UW-Madison vs Purdue

[riverdog4]

I am incredibly lucky to have been accepted into some of my dream schools, but now I've got to make a difficult decision. I would love to hear from students about how supportive they feel the faculty is at Madison and Purdue, how hands-on the curriculum is, and how student relationships feel throughout the school. I have yet to visit either vet school but will be within the next few weeks. Here are my pros/cons of each!

Madison - In State
-Tuition: $33k/yr. I am not originally from WI, but have fought for my in state residency via residency appeals and was granted residency last year as I took pre-reqs at UW-Milwaukee.
-Cost of Living is unfortunately high. My husband and I currently own a house and would love to continuing owning a house. In Madison, we'd only be able to afford a pricey condo, which I'd feel bad for my pup to loose the freedom of a backyard.
-Madison is a super cool area to live. Hubs and I are very outdoorsy, xc skiing, hiking, camping - we've loved living in WI
-Farther from my family in Indiana. Realistically might end back up in Indiana post school.
-Does anyone know when the construction is going to be done on the expansion? and after that are they starting on the old academic building?

Purdue - I think I'm OOS but unsure
-Tuition: OOS $44k/yr, IS $19k/yr.
I went to Purdue for undergrad and was an in state student since I grew up in IN. My parents still live there. I'm not entirely sure what Purdue is considering me (waiting on official acceptance email to come through), but I've assumed out of state? But the entire time I've been in WI I've been in school.
-Cost of Living is lower than Madison. We could buy a house easily in Lafayette.
-Laf/West Laf is not a very exciting place to live outdoors-wise. The purdue bubble is fun but outside of that there's not much.
-New shiny gorgeous hospitals
-Would be great for networking in IN. If i go back to purdue I'd def end back up in NW IN... My mentor growing up wants to hire me badly post school.
-I'm a boilermaker at heart

PLS give me some insight, I'm quite stressed and don't know what to choose. I also LOVED KState when I visited - felt like I'd fit in great, nice facilities, great town, etc... but it's hard to rationalize the tuition. I just hope I fall in love with one of these like I did with KState.

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[vulpus^2]

the construction won't be done probably until end of the year 2024. I haven't heard any plan for construction on old academic building

 

[Border Goat Bananas]

Personally, I’d go with Purdue (even if it’s $11xxx more a year). I understand debt is something to consider, but so is your sanity and housing. I think the biggest con of Purdue versus UW is outdoor activities? I’m an outdoor person too so I get that!

Congratulations for getting in!

 

[whateverforever]

Honestly if the price of housing is that much more in Madison, the closing costs to purchase (and then probably resell) may negate any tuition savings you'd potentially get by going there.... so not a super straightforward answer there.

What are job opportunities for your spouse in either place? I think if I were in your situation, I'd make a pros and cons list with both your and your spouses priorities.

 

[riverdog4]

Thank you both for your thoughts!
My spouse works from home so luckily we don’t have to worry about that.
I’m visiting both schools within the next week, so I’m hoping visiting will give me some clarity!! I’m still pretty 50/50 with them.

 

[whateverforever]

@Riverdog oh the wfh this is a great perk, Good luck with your choice!

I also personally would choose based on lifestyle and the opportunities to relax and destress (like the nature things or family) rather than anything about the school itself. I am of the opinion that school is the means to get where I'm going rather than school is where I'm trying to get to.

 

[Border Goat Bananas]

@Riverdog oh the wfh this is a great perk, Good luck with your choice!

I also personally would choose based on lifestyle and the opportunities to relax and destress (like the nature things or family) rather than anything about the school itself. I am of the opinion that school is the means to get where I'm going rather than school is where I'm trying to get to.

What a beautiful way to put it!