<p>My D got accepted to both of these schools, but only received a merit scholarship at Allegheny. She is a CA resident, so she will get in-state tuition. In the end, the tuition is about the same when one factors in the scholarship, but the question I have is which one is the better school for my D? Which one will give her her best chance at becoming a veterinarian? Also, which one will prepare her best for graduate school? Allegheny is small (2100 students) and UC Davis is huge (30,000 students). Her intended major is Biological Science at Allegheny and Animal Biology at UC Davis. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Go where she’ll likely feel most comfortable and get the best grades. Vet school is said to be harder to get into than Med school. It will be a numbers game - go where you’ll get the best. My take is Allegheny will have smaller classes, less / no difficulty gaining need courses when needed and more help within a close-knit learning community.</p>
<p>Our D is also interested in Vet (or possibly Med) School & hopes to major in Biology at Allegheny. I agree with pardullet’s comments but the only downside to a small LAC like Allegheny is that if you have problems grade-wise or otherwise wish to change your major, there are far fewer choices than at a large state U. Good Luck! YJ76</p>
<p>Thanks Par and YJ for your input. My D seems to do better in a smaller school environment, but I don’t know how much exposure to animal handling/experience she will get at Allegheny. I have looked at both programs (UCD Animal Biology & AC Biological Science), and they are both rigorous and challenging which will prepare her well for grad school. Obviously, she will have more access to farm animals at Davis than at Allegheny, unless I am mistaken. Her top three grad schools are: UPenn, Cornell, and UC Davis, in that order, and they all require a high number of hours handling animals, large and small, and of course, the pre-reqs in order to be selected for their program.</p>
<p>It is a tough decision for her, and even if I were in her shoes, I would not be able to decide between which schools myself. Especially since she already visited Allegheny and fell in love with the campus. She really had a good feeling about the school!</p>
<p>I am not sure this is a good idea or not, but how about contacting UPenn, or Cornell Vet school and ask them for an advice on how they would view an applicant from each school.</p>
<p>@ttparent - good idea. I wonder if any of these med schools would give feedback?</p>
<p>@ErosZoti - the pre-health majors Allegheny lists on their website are: Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Math & Physics so I assume your DD would be majoring in either Biology or Biochemistry. As for “animal handling”, I’ve not seen anything in Allegheny’s curriculum that would make that a possibility. There may be some internship or volunteer possibilities. Our D has wanted to be a Vet for many years but it’s a difficult, long & expensive process. Grades, college EC’s, MCAT test results and faculty rec letters are key ingredients to med or vet school entrance (without even factoring the cost of grad school). Vet school entrance is even tougher than med school as there are fewer Vet schools to begin with. There may be scholarship opportunities if a Vet school student commits to working with large animals in a rural area (similar to Dr. Joel Fleischman, sent to Cicely, Alaska in order to pay his med-school loans in the old TV show Northern Exposure?).</p>
<p>In any case our D is opening up to either med or vet school as an option following Allegheny. Consider this recent CBS-TV news story concerning an upcoming shortage of Family Doctors as more & more med school students gravitate towards specialty careers:</p>
<p>[Family</a> care doctors are in high demand - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57380915/family-care-doctors-are-in-high-demand/]Family”>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57380915/family-care-doctors-are-in-high-demand/)</p>
<p>Vets are also paid poorly relative to medical specialists. If a student wanted a rewarding career in medicine without regards to pay I would think Family Practice might be something to consider. Good Luck!</p>
<p>YJ76</p>
<p>I just want to say a bit about the need for primary care physicians. Yes, there is need and it is dire in some areas. I am a nurse and have been for longer than I like to admit, lets just say over 30 years. In some ways, things haven’t changed much. I remember as a young nurse talking to a med student who already was displeased with the nature of most patients. He wanted to educate people and help them live healthful lives through lifestyle changes but most people just wanted “a pill” or surgery. I know there are a lot of boomers who are not like this but trust me, from my work, there are many who continue to live like this and do not expect to take personal responsibility for their health. </p>
<p>Also, in my late 30’s I had a job where we used internal medicine residents from one of the large hospitals in Pgh. They were wonderful, collaborative, attentive and conscientious. Also, most were in their 20’s. I asked my friend one day, “What happens between this point and the next 10-15 years that turns these wonderful young doctors into the the doctors we work with daily?”. Something causes their attitudes to change and they are not the same people. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer. I would think that knowing some of this BEFORE finishing med school, having realistic expectations and doing the work because of the work and not because of money would help. And yes, I have worked with some Dr’s who are exceptions and one guy n particular, who in his late 50’s has told me he LOVES what he does. He has always served the underprivileged and I think he feels gratification from that aspect of his work. He has said that he has not made as much money as many of his peers due to his choices. </p>
<p>Now, regarding vet programs. A friend of the family’s grandson goes to school for vet medicine on St Kitt, here is a link to a program there, not sure if it the one he attends but I’m thinking there can’t be many vet programs there. School on St Kitt sounds appealing to me!</p>
<p>[Ross</a> University | AVMA Accredited Veterinary School](<a href=“http://www.rossu.edu/veterinary-school/]Ross”>http://www.rossu.edu/veterinary-school/)</p>
<p>ErosZoti, I just happened on this thread and can’t stop from putting my two cents in. I live in California and my brother is a vet, I’d say if your daughter is really serious about vet school, there is no place better than UC Davis. (Sorry, I know this is an Allegheny thread) At Davis she’ll have much more exposure to animals and classes that address every type of biology, and UC Davis has a great vet school. The opportunities there would be endless.</p>