PennVet (OOS) vs. UGA (OOS)

[PastelEl42]

Hi all! I have been struggling quite a bit with my decision, and I think I have finally narrowed it down to two choices, but I'd love some advice. I'm an OOS student from CT, and I'm interested in small animal and shelter med.
I was almost certain I would choose PennVet at first. I loved the curriculum, 2 full years of clinics, shelter medicine and community medicine offerings, etc. But after touring, I really didn't like the campus. It was partly driving down city streets and getting a feel of how difficult it would be to bring my car and park. And while most of campus was very pretty, outside of the UPenn area I just didn't like the vibes. The anatomy lab and Ryan vet hospital seemed a bit dark and old, which probably means nothing in terms of quality medicine, but I just didn't like being there?
Originally I wasn't giving UGA much serious thought, but after visiting Philly, I realized the Athens area might be a good fit for me. It's drivable and there is a great music and arts scene. I heard from some of those at the admitted students day that they're really pushing health and wellness (sounds like Penn is trying to get better about mental health, but I'm not sure what exactly they're doing), and that the new curriculum has a huge emphasis on clinical skills. The teaching hospital is super shiny and new, and while that may not mean better medicine, I could definitely see myself being happier spending hours on end there during clinical rotations. And all of this is not to mention tuition, as UGA would be about $100k cheaper. Theoretically I am fortunate enough to have the financial support to go to either school, but obviously if I go to a cheaper school my family won't have to contribute as much and loans will be much smaller.
But I'm still a bit hesitant to commit to UGA. I've been wanting to go to Pennvet for so long. I loved their mobile shelter unit, they seem to offer a wider variety of clinical rotations, and they obviously have quite prolific faculty. I am also worried about opportunities for residencies or internships afterwards. UGA has moved to pass/fail, but they have devised a quintile system for class ranking, and ultimately recommendations and experience may matter more. I've also seen that UGA tends to have fewer matches in past VIRMP statistics, but I don't actually know if that means anything, as match rates could change in the next 4 years and it seems to differ year by year. I feel like wherever I end up I will want to pursue 4th year externships in shelter med (so there's a slim possibility of working in that shiny shelter mobile unit even if I go to UGA lol).

TLDR:
Is PennVet worth it if I love the curriculum and opportunities but don't like the city and the facilities? To be honest, I think I just want some confirmation from someone in the vetmed community that, if I chose UGA, I would be making the right choice

Thanks to anyone for taking the time to read! Everyone here has been incredibly helpful in navigating the weirdness that is vet school application and acceptance <3 Congrats to everyone on your decisions as the cycle is ending and good luck to everyone applying this fall.

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[battie]

The anatomy lab and Ryan vet hospital seemed a bit dark and old, which probably means nothing in terms of quality medicine

The teaching hospital is super shiny and new, and while that may not mean better medicine

You're right; the newness of a facility is not a marker of how good the medicine is. And no matter how nice the facility is, you'll get real tired real quick on being at the school 12-24 hours at a time regardless.

Remember it takes millions of dollars for these updates. And schools *do* have to update periodically in order to keep up their accreditation. So these changes happen over time. It's just UGA's time was sooner than Penn's.

outside of the UPenn area I just didn't like the vibes.

It's drivable and there is a great music and arts scene.

Remember, some would say the exact same in the opposite direction since Penn is one of the few vet schools in an urban area. Consider how much time you'll actually prioritize to spend on these priorities.

I heard from some of those at the admitted students day that they're really pushing health and wellness (sounds like Penn is trying to get better about mental health, but I'm not sure what exactly they're doing),

Every school is pushing this in recent years. So while some are better than others, if you contacted every admissions department of every school, you'll see some consistent patterns.

UGA would be about $100k cheaper. Theoretically I am fortunate enough to have the financial support to go to either school, but obviously if I go to a cheaper school my family won't have to contribute as much and loans will be much smaller.

This. Right here. 100k is 25% of my house. 100k is more than what I made my first year as a doctor. And remember, negative things can happen where you repeat a year or don't even finish. Not a high chance, but it's something I experienced. I had to pay an extra 55k because I repeated a year. That 55k I spent would be a really nice backyard deck and landscaping remodel I really want right meow.

I've been wanting to go to Pennvet for so long. I loved their mobile shelter unit, they seem to offer a wider variety of clinical rotations, and they obviously have quite prolific faculty

They're a really old vet school, so they're going to have a wide ranging influences. Likewise, you can use externships to go literally anywhere.

There's also nothing wrong with changing your path based on new things you know.

I am also worried about opportunities for residencies or internships afterwards. UGA has moved to pass/fail, but they have devised a quintile system for class ranking, and ultimately recommendations and experience may matter more. I've also seen that UGA tends to have fewer matches in past VIRMP statistics, but I don't actually know if that means anything, as match rates could change in the next 4 years and it seems to differ year by year.

Your home institution has no influence as far as I've heard on your residency chances. Your networking and academics seem to be the best gauge. It also depends on how many people who go to UGA actually want to go through the match.

To be honest, I think I just want some confirmation from someone in the vetmed community that, if I chose UGA, I would be making the right choice

I normally am the bearer of bad news in not confirming what pre-vets want to hear. But for once, I get to say yes, going to UGA is a good choice and overall financially is the best choice.

 

[supershorty]

Is PennVet worth it if I love the curriculum and opportunities but don't like the city and the facilities?

No. No school is worth an extra $100k, to be honest. Absolutely not.

Any well-established program is not going to have issues with matching (note that I am excluding brand new programs from this blanket statement simply because the data for them are too sparse), and as bats said, your own ability to match is going to be determined more by your references than anything else. Obviously if you're angling for a really competitive specialty, grades will come into play, but UGA is not the only program moving toward more a competency-based curriculum or doing away with class rank; some programs have done away with class rank entirely, and they are old programs that have great reputations and graduate wonderful vets each year. They're not going to do something drastic like that if it would affect the ability of their graduates to match.

To be perfectly blunt, I wouldn't really listen to any lip service a program gives about mental health initiatives they're taking. I have a deep layer of skepticism about that because I think it's easy for schools to say they're doing something, but it's another thing for them to actually implement meaningful change in that direction. Like, for example, saying that every first Monday of the month is a mindfulness day, but what that actually means is you get an extra half hour for lunch that day. Things like that.

I see no reason here for you to go to Penn, and a lot of reasons for you to go to UGA.

 

[prevet34]

I say you follow your dream. If cost isn’t a determining factor, you should choose Penn vet. In six months you might regret not following your dream. In undergrad, I didn’t follow my dream and I regret it. So I personally think you should choose Penn vet. Plus if you are from CT, Philly is a lot closer than Athens

 

[PastelEl42]

Thank you all so much for your advice! I think I am closer to making a decision... Also ngl, it's still very tough to turn down a school that had been one of my top choices for so long. Thought it would be helpful to me, and potentially to others reading this, to get some of my thoughts down.

You're right; the newness of a facility is not a marker of how good the medicine is. And no matter how nice the facility is, you'll get real tired real quick on being at the school 12-24 hours at a time regardless.

I understand I'm going to be spending incredibly long shifts wherever I end up, and I'm gonna get sick of the hospital eventually. But one of the things it felt like UGA had really going for it was natural sunlight. There were large windows almost everywhere but the exam rooms and a large courtyard in the center. At Penn's hospital, I felt a bit more confined, like I would be stuck in the hospital working and suddenly I would walk out of the building and it would be night time. It honestly feels a lot like the hospital I'm working at right now and I feel like I get burnt out pretty easily in that kind of environment. That being said, you could be right that regardless of where I am, clinicals will be intense. I just feel that maybe I will be a bit happier spending time at UGA's hospital.
Thank you @battie and @supershorty for all of your helpful advice regarding matching and finances.

I say you follow your dream. If cost isn’t a determining factor, you should choose Penn vet. In six months you might regret not following your dream. In undergrad, I didn’t follow my dream and I regret it. So I personally think you should choose Penn vet. Plus if you are from CT, Philly is a lot closer than Athens

I will be honest, my dream is not PennVet. For a while now, PennVet has been a close second to Cornell, where I am waitlisted 🙃. And while I am from CT, I grew up in Atlanta, then my parents moved to DC and I'm here in CT lmao. The long distance move was one reason I hadn't been too enthusiastic about UGA, but looking at costs, it makes more sense to make a long expensive move for UGA's cheaper tuition than spend 4 years paying 25k more.

That being said... What if I get off the Cornell waitlist? In the past month I have been thinking I would absolutely attend Cornell if I got the chance, but I have been more and more charmed by UGA. I attended the admitted/waitlisted students day and love the curriculum structure, the campus, and the hospital, as well as the surrounding area. It's very difficult not knowing my chances of getting pulled, and knowing if I do, I will have a very limited window of time to make a decision. I suppose I will be making pros and cons lists and budgeting spreadsheets for just a while longer!

Again, thank you all so much for your thoughts! It has been super helpful to me to type this all out and get some feedback

 

[mochittybochity]

I know I'm late since april 15th has passed, but I hope you chose UGA (I'm only saying this because it sounds like you are choosing/chose UGA). I love Athens so much and I really think you'd love the life you'd find outside of vet school. It does have a great music, arts, and food scene and a sense of community.