Penn vs Tufts vs RVC vs WSU

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easherman6

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Hello all! So I am very torn on this decision and would appreciate any thoughts/advice.

Obviously I am absolutely thrilled that I was accepted to these amazing schools, as they are all tops of my list. For context, I hope to someday work in wildlife/conservation medicine.
Tufts is an attractive option because of their renowned excelled re wildlife/zoo medicine. Penn is vying for a top spot because I'm particularly drawn to their dual degree program that combines a DVM with a Masters in Environment Science (DVM/MES). RVC (4 year program) was always the school I dreamed about, in part because of their international accreditations, since I would ideally like to practice outside of the States after I graduate. I'm also drawn to the UK testing style, as I actually do much better with self-paced learning and fewer exams. WSU is an amazing program, but it's strongest pull for me is the opportunity to qualify for in-state tuition after the first year.
Another big consideration recently has been location. I have a small (travel-size) dog I plan to bring with me, so the closer locations are slightly more ideal for this (I live just outside of DC). Penn is the closest, being about 2.5 hours drive from here, followed by Tufts, which is about a 7 hour drive.
Another important thing to mention (since the most popular advice I see on here is to go wherever is cheapest) is that I have a very generous education trust left for me by my late grandparents. My parents kept this trust under wraps for most of my life, so I also have a decent amount of money saved from working through high school and college, but essentially I have a large sum of money that can only be spent on my education. Thus, while I've internalized the mindset that the cheapest option is the best one, in reality it seems I have the ability to choose a school regardless of cost.
So in summary, I was hoping some people could provide advice/opinions on my options and any thoughts on whether one program would be better suited for my long term career goals.

Thanks in advance!

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My question would be what happens to the money in the trust if unused? If only for education you could certainly use left over money for really cool conferences which would be an incentive to go to your cheapest option. If theres left over money could you use that to jump start your life or possibly benefit someone else? (Rhetorical questions)
If you want to do international work wsu does have some great international opportunities outside of covid. We have lots of students that go on international trips preclinical year and even have a special scholarship to pay for travel opportunities for vet work. Clinical year we also have a trip to India and our theriogenologist also is trying to get a rotation in Morocco. So lots of opportunities.

For the wildlife/zoo portion we have pretty good connections like our exotics department, raptor club, exotics symposium shared with oregon state and our aquatics, exotics, and wildlife cluba. Ultimately its alot of legwork on your behalf to truly get into those fields no matter where you go.
 
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