UMN (OOS) vs. Tufts (IS)

[_rae_]

Hello!

I was accepted to Tufts, UMN, and AVC UPEI, but decided to drop PEI because of the new immigration rules. However, I'm really struggling with choosing between UMN and Tufts. I'm interested in specializing, but I'm not sure in what yet.

Tufts:
Cons:
IS, but tuition is still $61k
Worried about huge jump in class size (108 to 130)
Grafton, MA is in the middle of nowhere
COL in MA is stupid high, making COA higher
Feels like the "safe" option to pick
Haven't really loved living in Boston and worried that feeling will continue through school

Pros:
Near my entire family/fiance's family
IS means no moving costs/stress
I already know people at Tufts
Wildlife clinic and Tufts at Tech

UMN:
Cons:
Moving costs/stress is significant. Concerned about moving my cats there
No safety net (no family, no friends there; my parents are older and I'm worried about being away from them)
OOS tuition is $62k
Generally anxious about big change

Pros:
Gave me a $15k first year scholarship
COL is lower than MA
Fiance and I are looking for a change
Love the program, especially raptor center, SIRVS, and VeTOUCH
I think I could really find my own place there based on the student ambassadors I got to meet
Super LGBTQ+ inclusive city

I keep telling myself I want to go to Minnesota, and then I keep coming up with reasons not to accept my seat yet. I feel like the pros and cons of each balance each other out, and I'm looking for something to tip the scales.

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[sailouwa]

hi!! i’m also deciding between umn and tufts with both being OOS. i’m also interested in specializing but unsure which specialty i want to go into. although i really like umn and how they really focus on the students’ wellbeing/mental health, i told myself i’ll only go if they offer me a scholarship. they haven’t emailed me any sort of those yet and i’ve seen ppl said they’ve gotten emails/calls about it so im assuming i wasn’t selected for their scholarship. congrats on the scholarship btw!! i’m from the east coast and i can’t justify how far i’ll be from home without any scholarship to support me, so i think im leaning more towards tufts!

 

[supershorty]

There are quite a few students from both schools on these forums who could probably answer questions for you

@max_wildlife for Tufts (I don't know what other active Tufts people are here tbh)
@potentialsheltervet, @walnutboi, @vetsquared, and me for UMN (with the caveat that I went through UMN's old pre-clinical curriculum, so ask the first 3 questions about years 1-3, my experience is out of date)

 

[max_wildlife]

Hey @_rae_
I know you said you already know some folks at Tufts, and tbh I’m not sure if we’ve already chatted, but I’m happy to answer any questions you might have! I’m a current third-year about to start clinics, and the curriculum is changing with the v28s, so I’m not totally sure what will still be applicable. Current students are a little concerned about the new class size, just in terms of parking and scheduling.

Honestly, your pro/con list resonates with me; it was pretty similar to mine, though I do spend a lot of time in Boston/Portland/Worcester so I try to get out often. If those cities aren’t working any magic for you now, I’m guessing they won’t during vet school either. After nearly three years in the area I’m starting to feel restless for sure.

Wildlife clinic and Tufts at Tech are both nice; I’ve had experience at both and they’ve both been worthwhile. To be honest though, aside from my work study project, I get most of my wildlife experience outside of school just due to the scheduling requirements of volunteering/work study there.

Do you have any specific questions?

 

[_rae_]

Hey @_rae_
I know you said you already know some folks at Tufts, and tbh I’m sure if we’ve already chatted, but I’m happy to answer any questions you might have! I’m a current third-year about to start clinics, and the curriculum is changing with the v28s, so I’m not totally sure what will still be applicable. Current students are a little concerned about the new class size, just in terms of parking and scheduling.

Honestly, your pro/con list resonates with me; it was pretty similar to mine, though I do spend a lot of time in Boston/Portland/Worcester so I try to get out often. If those cities aren’t working any magic for you now, I’m guessing they won’t during vet school either. After nearly three years in the area I’m starting to feel restless for sure.

Wildlife clinic and Tufts at Tech are both nice; I’ve had experience at both and they’ve both been worthwhile. To be honest though, aside from my work study project, I get most of my wildlife experience outside of school just due to the scheduling requirements of volunteering/work study there.

Do you have any specific questions?

Thanks so much! I don't know if we've talked yet! I know Juliana who is a V26 and I work with Dr. Kristine Burgess who graduated from Tufts and was faculty there for a long time. When I went to visit I was able to speak with someone from facilities who mentioned putting up temporary structures for the incoming class (obviously didn't come from admin, but something I'm worried about).

Don't get me wrong, I actually love a lot of things about Boston. We've also been here for about 3 years. We loved camping on the cape. The restaurant scene here is awesome. We're just lacking green space and things to do that don't cost money, something that seems more prevalent in Minneapolis. We also have found that Boston is very queer tolerant whereas Minneapolis is queer inclusive. I haven't spent as much time in Worcester/Portland, but definitely want to.

I guess my main questions are:
Do you find with schedule/COL you're still able to do things? Sounds like you're able to get out a lot which is something that's super important to me. I'm lucky to have the support of my fiance but when a one bedroom costs ~$1700 here when MN they're like $1000-$1200 I worry about not having any flexibility to still be a mid-20-something that gets to explore the world.

What do you feel like the culture is like? Minnesota and Tufts have very different vibes but I don't know how to explain/differentiate them.

What kind of support do students have? If someone is struggling what does that look like?

You mentioned volunteering/work study. What kind of hours are you able to work? I worked two-three jobs in undergrad on top of a 21 credit schedule so I'm used to being busy, but I don't want to underestimate the difficulty of the coursework.

That's all I can think of right now! Like I said, they feel very equal and I'm looking for any piece of info that might tip the scales. I'm still strongly leaning toward UMN, but like I said, there's a lot about Tufts that makes a lot of sense for me. I never thought I'd have choices so I'm very shocked at how hard this decision is.

 

[supershorty]

Holler if there are any specific questions you have for the UMN crowd, too

 

[potentialsheltervet]

I'm a UMN first year who moved here from Texas and am attending OOS, so let me know if there are questions related to that!

 

[vetsquared]

I will try to address some of the things you brought up above, but if you have specific questions regarding UMN, please let me know so I can be more specific! (Also just to caveat, I will not be addressing cost because we all know how this forum feels about it)

1. Moving. Yes, moving sucks. It is quite literally my least favorite thing in the world. There’s a reason that I’m living in the same apartment for all four years of vet school! But I also don’t believe that the temporary discomfort and stress of moving should preclude you from pursuing other opportunities like attending a vet school that could be a good fit. And I think there is a huge personal benefit to exploring different regions of the country and living in different places, but maybe I’m just an extra adventurous person like that haha.

2. Not knowing anyone in MN: I hear you saying that you and your fiancé are looking for a change, but moving across the country is intimidating. That’s totally valid! But, in the words of my favorite poet Taylor Swift, “nothing safe is worth the drive.” I moved from the opposite coast to MN without knowing a single person here and I think it was the best decision of my life. The benefit of being in a major metro area is quick access to a major airport, so if you needed to return home quickly, you’d have no issue finding a flight. There are tons of ways to get involved on campus with different organizations to find your place, and being in a major city also means lots of things to do so your fiancé wont just be stuck in a college town with nothing to do. I think “Minnesota nice” is definitely a thing, although I do get small-town vibes sometimes.

3. Class size: it sounds like Tufts will be increasing the class size with your class? I can’t speak to that, but I’m in the guinea pig first class at UMN to have an additional 20 SDSU students join us for 3rd and 4th year. I can tell you that being the first class for a change like that definitely has growing pains. Those things will no doubt be smoothed out at UMN by your class, and idk what preparation Tufts has done for it/what the situation is, but just something to consider.

4. Student support: UMN has an embedded counselor and a social worker in the vet school. I personally haven’t used their services, but they are available to everyone. For first years, before the first exam in the major classes, a program call JumpStart! offers review sessions run by second years to help with test prep. Additionally, any students who have a failing grade are automatically given a peer coach to help them in that subject, which is at no cost to the student. We all want people to succeed!! And finally, each week a survey is sent out to all the students to get feedback on what went well and what could be improved from that week. The following week, when the next survey is sent out, we are actually told what steps will be taken in response to the student feedback. What other school does this?!?! I am constantly blown away by the way UMN takes student feedback and wellness seriously- it’s not just lip service.

 

[max_wildlife]

Thanks so much! I don't know if we've talked yet! I know Juliana who is a V26 and I work with Dr. Kristine Burgess who graduated from Tufts and was faculty there for a long time. When I went to visit I was able to speak with someone from facilities who mentioned putting up temporary structures for the incoming class (obviously didn't come from admin, but something I'm worried about).

Don't get me wrong, I actually love a lot of things about Boston. We've also been here for about 3 years. We loved camping on the cape. The restaurant scene here is awesome. We're just lacking green space and things to do that don't cost money, something that seems more prevalent in Minneapolis. We also have found that Boston is very queer tolerant whereas Minneapolis is queer inclusive. I haven't spent as much time in Worcester/Portland, but definitely want to.

I guess my main questions are:
Do you find with schedule/COL you're still able to do things? Sounds like you're able to get out a lot which is something that's super important to me. I'm lucky to have the support of my fiance but when a one bedroom costs ~$1700 here when MN they're like $1000-$1200 I worry about not having any flexibility to still be a mid-20-something that gets to explore the world.

What do you feel like the culture is like? Minnesota and Tufts have very different vibes but I don't know how to explain/differentiate them.

What kind of support do students have? If someone is struggling what does that look like?

You mentioned volunteering/work study. What kind of hours are you able to work? I worked two-three jobs in undergrad on top of a 21 credit schedule so I'm used to being busy, but I don't want to underestimate the difficulty of the coursework.

That's all I can think of right now! Like I said, they feel very equal and I'm looking for any piece of info that might tip the scales. I'm still strongly leaning toward UMN, but like I said, there's a lot about Tufts that makes a lot of sense for me. I never thought I'd have choices so I'm very shocked at how hard this decision is.

Yep - can confirm that my class received an email with info about a temporary structure. I don't think they've decided where they're putting it yet. It's all a little confusing.

So with schedule/cost of living, yes, I am still able to do things. I have a dog, and getting her out on hikes is a big priority of mine. I also just have a lot of restless energy, so I find getting out is a really high priority of mine. I do sacrifice my grades for that a bit. But I'd lose my mind if I had to sit still all the time. If it's a weekend where I really can't get to the city or the ocean - like when we had cardio/neuro exams back to back, I'd still go hiking/running locally. I just set realistic expectations for my grades.

The culture isn't too bad, but I find it varies between classes. I've found my people here for sure. I found one professor that took me under their wing with wildlife stuff, so I found some support there. And I'd agree with queer-tolerant; I'll message you to share a little more about both that, and struggling - just to not totally give up my identity online. More broadly, struggling mental health wise, we have one on-campus and one online counselor; we also have like an online psychiatric service available too. Academically, most of the support comes from talking with the professor directly.

For what it's worth, I visited Minneapolis for a couple of days last year. I only saw a snippet of it, but it felt less chaotic than greater Boston, even the Grafton area, where I feel like the sort of chaotic Boston energy leaks in. I can agree about price, too. My first one-bedroom nearish Grafton cost about $1400; when I moved in with roommates it cut the price nearly in half, though it seems like rent is going up for a lot of people I know. Thankfully I'm locked in. The complexes around school are super pricy unfortunately.

As far as work goes, I worked in the hospital during a rather busy semester and managed a 9-hour day every other week or so. And currently I do somewhere between 5-10 hours per week on my project. It was kind of a shock for me, because it's not much compared to what I balanced in the past - I had four jobs during grad school. But I'm not a great test-taker, so I really had to cut back and take my schedule into my own hands. This was a struggle, financially, but I've made it work between loans and other forms of aid.
I only volunteered during first-year; I had to skip class in order to do so. I loved it, and it reminded me just why I was in vet school, but I just couldn't adhere to a strict schedule. This also really depends on the person, though; some people manage to balance both without too many issues.

 

[potentialsheltervet]

Regarding wildlife opportunities:
The Raptor Center takes student employees periodically and will send out an email when they're looking for people (usually to help with the summer season). They also offer mini rotations where you can see how it works and get to observe things. This is also a really good way to make connections with wildlife people who will likely be able to link you to other opportunities. I just did a Raptor Center mini rotation Thursday and it was really neat.
There's a zoo/avian/exotic/wildlife club that has a LOT of wet labs, lectures, and other things to do. I'm not a member since I don't want to do wildlife or exotics, but that club constantly has things happening. I will mention the wet labs are very competitive.
The Wildlife Rehab Center (about ten, fifteen minutes from the school) also offers a summer internship and some necropsy shadowing opportunities.
I know of several clinics in the metro area that see exotics where you could shadow or potentially get a job doing one shift a weekend or something. Some are GP-focused but happen to also see exotics while others are more exotics specific.
There are several research and field opportunities in the area related to Chronic Wasting Disease.
Frankly, there is not a lot of exotics/wildlife information present in the base curriculum (I believe this is true for every vet school unfortunately), so wildlife is kind of a choose your own adventure. One of my friends is wanting to do wildlife and she's doing a bunch outside of school for experience. However, I feel like the school gives you the space and opportunity to diversify and if you reach out to certain professors they can help you on that path.

 

[_rae_]

Thank you everyone so, so much! Between financial aid, the info I gained here, and my mom telling me not to choose because of them, I realized nothing Tufts could say at accepted students' day would change my mind. Put down my deposit and officially going to be a Minnesotan! Thank you!

 

[vetsquared]

Yay!! Congrats on joining the gopher fam!!