Undergrad question to all vet students or vets

[Kara31191]

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I am looking at colleges this year. I'm in my junior year of high school. I am looking at a number of different New England state schools, however I really like Umass Amherst and the University of New Hampshire at Durham.

Here's where the two school differ. Umass Amherst has less oportunities for undergrads to get involved with research whereas UNH has a lot of people working on research. But- UNH has a smaller number of students (approximately 60) going into animal sciences in total, not even pre-vet. Pre-vet has less than 20 I guess. Umass Amherst has a better program with Animal Sciences overal, and many people are involved.

So here's my question; which is better for vet school in your opinion?

1. Larger # of students, less research opportunities, larger class size, possibly better and more involved overall program. (UMASS Amherst)

2. Smaller # of students, more research, Small class size. (UNH)

I'm looking at a number of schools, but I can't decide with of the two I would prefer, or which school would suit me better.

I am applying to both, but I just am looking for opinions. UNH would be more expensive for me, being out of state. Umass would be about half the price I think. Both have outstanding reps though.

I appreciate your opinions... Thank you in advance!

 

[pressmom]

I am certain there are people on here with experience with these universities that I don't have, but I want to pose a few questions to you that may help you figure things out.

How interested are you in research? Have you done any research projects in high school that might lead you one way or the other?

Is there an honors program at UMass that would allow you to have smaller class sizes and more research opportunities? (Even if you don't qualify for that, there may still be something like a WISE--Women in Science and Engineering--program that would help.)

How much of a financial contribution can your family (or you) make towards not having to go into debt for undergrad? (Because you will most certainly have to go into debt for vet school.)

Have you had any experience in large-size classes that would lead you to know whether you could thrive in that environment? (It is a big jump to those from high school, but some people like it--especially those who are more independent studiers.)

How important is it to you to have a large pre-vet infrastructure? There are people in my class from both schools with one and without one. With a larger program you'll have more help, but there also may be more hoops to jump through, whereas with a school with a smaller program you may receive less guidance, but not have a committee or some such to go through.

Good luck!

 

[dyachei]

My opinion on this is that it all depends on you. I know that I learn better in smaller classes, so I chose a smaller undergrad. It's easy to get lost in a class of over 200, much harder in a class of 20. As for the program, I don't think its important for your undergrad institution to have a pre-vet or animal science program. As long as you take the pre-reqs, there's not usually a problem. The way that it helps is that you can take classes more geared towards animals instead of humans when studying things like physiology. That may help later in the game, but once you get to vet school, they reteach it to you anyway. My undergrad institution didn't have a pre-vet program and there weren't very many pre-vets, but I feel well prepared for vet school. And research is a huge plus. It adds a diversity factor to your application that I've heard many schools are interested in. And it allows you to understand a key aspect of science. Good luck deciding.

 

[Kara31191]

About my financial status. I will definitely be in debt for undergrad alone seeing as my family has five kids. My Mom is becoming a NP, while she is a RNC now, and is going to Regis College online. My two brothers are in college now and I have 2 sisters who will be going to college a few years after me.

My family basically said that I'm on my own for college money. However, here and there they can help me buy a book, or pay a bill. They can't promise me anything though.

 

[Kara31191]

I am certain there are people on here with experience with these universities that I don't have, but I want to pose a few questions to you that may help you figure things out.

How interested are you in research? Have you done any research projects in high school that might lead you one way or the other?

I am interested, however I have yet to have any experience with research. I would love to get involved. I feel like all the science I'm learning now is for no purpose. Sure, maybe one day I will need to know that Copper solutions are blue, but today, what do I care? (Sorry, I've been studying for hours and I'm a bit cynical about my chem test!)

Well, the real experience I am getting now is at a local animal clinic I work for.

Is there an honors program at UMass that would allow you to have smaller class sizes and more research opportunities? (Even if you don't qualify for that, there may still be something like a WISE--Women in Science and Engineering--program that would help.)

I have no idea actually... Maybe someone could answer this for me? Looks like I need to do some more research.

How much of a financial contribution can your family (or you) make towards not having to go into debt for undergrad? (Because you will most certainly have to go into debt for vet school.)

Have you had any experience in large-size classes that would lead you to know whether you could thrive in that environment? (It is a big jump to those from high school, but some people like it--especially those who are more independent studiers.)

My High School is very competitive. All classes are over 30 and under 50. I have no idea if a smaller class size would benefit me. It may, but it may not.

How important is it to you to have a large pre-vet infrastructure? There are people in my class from both schools with one and without one. With a larger program you'll have more help, but there also may be more hoops to jump through, whereas with a school with a smaller program you may receive less guidance, but not have a committee or some such to go through.

What do you mean...? Sorry, it's 10:30 PM

Good luck!

Oh and what I didn't mention is that I may get a tuition waiver for Umass because of my high MCAS scores. I scored all advanced, and I will probably get a lot of money off. I like UNH better, I think, but money is a big factor in all of this. I can't afford anything really. And thank you Dyachei for your opinion. I am not really sure whether a larger class size or a smaller one would benefit me. I feel like the smaller size would help with my low self confidence and I could maybe keep me more focused. I don't know though. I may just have to take a visit and base my decision on what feels right...?

 

[Poke]

If you have no preference or if one doesn't necessarily suit you better, go with what costs you less. You can make the most of of your experience everywhere, and I don't believe it matters where you spend your undergrad, as long as you get the work done, etc etc. I came to undergrad as an out of state resident, and looking at the amount of debt I'm going to have to face.. I get a little nervous. It's not about the money.. Of course it's not! But if you're at the point where you could go either way happily, why make things harder on yourself?

 

[pressmom]

About my financial status. I will definitely be in debt for undergrad alone seeing as my family has five kids. My Mom is becoming a NP, while she is a RNC now, and is going to Regis College online. My two brothers are in college now and I have 2 sisters who will be going to college a few years after me.

My family basically said that I'm on my own for college money. However, here and there they can help me buy a book, or pay a bill. They can't promise me anything though.

I would highly recommend going to best school for which you get scholarships. It is very important to get a quality education, while not going into massive debt.

I don't want to talk down to you about this because you are very mature for a junior in high school, but (to sound like Mr. Mackey from South Park) "Debt is bad, mmmkay." You generally get a certain amount of unsubsidized debt and the rest is accruing interest while you are in school. You will get a similar loan package for vet school. Once you are out of school you generally have 10 years to pay back your Staffords (at least I do) and some people say their debt payment EQUALS their mortgage or rent payment. The less you take out...the less you have to pay back. It's a simple as that.

 

[philomycus]

I knew there were high school kids out there that write well and don't abbreviate every word! Nice to have you aboard!

 

[PiddlingFish]

I knew there were high school kids out there that write well and don't abbreviate every word! Nice to have you aboard!

And there was much rejoicing!



To answer the OP, I think that if you're worried about the cost, as long as the cheaper option has a degree that you're interested in, go for it! I'm not interested in research, so I didn't look for it in my undergrad.

 

[david594]

Umass seems to have a pretty good program and really isnt that much larger than UNH from the sounds of it. The animal sci class at umass this year is starting out around 140 kids and from talking to other people by the time senior year rolls around, there are only around 100 left. So the classes are decent size, but not too big that you can't get to know the professors.

For undergrad I kind of ignored umass as an option as it seemed everybody was going there and it gets a bad reputation as a party school. Now that I am there to finish my pre-reqs I realize the program is very strong and I defenitely would have gone there for undergrad if I knew I wanted animal sci back in highschool.

 

[Kara31191]

I knew there were high school kids out there that write well and don't abbreviate every word! Nice to have you aboard!

Thank you! I am so annoyed with that. Just because you are in high school doesn't mean you have to write like an idiot. I'm sorry! I'm just venting. I may be acting mean, but it's true!

I live in a town in MA where everyone is rich except for the people who live on the Lawrence border. This is where I live. I don't get a lot of information because it's not a common question at my school... The rest of my school has 1000000 worth of college money. This isn't even an exageration.

I like pretty much all of the state schools. I'm going to apply to UMASS Amherst, and the university of New Hampshire. I will most likely just go to whiever one is cheapest because they both seem like good choices. There aren't really any bad points to either of them. Thank you for the debt warnings!

I'm glad you like me! I was hoping I wasn't annoying all of you! Well, I appreciate all of your advice. I am always looking for opinions!

 

[VAgirl]

Just because you are in high school doesn't mean you have to write like an idiot.

👍 Amen, sister! My boyfriend was trying to convince me that that is how an average high school student writes, but I refused to believe it. (It's probably more likely that you're an above-average high school student...but for my own peace of mind, I hope it's at least some of both!)

 

[Kara31191]

👍 Amen, sister! My boyfriend was trying to convince me that that is how an average high school student writes, but I refused to believe it. (It's probably more likely that you're an above-average high school student...but for my own peace of mind, I hope it's at least some of both!)

Possibly a little of both. My exfriend loves to write like "do u wanna hng out 2nite?". Uhm not if you don't stop talking like that...

Good night everyone. School tomorrow. 6AM. Good times. I cannot wait until High School is over!

 

[ylrebmik]

👍 Amen, sister! My boyfriend was trying to convince me that that is how an average high school student writes, but I refused to believe it. (It's probably more likely that you're an above-average high school student...but for my own peace of mind, I hope it's at least some of both!)

I'm a junior in high school as well and a lot of people at my school write like that... because they are lazy and don't want to take time to actually learn what an adverb is. English class is always very long because we have so many people who just don't care and so we always have to go through the same things every year... bit annoying. However, being in school still I wouldn't say abbreviating is the major problem when writing for students... it's making sure everything actually makes sense.

Possibly a little of both. My exfriend loves to write like "do u wanna hng out 2nite?". Uhm not if you don't stop talking like that...

Good night everyone. School tomorrow. 6AM. Good times. I cannot wait until High School is over!

Ex-friend? You're exfriend wants to hang out with you?- Makes me laugh a little.

 

[Kara31191]

I'm a junior in high school as well and a lot of people at my school write like that... because they are lazy and don't want to take time to actually learn what an adverb is. English class is always very long because we have so many people who just don't care and so we always have to go through the same things every year... bit annoying. However, being in school still I wouldn't say abbreviating is the major problem when writing for students... it's making sure everything actually makes sense.

Possibly a little of both. My exfriend loves to write like "do u wanna hng out 2nite?". Uhm not if you don't stop talking like that...

Good night everyone. School tomorrow. 6AM. Good times. I cannot wait until High School is over!

Ex-friend? You're exfriend wants to hang out with you?- Makes me laugh a little.

It makes me laugh too! She wants me to go to the mall with her because I can drive now, and have money. No WAY!

I'm glad there are a few of us to break the abbreviating mold!

 

[ylrebmik]

Wow- thats pathedic on her part.

I've been looking at what I need to send in for college.. I'm taking my ACT tomorrow 🙁 ... I'm not that nervous...I'm looking at this one as practice becasue I'm going to take it twice. (I haven't had time lately to look through any of my things.) I have no idea what I'm going to write for my essays, though. It is stumping me.

 

[Kara31191]

^ I haven't even started the SAT or ACT preparation or anything yet. I did something stupid and never signed up for the PSAT. So I may take the SAT and just see how I do. Of course, I'm doing those random "Prepare for the SAT" booklet things.

I'm so worried. But I did well on the MCAS (Mass Standardized test...) so I should do well on any other standardized tests, or at least I hope!

 

[bostonpet]

Hi Kara,

Look into the Commonwealth College at UMass Amherst. There are a significant amount of resources available to you if you're able to belong and the class sizes are often a lot smaller than just a normal class there. There are more people to give you personal attention, and from my experience, I found that the TAs for large classes were more enthused about their students' work (only matter of opinion).
If you belong to the Commonwealth College, you also qualify to graduate with honors. I may be mistaken, but if you don't belong to the College, regardless of your GPA, you don't graduate with honors. I had a lower GPA than my roommate upon graduation and I graduated cum laude, when she should've been able to graduate magna cum laude. But, since she wasn't a member, she wasn't given the honors 🙁 Things may have changed, but just a helpful hint.
There's also a Talent Advancement Program (TAP) for students who are exceptional in their field of study. They live on a floor in a dorm together and take honors classes all freshman year together. I belonged to the English TAP program, and I have to say, it was a great way to start off college. Some of my best friends came from that group, and it's great to find study partners immediately....

Either way, I definitely have to say it's a tough personal decision you'll need to make when it comes time. Go with your gut, but keep in mind that if you really want to be a vet, you'll have plenty of loans to take out down the line....

 

[PlantersPunch]

Hi,

I'm graduating from UMass in the Spring with Animal Science, I just applied to Tufts and am keeping my fingers crossed! I absolutely recommend the program here, I am also a member of Commonwealth College. The ComCol program is especially conducive to someone looking for research as you have to complete a thesis to graduate magna or summa cum laude. I'm not positive, but I think if you have above a 3.2 regardless of ComCol participation, you graduate with cum laude. Anyways, that's not the most important part. In my opinion, there are TONS of opportunities for research both in the many well-funded labs in our department and also in more hands on settings with vaccine trials or nutrition research in our farm animal population. UMass also allows hands-on experience with our many species of farm animals and has an excellent support network through other majors to supplement your own. We also have BDIC which allows you to design your own major if strict Ansci isn't what you're looking for. I could go on and on about how much I love it here, I'm graduating in 3 years and am kind of wishing I had more time to take advantage of all the opportunities here, which of course is my fault, I guess I'm just eager to get to vet school!

Hope that helps, let me know if I can tell you anything more.

-Kaela

P.S. If you do go here and major in Ansci, take the bio anatomy, not the ansci, you'll understand once you get here!!😉

 

[Kara31191]

Thank you both!

I'm glad that most here have said that they've enjoyed their experiences at Umass. I have been looking into URI also, however it doesn't look as focused on Biolgy or Animal Science as I would have liked. Only 1 person is applying for vet school this year, and the lady said they are more well known for nursing and pharmacy.

Thank you again! 😀

 

[david594]

P.S. If you do go here and major in Ansci, take the bio anatomy, not the ansci, you'll understand once you get here!!😉

But then you miss out on Dr. Howe???

It really is a great program.

 

[PlantersPunch]

But then you miss out on Dr. Howe???

It really is a great program.

Take Stud Farm with Dr. Howe, or behavior, or cat & dog, or hahaha

 

[Kara31191]

^

Geesh, I must make a note about this Dr. Howe person... 🙄

 

[PlantersPunch]

^

Geesh, I must make a note about this Dr. Howe person... 🙄

Dr. Howe is the funniest, most caring man on campus, I LOVE HIM, but he is also getting up there in years. He knows sooooooooooooo much but if you take one of his classes, you aren't really forced to learn the material, that's why I say take a different anatomy since that will matter for vet school. As for all his other classes, take them if you want, they are all electives (I think) you will learn as much as you make yourself. You really shouldn't hold an Ansci degree without experiencing Dr. Howe.

P.S. Don't get too too excited about the tuition waver because it is just that, a TUITION waiver, which means you still need to pay room and board, etc. It is definitely helpful, but don't count on it to pay your bill. That being said, if you're a strong instate student going into ComCol, you will get $6,000 a year from them and hopefully some other scholarships so it's not that difficult to get it paid.

 

[david594]

And the other thing to realize is that every animal science major to go through umass in the last 35 years has had Dr. Howe as a professor. So he is kind of a talking point that other previous grads might ask you about.

 

[elwoodlives]

One other thing to check out:

If you wind up at UMASS and think you'd like to take a smaller course, or just to try something different, you could look into the Five Colleges Consortium. You can take classes at any of the colleges (Hampshire, Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke), provided you don't mind hauling yourself over to another campus when necessary, and last time I check it was free. I'm coming from one of the other four schools, but I'm assuming it works the same way for everybody.

Good luck with your applications!

 

[Kara31191]

Thank you!

And I have heard about the exchange between the schools. Umass sounds like it has just about every experience imaginable there! 😀

 

[chyactnate]

Hello there. I went to UNH for one year and left after that. The classes I had were HUGE..I mean like 250 students in a chemistry class. The Biology classes were a little smaller maybe 100, but unless you get into Honors (I think they have smaller classes) then you are stuck with huge classes. The labs are on the smaller side. There is about 20 students maybe in each one. The calculus classes are HUGE also, I didnt like that school at all, and couldnt wait to leave. As far as animal science, there are some pretty good professors and they have a lot of reasearch going on. I didnt really care for the school and hated the chemistry labs, NOBODY knew what they were talking about....PM me if you have more questions...