Tufts (OOS) vs UGA (OOS)

[kshann]

Hi all! I've seen a couple posts on here about UGA vs other schools, but I wanted to chime in with my own situation to see if anyone can offer any guidance. I am OOS for both schools, am interested in small animal medicine (likely without doing a residency), and am from NH.

UGA:
Pros

• the pass/fail system is huge for me because I am a really bad test taker and think it would relieve a lot of anxiety for me
• I like that students get to do some clinical rotations in their third year before returning to the classroom for electives
• new hospital/facilities, the anatomy lab is gorgeous
• big school atmosphere- I'm a big football fan and never had that experience in undergrad
• honeybee medicine!!! I just think this is so cool
• curriculum is split up into body systems rather than the "-ologies"
• the students all seem so nice and genuinely seem to enjoy it there
• no classes until 1pm on Wednesdays to give students a mental health break
• opportunities to partner with the zoo/aquarium
• 100k cheaper overall (not including the cheap rent)

Cons:

• far from home
• big class size (150), everyone is together for the labs
• I am worried about the heat lol
• not a lot of large animal experience on campus
• parking seems like a pain

Tufts:
Pros:

• has always been my dream school since I decided I wanted to go into veterinary medicine
• super close to home!
• the teaching/clinical skills lab is really really nice
• wildlife hospital/wildlife clinical rotation (not something I will do as a profession but something I'd like to get involved with in school!)
• no issues with parking, in it's own little bubble
• beautiful campus with lots of trees
• the hospital gets a ton of cases
• large animals on campus

Cons:

• not a lot going on in that area
• they drastically increased their class size (from ~105 to ~130) and do not seem to have the capacity for it as the lecture halls only hold ~130-150
• the campus would be under construction for the entire time I am there. They are building a new health services building and are talking about building a new hospital. There would be "temporary classrooms" for a lot of the discussion-based classes
• I will be around 100k more in debt if I go here
• housing is expensive

Thank you so much if you took the time to read this! I would appreciate any guidance anyone has about either school. I have visited both and talked extensively with students from both, so I feel like either way it will be an informed decision, I just don't know what to do!

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[ali9280]

Everyone is going to tell you to go to the cheaper option. The $100K difference in tuition is HUGE so I would pick UGA, your future self will thank you. Taking on an extra $100K in debt for a "prettier" campus or parking aren't strong enough pros imo and it being under construction sounds like a headache. Congrats on your acceptances!

 

[PastelEl42]

Hi there kshann! You might have seen me posting about UGA vs some other places lol. I toured Tufts as well, and while the campus is beautiful, students are wonderful, and they have very strong opportunities (wildlife clinic, certificate programs, etc.) the curriculum shift, temporary classrooms, and construction gave me a lot of hesitation. In the end, I decided the price tag for tuition wasn’t worth the challenges of transitioning to a program undergoing major changes.
I am in a bit of a different position than you, however. I have been living independently and away from my family for a while now, and while I am an out of state student currently residing in CT, I grew up around the Atlanta area. Unless there are reasons you need to stay close to family (I.e. supporting your family), I almost feel like moving away from home is a great way to help you learn independence? And you will certainly find a support system with the students at whatever school you chose. I talked to many of the OOS students at UGA this past weekend, and it seems a lot of them also moved far from their families, and were able to bond with the other OOS students in this situation.
Good luck with your decision however! Both schools obviously have great things to offer!