Picking a Vet School

[Thalia Hernandez-Wilson]

Hey, I just need some calming advice. Did anyone else feel worried about this process? How did you choose the right school for you and out of how many schools did you apply to? This process is so overwhelming.

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[PetVet23]

It's definitely a lot to think about and can be overwhelming!

One of the top things to think about is cost. If you have an in-state school or live in a contract state for a school, it should be at the top of your list. Reality is you'll be getting the same basic education at any of the AVMA accredited schools and other experiences rely heavily on what you create for yourself, so it's not worth putting yourself into more debt if you can avoid it.

Other things I personally took into consideration - location (didn't want to be super far from family, plus was it an area I'd be happy to call home for 4 years), curriculum, what the teaching hospital is like (or if they even had one, some don't)

I would also recommend visiting schools if you pick a few you're interested in. Being there in person can do a lot to help gauge if it feels like a good fit.

 

[IvyMoose]

I would recommend everything @PetVet23 said... cost is for sure top of the list. I also personally looked at location (family means a lot to me, and I don't think I can handle rural living for four years). Curriculum was a consideration originally but I eventually stopped caring about it beyond teaching hospital vs. distributive model: a lot of schools are undergoing curriculum restructuring, and I thought I would care more about it but I am so jaded that the classes, no matter how they are presented, will likely suck.

Ultimately, I did not research every vet school to apply to... I skipped probably 75% of them. I am from the east coast, so I did not think west coast would be good location- or price-wise. Would I have done well at UCDavis? WSU? Maybe! I did not even look at Iowa State, Mississippi, or Tuskegee... it truly is overwhelming! There is a lot of research to do if you want to do it, but I told myself I have the budget to apply for 7 schools, so that is all I would apply to. The first seven that I could really see myself attending I applied to. It worked for me, but others may want to do more research.

The process itself (like VMCAS) was a mixed bag for me: first cycle, I worked on it throughout the summer and felt confident going in... ended up missing a lot of content in my app because I told myself I would go back and look over it (and never did, but still got accepted places). Definitely double check your work! Triple check! This cycle, I got into all the schools I applied to: somehow all my supplemental essays were cut off at the end because I accidentally wrote too much! That is what I get for deciding to reapply one month before the deadline 😵 So definitely go over your WHOLE app before submitting (and checking all supplemental requirements).

But, top advice: do not stress too much... there is plenty of stressing in vet school. If you want some stress, the med school side can give you a dose of that lol. But seriously, you are likely better set up than you think: I managed to get in without a pre-vet advisor, pre-vet club, or anyone to guide me through VMCAS. Just represent yourself the best way you know how, and the rest will follow 🙂

 

[finnickthedog]

Between cost considerations and differences in admissions criteria (my GPA was a weak spot so I wasn't going to apply anywhere with a heavy emphasis on grades for admission), I ended up only applying to one school (my IS).

I was not accepted the first time, but applying to one school was the right decision for me because I preferred to try again with my IS rather than attend a substantially more expensive school.

Other people really want to avoid reapplying if possible and those people would want to apply more broadly than I did.

 

[supershorty]

OP, you may find this thread helpful: Factors when picking a school

I'll echo the advice that your in-state program, if you have one, should be your top choice unless there are significant financial mitigating factors (like you get a full ride somewhere, not like you get a one-time $5000 scholarship somewhere). I didn't have the same decision process as a lot of people (I was applying to dual DVM/PhD programs, which changes the game a little - though I still had my in-state program as my top choice).

If you read somewhere that "x and y program gears their students toward specializing, they have an advantage!" it's likely just marketing bunk. Any accredited program will set you up with the skills to be a great doctor; if you want to specialize in a competitive field like zoo med, for example, you'll have to do a lot of that networking outside of school regardless of where you end up.

I encourage you to peruse the forums and keep asking questions - there's a lot of information to be found here on the decision process and the different programs 🙂

 

[Rainheart]

The way I went about picking schools to apply to...
1. Requirements- I didn't want to have to take anything additional than I had already done. Any that I didn't meet I had nixed on my list
2. Location- I am from the east coast and essentially wanted to be able to drive home within a day if I *really* needed to. That narrowed most schools west of Missouri off my list.
3. Cost- any high cost OOS schools I did not consider (such as UPenn, Tufts, etc).

I was a VA resident at the time of application. I went through two cycles. My first cycle I applied to three schools (VA/MD, NC state and Upenn (not sure why I bothered at the time but I did). I didn't get into any schools. The next cycle, I broadened my list to more schools (VA/MD, tuskeegee, auburn, NC state, Missouri... and one other I think?). I ended up going to Missouri, the furthest away I'd ever been from home. But the cost of attendance was a HUGE upside and I couldn't pass up the offer. Though, the 14 hour drive home was never fun (but doable). Best of luck!