Stuck between two schools...

[kiwikitten]

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Hello, I'm a high school senior trying to decide where I should attend this fall. I have basically narrowed down my decision to either the University of Minnesota or UW Madison for prevet, but am having extreme difficulty choosing between them!

I am looking at the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Major at the UMN versus the Zoology Major at UW Madison. I can't quite seem to figure out the differences between these two majors. Would one major be more respected than another? Are these courses of study basically the same except for the title?

The Zoology program at UW Madison is really appealing to me because it seems that it would provide a strong scientific background for research, however, I liked UMN as a school a little bit better when I visited campus. My concern is that a FWCB major might be more restrictive in terms of opportunities because it doesn't seem that it would lead to the same type of biological research opportunities and options (I don't really see myself working for the DNR or something)... but then again I have no idea.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

[SkiOtter]

Hello, I'm a high school senior trying to decide where I should attend this fall. I have basically narrowed down my decision to either the University of Minnesota or UW Madison for prevet, but am having extreme difficulty choosing between them!

I am looking at the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Major at the UMN versus the Zoology Major at UW Madison. I can't quite seem to figure out the differences between these two majors. Would one major be more respected than another? Are these courses of study basically the same except for the title?

The Zoology program at UW Madison is really appealing to me because it seems that it would provide a strong scientific background for research, however, I liked UMN as a school a little bit better when I visited campus. My concern is that a FWCB major might be more restrictive in terms of opportunities because it doesn't seem that it would lead to the same type of biological research opportunities and options (I don't really see myself working for the DNR or something)... but then again I have no idea.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 🙂

Go for the cheapest option. You can be ANY major you want to be and go to vet school as long as you complete the required prerequisites. You could even be an art or music major if you get the prereqs.
Try to keep your undergrad debt as low as possible because vet school will add a mountain of debt on top of that. Go to whichever is the cheapest school.

 

[kiwikitten]

Go for the cheapest option. You can be ANY major you want to be and go to vet school as long as you complete the required prerequisites. You could even be an art or music major if you get the prereqs.
Try to keep your undergrad debt as low as possible because vet school will add a mountain of debt on top of that. Go to whichever is the cheapest school.

Thank you for the advice! My only issue is that both schools end up costing virtually the same for me after scholarships, so I can't really use that as a factor. Otherwise, I would definitely choose the cheapest!

 

[SkiOtter]

Thank you for the advice! My only issue is that both schools end up costing virtually the same for me after scholarships, so I can't really use that as a factor. Otherwise, I would definitely choose the cheapest!

Well then choose whichever you like better! The major you end up graduating with does not really matter and you could major in underwater basketweaving and still get into vet school as long as you completed the necessary prerequisites. Lots of people end up choosing whichever major uses the vet school prereqs as classes for the major, but you definitely don’t have to. Choose a major that interests and that you love and could fall back on if vet school doesn’t work out, even if it isn’t in the sciences or isn’t “animal related” like zoology or animal science.

 

[britzen]

You can also look into whether either school will fast-track you through undergrad (finish in 2-3 years and then go straight into their vet school). That will save you the most money in the long run. You might also want to look at the cost of veterinary school in each place too if you think you will go to one of those schools for vet school.

Questions to think about:
Will one of them grant you in-state residency if you graduate from their school, for example?
Does your home state have contracted seats with that school?
What is the cost of living in each place?
What would your total cost be (tuition, cost of living, etc) for 6-8 years if you went to one of those schools and then stayed for vet school?

If you haven't seen it before, both schools have a special undergrad track for people who are interested in doing food-production animals and livestock in vet school (no idea whether they hold you to it once you actually get into vet school).

For both, it looks like you get an admissions decision your freshman year and enter vet school after your junior year. Also access to internships, summer work, and research.

VetFast Program: Veterinary Medicine for Food Animals
FAVeMedS Program - University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine

You can do a little more leg work by calling the undergrad departments and vet schools to see if there are other programs like this too, if you aren't interested in food production. I think there are a few vet schools out there that fast-track high achieving undergrads, regardless of intended specialty. Not sure if either of these schools do it outside of these specific programs.

 

[supershorty]

I went to MN for undergrad and am still there in vet school (something about that MN Nice, man, it keeps you here). There are a lot of research options here if that’s something you’re interested in.

I was an animal science major, not fisheries, but any major can get you to vet school if you take the pre-reqs.

Happy to answer U-specific questions if you have any, obviously I liked it here a little 😛

 

[vetmedhead]

If you want a little input on the degree programs themselves irrespective of schools, speaking as someone with a zoology degree I would say that it tends to be more heavy on taxonomy, phylogenetics, and basic bench science work than the FWCB major. FWCB is usually more focused on the management side of things, with more emphasis on populations, interaction of the environment with animal populations (so more emphasis on plant biology and geoscience), and the philosophy behind conservationism and what that means in context. There is a pretty significant overlap between the two (especially when you factor in prereqs), and you can certainly get into veterinary school with either.

I think you should pursue what you're interested in and consider how each would fit in with possible backup plans (in case you change your mind about vet med or need to take a gap year or two before you get in), career goals (including those within vet med), your own interests, and what you feel excited to learn about.

Something I will also add is to consider some personal factors about the schools themselves that you think will set you up to succeed well during college. Freshman year is a rough transition for even very well prepared students for a variety of reasons, and recognizing what you need to be successful (not just academically, but socially, emotionally, interpersonally, etc) can be very important. Things like proximity of the school to your family (whether you think you'd prefer to be closer or farther away from them is up to you lol), types of support services available, ability to own a car on campus, fit with university culture, and access to things you do for stress relief can all be good to consider.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

Well then choose whichever you like better! The major you end up graduating with does not really matter and you could major in underwater basketweaving and still get into vet school as long as you completed the necessary prerequisites. Lots of people end up choosing whichever major uses the vet school prereqs as classes for the major, but you definitely don’t have to. Choose a major that interests and that you love and could fall back on if vet school doesn’t work out, even if it isn’t in the sciences or isn’t “animal related” like zoology or animal science.

This. Preferably select a major providing more "technical" skills that is heavy on lab work if research is your interest. Many biology degrees are only useful if you pursue a graduate program.

I was a Microbiology major and it lead me into pathology, but aside from that it provided me no strong job leads. It is very similar to the medical technology degree, which is more heavily lab focused and pays at least 1.5x what im making now.

Additionally, you can get involved in research no matter your major. Again, I was in Microbiology but conducted research in the neurobiology, general biology, enviemronmental science, and comparative medicine departments. They dont care (from my experience) as long as you're skilled and interested.

 

[kiwikitten]

I went to MN for undergrad and am still there in vet school (something about that MN Nice, man, it keeps you here). There are a lot of research options here if that’s something you’re interested in.

I was an animal science major, not fisheries, but any major can get you to vet school if you take the pre-reqs.

Happy to answer U-specific questions if you have any, obviously I liked it here a little 😛

I actually was looking at the animal science major at the U! However, I think I am leaning toward the FWCB major because I want to have other career options I would be interested in if becoming a vet didn't work out. It seemed to me that the animal science major was geared more toward food animal stuff which didn't really appeal to me.

I may be a little biased towards the U since I'm from MN, but I really liked CFANS and the school as a whole when I visited... in terms of campus/community I liked it a little better than UW Madison.

Have you heard/seen anything about what the FWCB program is like during your time at the U? Just curious to get a student's perspective if you know anything 🙂

 

[kiwikitten]

If you want a little input on the degree programs themselves irrespective of schools, speaking as someone with a zoology degree I would say that it tends to be more heavy on taxonomy, phylogenetics, and basic bench science work than the FWCB major. FWCB is usually more focused on the management side of things, with more emphasis on populations, interaction of the environment with animal populations (so more emphasis on plant biology and geoscience), and the philosophy behind conservationism and what that means in context. There is a pretty significant overlap between the two (especially when you factor in prereqs), and you can certainly get into veterinary school with either.

I think you should pursue what you're interested in and consider how each would fit in with possible backup plans (in case you change your mind about vet med or need to take a gap year or two before you get in), career goals (including those within vet med), your own interests, and what you feel excited to learn about.

Something I will also add is to consider some personal factors about the schools themselves that you think will set you up to succeed well during college. Freshman year is a rough transition for even very well prepared students for a variety of reasons, and recognizing what you need to be successful (not just academically, but socially, emotionally, interpersonally, etc) can be very important. Things like proximity of the school to your family (whether you think you'd prefer to be closer or farther away from them is up to you lol), types of support services available, ability to own a car on campus, fit with university culture, and access to things you do for stress relief can all be good to consider.

Thank you for the input! What kind of options are there with a FWCB major? I may be looking too far ahead, but if vet school didn't work out I would still like to have a career studying animals, and would be interested in pursuing a pHD instead-- kind of a dumb question, but do you need a BS in Zoology to work toward becoming a zoologist?

For some reason, I find myself leaning toward the UMN when it comes to other factors. I had the opportunity to tour both schools, but ended up liking the campus/community vibe in MN better. However, from what you said, a Zoology major does sound really appealing to me and seems like it might provide more options in the future?

 

[kiwikitten]

This. Preferably select a major providing more "technical" skills that is heavy on lab work if research is your interest. Many biology degrees are only useful if you pursue a graduate program.

I was a Microbiology major and it lead me into pathology, but aside from that it provided me no strong job leads. It is very similar to the medical technology degree, which is more heavily lab focused and pays at least 1.5x what im making now.

Additionally, you can get involved in research no matter your major. Again, I was in Microbiology but conducted research in the neurobiology, general biology, enviemronmental science, and comparative medicine departments. They dont care (from my experience) as long as you're skilled and interested.

Thank you for the insight! I am definitely hoping to seek research opportunities at whatever school I go to. I'm thinking that I could maybe minor in biochem/pharmacology if I did FWCB to allow myself to branch out from my major and explore these other areas in more depth.

 

[supershorty]

I actually was looking at the animal science major at the U! However, I think I am leaning toward the FWCB major because I want to have other career options I would be interested in if becoming a vet didn't work out. It seemed to me that the animal science major was geared more toward food animal stuff which didn't really appeal to me.

I may be a little biased towards the U since I'm from MN, but I really liked CFANS and the school as a whole when I visited... in terms of campus/community I liked it a little better than UW Madison.

Have you heard/seen anything about what the FWCB program is like during your time at the U? Just curious to get a student's perspective if you know anything 🙂

I knew a few students in FWCB when I was an undergrad, we had most of the same classes together, but I don't know what they had in terms of electives or anything. The ansci major might have changed since I was in undergrad (I graduated in 2013), but when I was getting my degree, it was pretty free-form as far as classes. We had some production animal stuff, but not a ton that was required. My degree ended up being more like a bio/genetics degree because of the courses I chose to take.

 

[vetmedhead]

Thank you for the input! What kind of options are there with a FWCB major? I may be looking too far ahead, but if vet school didn't work out I would still like to have a career studying animals, and would be interested in pursuing a pHD instead-- kind of a dumb question, but do you need a BS in Zoology to work toward becoming a zoologist?

For some reason, I find myself leaning toward the UMN when it comes to other factors. I had the opportunity to tour both schools, but ended up liking the campus/community vibe in MN better. However, from what you said, a Zoology major does sound really appealing to me and seems like it might provide more options in the future?

Most of the people I know who majored in FWCB have gone on to careers in public services, predominantly doing things like working for national parks (as rangers, helping manage certain populations of animals within the parks, or in outreach/education roles). There are some working in wildlife rehabilitation as well, though be warned that many of these positions are unfortunately not paid well.

I wouldn't say a BS in zoology is necessary to become a zoologist, rather a decent background in biology (you would get this from either major, maybe very slightly moreso from zoology depending on the subject) and some research experience (which you can get in school) is more helpful for eventually pursuing PhDs and the like.

 

[hygebeorht]

Also, don't count on scholarships being there for you for 4 years. You never know what will happen. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Pick your cheapest option 🙂