MSU Early Entry Program...

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adlasa

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Hi. I just joined this site but have been looking at it for awhile now. I am a senior in high school deciding where to go to college next year (hoping to go on to vet school) and one of my options is MSU's Early Entry Program.
I was accepted and know all the general info about it, i.e. can be done in 7 years, conditional acceptance, etc. But I would love to hear any advice from people who are in this program or have been in it.

I know for sure that I want to be a vet (have been volunteering for awhile with animals and in a vet clinic, etc so I have confirmed this is what I want to do:). And I also know that getting a position in any vet school is very hard to do. But my parents are concerned about the ranking of MSU vet school by U.S. News Report, though from my understanding and what I have heard so far those rankings aren't very informative or accurate? They seem to think that I should go to a higher ranked undergrad and then apply to vet schools.
Does it matter what vet school you go to (in terms of future vet career)?

Thank you for any advice!!

P.S. I have also applied to Purdue's Vet Scholars Program and am waiting to hear back from them to see if I get an interview. So if anyone has any experience or knowledge with that program as well that would also be great!

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First of all, congratulations! I wish I was as mature as you at that age to know what I want and go for it. I think that's great.

If it was me, I wouldn't worry about the ranking at all. If you're sure that this is what you want to do, go for it and never mind the rankings. With only 28 accredited vet schools in the US, it hardly matters.
In my opinion, for the career you're gonna go for, what undergrad school u go to doesn't matter. I highly doubt the hospitals are gonna look at your undergrad institution when hiring you. If I was you, I would spare myself the stress of applying again in four years :) My school has same kind of program with a medical school (a. B.A M.D. Program) and even though the medical school is not top-notch, the students in this program seem to be so relaxed in their undergrad years knowing they have a seat at a fairly ok/good medical school. They are able to enjoy their undergrad years better and not stress as much. You still have to keep above certain grades is my understanding, but having a guaranteed seat seems like it would be a great thing.

Take my advice with a grain of salt though, I am not familiar with MSU vet school. Perhaps students there can't better help you. Still wanted to express my opinion! :)
 
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There are a few threads about rankings in the past:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/vet-school-rankings.727940/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-does-school-ranking-mean.1053676/
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/2011-us-news-and-world-report-vet-med-rankings.805391/

So essentially, no, the rankings of the vet schools do not matter. Vet school, in my opinion, is what you make of it. Any accredited school will give you a great education. :)

I'm not familiar with MSU's program, but I know from a few people that for Purdue's Vet Scholar's program, if you are able to get in, all you need to do is to maintain a certain GPA (3.5 after Freshman year I believe), and complete your prerequisites. If you do that (which is very possible in 3 years), you are automatically admitted into the vet school and do not have to go through the application process.
 
Thank you! Ya I have looked at some of the school ranking post debates before but more is always great :).

If anyone knows of any times when rankings have influenced getting hired or other opportunities as a vet that would be something I'm still curious about after everything else I've read....

I've also looked up past forums for what tracks or specialties Mississippi is best for but haven't seen much (besides limited exotic experience) so if anyone knows more about this or goes/has gone to Mississippi vet school (or early entry program ;)) I would love to hear more about it :). Thanks so much :)!

(Same for purdue and vet scholars program...:))
 
Hi. I just joined this site but have been looking at it for awhile now. I am a senior in high school deciding where to go to college next year (hoping to go on to vet school) and one of my options is MSU's Early Entry Program.
I was accepted and know all the general info about it, i.e. can be done in 7 years, conditional acceptance, etc. But I would love to hear any advice from people who are in this program or have been in it.

I know for sure that I want to be a vet (have been volunteering for awhile with animals and in a vet clinic, etc so I have confirmed this is what I want to do:). And I also know that getting a position in any vet school is very hard to do. But my parents are concerned about the ranking of MSU vet school by U.S. News Report, though from my understanding and what I have heard so far those rankings aren't very informative or accurate? They seem to think that I should go to a higher ranked undergrad and then apply to vet schools.
Does it matter what vet school you go to (in terms of future vet career)?

Thank you for any advice!!

P.S. I have also applied to Purdue's Vet Scholars Program and am waiting to hear back from them to see if I get an interview. So if anyone has any experience or knowledge with that program as well that would also be great!
First of all i would not worry about rank. Is Mississippi or Indiana your home state? It's great that you will not have to stress when it comes to applying after/during undergrad but if you have an in state school it may be much cheaper in the long run.
 
Both are out of state for me but for Mississippi I have close to if not a full ride for undergrad so I'm thinking that it might actually be my cheapest option in the long run.
 
When I said MSU in the title of this thread I mean Mississippi State University CVM. Sorry for any confusion!
 
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Both are out of state for me but for Mississippi I have close to if not a full ride for undergrad so I'm thinking that it might actually be my cheapest option in the long run.

Most people would advise you to go to your cheapest option, if you have a choice. Is it possible that somewhere in the history of vet med a candidate was chosen because of where they went to school? It's certainly possible, just not the norm. Don't worry about rankings - go where it's cheap.
 
One of my best friends had the same concerns. She chose to accept because she knew she was already accepted into veterinary school, and if she went to undergrad in her home state, she wouldn't be guaranteed to get into vet school. Her state has a vet school too, but she still didn't want to risk it. Many people have to apply multiple times to get into a school, and you're already accepted before even starting undergrad! I sent you some more information, so I hope that helps! :)

As far as rankings go, those don't matter. MSU graduates typically have a starting salary and employment rate higher than the national average if that's a concern of yours. We get a ton of surgery experience here, and many employers like to see that since we need less supervision. Down in the south, we are highly regarded. I've actually had someone from TN ask me "Isn't that one of the best vet schools?" when I told him where I went to school. His son was interested in veterinary medicine, so we had been talking about schools. And about us having limited exotic exposure, we are working to change that. We actually have exotics on this upcoming Anatomy exam, and the 2nd year students are taking a special species course. In addition, they are adding in an exotic component to the 3rd year rotations, and fourth year students have a good bit of time reserved for externships in areas of their choosing. We also have an exotic animal club and there is trip every summer to Africa offered. I actually just took a wildlife handling and chemical immoblization course at the school a few weeks ago, and they plan to offer that every so often.
 
One of my best friends had the same concerns. She chose to accept because she knew she was already accepted into veterinary school, and if she went to undergrad in her home state, she wouldn't be guaranteed to get into vet school. Her state has a vet school too, but she still didn't want to risk it. Many people have to apply multiple times to get into a school, and you're already accepted before even starting undergrad! I sent you some more information, so I hope that helps! :)

As far as rankings go, those don't matter. MSU graduates typically have a starting salary and employment rate higher than the national average if that's a concern of yours. We get a ton of surgery experience here, and many employers like to see that since we need less supervision. Down in the south, we are highly regarded. I've actually had someone from TN ask me "Isn't that one of the best vet schools?" when I told him where I went to school. His son was interested in veterinary medicine, so we had been talking about schools. And about us having limited exotic exposure, we are working to change that. We actually have exotics on this upcoming Anatomy exam, and the 2nd year students are taking a special species course. In addition, they are adding in an exotic component to the 3rd year rotations, and fourth year students have a good bit of time reserved for externships in areas of their choosing. We also have an exotic animal club and there is trip every summer to Africa offered. I actually just took a wildlife handling and chemical immoblization course at the school a few weeks ago, and they plan to offer that every so often.
Thank you so much!! It's great to hear about the school from someone who goes there. It sounds like a really nice school so far. I can't wait to visit as soon as I can!

So it sounds like everyone here thinks rankings seem to not be very accurate...something I wasn't too worried about, but my parents were. Now they are just worried that what if I change my mind about this vet school(doubt I will, but they want to address every scenario ;)) and they think for just undergrad Mississippi state isn't the best option. Does anyone know anything about MSU undergrad and/or prevet options (from early entry perspective and/or normal perspective)?
 
Thank you so much!! It's great to hear about the school from someone who goes there. It sounds like a really nice school so far. I can't wait to visit as soon as I can!

So it sounds like everyone here thinks rankings seem to not be very accurate...something I wasn't too worried about, but my parents were. Now they are just worried that what if I change my mind about this vet school(doubt I will, but they want to address every scenario ;)) and they think for just undergrad Mississippi state isn't the best option. Does anyone know anything about MSU undergrad and/or prevet options (from early entry perspective and/or normal perspective)?
I set-up a message for you with some people who went to Miss State for undergrad. I probably am more familiar with on-campus events/options than some of the others in my class (who didn't attend MSU for undergrad) since most of the people I hang-out with after class are graduates (and some undergraduates) on campus, but talking to those who attended MSU for undergrad is probably best. I'm familiar with a lot of the sports-related clubs on campus (there's a good many of those), and we have an awesome rec center. I also know we have a very active pre-vet club. As far as undergraduate classes go, I'm not sure.

It does not matter where you attend undergrad...vet schools don't really care where you go (with a few exceptions). Visit the school, put together a list of pros and cons, walk away for a few days, and then sit back down and think about what is best for you. You want to go somewhere where you will be happy, and yes, it helps to choose a place that is cheaper too. However, you also have to factor in that you have an acceptance to vet school if you choose to take it. Do you want to accept your offer and move to an unfamiliar place, but completely bypass the worry and time that goes into vet school applications? Or do you want to choose a different undergrad and save money, but risk future vet school rejections? I don't think either of them is the wrong choice as long as you work hard to achieve your goals.
 
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