Vet school is very much what you make of it. The fact is that, no matter where you go, you are still going to have to work hard and dedicate a lot of blood, sweat, and tears if you have some particular interest area that you’re wanting to break into, especially in niches as small as zoo medicine, for example, where everyone knows each other and connections are everything. All AVMA accredited schools will provide you the framework that you need to jumpstart your career; all will provide you with opportunities to delve into specific areas if you would like to. It’s up to you to take full advantage of them, and that is the case no matter where you go. No matter if you go to the most expensive or the least expensive school, no matter if you go the most highly ranked school or the lowest ranked one. Again: vet school is what you make of it.
Also consider what happens if you end up leaving school or changing career interests entirely. Or if you try to specialize but are unable to due to a poor GPA (vet school is stupid hard). Things happen, life can be one hell of a roller coaster, and people change. If, however unlikely, something happens and you are not able to finish school or you change your mind afterward and pursue something else, you will be in a far better position, with far more financial freedom, with a lesser debt burden.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, the cheapest option available for vet school is the best one. There’s no reason to pay $50k, $100k, $150k more for the same degree. The schooling itself only lasts four years. The environment surrounding the school only lasts four years. The debt lasts so, so much longer and will have a very significantly larger impact on your future life and career trajectory than the name of your school will.
It’s easy to look at the career with rose-colored glasses from your perspective as a (presumably) pre-vet. It’s easy to tell yourself that you’re going to be in a lot of debt but it’s okay and it’s justified because you KNOW exactly what you want to do with your degree and it will all sort itself out. But things do change and our plans don’t always work out. I’m living proof of that and I’m, literally, paying dearly for it now.
Best to be as proactive about this as possible from the outset. The debt is very, very real.