One big question comes to mind: Are you thinking about possibly getting a DVM? If so then the big problem that I see is the total cost of all of this education. Minimizing or if possible avoiding undergraduate debt is important. Whether to go on to a DVM is however something that you can think about 4 or 5 or 6 years from now.
Texas A&M is very good for veterinary medicine, including both undergraduate and also a very good DVM program. It is a great choice for you. Being in-state with strong grades should make your chances quite good there. Also, while we are not from Texas and you probably know better than I, my understanding is that Texas A&M does offer both need based financial aid and merit aid for in-state students. To me this looks like a great potential choice for you.
Your grades and experience are great. Your SAT is low for Cornell. If you get into both Texas A&M and Cornell and if both are equally affordable, I honest do not know which one you should pick, but would probably lean towards Texas A&M. Texas A&M is a great choice for what you want to study, and you do not need to go to Cornell if you get the chance just because it is famous and in the Ivy League.
Same comment as with Cornell. If you get into both UT Austin and Texas A&M then think about which is the better choice for you. Do not just go to UT Austin because it is higher ranked.
All three of these schools are great choices. The question is not which is better for me, or for some kid down the street, or which is ranked higher by US News. The question is which is a better choice for you.
My primary recommendation is that you take the total cost of attendance into consideration as a very important issue, and try if you possibly can to avoid debt for your bachelor’s degree. Veterinary Technicians do not make much money. You would have a much easier time supporting yourself as a vet tech if you graduate university with very little or if possible no debt.
By the way my older daughter worked as a vet tech for three years after getting her bachelor’s degree, then went to veterinary school to get her DVM, and is currently working as a veterinarian. She was very glad that she was able to get her bachelor’s degree with no debt, and get her DVM with a debt that is very well under control (we were able to help her). The cost of education is important for someone taking on this career path.
My daughter is interested in large animal veterinary medicine. One thing that she has mentioned is that it is very common on commercial farms / ranches that many of the staff speak Spanish. She studied Spanish while getting her DVM. This is something that might be useful for someone interested in veterinary medicine, whether as a vet tech or as a DVM.
I wonder whether staying with an in-state public university makes it more likely that you can graduate university in less than 4 years. One issue here is that this can reduce the total cost and possibly help to minimize debt. However, another issue is that the pre-vet required classes are the same as the premed required classes, and you don’t want to rush to take the most difficult classes. Spacing things out can be helpful.
My condolences. This might particularly hit me since I had a multi-year struggle with cancer myself. I was lucky. After three rounds of treatments over 6 3/4 years, a bit more than 3 years ago my cancer became undetectable. It has remained undetectable ever since. My oncologist has mentioned some research results that suggest that radiation treatments for cancer can spur the immune system to fight the cancer. Apparently the research behind this was primarily done with animals and veterinary oncology, perhaps partly because it would not be considered ethical to have done the same research with people. Some of this was done at Colorado State University, which has a great pre-vet and animal science program, a great DVM program, and a great veterinary oncology program. The main issue I see however is that since you are in-state in Texas, and out of state for Colorado, to me it seems highly likely that Colorado State would be more expensive. I do not see any reason to take on this expense.
And I would be very surprised if UC Davis was affordable for you as an out of state student (unless I am missing something).