Interesting Predicament between SGU and Ross

[peluo1]

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Hi guys. Since 2011 I have been wanting to attend SGU vet school. I went so far as to visit the island, visit the campus, and sit in on a class, just to make sure I would live it...and I did. My mentor, a fantastic veterinarian, is a Ross SVM graduate. Her husband is a Ross SBM graduate and a neurologist. I say this because I have nothing but great evidence of the output of Ross U. So when time finally came to apply for vet school, I applied to both SGU and Ross, with SGU being my number one choice. I would say my heart was leaning 65% SGU, 35% Ross. Well...

I had my interviews etc etc and got a response from both schools. Here comes the really difficult part: I got into Ross to start the DVM curriculum Jan 2014. I also got into SGU but for the Vet Foundation Program Jan 2014 (for 1 semester, so this would hopefully turn into the DVM curriculum in August 2014). 😕😕

I want to work with exotic animals, particularly big cats. I was very interested in SGU's dual degree program where I could get a Masters of Science in Wildlife Conservation. I have spoken to many people about which school to go to, and they both have good arguments. I particularly dislike the negative things I have heard about living in St. Kitts and its safety or lack thereof, but as far as the school is concerned, I have heard and seen good things.

I have 4 more days to give Ross and answer and give them money to reserve my spot, but I still don't know what I should do: start vet school in January at my second choice, or go to the foundations program and THEN start vet school in August at my first choice???

Any input would be helpful. I have heard bad things about Ross as far as safety goes etc, and it seems like a while ago, Ross was miles ahead of SGU academically speaking and quality of graduates. But it would appear like maybe the script has flipped, and now SGU is a bit ahead or at least on par? Is that a correct assumption?

 

[shortnsweet]

Whichever one is cheaper.

 

[peluo1]

Both end up being about the same since I want to do the dual degree program at SGU and get a Masters of Science in Wildlife Conservation which would add another $20000 to SGU's cost.

 

[DVMDream]

Whichever one makes you happy. You seem more excited about SGU. Also, be sure you will be able to get accepted to do the dual degree program, would suck to go and then not get accepted to the dual program.

 

[MassDVMMPH]

Safety is not a small concern - veterinary school is stressful enough without worrying about crime affecting your life. Don't let yourself be influenced too much by other people. This is your life and your career. Good veterinarians are produced by every veterinary school (and so are bad ones). I agree that you seem to be much more excited about SGU. My advice is to sit in a quiet place, think about the pros and cons of each school, and go with your gut. It's rarely wrong.

 

[DVM882029]

I think it's also worthwhile to consider the safety factor for living conditions, I think at SGU you live on campus for the first portion then after no more than a year have to live off campus. Not sure about Ross.

 

[ChittyBang]

A friend of mine is currently at Ross and told me about the high crime risk on the island, and the exorbitant prices of food and other necessities. Other than that, she loves it.

I know nothing of SGU.

But it sounds like your heart is at SGU. Definitely check with them about the dual-degree thing cause, as mentioned, that would suck.

 

[Cyndia]

Also you should think about the fact that you ARE in vet school at Ross, versus just the foundation at SGU. You sound like your heart is pretty set on SGU, and if you get the dual degree program then it's definitely the better option.. But there's always the risk that you might not get that program, and that you might not pass the foundation course and be unable to join the DVM course? Not to be a debbie downer, but it is a risk to think about. If you work hard though, and you don't think that's going to be an issue, then by the sounds of it I would recommend choosing SGU.

 

[allieh8607]

Your heart is definitely at SGU, I can tell from your post.

I am in sort of a "prep" semester at Ross right now and it's do or die. I have to pass ALL of the classes in order to officially progress onto first semester. No repeats, no if's, and's, or but's. Once you get to first semester here, you can fail two classes and repeat first semester. After first semester, you can only fail one class and still repeat, but only twice can you fail. Anyway, I'm not sure sure if that's how the prep program is at SGU, but going to Ross you are guaranteed a spot in vet school. At SGU you still have to prove yourself and pass everything, while at the same time getting acclimated to island culture. I am a fairly adaptable person, so the transition hasn't been hard for me at all but I know others that are really struggling with their first semester because they are so homesick, lonely, etc. At Ross, you're required to live on campus for your first semester and then they have a housing department that is VERY helpful with finding off campus living and basically hold your hand the entire way.

Cost of living is going to be about the same on both islands. They are islands- everything has to be imported regardless. Crime rate- don't be stupid basically and you'll be fine. Idk much about the crimes that occur on St. George's but most of the ones I've heard about here are because of people not locking car doors, leaving their laptops near windows, etc. Last week, there was a very serious incident that wasn't due to stupidity and that was really scary but it's not the norm.

If you have any other questions about Ross, feel free to PM me but I can only help you with Ross stuff since I don't know anything about SGU. Good luck with your decision 🙂

 

[MassDVMMPH]

Wow, that's a pretty good deal - being able to repeat if you fail a course. When I went to Iowa State (well over a decade ago), the rule was if you failed a course during any of your first 3 years in vet school, you got thrown out - if you wanted, they would give you one chance to start the entire curriculum over again (not just that semester - the entire curriculum), but that was really only reasonable if you were in your first year. I couldn't imagine anyone starting over again after failing a course in the third year, for example. Can you imagine going through 5 semesters of vet school and then having to start over in first year again? Just financially-speaking, it would be devastating. It definitely put a lot of pressure on us, that's for sure. The further you got into the curriculum, the more pressure there was. We were incurring all this debt and if we flunked one course, we were out without any real way to pay it back. We did lose some people in our class too - I know one guy who failed a 1-credit course and got thrown out. And he wasn't the only one. You guys are lucky.

 

[Frozenshades]

Wow, that's a pretty good deal - being able to repeat if you fail a course. When I went to Iowa State (well over a decade ago), the rule was if you failed a course during any of your first 3 years in vet school, you got thrown out - if you wanted, they would give you one chance to start the entire curriculum over again (not just that semester - the entire curriculum), but that was really only reasonable if you were in your first year. I couldn't imagine anyone starting over again after failing a course in the third year, for example. Can you imagine going through 5 semesters of vet school and then having to start over in first year again? Just financially-speaking, it would be devastating. It definitely put a lot of pressure on us, that's for sure. The further you got into the curriculum, the more pressure there was. We were incurring all this debt and if we flunked one course, we were out without any real way to pay it back. We did lose some people in our class too - I know one guy who failed a 1-credit course and got thrown out. And he wasn't the only one. You guys are lucky.

Well, I think that's still the standard for schools in the US. Not sure how many would make you repeat the entire curriculum, but I know you'll have to repeat the entire year or at least the semester if you get a D or F. If they let you return that is.

 

[allieh8607]

The attrition rate here is still pretty bad. So even with how lucky we are (And yes, you are totally right about us being extremely lucky. Having the opportunity to repeat classes is extremely generous of the administration) there are still people that use all of that "luck" that we're given and fail out completely. Also, when we're trying to get placed into US schools for our clinical year, there are a lot of schools that refuse students that have had to repeat semesters, so those students are a lot more limited in where they get to go.

 

[LetItSnow]

Well, I think that's still the standard for schools in the US. Not sure how many would make you repeat the entire curriculum, but I know you'll have to repeat the entire year or at least the semester if you get a D or F. If they let you return that is.

I think it's not entirely cut 'n dry here. There's wiggle room in our policy. You get tossed out for an F, or for 2 D's in a single semester (or a total of 6 D's, I think). Technically the school doesn't have to give you another shot, but in practice it seems like people who have gone through it are typically given another chance the following year; they just move to the class below them and repeat the courses the school wants them to repeat (usually just the ones they did poorly in) and then go back to the full-time schedule after that.

Definitely a major setback, but not unrecoverable.

Anyway, to the OP ... I guess my opinion would be to go to Ross and start vet school if your goal is to become a veterinarian. I think you can be just as good a vet coming out of either school. Or just as bad of one. 🙂 I respect everyone saying "follow your heart to SGU" but the further I get through school, the less I think the particular school matters. I love UMN, but I bet I would have loved UW or Cornell or UTK or anywhere else, too. (That said, I know of at least one person who left her vet school to transfer to another one because she was unhappy there. And I know one person in my class who feels like the program wasn't what she was expecting and wishes she had gone elsewhere. So different people will feel differently about it.)

 

[LetItSnow]

The attrition rate here is still pretty bad. So even with how lucky we are (And yes, you are totally right about us being extremely lucky. Having the opportunity to repeat classes is extremely generous of the administration) there are still people that use all of that "luck" that we're given and fail out completely. Also, when we're trying to get placed into US schools for our clinical year, there are a lot of schools that refuse students that have had to repeat semesters, so those students are a lot more limited in where they get to go.

*shrug* It is what it is, right? All part of being a for-profit school.... Ross accepts candidates with less stellar academic records because they make money off it. The upside of that is that if you're one of those people, but you work your butt off, you can get in and through vet school when you may not have gotten the chance elsewhere. The downside is that they're accepting a population of people knowing they have a higher percentage that will flunk out.

Everything I hear says the students who making it through Ross are excellent vets.

 

[jmo1012]

I think it's not entirely cut 'n dry here. There's wiggle room in our policy. You get tossed out for an F, or for 2 D's in a single semester (or a total of 6 D's, I think). Technically the school doesn't have to give you another shot, but in practice it seems like people who have gone through it are typically given another chance the following year; they just move to the class below them and repeat the courses the school wants them to repeat (usually just the ones they did poorly in) and then go back to the full-time schedule after that.

Definitely a major setback, but not unrecoverable.

Anyway, to the OP ... I guess my opinion would be to go to Ross and start vet school if your goal is to become a veterinarian. I think you can be just as good a vet coming out of either school. Or just as bad of one. 🙂 I respect everyone saying "follow your heart to SGU" but the further I get through school, the less I think the particular school matters. I love UMN, but I bet I would have loved UW or Cornell or UTK or anywhere else, too. (That said, I know of at least one person who left her vet school to transfer to another one because she was unhappy there. And I know one person in my class who feels like the program wasn't what she was expecting and wishes she had gone elsewhere. So different people will feel differently about it.)

i'm kind of undecided on the advice to give here, but i will start by saying that while i do whole heartedly believe that someone can be just as happy at x school as y school as z school, when you throw in the whole new country and completely different culture bit into the equation, it does make things a bit more drastically different. so while i certainly believe that i would be just as happy at a state school, i dont think the same necessarily holds true in reverse (not by a long shot).

anyhow, i guess you need to really think about starting foundations versus starting vet school. theoretically you could not pass foundations with the proper criteria and not make it into vet school while ross is saying hey you can start now. i'm extremely biased, i love SGU and Grenada. i feel relatively safe, usually happy, and am very content with the education i am receiving.

our foundations students typically do very well (at least initially) in the dvm program. they are well prepared to study, get a good grasp on the material, and have had some adjustment time before starting vet school.

think about what you want that each school has to offer. SGU has a lengthy summer and winter break - are externships, family time, and traveling important to you? Ross offers an "accelerated" program that would have you done in less than 4 years (ironically though no matter which school you pick you will have to complete the same number of semesters) - are you more hurried? grenada lies "below" the typical hurricane line - how do you feel about spending 7 months a year in hurricane territory? Ross just has the vet school in St. Kitts, SGU has MD, DVM, MSc, Arts/Sciences, MPH here. SGU definitely has a better network of infrastructure in grenada simply because we are thousands rather than hundreds.

you're going to get a good education either way, and i suspect that the islands are relatively similar in their island "uniqueness." i think it comes down to what feels best for you and what you want from your DVM program

 

[LetItSnow]

grenada lies "below" the typical hurricane line - how do you feel about spending 7 months a year in hurricane territory

Man, if I had endless piles of cash and no family responsibilities, the chance to hang out in hurricane territory might be too much to pass up. 🙂

I'd take Jmo's advice seriously - Jmo obviously has personal experience in the islands and typically gives pretty level-headed advice to pre-vets. Not that my advice is 'bad', but I don't have any experience down there and am in a more traditional land-grant university setting.

 

[jmo1012]

Man, if I had endless piles of cash and no family responsibilities, the chance to hang out in hurricane territory might be too much to pass up. 🙂

I'd take Jmo's advice seriously - Jmo obviously has personal experience in the islands and typically gives pretty level-headed advice to pre-vets. Not that my advice is 'bad', but I don't have any experience down there and am in a more traditional land-grant university setting.

its all fun and games until you have no electricity, poor infrastructure, no clean water (or perhaps no water at all), limited food, etc 😉 - no hurricanes here since i've been here (knock on wood!!!!) but i know st. kitts has been hit by at least one in the last couple of years and they had some pretty serious flooding and i imagine the electricity/water outages (particularly the water because they shut it off regularly in the dry season here and people rely on home storage tanks)

 

[LetItSnow]

its all fun and games until you have no electricity, poor infrastructure, no clean water (or perhaps no water at all), limited food

Pffft. I lived in Brazil for a year. Old hat.

I'm just one of those weirdos that loves bad weather.

 

[Suomi]

You sound more enthused about SGU! I too was more interested in SGU than Ross, partially because of the safety issues I've heard of on St. Kitts (whether they are true or not). I would already be in a new culture, dealing with fast-paced heavy course load, AND have to worry more about safety? It seemed to be a lot to handle, but SGU still has most of these challenges as well. If you're not in a crazy hurry to be a vet (really, what difference does one more semester make?), then I would go with your gut and go to SGU. If you think you can totally handle the foundation course, it's worth it to go where you want to go. Plus, that gives you a term to adjust to island life prior to actually starting school. If the idea of there being a chance you could do poorly in foundations and not get accepted into the SGU vet program really bothers you, go to Ross.

I have worked with vets from both Ross and SGU and both are excellent, so you're education will be equivalent either way!

 

[EdinBelle]

I believe that you are able to defer your acceptance to Ross for up to one year. Is there a way that you could defer your acceptance, try out SGU, and if you don't like it switch to the Ross program. The main reason why I chose Ross over SGU is because I cannot see myself being able to afford constantly flying back and forth from an island to the US. And if I were to have an entire month off for Christmas/winter break or a few months off for summer, I would die if I couldn't go home and see my family. AND if I were to go home, I definitely couldn't stress my dog out and force him to fly that often or have someone watch him for that extended period of time. To me, the accelerated island time is more ideal.

Also, just the luck of the draw I guess.. but I do know several Ross vets who loved the island and the program! And I only know of one student who was at SGU, she hated the program so much that she transferred to a US school even though she would be placed behind by one year. Now I do know for a fact that there are both SGU vets and Ross vets who equally both loved and hated the island and the curriculum, but these are the people who I encountered so yes it had some weight on my decision to choose between the two.

 

[pp9]

Off topic, but do the island schools ever cancel classes due to weather?

I lived in Florida for part of my childhood and remember getting a week off of school for a hurricane. Obviously, grade school is more forgiving than veterinary school. But if the weather forces your hand, you would have to close the school, right? From a safety aspect. Is there a plan implemented at either school for these situations?

 

[allieh8607]

Off topic, but do the island schools ever cancel classes due to weather?

I lived in Florida for part of my childhood and remember getting a week off of school for a hurricane. Obviously, grade school is more forgiving than veterinary school. But if the weather forces your hand, you would have to close the school, right? From a safety aspect. Is there a plan implemented at either school for these situations?

Um, yes. lol. Of course, living right in hurricane territory, the school definitely has a plan. I've gotten several emails since coming here about hurricane survival kits and what to do if there is a hurricane. But we haven't been hit by a hurricane at Ross in years. Heavy rain and wind, yes. I've only heard of the school closing once recently (within the past 5 years) but that wasn't due to a hurricane, it was due to severe flooding.

 

[pp9]

Also, to the OP, when I am faced with a tough decision, I have a strange method of going about it haha.

I flip a coin, and go with what I end up with. If you have that sinking feeling, you know that you aren't happy with what the coin picked. Might be too simple for this situation, but it's worth a shot!

 

[BlackDog17]

Also, to the OP, when I am faced with a tough decision, I have a strange method of going about it haha.

I flip a coin, and go with what I end up with. If you have that sinking feeling, you know that you aren't happy with what the coin picked. Might be too simple for this situation, but it's worth a shot!

I have to laugh at this, because the hospital manager once told me exactly this:

"If you're having trouble deciding between two things, flip a coin. And in that brief moment before the coin lands, you'll find yourself wishing for one of the two results. That's the thing you should choose."

 

[ChittyBang]

I have to laugh at this, because the hospital manager once told me exactly this:

"If you're having trouble deciding between two things, flip a coin. And in that brief moment before the coin lands, you'll find yourself wishing for one of the two results. That's the thing you should choose."

Also, to the OP, when I am faced with a tough decision, I have a strange method of going about it haha.

I flip a coin, and go with what I end up with. If you have that sinking feeling, you know that you aren't happy with what the coin picked. Might be too simple for this situation, but it's worth a shot!

Definitely! 👍 Soooo true.

 

[jmo1012]

Off topic, but do the island schools ever cancel classes due to weather?

I lived in Florida for part of my childhood and remember getting a week off of school for a hurricane. Obviously, grade school is more forgiving than veterinary school. But if the weather forces your hand, you would have to close the school, right? From a safety aspect. Is there a plan implemented at either school for these situations?

we've had a couple of classes and labs cancelled because the AC broke in the building...

 

[pp9]

we've had a couple of classes and labs cancelled because the AC broke in the building...

Now THAT'S fun. As the first snow falls in Michigan, I find myself having a hard time remembering heat....

 

[FutureVet123]

I just got an interview for Ross's August 2014 class! I've been having a really hard time finding any advice on here about Ross interviews. I know a lot of people do Skype interviews, but mines in person two weeks from now. Can anyone please help me out and give me some advice on the interview?! Maybe some questions you were asked or how formal it was? Thank you!! 🙂

 

[jazzygirl]

Hi guys. Since 2011 I have been wanting to attend SGU vet school. I went so far as to visit the island, visit the campus, and sit in on a class, just to make sure I would live it...and I did. My mentor, a fantastic veterinarian, is a Ross SVM graduate. Her husband is a Ross SBM graduate and a neurologist. I say this because I have nothing but great evidence of the output of Ross U. So when time finally came to apply for vet school, I applied to both SGU and Ross, with SGU being my number one choice. I would say my heart was leaning 65% SGU, 35% Ross. Well...

I had my interviews etc etc and got a response from both schools. Here comes the really difficult part: I got into Ross to start the DVM curriculum Jan 2014. I also got into SGU but for the Vet Foundation Program Jan 2014 (for 1 semester, so this would hopefully turn into the DVM curriculum in August 2014). 😕😕

I want to work with exotic animals, particularly big cats. I was very interested in SGU's dual degree program where I could get a Masters of Science in Wildlife Conservation. I have spoken to many people about which school to go to, and they both have good arguments. I particularly dislike the negative things I have heard about living in St. Kitts and its safety or lack thereof, but as far as the school is concerned, I have heard and seen good things.

I have 4 more days to give Ross and answer and give them money to reserve my spot, but I still don't know what I should do: start vet school in January at my second choice, or go to the foundations program and THEN start vet school in August at my first choice???

Any input would be helpful. I have heard bad things about Ross as far as safety goes etc, and it seems like a while ago, Ross was miles ahead of SGU academically speaking and quality of graduates. But it would appear like maybe the script has flipped, and now SGU is a bit ahead or at least on par? Is that a correct assumption?

Tell SGU that you have been accepted to start a DVM program at another vet school, and they may allow you to skip foundations and start right into the DVM. The same thing happened with my friend. He was accepted to a US vet school and into foundations at SGU. He told SGU this and they allowed him to bypass foundations. Worth a shot!