Hearing crap about your school choices

[akitavet]

Have you guys been hearing crap about what schools you've applied to from everyone. I have been hearing a LOT of people, mostly laymen, but some vets too, saying that they dont like the vets coming out of this school, or that school is having major faculty fleeing issues, or all kinds of bad things. I feel like the schools I applied to are good or else I wouldnt have applied, and if I listened to everyone I would have no where to go. It just gets frustrating when the vet you work for says your instate school is a piece of crap and you hoping and praying they think your application is good enough for them. Is there a list anywhere for say the 5 worst vet schools in the country?

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[philomycus]

No disrespect to you or anyone who has made these comments and I have no basis probably to say this either, but I don't think any vet school is 'crappy'. They are all good, some better in certain areas. What you do with your education is your business and you will handle that information differently. Some may strive to be the best and others just may want to 'get by'. I think the human here is the element and not the schooling which they provided.

There are always going to be bad teachers, lawyers, plummers, MDs and DVMs. To make a generalized statement blanketing a school I think is inappropriate.

 

[hoodle]

Just turn a deaf ear. In terms of the vet you work for, remember that everyone thinks things have gone downhill since their time - remember how you think that this year's freshmen at your undergrad are really terrible, or how your neighborhood has really gone downhill since you were a kid there, or whatever. It's a hobby many people have to criticize everything all the time.

Also, remember that these people aren't actually filling out applications - their lives aren't on the line, they didn't obsess about every word in the personal statement, they aren't anxiously awaiting news. It's easy for them to piss on your school choices because it has no real bearing to their own lives.

In terms of vet schools, from that master list of where everyone's applying, it seems that only Tuskegee has a bad rep - and maybe that's from disorganization more than anything else. All other schools have a decent spread of applicants, and all give a quality education, and all grant DVM degrees. So don't worry.

 

[fargeese]

Hey, what do you call a person who has graduated from a really crappy vet school? A Vet.

The reputation of the school is the school's problem, not yours. My vet hates my in-state school, and thinks the graduates that come out are as, and I quote, "useless as tits on a bull". But (a) he is not paying for my schooling and (b) he trusts that I will come out decently since he knows my work ethic and skills. Like anything, I am guessing you get out of vet school what you put into it.

Once you get out, no one is going to care where you went to school or what your grades where if you are a good vet.

 

[aggiegolf]

I don't think a "crappy" vet school in the US exists. If you get into an AVMA accredited school, at least you know you'll become a vet and get licensed as long as you work hard. I go to St. Matthew's in Grand Cayman and we're having a host of issues, so it gets worrysome people like me riled up and ready to leave. My biggest fear is working so hard and then it not working out. I guess I'd just have to start over and reapply to the states. Whatever it takes to make your dream come true right?

 

[alliecat44]

Aggiegolf, what's going on over there?? Sounds concerning...

 

[Emio]

i'm concerned too... fill us in?

 

[Foofur]

yes Aggie, please tell us... .

 

[aggiegolf]

I think I was having a mental breakdown when I wrote this post. It may have had something to do with midterms.

In all honesty I think our school is going to be fine. It's a small community so rumors spread like wildfire. And unfortunately I have to hear about all of them. On a positive note, the school is growing and lots of construction is underway. Our surgical clinic looks great and the charter class heads for clinicals in January.

Our situation reminds me of what I used to hear about St. George's during my freshman year of undergrad at A&M. People's comments made that school sound like it wasn't credible because they were just getting started. And look at how far St. George's has come since then. I expect our school to do the same.

The most important thing is that I am learning alot. So no matter what happens, it certainly hasn't been time wasted. As long as we all work hard, becoming a vet is the only outcome! Good luck everyone.

 

[lailanni]

It's always easier to watch and criticize, than to actually do something.

For me, the most important thing is to get into any school. Getting in = becoming a vet.

So I don't care what anyone says, even if a snooty grad looks down on my choices. In the end, we'll both be DVMs. So don't let em bring you down!

 

[alonepear]

Is there a list anywhere for say the 5 worst vet schools in the country?

Unfortunately, the US News rankings of vet schools does indeed cover all 28 of the schools, which is obviously going to rank some of us at the bottom. Which sucks, because among some of the things that go into those rankings are things like alumni financial contributions and ethnic diversity, which are both quite understandably important, but never-the-less do not necessarily increase or decrease the quality of your education. Mississippi, for instance, is the poorest state in the nation. We're a younger school, alumni cannot contribute as much financially (lower-than-national-average starting salary), and unfortunately minorities for the most part are poorly represented. Our school and facilities are great, our faculty is impressive, but we're almost at the bottom of that list, and I really believe that hurts us in terms of who is willing to apply to our school! Not to mention that since I'm from a state that has an extremely high-ranked vet school, and wasn't accepted, to most of the vets I worked with in my home state I'm "settling" for a worse school.

So yeah, I understand! That's my rant for this evening, happy halloween =)

 

[Foofur]

I think I was having a mental breakdown when I wrote this post. It may have had something to do with midterms.

In all honesty I think our school is going to be fine. It's a small community so rumors spread like wildfire. And unfortunately I have to hear about all of them. On a positive note, the school is growing and lots of construction is underway. Our surgical clinic looks great and the charter class heads for clinicals in January.

Our situation reminds me of what I used to hear about St. George's during my freshman year of undergrad at A&M. People's comments made that school sound like it wasn't credible because they were just getting started. And look at how far St. George's has come since then. I expect our school to do the same.

The most important thing is that I am learning alot. So no matter what happens, it certainly hasn't been time wasted. As long as we all work hard, becoming a vet is the only outcome! Good luck everyone.

thanks aggie!
anatomy test over... ahhhh

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Unfortunately, the US News rankings of vet schools does indeed cover all 28 of the schools....

Just remember that the US News rankings have a HORRIBLE methodology and is a steam pile of junk....so I wouldn't consider it a valid measure of programs. Unfortunately most people still use them, ignoring the skewed weighting system, reliance on "expert" feedback, and academic inbreeding.

There has been some research done in this area in regard to clinical rankings for psychology (which is next to impossible to rank, since it is all about 'niche' areas of study), and they found that it doesn't measure what it is meant to measure.

Just my 2 cents....

-t

 

[pressmom]

As far as rankings go, I turned down a higher ranked school to come here to TN. Vet schools can be "nichey" as far as what they're known for and that helped me make my decision. TN has an excellent exotics program, and I'm thinking about going into that. We are also expanding our small animal hospital.

All the schools have their strengths and weaknesses. It's hard to make an accurate comparison between TN and a school, like Auburn, that has superior large animal facilities. It just depends on what you want. It's also hard to make a comparison between a younger school like TN or Miss State (as alonepear said) and Cornell, CSU or Ohio State, which have a longer history.

In a way, it's apples and oranges. I encourage everyone to visit the schools they apply to or at least talk to students who attend the school. It really means a lot to see the facilities first hand.

In conclusion, there are no bad vet schools. Just find the one that fits you and stay above the madness!