Well I don't know anything about Minnesota, but I can tell you about Mississippi. I absolutely love school here. The teachers are SOOO accommodating. If we have tests scheduled close to each other, they are more than willing to move them around so that we aren't stressed out. They try their best to make school a good experience. They want us to learn as much as we can without having the experience be miserable. I couldn't imagine myself at any other school.
Yes, Starkville doesn't have much shopping...the nearest mall is actually like 50 minutes away. 30 minutes away there's places like old navy though. There are super cute boutiques in Starkville where i'd rather do my shopping anyway.
As far as caseload goes... i'm not sure how it compares to other schools, but at Mississippi we start getting hands on experience so early! I mean we start doing surgeries 1st semester of your 2nd year!! You will be able to have 80 surgeries under your belt by the time you graduate. Now who else offers that?!! We have a clinic in Jackson where you will spend 2 weeks when you are in clinics where it will just be you and the surgeon/specialist working on the animal. You won't be having to get on your toes to peek over the shoulder of those residents/interns. You will be able to get in there and do it yourself!!
For research...yes we do start a bit earlier than everyone else, but we also get out way earlier too! We end in April. They have summer research opportunities here for vet students. You get to apply and specify your area of interest or the doctor you'd like to work with. You even get paid $5,000!! A bunch of my friends will be staying here for the summer and doing that.
For wildlife, yeah we don't get all that much traffic, but we have a great wildlife/exotics club where you can make a lot of contacts. There's also a zoo pretty nearby that you can get some experience at. They also allot a ton of time for externships your 4th year...so you can get in alot of time focused solely on wildlife. I forgot how many weeks, but it is a ton. I doubt many other schools will give you the opportunity to spend so much time making contacts/meeting people and getting experience outside the vet school. When internship/job time comes around, you will have a leg ahead of a lot of people (same goes with your surgical/clinical skills).
I can't compare Mississippi to other schools, I just know that the people here are so nice and approachable. I feel so comfortable going up to the teachers and asking for help...same with my classmates. There is not a competitive vibe at all. Everyone wants their peers to succeed. We send out study guides and all kinds of stuff to our fellow classmates trying to help each other out. I would say Mississippi has more of a family feel to it...everyone is really close and looks out for each other. I love it!
Oh... and not to mention the awesome cubicle/desks we get in the lab!! Forgot to print off your notes for class?? No problem! Just run to your desk in the next room and print them off. Need to give someone a message? Go to their desk and write it on their white board! In anatomy lab and need to look in 1 of the 3 anatomy books we have? No worries... you don't have to lug them all around! Just turn around and BAM there's your desk! Roommate being loud and obnoxious when you are trying to study at 3 am? Go to school and you will always have a nice quiet space to study. Seriously...whoever came up with the idea of having desks was a genius
