RVC v Davis

[cmorg4499]

I am struggling to decide whether to accept at RVC in the 4 year program or at Davis (OS Resident). I am currently thinking of doing small animal (probably critical care) and am fortunate that I am able to exclude money as a factor. Here are the things I have been thinking about:

Davis
Pros:
- the amazing weather and ability to have a dog will be great for my mental health
- from what I've heard, people have a great work-life balance because of the block system
- I am a very outdoorsy person so would love the hiking nearby
- the labs give at least some exposure to animals each week which reminds you why you're studying
- although I enjoy learning about all animals, I think that by year three I'll be ready to just study small animals
Cons:
- it is pretty remote and I am a little worried that there won't be a lot of excitement
- people live farther away from the school so it might be harder to form a community

RVC
Pros:
- I LOVE traveling and the idea of spending weekends across Europe sounds amazing
- The international study body will definitely help with personal growth and challenge my opinions (something I really value)
- It is in/near a city so there would be so many exciting things to do
- when else am I going to have the chance to live abroad like this?! (I feel weird turning down such an amazing opportunity)
Cons:
- I have heard the exams are a ready hard adjustment (although I am pretty self-motivated)
- The weather would probably affect my mood quite a lot
- difficult to have a dog (I don't have one yet, but would love to)
- the stress of culture shock will definitely be real (on top of the stress from school)

If you have any advice or something that you think I am missing, please let me know. Thank you!

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[simbawolf360]

Hi so I just want to start off with being totally transparent and say that I am currently on the Davis waitlist as an in state student with Davis being my number one choice as far as financial reasons so I’m going to be honest and say my opinion may be subconsciously bias so keep that in mind. I was interested in replying because I have insight into RVC and some about Davis.

First of all the generic advice I give anyone and everyone is go to your cheapest option ( with some wiggle room depending difference in cost like if we are talking about 40,000 dollar difference and for some reason you think the more expensive school is better for many mental and maybe personal reasons then go for the more expensive option).

I personally have been to RVC campus (only the one in Camden) and will be attending if not pulled off the waitlist from Davis (I already committed to RVC) and I have a few insights to some of your comments about the school. Although there will be some adjustment culturally honestly England is not that different from the United States at least not from Southern Californians. They have different humor and the young crowd is for sure more into clubbing and pubs. but I have a close friend who went to university in England and she didn’t have any problems although she did say the guys do kinda suck I do know many people who are actually going to RVC and one student who goes there currently and they absolutely fell head over heels for the program/ facilities to the point of not even applying to our in state Davis. They def have a very work together attitude and many of their students are actually from California/US which surprised me so you won’t be alone.

I personally want to get a dog in vet school as well and feel it will be more difficult in London for sure however many people still do, but yes that is a valid concern.

As far as the exams I don’t know much about them other than it’s multiple choice and verbal format.

As far as Davis I know a few people that go there right now and they love it. They don’t have any complaints and are doing very well. To be honest I have never visited Davis vet school and know very little about it. Honestly all I know is their financial aid and student debt statistics I will say that I personally like the idea of not having to deal with the stress of moving far and staying in the country. I will say also that although many people think California is literally all coastline and mountains central California is fairly desert like/ rolling hills with oak tree and farms kind of terrain not the romanticized coastline that many people idealize but the nice thing about California is you can take fairly short road trips from for inland cities (3-4 hrs) to either the typical sunny beaches or amazing forests. Although Davis is only 1 hour away from San Francisco.

But once again I am not as familiar with Davis location and the the vet faculties and program as I am with RVC plus like I said earlier Please read my comments understanding That my response as a whole can give you better information about RVC and not Davis and is likely biased is some ways.

 

[nhoang98]

Hey! Congrats on getting into both🙂 like the commenter above I am also waiting patiently on the Davis waitlist :O but I can try giving some insight into London as a city! I am from SoCal but have traveled to London 3 times, including having studied abroad in Brighton, UK for 3 months. Not sure if you've visited, but it truly is a beautiful city with tons of things to do. Everything is really easy to get to. I personally loved my time there and it was a really unique experience! The weather during the summer months can get pretty warm/sunny. If you wanted to travel to other countries and even to other areas in the UK, they are all accessible by bus/train/plane.
But also, I could not imagine living there for a year or more... the culture shock isn't bad, but there is a noticeable difference. I am a POC and people over there, including in the city, are more brazen about commenting on race. Also the food that I had in the city was meh and on the expensive side especially after being spoiled with great, cheap, diverse eats in SoCal.
There are def pros and cons to both culture-wise and good luck making your decision!

 

[LabLuv004]

Current RVC final year here. I cannot speak for everyone, but culture shock can be a real thing here. Especially if you come from a smaller city where you have a car and can come and go as you please. Being in Camden can be very crowded and it is difficult and expensive to get out more than once every couple weeks. And even then it is not the same. The little things still surprise me here even after 4 years, but after some intense hatred in my first year, I have learned to appreciate England for many things. RVC, not so much. They will drive me absolutely crazy until I have my degree in hand 😆.

Keep in mind that 90% of the whole student body here is right out of A-levels. They are 18 and they act it. This is a MUCH less professional program than Davis. There is a lot of emphasis on being 18-year-old level drunk and immature to be involved in just about any club or sport. If you are a person who put all that behind you after undergrad and like me now wants the occasional night out with friends, it can really be annoying. That being said you can find a group of grad students that you can connect with since the GAB year is all people with a previous degree. It is 3-5th year that you are with the young ones.

Another thing to consider is there is NO live animal experience until you are on rotations. The only time you get any hands on with animals is on AHEMS and EMS. AHEMS suck and they will monopolize most of any free time you get GAB year. You will have very very little time to travel and you will work as an unpaid farm hand for 12 weeks. It is not great... Then you get to do EMS right before 3rd year exams (your second Easter break on the 4 year course) and that you have to arrange yourself and it is expensive. You have to travel and pay for housing and it really adds up, but if you find a good one it can give you some good experiences. Even though it looks like you'll have lots of breaks, they will be filled with self-funded EMS.

Finally exams are the one saving grace of RVC for me. They are year-inclusive so you take just one exam (possibly over multiple days) that span the entire years teaching all mixed in. You won't have a 'Alimentary Exam' instead you have "GAB Exam MCQ, Essay, and Oral.' Personally I really like this exam type, but you have to keep up every day during the year. The lectures are often just an outline and you have to go teach yourself what you don't understand. And you'll also have to teach yourself anatomy since we don't get taught that formally but you need to know it all... So you have to be prepared to study and summarize at the end of each day and then spend the entire 2-3 weeks they give you for revision actually revising. That being said I much preferred this to the weekly or monthly exams by subject in the US.

I would also touch on cost--London and Potters Bar are VERY expensive and even without tuition cost being an issue, housing is insane and doing anything is very expensive. So it is something to take into account because even if you have the money available, if you can live in Davis cheaper and take your car and not have the additional hurdles, it is something to consider.

 

[meelc]

Hey there! I can just quickly touch on the cons of Davis you have if it provides any insight. As far as most people living far away, this is not true. 90% of my classmates live within Davis which is like a 5 mile radius, and my few close friends that live in surrounding areas are only a 15/20 minute drive. There have obviously been impacts from COVID as far as get togethers and such, but we still have managed to have a strong sense of community and I have personally made some very amazing friendships.

I also wouldn't consider Davis "remote". It is definitely not a city vibe here which is actually kind of relaxing when you are in the midst of the hectic ness of vet school, but there's a lot you can do within a 30 min driving radius whether thats going out in Sac, going hiking, going to the lake, wine tasting, etc.

Happy to chat more if you have more questions or want to shoot me a message!