Info on Ross

[twelvetigers]

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Hey guys. Now, personally, I'm not interested in attending Ross, or any of the Caribbean schools for that matter. It would just be too difficult for my hubby and I to deal with that, and I don't think I could adjust. That being said, I'm always curious to hear what other people think of their schools.

A friend of a friend that I'd met and chatted with several times had gotten on the alternate list at OKSU 3x consectively without getting offered a position. She was talking about this somewhere or other, and a Ross person approached her and offered her admission. She took it, and it's been over a year now since she'd left.

I kept her as a friend on Myspace, so I decided to message her and ask what she thought of it, if she regretted it, etc. I was a bit surprised at the response, and I'm positng a few quotes because I'd like to share some of what she said without paraphrasing it.

"I am actually back in [state] for the semester and am transferring to St. Georges. Ross wasnt a bad school but it doesnt compare to St. Georges campus and everything they have to offer."

"St. Georges hasnt been around quite as long but they have the same affiliations that Ross does for residency programs.... and after a year depending on your grades ect you can most likely transfer to OSU and just graduate from there instead of SGU."
(She's referring to OKSU, and pointing out why I might like to consider this route to vet school)

"I do think the island life is a definitely a life experience but they do not like Americans very much in St. Kitts which is difficult to deal with on a daily basis. I have heard Grenada is much better."

"Both schools are close to being accredited, and I actually find it more appealing that SGU is a younger school and is already at the standing that Ross is, and being at Ross and seeing how slow their progress is I have more faith in St. Georges."

"SGU and Ross both guarantee residency postitions out of their 7th semester programs, I'm still not sure if St. Matthews does yet or if they expect you to apply again when you are done there. Its good to know you will be placed in one of your top 3 choices for security."

"I am having to start over at St. Georges because they do not accept Ross credit since they arent an accredited school... seems crazy but I couldnt deal with St. Kitts lifestyle anymore among other personal things!"

She also pointed out that both schools seem to prepare their students very well for the PAVE and the NAVLE exams, but also that the atturition rate is especially high at Ross because they are competing so hard with the in-state school for their accreditation stuff. She also made it sound like she wasn't alone in this transfer.

I'm not trying to push one way or the other for/against Ross or the Caribbean schools, I just thought I would share what I had heard! This is, of course, one girl's opinions on the matter, and should be taken as such. I'll be sure to find out how she feels about St. George's when she's been there a while and share that here as well. I hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision get some perspective on the whole deal. 🙂

 

[david594]

"St. Georges hasnt been around quite as long but they have the same affiliations that Ross does for residency programs.... and after a year depending on your grades ect you can most likely transfer to OSU and just graduate from there instead of SGU."
(She's referring to OKSU, and pointing out why I might like to consider this route to vet school)

Definitely research this one on your own. I am pretty sure the number of people who transfer this way is very low.

"I am having to start over at St. Georges because they do not accept Ross credit since they arent an accredited school... seems crazy but I couldnt deal with St. Kitts lifestyle anymore among other personal things!"

Must have been some pretty serious "personal things" to essentially just toss the $25k+ she had into her first semester there out the window to start over at another island school. Especially if she could have just finished out the year with some decent grades and most likely transfered to OKSU.

 

[twelvetigers]

I definitely don't know the whole situation there, and I'd rather not pry into her personal life and decisions. I don't know any of the statistics on transfers, either - I'm just passing along what I heard. Please, everyone should take almost anything negative they hear from this forum with a grain of salt unless it's been proven somehow, otherwise it's just someone's opinion or ideas.

 

[jeeney]

interesting info....i just interviewed @ ross and will be interviewing with SGU soon....good stuff to keep in mind...

 

[BG85]

Thanks for the info. I just got done applying to both Ross & St. Georges being that it is so late in the game, and I haven't decided if I think I'd be successful in another cycle.
The price isn't a real problem, since I'm OS for most of the places I'm applying. I'm waitlisted at Western, and would pay that much there
My advisor is high on Ross because he knows a lot of professors from the states that have taught there, and I work with a vet who went to Ross and feels it was the greatest life experience he ever had. Of course, nothing was said about the people not liking Americans. But I hear from other people in the field how they fail students out all the time.
I spoke with someone from St. George last year, but don't know of anyone who went there. I appreciate any info I get while I go through all this info and hope for an interview

 

[Orthonut]

"SGU and Ross both guarantee residency postitions out of their 7th semester programs, I'm still not sure if St. Matthews does yet or if they expect you to apply again when you are done there. Its good to know you will be placed in one of your top 3 choices for security."

"

Again, NOT TRUE.

NO ONE guarantees RESIDENCY positions.

The schools guarantee CLINICAL YEAR positions. As in, you're not going to get all the way through the first three years and then not be able to graduate because you can't get a clinical spot. (You still must meet all the requirements- GPA etc)
You can GET a residency after graduation, but they are VERY comptetitive, and again NO ONE GUARANTEES A RESIDENCY.

 

[twelvetigers]

She might have called them the wrong things. It does sound more right how you've said it, orthonut.

 

[WannaFixFounder]

hg

 

[JerseyLynn]

I'm leaving for Ross next month. I'm a pretty diversified student, and I went to school in one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of the country, so I don't worry about Ross. I'm bringing my old shepherd, who still has a little protection training, down with me when I move off campus. I'm not concerned at all.....

My advisor is very up on Ross, so I am considering it if I don't get in next cycle, maybe for May 2009. Please keep us updated on what it's really like down there, living conditions, and the school itself. Good luck and have a great adventure!

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, wannafixfounder, let us all know what it's really like! All we have right now is hearsay. 🙂

 

[WannaFixFounder]

Yeah, wannafixfounder, let us all know what it's really like! All we have right now is hearsay. 🙂

I talked to a Ross grad I know from several years ago. She said she loved it.
I'll let you know what I think of it, for sure. I am very frank with my opinions 🙂

 

[zpinkpanther]

I'm leaving for Ross next month. I'm a pretty diversified student, and I went to school in one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of the country, so I don't worry about Ross. I'm bringing my old shepherd, who still has a little protection training, down with me when I move off campus. I'm not concerned at all.....

I may be going to Ross in September, depending on how my interview with them next week goes. Have you looked into all the stuff you have to do to get your dog to the island? If not, I just wanted to give you a heads up on that for when you move off campus and take him with you and if you have, I'm wondering how much of a pain in the butt you found it to be. If I go there in September, I definitely want to take my cat with me when I get to move off campus, but I'm hoping to get most of the legal hoops jumped through this summer, since I'd like to get as much of it done as possible while I still have my discount at work... 😉

Oh yeah, and I want to know how it is, too! 🙂

 

[WannaFixFounder]

.

 

[twelvetigers]

I just thought of that earlier today when we got an export panel. If you want your pet to come along with you from the start, do make sure you jump through the right legal hoops. They want, like founder said, at least a rabies titer. Check if there's anything specific for your species of pet, and of course make sure your species of pet is allowed at all (if it's not typical cat/dog.)

 

[Rebeki]

I worked with several vets who went to Ross recently (some of them were quite good) and here is some more hearsay...

Ross is what you make of it. If you are serious about being a vet and you take the classes seriously, you will get a good veterinary education.

As far as living on St. Kitts, the area is not the safest. Mostly petty crimes and theft. If you are used to living in this sort of area, it may not be that much of an adjustment. However, if you are used to living in a very safe area, it may be quite an adjustment to worry about going out at night by yourself or having your car broken into.

Finally, my friend told me that certain foods are ridiculously expensive, so also take into consideration the cost of living.

 

[zpinkpanther]

I have a whole farm load of animals, but I'm only bringing one dog with me. 1st semester I plan on living on campus (seems to be the best idea), then I will fly home and bring him back with me to a rented apartment. You have to have 2 negative Rabies titers done, 30 days apart, last one 30 or more days before you leave. I sent one out about 2 weeks ago, so I'll send the last one before I leave. I sent them to KSU. Of course you need a health certificate. It doesn't seem too hard. My dog is used to traveling (he has flown before) so I'm not too concerned about it. He is a big dog, too.

Wait, don't they require you to live on campus for your 1st semester? That's what I thought the website said. If they changed that policy, that would be pretty cool, although I think it may still be the best idea for 1st semester, since it would be difficult to secure an apartment without physically being there.

I looked over the form for taking animals to St Kitt's on the website, but I didn't look that closely. I'll have to get into it in more detail if I actually get into Ross. I thought there was only something special you had to do with the rabies vaccine in addition to the titer, like it has to be given a month before you take them to the island or something?

It didn't seem all that difficult to me, either... I'm just trying to think ahead and get it mostly done this summer, since there are only 2 weeks in between semesters, which isn't much time when it comes to red tape and stuff. Maybe I'm just freaking out for no reason, like I normally do. 🙄😀