First of all, congratulations! Wherever you end up, you can be sure you'll receive a top notch education. I'm also currently trying to decide which school I want to go to, so I can at least give you the criteria I'm using to make the decision (in no particular order):
1) Cost- self explanitory. Since you are out-of-state for all of these schools, it might not be much of an issue. Would you be able to establish residency as a student at any of them? Also think about cost of living.
2) Location/Weather- U of MN is within the Twin Cities, so it's in a more urban area. UPEI I've heard is a bit isolated, and CSU is in Fort Collins (maybe a bit between the other two?).
3) Program of Interest/Faculty- Is there any particular area of Vet Med you're interested in? For example, I've heard that CSU has a great equine program. This is probably more important if you are certain you want to pursue a residency in a less represented area such as opthamology or neurology.
4) Caseload- Not just the number of cases, but the types of animals represented (ie. may be 4000 large animal cases, but if 95% of them are horses not great if you want to do cow stuff).
5) Accrediation/Reputation- Since all of them are accredited, you should be fine wherever you end up. I would say that CSU and U of MN are more well-known in the US, so they have generally better reputations here if that is important to you.
6) Facilities- Not as important as other factors, but it'd be nice to be somewhere that wasn't rundown/too old.
7) The Vibe- Since you haven't visited CSU, this is a bit tough. I would compare how comfortable you were at the other schools though.
8) Class Size- Do you need to be in a small class, or is this what you are used to? Realize that larger classes are (I believe) generally broken up for certain labs, and that for your last 1-2 years you'll be in clinics- however I would think the lectures would gernerally be for the entire class.
That's all I can think of for now. Is there anything I left out? As I said before, you'll be fine wherever you end up- this is the fun part of the process really, so don't stress too much. Let us know when you make your decision!
Andrew
Myah said:
Where would you go and why? I am trying to make a decision between U of Minnesota, Prince Edward Island, and Colorado State University.
Anyone currently attending CSU - how do you feel about the large class size? I did not have a chance to visit this school (no out-of-state interviews) so any information is appreciated.
