Minnesota vs. Michigan State

[scubblescully]

Hey everybody,
I have been fortunate enough to be accepted to both of these great schools. Is anybody else trying to make a final decision involving these two schools or have an opinion on which school I should pick and why? I loved Minnesota and the Twin Cities area and will be visiting Michigan State next weekend. The schools seem to have a lot of similarities and strengths and I really want to make the right choice. I am OOS at both. Thanks for any input!

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[zeebra44]

Hey everybody,
I have been fortunate enough to be accepted to both of these great schools. Is anybody else trying to make a final decision involving these two schools or have an opinion on which school I should pick and why? I loved Minnesota and the Twin Cities area and will be visiting Michigan State next weekend. The schools seem to have a lot of similarities and strengths and I really want to make the right choice. I am OOS at both. Thanks for any input!

Hey! You're interested in small animal, right? I'm sure you know this, but the small animal teaching hospital brings in 30,000+ cases a year at Minnesota. I think that's pretty impressive. Everyone I've spoken to also has nothing but extraordinarily positive things to say about the faculty. I really hope you choose MN! I think it's going to be an AWESOME class!

 

[badcats]

I'm going to pull the biased waitlister card and say that you should go with Michigan. I think someone brought up the awesomeness of their mascot as an argument before...
However, you can probably tell that if I were you I would be picking Minnesota

 

[scubblescully]

I'm leaning towards Minnesota because I loved it when I went up for my interview and was really impressed with everything and everybody but I have not seen Michigan State yet. It sounds like a great place as well with a pretty big caseload and great facilities and everything so I am trying to make myself go into it open minded even though I loved Minnesota so much. One concern I have with Michigan State is that they did not interview so that could lead to a more awkward class? Do you think that should be a valid concern?

Also Michigan State is 2.5 and 1.5 years classes and clinicals instead of 3 and 1 and I cannot decide if that is good or bad and it has 2 semesters of anatomy instead of 1 at Minnesota.

 

[Soyjoy]

i'm no expert but i've heard that michigan state is a bit more competitive due to the nature of their app process (mostly based on numbers; no interviews)..

have u checked out their thread? there's some good info if u look closely.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=698121

 

[der2002]

I'm leaning towards Minnesota because I loved it when I went up for my interview and was really impressed with everything and everybody but I have not seen Michigan State yet. It sounds like a great place as well with a pretty big caseload and great facilities and everything so I am trying to make myself go into it open minded even though I loved Minnesota so much. One concern I have with Michigan State is that they did not interview so that could lead to a more awkward class? Do you think that should be a valid concern?

Also Michigan State is 2.5 and 1.5 years classes and clinicals instead of 3 and 1 and I cannot decide if that is good or bad and it has 2 semesters of anatomy instead of 1 at Minnesota.

Neither Cornell or Wisconsin interviews either- I don't think that necessarily leads to a "more awkward class" in the least. I also got into Michigan State (as an OOS) and I haven't made my final decision yet. Additionally, I actually like the idea that they have 2 semesters of anatomy- with so many different animal systems, that extra semester of anatomy seems like a plus.

 

[der2002]

Scubblescully, wait until you visit Michigan for the March 22 open house and then make a decision. You never know until you actually see the school and interact with current students and faculty...In any case, you're going to be a vet!!

 

[scubblescully]

I know there is absolutely no point in thinking about this so much before I see Michigan State but I just can't help it. Both schools look so great for so many different reasons and I hope I make the right decision. I am just so amazed I am fortunate enough to be having to make a decision like this. Thanks for all the input everybody!

 

[Tiktaalik]

As I told scubblescully in a PM, when I visited MSU on my own last week, I noticed that their histology lab was definitely inferior to Minnesota's. MSU has students sitting knee-to-knee with microscopes shared between partners, in a lab only big enough to hold half the class. They split the class in half, and half does histology while the other half does gross anatomy, then they switch (neither lab is large enough for the whole class). At Minnesota, in contrast, each student has their own desk with their own microscope and sample set, and the room was big enough for the whole class.

Also, MSU's equine center is much smaller than Minnesota's, and not nearly as well-equipped or nice to look at. Granted, they handle equine cases at the LA hospital as well, while Minnesota handles almost all equine cases at the equine center, but it's still something to think about if you're interested in equine med.

If small animal is your thing, MSU's teaching hospital's website says that it sees 23,000 cases annually, while I've heard figures even higher than the 35,000 listed on Minnesota's website. This isn't an insignificant difference (by a long shot).

Outside all this, Minnesota has got kind of an up-and-coming vibe about it. I don't mean that it was a bad school before and is just recently becoming good, but rather that they're actively trying to become even better than they already are. The graduate school, for example, has set an explicit goal to be one of the top 3 research institutions in the world in the next 10 years, and they seem to be meeting it by rocketing up the grad rankings in leaps and bounds each year. I wouldn't be surprised if this philosophy spilled over into the vet school.

I don't in any way want to sound like I'm badmouthing State, because I'm not - I would be totally happy going there, too, because it is a very good school. Minnesota, however seems to be where it's at (for me!) from what I've seen.

That said, don't decide based on this info. If you have any lingering doubt, you owe it to yourself to visit first and be absolutely certain. For me, all it took to make me positive that my choice was the right one was to spend a day touring MSU and comparing.

 

[rustysmom]

Firstly, congrats on your acceptances!!!! 😀

I just want to clarify something. Everyone does gross anatomy lab at the same time (usually mondays, wednesdays, and fridays). I liked having anatomy split into 2 semesters - first semester is dog and second semester is horse/cow. For me, first semester anatomy was a bit overwhelming so seeing it the second time on a bigger animal helped to cement it.

Histology lab is usually tuesdays and thursdays. You will be split in half for histology lab and you will be sharing a microscope. I liked this because it gave me a chance to bounce ideas off of my partner. Histology will look like a bunch of pink and purple stuff when you first start and it was helpful to me to ask my partner for help with what we were looking at. If you're in the half that is not doing histology, you're doing another class (ethics in the first semester) or you have a free period (second semester).

Caseload is lower this year because of the economy. I don't have any numbers handy, unfortunately.

If you (or anyone else) has more questions about Michigan State, feel free to PM me. Congrats again! 🙂

 

[Tiktaalik]

Firstly, congrats on your acceptances!!!! 😀

I just want to clarify something. Everyone does gross anatomy lab at the same time (usually mondays, wednesdays, and fridays). I liked having anatomy split into 2 semesters - first semester is dog and second semester is horse/cow. For me, first semester anatomy was a bit overwhelming so seeing it the second time on a bigger animal helped to cement it.

Histology lab is usually tuesdays and thursdays. You will be split in half for histology lab and you will be sharing a microscope. I liked this because it gave me a chance to bounce ideas off of my partner. Histology will look like a bunch of pink and purple stuff when you first start and it was helpful to me to ask my partner for help with what we were looking at. If you're in the half that is not doing histology, you're doing another class (ethics in the first semester) or you have a free period (second semester).

Caseload is lower this year because of the economy. I don't have any numbers handy, unfortunately.

If you (or anyone else) has more questions about Michigan State, feel free to PM me. Congrats again! 🙂

Oh, I guess I misheard that bit - glad you were here to clear it up 🙂

 

[Lckynmbrslefman]

x

 

[Tiktaalik]

Just a clarification...you're right about histo, we do have to split the class in two, but the anatomy lab holds the entire class. We have small animal anatomy first semester with 4 people per dog and large animal second semester with 8 per cow/horse (we switch between them).

I would definitely look into the economic state of both schools. Michigan is suffering from budget cuts...I'm not sure about Minnesota.

Yeah, I misheard. I thought that what I heard was odd, since the gross lab seemed big enough to me. This makes a lot more sense.

 

[rustysmom]

No problem 🙂

It's hard to keep everything straight when you tour a school. Especially if you're trying to compare it to another school.


Definitely come visit! No worries weather-wise. The snow is gone and I think it's supposed to be in the 50s (even into the 60s!) all week, which is downright balmy for mid-March. 😛

 

[scubblescully]

Don't you have some classes in the med school at Michigan State? Is that an annoyance in any way?

 

[Tiktaalik]

Don't you have some classes in the med school at Michigan State? Is that an annoyance in any way?

My friend told me that it was just the lectures first semester and not that big of a deal.

 

[zeebra44]

I LOVE the fact that at Minnesota you get your own space with your own microscope and slide set. Students also have 24/7 access to the building (according to what I was told), so if I feel like looking at slides at 3 in the morning on a Tuesday, I can. 👍 I really like to have that kind of flexibility.


OH! And the building where the third years attend class is a renovated barn! How cool is that!? I thought it looked pretty snazzy.

 

[scubblescully]

Ya I liked the desk area as well. It was something I loved at Kansas State and I was excited to see something similar at Minnesota. I was bummed they would not let us into the anatomy lab on our tour but I peaked through the crack in the door.

 

[zeebra44]

Ya I liked the desk area as well. It was something I loved at Kansas State and I was excited to see something similar at Minnesota. I was bummed they would not let us into the anatomy lab on our tour but I peaked through the crack in the door.

Ooo, what'd you get to see?

 

[scubblescully]

Haha, not much at all. What appeared to be a big square or rectangular basic anatomy lab. I just looked quickly because everyone was staring at me.

 

[eventualeventer]

Also, MSU's equine center is much smaller than Minnesota's, and not nearly as well-equipped or nice to look at. Granted, they handle equine cases at the LA hospital as well, while Minnesota handles almost all equine cases at the equine center, but it's still something to think about if you're interested in equine med.

Actually, I was told that the actually sick horses, colics, neonates, etc., at Minnesota are still handled in the LA hospital, while the equine center is (currently) only for orthopedics, repro, and elective surgery. If you're like me, the LA hospital is still where the most interesting cases are.

As another biased waitlister, I say, go to Minnesota and give CanineRepro a hard time! I'm on MSU's waitlist. 😉

 

[scubblescully]

Interesting. I thought they did everything in the equine center except for disease stuff but I guess I was wrong. But I think MSU only does lameness and basic things in their equine center while pretty much all surgery and everything is in the LA hospital. Who knows? Obviously I do not.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Actually, I was told that the actually sick horses, colics, neonates, etc., at Minnesota are still handled in the LA hospital, while the equine center is (currently) only for orthopedics, repro, and elective surgery. If you're like me, the LA hospital is still where the most interesting cases are.

As another biased waitlister, I say, go to Minnesota and give CanineRepro a hard time! I'm on MSU's waitlist. 😉

Really? My tour guide told me that they were in the process of moving all but the contagious/really sick cases over there. She was a first year, tho, so maybe she didn't know for sure.

I guess I wasn't as sure on the details as I thought I was, lol 😛

 

[eventualeventer]

They ARE in transition, but they still have to build the facilities for the sick horses -- colics, etc. -- before they can move them over from the LA hospital. I thought there were three stages -- the first is complete, the second is for the colics, etc., and the third is an actual isolation facility. My tour guide was someone in the admissions office, but they all had scripts. We may be talking about the same thing but not realizing it, or I could be mis-remembering. 🙂

My impression was that they did not want anything potentially infectious in the current version of the new equine center. Things that I got the impression were OK -- upper airway surgery (ventriculocordectomy, tie-back, arytenoidectomy, etc.), anything related to lameness, orthopedics, and rehab, reproductive work (the conception side of things), other minor/elective surgery.

Colics, sick neonates, most internal medicine cases -- these all are what I interpret as sick and potentially infectious horses (colics can start shedding Salmonella in their feces; sick neonates often need very intensive care with oxygen, fluids, plasma, and constant monitoring; a lot of IM cases have fevers of unknown origin, etc.).

I also don't know anything about MSU's equine center, so I can't compare them.

Can any current students 😉 clear this up?

 

[Tiktaalik]

It seems like we're saying the same thing, you're just giving more details.

 

[turnandburn]

I can't speak for the rest of the details but I do know that colic cases are being handled at the equine center.

 

[zoogirl88]

I feel like I am going through the same thing with Illinois (my IS) and Minnesota.

Illinois is a good school. The current curriculum has students in clinical rotations for the first 8 weeks of the first year. They also have a Clinical Skills center, allowing students to go in/out as they please. In the center, you can practice intibating, suturing, anesthesiology, and other clinical skills.

Minnesota has a great program, and I really loved the huge equine center. I felt like their facilities were much more up-to-date, and I loved that there were 2 zoos close by, since I will be focusing on zoo med. Also, I loved the area the school was in, and all the students were so nice.

So I am torn as well.

People are giving me advice, but I still have to make the personal decision where to attend. Tuition for IL is around 23k, while MN (OOS) is 43k.
that is a HUGE difference, and some people think i'm stupid for even considering paying OOS tuition.

Its nice to have options, don't get me wrong. But when you do have the options, it SUCKS trying to make the right choice for the future....

 

[wasabiii]

Tuition for IL is around 23k, while MN (OOS) is 43k.
that is a HUGE difference, and some people think i'm stupid for even considering paying OOS tuition.

Im sure you ran the numbers on this already but here is a basic breakdown assuming 6.5% i-rate over 10,15, and 20 year term.

10 Year - Monthly Pmt - $908 w/lifetime interest of 29k

15 Year - Monthly Pmt - $697 w/lifetime interest of 45k

20 Year - Monthly Pmt - $596 w/lifetime interest of 63k

Your will receive a first class education from both ILL and UM and once you've graduated the financial value of your degree will be practically the same. I guess you have to decide if its worth an additional $900 a month for ten years. Personally, I think its a waste but thats my opinion.

As for the caseload argument I think thats nonsense. While in vet school you will have your nose in a book the first 2-3 years. Once in clinics you will only be able to observe/handle so many cases. How many do you think you will personally address? How many TLPO, Foreign body removals, etc do you need to see? A clinic that see 20k plus cases is seeing everything annually. The only difference is the quantity. IS 200 more oncology cases and 300 more TLPO's worth an extra 80k?

I know someone who was accepted to UC Davis' zoo animal residency after two internships. Her caseload experience came from the internships and thats what assisted in obtaining the ONE residency position at UC Davis. I think if you talk to most vets they will tell you the learning curve is fast and steep outside of vet school. Whether you do an internship or jump immediately into private practice I can assure that this is where most of your experience will come from.

Take away points:
1) Dont stress about caseload
2) Dont stress about rankings
3) Digest financial ramifications of debt

 

[zeebra44]

Im sure you ran the numbers on this already but here is a basic breakdown assuming 6.5% i-rate over 10,15, and 20 year term.

10 Year - Monthly Pmt - $908 w/lifetime interest of 29k

15 Year - Monthly Pmt - $697 w/lifetime interest of 45k

20 Year - Monthly Pmt - $596 w/lifetime interest of 63k

Your will receive a first class education from both ILL and UM and once you've graduated the financial value of your degree will be practically the same. I guess you have to decide if its worth an additional $900 a month for ten years. Personally, I think its a waste but thats my opinion.

As for the caseload argument I think thats nonsense. While in vet school you will have your nose in a book the first 2-3 years. Once in clinics you will only be able to observe/handle so many cases. How many do you think you will personally address? How many TLPO, Foreign body removals, etc do you need to see? A clinic that see 20k plus cases is seeing everything annually. The only difference is the quantity. IS 200 more oncology cases and 300 more TLPO's worth an extra 80k?

I know someone who was accepted to UC Davis' zoo animal residency after two internships. Her caseload experience came from the internships and thats what assisted in obtaining the ONE residency position at UC Davis. I think if you talk to most vets they will tell you the learning curve is fast and steep outside of vet school. Whether you do an internship or jump immediately into private practice I can assure that this is where most of your experience will come from.

Take away points:
1) Dont stress about caseload
2) Dont stress about rankings
3) Digest financial ramifications of debt

The OP is OOS for both schools. In that case, I think rankings, faculty and caseload can reasonably be taken into consideration.

 

[wasabiii]

The OP is OOS for both schools. In that case, I think rankings, faculty and caseload can reasonably be taken into consideration.

Sorry, that was meant for ZOOgirl. I think she mentioned an annual cost differential of 20k. Assuming, stafford loans are used for financing and interest doesnt begin compounding until graduation then the difference of 80k is rather significant...to me.

P.S. MSU has higher rankings than U. ILL. and UM. I dont use rankings myself but if you do, please read about the US News ranking methods. I think you will be rather disappointed.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Sorry, that was meant for ZOOgirl. I think she mentioned an annual cost differential of 20k. Assuming, stafford loans are used for financing and interested doesnt begin compounding until graduation then the difference of 80k is rather significant...to me.

P.S. MSU has higher rankings than U. ILL. and UM. I dont use rankings myself but if you do, please read about the US News ranking methods. I think you will be rather disappointed.

Yeah, the vet ones are rather depressingly meaningless. Even if they weren't, they differ only by a fraction of a point.

I actually was referencing grad rankings, which are tracked by more people than just US News and are much more significantly different. Granted, that difference might not be important for people not interested in PhD or master's programs, but I was putting it out there as part of my explanation of what I meant by "up-and-coming."

 

[zeebra44]

In my opinion, vet school is what you make of it, and I plan to give it 110%.

Zoogirl, I'd personally love to see you attend MN, but only you know what's best for you in the long run. If you're getting married, and can get in-state tuition after the first year, I wouldn't rule it out! 🙂

 

[wasabiii]

Yeah, but some people get pissy about it, like throwing in a jab that isn't even relevant to the conversation (aka stating that MSU has a higher ranking than both IL and MN). I think I've had my fair share of SDN for the time being, haha. In my opinion, vet school is what you make of it, and I plan to give it 110%.

Wow...Seriously...im speechless. Pissy...really?

First and foremost I was commenting to Zoogirl regarding the financial difference that she pointed out. Then you brought up somebody elses post/situation.

Secondly, I truly do not care about rankings but you brought them up so I thought Id mention the US NEWS rankings. It wasnt a spiteful/personal remark, I was just informing you, in case that was criteria you were using to make your decision. Pretty sure that is relevant.

Lastly, congratulations and I wish you well in vet school. I also 100% agree with you, vet school is what you make of it.

Tiktaalik, I assure you I wasnt making personal jab. I was striclty offering my opinion about taking on additional debt. I think UM, MSU, and ILL are all excellent vet schools.

 

[zeebra44]

Wow...Seriously...im speechless. Pissy...really?

First and foremost I was commenting to Zoogirl regarding the financial difference that she pointed out. Then you brought up somebody elses post/situation.

Secondly, I truly do not care about rankings but you brought them up so I thought Id mention the US NEWS rankings. It wasnt a spiteful/personal remark, I was just informing you, in case that was criteria you were using to make your decision. Pretty sure that is relevant.

Lastly, congratulations and I wish you well in vet school. I also 100% agree with you, vet school is what you make of it.

Tiktaalik, I assure you I wasnt making personal jab. I was striclty offering my opinion about taking on additional debt. I think UM, MSU, and ILL are all excellent vet schools.

Yes, I'm sorry. I edited the post to delete that part because I know it was rude. I have a sore spot over this because I know a girl that has been accepted to Cornell and is not one bit gracious about it. I could go into details, but I'll spare you. It just bothers me that some people (not neccesarily you) put so much weight on a ranking and not within their own capabilities. Congratulations to you as well, and I'm going to stop taking posts in online forums personally, so thank you, haha! 👍

 

[zoogirl88]

Thank-you for your inputs Wasabii and Zeebra.

Both of you have good points.

I feel like rankings do come into play when you are looking at schools like Cornell and Penn vs. Ill and MN.
I talked to my vet at home and he said that IL and MN are in the same playing field with their programs.

I didn't really consider how much I would actually be paying when you factor in interest and additional expenses.

I loved MN, but I know that I will love IL too. Its vet school. I'll love it anywhere. 🙂

Having understood all the aspects, I will most likely be choosing IL. In the long run, that extra debt just isn't worth it to me.

But thanks to both of you for the advice.
😀

 

[Tiktaalik]

Wow...Seriously...im speechless. Pissy...really?

First and foremost I was commenting to Zoogirl regarding the financial difference that she pointed out. Then you brought up somebody elses post/situation.

Secondly, I truly do not care about rankings but you brought them up so I thought Id mention the US NEWS rankings. It wasnt a spiteful/personal remark, I was just informing you, in case that was criteria you were using to make your decision. Pretty sure that is relevant.

Lastly, congratulations and I wish you well in vet school. I also 100% agree with you, vet school is what you make of it.

Tiktaalik, I assure you I wasnt making personal jab. I was striclty offering my opinion about taking on additional debt. I think UM, MSU, and ILL are all excellent vet schools.

Oh, I didn't think you were, I was just offering clarification about what I meant, since I thought I was the only one who'd mentioned rankings earlier.

Tensions have really been running high on SDN as of late, but we should all remember that it's because of the best kind of stress - the stress of choosing from among the schools we got into!

 

[scubblescully]

Having understood all the aspects, I will most likely be choosing IL. In the long run, that extra debt just isn't worth it to me.

But thanks to both of you for the advice.
😀

Is it Illinois now even if you can get IS after your first year at MN?

 

[der2002]

scubblescully, if you go visit Michigan, can you fill me in on your impression of the school? I wanted to book a flight, but it's now prohibitively expensive and I don't think I'll be able to visit before April 15...

thanks~

 

[scubblescully]

der2002-

Ya, I will definately give you whatever information I can after I visit and I'm sure other people will too. I'm excited to see it! Where else are you looking?

 

[zoogirl88]

Is it Illinois now even if you can get IS after your first year at MN?

I am still not sure....
I have decided that I am going to IL if I can't get residency or if there are no grant/scholarship options.
I have to make the best financial decision.
So.... when I can talk to someone at the school about my issues, and get answers, then I will do some number crunching and figure out where the best place is.

I also found a girl on FB that was in my same situation last year who is from IL. So hopefully her advice will help.

Honestly, the financial aspect is my only worry. If there was even a remote possibility that I could pay the same for IL and MN, then I would go to MN in a heartbeat.

 

[zoogirl88]

scubblesully-
how is your choice going??

 

[scubblescully]

Its going well I suppose. There is not much I can do right now. I know I love Minnesota and would love to go there so I'll either be there or after next weekend MSU will be absolutely amazing and I'll be there. Either way I'll be in a great spot I feel like. Right now my heart is pretty set on Minnesota but I'm excited to see MSU. I did not get in to my in-state so that makes my decision easier.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Its going well I suppose. There is not much I can do right now. I know I love Minnesota and would love to go there so I'll either be there or after next weekend MSU will be absolutely amazing and I'll be there. Either way I'll be in a great spot I feel like. Right now my heart is pretty set on Minnesota but I'm excited to see MSU. I did not get in to my in-state so that makes my decision easier.

I'm not going to be able to make the welcome thing b/c it's during my lab, but if it's not too much trouble, could you maybe post your impressions in this thread after you go? I'm pretty sure I've made up my mind, but if they tell you something earth-shattering that weekend, I'd love to hear about it.

It's so frustrating. I keep thinking I'm 100% sure, and then I get this nagging feeling I should check again. It's not enough to make me change my mind, just enough for me to take a fifth look, and an eighth...

... I guess maybe your mind is never really made up 100% until your deposit's in, the forms are signed, you have an apartment lined up and you've got a closet full of your school's clothes.

 

[der2002]

der2002-

Ya, I will definately give you whatever information I can after I visit and I'm sure other people will too. I'm excited to see it! Where else are you looking?

I've seen Kansas (accepted) and Minnesota (waitlisted) and i'm visiting univ of edinburgh (4 yr program) during my spring break at the end of March (hence, no more $ to visit Michigan where I've also been fortunate to have been accepted). It's really hard to make a final decision, but I'm lucky I have multiple choices 🙂

 

[scubblescully]

What did you think of Minnesota and Kansas State? Those are the other two schools I have been accepted to so hopefully I can give some comparisons after I visit MSU.

 

[scubblescully]

And your high on the Minnesota wait list aren't you? So I bet you will be hearing good news from them in a month. Where are you leaning towards now?

 

[der2002]

What did you think of Minnesota and Kansas State? Those are the other two schools I have been accepted to so hopefully I can give some comparisons after I visit MSU.

MN:
In addition to my interview weekend, I had seen U of MN last year when I was visiting a friend in Minneapolis and I really had time to tour the twin cities (which are fantastic). I got a great vibe from the current students who were friendly, helpful, smart and surprisingly, normal. I wish I had been able to meet more of the faculty, though. The new facilities are great, although the SA hospital has the worst signage and all those cinderblock walls, ugh. And I'm #8 on the OOS waitinglist.

KS:
The school itself was great, the town, not so much (except for a little used bookstore that had a resident cat). While the current students I met were really nice, I didn't seem to have anything in common with them beyond vet med (I'm a non-traditional student who was a humanities major in college). I didn't like how the vet med library wasn't open as late/as often as I would like. The faculty were fantastic, though (I loved my interviewers) and I could really see myself enjoying that academic environment. Also, the director of the MPH/DVM program is awesome. Not sure about having to use the tablet pc's (I really love my mac), but I like the concept of the onenote software.

In short, I prefer MN to KS overall, but If I don't hear good news from MN before May 1, I might just end up going to Univ of Edinburgh's 4 yr program...

Can't wait to hear what you think of MSU~

 

[scubblescully]

Ya, Minnesota has been my favorite so far too. I thought everybody was REALLY nice at Kansas State and it sounded like a great school but I found everyone at Minnesota really nice as well and the facilities impressed me a lot more. Also Twin Cities vs. Manhattan is no comparison. I liked Minnesota more than Iowa State and NC State as well. If you had to make a deposit somewhere then got in to Minnesota after May 1 would you consider giving up your deposit and going there?

 

[der2002]

Ya, Minnesota has been my favorite so far too. I thought everybody was REALLY nice at Kansas State and it sounded like a great school but I found everyone at Minnesota really nice as well and the facilities impressed me a lot more. Also Twin Cities vs. Manhattan is no comparison. I liked Minnesota more than Iowa State and NC State as well. If you had to make a deposit somewhere then got in to Minnesota after May 1 would you consider giving up your deposit and going there?

Yes, I will probably send in a deposit to KSU (~$280) or MSU by the April 15 deadline, wait to hear from UMN and if not, send in my 1500 GBP (!) deposit to Edinburgh. So complicated...

 

[scubblescully]

It'd be nice if MSU's deposit wasn't $1000. How did you rank MSU before you had seen any schools? Just based on research and what you had heard about it.