So far I have been accepted to both oregon state and midwestern university and I am so excited! I am OOS for both. I am still waiting on my IS (Florida) but if I don't get in to Florida I believe these two will be what it comes down to. I was super impressed with Midwestern's facilities and new simulators on the tour, as well as the enormous number of surgeries their students conduct before they graduate, the kindness of the people, and atmosphere of being immersed in a professional health setting. Midwestern won me over on the tour and these feelings were reaffirmed when I interviewed and toured at a few other schools that just did not impress me as much (don't get me wrong, I know there aren't any bad accredited schools out there). I haven't visited Oregon because they don't interview, so I guess I am looking for some help knowing what they are like.
Is their teaching hospital new?
This was already mostly covered above but our facilities are some of the newest in the country. We just had a new building open this fall, as well as a large addition to the small animal hospital. You will not lack for surgery experience coming out of OSU and again I think our program here is top notch. You spend a minimum of a 3 week rotation at Oregon Humane Society and do 50+ surgery during your time there.
Does midwestern even have a teaching hospital? I always confuse it and Western in my head and can't keep track if either of them have a hospital.
Do they have lots of up-to-date technology?
Yes, see above
Do students spend a ton of time in the hospital?
It depends. Years 1-3 there's a number of ways to get involved. You can go to necropsies or path rounds, and surgeries are often viewable through glass windows. There are lots of job opportunities in the hospital, particularly on the large animal side
Year 4 you will spend all of your time in the hospital or on rotations at other hospitals.
Are the students there happy? Is it a cooperative or competitive atmosphere?
This is going to change by class and who you talk to. I do not like a lot of vet school, but that really has nothing to do with OSU. Vet school is extremely difficult and soul sucking.
I find our classes atmosphere to be a lot more competitive than I was expecting, especially since I went to a very small and collaborative undergrad. I have heard ~rumors~ of people intentionally sabotaging others but dont know if any of it is true. The cooperative or competitiveness will vary by class. I will say the school would absolutely like us to be collaborative and has a share drive so that you can access notes and things from previous classes as well as post things from your own class. Many many people want everyone in the class to succeed, but there are small groups of people who I don't think are overwhelmingly collaborative.
I will copy this from what I sent someone else.
I actually really like Corvallis. It depends where you're from/ what you like though. It's just over an hour from portland so you do have all large city amenities fairly close by. There's tons of outdoor things in the area (an hour from the mountains, an hour from the coast). Lots of good food and bars. I've never lived in a college town before but it is pretty fun. Corvallis was voted the best college town in the Pac-12, and I think it is considered one of the best college towns in the country.
Cost: will definitely be much more expensive than places in the Midwest but cheaper than say UC Davis. Expect to pay probably $500-600 a month for a room in a house or apartment with roommates and $800+ for your own place (could be wrong about the last one as I live with others). You can possibly get cheaper, but it won't be nice or you'll have an excessive amount of roommates.
Safety: overall very safe. Things like petty bike theft happen occasionally but I have frequently left my house unlocked without issue lol.
Outdoor: talked about this somewhat earlier but tons of hiking in the area as well as several good mountains for skiing nearby
Weather: in the winter it’s often 40-50 degrees and raining. Doesn’t snow frequently at all. Summer is generally great. Temperature range 70-90+ not humid and no rain. Most places do not have AC.
Anything else important about OSU that I should know to sway my decision one way or the other? Anyone who has visited or attends there please help me out! Thank you so much!
As others have mentioned, cost. I see absolutely no reason to choose midwestern over OSU due to this one sole factor.
HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Map is here to help. A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an...
vetschoolbound.org
Using this map, OSU will be 150k cheaper than midwestern with accrued interest over the course of 4 years. OSU would be 80k more expensive than UF. So I would even recommend UF over OSU if you get in. I do know someone who is from Florida and didn't get in there but got into OSU.
Let me know if you have more questions!