Penn or Edinburgh: Staying in the US vs. going to veterinary school abroad

[sdf22]

Hi there,

I am a future veterinary student debating between going to school in the US at my IS school the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Edinburgh in the UK. I have been admitted to both schools, and I know that my IS school is cheaper for me, but money will not be a concern in this decision. I am torn between the 2 schools for other reasons. I narrowed it down to both of these schools because they are both located in cities which is something I was interested in. From there, it gets a little complicated and I am unsure which one is better for me.

I like that the University of Pennsylvania has ample research opportunities for students and it truly feels like there is so much groundbreaking research going on. But the downside to being here is that it is so close to home and I just do not think I would like that as much right now. And I think that I could get involved with research opportunities there over the summers if I went to another school. I think that a tracking program like Penn's and Penn's electives can be a good thing if you know what you want to do. Does anyone know if the electives Penn offers are specific to Penn or if they would be in a more general curriculum at other schools?

I like that Edinburgh is abroad because I did my study abroad in New Zealand and it was honestly the best experience I have ever had and made me think more globally about where I'd be after my undergraduate. Traveling and seeing new places and meeting new people is something that really just puts me in such a happy place, and I think Edinburgh is important to consider in that way because for me, location is a big factor. However, I have hesitations toward going to veterinary school abroad that I know are probably nothing to worry about-but when thinking about these things I feel I tend to overthink to an extent and get worried over nothing, so I decided to make a thread for some help: (1) I get worried that going to school in Edinburgh will cause me to have a harder time finding work if I decide to come back to the US based on the fact that there won't be as many UK vets in the US for networking opportunities (2) I also get worried that going to a UK school will leave me having a harder time if I decide to do a residency back in the US compared to students that are coming from US veterinary schools. (3) EMS over my breaks will leave me with basically no breaks at all to come home and see family etc.

I have friends that are starting graduate school currently and gave me advice to pick for a program that allows me to do the most, and I get that, but I feel like medical/dental/veterinary programs are different from other graduate school programs. Really no matter where you go, you will be a veterinarian, and since I am debating on an AVMA accredited university, I know I can come back to the US. For me it seems like a battle between a school with a program that may offer more opportunity vs. a school with a location that will make me happier. I know this a long post, but I really need some help figuring these things out, so if anyone can offer insight to my questions that would be so great. Thanks guys!

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[CalliopeDVM]

If money is truly not a factor (which is different than you simply saying you're not concerned about it), then I would suggest that you get the great experience and live in the UK for a while.

(1) I get worried that going to school in Edinburgh will cause me to have a harder time finding work if I decide to come back to the US based on the fact that there won't be as many UK vets in the US for networking opportunities (2) I also get worried that going to a UK school will leave me having a harder time if I decide to do a residency back in the US compared to students that are coming from US veterinary schools. (3) EMS over my breaks will leave me with basically no breaks at all to come home and see family etc.

The vet school in Edinburgh is considered by many to be among the top 10 vet schools in the world - it won't hurt you at all in looking for work. As far as networking.......I wouldn't worry about that either -- the experiences you would get and the people you would meet would be worth much more than it would hurt, IMO.

 

[noparlpf]

I've lived in Philly and I've visited Edinburgh and between the two, I would definitely prefer to live in Edinburgh. (Although the vet school campus is several miles outside the city center, so you'd probably end up living in the suburbs and/or needing a car. I visited it one day, and from my hotel in the new town it took a good half hour to drive there; I think it's about 45 minutes by bus.) Edinburgh was my third choice after Penn and Tufts, but only because moving internationally would have been a major challenge for me. (Finding pet-friendly housing is hard enough when you can drive out to look at it, not to mention that the meds that I need to be able to function in school aren't available in the UK.)

In terms of cost, Penn is one of the most expensive US schools even with in-state tuition, so I don't think Edinburgh does actually work out to cost more even when you factor in things like multiple plane tickets per year and whatnot. Ignoring housing costs and supplies: Penn's in-state tuition is currently about $56k per year, and Edinburgh's international student tuition is currently about $39k per year.

Academically they're both excellent schools, so a lot of it depends on which program appeals more to you. Penn gives me a slightly more competitive kind of vibe, though, so it also depends on what kind of academic environment you want. In terms of career opportunities, it's true that there's a bit more limited networking, but at the end of the program you're still a vet coming out of an AVMA-accredited program in one of the top schools in the world, and there's always a demand for good vets. If you do pick Edinburgh, just spend at least some of your clinical time in the US and try to build relationships with the vets you work with over here and you should be fine.

 

[mht2k3]

Just curious, how were you admitted to both already? If you were admitted last year than I'm assuming you would have already had to have made a decision and otherwise neither school has even sent out interview requests for this year.

 

[sdf22]

I was admitted to both but I ended up needing to take another year before matriculating for personal reasons, so they both offered me admission for next year.

 

[sdf22]

I've lived in Philly and I've visited Edinburgh and between the two, I would definitely prefer to live in Edinburgh. (Although the vet school campus is several miles outside the city center, so you'd probably end up living in the suburbs and/or needing a car. I visited it one day, and from my hotel in the new town it took a good half hour to drive there; I think it's about 45 minutes by bus.) Edinburgh was my third choice after Penn and Tufts, but only because moving internationally would have been a major challenge for me. (Finding pet-friendly housing is hard enough when you can drive out to look at it, not to mention that the meds that I need to be able to function in school aren't available in the UK.)

In terms of cost, Penn is one of the most expensive US schools even with in-state tuition, so I don't think Edinburgh does actually work out to cost more even when you factor in things like multiple plane tickets per year and whatnot. Ignoring housing costs and supplies: Penn's in-state tuition is currently about $56k per year, and Edinburgh's international student tuition is currently about $39k per year.

Academically they're both excellent schools, so a lot of it depends on which program appeals more to you. Penn gives me a slightly more competitive kind of vibe, though, so it also depends on what kind of academic environment you want. In terms of career opportunities, it's true that there's a bit more limited networking, but at the end of the program you're still a vet coming out of an AVMA-accredited program in one of the top schools in the world, and there's always a demand for good vets. If you do pick Edinburgh, just spend at least some of your clinical time in the US and try to build relationships with the vets you work with over here and you should be fine.

Thanks noparlpf that's good advice! Yea I had been thinking during my EMS hours that I could work in hospitals in areas of the States I would like to eventually live in to hopefully make some connections. Can you speak at all to whether or not UK veterinary students have a more difficult time locking down internships and residencies compared to US students?

 

[noparlpf]

Thanks noparlpf that's good advice! Yea I had been thinking during my EMS hours that I could work in hospitals in areas of the States I would like to eventually live in to hopefully make some connections. Can you speak at all to whether or not UK veterinary students have a more difficult time locking down internships and residencies compared to US students?

I'm not sure (I'm a first-year at Tufts now, btw) but I think I remember during the application/interview process Edinburgh saying that US students usually do a lot of their hours in the US. Most of the time you'll be communicating with potential internship practices via email or occasionally phone anyway, even if you're a US student, so I don't think it should make too much of a difference. Checking their website, Edinburgh says "[EMS] is also an opportunity to travel and see the wide range of careers open to our graduates." They've even had a bunch of students go to China for EMS, which is probably harder to coordinate than rotations in the US.

Another thing to consider is that the US is so absurdly huge that even if you stay in the US and go to Penn, you could apply for rotations or internships in California or even Hawaii, which are about as far away from the east coast as the east coast is from Edinburgh. Lots of students will be going back to their home areas to do rotations. When I was working in NY we had a 3rd-4th year student from Ohio State come through for a couple of weeks while he was in the area visiting his family. And I have classmates from places like California, Florida, and one girl from England, who will probably do parts of their rotations near home.

I wouldn't worry too much about EMS opportunities.