Becoming A Veterinarian Essay Example

To reach my career goal of becoming a veterinarian, I need to attend a college that would allow me to get the degrees needed in that field. To become a veterinarian, I need to get degrees in Veterinary Practice, Animal Health and Disease, and/or Veterinary psychology. In the United States, the top-ranked schools with veterinary programs are Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Ohio State University, and Michigan State, according to The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Out of those, I was able to narrow down the options to Ohio State University and Cornell University. I chose these because they both had hands-on programs, which would be a better fit for me. Using the universities official websites and descriptions of the course and reading about how prior students have done since graduating there. These two schools would also allow me to have great opportunities after graduating and they will help me get a job straight out of college.

To decide what program would be the best for me, I looked at what the course would be like and what going to that school would be like for me. After this research, I decided that Cornell University would be the best option for me. They have a very hands-on program, which will help me reach my goals and learn better overall. According to Cornell's website, “Cornell students work with animals from day one of our programs, building their clinical skills while fostering critical thinking and communication.” The website also says, “Most Cornell veterinary students accept offers of employment before graduating, with graduates going on to careers in private practice, conservation, academia, and beyond.” (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: Cornell's Website). These two factors were what persuaded me into choosing Cornell. The fact that I can get job opportunities before I graduate and be able to leave college and go straight into a job in the veterinary field. The hands-on programs would help me learn well and help me to reach my career goals better than the other universities.

By choosing Cornell, I had to give up the opportunities to go to Ohio State University. While researching, I learned a lot of positive things about Ohio State's program and the school in general that made my decision harder. One positive thing about it was that the “school has been given full accreditation from the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the accrediting body for colleges of veterinary medicine and is ranked #4 out of the U.S.’s 32 veterinary schools.” (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine section of the Ohio State University website). This was a super positive aspect and an important factor in my decision because I know that the program is highly ranked and would help me to reach my career goals in the future. However, there were some negatives that swayed my decision towards going to Cornell University. The major con of going to Ohio State was the out of state tuition. The tuition cost($253,312) was a lot more expensive than Cornell University($186,600), which was a big detail that would be very influential in my decision (Veterinarian Colleges Listed by Tuition Cost). This makes the program my second choice because the higher tuition will make it harder for debt to be paid off over time and that makes it harder for my career goals to be met when I have to pay off my tuition when I am out of college.

Overall, these factors, good and bad, led me to decide that going to Cornell University was the best decision for me. The program and the opportunities out of college were huge pros for the school and what ultimately led to my decision. Ohio State had a positive program as well, but the tuition made me choose Cornell University instead.

Citations: 

Alder, Jeremy. “What Degree Do You Need to Be a Veterinarian.” College Consensus: School Rankings & Student Reviews Aggregator, College Consensus, 4 Jan. 2021, www.collegeconsensus.com/degrees/what-degree-do-you-need-to-be-a-vet/.

“Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.” Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 19 Dec. 2019, www.vet.cornell.edu/education/doctor-veterinary-medicine.

“Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.” Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | College of Veterinary Medicine, vet.osu.edu/education/dvm.

“Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, DEGREES & Careers.” Study.com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers, study.com/veterinarian_colleges.html.

“Veterinarian Colleges Listed by Tuition Cost.” Veterinarian Colleges Listed by Tuition Cost |, all-veterinary-schools.com/veterinarian-colleges-tuition/.