Penn vs. Tufts - but parents love rankings/employability

[bluesails]

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Hi all,

Starting this thread in case anyone else may possibly be in the same situation as I am. I have always been pretty competitive and self-motivated and made it to an Ivy League for undergrad, which I am very proud of. I am also ecstatic to have been accepted to both Penn and Tufts, basically my two dream veterinary schools in the country. It has been an amazing week to hear back from both of them.

Basically right now I am trying to gather more information about both schools to figure out where I would be happiest, and I know that both schools are great places to jumpstart my dream career, but my parents are starting to put pressure on me to choose Penn. As someone with interest in both equine medicine and infectious disease/OneHealth/global health, they feel that rankings and successful networking after graduation should be one of the biggest, if not the biggest component in my decision. Ironically, even if Tufts seems to be super big on OneHealth and international applications, they feel that Penn's big name would be most helpful in securing work in pretty much any country, so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

As for the other factors about both schools, I pretty much can't seem to make a decision. I love New Bolton... but also love Tufts's campus. I like how Penn students seem to support each other through the curriculum, and everything is electronic... but I like that Tufts integrates PBL and has a lot more opportunities to get hands-on with animals from the first year onward. I like how Penn's tracking can potentially get me out-of-this-world experience with horses at New Bolton... but I like how not having to track will get me to explore more fields of veterinary medicine including the two fields I like the most.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to figure out how to explain that ranking shouldn't be my most important point of choice... but I don't think I've entirely convinced myself of that either. As someone who pushed herself to go to a prestigious university there is still the nagging feeling that the Ivy League is the obvious choice... and I would love to hear more reasons why that is wrong, so I can think about other factors without having that shadow over them. I'd love to hear about Penn, about Tufts, or about other choices you've had to make that involved rankings or excruciating decisions between schools. I'm in love with both schools and am trying to make the best decision I can.

 

[psilovethomas]

Hi all,

Starting this thread in case anyone else may possibly be in the same situation as I am. I have always been pretty competitive and self-motivated and made it to an Ivy League for undergrad, which I am very proud of. I am also ecstatic to have been accepted to both Penn and Tufts, basically my two dream veterinary schools in the country. It has been an amazing week to hear back from both of them.

Basically right now I am trying to gather more information about both schools to figure out where I would be happiest, and I know that both schools are great places to jumpstart my dream career, but my parents are starting to put pressure on me to choose Penn. As someone with interest in both equine medicine and infectious disease/OneHealth/global health, they feel that rankings and successful networking after graduation should be one of the biggest, if not the biggest component in my decision. Ironically, even if Tufts seems to be super big on OneHealth and international applications, they feel that Penn's big name would be most helpful in securing work in pretty much any country, so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

As for the other factors about both schools, I pretty much can't seem to make a decision. I love New Bolton... but also love Tufts's campus. I like how Penn students seem to support each other through the curriculum, and everything is electronic... but I like that Tufts integrates PBL and has a lot more opportunities to get hands-on with animals from the first year onward. I like how Penn's tracking can potentially get me out-of-this-world experience with horses at New Bolton... but I like how not having to track will get me to explore more fields of veterinary medicine including the two fields I like the most.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to figure out how to explain that ranking shouldn't be my most important point of choice... but I don't think I've entirely convinced myself of that either. As someone who pushed herself to go to a prestigious university there is still the nagging feeling that the Ivy League is the obvious choice... and I would love to hear more reasons why that is wrong, so I can think about other factors without having that shadow over them. I'd love to hear about Penn, about Tufts, or about other choices you've had to make that involved rankings or excruciating decisions between schools. I'm in love with both schools and am trying to make the best decision I can.

Go to the cheaper one. Going to one of the most expensive schools in the country was not one of my life's finest choices.
Rankings DO NOT MATTER. Gosh, haven't you guys realized that yet?

 

[DVMDream]

Rankings and where you went to school has zero impact into you finding a job/internship/residency/etc. The biggest and most important thing that will get you further along and that will help you when looking for jobs is to put yourself out there. You need to network yourself. You need to take summers and breaks to do things and make yourself known in the veterinary community. You need to grasp opportunities by the horns and drive your veterinary education. You can go to the top ranked school in the world and it will mean jack crap if you don't get yourself out there, get experience, do externships, work hard, network and build up your resume. Rankings, are going to mean crap. Where you go to school is not going to matter. What will matter is what you did during school, how hard you worked and how well you put yourself out there. Networking should not be occurring after graduation, it should occur while still in school; you are too late if you are trying to network after you graduated. Get yourself out there and get to know people, find opportunities in your area of interest. This also helps you to gain valuable letters of recommendation for future job applications/opportunities/etc. This is something that you can do to help yourself get to where you want to be regardless of where you go to school. No vet school is going to be pushing you to get experience elsewhere or push you to network and find opportunities; you are responsible for that. Whether you are at Penn or at Tufts will not make an ounce of difference if you do not make the most of it.

Go to the cheaper school, you will save yourself a lot of headache that way. Otherwise, your career and job prospects are dependent upon what you do/did during school to aid yourself in getting where you want to go. No school name is going to save you or make you look better or competitive if you sat around and did nothing but study and take exams for 4 years.

 

[shortnsweet]

Yes, NBC has a higher caseload in equine as compared to Tufts, so if you want to do equine, that might be a pro for you. At the same time, you may get more personalized teaching time at Tufts because their caseload is smaller. Tufts is an elite liberal arts university, and is also known all over the world. The quality of teaching is right up there with the "Ivy" ratings. Ivy stuff kind of goes out the window when it comes to vet school.

When it came time for me to look at equine internships, well....the name means nothing. It's about where you fit in and where you will be happiest. Your experiences and networking skills get you jobs, not a name-- I will tell you I applied to both places, but I will withhold my rankings. Both schools speak very highly of each other, and both have amazing clinicians. Keep in mind if you want to work somewhere else in the world besides the states, you will have to take extra exams regardless.

Don't let your parents decide where you should go to vet school.

 

[Fly Racing]

An interest in equine woukd make Penn the obvious choice for me personally as long as all the cons were manageable.

 

[bunnity]

Rankings don't matter, and what your parents think about vet school rankings doesn't matter either. Go to the school that you can afford. If you want to be a super fancy equine orthopedic surgeon with zero interest in anything else AND you are also the type of person who can get along with super fancy equine orthopedic surgeons AND you like everything else about Penn AND you like Philadelphia, maybe you should go to Penn. Otherwise, go with the cheaper one.

 

[shortnsweet]

Rankings don't matter, and what your parents think about vet school rankings doesn't matter either. Go to the school that you can afford. If you want to be a super fancy equine orthopedic surgeon with zero interest in anything else AND you are also the type of person who can get along with super fancy equine orthopedic surgeons AND you like everything else about Penn AND you like Philadelphia, maybe you should go to Penn. Otherwise, go with the cheaper one.

Lol...super fancy equine surgeons. Whomever could you be talking about there? 😉

 

[bunnity]

Lol...super fancy equine surgeons. Whomever could you be talking about there? 😉

Haha there are several! (And, they sure are good at what they do. But what they do is such a small corner of the equine medicine world, that it may not be super relevant to someone who was more into medicine than surgery, or planning to practice on horses used for something other than high level racing and competition. However, I do know people who are sure that they want to do high level ortho stuff and if that is really your thing I don't think there is a better place than NBC.)

 

[shortnsweet]

Haha there are several! (And, they sure are good at what they do. But what they do is such a small corner of the equine medicine world, that it may not be super relevant to someone who was more into medicine than surgery, or planning to practice on horses used for something other than high level racing and competition. However, I do know people who are sure that they want to do high level ortho stuff and if that is really your thing I don't think there is a better place than NBC.)

Ortho =

 

[twelvetigers]

You may go into vet school wanting to be an equine surgeon and come out wanting to be a clinical pathologist.

Or the bum under the bridge down by the river.

Just a thought - you might pick a school based on something important to you know and then completely rearrange priorities before you leave.

Here is another vote for the cheaper of the two - and then I chuckle to myself, because neither one is very cheap. But every bit makes a difference.

 

[ChittyBang]

I know graduates from both and neither is more special, or more magically networked, than the other. Both struggled to find the right jobs (both also work with graduates from Ross, MSU, etc.) and both have massive amounts of debt.

 

[DVMDream]

Even if you really, really wanted to do equine orthopedic medicine and absolutely nothing else. I still wonder how much Penn would really help or give you an advantage. Yes, you might see a few more equine ortho cases there during final year than other schools (maybe), but during the initial first 3 years of vet school, that really doesn't make that much of a difference. It isn't like you are training in equine orthopedics in your first 4 years by going to Penn over another school. And if you wanted to do an internship/residency to become an equine orthopedic surgeon, I have often heard (not sure how true this is) that most vets do not end up doing their residency at the same school that they received their vet degree from. Again, not sure how true that is, but something I have heard quite a bit.

 

[bluesails]

Thanks so much to everyone for your replies. Really. I am OOS everywhere so price pretty much sucks everywhere, but Penn OOS is considerably more expensive than Tufts OOS and I am really only thinking of making that leap if people were like "dear god don't go to Tufts" which obviously is not the issue.

I am in love with Tufts's programs and will have long conversations with my parents about how the Ivy League name / lack of it will not affect me.

 

[gugoodoll]

Go to Tufts. We're talking about a 70-80K difference in tuition + living costs over 4 years. It's NOT worth it. You will get an excellent education in either school and you can do an internship and/or residency at Penn IF by the time you graduate you are still interested in pursuing equine (or whatever it is you want to pursue). Many students go into vet med thinking they know exactly what they want and then realize during school that they have other interests. Don't have tunnel vision, don't limit your interests before you even start school.

That 70-80K difference will have turned into well over six figures by the time you are done paying your loans. That's money you could have spent on a down payment for a house, a new car, a vacation, etc. Think of the big picture.

 

[NJjess]

I go to Penn so I obviously cannot give you much information on Tufts but I am 100% interested in equine surgery and it is awesome being able to go to NBC anytime that I want and shadow. They let you scrub in if cases come in which is amazing to me. I personally chose Penn for NBC and like you I was OOS everywhere because I am from New Jersey but it ended up being the place that I felt like home at. Whatever you decide though, you will be a vet in four years and maybe you could be a little less in debt than some people are :/ Money will always be a large factor in these decisions.

 

[bluesails]

I go to Penn so I obviously cannot give you much information on Tufts but I am 100% interested in equine surgery and it is awesome being able to go to NBC anytime that I want and shadow. They let you scrub in if cases come in which is amazing to me. I personally chose Penn for NBC and like you I was OOS everywhere because I am from New Jersey but it ended up being the place that I felt like home at. Whatever you decide though, you will be a vet in four years and maybe you could be a little less in debt than some people are :/ Money will always be a large factor in these decisions.

I think the big difference is that I would feel more at home at Tufts so aside from the price tag Penn would be the riskier option (in terms of how happy I would be) and I would be risking it largely on the NBC and on reputation (and we've already hashed out how reputation doesn't matter). I am also not 100% interested in equine and definitely not 100% interested in equine surgery. I could end up just doing a 4 week externship at New Bolton if I regretted not being able to reach it in any way.

I think I just talked myself into making a decision but I'll let it sit for a little longer. 🙂

 

[NJjess]

I think the big difference is that I would feel more at home at Tufts so aside from the price tag Penn would be the riskier option (in terms of how happy I would be) and I would be risking it largely on the NBC and on reputation (and we've already hashed out how reputation doesn't matter). I am also not 100% interested in equine and definitely not 100% interested in equine surgery. I could end up just doing a 4 week externship at New Bolton if I regretted not being able to reach it in any way.

I think I just talked myself into making a decision but I'll let it sit for a little longer. 🙂

Then congrats on your decision! and for getting into vet school and having a decision to make in the first place 🙂 It is definitely great to go somewhere where you feel comfortable and happy.