CSU vs Cornell

[devhallihan]

hi there! i was fortunate enough to get accepted into two of my top schools and would love some advice<3

i’m oos for both (and all) schools since i’m from nj so that’s not a factor. i’m mainly worried about how far csu is (i went to college only ab hour from home) and if that’s something i want to commit to. at the same time, i love traveling and i think it might be good experience to live someplace else for a few years, plus i loveeee skiing and hiking.

basically, i like the proximity of cornell better but the area of csu better (if that makes sense) and i’m not super educated about the differences in their veterinary programs but would love to learn! any insight or advice would be much much appreciated🥰 thanks!

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[cowboykitten]

hi there! i was fortunate enough to get accepted into two of my top schools and would love some advice
i’m oos for both (and all) schools since i’m from nj so that’s not a factor. i’m mainly worried about how far csu is (i went to college only ab hour from home) and if that’s something i want to commit to. at the same time, i love traveling and i think it might be good experience to live someplace else for a few years, plus i loveeee skiing and hiking.

basically, i like the proximity of cornell better but the area of csu better (if that makes sense) and i’m not super educated about the differences in their veterinary programs but would love to learn! any insight or advice would be much much appreciated thanks!

I’m in the same boat but OOS from CA! Do you know much about Cornell’s PBL teaching style?

 

[Halocat]

Current Cornell student here. PBL is an adjustment. You are given a case to work through with a group of about 8 students and a tutor several days a week. At first PBL is challenging. You will be asked to solve problems before you are explicitly taught them. You read through a case make a list of what your need to learn in order to solve the case then you are told go find the answers using little millers, your lab guide, etc. Then you come back as a group and review the answer you all found to your many questions. Sometimes these topics will have lectures to go with them but much of the learning is you finding the answers, not professors telling you. It's interesting to see how what you are learning can be clinically relevant but this learning style takes time to get used to and the lack of confirmation you feel finding your own answers can be scary at first. It is good for learning to work together with other students to gain knowledge though. Not every course is PBL though.

 

[QuietTempest]

I'm not a vet student (yet!), so I can't speak to the DVM program in-depth. But I currently live in Fort Collins and attended CSU for undergrad. I love Fort Collins and feel more at home here than anywhere else I have lived. I also love the outdoor opportunities. As for vet school, I know CSU tracks 3rd year; you can choose small, large, or mixed. The first 2 years are mostly didactic, I believe, with some hands-on experience in labs and the foundations courses. You begin shadowing 4th years in the VTH during your 3rd year but are still taking some didactics. 4th year is entirely clinical and starts right after 3rd year ends. There are also capstone exams right before 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year. This is just what I've heard from friends in the program and reading about the curriculum online, so it may not be 100% UTD.

Based on AAVMC cost comparison, it looks like Cornell would be cheaper for you by around 40k? That's nothing to sneeze at. Also including cost of travel back home, CSU would be even more expensive. Cost of living has definitely been increasing here lately. You may have luck saving more if you live farther from campus and/or have 3+ roommates. We do have a decent public transportation system, but it can be a bit unpredictable in bad weather. Just some things to think about. Good luck with your decision!

 

[fleetwoodquack]

hi there! i was fortunate enough to get accepted into two of my top schools and would love some advice<3

i’m oos for both (and all) schools since i’m from nj so that’s not a factor. i’m mainly worried about how far csu is (i went to college only ab hour from home) and if that’s something i want to commit to. at the same time, i love traveling and i think it might be good experience to live someplace else for a few years, plus i loveeee skiing and hiking.

basically, i like the proximity of cornell better but the area of csu better (if that makes sense) and i’m not super educated about the differences in their veterinary programs but would love to learn! any insight or advice would be much much appreciated🥰 thanks!

i can't help much here unfortunately but i'm in almost the exact same boat as you! from nj, huge fan of hiking and skiing, and also weighing cornell against other options. if you want to chat about making the decision feel free to shoot me a message