OOS or round two?

[thepidog]

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So, I was lucky enough to have been accepted into the University of Illinois but am still waiting to hear back from Michigan State, which is my IS. Honestly, I am so excited, but I'm beginning to think I can only really afford MSU...but it's looking grim at the moment. I'm considering declining my offer to give MSU another shot if I don't get in. Has anybody done this? Obviously I would feel like the biggest tool if I didn't get in anywhere next year and tuned down U of I...but I really don't know if I can shell out 40k a year...
Am I being fussy, or realistic? Thanks in advance for any opinions you have!

 

[cshep09]

I completely understand. I applied to MSU last year as my first round, this is my undergrad and I was a junior. Also pretty naive haha got waitlisted wayyyy down while my best friend is now in her first year here. Once I got waitlisted I did some serious soul and career searching. You need to ask yourself is that what I want do to with my life and will I do whatever it takes to get there. I said yes and applied to ten schools this round. I've been rejected 7 times, waitlisted again, waiting on one more interview and I know I'll be waitlisted for MSU again.

Its not fun haha but always go back to that voice that said "I will do anything to be a vet", even spend an absurd amount of money that will eventually get paid back. Money is nothing compared to living your dream (unless your dream is to be filthy rich, in that case why are you going to pursue vet med??? 😛)

Finances are important but so is your happiness and at this point in our lives, go for it!! apply OOS!!

 

[Nekkid]

Cheaper is good, but I know a girl with a great GPA, etc who applied to her IS 3 times and was declined. Finally on her third application round, she applied to several OOS and got into them all. I'd say don't take the OOS and transfer to your IS later if you can.

 

[PetPony]

Transferring is extremely hard, so don't count on that to happen for sure. If you think you'll be happy at U of I (besides the tuition), then accept the offer in my opinion. You never know if you'll really get in somewhere next year. But don't go to U of I with terrible expectations about it and have a miserable time, because you might not be able to transfer. You can try, but don't count on it for sure..

 

[OH Bunny Girl]

Honestly, with the applicant pool changing every year, just b/c you get one decision one year doesn't mean that you'll get it the next year (good or bad).

Do you really love the program at MSU and can't imagine going anywhere else? Or is it just a matter of $$ to be paid back at a later date?

If you decide to go to UI this cycle you might want to look into residency postions at MSU when you graduate with your DVM. I shadowed a specialist who graduated from UGA with her DVM, and did residencies at both Auburn and OSU.

Or maybe look into summer internships/externships at MSU while in school at UI? Do they allow this kind of thing? I have no idea.

 

[Foxhunter]

I think that there's a huge tendency to overlook the money thing. If you really think you can't afford it, don't go to UI. OOS tuition is crazy expensive and potentially starting a year late is probably worth the money you would save. How many other schools did you apply to this year? You can always reapply to a bunch OOS and MSU next year. You could rack up veterinary experience, etc between now and turning in VMCAS. Then you'd be an even better candidate for next year. Obviously, you could still face this choice again, so it's still something to think about. And obviously, the applicant pool always varies from year to year, so nothing is a guarantee, but you've gotten into vet school once, so you can probably do it again! just my humble opinion

 

[Chebanse]

I don't have personal experience with this situation, but I spoke to my vet who did. She applied 3 times before she got into her IS. The first time, she was wait listed, the second time she got into 2 OOS and wait listed again at her IS. She decided that she couldn't justify the money for OOS tuition. She figured that she would just keep trying and make the best of her time while she waited. She got in on her 3rd try and said she doesn't regret it one bit. She worked in the interim and saved money so she had to take out even less loans for her IS when she finally got accepted.

 

[NYGXLVIChamps]

If you choose to decline and start vet school next year instead you are delaying the opportunity to earn a veterinarian salary for a year (which I know can range depending on which path one chooses). Does the loss of salary for a year balance out the difference in OOS vs IS tuition?

 

[Trilt]

If you choose to decline and start vet school next year instead you are delaying the opportunity to earn a veterinarian salary for a year (which I know can range depending on which path one chooses). Does the loss of salary for a year balance out the difference in OOS vs IS tuition?

This is relevant. Also a concern for me is that if I am no longer enrolled full time as a student, I'm no longer considered a dependent of my parents; I have GI bill benefits that will be transferred to me for tuition, so that's sort of a big deal. For others, health, dental, etc. insurance is lost (often permanently,) which seems small but can quickly become problematic.

I made this decision by hitting submit when I just applied to my in-state this cycle, but if I'm rejected I'll definitely be spreading out a bit more next year. A bit late for this situation, but in general, only apply somewhere you're willing to pay for.

 

[bbeventer]

Something you have not considered yet is the possibility of gaining residency once you are in IL. I know at the information session the Dean did say several students each year attain residency after the first year. I believe he said for IL to attain residency you have to make income as well as switching your driver license etc. So if you think you can hold down a job your first year his may be an option or something to look into.

 

[JoAnna423]

I believe it would be worth the wait if you know that you are unable to afford OOS tuition. While a dream is worth any amount of money out there, reality is that your quality of life and/or lifestyle will be influenced by how much debt you have after graduation. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, I know a girl who is blessed to be born to a very wealthy family and literally money is no object...so a $250k bill for school does not matter to her. Not everyone is that way. My son will be 10 when I graduate, and I could not afford OOS tuition unless it was just for the first year and I could gain residency after that. I totaly understand where you are coming from, and you might kick yourself if you apply next year and do not get in but you might kick yourself even more when you go OOS and graduate with a $1,500 a month payment for your debt! Good luck in your decision!

 

[RadRadTerp]

Tough decision. Did you apply to any OOS schools with more affordable tuition rates? I got into my IS but also Wisconsin when I applied, and knowing that OOS tuition was not much more than my IS made it seem like a decent option had I not made it into VMRCVM.

If I were you, I'd probably give the application cycle at least 1 or 2 more tries and save up money working in the mean time; a lot of people don't make it into their top choices the first try. Getting some interesting shadowing or extracurricular experience may make you even more competitive to your IS for the next go-around. If you think you can pull off a better score on the GRE, that might also be worth your while.

However, if you feel like you can't wait on this because time is urgent, then ask yourself how much is that time worth to you. I had 5 years living on my own between undergrad and making it into vet school and I really enjoyed the time I spent travelling, working, and just enjoying a pretty stress-free life. Compared to the HELL that is second-year, I often miss the time I spent as a cook at a late-night bar watching awesome bands play every night. 😎

 

[NittanyKitty]

You are NOT crazy. I think if you're having fears and doubts now about the price tag attached to an OOS school you are only going to have those fears worsen if you actually enroll in said school, get endless talks about the dire financial situation that is vet med, and listen to the fourth years scramble for the few jobs that are out there. Would you be happy there? Probably yes! And would you become a vet sooner? Of course. But vet school is four years and your loans will be with you for a loooong time.

I would agree with the advice to consider reapplying for a cycle or two to your IS school and strongly think about adding to VMCAS some OOS schools where you can get resident tuition after a year (NCSU, Missouri, etc.) or those with cheaper non-resident tuition (Wisconsin). Money isn't something to take lightly, so you're right to consider it in your decision. For what it's worth, I made my decision based on finances as well. Penn was my IS school and between the tuition and cost-of-living, many schools in other states ended up being cheaper (including NCSU).

However, this is a decision only you can make. You're going to get two very different opinions from people on this forum ("Finances first!" or "Go for the dream!"). Both are perfectly valid but you need to pick the one that is going to sit best with you. I know, easier said than done, and I sympathize with how tough a choice this could be. Good luck! 🙂

 

[NittanyKitty]

Compared to the HELL that is second-year, I often miss the time I spent as a cook at a late-night bar watching awesome bands play every night. 😎

👍👍👍

Just had to commisserate about second year. Ugggggggggh.

 

[Emiloo4]

However, this is a decision only you can make. You're going to get two very different opinions from people on this forum ("Finances first!" or "Go for the dream!"). Both are perfectly valid but you need to pick the one that is going to sit best with you.

👍👍

 

[thepidog]

Thanks everybody. I'm so conflicted...but I feel like undertaking that much debt could really affect my quality of life someday. I was indeed waitlisted, so I have a solid month and a half to think about it, but I think that is topic is really good for anybody else in this position. I can't imagine going through this whole process again, but it honestly might be worth it. I love MSU, and I know I can be a vet. Maybe I owe it to myself to wait a year.

 

[squirrelsrule]

While waiting to hear back from OSU, I thought I was gonna have to make the same choice. Mine was what happens if I get rejected at OSU and Wisconsin and accepted as OOS at Tennessee. I hadn't fully decided, but even when I had convinced myself I wasn't gonna get into OSU, I thought I'd go to an interview at Tennessee (if offered) and then if I got in I'd most likely decline, but hadn't decided for sure. If you have a lot of family in Michigan and would be wanting to go home often, you also gotta think of the travel time and expenses. Plus the tuition is often twice as much 😱. It is a really hard choice and I'm glad I didn't have to think about it too much.

 

[abbercadaver]

However, this is a decision only you can make. You're going to get two very different opinions from people on this forum ("Finances first!" or "Go for the dream!"). Both are perfectly valid but you need to pick the one that is going to sit best with you. I know, easier said than done, and I sympathize with how tough a choice this could be. Good luck! 🙂

This is very true. Ultimately, it's up to you. Not to echo everyone else, buuuttt....

This is a really hard position to be in. I came in late-to-the-game to begin with, graduating two years ago with no intention (then) of applying to vet school. Luckily, since I was a pre-med biology major, I had all the required classes to apply to my IS and several others (if I so chose). However, the required classes have an expiration date, as I'm sure you know.

I wanted to bring up my GPA and get better GRE scores before applying, but I knew that if I waited another year, some of my prereq's would begin to expire and I'd have to take even MORE classes and pay even MORE for undergrad stuff past my BS in Biology.

Just didn't know if you had thought about required classes 'expiring.'

As far as your choice now that you're in...it's a tough one. Since you can gain residency in Illinois, I would really look into the difference in moving costs+tuition at 1 year OOS, 3 years IS, as opposed to moving costs+4 years of IS at Michigan. If my brief googling and calculations are correct, there is like an 8,000 difference between the two tuition-wise. Of course I have no idea about cost of living in each place.

Just think hard on it. What if you were never to be accepted to your IS?