SMU vs. SGU vs. Glasgow

[canadaprevet]

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Hi Everyone,

I am currently in the middle of interviews and offers fo vet school and I am trying to weigh my pros and cons for schools but would like some insight from others.

I am currently living in Canada and have applications pending at UCVM and WCVM (top picks because of locality and price). However, I have been accepted to Glasgow 🙂highfive🙂, have interviewed for SGU and am just awaiting a location for my interview for SMU. I like Glasgow because it is very reputable, a top school in the UK and in a pretty good location, SGU appeals to me because the program is less time (4 years vs. 5 in Glasgow and the 4th year is spent in the US or Canada) and SMU appeals for the same reason as SGU and it has the added benefit of having lots of flights.

What I would like to know is if you were me, what would push you to one school or another between SGU, SMU and Glasgow (maybe Ross if you feel storngly but I have not been offered an interview as of yet)? I want to also know if the reputation behind Glasgow is better than those behind SMU or SGU or if they are similar. To me, being away from home for less time is ideal (and cheaper) but if I graduate from a school that may have a potentially lesser reputation as a school such as Glasgow, then being away from home for longer will out weigh this. Or am I totally left field (maybe I have it backwards)!.

Obviously, if an offer doesn't come my way from any other schools, going to Glasgow will be pretty awesome, but I just want some candid opinions and thoughts from students and alums alike.

To me, they all look like pretty awesome schools but the webpages for each only boasts their greatest achievements and knowing what makes or breaks a school for someone else may help me out a bit.

 

[jmo1012]

i'm obviously biased and would say SGU over any of them, but here are my reasons:

SGU vs SMU - SGU is AVMA accredited. this hands down should be something you seriously think about. foreign licensing exams are not something you want to have to do unless you absolutely have to. looking back, i should have really, really given it more weight when i picked a caribbean school, but i also knew that SGU was waiting on the AVMA decision when I accepted and we were fairly certain we would get it. hearing now graduated DVMs talk about foreign licensing gives me chills. people that worked as techs for a year+ post-grad before they could take the ECFVG. PAVE preventing them from getting internships and job opportunities.

SGU vs. Ross - personally wouldnt give up my summers and holidays for anything. Last summer I got to work for Banfield through SJP and this summer I am going to mexico for MARVET and doing RAVS. these are priceless opportunities. ability to do externships is also priceless, and my classmates have done some really cool things that i know they wouldnt trade for anything. Ross is more expensive. 7 pre clinical semesters and 3 clinical year semesters adds up. also 7pre-clinical semesters. if you haven't seen us vet students whining about how much we hate going to class and taking exams and just want to be a 4th year already, look around. i cannot begin to fathom spending 7 semesters in the classroom - 6 is already and annoying exhausting strain.

SGU vs. glasgow? meh i dont know enough about glasgow to say for better or for worse. glasgow is not a 3rd world country, so i'll give it that. the weather in the caribbean is probably much nicer. 5 years of vet school sounds horrendous. flights might be cheaper to here? if you want to compare, look up flights for SGU from round trip August 12 (or abouts) to December 14 or abouts. these are the high volume times. the earlier you book your flight the cheaper it will be for you so once you do a semester at SGU, you're much more likely to get better ticket deals because you'll book really early when all the students are normally booking. look up the start/end dates for glasgow to get ticket pricing comparisons.

i think my take-away is that SMU would be my last resort. i'm sure its a great school and the students who attend like it a lot, but SGU and Ross are more well known and they are both accredited. as for caribbean vs. europe, i think that comes down to who you are and what extra factors you are looking for. culture, lifestyle, environment, etc. thats a personal thing 🙂

 

[shortnsweet]

I agree with pretty much everything jmo said.

It's hard for me to compare to the Caribbean schools because back when I applied they were not AVMA accredited, so that stigma was still assoc. with them. I couldn't apply to a school where I couldn't just take the NAVLE and then go and practice wherever I want....so I really do not know that much about them. Most of the vets I know who went there are pretty wonderful though. It's all what you make of it.

Glasgow has the added benefit of being accredited by RCVS and the European Council, so you can practice in any of the Commonwealth, Europe, and the US.

The 5 years honestly hasn't bothered me. The cost ends up (at least for me) being cheaper than an OOS US school, and I get to live abroad, and travel around Europe when I want. Have been here 4 years now, and wouldn't trade my experiences for anything.

Like jmo said, the weather is obvi better down there. But if you are used to Canadian winters, i'm sure Glasgow wouldn't be a huge deal.

We also have a lot of time for extra clinical experience and externships. So far I have 12 weeks of preclinical done, and 21/26 weeks of clinical. But I have a lot more time built in to my schedule, so even though I will be finished my required hours, I still have about 2 months where I can go and do more, esp helpful when I want to do equine and have a lot of places I want to visit. Many students here also go to places like S. Africa, Egypt, Malta, Cyprus, and Spain to do spay/neuter clinics, equine rescues, and wildlife studies, and it's nice because they are so much closer.

Check out the UK threads....and I am sure a Glasgow one is floating about somewhere....more people have described their experiences, and maybe you can get a better feel for what it is like!

Feel free to PM me with questions.

 

[canadaprevet]

Thanks jmo1012 and shortnsweet. This does help. I didn't realize how difficult a decision would be when it finally came time (probably because I never thought I would have the opportunity to choose!).

If SMU isn't accredited (which I thought it had been, woops), then taking the licensing exams may be more of a hassle than it is worth.

Thanks again!

 

[jmo1012]

Thanks jmo1012 and shortnsweet. This does help. I didn't realize how difficult a decision would be when it finally came time (probably because I never thought I would have the opportunity to choose!).

If SMU isn't accredited (which I thought it had been, woops), then taking the licensing exams may be more of a hassle than it is worth.

Thanks again!

I forgot to metion that the ECFVG costs between $7k and $10k 😱 (in addition to the really long waiting list)

 

[canadaprevet]

Ouch... I thought tuition hurt enough!

 

[iatrest]

What's the tuition at Glasgow?

 

[AceRH731]

What's the tuition at Glasgow?

£24,000 a year for the class entering in September 2013. What is nice is the tuition is locked in at that rate for the entire duration of the programme.