Does it matter which vet school I go to?

[erg8680]

I'm hoping you all with more experience out there could help me with my decision on what veterinary school to go to. If I went to my in-state school, I'd save $20k a year over the other out-of-state options I'm considering. Other than personal preference, does it matter which school you go to, in terms of options once you graduate? Are some better than others for getting into residency programs, or job/summer opportunities? All I have to go off of is US News and World Report rankings and I don't know how much those mean. Thanks very much.

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[Angelo84]

The short answer is not really. You should try to go to a school that has a strong program in your interests. If you don't have an interest you may want to consider schools that don't track so that you can keep your options open. Where you graduate from likely doesn't matter all that much--unless you are going to a non US school in which case you will have to take some extra exams in order to be licensed to work in the US. All the schools are good and I highly doubt any of your clients are going to ask where you went to school (okay unless you work with equine people). Good luck!

The way I decided on a school was to write out pro/con lists for each of the schools--some of those lists are up in the pre-vet board.

 

[VAgirl]

The way I decided on a school was to write out pro/con lists for each of the schools--some of those lists are up in the pre-vet board.

I'm doing the same thing and was getting ready to post a thread asking almost exactly the same question as the OP. Angelo, can you point us towards those lists on the pre-vet board? Thanks!!

 

[Angelo84]

I know there's one on Tufts vs Penn. I don't know if I made one on Cornell vs Tufts but you can probably search for "vs" or pro cons and see what comes up. Just restrict your search to the prevet board. I got a lot of good comments from other people on the boards so feel free to start your own pro con list and see what other people put up.

 

[VAgirl]

Just restrict your search to the prevet board. I got a lot of good comments from other people on the boards so feel free to start your own pro con list and see what other people put up.

That's a good idea, thanks. I just need to narrow it down a bit myself, first. Then I'll take that strategy.

 

[ri23]

I would suggest looking through the threads that ended last spring/late winter. Most of them were about which schools to choose.

 

[Electrophile]

I've said this a bunch, but I personally didn't find it advantageous to go an extra 100K+ in debt to go somewhere out of state for just for some special program. This is just me but if there was somewhere I *really* wanted to go, I'd move there and get residency first. JMHO.

Also, basically, you can usually do externships and preceptorships during your clinical time and/or summer (and more state vet licensing boards are starting to require preceptorships, or so I hear) almost wherever you like or want to specialize as long as you can get the program approved. If you want to do something pretty basic, like small animal or large/food animal general practice, you'll certainly be covered curriculum-wise by any vet school in the States or Canada. Just remember...every dollar you borrow, you have to pay back two (at least). I wouldn't get too hung up on rankings.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

The problem with those rankings is that they don't take into account individual strengths within schools. A certain school may have an average small animal/exotics/research component, but a world-class large animal component - however, they'd be ranked middle-of-the-road. But if you wanted to do LA, it would be perfect for you. Those rankings can be based off of some funky things too, besides the 'normal academic' reasons....like the amount of money alumni donate, the amount of research grants received....not necessarily teaching quality. It's just not a good measure.

Every school has specific strengths, and they are known for that *much* more than they are known for their "ranking"

 

[bass4booty]

No. It doesn't matter. That 20k per year adds up to over 100k when you consider the time value of money over four years. Believe me, you will really like having that extra 1k in your pocket every month after graduation and/or having your student loans paid off years earlier. That, in my opinion, makes a much bigger deal than what lecture hall you sit in listening to what instructor. The bottom line is that the onus of education lies with the individual, not the institution. What direction you take with it is up to you...

 

[Bill59]

Are some better than others for getting into residency programs

No. For N. American residencies, which N. American school you got your DVM/VMD from makes little difference. Much more important are grades/class rank, references, where you did your internship and how well you performed in your internship.

All I have to go off of is US News and World Report rankings and I don't know how much those mean.

Very little.

 

[CookieBear]

In-state tuition all the way. $20k x 4 = you having potentially a better life for the *rest* of your life after school. IMO, it's an absolute no-brainer.

I forget the magazine name. It's the "big" - as in, very large size magazine - DVM Product News or something? There's a student edition for vet students that our library gets and leaves out. The latest issue's cover feature story is about how vet student debt load has gone way up, and salaries have not nearly kept pace in most situations.

If I can remember, I'll post the details of that article when I see it again.

No, money isn't everything, but as someone above said, you WILL appreciate having a $1,000 less/month loan payment - or however much it will end up being.

I personally see a DVM degree as a ticket to a WORLD of possibilities. In my opinion, a U.S. DVM degree is as good as gold here, no matter whose insignia is on the diploma. You're into equine? Exotics? Research? Do externships in what interests you, get the best grades you can, and always remember that there's always continuing education seminars and conferences where you can indulge every veterinary fancy you'd like to learn about.

In fact, with all the $ you'll save paying in-state vs. out of state tuition, I bet you could afford to attend any national conference, every year, after you graduate. I know *that's* not a substitute for a *career* or path, but I bet you'd be pretty happy.

That's just my two cents and letting my mind completely wander off.