Any DVM's out there from Ross University?

Question

I just got accepted to Ross university for vet school, but I am worried about a few things.
1) Being stuck on an island 2,000 miles away from everyone for four years.
2) The high cost of moving to an island. ie-car, rent, higher food cost.
3) Being so far in debt (estimated debt being $250,000).

I feel like I am an idiot for being accepted into vet school but turning them down because I am scared of going out so far to go to school when there are other vet schools right in my area.

If anyone has gone to or is going to Ross and you can give me some input, I would be most appreciative.

Answer 1

Well, I'm applying to Ross for the MD program, so your concerns are still applicable.

1. IIRC, Ross sends their students back to the US for years 3 and 4. So you only spend 2 years on Dominica.

2. Why do you need a car? The island is small. There's nothing to do but stay on campus or walk to the beach. Everything you need should be in walking distance. Rent is cheap, too. Food, well, that may cost more, but it can be done frugally if shared with friends (less waste that way).

3. Yes, debt sucks. But any DVM or MD program will cost you.

Lastly, why would you go to Ross if you could get into a DVM program in the US? Ross is the last refuge for those of us who couldn't make it into other programs for whatever reasons (mine is that it's really hard to get into med school in CA).

Answer 2

i'm not at ross but i know people who went or are there now. First of all living conditions, they say the only safe restaurant is the hotel that is right by the school where all the tourist go, one girl i know had to boil her drinking water because they had a giardia problem, one of her professors had a heart attack and had to be flown off of the island for treament and i guess it is really dangerous driving there. The person i know who most recently went had to provide proof that she was HIV negative. This school is not accredited by the AVMA, so when you graduate you have to take some foregin equivelency exam before you can take the national licensing exam. One of the reasons they are not accredited is because they don't have research. A vet school with no ongoing research, that doesnt sound good. Also for your clinical rotations you go to a school in the united states, because they don't have a case load large enough on the island to teach students. All of this is just what i've heard. But I wouldn't attend. I guess you do have the option of transfering to a US school after a year there, but it is very difficult. Also, not to be rude, but when I hear ross, in the back of my mind i'm thinking, so this person couldn't get into a us school and didn't want to work hard enought to try again (to get into a us school). So if I think it probally lots of future potential employers will think it as well. If i was in this situation and what i've told people who have gone to ross is just decline it. Spend the next 2 years, improving your application, do a masters, then apply again to an accredited school. Having a ross acceptance on your application next time around will look good and the fact that you chose to wait and reapply to us schools look like you really want to be at their school. (by the way there are schools out side the US that are avma accredited, like in england and new zealand) good luck.