Washington State vs Kansas State

[bgabbard]

Hello,

I'm really struggling to decide between these two schools. They would both be OOS, but residency can be established in Washington after the first year and that's the only real reason it's a close decision for me. I am zoo focused and most likely won't change, but if I did it would most likely be wildlife/research related. I am leaning towards Kansas state. From what I hear and understand, KSU has a lot of zoo opportunities (sunset zoo, wildlife/exotics department) and great connections can be made there. The school building has been recently updated and is large with tons of space, which I personally care about and take into account. My girlfriend also goes to Iowa so it would be much closer to her (a 5-hour drive vs. a 5-8 hour flight with a layover).

Washington has a 4-year price of $242K ($240K AAVMC, $248K VIN), vs. Kansas state at $301K ($320 on AAVMC, $346K VIN). There are some things that don't really make too much sense to me. VIN has estimated the cost of living in Kansas costing $13K more. I've lived in Idaho and Oregon all my life and travel to Washington a lot (not the east side too often) and I would assume the cost of living in the Pacific North West is much more expensive than the Midwest, but I could be wrong. It seems like a lot of people say it varies widely at Pullman.

From what I understand Washington has great research opportunities and some good wildlife experiences and a wildlife/exotics department, but less zoo-type experience. I'm struggling to get more info from their site and I may go visit there in March.

The last thing is every field I'm currently interested in would more than likely be some sort of non-profit/not-for-profit type job and I would qualify for PSLF from what I understand. I need to talk to an academic advisor to make sure I understand it completely before I bank on this as well, but I think it should be considered when contemplating the financial differences.

Most people say go where its cheapest, but given that I'm interested in the zoo field I feel that connections made are very important even if the exotic experience is available at both schools, and I think at the end of the day the main difference is being closer to my significant other (who is in her second year currently) and the opportunities at Kansas state which some people don't see as that important.

Any thoughts, info, or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WildZoo]

I would trust the AAVMC/VIN numbers as rough estimates. But you can also poke around to look at how much housing might cost in each area, try searching some cost of living estimate sites, etc. Even if Manhattan and Pullman are closer in cost of living than those sites are saying, that still leaves a pretty decent gap in cost.

One thing I will encourage you to consider is the fact that the zoo field is not a particularly well-paying one. If you incur more debt in school, that is going to make things tighter down the line. I would never, ever count on PSLF when making these decisions. You have to consider what you would do if things don't go according to plan. Going into school wanting to be a zoo vet doesn't mean you will become one. It is a highly competitive field, and it can take years to get into. That is not to discourage you from your dreams at all, it is to say that it is much better to plan for the worst and hope for the best when it comes to these things.

If you plan to do internship/residency training, that is something else to keep in mind as well. That's more years of very low pay, while your loans are accruing interest. And those years don't always count towards PSLF either, depending on how you're classified by your program (employee vs student).

Another thing to consider is that being at a school with zoo and exotics related opportunities does not automatically mean you will have a leg up. Is there maybe a higher chance to make connnections? Sure. But many people go to the schools with those reputations for that reason, so there's also going to be a lot of competition, and it can be harder to stand out. A couple of exotics faculty can only really form close relationships with so many students, and there are only going to be so many in house opportunities to go around. Ultimately breaking into the field involves a lot of your own legwork. Externships, research, going to conferences. These are also things that will be easier if you have a bit more financial wiggle room. Simply existing where there is a zoo nearby isn't going to make that much of a difference, and certainly isn't worth an extra $60-100k in loans.

I had several classmates that came into school wanting to do zoo med and ultimately changed plans because financially it just didn't make sense. I would urge you to set yourself up as best you can by not spending more than you need to on the schooling itself.

 

[bgabbard]

I would trust the AAVMC/VIN numbers as rough estimates. But you can also poke around to look at how much housing might cost in each area, try searching some cost of living estimate sites, etc. Even if Manhattan and Pullman are closer in cost of living than those sites are saying, that still leaves a pretty decent gap in cost.

One thing I will encourage you to consider is the fact that the zoo field is not a particularly well-paying one. If you incur more debt in school, that is going to make things tighter down the line. I would never, ever count on PSLF when making these decisions. You have to consider what you would do if things don't go according to plan. Going into school wanting to be a zoo vet doesn't mean you will become one. It is a highly competitive field, and it can take years to get into. That is not to discourage you from your dreams at all, it is to say that it is much better to plan for the worst and hope for the best when it comes to these things.

If you plan to do internship/residency training, that is something else to keep in mind as well. That's more years of very low pay, while your loans are accruing interest. And those years don't always count towards PSLF either, depending on how you're classified by your program (employee vs student).

Another thing to consider is that being at a school with zoo and exotics related opportunities does not automatically mean you will have a leg up. Is there maybe a higher chance to make connnections? Sure. But many people go to the schools with those reputations for that reason, so there's also going to be a lot of competition, and it can be harder to stand out. A couple of exotics faculty can only really form close relationships with so many students, and there are only going to be so many in house opportunities to go around. Ultimately breaking into the field involves a lot of your own legwork. Externships, research, going to conferences. These are also things that will be easier if you have a bit more financial wiggle room. Simply existing where there is a zoo nearby isn't going to make that much of a difference, and certainly isn't worth an extra $60-100k in loans.

I had several classmates that came into school wanting to do zoo med and ultimately changed plans because financially it just didn't make sense. I would urge you to set yourself up as best you can by not spending more than you need to on the schooling itself.

I was just looking at apartment prices and the prices look relatively similar if not a little more expensive at Pullman by a little bit, but I mean I feel like a $13K estimated difference is pretty significant. I understand though, finances do make everything a lot tougher and the PSLF is hard to count on financially.

 

[WildZoo]

I was just looking at apartment prices and the prices look relatively similar if not a little more expensive at Pullman by a little bit, but I mean I feel like a $13K estimated difference is pretty significant. I understand though, finances do make everything a lot tougher and the PSLF is hard to count on financially.

There aren't that many cost of living sites that have info available for Pullman
unfortunately, but this one at least does and seems to agree that Manhattan is more expensive (hit skip when it asks for household income).

2024 Cost of Living Calculator - Compare Cost of Living by City & State

Our free cost of living calculator allows you to compare the cost of living in your current city to another city you might be interested in moving to.

smartasset.com

What I'm saying though is that even if you think it'll be more similar and equalize cost of living, the tuition gap is still almost $80k.

 

[zenarcade]

I feel like the east side of Washington is distinct from the rest of the PNW- not sure if it's as cheap as the midwest is, but I'm from western WA, and housing is definitely cheaper here in Pullman, especially if you're willing to live with roommates.