Midwestern University v. University of Arizona

[VHug4772]

Hi everyone! I would love to get everyone's thoughts on these schools to help me decide which one is right for me. I am an out-of-state resident for both schools. Note that: this isn't an important factor to consider for MidwesternU since it is a private school.

I absolutely love both schools for different reasons, so I just wanted to get some perspectives from other people. I feel like MidwesternU does have beautiful faculties with a teaching hospital (even if it does not have a full teaching hospital), and they seem to do a great job at preparing their students for practice. I know that tuition is an important consideration and it is one that I have taken into account but at the moment I am trying to determine which is best for me. I loved my experience at MidwesternU when I visited, the faculty and students also seem amazing. However, I worry about not having enough exposure to other specialities and mainly focusing only on preventative care / GP care. I feel that I could actively seek out opportunities to explore specialities if I am proactive during my breaks (which might be difficult to do at U of A due to shorter breaks??)

I also love University of Arizona - the faculty that I have met were absolutely incredible, friendly, and welcoming. I am interested in their three year curriculum because it is fast-paced and I am an older applicant (26F). But sometimes I wonder if it is right for me. I feel like the breaks are important opportunities where I have more time to rest as well as explore internship, research, etc. I also want to prioritize being involved in my community and being ready to practice "day one". I feel like U of A has a great community and I would love to be apart of that.

My current interests in veterinary medicine do align well with both schools. With that being said, I still want to be well-rounded in various specialties and have exposure to different aspects of vet med. I really want to gain a sense of community from whichever school I decide to go to and I want to feel ready to practice once I do graduate. I would love to specialize at some point in my career but I am not sure what that would be yet.

My heart is definitely torn because these have both been my top choice since submitting my VMCAS last year. I would love any advice and feedback from current students, vets, or fellow applicants. Thank you in advance!

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[BigCats]

I’m very pro-cheapest school possible, but U of Arizona’s NAVLE pass rate over the last two years would make me nervous- 72% their first year (2023) and 79.4% in 2024. Not sure how pass rates for new schools have been historically, but I would be nervous about falling into the 20%+ of their students that are currently not passing the NAVLE after two attempts. I am totally in favor of going to the cheapest school in virtually every circumstance, but a significantly higher probability of not being able to work as a veterinarian after graduation (and make enough money to pay back my loans) would honestly be a big deterrent for me. Not sure if their 2025 pass rates will be published before you have to commit, but that would be a part of my decision for sure.

 

[VHug4772]

I’m very pro-cheapest school possible, but U of Arizona’s NAVLE pass rate over the last two years would make me nervous- 72% their first year (2023) and 79.4% in 2024. Not sure how pass rates for new schools have been historically, but I would be nervous about falling into the 20%+ of their students that are currently not passing the NAVLE after two attempts. I am totally in favor of going to the cheapest school in virtually every circumstance, but a significantly higher probability of not being able to work as a veterinarian after graduation (and make enough money to pay back my loans) would honestly be a big deterrent for me. Not sure if their 2025 pass rates will be published before you have to commit, but that would be a part of my decision for sure.

Thank you for your input! That is definitely part of my consideration because it does make me nervous. Midwestern is more established in the sense of their academic preparation of students and has proven to have high NAVLE pass rates. It seems like the faculty are incredibly supportive at U of A and they do what they can to help students succeed. My interactions with the faculty so far has made me feel like they genuinely want me there and they want me to succeed as a student.

 

[lis1127]

Sorry, super late reply but also just wanted to give my input on your question! If you're potentially considering a specialty, something that is going to be important is having enough time to participate in research and then publicize in that particular field. I have been told over and over by many different vets that in order to get a residency in most fields, you need to have that publicized research or else you won't be considered very competitive in most cases. So if you're thinking that there is a possibility that you might want to specialize in the future, then I would think about which school is going to provide you with the better opportunities to participate in research. In which case, Midwestern might be the better option because you will have longer breaks to focus just on research and since it is not as fast-paced as U of A is, then you might also have more time during the academic year to participate more in research. With that being said, there are also some students in U of A who have gone on to residencies (as seen in the VIRMP match data), but this is definitely something to consider. Good luck!

 

[VHug4772]

Sorry, super late reply but also just wanted to give my input on your question! If you're potentially considering a specialty, something that is going to be important is having enough time to participate in research and then publicize in that particular field. I have been told over and over by many different vets that in order to get a residency in most fields, you need to have that publicized research or else you won't be considered very competitive in most cases. So if you're thinking that there is a possibility that you might want to specialize in the future, then I would think about which school is going to provide you with the better opportunities to participate in research. In which case, Midwestern might be the better option because you will have longer breaks to focus just on research and since it is not as fast-paced as U of A is, then you might also have more time during the academic year to participate more in research. With that being said, there are also some students in U of A who have gone on to residencies (as seen in the VIRMP match data), but this is definitely something to consider. Good luck!

Thank you! I am considering specializing at some point in my career. Having longer breaks definitely does give me the opportunity to participate in other activities as you mentioned!