose the cheapest option" and am totally trying to live by that but I had a few questions before I commit myself to it fully. All my research (most of it from all you guys!) has shown me that there really is no "best" option for vet school because you'll come out with a stellar education no matter where you go. But does anyone have any numbers or facts on residency/internship matching rates? I really want to specialize (small animal surgery or exotics possibly?) and my two schools are Tufts and Mizzou. I know that Tufts is renown for its matching rate but I can't find anything about Mizzou. Mizzou is the cheaper option (to the tune of more than 50k) but if having a degree from Tufts will help propel me towards a great internship then is the hit worth it? Tufts also has a wonderful exotics center and their selectives would theoretically allow me a lot of experience with them. I don't know if at Mizzou I'd be able to get any exotics experience outside of externships.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

DVMD is correct, your networking, grades, and letters of recommendation are far more important than where you go to school. As well, zoo med, if that is what you are interested, doesn't pay that well, so the cheaper the school, the better. I just did a quick run on a loan simulator and that 50K+ will be at least 100K (if not a lot) more by the end of the interest day.

If you are looking at exotics, while we may not offer a lot at our clinic, there are still opportunities, such as the summer Africa program, raptor rehab, etc. The benefit of a 2+2 school is that you have tons of time for whatever you want. There is approximately 16-26+ weeks of elective and externship time, which, frankly, is a lot of time you can devote just to zoo med if you want.

If you have any more questions about Mizzou, feel free to PM me .

 

[SkiOtter]

Deeeeeefinitely recommend the cheaper option. That difference in tuition will only increase tremendously each year.

 

[Lab Vet]

Specialization doesn't end with the internship- it begins with the internship. Recommendations from faculty in your field of choice from the internship year is what will make or break a residency offer. Application in the match for internship is largely a numbers game. Your GPA and more importantly, class rank, is what will first get you considered for an academic internship (if that's what you're hoping to secure). After that, it's letters, and more importantly, phone calls from faculty in the known specialty (who are very likely friends with the individuals making the decision to admit/not admit you) that will make or break your case.

 

[CalliopeDVM]

if having a degree from Tufts will help propel me towards a great internship then is the hit worth it?

Nope. What school you go to for your DVM is far less important than many other factors in pursuing a specialty; also, you might change your mind and not want to pursue a specialty after all, and then you'll have that extra $90,000 to pay back (cost of that extra $50,000 over 20 years).

 

[PippyPony]

Speaking as a Tufts student, who loves the school and was also wooed a bit by the favorable-looking prospects for specialization, I can say you would likely get some great experience at Tufts.

However.

Our wildlife program is so well known that it draws people to the school, and therefore it does make some of those selectives/special opportunities more competitive. This is not to say that people who are interested in wildlife don't get an opportunity to pursue their dream -- that's certainly not the case and I have a bunch of friends who are getting some great experience. But, it does mean you may have to fight for it a bit more, so being a small fish in a big pond is maybe something to keep in the back of your mind.

Plus, you know, the tuition thing, which is no small potatoes and should not be ignored. You'd get a great education at Mizzou, too.

Oh...and a final comment that in terms of wildlife medicine, our program is very strong, but I am not sure our pet exotics department or zoo/aquatics opportunities are nearly as robust. (Just in terms of # of opportunities. Quality of care, etc is still great). So if by "exotics" you mean native birds of prey, then come on doowwwn (up?) to Massachusetts! If you mean leopard geckos? Love them but I'm not sure we'd be your best bet.

Congrats on your acceptances, and good luck deciding!

 

[CatsAnonymous]

Thank you so much for all your responses! They have definitely given me a different perspective on things I should be considering when I decide on a school. And also made the choice a lot tougher : / anyone want to decide for me?

Additionally, does anyone have any insight on the differences between curriculum? Mizzou has the 2+2 and Tufts doesn't track, but does that mean that exams are very spread out at Tufts? At Mizzou I'd be looking at 2 a week sometimes (which honestly is probably a good thing for me, I think weekly tests are how I got A's in Orgo) but I didn't get a chance to ask during my Tufts interview how the exams were or the pace of everything.

A big part of why I didn't apply straight out of college is because I was daunted by the debt. Eventually I realized that becoming a vet is the only path for me so I kind of pushed aside the thought of debt. But it's still gnawing at me. I will eventually have some family money to put towards loans if I do REPAYE or a program like it and have to pay the tax at the end but it's still scary that the difference between schools is pretty much a down payment on a house (or a tesla) and it's hard to take that lightly.

 

[Caiter92]

Thank you so much for all your responses! They have definitely given me a different perspective on things I should be considering when I decide on a school. And also made the choice a lot tougher : / anyone want to decide for me?

Additionally, does anyone have any insight on the differences between curriculum? Mizzou has the 2+2 and Tufts doesn't track, but does that mean that exams are very spread out at Tufts? At Mizzou I'd be looking at 2 a week sometimes (which honestly is probably a good thing for me, I think weekly tests are how I got A's in Orgo) but I didn't get a chance to ask during my Tufts interview how the exams were or the pace of everything.

A big part of why I didn't apply straight out of college is because I was daunted by the debt. Eventually I realized that becoming a vet is the only path for me so I kind of pushed aside the thought of debt. But it's still gnawing at me. I will eventually have some family money to put towards loans if I do REPAYE or a program like it and have to pay the tax at the end but it's still scary that the difference between schools is pretty much a down payment on a house (or a tesla) and it's hard to take that lightly.

Just curious, but are you accounting for total CoA and being able to switch residencies at Mizzou? Because it's probably going to end up being more in the 100K range difference before interest. (OOS Tufts is going to be ~300k ,while Mizzou after switching residencies ~200k).

Like others have said, with networking, experiences, and letters of rec, it's really not going to matter what school you attended. But 100K (which will be more around 200K once all is paid back), is a huge difference.

 

[CatsAnonymous]

Just curious, but are you accounting for total CoA and being able to switch residencies at Mizzou? Because it's probably going to end up being more in the 100K range difference before interest. (OOS Tufts is going to be ~300k ,while Mizzou after switching residencies ~200k).

Like others have said, with networking, experiences, and letters of rec, it's really not going to matter what school you attended. But 100K (which will be more around 200K once all is paid back), is a huge difference.

Yes I was accounting for CoA and I ran the VIN loan repayment simulator but it is very possible that I am not understanding it properly. There's a reason I didn't go into business. However, Tufts sent out their financial aid package and assuming I get the same award each year, that's about 40k total I can take off the tuition and amount I have to take out in loans. I probably shouldn't assume I will get the same grant every year, I just remember hearing at the interview that it's a good bet

 

[PippyPony]

Additionally, does anyone have any insight on the differences between curriculum? Mizzou has the 2+2 and Tufts doesn't track, but does that mean that exams are very spread out at Tufts? At Mizzou I'd be looking at 2 a week sometimes (which honestly is probably a good thing for me, I think weekly tests are how I got A's in Orgo) but I didn't get a chance to ask during my Tufts interview how the exams were or the pace of everything.

Nope, it just means we don't pick a formal track. So, everyone goes through the same core didactic curriculum for 2.5 years, then we start clinics in March of 3rd year and roll all the way through the summer & following year with those, so it's ~1.5 years in clinics.

You're required to get 3 credits' worth of "selective" credit in order to graduate, and Tuesday afternoons are set aside for selectives. So, that's where people can pick elective course work that functions a bit like tracking.

We have exams pretty much every week.
Sometimes it varies a bit, but probably averages out to that.

Example of my schedule:

- Large Animal Anatomy exam on neck + abdomen/viscera/heart ~10 days ago
- Immunology final exam last Monday
- Endocrine physiology unit exam this morning (was supposed to be yesterday, but was bumped a day for Easter)
- General Pathology midterm next Friday
- Large Animal Anatomy exam on pelvic limb & repro the following Wednesday

If you want frequent & sometimes very stressful tests, look no further lol

 

[PippyPony]

From what I understand, Mizzou extends their school year into the summer to get in some extra time (correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[Ashgirl]

Thank you so much for all your responses! They have definitely given me a different perspective on things I should be considering when I decide on a school. And also made the choice a lot tougher : / anyone want to decide for me?

Additionally, does anyone have any insight on the differences between curriculum? Mizzou has the 2+2 and Tufts doesn't track, but does that mean that exams are very spread out at Tufts? At Mizzou I'd be looking at 2 a week sometimes (which honestly is probably a good thing for me, I think weekly tests are how I got A's in Orgo) but I didn't get a chance to ask during my Tufts interview how the exams were or the pace of everything.

A big part of why I didn't apply straight out of college is because I was daunted by the debt. Eventually I realized that becoming a vet is the only path for me so I kind of pushed aside the thought of debt. But it's still gnawing at me. I will eventually have some family money to put towards loans if I do REPAYE or a program like it and have to pay the tax at the end but it's still scary that the difference between schools is pretty much a down payment on a house (or a tesla) and it's hard to take that lightly.

To be frank, and completely throwing whatever bias I have beside, I would personally choose the cheaper school. At the end of the day, if you even decide to enter the match (which not everyone who enters school wanting to does), you will have similar chances at either school. Again, I can't stress enough how much the individual (personality, grades, letters, connections), is more important than your school. However, your debt will follow you well after the match is done. Loans that keeps gaining more and interest during residency is scary enough, but to add 50-100K (depending on if you get that scholarship/grant every year) on to that? Your difference at the end of the day will be monstrous.

As far as Mizzou goes, our Match results for internship were great this year (I personally didn't hear of someone not getting one if they applied), and several people of my class ( again, I believe everyone that applied in my class got one) matched directly into lab animal, anatomical pathology, and clinical pathology residencies right out out school.

From what I understand, Mizzou extends their school year into the summer to get in some extra time (correct me if I'm wrong)

You would be correct! We go from the endish of August to the end of June, roughly, making it 8 more weeks longer than the normal school year. Thankfully, the 8 week of class before summer first year is very laid back and truly the easiest block of vet school so you get a bit of a breather after a tough year of anatomy. The second year is harder, though you do have surgery labs and medicine classes, which makes it a bit more tolerable.

 

[SkiOtter]

GoOoOoOo To ThE cHeApEsT sChOoOoOoL
You’ll be in less debt for the future and will still get a great education.

 

[KCgophervet]

Congrats on the two acceptances!

If I was you, and I was specializing, which meant a higher salary and repayment was less of a burden, then I would choose tufts. I can’t speak to how much 50k matters to you, due to a variety of factors like- SO Income, family money, initial starting salary in Small animal surgery is highly paid, sometimes with a signing bonus! (Among many other factors)

But if you’re not concerned with the money, that is your decision. Internships and residencies also are extremely low paying, so debt is something you’re going to incur during your path to specialization.

If your concern is to get matched, I would highly recommend tufts. I can’t find updated statistics for this past year but tufts is always renowned for their placement rankings. The last rankings I could find were older but and tufts placed #1 in the nation for matching.

CVM Ranks Third in Nation for Internship, Residency Match Program | NC State Veterinary Medicine

As you know, you’ll get a good education anywhere, but the matching at tufts is world renowned and the best in the industry. Absolutely not saying that you won’t get matched if you went to mizzou, because as the other posters stated- matching is about more than just the school. But if money didn’t matter and is not a concern, I would choose tufts based on the facts that statistically speaking, something about their program leads to the highest match % in the nation.

If someone has this years past matching statistics by school- please post to help them out and compare mizzou vw tufts!

Hope this helps and good luck on your decision!

Disagree with most of this post. Maybe it's true that Tufts has higher matching percentage, but matching to an internship/residency is on the candidate, NOT the school they attend. Also part of it might be magical algorithm stuff and how competitive your field happens to be that year.

Go to the cheapest school and do the work to make sure you're a great applicant for whatever field you're trying to get into. Network with people in the field/specialty, try to keep decent grades, pursue experiences to make yourself stand out as an applicant. Don't expect that a transcript with "Tufts" at the top will beat out a transcript with "Mizzou" at the top without putting in any of the aforementioned work. Being on the residency side of the match this year, I can tell you that (so long as the school was AVMA accredited) the school the applicants attended did not matter to us one tiny bit (aside from finding similarities if they went to the same school as someone else here).

 

[SkiOtter]

Disagree with most of this post. Maybe it's true that Tufts has higher matching percentage, but matching to an internship/residency is on the candidate, NOT the school they attend. Also part of it might be magical algorithm stuff and how competitive your field happens to be that year.

Go to the cheapest school and do the work to make sure you're a great applicant for whatever field you're trying to get into. Network with people in the field/specialty, try to keep decent grades, pursue experiences to make yourself stand out as an applicant. Don't expect that a transcript with "Tufts" at the top will beat out a transcript with "Mizzou" at the top without putting in any of the aforementioned work. Being on the residency side of the match this year, I can tell you that (so long as the school was AVMA accredited) the school the applicants attended did not matter to us one tiny bit (aside from finding similarities if they went to the same school as someone else here).

This person keeps recommending to go to the higher ranked school on any thread they can. See: Mizzou 2022

 

[KCgophervet]

This person keeps recommending to go to the higher ranked school on any thread they can. See: Mizzou 2022

But whyyyyyy??

 

[SkiOtter]

But whyyyyyy??

NoOoOoOoOoBoDy KnOwS

 

[Chili_Cat]

This person keeps recommending to go to the higher ranked school on any thread they can. See: Mizzou 2022

Also in the article they posted tufts wasn’t even #1 that year like they claimed, it’s number 2 behind WSU (which is actually pretty neat I’ll admit, go cougs) but don’t mind me

 

[SkiOtter]

Also in the article they posted tufts wasn’t even #1 that year like they claimed, it’s number 2 behind WSU (which is actually pretty neat I’ll admit, go cougs) but don’t mind me

LOL

Also, I just clicked on it and it’s SEVEN YEARS OLD.