Executive Summary
Student Profile
Application Status
Comprehensive School Rankings
| Rank | School | Category | Visit Score | Vet School | 4-Yr Cost | Score | Key Notes |
|---|
Decision Scenarios
School Comparison
Final Rankings
Combines your visit impressions (40%) with objective factors to produce a final ranking.
| Rank | School | Visit Score | Visit Rank | Vet Program | Cost Score | Plan B | Merit Aid | Combined | Notes |
|---|
Financial Analysis
| School | Residency | Tuition & Fees | Room & Board | Books | Sticker COA/Yr | Merit/Yr | Realistic/Yr | 4-Yr Realistic |
|---|
Merit Aid Notes
- Kentucky: Automatic merit tiers based on GPA/ACT.
- Tennessee: Volunteer Scholarships automatic with stats.
- Colorado State: Green & Gold Scholarship, GPA-driven.
- Oklahoma State: Automatic OOS merit grid.
- Mississippi State: Automatic OOS merit.
- South Carolina: Automatic OOS merit grid.
- UGA: HOPE/Zell Miller for Georgia residents.
- Auburn: Competitive (no published grid). Awards range $0-$6K/yr at this profile. Not predictable.
- FSU: Lowest OOS sticker price. Limited competitive OOS merit beyond that.
- Purdue/Ohio State/Virginia Tech/NC State/Texas A&M: No published OOS merit grids. Don't bank on it.
- Penn State / Illinois / Wisconsin: Expensive OOS with minimal merit at these stats.
- UF: Essentially no OOS merit. Admission itself is a reach at 14% OOS acceptance.
Note: Sticker COA = Tuition & Fees + Room & Board + Books/Supplies, sourced from each school's official 2025-26 Cost of Attendance page. Merit estimates are based on the student's current GPA/ACT profile and will shift if scores change.
Greek Life
Sorority overview for schools in your comparison list
| School | % Women in Sororities | NPC Sororities | Total Sororities | Recruitment | Housing | Est. Annual Cost | Overall Greek % | Greek vs Campus GPA | Vibe |
|---|
How Rankings Work
How rankings, costs, and categories are calculated
Student Profile (Inputs)
All calculations use the student's current stats as inputs:
| Targeted GPA | 3.85 |
| HOPE GPA | 3.609 |
| ACT Composite | 27 (87th %ile) |
| English | 23 (73rd %ile) |
| Math | 28 (90th %ile) |
| Reading | 30 (90th %ile) |
| Science | 33 (97th %ile) |
| Target ACT | 29 (91st %ile) |
| Residency | Georgia (OOS everywhere except UGA) |
| Intended Major | Pre-Veterinary / Animal Science |
| Target Career | Veterinarian (DVM) |
Ranking Formula
Each school receives a composite score from 1–5 based on four weighted factors:
| Factor | Weight | Why This Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Vet School Quality & Access | 35% | The entire purpose of undergrad is to get into vet school |
| 4-Year Cost | 35% | Must still afford 4 years of vet school after undergrad |
| Admission Likelihood | 10% | Most schools are accessible; low weight avoids over-penalizing reaches |
| Plan B Strength | 20% | If vet school doesn't happen, the degree should still have strong career value |
Formula: Score = (Vet × 0.35) + (Cost × 0.35) + (Admission × 0.10) + (Plan B × 0.20)
Scoring Rubrics (1–5 Scale)
Vet School Quality & Access
| 5 | Guaranteed or early admission to own CVM (e.g., UGA, Clemson guarantee programs) |
| 4 | Top-ranked CVM with guaranteed interview or strong pipeline (e.g., NC State, Purdue) |
| 3 | Has an accredited CVM on campus (e.g., Auburn, Tennessee, Missouri) |
| 2 | No CVM but strong pre-vet advising or regional pipeline to nearby CVM |
| 1 | No CVM, limited pre-vet infrastructure |
4-Year Cost
| 5 | Under $140K (well within budget, leaves cushion for vet school) |
| 4 | $140K – $170K |
| 3 | $170K – $200K |
| 2 | $200K – $220K |
| 1 | Over $220K (significant gap vs. family budget) |
Admission Likelihood
| 5 | SAFETY — acceptance rate >70%, or student's ACT/GPA well above the school's middle 50% range |
| 3 | MATCH — acceptance rate 25–70% and ACT/GPA within the school's middle 50% range |
| 1 | REACH — acceptance rate <25%, or student's ACT well below the school's 25th percentile |
Plan B Strength
| 5 | Excellent — degree leads directly to strong careers outside vet (e.g., Purdue engineering) |
| 4 | Strong — well-regarded program with good job placement |
| 3 | Good — solid program, regional reputation |
| 2 | Fair — limited career options if vet school doesn't work out |
Admission Categories
Each school is classified as SAFETY, MATCH, or REACH based on how the student's profile compares:
| Category | Criteria |
|---|---|
| SAFETY | Acceptance rate >70%, or student's GPA and ACT are well above the school's middle 50% range |
| MATCH | Acceptance rate 25–70%, GPA and ACT near or within the school's middle 50% |
| REACH | Acceptance rate <25%, or student's ACT well below the school's 25th percentile (e.g., UGA ACT 32+, UF at 14% OOS) |
Note: At schools with direct-admit or college-level admission (e.g., Purdue, Virginia Tech, NC State), applying to Animal Science rather than Engineering/CS/Business can provide a meaningful advantage. The degree of benefit varies by school — see the Admission Strategy tab for per-school details.
Data Sources & Assumptions
| Tuition & Fees | Published 2025–26 rates from each university's official website. Will need updating to 2026–27 rates when published (typically June–August 2026). |
| Room & Board | $12,084–$17,508/year based on each school's official 2025-26 COA page (on-campus housing + meal plan) |
| Merit Aid | Based on published automatic scholarship grids for the student's GPA/ACT ranges; conservative estimates used when ranges are ambiguous |
| Acceptance Rates | Common Data Set or IPEDS most recent available year |
| Vet School Rankings | AVMA accreditation status; U.S. News veterinary school rankings where applicable |
| Cost Calculation | 4-Year Cost = (Annual Tuition + Room/Board + Fees − Merit Aid) × 4. Assumes no tuition increases (conservative for comparison purposes). |
March 2026 Visit Log COMPLETED
Pre-Vet / Animal Science Focus — All schools in session during visit!
Trip Tips
- Virginia Tech tour is short (1 hr) — download Hokies on Track app for self-guided tour after, grab lunch at The Cellar in downtown Blacksburg
- Purdue is Avery's most anticipated campus — staying ON campus at Union Club Hotel (Best Boutique Hotel in America 2021)
- Kentucky has a gap between tours (11:30am-3pm) — perfect for lunch and exploring campus/downtown Lexington
- Ask about Gold Elite room upgrades at check-in, especially at Autograph properties (StateView, Union Club)
- Late checkout (2pm) available with Gold status — helpful on days with morning drives
Campus Visit Checklist
Visit Evaluation
Rate each school during or right after your campus visit. Scores auto-calculate using weighted categories.
Evaluation Summary
| School | Campus | Academic | Life | Practical | Weighted Total | Grade | Rank |
|---|
Application Checklist
Scholarships
Deadline Timeline
All application deadlines in chronological order
Essay Tracker
Track progress on all application essays across every school
Admission Strategy
Choosing the right major on your application
The Animal Science Advantage
At schools with "direct-admit" systems (Purdue, Virginia Tech, NC State, etc.), students are admitted to a specific college or major — and the College of Agriculture typically admits at a higher rate than Engineering, Business, or the university overall. Even at "university-wide" schools, selecting Animal Science signals clear intent and aligns Avery with a less competitive applicant pool. This strategy costs nothing.
Data transparency: Very few schools publish college-level admission rates. Where a rate is published by the university, it is marked with a ✓ below. All other advantage assessments are qualitative, based on admission structure (direct-to-major vs. university-wide) and publicly available overall rates.
| School | How Admission Works | Overall Rate | Ag Advantage | Primary Major | Pre-Vet Track | Backup Major |
|---|
Can Avery Switch Majors Once Enrolled?
From Animal Science TO Biology/Biochemistry: EASY at all schools — these are lateral moves within related colleges.
From Animal Science TO Engineering/CS/Business: DIFFICULT at Purdue, Texas A&M, NC State, Virginia Tech — competitive internal transfer processes.
Bottom Line: Since Avery is committed to pre-vet, this risk is essentially zero. The strategy has no downside for her goals.