<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>[Pre-Vet</a> & Veterinary Medicine - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-vet-veterinary-medicine/]Pre-Vet”>Pre-Vet & Veterinary Medicine - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>This is the pre-vet forum here on CC. It could help with some of your questions.</p>
<p>Note that most vet schools are public (land-grant) schools that give preferrence to in-state students. As a CA resident your daughter’s in-state option for vet school is UC Davis.</p>
<p>Some vet schools also require very specific pre-reqs that might not be offered at a smaller school. For example animal genetics, or animal reproduction…not the more generalized biology, anatomy or genetics.</p>
<p>Some undergraduate animal science programs are very specific regarding the major and/or concentration. One area of concentration for an animal science major would be pre-vet vs. animal industry. As where medical schools look for 1 year bio, 1 year gen chem, 1 year orgo, 1 year physics and maybe 1 semester math/english, vet schools can have a much, much bigger list of pre-reqs that a smaller school does not offer.</p>
<p>Look to the current pre-req list at UC Davis and a few other vet schools and match that up with classes offered at UC Davis and Allegheny. You might be very surprised.</p>
<p>Another word of caution, many students change their minds with regards to career/major. She should also keep that in mind when choosing schools. Where would she want to be if she was NOT looking at pre-vet?</p>
<p>Why did she choose each school? Do those reasons still remain?</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Plenty of students from UCD go on to grad school including vet school. I don’t know what the rate is for Allegheny. Some students are more comfortable in the larger environment and some prefer the smaller environment. Make sure you consider practicalities such as if she decides to switch her major or post-grad plans (many change their mind) and whether enough attractive options exist at Allegheny vs UCD and traveling cost/hassle of a college on the other side of the country (winter break, spring break, summer break). </p>
<p>For the DVM program at UCD, here are some stats - </p>
<p>(Where the students went to UG) Primary Undergraduate College: UCD (34), UC (33), CSU (21), other CA (9), out-of state (36)</p>
<p>[UC</a> Davis School of Vet Med: Students: Application Statistics- Class of 2015 (Entering Fall 2011)](<a href=“http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/ClassOf2015Statistics.cfm]UC”>http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/students/dvm_program/admissions/ClassOf2015Statistics.cfm)</p>
<p>Some of the CSUs did well for placement vs. some of the UCs. Sonoma State 2 for 2. Contrasting with SLO that was 1 in 10.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>**like that chart on the website!! Tons of info…</p>
<p>@GladGrad - 46% of Allegheny students go to grad/professional school according to Collegedata; UCD did not report. Also, thanks for the link, it was chock-full of good info.</p>
<p>@katkittens - my daughter has already selected her three top grad schools: UPenn, Cornell, and UCD, in that order. She understands that they are extremely competetive, but the pre-reqs are about the same to get in to any one of them. She wants to go to a college where she can thrive in her field of studies, so that she can be recognized as a worthy candidate for grad school. Once she sets a goal, she is determined to reach it no matter what. She is a good student who works hard, enjoys playing sports, and just wants to be a vet at the end of her college life. As a supportive parent, I just want to know where she has her best shot at succeeding!</p>
<p>Again, thank you both for the insightful posts.</p>
<p>
Penn and Cornell are required to fill a large percentage of their classes with in-state students, and it is therefore much easier for a California resident to be admitted to UC Davis. (More specifically, about 4 times easier than at Penn and 5 times than at Cornell.) Since she’s OOS, they’re also a bit more expensive.</p>
<p>I am a big fan of LACs, but pre-vet is one of the situations in which I heavily favor land-grant publics due to the more numerous animal handling opportunities. Universities like UCD are also more likely to have dedicated pre-vet advising and student clubs for pre-vet students. I would be especially wary of a small town like Meadville; I see only one (small) vet clinic in the town, and although there is a humane society chapter, that is not quite the same as veterinary experience. Veterinary/animal experience is key to a successful application. For example, Cornell expects on average ~1400 hours of animal experience (put differently, about 2 hours every weekday of the school year for four years or one hour every day for four years). Some schools are even worse – CSU expects at least 1000 hours each of animal handling and clinical experience! That’s quite a lot, especially when you factor in time off for things like study abroad, so it is essential to have easy access to a vet clinic/hospital, zoo, or other animal care facility. It is especially good to have experience with both small and large animals; many students used to dealing with cats and dogs are unsettled the first time they have to deal with a temperamental cow.</p>