UPenn vs. Bristol(UK)

[xx28]

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Hi there,

I recently got off the waitlist of UPenn and I'm trying to decide if I should attend UPenn or Bristol University in the UK.

I am an international student from Europe so Bristol is closer to home for me but i will still be paying the OOS/international fee for both. UPenn is definitely much more expensive considering the tuition and living cost, which comes out at around 100k per year compared to Bristol that would be around 65k per year.

I'm also considering other factors like accreditations: UPenn is only accredited for AVMA but Bristol for EAEVE, RCVS and AVMA, which means I would be able to work in both Europe and North America. I personally want to go to UPenn, but being realistic, I'm worried if I won't be able to stay in the US after graduating, it is gonna be really stressful to do all the paperwork to get my degree accredited in the EU. Another thing is that they both have similar curriculum of 2+2, but Bristol does have a lot more hands-on and real life experience since they have work placement for international students. On the other hand, UPenn does not provide CPT, which is the work authorization tied to the curriculum during the studies. UPenn is my best option in the US and a really prestigious school, definitely great if I am able to stay in the states.

Any advice would be really helpful and appreciated! Thank you so much in advance🙂

 

[JaynaAli]

My understanding is that European vet salaries are significantly lower than those in the US, and I can’t imagine paying back 400,000 in loans even on a regular US vet salary, much less on the lower pay in other countries. 260 vs 400 is an extreme difference. Unless your country offers some sort of killer deal on loans I honestly just don’t see how it would be feasible to pay for PENN. have you run numbers on what repayment looks like vs your expected salaries? I know you mentioned wanting to stay in the US but you need to make sure it’s feasible even if you can’t.

 

[supershorty]

That is a massive cost difference. Go to Bristol. Your future self will thank you.

 

[xx28]

Hi, I wanted to follow up with a question about residency. If I decide to pursue residency instead of general practice after graduation. Is Bristol still a better option?

 

[JaynaAli]

Hi, I wanted to follow up with a question about residency. If I decide to pursue residency instead of general practice after graduation. Is Bristol still a better option?

Yes, it still is.

It may be slightly easier to network for a US based internship/residency program if you’re physically in the US, but it’s not worth paying an extra $140,000 (before interest) for that. The fact that you’re not a US citizen (I presume, since you describe yourself as an international student) will be far more limiting for you pursuing internship/residency training programs in the US than where you went to school. People who trained in the UK match to training programs every year just fine, but a lot of the US training programs do not accept non-US/Canada citizen applicants because of visa and prevailing wage requirements which isn’t something you can change.

 

[xx28]

My understanding is that European vet salaries are significantly lower than those in the US, and I can’t imagine paying back 400,000 in loans even on a regular US vet salary, much less on the lower pay in other countries. 260 vs 400 is an extreme difference. Unless your country offers some sort of killer deal on loans I honestly just don’t see how it would be feasible to pay for PENN. have you run numbers on what repayment looks like vs your expected salaries? I know you mentioned wanting to stay in the US but you need to make sure it’s feasible even if you can’t.

Yes, it still is.

It may be slightly easier to network for a US based internship/residency program if you’re physically in the US, but it’s not worth paying an extra $140,000 (before interest) for that. The fact that you’re not a US citizen (I presume, since you describe yourself as an international student) will be far more limiting for you pursuing internship/residency training programs in the US than where you went to school. People who trained in the UK match to training programs every year just fine, but a lot of the US training programs do not accept non-US/Canada citizen applicants because of visa and prevailing wage requirements which isn’t something you can change.

I forgot to reply to the previous one. Tuition cost is not my main concern for attending vet school. I'm not sure if that changes a lot since it would still be hard for me to get into US training programs as an international student. I guess my biggest worry is to graduate from UPenn and ending up leaving because I wasn't able to find an internship to solve my visa issues. Since I am still undecided on my specialty, how difficult is it for an international graduate from an AVMA-accredited school like Bristol to 'pivot' into the US system later in their career (e.g., after 2-3 years of practicing in Europe)? Is the door to US specialization effectively closed if I don't move there immediately after graduation?

 

[JaynaAli]

People don’t care where you went to school. That’s why we tell people to just go to the cheapest school. I mean I haven’t personally been in that situation but I do know a couple non-American vets who went to non-US schools and the visa sponsorship is definitely the biggest hassle they face.

I feel like you just want us to say go to Penn, so if that’s what you want to do then do so. But as an actual vet who has been out of school for over a decade now, I don’t see any significant benefits for Penn over Bristol. And even if cost isn’t your main concern it truly should be. Even if you’re not paying, someone is.

 

[battie]

There are also internship and residency programs within Europe as well. It's not as if you wouldn't be able to specialize just because you go to Bristol