[K_Chris]

Thanks for the advice everyone, seems like I might like Vegas so this seems to be a decided destination to visit to.

Originally Posted by Willy702

If dealing with the Strip is your cup of tea. Anyways so many people living in Vegas are hyper focused on cost of living to the point where I wonder why they didn't move to Texas or Mississippi so they can claim a bigger victory

I can care less about the strip BUT I'm staying the high hell out of Mississippi. It seems, if I move there, I'm intentionally putting myself at an (already) high risk. I might make some dumb decisions, but that's just aggressively stupid if I move there willingly.

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

According to the following list in Wikipedia, there are 31 colleges or schools of Veterinary Medicine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...#United_States . I bring this up because it would be best to pick a few desired vet schools, call the admission department, and then ask for demographic information on the origin of students in the preceding few years, and that may influence where you wish to move.

[I snipped this part out, didn't need the info for the main part I'm responding to. Sorry.]

So... my advice is to use your final destination (Vet School) as a way to select where you want to live now.

I didn't consider this, so thanks for that. I'll look into it but I'm moving out of MN for a reason. I can't bring myself to stay here for the length of time needed to complete my degree, and expect to stay happy and motivated. Too many bad memories, seeds, and things have made this state undesirable and I not truly happy here. It'll be six years come July and I STILL hate this place. If anything, the only MN-based things I truly love here are my friends and my cat.

[azgkrudi]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, but another bonus of living in Vegas is that Nevada has no state income tax. And yes, it's true that every state will "get" you somehow (sales tax, ad valorem license plate fees, etc.) - but you have control over what you buy and the price of your car, etc. - but no control over what the State of MN taxes you on your earnings.

We've moved around a lot (10 states) and 3 out of those 10 don't subject its residents to state income tax. Washington, where we live now, is very steep on sales tax and "sin" taxes (alcohol, tobacco), but even though those taxes are high, it's just nice not to have to file a return with the State every year. Federal only -- pretty simple.

Good luck to you! We used to live in Red Wing, MN when we were young pups :-)

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by K_Chris

I didn't consider this, so thanks for that.

One other thing: if your end-goal is to be a veterinarian for, say, thoroughbred horses, you'd probably prefer a subset of those vet schools. If your end-goal is to be a large animal veterinarian for, say, a famous zoo, you'd probably select a subset as well. Want to specialize in Pandas? There are only a few places in the world. If your end-goal is to be a veterinarian for a the types of animals that people own as pets (dogs, cats, small mammals, certain birds/reptiles) then your focus should be on a subset as well.

In all cases, as an undergrad, you'll need to do well in qualifying classes including at least a full year of chemistry with labs, organic chemistry with labs, biology, physics, probably calculus, etc. Check with those vet schools to see the minimum requirements.

Finally, consider majoring in something unrelated. A friend's daughter majored in anthropology while taking all the required math and science classes, and was admitted to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, arguably the most prestigious in the nation www2.vet.cornell.edu. The reason I say consider something unrelated is that the veterinary schools are inundated with applications from students who major in chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry and the like. You can actually stand out by being a bit unconventional. If you have the math chops, consider majoring in electrical or mechanical engineering or other disciplines.

[SoHoVe]

Really if you are serious about vet school (any of which will be highly competitive to get into) I think you need to research THAT and make your undergrad educational decisions based on what will give you the most advantage.

Life isn't always about things being ideal, achieve your goals and then focus on the fun...it will come.

Based on the above my choice would not be Las Vegas.

Not saying it can't be done, just saying that when approaching something difficult it makes sense to maximize your chances of success.

[K_Chris]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

One other thing: if your end-goal is to be a veterinarian for, say, thoroughbred horses, you'd probably prefer a subset of those vet schools. If your end-goal is to be a large animal veterinarian for, say, a famous zoo, you'd probably select a subset as well. Want to specialize in Pandas? There are only a few places in the world. If your end-goal is to be a veterinarian for a the types of animals that people own as pets (dogs, cats, small mammals, certain birds/reptiles) then your focus should be on a subset as well.

In all cases, as an undergrad, you'll need to do well in qualifying classes including at least a full year of chemistry with labs, organic chemistry with labs, biology, physics, probably calculus, etc. Check with those vet schools to see the minimum requirements.

Finally, consider majoring in something unrelated. A friend's daughter majored in anthropology while taking all the required math and science classes, and was admitted to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, arguably the most prestigious in the nation www2.vet.cornell.edu. The reason I say consider something unrelated is that the veterinary schools are inundated with applications from students who major in chemistry, physics, biology, biochemistry and the like. You can actually stand out by being a bit unconventional. If you have the math chops, consider majoring in electrical or mechanical engineering or other disciplines.

I really did think of just majoring in biology, so thanks for that advice.

I'm gonna struggle some, but feel it's worth it. Math and science are NOT my strong subjects. But if it's for what I want, I think I'd find a way. I'm incredibly stubborn and usually do better out of spite. A weird encouragement system is people telling me I can't do it, so I do it just to give myself the satisfaction of being able to say "I can't do what now?". So basically: Being petty helps me out .

And I heard Cornell is a top vet school, so I am very impressed to hear that. I hope everythings working out for her and I really thank you for that cause that's some major inspiration there!

Originally Posted by SoHoVe

Really if you are serious about vet school (any of which will be highly competitive to get into) I think you need to research THAT and make your undergrad educational decisions based on what will give you the most advantage.

Life isn't always about things being ideal, achieve your goals and then focus on the fun...it will come.

Based on the above my choice would not be Las Vegas.

Not saying it can't be done, just saying that when approaching something difficult it makes sense to maximize your chances of success.

Oh trust me, I've been ignoring the fun for a while... Most of the past two years, when I should've been partying my ass off, were (and still are) spent working multiple jobs at once unfortunately.

I just wish I loved MN enough to stay, there really are tons of vet schools out here but that aint the case.

Though I'll look and see what cities/states have vet schools and look around there. Thanks though.

[fly_me]

Please know if you are on craigslist and see stunning apts for under 700 w new appliances and sparkling pools etc. It is a scam.
I live in a condo now from the 90s' in Vegas and own but they rent a lot out and these large two bed two bath go for around 1000 to 1500 per month.
They look nothing like the super high-end stuff I saw on craigslist all shiny and new. This stuff hasn't been redone since the 90s.
Is Vegas cheaper than most cities? YES. But do not expect those ads to be real.

[equid0x]

In my section of town, only a couple of years ago the rents were down in the 800s but they have already risen into the low 1000s for the same units(apartments). I, too, have been astounded by the low cost of living here.

The schools rank as some of the lowest in the nation for the district as a whole, but not all of them are like that. You also have the option of private schooling. If you are looking at colleges or professional schools, I am not really aware of any schools here that top any lists, but I don't think all of them are terrible either.

Employment is tough. Boat-loads of low paying part time jobs, but little else. If you have the skills to snag something high-paying and keep it, that would be the ticket.

Crime is kinda middle of the scale for a large city. In my opinion, there is an awful lot of petty crime here. I think a lot of this goes unreported.

I concur with the poster who talks about amazing deals on Craigslist. Do your homework. Here, I think you really get what you've paid for. There are scammers out there "renting" houses they don't own and agents posting listings that show photos of the house or apartment from 10 years ago. I wouldn't rent or buy anything here sight unseen. If you plan to rent, do your research on rental companies because there seem to be some that are just total slumlords that seem to own many, many properties here.