What Should I Do?

[russellang]

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This is my first year applying. I was late in the game getting vet/animal experience and it was a last minute decision to apply for this cycle as I thought I did not have a chance of getting in anywhere.

I applied to 5 schools, I got waitlisted at my IS (now rejected) and got rejected at 3 other schools with the last letter coming in about a month ago. I forgot about the last school since then and got a letter today, I got an interview.

When I originally applied to the schools, I only wanted to apply to my IS but my parents made me apply to other schools.

My largest concern about vet school is debt. My IS is roughly half the cost of this school. The other reason I wanted to attend my IS was the fact that the vet I work for is a faculty member at my IS vet school and told me he would train me throughout vet school and hire me when I graduate. I was really hoping to give my IS another chance and work on my weaknesses (I have at least doubled my experience hours since I applied). However, obviously I did not get into my IS.

So to make a long story short, I applied OOS simply to appease my parents and it is surprising to me as the school I got an interview at was definetly a reach compared to the other schools (If thats possible with vet school).

I was just wondering if you guys think I should go for the interview as I am still surprised I got an interview. Has anyone been in this situation? My interview is in 2 weeks.

Thank you

 

[lareinesoleil]

This is my first year applying. I was late in the game getting vet/animal experience and it was a last minute decision to apply for this cycle as I thought I did not have a chance of getting in anywhere.

I applied to 5 schools, I got waitlisted at my IS (now rejected) and got rejected at 3 other schools with the last letter coming in about a month ago. I forgot about the last school since then and got a letter today, I got an interview.

When I originally applied to the schools, I only wanted to apply to my IS but my parents made me apply to other schools.

My largest concern about vet school is debt. My IS is roughly half the cost of this school. The other reason I wanted to attend my IS was the fact that the vet I work for is a faculty member at my IS vet school and told me he would train me throughout vet school and hire me when I graduate. I was really hoping to give my IS another chance and work on my weaknesses (I have at least doubled my experience hours since I applied). However, obviously I did not get into my IS.

So to make a long story short, I applied OOS simply to appease my parents and it is surprising to me as the school I got an interview at was definetly a reach compared to the other schools (If thats possible with vet school).

I was just wondering if you guys think I should go for the interview as I am still surprised I got an interview. Has anyone been in this situation? My interview is in 2 weeks.

Thank you

Considering that in this game there are no guarantees, I'd definitely at least go to the interview, and see what happens. You can always turn it down later and make some waitlister really happy, but at least then you wouldn't wonder "what if I had gone". Also, then even if you do decide to turn it down, you will have had experience with the interview process. Debt is definitely a serious consideration, but *some* OOS schools let you attain residency after the first year - do you know if your school is one of those?

 

[2CatMatt]

No question here, definitely go on the interview! At this point you just want to keep as many options open and get as much information as possible until you really do have to make a decision. You'll get experience doing the interview and it will give you time to think more about your decision. And who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with the school, maybe you'll hate it, or maybe you won't end up getting in. Either way, your decision will be easier with more information.

 

[kaydubs]

OP: I agree with ls & 2CM. This vet school business is definitely a game and I had a similar situation to yours & it ended up working out for the best. I was accepted to an OOS school without an interview (that's their policy) and had yet to go to the interview at my #1. Because there were only a few spots for OOS-ers, I accepted early just to get a spot and now I'm going to my #1 school. I hadn't heard from my IS & had been waitlisted at my other school.

Just do your best. What's the worst that could happen? (As long as you keep an optimistic outlook, you'll be okay!)

 

[TomTheK9Fixr]

I agree with the previous posts, however, I was in the 2006 application cycle and got accepted but turned down the offer due to personal circumstances which trumped education at the time. In the back of my mind I always knew vet school would be there for me as long as I maintained a role in the field (as a vet tech). It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. With that said, I am a believer in timing and "things happening for a reason". Now as for your scenario, declining an interview invite or acceptance based on financial inconvenience may sound logical on the surface, however, make no bones about it, an opportunity is an opportunity. OOS debt sucks and you may not get into your IS (where your mentor recommends) but vet school is what you make of it, as with everything else in life. If you were a close friend I'd prolly shoot you straight and say go for it!

 

[StartingoverVet]

Reasons NOT to go to interview..

* It can be costly to go to distant interviews. That money can be better served for other purposes if....

* If you don't see yourself attending this school don't waste your time unless it is convenient and you want the interview experience.

* If you are improving your application then you may have more choices next year. Or maybe not. The fact is you seem set on your IS, and given that next year you have a more competitive app, it seems like waiting is best.

* If you think this school will give you too much debt DON"T GO! Just because you can get in "somewhere", doesn't mean attending there is the best decision for you. If you attend under those circumstances, you will always wonder if you should have waited a year, and you will be stressed out about that debt for a long time.

 

[awaring1]

Reasons NOT to go to interview..

* It can be costly to go to distant interviews. That money can be better served for other purposes if....

* If you don't see yourself attending this school don't waste your time unless it is convenient and you want the interview experience.

* If you are improving your application then you may have more choices next year. Or maybe not. The fact is you seem set on your IS, and given that next year you have a more competitive app, it seems like waiting is best.

* If you think this school will give you too much debt DON"T GO! Just because you can get in "somewhere", doesn't mean attending there is the best decision for you. If you attend under those circumstances, you will always wonder if you should have waited a year, and you will be stressed out about that debt for a long time.

I agree. If you do not want to go to this school, do not waste your time at the interview.

The fact that you even got an interview shows that you have something that schools want. If you were that successful with little experience, imagine how successful you could be if you had another whole year of experience!

In my opinion, waiting one year is very much worth it to go where you truly want to be.

I would talk to your IS school and see why you were rejected. If they say it was because of your lack of hours that is something you can easily remedy.

 

[Jamr0ckin]

My thought is that this last school is UTK (the timing fits perfectly). That being said, it is almost impossible to get IS tuition there, and so your debt would be really high. In my mind, you could use it as leverage next year with your IS, if they have an essay portion for their supplemental (I turned down at interview at school X because I want to go to your school Y.)

Are your parents gonna flip because you decide not to go? If they are paying for it and want you to go, then maybe you ought to just for the experience.

Good luck making the choice - I know it can't be easy.

 

[vacavet]

At bare minimum I would say definitely go to the interview. The worst that can happen is you decide you really don't like it our you don't get accepted. At the end of the day it is just one more opportunity. I personally was considering not going to one of my interviews because I had interviews at my other top schools and other circumstances. Ended up going and now its the only school I've been accepted at (waitlisted at the other two and still one more interview). It should be noted though that I'm not as adverse to going out of state as some others for a couple reasons. One, my instate is ridiculously expensive and at some schools its actually cheaper for me to be OOS. Two, there are better opportunities for what I want to do OOS. And also my states going to hell in a hand basket so I want to get out and see what other opportunities I can find. But those are my personal circumstances. Yours I'm sure are different and will guide you down the line but definitely go to the interview. Everything happens for a reason and while you may not see it now it will all work out down the line.

 

[AngSchmange]

Is your IS a school you could transfer to?

 

[pennyonthefloor]

In my opinion, waiting one year is very much worth it to go where you truly want to be.

It takes a bit to wrap your head around it but a year now isn't all that long....

I took a year off between applying (to bust my arse and prove myself).... learned A LOT about myself and where I stand with vet med. I strongly feel that my drive to be a veterinarian, though strong before, has become multiple times stronger over the past year

Best of luck to you in whichever you decide.

 

[sumstorm]

I'm going to suggest looking at it in a different way. In the last two years our tuition has gone up 14% and 11%. waiting a year with higher rates may actually be more costly. there are no guarantees that if you reject an option now, you will get in next year, or the year after that. there have been a few SDNers that have done that, and burned themselves the next year. Next years class may be more competitive, your application may not catch someone's attention. its a risk. are you willing to take it?

 

[russellang]

I do agree that it would be great experience for me if I went on the interview. My parents would be very upset with me if I did not go on the interview. I am nervous because I would prefer to not have a discussion with them about possibly not going if I end up getting in. I know if I get in my parents will expect me to go.

Yes the school is UTK. I saw that they send out interview invites to about a third of the OOS applicants and then accept about a third of that number. UTK is not one of the schools that you cannot switch over to IS tuition rates after the first year.

I applied with about 900 hours vet experience and no animal experience. I now have 1500 vet hours and 1000 animal experience hours but obviously I still have until the fall to add in more hours when I apply next cycle.

However, as we all know vet school admissions is unpredictable at best and I might not get an invite next year. As I said I wanted to give my instate one more chance due to the tuition costs and the fact that my boss would be near the school (his clinic is about an hour from the vet school). Next year I would be applying to and seriously considering many OOS schools as I do not want to apply for a third year but as I said I wanted to give me IS one more chance.

 

[sumstorm]

Go to the interview. After the interview, come back and discuss more about the positives and negatives of both schools. Then it will be important to ask yourself 'if I never again get accepted to vet school, will I regret this decision' (it is a realistic possibility) and/or consider attending then transferring.

I'd caution against putting all your eggs in one basket, no matter how much your mentor assures you they will take care of you. Life happens, and that may mean your mentor can't do so in the future, no matter how great their intentions are. Even if you do go back to that practice, one of the best things about bringing a new individual into a practice is that they bring different and alternative skills to the table. For that reason, our business course instructors strongly encourage students to spend at least 1-2 years at another practice before returning to their 'home' practice because it helps them know the alternatives and either move on or really appreciate home. Also, there is apparently a study somewhere (it may not be published yet, it's in my business notes) that found students returning to home practices tended to have poorer contract negotiations and were decently behind the averages when it came to income and benefits, as compared to students that went to an alternative practice and returned a couple years later.

Realisticly, if this mentor thinks very highly of you, they will find space to hire you either way when the time comes. Also, while having connections in a vet school can be very helpful, it can also be problematic. If you are seen, off the start line, as 'X's student' you may miss out on other oppurtunities.

 

[sunnyshine]

I would interview with the school. That way you would get a chance to see the campus, talk with the students & faculty in the program, and get some questions answered. Who knows, you may actually end up falling in love with the school after the interviewing process. If you determine after the interview that this school is not what you are looking for then just decline the acceptance offer (if it comes) and apply again next year.