I will probably have to go out of state for dental school. How the heck do i come back after 4 years to CA and get a job? How different are the boards in CA versus, say Michigan or NY or PA?

Also, if I want to get an associate position, I will obviously have to compete with graduates from say UOP or UCLA or USC...People with ties and connections made during four years in the California system.

I am asking those who have graduated or will graduate and have solid information about this to respond. Because I'm getting mixed signals from everyone and I don't really want to ruin my future by being in gigantic debt and having to move to freakin' Victorville or Barstow just to earn a decent living. Thanks a lot.

Are there any recent Grads who can talk about their own experiences in A-) Getting an associate position and B-) OPening up their own practice?

How much money do fresh dentists (either from CA or out of CA) make in the Los Angeles area? I've heard as low as 65K a year. That seems like a very low figure for someone who spent 3 years and 250K attending UOP.

So can we get some facts and figures?

How about...

- Name of dental school, graduate year
-location of practice
-starting salary.

I know this sounds very.."Materialistic" but that's not the reason I'm inquiring. I need to know if I could survive in CA, either Northern or Southern and based on hard feedback I get, I feel I could be a bit more comfortable. Thanks.

Are there any recent Grads who can talk about their own experiences in A-) Getting an associate position and B-) OPening up their own practice?

How much money do fresh dentists (either from CA or out of CA) make in the Los Angeles area? I've heard as low as 65K a year. That seems like a very low figure for someone who spent 3 years and 250K attending UOP.

So can we get some facts and figures?

How about...

- Name of dental school, graduate year
-location of practice
-starting salary.

I know this sounds very.."Materialistic" but that's not the reason I'm inquiring. I need to know if I could survive in CA, either Northern or Southern and based on hard feedback I get, I feel I could be a bit more comfortable. Thanks.

Stroszeck,
Where did you get $65K from? Recent graduates make $400-450 a day in Los Angeles county and more in suburbs. To the OP, there are a lot of dentists who graduated from non CA schools and have a very successful practice in CA, or working as an associate.

Don't know if you've heard...but California is going to start accepting Western dental boards within a year or so. That's news I heard at my interviews both at USC and UCLA. :)

What are Western Boards? I've recently heard a buzz about them, but I'm not sure exactly what schools, situations they apply to?

Can anyone clarify that exactly. I was thinking about going to the East Coast for school, which doesn't sound like it would qualify for "Western" boards...