Question re. college tuition

klmno

Active Member
OK, I'm aware that colleges will charge out-of-state tuition if the kid hasn't resided in the state for 1-2 years before entering college for an under-graduate degree. Is that the same for graduate school? I don't know that difficult child will make it near that far but just in case, there are only so many vet schools in this country. All states don't have one.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
As far as I know it is the same for grad school. husband got graduate assistantships and they covered the out of state portion of his tuition and paid him a small stipend to teach 2-3 classes a semester. Most professors only teach 2 classes, well, now some are teaching 3, but those that do a lot of publishing only teach 2 classes per semester. those are smaller classes than grad assistants teach. It is one way schools exploit grad students. But it does help pay the fees.

Our vet school (OSU has a top vet school) frequently attracts students who move here and take jobs for a couple of years to be able to get in state tuition. Check into the residency requirements for each state.

In Texas anyone who is born in Tx is a resident, even if they live elsewhere all their lives. My dad could have claimed that, but refused because it felt dishonest. My scholarship would not have been increased by the amount that the out of state waiver cost, so it worked out ok.

It IS something to think about.

Just be aware that very very few students actually graduate with a degree in what they thought they wanted to study. Most change majors a couple of times. And that it in undergrad.

good luck!
 

klmno

Active Member
Geeezzz..... I was just checking on the Assoc. of American Vet Colleges for info. There isn't an accredited school in HI- although HI has a great undergrad program at one of their universities. The cost for grad school in this field though can run as much as twice as much if you're a non-resident of the state. What's worse- many of the grad schools give admission preference to residents.
 

rejectedmom

New Member
Check with the college he just graduated from some have an arrangement with out of state schools so their grads can go to them at resident prices. My son did this from community to 4 year. Maybe there is something for graduate school also. Worth asking. -RM
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
K...you are looking way too far into the future. I cant tell you how many of our difficult child's have said they want to go into the vet field. I think it would be close to at least 70%. For some reason that seems to be what they all say. I cant think of one who actually followed through. Heck, getting them to finish HS is a chore! He will probably change his mind 4 times in college. Maybe he will come back to vet...who knows right now. He can deal with grad school when the time comes like most young adults do.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I have always heard that, even for a highly qualified individual, it is easier to get into medical school than into veterinary school! It can be very difficult. There aren't that many veterinary schools around and there are fewer slots in the classes for students than there are in medication schools.
 

Blondie

New Member
I have always heard that, even for a highly qualified individual, it is easier to get into medical school than into veterinary school! It can be very difficult. There aren't that many veterinary schools around and there are fewer slots in the classes for students than there are in medication schools.

This is true. We researched it yrs ago whilst my friend Annie was applying to medication school and her brother was applying for Vet schools ANYWHERE in the Midwest area, and to top it off her newlywed husband was applying to Dent school! Guess what: Not only is it more difficult to get into Vet school (and there are as said above many many fewer accreditied Univ pgms ) but it is ALSO more difficult to get into Dental School than into medication School! Yeow; we couldn't believe it! One could go to 'Dent Tech' or 'Vet Tech' school pretty easily at a decent community college but as to the actual professional grad degree pgm -- no. Wow
Annie & co had to move to Minneapolis 'burbs for Kurt to go to Dent School; it was $$$$ Now here eldest has been trying to find the funding and Univ availability to go to vet school and it's taken 5 yrs so far. Admission is so so so competitive; Bryan(her eldest) says "I could have been a surgeoun by now for PEOPLE!" lol

My sympathy. It was a really eye-opening experience, the tiny # of proper Vet Pgms there are in the entire continental USA
xo Blondie
 

klmno

Active Member
Yeah, I couldn't believe the info I ran across on that website. I just went there looking to see if there was a vet school in HI- there is not- but I found out the tuition/fees and the difference for out-of-state and in state and then the other info- like a college accepting 80 students per year and 60 of those will be in-state students to give them preference. Obviously, I can't revolve everything around this right now and difficult child likely will not get that far, but darn if I'm going to squelch that dream for him and it is worth considering if I get offered a job in HI. Not necessarily that I wouldn't take it, but I'd need to be aware that we might as well not plan on being there all our lives- or I coould stay there and try to help difficult child financially to come back to the mainland. But when you are looking at $19,000 per year cost vs $40,000 per year for 4 years, it's worth keeping in the back of the mind, Know what I mean?? And the fact that even though it's hard for everyone to get in, your chances are 3 times better if you live in the sate of the school. Even a contract with another state only helps so much- MD has a contract with VA, apparently, and VA accepts about 50% from VA, 30% from MD, and 20% from other statees.

I stayed up last night estimating costs of the move alone and that's outrageous unless I give up my household full of furniture. Of course, ultimately, it would cost me more to replace it. Unless they decide to cover some of these expenses or commit to starting me out at a high "step" for that GS level, this just won't be feasible at all. Actuall, I'm not sure it would even be possible because I don't have that kind of monsy in the bank and can't fathom giving up the dogs, walking away from all our "stuff", etc. Hopefully, I'll find something closer to here but it better happen quick!

Actually, what gave me the thought about college to begin with was trying to look into sd's on the island we would be going to so I could search for housing costs in the area of a good high school. Most of the high school's lookk pretty good and several have pools/swim teams and JROTC as options for difficult child. One of the universities there apparently has a great Marine Biology undergraduate program- I can see difficult child deterring into something like that.
 
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susiestar

Roll With It
Sweetie, that site is misleading. Often the difference for instate and out of state is four or more times the cost. It really is better financially to wait a year or two to get residency. Just be SURE not to apply until you HAVE residency. Otherwise you might not get the in state residency even if you live and work in the state for a year or two. Sometimes it takes 5 years to get it reclassified.

We have an excellent vet school here. It truly turns out top quality vets. The reason vet school is harder to get into and harder to graduate from when compared to doctors and surgeons is simple. People doctors learn ONE system. Vets have to learn about all the different species of animals. So it is much much harder to be a vet. sadly, it pays a LOT less.

Don't jump this hurdle until it is in front of you. After 4 years of college your son will be a minimum of 21 or 22. He will be old enough to move away. He will be able to handle it, most likely. That is a LONG way in the future, esp considering your son's current situation. He may go a military route, which would have him away from you far sooner. But military vets DO get preferential treatment in admissions processes. ALSO if you son moves to a town with a good vet school and after a year or so gets a job doing ANYTHING in the vet school then he will also have an "in" with the admissions team.

I have seen those two things be HUGE factors in admissions.

Also - states with-o vet schools make plans/contracts with states that have vet schools so that a certain % of each admissions class is made up of candidates from those schools. So depending on where he wants to go to school he can live in any of several states to have a better chance to attend that school.

But his BEST chance is to live in the town with that school and to work at the school doing anything - but doing it well and cheerfully and being personable to the students and instructors.
 

klmno

Active Member
I must have been editing to add some things while you were responding, Susie! I'm looking more at school statistics around this area (3) to compare odds/chances of staying around here vs moving to HI. Obviously, the moving costs are a lot more doable if I stay in this area. Anything could happen, but I can't see difficult child ever living in the mid-west just because it would be so different from the types of places he is used to having access to- like the beach- and he loves water!
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Well, Oklahoma IS known for its lakes and fishing, but we don't do much surfing unless you count jet skis.

I never thought I would like it here either. Our town is NOT the typical OK town/city. With the University and a few major factories we have a wide range of people, tastes and more activities than you would normally think of.

And just because he might come here for his education does not mean he has to stay. But my folks are not going anywhere, and I have a LOT of friends here. If he wanted a job and access to a cabin on a lake I could help him out. Cause the cabin is a lifetime bennie for employees of a certain restaurant. It isn't the greatest job ever, but it would pay the bills and give a lot of bennies that are atypical.

I included info about the school here because many schools work similarly. The trick is finding out which schools work with which states.

Either way it is something to think about and to let HIM think about.

One of the things about picking a school is looking at who you know near there who might be a resource for help/friendship there.

I hope he follows through on this teenage dream and has a great life as a veterinarian.

Is there any chance he would join the military? That can break through a LOT of the restrictions and give preferential status to his application to many schools. Right now no Mom really WANTS their child to join the military, but it is one route he could take.
 

klmno

Active Member
Yeah- I definitely want difficult child starting to think about these things. He is of an age and in a situation where he needs to decide if he's willing to do what it takes to reach his ambitions. He needs to think about these things ahead of timee so when he's back in mainstream, he understands that he can't always go out with friends or give into temptations impulsively or not make an effort on homework because this effects grades, which effects ability to get into a good college. If he wants to go to college, he needs to commit to prepping himself for it. Ok, I KNOW he could go to a junior college and do it anyway, but this is my plan to try to make him more responsible and easier to deal with at home. LOL!

I guess this is one way I'm trying to take the responsibility off my shoulders and put it on his. I am curious about some of the opportunities for him though so I look into them as I think of them. Them I can relay the info to him in such a way that HE needs to think about it and ultimately, HE makes those decisions. Still, I want to make sure that my decisions now don't limit his opportunities or make it harder for him later on.

He's not one to work to go to college just for the sake of it so if he is shooting for being a vet right now, I'll support that. If he changes his mind three times, I don't care as long as he's working toward a constructive goal. It's not about college or being a vet so much to me as it is getting him to sink his teeth into something. I used to encourage him to do military time but with his record and medications we aren't sure how feasible- or even possible- this is yet. I toned it down as a result and now just encourage him to think about what he wants to be doing out of high school and understand there ios a direct correlation between his decisions now and his ability to make his ambitions reality. Anyway, if he doesn't need to go back on psychiatric medications and stays out of trouble from here on out, he will have a decent chance of being accepted in the military, especially if he stays in JROTC successfully in mainstream high school. If those things don't happen (and the psychiatric medication issue isn't something I would hold against him), he probably wouldn't be accepted in.
 
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witzend

Well-Known Member
To be sure, you can cross that bridge when you come to it. One option would be that if you move out of state, you could keep your home in the one state and rent it out, and vote out of state by mail. You'd still technically be a resident, I think...
 
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