Hello and Welcome to the TUSVM family!
I am currently a third year student at Tuskegee's vet school. So I can give you a little insight on what it is like here.
AUgirl is right, there are many TUSVM students that live in Auburn. However, all of us don't live there. Deciding on which town to live in really depends on the student. Some live in Tuskegee, some in Auburn, we even have people that commute from Columbus, GA or Montgomery, AL. It really just depends on what you are looking for.
I can say this though. It is easier to live closer to the school during your clinic years (3rd and 4th year). You have long hours in the clinic, surgery dogs to take care of, and you never know when you will be called in for a case. I had a few classmates move from Auburn to Tuskegee this year because they knew they would be at school all the time anyway. BUT Auburn has Walmart, Movies, and more places go out to eat and hang out. So it is up to you.
Please realize though this is vet school and not undergrad. There isn't much time for hanging out. Especially first year. You will probably be spending all of your time in the "pit". That is what we call our anatomy lab, but make sure not to call it that in front of the professors, lol.
Most students will tell you, that they have never studied this much in their lives!! We spend so much time studying, that when we are not studying we feel guilty and are thinking about studying. It is a weird feeling, but it is a normal adjustment first year.
Tuskegee is a small, rural town with not too much going on. Which is not really all that bad considering you will most of your time in the lab or in your books (if you think I am kidding, I can put you in contact with some of our first years). But when we have the time, the vet students make their own fun. Our parties are legendary around here. We don't get many chances to cut loose, so when we do, we do it big.
If parties are not your thing, there are other things to do. My classmates and I just went Kayaking yesterday. We don't get much free time, but by third year you learn to manage you time well. Most of us went home after that and studied.
Since we are such a small school, everyone pretty much knows everyone. I am proud to say that AUgirl is also right in saying we are a pretty tight nit group. We look at TUSVM as more of a family. Your classmates begin to feel like your brothers and sisters. Class pride (and rivalry) is a big thing here. For some it is a tough adjustment, but you will soon be identified by your class. People may not know your name, but they know you are a 2014er. The class begins to develop an identity of it's own.
When you first get here you will go to Veterinary Leadership Experience (VLE). That will be your first chance to get to know your classmates and the class of 2013. You will be assigned a "Big" from the Class of 2013. This is a student that is there to be like a big bother/big sister and help you get adjusted to TUSVM life.
It's not hard meeting people since we do have school events, in which all the vet school students are mixed up.
This year we implemented a program called "Building Bridges". This program which was designed to bring the vet students from Tuskegee and Auburn together. We had a big party at the beginning of last semester and it went well. I believe the program will continue next year. The previous year students from Auburn and Tuskegee road a bus together to the SAVMA (you will learn what this is when you get here) Symposium in Cincinnati. We competed in a few sporting activities together and got to know each other pretty well. I don't know what the history is between the two schools, but I know right now the students at both are pretty cool with each other.
This post is long enough, so I won't keep going, lol. I hope I answered most of you questions. If you have anymore please feel free to hit me up.
Congratulations and Welcome!!!!
