UF vs. UPennVet

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Equine2285

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hey guys i'm brand new to this thing! I have a question I wanna throw out there. I've been accepted to UF and i'm really close to the top of the waiting list at penn, so i have a chance of getting accepted there. Which do I choose if price wasn't an option (UF's in state for me) and I have family in both states! Oh yea, and I want to do equine surgery and both are great at equine!!!

What's you opinion?? Penn or UF? Why would you choose one over the other? (no biasness just because you went or are going there!)
 
Florida due to the climate. ;-)

You go to vet school to become a vet, you go through residency to become an equine surgeon. Either school will allow you the opportunity to get yourself an internship/residency. I would be much more concerned with cost, how good of a "fit" you are for each school, etc.

Congrats either way.

Edit: How could I forget to mention that UF is in the SEC (... you'll wish you were at UF come football season, although - Auburn will own you all, yet again...) 🙂
 
Plus at UF you can relax at football and basketball games when your not completely bogged down at work!
 
I don't really know much about UF, but Penn has a fabulous equine program. All in all, go where you would be comfortable, and I would say cost is definitely something to consider.
 
Not to mention UF instate is what? 9k a year in tuition? Thats got to be way cheaper than UPenn out of state.
 
It's funny you ask that 🙂 This year, 10+ of my classmates were accepted at Penn, and decided to come here. What can I say, Florida rocks ;-)
 
tuition at UF is way cheaper and you said it yourself, they're both great schools....i don't know that i could justify the extra expense
 
Hurricanes in Gainesville is a moot point. Pretty much the center of the state, 2 hrs to either coast and hurricanes (thankfully) don't seem to hit through this area

since 1867 there have been 148 Tropical storm --> Cat 5 storms within 65 miles of Gville. I think the largest was actually a category 3 in 1964.

I'd go to UF for a pure economic sense however which is a LARGE reason to choose one over the other.
 
ok, so I said cost was not a factor ... I LOVE both schools.

does anyone think that the name (an Ivy) is worth it in the long run?? Would you be able to get farther ahead on an Ivy name, make more connections, etc?? Or, since there are so few vet schools, any is just as good as the other?

Is one school better known for more hands on experience? Better job at getting their kids into GOOD residencies and internships?? What have you heard?

Maybe a pro / con list would work??:

Pro UF: great w/ equine program, close to home, cheap, everythings on 1 campus
Con UF: HOT, hurricanes, down in south

Pro Penn: up north, IVY name, great equine program
Con Penn: EXPENSIVE, split campus

Any others?? continue the list! Thanks guys... this is a lot of help!!!
 
Equine2285 said:
does anyone think that the name (an Ivy) is worth it in the long run?? Would you be able to get farther ahead on an Ivy name, make more connections, etc??
Click to expand...

It depends on what field you're going into...research, maybe, clinical, maybe not.

There has already been an extensive pro/con list for Penn in the Penn vs. Tufts thread...you should look for it because it takes a while to construct a comprehensive one. When we made it I was emailing students and faculty with tons of questions, so the list is directly from the source.
 
I understand that you love both schools (I know that Penn's a great school and from what I understand UF is too). and you said cost was not an option. However, I just can't see spending twice as much to attend Penn out of state than you would attending Florida in state. Why put yourself in such debt when you have already been accepted to another great school? Why don't you just go to UF and do your surgery residency at Penn?
 
Without repeating everyone else----because I agree that UF is MUCH better financially, here are some good things about Florida:

You mentioned everything on one campus---this is really nice for large animal people. It may help you to get involved faster.

Florida is also the home of the jumpers' winter circuit! During the school year, the most elite horse shows and training will probably be happening in Florida (because it's snowy in Pennsylvania). I'm sure that many other riding professionals snowbird in Florida, so this might present a chance to see some interesting cases where owners can afford the expensive surgeries!

If you plan to practice in Florida, it might be nice to be educated in a similiar environment....perhaps see cases unique to its climate?

For diversity's sake, you will probably see more reptiles too 🙂
 
Heres a big pro about Florida if your into horses...... (I go there as undergraduate)

-Your 30ish minutes from "THe Horse Capital of The World" Marion County. That means lots of patients for you to work on, especially expensive patients!
-Lots of events to go to if your into that too because of this.


(Plus like I said before! Reigning National Champions in Football and Basketball!)
 
Equine...I know that you said money is not an issue, but even if that means you're fabulously wealthy and it's just a drop in the bucket, there's no reason to waste an extra $100,000 of your (or your parents') money if you like them both pretty much equally. That being said, if you really do like Penn better, then go for it.

I vote for Penn because it's in Philly, because they just built that gigantic new 10-story vet med building, because they have enormous resources, and because you know they can hook you up with whatever you want with their Ivy League good ol' boy network 😛
 
wow !! this website is way more help then I thought it'd be! You guys are sooo helpful.

I'm curious...doesn't Penn also have a huge horse scene? I only know of florida's...I figured they'd be snow birds, and all the horses I see in the summer in florida go back up north in the fall/winter. Is this not true?

Also, do you think the average person that needs an equine vet would better know Penn as a better school, no questions asked, because: "that's where Barbaro went and was treated by the now world famous Dr. Richardson"!!??!

PS...how IS the city (Philly)...I've never lived in one before. I've heard that its reasonably unsafe. Also, is there anyplace your dog can run if he comes up with you!?
 
Equine2285 said:
wow !! this website is way more help then I thought it'd be! You guys are sooo helpful.

I'm curious...doesn't Penn also have a huge horse scene? I only know of florida's...I figured they'd be snow birds, and all the horses I see in the summer in florida go back up north in the fall/winter. Is this not true?

Also, do you think the average person that needs an equine vet would better know Penn as a better school, no questions asked, because: "that's where Barbaro went and was treated by the now world famous Dr. Richardson"!!??!
Click to expand...

Not true at all about snowbirds. Like I said UF is 30ish minutes from Ocala and Marion County which has the most horses of ANY county in the US. Thats not just in the fall/winter that is always.
 
cyrille104 said:
I vote for Penn because it's in Philly
Click to expand...

I see you've come around!

For the OP, Philly is a great city, especially in the Center City / University City core. These areas are very safe, and basically anything you could want to do (restaurants, bars, libraries, museums, theaters, etc.) are walkable from where you'd live. There are several dog parks/runs in the Center City area, including one right across the Schuylkill River from Penn. And Rittenhouse Square is heaven if you're a dog lover/watcher.
 
Equine2285 said:
wow !! this website is way more help then I thought it'd be! You guys are sooo helpful.

I'm curious...doesn't Penn also have a huge horse scene? I only know of florida's...I figured they'd be snow birds, and all the horses I see in the summer in florida go back up north in the fall/winter. Is this not true?

Also, do you think the average person that needs an equine vet would better know Penn as a better school, no questions asked, because: "that's where Barbaro went and was treated by the now world famous Dr. Richardson"!!??!

PS...how IS the city (Philly)...I've never lived in one before. I've heard that its reasonably unsafe. Also, is there anyplace your dog can run if he comes up with you!?
Click to expand...
New Bolton is smack in teh center of eastern PA's eventing and steeplechase scene, with philip dutton and michael matz just minutes away. vince dugan is *literally* across the street as well. so yeah, there's a huge horse scene.

people would Penn as a "better school" (your words, not mine) because it's Penn, not because of Barbaro. imho. i may be the biggest, most narrow-sighted ignoramus on this board, but after all the vets i've worked for, i haven't heard of UF's equine program. i was narrow though, and had my sights set on Penn the whole time.

there are dog parks in university city apparently, but don't let him run loose down your street 😉.
 
Equine2285 said:
PS...how IS the city (Philly)...I've never lived in one before. I've heard that its reasonably unsafe. Also, is there anyplace your dog can run if he comes up with you!?
Click to expand...

The dog parks I've seen in the city are pretty pitiful but there are plenty of places in the suburbs -I've never seen any that allow unleashed dogs but better to ask forgiveness rather than permission -dogs run off leash all the time. Faramount park is huge and there's plenty of areas for dog walking but as far as I know they have to be leashed even tho I see people w/ unleashed dogs often.
I wouldn't really say that Philly is any more unsafe than other major cities and center city is fine, just be careful about where you live as there are some really bad parts. I would personally live in the suburbs and just take Regional Rail lines into the city if I was worried about "city life", it's what I do now for an internship that I have but the tickets are expensive (100$ plus for a monthly pass).
 
Well, maybe I've missed something, but there is always the fact that you've been accepted to UF but not to UPenn yet that makes UF look awfully good! 😉

But, if you've gotten into Penn, it pretty much takes us back to square one. Sorry, I don't really have any relevant info on either school.
 
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