Class of 2025... How you doin’?

[Dana_May_B]

oh boy today was such a whirlwind haha i got accepted to uga which i never expected in a million years due to their low number of oos seats! now im totally conflicted on where i should go. i currently attend uga as an undergrad, so i know about the incredible poultry opportunities there are for vet students here, but i really really don't think i can spend another 4 years living over 13 hours away from the rest of my family. all of my family lives in pennsylvania, and i struggle every semester only getting to facetime them and visit maybe once every few months. i feel torn between going to a school closer to home like cornell, and a school that has my niche career interest in poultry! please someone give me advice hahaha

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[LaineyLou]

oh boy today was such a whirlwind haha i got accepted to uga which i never expected in a million years due to their low number of oos seats! now im totally conflicted on where i should go. i currently attend uga as an undergrad, so i know about the incredible poultry opportunities there are for vet students here, but i really really don't think i can spend another 4 years living over 13 hours away from the rest of my family. all of my family lives in pennsylvania, and i struggle every semester only getting to facetime them and visit maybe once every few months. i feel torn between going to a school closer to home like cornell, and a school that has my niche career interest in poultry! please someone give me advice hahaha

Congrats!!! What’s the other school you got into?

 

[Dana_May_B]

Congrats!!! What’s the other school you got into?

right now im deciding between uga and cornell! with uga having poultry and cornell being much closer to home. i also got accepted to tufts, lmu and penn. it feels so surreal just to type that out haha i feel so so thankful and lucky!

 

[LaineyLou]

right now im deciding between uga and cornell! with uga having poultry and cornell being much closer to home. i also got accepted to tufts, lmu and penn. it feels so surreal just to type that out haha i feel so so thankful and lucky!

Yeah absolutely! I’d definitely look at tuition and the programs each have. Personally I chose Purdue because it’s closer to home and my bf, cheaper than many OOS schools and I fell in love with the campus and the faculty during my interview! Idk if that helps lol

 

[pawprintsandponytails]

Still in shock that in 4 months, I start frigging vet school!

 

[LaineyLou]

Still in shock that in 4 months, I start frigging vet school!

Same though!

 

[max_wildlife]

i'm super excited about everything but i was so startled by my acceptance to ohio that today was a total mess lol. my favorite part was trying to go get take-out tacos to clear my head, dropping my phone in the snow without noticing, getting home, talking to my dad and realizing 'hm yeah i dunno where my phone is' and him being like 'okay i'll call it.' so he calls it and some dude -- total stranger -- answers and we both start laughing because okay, that would happen today. so my dad and i leave to go pick it up from this guy. in the meanwhile my mom didn't notice we left and she ends up calling my phone and has a whole conversation with the guy that found it 🙃 just the general theme of the day ahahha and i got my phone back in one piece.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

oh boy today was such a whirlwind haha i got accepted to uga which i never expected in a million years due to their low number of oos seats! now im totally conflicted on where i should go. i currently attend uga as an undergrad, so i know about the incredible poultry opportunities there are for vet students here, but i really really don't think i can spend another 4 years living over 13 hours away from the rest of my family. all of my family lives in pennsylvania, and i struggle every semester only getting to facetime them and visit maybe once every few months. i feel torn between going to a school closer to home like cornell, and a school that has my niche career interest in poultry! please someone give me advice hahaha

Which is cheaper?

 

[Dana_May_B]

Yeah absolutely! I’d definitely look at tuition and the programs each have. Personally I chose Purdue because it’s closer to home and my bf, cheaper than many OOS schools and I fell in love with the campus and the faculty during my interview! Idk if that helps lol

haha i am really happy that purdue checked off all of your boxes! its definitely really helpful to hear why other people have chosen to commit to a school so thank you!

 

[Dana_May_B]

Which is cheaper?

they are about the same unfortunately haha i wish there was a huge price difference to make it easier to decide! VIN says UGA would be about $20k less but cornell is much more likely to give me a scholarship (they said in their financial aid presentation that most students get a scholarship and the average amount is $8500 a year).

 

[mmmdreamerz]

they are about the same unfortunately haha i wish there was a huge price difference to make it easier to decide! VIN says UGA would be about $20k less but cornell is much more likely to give me a scholarship (they said in their financial aid presentation that most students get a scholarship and the average amount is $8500 a year).

Total or per year difference?

 

[Dana_May_B]

Total or per year difference?

$20k total from the full 4 years! and then hopefully a yearly scholarship from cornell which could bring down the total cost $20-$30k

 

[mmmdreamerz]

$20k total from the full 4 years! and then hopefully a yearly scholarship from cornell which could bring down the total cost $20-$30k

The only other thing to consider is that Ithaca is likely going to have a much higher cost of living than Athens

 

[Dana_May_B]

The only other thing to consider is that Ithaca is likely going to have a much higher cost of living than Athens

thats definitely true. but then i also know the cost of having to go back and forth between pennsylvania and georgia haha

 

[MixedAnimals77]

thats definitely true. but then i also know the cost of having to go back and forth between pennsylvania and georgia haha

Another factor to consider is although you would be closer your opportunities to go home probably wont change much from what they are currently just because of how busy you are in vet school and opportunities at school (assuming clubs and things can get back to normal).
I get it being 1300 mi away from home. Even if I was closer to home I probably still wouldnt get to go home most long weekends because of activities and studying for exams. Just something else to consider.

 

[SkiOtter]

Another factor to consider is although you would be closer your opportunities to go home probably wont change much from what they are currently just because of how busy you are in vet school and opportunities at school (assuming clubs and things can get back to normal).
I get it being 1300 mi away from home. Even if I was closer to home I probably still wouldnt get to go home most long weekends because of activities and studying for exams. Just something else to consider.

I’m under 500 miles from home and I definitely don’t get to go home on long weekends because it’s an 8 hour drive each way. If I was an hour or two I could definitely see going home on long weekends. Even when I was only 5.5 hours from home (parents moved) I still wasn’t able to go home on long weekends because it generally wasn’t worth the driving to be there for like 48 hours even though I miss home insanely.

 

[Amanasoul]

Another factor to consider is although you would be closer your opportunities to go home probably wont change much from what they are currently just because of how busy you are in vet school and opportunities at school (assuming clubs and things can get back to normal).

I'm only 2.5 hours away from home and I still def only go home once a semester...max. And this semester they cut out breaks/long weekends, so I'm not even doing that. A lot of the time I feel like I have too many exams/labs to make the drive. But that's just me.😅

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I’m under 500 miles from home and I definitely don’t get to go home on long weekends because it’s an 8 hour drive each way. If I was an hour or two I could definitely see going home on long weekends. Even when I was only 5.5 hours from home (parents moved) I still wasn’t able to go home on long weekends because it generally wasn’t worth the driving to be there for like 48 hours even though I miss home insanely.

I'm only 2.5 hours away from home and I still def only go home once a semester...max. And this semester they cut out breaks/long weekends, so I'm not even doing that. A lot of the time I feel like I have too many exams/labs to make the drive. But that's just me.😅

Yeah I would have been ~3hrs from home (if the weather and traffic gods were in my favor) had I gone to CSU but driving I25 south of Ft Collins SUCKS. I would pry go home for Thanksgiving and Spring Break if I was closer. I don't do it because I don't think it's worth the money to fly home for such a short amount of time. Though most spring breaks I was doing SAVMA symposium and this last semester I had patient care the weekend into Thanksgiving break and an exam the Monday back so it wouldn't have mattered even if I was closer.

 

[Dana_May_B]

i really appreciate hearing all of your experiences! i think im definitely looking at this from a view of having gone to uga for undergrad and been absolutely miserable as my friends went home every weekend and i couldnt see my family for months. its been absolutely ruining my mental health. but what im hearing is that there will be way less free time than i had in undergrad, so even if i went to my other option which is 4 hours away, im not crying every weekend because i miss my family and my friends have all gone home haha. even right now im typing this alone in my apartment because my roommate went home for the weekend 😂 i think that makes it a bit easier to commit to going somewhere 13 hours away from home if it means i get to work with poultry a lot more than i could at cornell

 

[JaynaAli]

i really appreciate hearing all of your experiences! i think im definitely looking at this from a view of having gone to uga for undergrad and been absolutely miserable as my friends went home every weekend and i couldnt see my family for months. its been absolutely ruining my mental health. but what im hearing is that there will be way less free time than i had in undergrad, so even if i went to my other option which is 4 hours away, im not crying every weekend because i miss my family and my friends have all gone home haha. even right now im typing this alone in my apartment because my roommate went home for the weekend 😂 i think that makes it a bit easier to commit to going somewhere 13 hours away from home if it means i get to work with poultry a lot more than i could at cornell

I think a field like poultry is niche enough that you’re going to have to carve out your own experiences and be a self-motivated go-getter wherever you go. It may be slightly easier to pursue poultry Med in Georgia if they have faculty and a few existing things dealing with poultry already but I don’t think going to Cornell would be a career killer as long as you seek out opportunities for yourself and network your butt off. With that said, I agree with everyone else’s sentiments that location isn’t going to matter a ton. At Cornell you may be able to make it home more often but almost certainly not every weekend. Long weekends in vet school are often for catching up. You can make it home with planning if you make that a priority but there is SIGNIFICANTLY less free time in vet school than undergrad. I went to my instate just two hours and 15 minutes from home and pretty much only went home for holidays and spring break. I’d occasionally meet up with my parents halfway on a weekend to eat a meal but not spending whole weekends at home. I could have, but I would have lost study time (or sleep time or dog time or whatever you prioritize) because I couldn’t study around my family.

 

[htexasapplicant]

Hello, I think I'm looking for a bit of peace of mind from whoever is willing to offer it. I am now in the position where I have received decisions from every veterinary school I applied to, and with that being said, I am fortunate enough to have received acceptance offers from seven schools. Of these schools, I would say my top two choices are Texas A&M (my IS state) and The Ohio State University. While I am hoping for a scholarship from tOSU, the difference in cost is too significant to ignore which is $80,000. I am more than aware that the "obvious" and "easy" choice would be to attend TAMU, but it's more complex of a decision for me. I have a unique experience in which I lived at home for all four years of my undergrad (mainly to save money), but because of this, I am extremely eager to venture outside of Texas. (I think it is important to note I did not attend A&M for undergrad; therefore, I do also recognize A&M would be a different experience than living at home). However, I am rather conflicted on what to do simply because I think I would be more fulfilled and happy at OSU, but at the moment, I can't justify the large difference in cost. I intend to focus on small animal practice (and if I'm not mistaken), both of these schools would offer an extremely great education for small animal practice. I say all of this to say if anyone has some advice on how to navigate my options, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JaynaAli]

Hello, I think I'm looking for a bit of peace of mind from whoever is willing to offer it. I am now in the position where I have received decisions from every veterinary school I applied to, and with that being said, I am fortunate enough to have received acceptance offers from seven schools. Of these schools, I would say my top two choices are Texas A&M (my IS state) and The Ohio State University. While I am hoping for a scholarship from tOSU, the difference in cost is too significant to ignore which is $80,000. I am more than aware that the "obvious" and "easy" choice would be to attend TAMU, but it's more complex of a decision for me. I have a unique experience in which I lived at home for all four years of my undergrad (mainly to save money), but because of this, I am extremely eager to venture outside of Texas. (I think it is important to note I did not attend A&M for undergrad; therefore, I do also recognize A&M would be a different experience than living at home). However, I am rather conflicted on what to do simply because I think I would be more fulfilled and happy at OSU, but at the moment, I can't justify the large difference in cost. I intend to focus on small animal practice (and if I'm not mistaken), both of these schools would offer an extremely great education for small animal practice. I say all of this to say if anyone has some advice on how to navigate my options, it would be greatly appreciated.

My STRONG recommendation would be to go to the cheapest school you were accepted to. Which is probably TAMU. I totally get the desire to branch out and leave your home state, but by being frugal and minimizing your loans, you will be in a much better financial position after graduation. After you graduate you can find a job in another state if you so desire and you can potentially travel until your heart is content with the money you will be saving in monthly loan payments by having a lower balance.

Most people are happy enough wherever they end up. Very few actively hate their school. It’s hard, you’re busy, and really, where you are for those four years doesn’t matter a lot in the grand scheme of things. But the debt will be with you for years and years, many for up to 20-25 years. I feel like prevets focus on those four years ahead of them because that’s what you’ve done your whole life, but there’s a lot of life after vet school. Don’t screw your future self over for something that matters little in the long run. Every single vet I know with student loan debt would do just about anything to have even 10,000 less debt...80,000 less would be life changing for many of us. It’s easy to ignore the debt when you’re a student and they’re theoretical. But once you are paying them back you may wish there was a way to go back and take out less. I haven’t heard anyone ever regret going to the cheaper school once they’re a practicing vet out in the real world repaying loans.

 

[lilylilac]

so excited to be posting here tOSU acceptance and looking to build a career in pathology, wildlife, and research/education.

Hey I went to tOSU for vet school! Went in knowing I wanted to do pathology and I was involved in research while there as well. I’m now a first year anatomic pathology resident. If you have any questions, feel free to message me!

 

[MixedAnimals77]

Hello, I think I'm looking for a bit of peace of mind from whoever is willing to offer it. I am now in the position where I have received decisions from every veterinary school I applied to, and with that being said, I am fortunate enough to have received acceptance offers from seven schools. Of these schools, I would say my top two choices are Texas A&M (my IS state) and The Ohio State University. While I am hoping for a scholarship from tOSU, the difference in cost is too significant to ignore which is $80,000. I am more than aware that the "obvious" and "easy" choice would be to attend TAMU, but it's more complex of a decision for me. I have a unique experience in which I lived at home for all four years of my undergrad (mainly to save money), but because of this, I am extremely eager to venture outside of Texas. (I think it is important to note I did not attend A&M for undergrad; therefore, I do also recognize A&M would be a different experience than living at home). However, I am rather conflicted on what to do simply because I think I would be more fulfilled and happy at OSU, but at the moment, I can't justify the large difference in cost. I intend to focus on small animal practice (and if I'm not mistaken), both of these schools would offer an extremely great education for small animal practice. I say all of this to say if anyone has some advice on how to navigate my options, it would be greatly appreciated.

Just to echo of Jayna-I lived at home all 4 years of undergrad to save money. My undergrad was paid for 100% by scholarship and I was lucky to have my parents let me live rent free. I went to school and worked stashing away all the money I could in preparation for vet school. Don't waste all of your hard work and savings now. That's 80k plus interest which adds up way faster than anyone likes to admit. I chose my cheapest option which was 30k cheaper than anywhere else I was admitted plus cheaper COL. I always view it as what could I do with that 30k I saved. 30k you can buy a new car, go on countless vacations, or put a down payment on a house that's instead of paying it on student loans that were only for 4 years of your life.

 

[max_wildlife]

Hey I went to tOSU for vet school! Went in knowing I wanted to do pathology and I was involved in research while there as well. I’m now a first year anatomic pathology resident. If you have any questions, feel free to message me!

that's awesome!! I definitely want to hear more details, I'll message you!

 

[mmmdreamerz]

so excited to be posting here tOSU acceptance and looking to build a career in pathology, wildlife, and research/education.

Can’t comment on the pathology or wildlife, but I’ve been heavily involved with research (and education stuff!) during vet school. Lots of opportunities for that here!

 

[max_wildlife]

Can’t comment on the pathology or wildlife, but I’ve been heavily involved with research (and education stuff!) during vet school. Lots of opportunities for that here!

that's really exciting to hear!! i'm sure i will have questions soon but right now still processing everything haha

 

[battie]

30k you can buy a new car, go on countless vacations, or put a down payment on a house that's instead of paying it on student loans that were only for 4 years of your life.

As someone who is graduating in 11 weeks, I can confirm this is an amazing feeling. My fiance and I will be buying a house in the fall due to me using my sister's life insurance to help pay for vet school. It's cheaper to own than rent in my metro area, so we will be saving so much money in the long run by being able to afford to buy sooner rather than later. Had I still had the full amount I was originally supposed to graduate with, we would not be in that position for a significant amount of time.

The freedom to do and go where you want post-graduation is a million times more worthwhile than going to the "dream" vet school for 4 years, where you'll be limited anyways due to the commitments you'll have for school.

 

[TheGirlWithTheFernTattoo]

Hello, I think I'm looking for a bit of peace of mind from whoever is willing to offer it. I am now in the position where I have received decisions from every veterinary school I applied to, and with that being said, I am fortunate enough to have received acceptance offers from seven schools. Of these schools, I would say my top two choices are Texas A&M (my IS state) and The Ohio State University. While I am hoping for a scholarship from tOSU, the difference in cost is too significant to ignore which is $80,000. I am more than aware that the "obvious" and "easy" choice would be to attend TAMU, but it's more complex of a decision for me. I have a unique experience in which I lived at home for all four years of my undergrad (mainly to save money), but because of this, I am extremely eager to venture outside of Texas. (I think it is important to note I did not attend A&M for undergrad; therefore, I do also recognize A&M would be a different experience than living at home). However, I am rather conflicted on what to do simply because I think I would be more fulfilled and happy at OSU, but at the moment, I can't justify the large difference in cost. I intend to focus on small animal practice (and if I'm not mistaken), both of these schools would offer an extremely great education for small animal practice. I say all of this to say if anyone has some advice on how to navigate my options, it would be greatly appreciated.

Agree strongly with what Jayna and Mixy said. I also lived at home during undergrad, and because of that was able to start vet school debt free and with some savings. If vet school in my hometown had been a possibility I absolutely would have lived at home to minimize expenses. That being said, I understand where you are coming from. Moving to my new area was one of the best things for me for both personal growth and also my mental health (which wasn't great in my hometown at the time). I'm grateful I had that opportunity.

One point that wasn't brought up that I think is also important to consider is career options: debt can limit the opportunities you can take after school. My old roommate wanted to specialize, but with her debt load at graduation she wasn't able to pursue it and went straight into ER practice instead to start making adult job money. Thanks to my financial situation, I can go wherever without major concerns for salary vs CoL which opens a lot of doors. I would wager 4 more years of living at home could absolutely be worth career opportunities down the road, especially if you think you might want to do something like specialize.

 

[ChaosArcher]

New to this forum, but excited to be posting here nonetheless- I got acceptance from both LSU and my in state UGA, and although when I got into LSU I was absolutely dead set on it (childhood spending summers with my grandfather in Baton Rouge, makes me kinda long for Louisiana territory ngl), one look at UGA's in state tuition made me realize that 4 years of vet school there would be cheaper base-tuition wise than the base tuition of my undergraduate degree at Berry College. So, hey, go dawgs!

I'm wondering, what's everybody's plan for housing? I know for me flatmates/housemates are a must to cut down on cost (plus, I'm coming from a 4-year residency required campus and have gotten very used to living with friends, so my mental health demands I have folks around or my brain has wayyyyy too much playground space lol). That the general vibe for other folks, too? I'm kind of stressing thinking about where to start looking for potential roommates honestly, though I know it's probably a little early in the game to worrying! (But, August feels so close!!!!!!)

 

[Georgethecat]

New to this forum, but excited to be posting here nonetheless- I got acceptance from both LSU and my in state UGA, and although when I got into LSU I was absolutely dead set on it (childhood spending summers with my grandfather in Baton Rouge, makes me kinda long for Louisiana territory ngl), one look at UGA's in state tuition made me realize that 4 years of vet school there would be cheaper base-tuition wise than the base tuition of my undergraduate degree at Berry College. So, hey, go dawgs!

I'm wondering, what's everybody's plan for housing? I know for me flatmates/housemates are a must to cut down on cost (plus, I'm coming from a 4-year residency required campus and have gotten very used to living with friends, so my mental health demands I have folks around or my brain has wayyyyy too much playground space lol). That the general vibe for other folks, too? I'm kind of stressing thinking about where to start looking for potential roommates honestly, though I know it's probably a little early in the game to worrying! (But, August feels so close!!!!!!)

A lot of people find roommates from the class FB page. Also upperclassmen will post if they need a roommate and there are a couple of landlords that like to rent to vet students that will post vacancies.

 

[Angelo84]

A lot of people find roommates from the class FB page. Also upperclassmen will post if they need a roommate and there are a couple of landlords that like to rent to vet students that will post vacancies.

Just one thing to consider. I highly recommend having a room mate that is not in your class. You spend everyday all day with your classmates. It was nice to have some separation.

 

[ChaosArcher]

A lot of people find roommates from the class FB page. Also upperclassmen will post if they need a roommate and there are a couple of landlords that like to rent to vet students that will post vacancies.

I'd seen a couple of upperclassman posting already in there, I'm glad its a good resource for finding roommates. Thank you!

 

[ChaosArcher]

Just one thing to consider. I highly recommend having a room mate that is not in your class. You spend everyday all day with your classmates. It was nice to have some separation.

I hadn't considered it, but it does make sense that the separation would be good.

 

[Ariel-Li]

I really want to accept my OOS seat in Purdue, with a scholarship the total cost is brought down to my IS level, and I love their commitment to hands-on opportunities for students during COVID. Full disclosure, I'm a pessimist and I don't see the pandemic tapering down in at least another couple years. However, is it a bad sign that I looked through all their faculty members research on Pubmed and among all of the faculties in IM, Onco, and ECC, I cannot find a single person's research remotely related to my research interest?

Right now my other top choice is Davis. Is $70,000 (but possibly smaller than that, because my husband is more likely to find a better paying job in the Bay area than Indiana) worth 4 years of research opportunities? Also fingers crossed for a recruitment scholarship from PennVet that might actually bring down the cost to comparable level, in which case I'd probably prefer a city life in a research-oriented school.

 

[sheepcowdoghorse23]

I really want to accept my OOS seat in Purdue, with a scholarship the total cost is brought down to my IS level, and I love their commitment to hands-on opportunities for students during COVID. Full disclosure, I'm a pessimist and I don't see the pandemic tapering down in at least another couple years. However, is it a bad sign that I looked through all their faculty members research on Pubmed and among all of the faculties in IM, Onco, and ECC, I cannot find a single person's research remotely related to my research interest?

Right now my other top choice is Davis. Is $70,000 (but possibly smaller than that, because my husband is more likely to find a better paying job in the Bay area than Indiana) worth 4 years of research opportunities? Also fingers crossed for a recruitment scholarship from PennVet that might actually bring down the cost to comparable level, in which case I'd probably prefer a city life in a resear

That's a hard one. On one hand, going to Davis and having someone mentor your in an area of research may be worth paying a little more... but 70k? I guess it depends on what opportunities you'll have - will you get to run your own labs? Publications as an author? If this is what you'll get and you're looking to work in research after graduation, it may be worth it to get your name out there and get experience. Davis has an incredible reputation so having done research there and maybe even published with their researchers will open a lot of doors.

That being said, you can also do research at Purdue. They also have a great reputation. You might even be able to do your own research under the guidance of a mentor, even if their interests aren't aligned exactly to yours? This may allow you to do more than if you were working under someone with the same research interest (potentially). Are you able to reach out to some of the faculty there and see if it would be possible to do your own research? There's still plenty of time before the deadline to talk to people and see what's possible! And even if you go to Purdue and DON'T end up doing your own research, you can take that 70k you saved by not going to Davis and do a PhD somewhere, if that is something that interests you. Does Purdue have a dual degree option?????? Additionally, it sounds like you like their hands-on curriculum more... something else to consider as that is what you will be spending most of your time doing.

I'm having a similar struggle as I was also accepted to Penn (as well as Tufts, RVC, Michigan, and OVC and waitlist #1 at Ohio). I desperately want to go to Penn as it checks all the boxes for me: in a city, lots of opportunities for research and lab animal med, but also an excellent ECC department (another area of interest), close to family (in New England and Virginia), great reputation. However, I'm struggling with the fact that it's more expensive than some of my other options. I'm hoping there's a recruitment scholarship or grant out there for me because otherwise I'm going to feel some guilt accepting when I have options that are thousands of dollars per year cheaper. I know I'll get a great education and have opportunities everywhere I go, but there's something about Penn that makes me want to justify spending that much money. 🤷‍♀️

Sorry that was kind of long and rambling and probably not helpful, but I understand your struggle and wanted to give some thoughts!

 

[Lupin21]

Depends on things as well what you are wanting from research. Most of the time, it is actually better to get your dvm then go and get your phd. Splitting them and doing dual programs is usually a pita, and if you truly want research based career, as @WhtsThFrequency has noted in the past, PhD is better done at facilities more related with human research as they are better funded.

 

[Ariel-Li]

That's a hard one. On one hand, going to Davis and having someone mentor your in an area of research may be worth paying a little more... but 70k? I guess it depends on what opportunities you'll have - will you get to run your own labs? Publications as an author? If this is what you'll get and you're looking to work in research after graduation, it may be worth it to get your name out there and get experience. Davis has an incredible reputation so having done research there and maybe even published with their researchers will open a lot of doors.

That being said, you can also do research at Purdue. They also have a great reputation. You might even be able to do your own research under the guidance of a mentor, even if their interests aren't aligned exactly to yours? This may allow you to do more than if you were working under someone with the same research interest (potentially). Are you able to reach out to some of the faculty there and see if it would be possible to do your own research? There's still plenty of time before the deadline to talk to people and see what's possible! And even if you go to Purdue and DON'T end up doing your own research, you can take that 70k you saved by not going to Davis and do a PhD somewhere, if that is something that interests you. Does Purdue have a dual degree option?????? Additionally, it sounds like you like their hands-on curriculum more... something else to consider as that is what you will be spending most of your time doing.

I'm having a similar struggle as I was also accepted to Penn (as well as Tufts, RVC, Michigan, and OVC and waitlist #1 at Ohio). I desperately want to go to Penn as it checks all the boxes for me: in a city, lots of opportunities for research and lab animal med, but also an excellent ECC department (another area of interest), close to family (in New England and Virginia), great reputation. However, I'm struggling with the fact that it's more expensive than some of my other options. I'm hoping there's a recruitment scholarship or grant out there for me because otherwise I'm going to feel some guilt accepting when I have options that are thousands of dollars per year cheaper. I know I'll get a great education and have opportunities everywhere I go, but there's something about Penn that makes me want to justify spending that much money. 🤷‍♀️

Sorry that was kind of long and rambling and probably not helpful, but I understand your struggle and wanted to give some thoughts!

Thank you for the very thoughtful and helpful advice! I was actually in a position of leading a couple research projects in a very mis-managed lab, and right now I'd love to work in a well functioning lab with good resources and leader figures who are willing to teach, where I can develop as a junior researcher.

I'm almost entirely certain I don't want to pursue a DVM-PhD dual degree. Maybe PhD in the future, but not right now. I want to be trained in small animal IM or Onco (or a bit less likely ECC), and I'll be 31 this fall going into vet school. I don't want to start practicing in my 40s (no offence to any other non trad who are doing that! My previous career doesn't save me much wealth that I feel comfortable postponing earning real money). I know that these specialties require publication for board certification. And I'd love to get my feet wet while in vet school.

Reaching out to faculty members is a great idea! I was going to wait until I commit to the school and see if there'll be any research opportunities this summer. But I guess I can even go visit a few labs - West Lafayette is only a couple hours drive from where I live. I'll keep you posted on what I decide!

 

[SkiOtter]

I don’t think anything is worth 70k MORE. That’s before interest. That’s half a house. Hell, it could be a whole ass house depending on where you are. That’s like paying two extra YEARS of tuition plus living expenses. That’s almost a whole year of salary for most new grads.

 

[Ariel-Li]

I don’t think anything is worth 70k MORE. That’s before interest. That’s half a house. Hell, it could be a whole ass house depending on where you are. That’s like paying two extra YEARS of tuition plus living expenses. That’s almost a whole year of salary for most new grads.

That's what I'm feeling right now! But I'm wondering exactly what amount is acceptable. Like, if I taken into account of my husband's earning potential and somehow that number is reduced to 20K, isn't that very acceptable? Ahhhhhh I'm so overthinking everything!

 

[SkiOtter]

That's what I'm feeling right now! But I'm wondering exactly what amount is acceptable. Like, if I taken into account of my husband's earning potential and somehow that number is reduced to 20K, isn't that very acceptable? Ahhhhhh I'm so overthinking everything!

Personally not to me. That’s a whole ass semester of my OOS tuition or would’ve been almost a whole year at my IS school, had I gotten in.

 

[SkiOtter]

You could also spend that 50k taking a nice ass vacation every year until you die and I’d think that was a better use of the money than that much on extra tuition costs.

 

[JaynaAli]

A spouse may be able to make more money in the Bay Area of California but I guarantee your cost of living is going to be much higher than in West Lafayette, Indiana.

I ran the VIN simulator for the estimated cost of education they predict on the VIN cost of education map (150k for IS purdue, 250k for OOS Davis)...I realize you’ll have a spouse income to consider too which can influence your repayment and you said the difference was only 70k but those numbers were what was immediately accessible. You can play with the simulators on your own too. But the simulator is saying payments for Purdue would be 1700/mo on standard 10 yr repayment. For Davis amounts, standard 10 yr payment is $2900/mo. On an income based plan it would probably be a similar $500-700 required payment (assuming you make an average new grad salary) but you’d have to save $400-500ish extra a month for all 20 years for the forgiveness taxes with the higher Davis debt. When you consider the total cost of the loan over your entire repayment timeline, that $70,000 difference balloons to over $120,000 (or more depending on the specific repayment plan) different over those 10-20 years due to interest. Not to mention the higher debt will influence your debt to income ratio for things like purchasing a house. I can personally do a whole lot with an extra $500 per month for 20 years (income based) or $1200 per month for 10 years (standard).

Also, there are usually avenues to get grants and do small research projects. Sure it’s easier if there is already someone with an interest in a certain topic, but if you do legwork on your own it’s possible to forge your own path. But with that said, quite frankly I don’t think there’s enough time to focus on a significant research project while doing the veterinary curriculum. Small projects during the summer yes but like actually working in a lab making progress on a project would be difficult given the demands of courses and outside life, for me anyway. Also don’t forget that there are many faculty members outside of the boarded clinicians. The didactic years are often taught by basic sciences faculty with interests you may be able to piggyback off of. Maybe one of the large animal or exotics clinicians has a project with a tie in to your interests. There’s residents who are usually the driving force behind a lot of smaller term clinical projects because their residencies require original research (I hired a vet student to help with my project). There may even be faculty in other departments who would work with you if you really did want to pursue research.

So anyway, I really don’t think it’s worth paying that much extra but you gotta do what you think is right for you and your family. But don’t forget to plan long term.

 

[Ariel-Li]

Also, there are usually avenues to get grants and do small research projects. Sure it’s easier if there is already someone with an interest in a certain topic, but if you do legwork on your own it’s possible to forge your own path. But with that said, quite frankly I don’t think there’s enough time to focus on a significant research project while doing the veterinary curriculum. Small projects during the summer yes but like actually working in a lab making progress on a project would be difficult given the demands of courses and outside life, for me anyway. Also don’t forget that there are many faculty members outside of the boarded clinicians. The didactic years are often taught by basic sciences faculty with interests you may be able to piggyback off of. Maybe one of the large animal or exotics clinicians has a project with a tie in to your interests. There’s residents who are usually the driving force behind a lot of smaller term clinical projects because their residencies require original research (I hired a vet student to help with my project). There may even be faculty in other departments who would work with you if you really did want to pursue research.

This is very good to know! Additional question: is it possible to do summer research projects with labs not belonging to the vet school I attend? Will I be able to track down some PI/resident in Davis to work for a couple summers while attending Purdue?

 

[JaynaAli]

That I’m not sure of. I feel like I read about some SDNer doing a summer project with someone at a different school but I may be mistaken and can’t remember who it might have been. Maybe WZ or ajs or someone else who did the formal summer research programs knows more about that type of thing. I never did research unless what was unavoidable for my residency, lol.

 

[Ariel-Li]

@ajs513 any weigh-in? I can't find a WZ, and hopefully I tagged the right ajs

 

[PhiloslothicalStudent]

I can't find a WZ

I believe she is referring to @WildZoo!!

 

[supershorty]

That I’m not sure of. I feel like I read about some SDNer doing a summer project with someone at a different school but I may be mistaken and can’t remember who it might have been. Maybe WZ or ajs or someone else who did the formal summer research programs knows more about that type of thing. I never did research unless what was unavoidable for my residency, lol.

It’s definitely doable, one of my classmates did summer scholars at Penn instead of at UMN. I’m not sure about the details of how that was worked out, but I could ask her if you wanted, @Ariel-Li.

 

[WildZoo]

You could also spend that 50k taking a nice ass vacation every year until you die and I’d think that was a better use of the money than that much on extra tuition costs.

-insert joke about asses needing vacations-

 

[WildZoo]

It’s definitely doable, one of my classmates did summer scholars at Penn instead of at UMN. I’m not sure about the details of how that was worked out, but I could ask her if you wanted, @Ariel-Li.

Ah, shorty was being useful and answering the thing I was actually tagged for while I was making crude jokes.

Typical.