ROSS vs. WESTERN U

[bnorris]

I have been accepted to both schools, and would start Ross this upcoming May and Western this upcoming August. I have spent weeks analyzing the pros/cons of both schools and really am at a deadlock because both schools have equal pros/cons. I currently live in Texas and am used to the relatively cheap COL down here, but at the same time realize I am going to accrue alot of debt at either place. I calculated Ross to be about 40k cheaper, but when I use the vin map online it says western is actually a little cheaper. I know i eventually want to take my two dogs to wherever I go, and also would have to buy a junk car or scooter down at Ross.

Anyone have any advice or info on either schools?? I do like the PBL style learning of Western, but i like that I would get out of Ross 9 months earlier as compared to Western.

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[ajs513]

I’m going to preface this by saying this is not a judgment of Ross graduates or their competency as doctors.

Ross has a NAVLE pass rate averaging around 85%. The percentage of students who don’t graduate on time is 41%. This is far from negligible. A very high percentage of students are not succeeding in the program as it’s designed, and a high percentage of students fail the licensing exam. This is really not good, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it.

 

[bnorris]

Yeah the more I look into the stats on Ross the more it scares me a bit. The major thing that worried me about Western was I thought it was going to be much more expensive, but the vin map says the tuition at ross is most likely going to increase at a higher percent as compared to Western. I also could have easily underestimated the COL on the island.

 

[ajs513]

Yeah the more I look into the stats on Ross the more it scares me a bit. The major thing that worried me about Western was I thought it was going to be much more expensive, but the vin map says the tuition at ross is most likely going to increase at a higher percent as compared to Western. I also could have easily underestimated the COL on the island.

Cost of living on st. Kitts is high. Of course, the LA area is also expensive. But think of it this way: if you have to repeat semesters at Ross and spend more on tuition, you’re already losing a ton more money and time. And the odds of that happening are too high in my opinion.

 

[bnorris]

Yeah only about 55% of students graduating on time is a very troubling statistic........

 

[FutureFelineVet]

I was accepted to Ross and waitlisted at Western, did the calculations too and Ross always ended up coming up cheaper. That coupled with a scholarship is a big part of how I ended up here (side note: I never would have made it off the waitlist at Western cause this was last year during their whole admissions hiccup).

I started during the May semester and will be graduating nine months earlier than I would have, so that’s saving a huge chunk of money/interest since I will able to start practicing sooner and have a source of income for living expenses again. If you do end up having to repeat a class though, then obviously that will add on some extra money (you just have to repeat the class you failed, not the entire semester but often students take an additional class so they qualify as full time and can get federal aid).

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from my school, but I will say it’s not for everyone. It should be considered that it’s an accelerated vet school program in a foreign country and that brings forward some aspects that wouldn’t really be found by going to school stateside or in a traditional model. Personally I feel like that’s probably the main part of why people fail instead of something like the program isn’t preparing you well/educational issues. So just something to consider, some people do really well in this model and feel like they retain more with the shorter breaks in between semesters. And some people have easier times adapting to island life, while others don’t. Everyone is different.

I honestly love it here and love island life, and also have no regrets about coming here. I feel like I’m being well prepared for clinics and to be a vet as a whole. I’m also really proud of the rep Rossies have out there—we’re known for being resilient, knowledgable, and rockstars in clinics (especially with our communication skills). Not that EVERY Rossie is or that students at other schools can’t or aren’t, but I just wanted to throw it out there. We have a good rep in the veterinary community for producing great vets and we also produce a good amount of specialists.

Not going to sugarcoat it either, our NAVLE pass rate is lower than a lot of other schools. The school is trying to make some changes to improve our scores, so will have to see how things go.

Just wanted to throw some info out there since I go to Ross and was waitlisted at Western so I was in a similar(ish) position! Good luck to you—feel free to post here or shoot me a message if you have any more Ross specific questions