UPenn vs Davis

[bijou2000]

I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts/comparisons of these two schools. It's hard to discuss it with current students or even alums of these programs because how are they to know what the other program is like?

After I visited Penn I really liked it more than I thought I would. The students I met as well as the faculty really drew me to the school. Unlike Davis, I felt that Penn actually made an effort to at least 'appear' to be recruiting as well as interviewing.

However, throughout this process I've been impressed with Davis' modern approach to the application process, using email to send interview and offer letters, having the application be online etc. It seems almost silly to even note this but given how many other schools seem behind on the technology curve, I have to credit Davis. Being a technology geek myself I can appreciate the time and effort they put forth.

Ultimately, Davis is my in-state school and the allure of staying in CA and saving on costs has me perplexed because I did like Penn so much.

I believe that both schools have great programs. Penn emphasized their hospital's extraordinary case load, which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing because although it's a lot of work I'm sure it also provides great experience.

What are other people's thoughts and perspectives on the two schools? What factors should I be considering in making my decision?

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[ghostsamurai]

I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts/comparisons of these two schools. ...QUOTE]


Tough choice.
I can't tell you one way or the other. But what I can tell you is why I like Davis over my other choices for school:
1) Career interests: I'm interested in a non-traditional career. I like Davis because of my career interests in public health and the wealth of opportunities available to do research (either public health or lab research) while in school [my background is in public health and have spent many years doing biomed research and public health work]. According to my Davis tour guide, Davis faculty pump out more published work than any other vet school; more than twice the next school.
2) Resources: Davis is the primary veterinary school for the state of California. Most, if not all, schools get a subtantial amount of funding from their state or contracted states. California is the richest state in the union (5th or 6th richest economy in the world...in other words, if California were in the G8 Summit, California would bump some country off the list) and thus has lots of money from state resources. The school just received its full accreditation because it finally modernized some of the research and hospital facilities.
3) Tuition: being in-state makes it a little easier to afford school...only a little
4) Climate: I don't think it snows in Davis, you could always drive to Tahoe to do the snow stuff
5) Other: I'm a runner and cyclist and Davis is bike-city-USA
6) Diversity: being an ethnic minority (and male), I'm more comfortable being in California than most other states...

Penn is a great school, in a big city, with a great reputation. You can't go wrong with either choice.
Good luck!