Ross SVM Acceptance and transfer.

[NeonMountaineer]

I'm a sophomore at Virginia Tech, although I'm ahead enough in classes that I'll be a junior in the spring, and will have all the pre-reqs for Ross, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M vet schools by the end of the spring. I plan on applying to these 3 vet schools in the fall.

I've heard that the US schools are harder to get into because they want to have only the best students coming in, while Ross has looser requirements for getting in and makes up for it by making it easier to fail out of school.

So, I've been thinking, there is a possibility I'll only get accepted into Ross. In that situation, since I still wouldn't have graduated from college yet at VT, I could wait another year and apply again, this time to more schools since I have more pre-requisite classes out of the way. That would be option #1
Option #2 would be, if I was only accepted to Ross, I could just go there and try to transfer later, or simply stay and graduate from there.

I would like some advice on several different points.
1. Is the quality of education at Ross comparable to that of the schools in the US? (In other words, could I get to a good career as a veterinarian from there?)
2. Transfer vs direct application. Which is more likely to get me into a US school?
3. Which seems to be the better idea between Option #1 and Option #2. (As great as it is, if I don't have to I don't really want to spend an extra year in college.)

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[Ashgirl]

Hey there NeonMountainer,

To address your questions:

1)Any accredited school will give you a great education, and this includes Ross. You will always meet that one person who has a negative bias towards them (or towards any school, for that matter), but the bias against Caribbean schools is becoming less and less.
2) I don't think it would be a wise choice to go to Ross with the expectation of transferring. I have heard it's quite competitive to do, and you don't want to be miserable at a school you don't want to be at if you are unable to transfer. Some people that do transfer have to repeat semesters or even a year if their curriculum doesn't match up, so that's something to consider as well.
3) Are you thinking that you won't be accepted as a Junior because you will be a Junior, or because you don't think your application will be strong enough academically/otherwise? If it's the latter, then perhaps it would be good to have an extra year to gain experience and get a better GPA so you will be strong enough to apply to the schools you want to attend. If it's the former, and you wouldn't mind the possibility of applying another year, I would say go for it. There are a few schools that don't necessarily encourage Juniors to apply, but if you have a strong enough application and apply smart it's very possible to get accepted.

 

[LyraGardenia]

1. Since they were accredited in 2011, yes. There are some older vets who are still prejudiced against Ross graduates, but that mentality is quickly disappearing.

2. Don't apply to Ross if you only want to use it as a stepping stone to a US school. Not every US school accepts transfer students, and even if there are spots open at the US school(s) you want to go to, transferring isn't guaranteed. And do NOT turn down an acceptance at Ross or anywhere in order to apply again. Although Ross (and SGU) may be easier to get into, it it still vet school and it will give you the same quality of education as a US school, so being ungrateful for an acceptance there would be very foolish. I understand viewing the island schools as a last resort/back-up if you don't want to have to live in the Caribbean, but from everything I've heard they are both great programs. And just because you get into a school once doesn't guarantee that you'll get in again, because the competitiveness of the applicant pool changes from year to year.

3. Only apply to Ross if you would be happy going there for the duration. If you would really only be happy at a US school, then only apply to those next fall. But don't feel like you have to rush the process, and don't view a 4th year of undergrad as an "extra year." Speaking as someone who graduated in May and is now taking a gap year applying to vet school, take your time in undergrad and savor those years! I know studying and taking classes sucks, but taking your senior year to take more upper-level science classes, gain more veterinary/animal/research/leadership/volunteer/etc. experience, and just enjoy your life can only benefit you in both getting into vet school, and in the long run. I agree with Ashgirl that if you don't think your application will be strong enough to get into US schools as a junior, and you don't really want to go to Ross, wait to apply as a senior and take the time to improve your app. Applying anywhere where you know you aren't a competitive applicant is just a waste of your time and money. As a side note, Texas A&M is very hard to get into if you're not a Texas resident, as they only have I think 8 OOS spots.

 

[WillowLeaf]

1. I don't know much about Ross, but they are accredited and I believe that means they give a good education.

2. I would research this carefully before you plan on transferring. I think it's fairly hard to get accepted as a transfer student, maybe harder than getting in as a first-year. I haven't looked into this much myself, but at the few schools I looked into, they require transfers to A) be competitive enough applicants to have been accepted as a first year, and B) have a strong reason for the transfer (they gave examples like if your spouse was transferred to a job near that vet school or something).

3. If you don't want to spend all four years at Ross, I would recommend only applying to schools you would want to go to. You can always apply to Ross in future years if you decide you want to. I would be concerned about applying to Ross and then declining an admissions offer and reapplying to other schools the next year. It might look weird on your app if you didn't have a good explanation as to why you applied to a school and then declined the offer. If you would want to attend and graduate from Ross then I'd say go for it and apply there in your first cycle.

Also, look into tuition. I think Ross and other Caribbean schools are generally more expensive than most U.S. schools. Make sure you know the amount of debt you'll be in at the end of four years and that you're okay with taking on that debt.

Ross told me that it's not true that more students fail out there than at U.S. schools. I'd heard the same thing, that Ross gives people a chance who have lower GPAs or something, but then make it so not everyone passes and moves on to the next year. The email reply Ross sent me sounded like that's not at all true, though. Maybe other SDNers know more about this and whether the higher fail-out rates are rumor or not.

 

[allygator13]

Just as a note to what willowtree said about tuition, SGU is cheaper for me than going out of state at many US schools would have been

 

[WillowLeaf]

Just as a note to what willowtree said about tuition, SGU is cheaper for me than going out of state at many US schools would have been

Thanks for correcting that info. I'd heard they were generally much more than OOS at U.S. schools, good to know that's not always true.

 

[that redhead]

2. Transfer vs direct application. Which is more likely to get me into a US school?
3. Which seems to be the better idea between Option #1 and Option #2. (As great as it is, if I don't have to I don't really want to spend an extra year in college.)

2. In general, direct application is more likely to get you into a US school. People have certainly transferred back - I considered it myself - but they will ask for essentially the same materials + your first semester grades from whatever vet school you've already attended. If you had reason to be rejected from US schools in the first go-round, you aren't magically going to be a competitive applicant for transfer just because you managed to get in somewhere and now want to go back. Your chances increase with exceptional first semester grades but most schools want you to have a compelling reason to transfer and ask you to write a statement on why you're asking to transfer. Simply not wanting to be at Ross (or wherever) isn't going to cut it.

3. I think that you should only apply to places that you intend to commit to for the full four years. If you aren't interested in a particular school, don't apply there and take a seat from someone who would want to attend. I would focus on your list of schools, do what needs to be done to meet their requirements and go from there. If Ross is somewhere you'd be interested in for four (or three as their fourth year is in the US) years, apply there too. But it's not the "back up" school it was once considered to be since it's been accredited.

 

[DVMDream]

I would like some advice on several different points.
1. Is the quality of education at Ross comparable to that of the schools in the US? (In other words, could I get to a good career as a veterinarian from there?)
2. Transfer vs direct application. Which is more likely to get me into a US school?
3. Which seems to be the better idea between Option #1 and Option #2. (As great as it is, if I don't have to I don't really want to spend an extra year in college.)

1. Yes, you will. However you need to consider some things. Ross only gives two week summer vacations, most other schools both in the US and the UK allow for much longer vacations. This gives students the opportunity to gain experience, do externships, work, or just relax. Be sure you are ok with that type of curriculum. I know I would die with only 2 weeks off every summer. Also remember that it is a third world country.... I have heard the culture shock can be pretty severe for some people.
2. Transferring is not a guarantee. Do NOT attend a school with the thought that you will just be able to transfer. Plan on being at that school for all 4 years.
3. I think you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row and apply to schools that you are interested in, that have a tuition you are "ok" with, and that you would definitely attend and stay all 4 years at that school if you do get accepted.

 

[NeonMountaineer]

Thanks. I definitely could be happy going to school at Ross, I just needed to make sure it was as good as my other 2 choices. I guess I don't actually have to worry about transfer then.

 

[jmo1012]

I'm a sophomore at Virginia Tech, although I'm ahead enough in classes that I'll be a junior in the spring, and will have all the pre-reqs for Ross, Virginia Tech, and Texas A&M vet schools by the end of the spring. I plan on applying to these 3 vet schools in the fall.

I've heard that the US schools are harder to get into because they want to have only the best students coming in, while Ross has looser requirements for getting in and makes up for it by making it easier to fail out of school.

So, I've been thinking, there is a possibility I'll only get accepted into Ross. In that situation, since I still wouldn't have graduated from college yet at VT, I could wait another year and apply again, this time to more schools since I have more pre-requisite classes out of the way. That would be option #1
Option #2 would be, if I was only accepted to Ross, I could just go there and try to transfer later, or simply stay and graduate from there.

I would like some advice on several different points.
1. Is the quality of education at Ross comparable to that of the schools in the US? (In other words, could I get to a good career as a veterinarian from there?)
2. Transfer vs direct application. Which is more likely to get me into a US school?
3. Which seems to be the better idea between Option #1 and Option #2. (As great as it is, if I don't have to I don't really want to spend an extra year in college.)

without reading any of the other replies, here's my $0.02:

if you're not even finished with college yet, don't apply off shore! i think thats silly. if you dont get into the 2 US schools you're applying to, take that extra time to strengthen your application and apply again as a senior. be working on making yourself a better candidate throughout this fall in case, and then if you have to reapply, apply to islands schools as well if you wish. enjoy your college education, and graduate with an undergrad degree. i'm a hokie alum there is so much to enjoy and gain from having that extra year, particularly if you don't think your application is strong.

1. the obvious answer is yes. this school has been around for a long time and students in their clinical year are well respected by many many universities in the US

2. DO NOT apply with the intent to transfer. that is the worst possible thing you could set yourself up for. as an SGU kid, there was nothing worse than having to listen to the people who hated the island complain about their misery all the time. many people do not get to transfer. there are simply not enough spots. also, the school has to want you in addition to having the space. vet school is hard, and you should not expect your performance in undergrad to reflect your performance in vet school. you may have a learning curve with some lower grades than you're used to. this made some of my classmates poor transfer candidates. apply only if you really truly think you could be happy at that school for 3 years, because believe me, on top of the stress of vet school, there are many other life stressors to handle as well by choosing an island school

3. as stated above, i think you should apply in the US this year and save ross/island schools for your senior year if it comes to it. i feel like you're tossing in the towel too quickly. there are a lot of major aspects to consider, particularly financially (even if you dont think its a big deal right now, the cost WILL be a stressor in your life, and the amount of extra debt you might incur by not at least giving yourself a year to improve while in college is very unlikely to be worth it. trust us when we say debt is a big deal!!! i never would have imagined it to be what it is, but its real!)