How Do I Choose A School!!!!

[lilobug]

Ok I got in, the one thing i've been working towards for years. I did it, I actually freaking did it yeahhh!!!!!! But how do I choose where to go. I really liked the schools I interviewed at and there is not one that completely stands out. Each shcool seems to fit me in their own way - HELP!!!

I have been accepted to Washington and Michigan, and I am on the alternate list for Iowa and Kansas. (I also turned down interviews at 2 schools)

I am asking others who have been accepted by more than one school, how are you making your decision. Any tricks or ideas that maybe I haven't thought of, or even your thoughts on the schools I have to choose from. Please let me know.

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[k9 <3er]

i'm pretty lost too so i can't really help you much. but i did visit michigan and i really liked their program and their students/faculty and am still thinking of going there. They have a good case load, amazing facilities, students seem like they have fun and are happy. tuition is high (but if you stay there a couple years after you graduate they give you some money back so that it seems like you paid in state tuition your last 3 semesters). michigan state's football team is okay but i've heard the tail gate parties are fun!

 

[horselvr]

i'm pretty lost too so i can't really help you much. but i did visit michigan and i really liked their program and their students/faculty and am still thinking of going there. They have a good case load, amazing facilities, students seem like they have fun and are happy. tuition is high (but if you stay there a couple years after you graduate they give you some money back so that it seems like you paid in state tuition your last 3 semesters). michigan state's football team is okay but i've heard the tail gate parties are fun!

That's interesting that they give you money back if you stay in MI. Do other schools do that?

Lilobug - Sorry, I am not at the point yet of getting accepted. I have toured Tufts (AVM program for a week) and had a mini tour of NCSU, but that's it, and those aren't the two you are asking about.

 

[dingo]

Well, I can understand what you're going through. Accepted at WSU and Kansas and waitlisted at wisconsin. I love both WSU and Kansas and it was a difficult decision.

Just today I decided on WSU for several reasons. I know several vets who have gradutated from WSU. They loved their years in pullman and I really respect their advice. They seem like great vets. Also, everyone I met in pullman was extremely nice. The weather kinda scares me cause we don't get fog, snow, and ice where I'm at.

However, I'm willing to put up with that. Also, I found out that out of area students can gain residency status after a year!!
BTW - I've heard many great things about michigan, but I didn't apply there cause i didn't have some of their prereqs.

 

[cyrille104]

Hey, so I've been deciding between Penn and Tufts. They are both good schools, but the best thing I did was to email students and faculty at both schools with some questions. Just email the admissions people and ask for email addresses of people of whom you can ask questions. It's been pretty helpful so far in that I've been compiling a pretty good pro/con list for myself (not just the one on this board, but one that applies specifically to me and what I want to do). I still haven't made a decision, though, because it's hard to give weights to each factor (does the location matter more than how competitive students are? or their curriculum? for me the location means a lot, for others maybe not so much). But it's really ultimately your decision and you'll have to choose the school based on what you want and what you think is best.

 

[kate_g]

This is advice I have heard but not used myself, so take it with as many grains of salt as you see fit...

Think about all the things that you believe are important in making your decision. Ask vets you know, students and faculty, etc., just to make sure you don't miss anything. Make a comprehensive list for each school of how they rate on each of those points. Take your time, ask for input and advice. Once you're satisfied with the lists, look them over carefully, then throw them out and go with your gut.



(The theory is not without merit... In compiling the list you'll get an idea what's really important to you, make yourself thoroughly familiar with each school, and probably develop a pretty strong gut feeling as to where you'll be happiest and most successful. And in the end that's more important than any logical weighting of the pro/con list that you could come up with.)

 

[puppylov]

I definitely feel just as lost...I am deciding between Penn and Cornell. Both have pluses and minuses...I like Penn's location (i am a fan of philly after going to school here for four years) but i feel like the program is stronger at Cornell. I kind of like the small group learning, the facility, and the fact that everything is on one campus. I am still having a really hard time deciding though...

<-- how i feel
<--what i want to feel

 

[KittenKiller]

Duh...just flip a coin.

I'm struggling to decide if weather is a good reason to pick a school...

 

[silverelf]

for me i think it may come down to finances...i like one school's program better....but is it worth an extra 20,000 dollars in loans?? (its about 5K more per year)

 

[kate_g]

I'm struggling to decide if weather is a good reason to pick a school...

It is if it matters to you. Really, it could be a huge lifestyle issue if you're planning on, say, a mile-long bike ride to campus. I can tell you that the fact that it pours rain all winter in northern CA, and that it's extremely unpleasant to bike in the pouring rain, kind of puts a damper on the nice weather we have the rest of the year. If you're planning on driving to campus every day, then maybe the rain doesn't matter but your snow-driving skills will factor into the decision...

 

[Capella]

I'm struggling to decide if weather is a good reason to pick a school...

I'm with you there! For instance, I really liked Baton Rouge, but it will be so humid.

Also, another thing to consider is cost of living in your vet school's area. Big city vs. small, crime if there is any, etc.

 

[cyrille104]

for me i think it may come down to finances...i like one school's program better....but is it worth an extra 20,000 dollars in loans?? (its about 5K more per year)

I've heard from a bunch of people that it only makes a big difference in your payments if it hits a total difference of 50k or more.

 

[kate_g]

for me i think it may come down to finances...i like one school's program better....but is it worth an extra 20,000 dollars in loans?? (its about 5K more per year)

How thoroughly have you done the math, though? A 5K/year difference could easily be erased (or greatly enhanced) by a difference in rent and general cost of living, the cost of car insurance in a city vs. a rural area, the difference between buying a parking permit at one school and riding your bike at the other, how easy it is to buy lunch on campus vs. bringing your own, the number of times your classmates want to go out for beer... 5K/year just seems to be well within the variability of factors you're not going to be able to control very easily, or even know about until you get there (like, will you be able to find an apartment within biking distance, or will you *have* to buy that permit).

On the other hand, one of my choices involves a $20K/year difference... I'm finding that one really hard to justify.

 

[cyrille104]

On the other hand, one of my choices involves a $20K/year difference... I'm finding that one really hard to justify.

But it's Penn! No justification necessary



(300th post...don't tell anyone )

 

[kate_g]

But it's Penn! No justification necessary

Actually, believe it or not Penn is not my most expensive option... The specific comparison I was making involved Minnesota's $38K/year out-of-state tuition.

 

[lilobug]

Just email the admissions people and ask for email addresses of people of whom you can ask questions. But it's really ultimately your decision and you'll have to choose the school based on what you want and what you think is best.

Hey cyrille104, thank you for your suggestion I'm am going to try that. Good luck to you on your decision, oh and I am super jealous of your choices. =)

 

[wildfocus]

not that i actually have a choice (yet, i hope)... but for me, the main factor is opportunity in my field of interest... i would choose davis above all (despite the huge amount of debt) because they actually have wildlife electives each year and many researchers in my field. i love my home state, but wsu has something like 3 wildlife/avian electives the entire time (somebody, please correct me if i'm wrong, b/c this is one of the only things holding me back from there). similarly, if i get into csu and not davis, i'll go to csu - partly b/c my debt will be slightly lower than at wsu and i'll come out with both my phd and dvm, and partly, again, b/c of the wildlife opportunities.

another factor to consider - family. is anyone coming with you, can he/she find a job? if going solo, how far are you willing/able to be away from home?

 

[lazyjayn]

Of course, if none of the logical, thought-requiring methods work, you can take a big piece of paper, a sharpie, and a dart, block the paper off into random chunks (say 5 per school) tape it up and throw the dart at it.

It's amazing how seeming to make a decision makes it easier to tell what you really want. You might land on one, think "cool, that's done" or you might think "ugh, I don't really want to spend 4 years there".

And so much more fun than a balanced list of pro's and con's.

j

 

[ri23]

Of course, if none of the logical, thought-requiring methods work, you can take a big piece of paper, a sharpie, and a dart, block the paper off into random chunks (say 5 per school) tape it up and throw the dart at it.

It's amazing how seeming to make a decision makes it easier to tell what you really want. You might land on one, think "cool, that's done" or you might think "ugh, I don't really want to spend 4 years there".

And so much more fun than a balanced list of pro's and con's.

j

Haha, thats what I was going to say (but with flipping a coin). It's amazing how you realize how badly you want something when you think you can't have it anymore.

 

[kate_g]

Is anyone else wishing they'd taken better notes? Maybe it's because two of my trips involved day-long cross country flights, but things are just kind of blending together at this point. Usually after a few minutes of thinking I can work out which schools match which pictures in my head, but I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting. A co-interviewee at one school mentioned that he brought a camera to take pictures on the tour but didn't want to look like a huge dork and wasn't going to do it if he didn't see anyone else with a camera... Now I'm wishing I'd asked him for copies.

 

[Angelo84]

Is anyone else wishing they'd taken better notes? Maybe it's because two of my trips involved day-long cross country flights, but things are just kind of blending together at this point. Usually after a few minutes of thinking I can work out which schools match which pictures in my head, but I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting. A co-interviewee at one school mentioned that he brought a camera to take pictures on the tour but didn't want to look like a huge dork and wasn't going to do it if he didn't see anyone else with a camera... Now I'm wishing I'd asked him for copies.

The first thing I did when I got to the gate to head home after interview wa write down what I liked or disliked about the schools--it was a great help in deciding where to go!

 

[JIKJen124]

Seriously... The more I look, ask, talk, and think the MORE confused I get.

 

[bclover]

While I don't have this situation to deal with yet (maybe next year ), I have found with other significant decisions in life...that you first weigh all of the critical factors as others have posted, and then you make a decision - perhaps even using the coin/dart methods - if that decision doesn't feel right then you probably have your answer. Good luck!

 

[horsybaby]

From my experience, you need to keep it all in perspective. Considering you have made it into at least 2 VERY competitive programs- you have the intelligence, drive and persistence to be successful at whichever one you choose. Of course do the research, ask all the questions, but then make a choice and don't look back. No second guessing. no regrets. IT will be the school that it was meant to be.....

 

[FriskyPony]

When I was at Michigan State for my interview, our tour guide (a 2nd year) said that they current 2nd year class is really close, but the 1st (and 3rd, I think) years are really cut throat and hide notes from each other. I was really surprised to hear this since other schools always say how well everyone gets along (but maybe the other schools aren't exactly honest--who knows?)

On the other hand, I really loved the faculty who interviewed me! I got rejected, and honestly one of the first things I thought of was "at least I really had a lot fun during my interview" (and I didn't really think that about any other schools' interviews).

So, I guess I'd try to talk to lots of students to see about competitiveness at the schools you are deciding between. Don't just take my opinion, as it's only based on exposure to a couple of students!!!

Good luck in your decisions!

Oh, I've had tours and stuff (and I take notes) at Ohio State, Kansas State, Western, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue (and Cornell, but that was just an info session a few years ago and the large animal section was off limits), so feel free to message me with any questions about these schools!

PS: I'm currently waitlisted at 4 schools (yea!), and I would never want anyone to hurry their decision due to me!!! Go ahead, you are lucky enough to be able to choose between schools, so enjoy it and take advantage to the fullest!!!!! I really don't think anyone would really be too upset to be accepted the day before classes started because it's so much better than not going at all! (I know I'd be so happy I don't really know what I'd do!)

 

[FriskyPony]

Sorry about the long post--the PS is actually a reference to a different thread that I thought was part of this one...sorry again!