I have not read this full thread, but MS State has a vet school program where they accept 40 students freshman year for the vet school track - as long as they maintain solid UG grades and meet the vet school requirements, they can continue on with MS State vet school. I know two students that have used this program - one has finished vet school; one is a current UG sophomore - was one of my DD’s classmates through HS. If one is passionate about vet school, consider this school. These two students absolutely were passionate and had the academic chops. MS State offers excellent OOS scholarships. It is a school in a rural setting. Lots of eng students. We live in N AL, and it is the 3rd school students from our area go for engineering - behind UA and AU.
If you are in TX and student wants to attend TAMU and then their vet school, that is certainly a consideration. I know a student who attended AU as an in-state student and then completed vet school there. Just like medical school, vet schools are very competitive to get in.
For many students that are 16/17/18, the student may truly not be passionate about med school, vet school, etc for the long haul - they may find other interests in college, better aptitude for other things, fall in love with another field.