I have posted on here before with multiple schools, but I am now in a place where I have narrowed down my choices to Texas A&M and The Ohio State. I am having an extremely difficult time determining where I want to go. Both of these schools have amazing programs, and I have be able to tour both of them. Texas A&M is my IS school; therefore, making it my cheapest option. Along with being my cheapest option, it is also located the closest to my hometown. Despite all of this, I do feel more drawn to Ohio State. I have being wanting a change of pace for quite of time (away from Texas); and rather than wanting to travel after I am a practicing veterinarian, I would much rather use my four years to “move off” and come back home after to work. I have been fortunate enough to have received a fair scholarship at OSU. While it does make the OOS cost more manageable first year, A&M is still significantly cheapest. In addition, Ohio State is a very far distance from my hometown; and, I wouldn’t be able to travel home as much as I could at A&M. I guess my question is if you were in my situation what would you do and why? I think it is also worth noting I intend to specialize in Small Animal practice and if one of these schools are more favorable for this specific field, please let me know. Thanks in advance guys!! The deadline is QUICKLY approaching...
I was about to type everything bird.nerd said, but I don't have to, because she did such a fantastic job of it. So, I'll just say that I agree with her fully. While you're in school, a support system nearby is SO important (and to be honest, you don't understand that fully until you're actually in vet school and desperate for that support). Having already had a few family emergencies in just my first year of vet school, I'll also agree that it makes a huge difference to be close.
When you're out of school, having the lowest possible debt becomes incredibly important. I will say... I really didn't worry about the debt when I enrolled in vet school. I'm nontraditional and a little older, my mortgage and cars are paid off, I don't have any debt from either of my undergrad degrees, so I really wasn't that concerned about student loan debt on down the line. How bad could it be, right? Most people juggle it with other expenses I don't have to worry about. Except... watching it add up (and this is with in state tuition, scholarships, and no interest due to Covid) is surprisingly frightening. If you're younger and there's the possibility of wanting to buy a house and/or start a family on down the line a bit... I can't imagine that stress. Don't do it to yourself if you have the option not to.
Just for the record, I am at A&M, and I really can't say I'm a fan of College Station. It's a personal thing; a lot of people absolutely love it here, and it has it's charms. I happen to be from the Dallas area, and a lot of the things I loved (the zoo, the museums, independent movie theaters, my ballroom dancing group, all the nature preserves, even silly things like nice grocery stores) just aren't here. It's also ridiculously humid. That said, I love the atmosphere at the vet school, and I'm so busy with vet school that I wouldn't really have that much time for the stuff I'm missing anyway. Dallas, Houston, and Austin are all close enough to be explored during breaks (when we aren't in a pandemic), so that has to be okay for now. I really don't think the location of the school is going to matter as much as you feel it will right now. (Believe me, when I graduated with my bachelor's from A&M and was accepted to vet school, I cringed at the thought of four more years here.) The most important thing is to minimize your stress as much as possible, because vet school is stressful enough on its own. Less debt and close family are great ways to do that.
