OSU vs. Tufts

[Thelemic]

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Hey all,

I was fortunate enough to be accepted to both OSU and Tufts vet schools, and now I have to decide between them. I am currently most interested in the fields of integrative medicine, behavior, shelter medicine and wildlife rehab, though I'm also keeping an open mind, since I hear a lot that what you think you want to study, entering vet school, may not be what you want to study after a year or two exploring options.

OSU is my IS, so the cheaper tuition and being closer to home are definite advantages. I also really liked the campus, the facilities, the students and staff that I met, and I had a really positive and pleasant interview experience. Dr. Herron, their veterinary behaviorist, was on my interview board, which was really exciting! I like that they have shelter medicine electives and externship opportunities, have a veterinary behaviorist on staff and have a behavior program approved by the ACVB to become a board certified veterinary behaviorist. They also have a pretty active integrative medicine club. All in all, OSU left me with a lot of warm fuzzies.

Tufts campus was beautiful, and I think I'd really enjoy living in North Grafton, as I tend to prefer quieter areas to urban ones. I had a really positive interview and enjoyed talking to the students who were kind enough to put me up for the night. They seemed really happy to be at Tufts. Tufts also has an ACVB-approved behavior program, and of course they have Dr. Dodman, who is a very well-known veterinary behaviorist. They have a wildlife clinic and a farm, and since large and farm animals are the ones I've worked with the least, it seems like a great opportunity to gain skills and confidence around those critters. The facilities in the hospitals seemed a little smaller and older than the ones at OSU, though I also don't always know what I'm looking at half the time, yet, when it comes to such things, so I could also be talking out my tush, there. I did feel like, when going on tour, we got a little bit of a 'stink-eye' from some of the current students and staff for squeezing down and crowding up hallways they were also trying to use. Overall, however, I left thinking very positively of Tufts, too.

So, I'd love to hear from students that chose one or the other and if they feel one or the other might be a better place for me, considering my current career interests. I know I'd get an excellent education at either school, but I wonder if one might be a better fit than the other as far as the areas I'd like to pursue.

Thanks very much for your thoughts and input!

 

[Dlisted]

I wonder which OSU you speak of...

 

[Thelemic]

I wonder which OSU you speak of...

Sorry. Ohio State University.

 

[NStarz]

Hey! I'm a second year at Ohio State 🙂 Ironically, I'm actually the president of the behavior club and did research with Dr. Herron this past summer (<3 her). In terms of behavior in the curriculum, our program is top notch. We have a first year behavior course where you do a low stress handling lab for cats and dogs, and then an equine/large animal lab in addition to the didactic teaching. Our behavior club is very active (especially this year 😉 ). In terms of shelter stuff, we have a mandatory rotation through a local shelter our 4th year during clinics (one week on medicine, one week on surgery). Our shelter club is relatively active. We also have a couple of electives--there's a shelter medicine class (which I'm taking now and LOVE) and also a shelter enrichment class where you go to a local shelter and do enrichment for the dogs and do article reviews (I'm a teaching assistant for that course). Fourth year you can also do an elective rotation with Dr. Herron. In addition to Dr. Herron and her resident, we have a certified applied animal behaviorist on staff (Traci Shreyer) who does behavior triage, happy visits, behavior modification, basically anything involving behavior that is not required to be seen by a vet behaviorist. She is also an excellent resource. I think our behavior program here is really strong. Our shelter medicine program could be a bit more robust, I think.

I'm not too sure about integrative medicine--I know there is a club and an elective you can take starting your second semester, but I haven't been involved with either. The professor of our integrative course actually designed Through A Dog's Ear, which is super neat! I can ask some of my friends if you would like more details.

I was really impressed with Dr. Dodman being at Tufts when I interviewed. Unfortunately, I've heard he's not around the hospital much as he is touring, doing lectures, etc. Not sure how true that is, though! I loved the people at Tufts when I interviewed there, and I can't say the people at OSU have been any different (I think whenever you get out of NJ, everyone's super nice! LOL). I don't recall much about Tufts' facilities, since it's been a few years since I've interviewed. I will say that OSU is in the process of remodeling their small animal teaching hospital--it's being done in phases as normal clinics need to take place during that time, but it should be amazing when it's finished.

I think I've hit most of your points--feel free to PM me if there's anything more specific I can answer for you! I can say that I had a choice between a few schools to attend (including Tufts) and I am sooooo happy with my choice. IS tuition would definitely be a big perk for you as well!! Good luck with your decision 🙂

 

[Minnerbelle]

oh holy hell, if you can get in state tuition at OSU for all 4 years, why wouldn't you!? Especially when your interests are some niche things that really aren't a big part of the general curriculum. Sure, Tufts has a good wildlife program... but that's a field you'd have to be super dedicated in if you even want a shot at doing something with it. For the average student, it might offer some work study positions that can give you some exposure, but it really isn't going to make or break a career in it. If you're really interested in any of those smaller fields it's much more about networking within that field, than just getting to know the faculty at that one school. It also sounds like you don't really know what you're really interested in at this point (integrative medicine, behavior, shelter, wildlife are all very broad) so I doubt it would really make much of a difference. That's like saying "i'm really interested in biology, psychology, and math, should I go to X or Y undergrad?" How well you do will be so much more dependent on what you make of your experience at any school.

The only time it would really make a huge difference between one school and another is if the caseload between the two schools were hugely different, and one school just had abysmal caseload for something. For instance if you are set on becoming a beef cattle vet... then New England probably is not the place to be unless you spend a lot of your own time outside of the standard curriculum to go and do that elsewhere. OSU is a really well rounded school, and I don't think there's anything about OSU that will prevent you from doing well in any of the fields you mentioned. Don't get me wrong, Tufts is a great school as well and will let you graduate as just as great a veterinarian... but I don't think there's anything about it that justifies the tuition difference, esp with OSU which also has a great overall caseload.

 

[Thelemic]

Thanks very much much, I really appreciate the info and advice!