So I have interviewed at both LMU and Midwestern (both of the brand new vet schools this year), and I have been admitted to both. I find it very valuable to be able to compare one brand new program to another, and after visiting LMU in Harrogate I just want to say that I am still so impressed with Midwestern, and it remains one of my top choices this cycle. Huge differences I found between the two schools were as follows:
1. Location: Harrogate is in the middle of nowhere, while Glendale is an hour from Phoenix--not to mention that Arizona has pretty awesome weather.
2. A veterinary teaching hospital: MWU-CVM is currently building their teaching hospital, while LMU is not planning on having one-a big downside in my opinion. In fact, a surgeon that works at my hospital left UTK to work at LMU, then found out they weren't going to have a teaching hospital, and ended up at my employment.
3. A Vet School: (!!!) LMU has not even started constructing their vet school, and during my interview I was told it would be complete in about two years. Midwestern's vet school should be done in the fall and you can view the construction on the webcam from their website. You can also do the same for the construction of the teaching hospital.
4. Classes: At LMU I was told by my tour guide that they have awesome DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) professors so they are not hiring many professors for the vet school initially. Therefore, they are combining the first year vet students with the first year DO students in classes such as physiology and anatomy. Even though these are general classes that I believe could be taught efficiently by any competent professor, I would appreciate the course being taught by someone who might be able to relate how certain physiological, anatomical, differences, etc. can be applied to all species, not just humans.
Having said all of this, I'm not going to exclude any school including LMU from my options until I know all of my options at the end of the cycle. I want to emphasize that I truly believe that an individual is largely responsible for their success in any field. It all depends how much dedication, hard work and perseverance one pours into their goal. I have seen not-so-confident vets come from some of the best schools in the country, and then again some of the best vets I know came from schools that are sometimes looked down upon. It all depends on the person and what they make of their life. Sorry...I got on my little soapbox there for a moment 🙂
Good luck guys
So I know this was from the Midwestern applicant thread, but I would like to address the concerns that Moiralov seems to have.
1. Location: Harrogate is in the middle of nowhere, while Glendale is an hour from Phoenix--not to mention that Arizona has pretty awesome weather.
1. Yes, Harrogate is in rural East Tennessee, but we are also an hour north of Knoxville (the 3rd largest city in Tennessee, and the largest city in East Tennessee). If there's something you need that you can't find in Middlesboro, KY, or Tazewell, TN (the bigger towns around Harrogate), the Knoxville will have it.
Harrogate is 5 minutes from the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, 20 minutes from Pine Mountain State Park (KY), 15 minutes from Wilderness Road State Park (VA), and 1.5 hours from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
As far as weather goes, the average in the winter (January) is L25, H45 and in the summer (July) L48, H86. Average precipitation is 4 inches per month.
2. A veterinary teaching hospital: MWU-CVM is currently building their teaching hospital, while LMU is not planning on having one-a big downside in my opinion. In fact, a surgeon that works at my hospital left UTK to work at LMU, then found out they weren't going to have a teaching hospital, and ended up at my employment.
2. LMU is not planning on building a Small Animal Hospital. We already have current facilities at the Large Animal Teaching and Research Center (LATRC) 15 minutes from main campus. There are several reasons that we feel that distributed rotations will be more beneficial than a small animal teaching hospital:
a. UTK has a teaching hospital an hour away, and we would not be able to have a case load to support a teaching hospital.
b. Teaching hospitals tend to become referral centers for cases that regular veterinarians feel they cannot handle, so students don't see a lot of typical, every day cases. Also, vet students can sometimes be used more like vet techs instead of learning as veterinary students.
c. One of our core rotation sites is going to be at an animal shelter that takes in 60-80 animals per day. Vet students will be responsible for intake physical exams, palpations, skin tests, etc, in addition to basic surgeries like mass removals, ovariohysterectomies, and neuters. The goal is for LMU students to have completed 25-50 OHEs, where typical students will only have done 2-3 OHEs.
d. Distributed rotations will allow LMU students to network with veterinarians across the country, which will help with getting a job after graduation.
3. A Vet School: (!!!) LMU has not even started constructing their vet school, and during my interview I was told it would be complete in about two years. Midwestern's vet school should be done in the fall and you can view the construction on the webcam from their website. You can also do the same for the construction of the teaching hospital.
3. While construction on the vet school has not been started, we will be in 2 state-of-the-art buildings for lectures, labs, and anatomy lab. The CVM offices are currently in the Math and Science building (built in 2012), and that's where our lectures and parasitology/other labs will be held. The anatomy labs and client communication labs with be in the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (built in 2007). So yes, the "vet school" construction isn't happening right now (but it is expected to be completed by Fall 2015), but we already have very modern facilities with up-to-date technology that I would put up against any other vet school's facilities.
4. Classes: At LMU I was told by my tour guide that they have awesome DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) professors so they are not hiring many professors for the vet school initially. Therefore, they are combining the first year vet students with the first year DO students in classes such as physiology and anatomy. Even though these are general classes that I believe could be taught efficiently by any competent professor, I would appreciate the course being taught by someone who might be able to relate how certain physiological, anatomical, differences, etc. can be applied to all species, not just humans.
4. Yes, LMU does have awesome DO professors. But no, LMU is not going to have them teaching all (or even most!) of the CVM classes. There will be a few specific classes (like Virology and Histology) that we will be integrated with the DO 1st year students because it doesn't make sense to try and find another professor to teach the same class that is already being taught well by a professor that can explain concepts well to students. LMU has hired several DVMs and PhDs specifically for the vet school to teach anatomy, physiology, parasitology, clinical skills, surgical skills, etc. The CVM wants to work with DCOM to integrate human and animal medical professionals, and what better way to do that than to learn and work together?
If you have concerns about LMU, please post them! I'm more than happy to address any questions that you guys may have. I want to be sure that everyone has all the correct information they need in order to make the wisest decision about choosing what vet school to attend.
) when I'm home from school. I've had enough injuries from going slow that I don't even want to attempt going faster lol! Best of luck in your interview.
