Which Vet school?

[brooke23]

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I am currently choosing between vets schools. I really want to be able to pursue residency, keeping my mind open but my interests are in surgery (orthopedics + canine sport rehab), oncology, and ophthalmology.

To make UT worth it financially I would probably want to do the CEM MS program. Would getting an MS be worth it to have on your resume for the match? It would probably take up all my summers leaving little time for externships.

UGA and UF I’ve heard are both good for research and still have the veterinary scholars summer programs. They both have better match rates than UT, but do those stats even matter?Thoughts?

 

[SkiOtter]

The cheapest one is the best option. Networking matters more than where your degree is from.

 

[brooke23]

The cheapest one is the best option. Networking matters more than where your degree is from.

I’m OOS for all and they are all roughly the same price after housing/utilities

 

[_rae_]

I’m OOS for all and they are all roughly the same price after housing/utilities

I know that COA reported from the school isn't always accurate, but UGA and UF are reporting $70k COA whereas UT is reporting $88k. That's pretty significant, and would knock UT off my list so I could focus on comparing UGA and UF.

 

[clembear]

Which one of the schools is the least expensive when you include housing costs? Those factors contribute significantly to cost of living and ultimately debt. If they are similar overall, I would suggest picking the school where you would be closest to your support system if possible and an area you would most like to live. As mentioned above, where you get your DVM is not a major factor into your chances of matching to internship/residency. Your interests are also likely to change once you actually start and you may even decide not to pursue specialty training.

I would not get an MS with the primary goal of strengthening match applications. If you are truly very interested and would pursue on regardless, sure. Otherwise, I feel like externships would be most impactful for your career long-term.

 

[brooke23]

I know that COA reported from the school isn't always accurate, but UGA and UF are reporting $70k COA whereas UT is reporting $88k. That's pretty significant, and would knock UT off my list so I could focus on comparing UGA and UF.

The CEM MS at UTK pays a significant stipend that would eliminate this gap/potentially make it the cheaper option

 

[brooke23]

Which one of the schools is the least expensive when you include housing costs? Those factors contribute significantly to cost of living and ultimately debt. If they are similar overall, I would suggest picking the school where you would be closest to your support system if possible and an area you would most like to live. As mentioned above, where you get your DVM is not a major factor into your chances of matching to internship/residency. Your interests are also likely to change once you actually start and you may even decide not to pursue specialty training.

I would not get an MS with the primary goal of strengthening match applications. If you are truly very interested and would pursue on regardless, sure. Otherwise, I feel like externships would be most impactful for your career long-term.

The MS pays a significant stipend which is why I was considering it.

 

[_rae_]

The CEM MS at UTK pays a significant stipend that would eliminate this gap/potentially make it the cheaper option

Do you intend to pursue research or become a clinician at a university, or potentially pursue a position in policy/government? If not, I would not do the CEM MS. This program also requires an application, involving a major professor who will sponsor you. Are you willing to bet $18k/yr that you will get this position? Because if you start school at UTK with the intent of using this position to lower your costs and then you either can't find a professor or are not accepted, you're stuck.

 

[brooke23]

Do you intend to pursue research or become a clinician at a university, or potentially pursue a position in policy/government? If not, I would not do the CEM MS. This program also requires an application, involving a major professor who will sponsor you. Are you willing to bet $18k/yr that you will get this position? Because if you start school at UTK with the intent of using this position to lower your costs and then you either can't find a professor or are not accepted, you're stuck.

No, I’d use it for the first author paper. I have talked to the program and they said they have not had to turn people away from the DVM program. I have also found 2 DACVS who are in the program for research. To be honest if I couldn’t get accepted there’s little hope for applying to residency since a lot of it is how well you can network + gpa.

 

[supershorty]

Gaining admission to a graduate program when you don't want to do research long-term has exactly no effect on your ability to match to a residency. You can generate a first author paper while in a regular DVM program.

 

[Polocrosse2017]

I had several publications from a mid ranked vet school (that I feel is excellent!). I also got into a top ranked rotating internship and got the residency of my choice. It is much more about connections you make than where you go to school. Remember you may change your mind about your specialty area so see how many board certified specialists in your interest areas are in the schools you are looking at.