Hey wildfocus, thanks for your input. That's sort of what I thought - that often schools who are actively improving programs have really exciting, fresh, and up-to-date curricula and so one shouldn't be detered. I know you know my situation in a broad sense but here's more detail - I'd be interested in your opinion!
So as you know, I want to do DVM/Phd work or similar (maybe DVM/MPH or maybe seperate DVM and then PhD afterwards). My hesitation is in planning my life, as a veterinarian/zoonosis/public health/microbiologist, with my girlfriend, who's interested in climate change, oceanography, environmental microbiology, and geochemistry. This will be possible, but it's difficult, so I'm really trying to look at all options!
OSU has an incredible oceanography department, one of the best in the country, which is exciting for my sig. other. Davis, on the other hand, though perhaps my top choice in the whole country, does not have the strength in ocean and marine sciences, though does have a good geology and good microbiology department. AND its out of state and extremely competitive. Soo... OSU is really an interesting option for the two of us. Western and WSU are both not what we're looking for - WSU has no real strenghts in Lizzy's interests, and Western (though close to UCLA) does not interest me.
Our top choices are:
1) Tufts for me, MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute joint program for her
2) Cornell/Wisconsin/Oregon State/Davis
3) most of the other places I applied (North Carolina State for me, Duke for her; U Minnesota; U Illinois for both (my least favorite); Penn (her least favorite)
Hm, you know, that's the first time I made that list with the rankings in categories. Its actually a helpful way of thinking about things - that rather than obsess about the differtences between Cornell and Davis and OSu and Madison, so many variables, so overwhelming! they're really all on the same level, and I should just chill and see where I get in. That's actually very calming... thank you, wildfocus, for inspiring such clarity of thinking!