If I'm choosing a school by AEGD/GPR match rates, then REB pass rate, then location...

[manifesto]

Hi dental students,

I'm hoping you can help me. So I've interviewed/been accepted to interviews at: Columbia, UPenn, Harvard, UNC, UOP, Western, Ohio State, Rutgers, UNLV, UCSF and I'm expecting UCLA.

Let's just say an act of god happens and I get accepted to all. Which school should I choose if I'm looking for a place that has very good AEGD/GPR match rates, easy-going and noncompetitive/preferably Pass/Fail grading system, Board + REB pass rates, good clinical practice, and good location. My priorities lie in that order.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm going crazy trying to think of which school to go to.

I AM NOT INTERESTED IN COST.

Thanks!

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[CleverThought]

I don't know much about those schools, but unless you are independently wealthy or planning to do military - you should really be concerned about cost. Maybe you don't care now, but when you are 300k-500k in debt and have payments upwards of $3500/month, you will be interested in cost.

 

[manifesto]

I don't know much about those schools, but unless you are independently wealthy or planning to do military - you should really be concerned about cost. Maybe you don't care now, but when you are 300k-500k in debt and have payments upwards of $3500/month, you will be interested in cost.

Thanks. Yeah, but I just want to compare these schools for the other things I am looking for first. Cost is easy to compare, but the other things not so much.

 

[r2thekesh]

So there's a lot of confounding factors. Usually board/REB rates are based on personal ability. It's like the DAT, I have classmates that scored 24's on the PAT that didn't study but did terrible on the math. I studied my ass off and did a little better but my classmate is more talented in that aspect of it.
Another confounding factor is let's say you go to a school that is in a highly educated state, where a large majority of the class went to top elementary schools, top high schools, and then top colleges but the school is Pass/Fail or a school where everyone is from less off schools, less off colleges but the school is graded. Which would you rather be at? An elite student like you would end up no. 1 in choice B if you tried decently hard, or you could go to the school with the name and test your luck. If you ended up less than no. 1, the name might carry you somewhere decent.
Another factor that might throw you is not everyone has the same goals. So if you like a GPR because you want to place implants, that's great! But I don't want to place implants. Not everyone wants to do ortho/OMFS either. A lot of people have jobs already at somebody's practice. My class has like 5 military scholarships and 1 CHC scholarship.
Also, since you want to do a GPR, you can go to a more research heavy/didactic heavy school and just get the training later too.
Honestly, I looked at weather, a 24 hour library or not, gym or not, traffic/living situations, and other random stuff in my decisions.

 

[manifesto]

So there's a lot of confounding factors. Usually board/REB rates are based on personal ability. It's like the DAT, I have classmates that scored 24's on the PAT that didn't study but did terrible on the math. I studied my ass off and did a little better but my classmate is more talented in that aspect of it.
Another confounding factor is let's say you go to a school that is in a highly educated state, where a large majority of the class went to top elementary schools, top high schools, and then top colleges but the school is Pass/Fail or a school where everyone is from less off schools, less off colleges but the school is graded. Which would you rather be at? An elite student like you would end up no. 1 in choice B if you tried decently hard, or you could go to the school with the name and test your luck. If you ended up less than no. 1, the name might carry you somewhere decent.
Another factor that might throw you is not everyone has the same goals. So if you like a GPR because you want to place implants, that's great! But I don't want to place implants. Not everyone wants to do ortho/OMFS either. A lot of people have jobs already at somebody's practice. My class has like 5 military scholarships and 1 CHC scholarship.
Also, since you want to do a GPR, you can go to a more research heavy/didactic heavy school and just get the training later too.
Honestly, I looked at weather, a 24 hour library or not, gym or not, traffic/living situations, and other random stuff in my decisions.

very nice reply... so do you think UOP falls into the good brand name school or not?

 

[r2thekesh]

I think some of the other schools you were looking at have better national names like Columbia, Penn, UNC, Harvard, UCLA, and UCSF. I don't live anywhere near the West Coast and haven't met any grads. I also haven't met any faculty at any of the schools that I've been to. But I've met people from all of those other schools that speak highly of their schools. I think generally people from UofP stay on the West Coast or near the West Coast. I don't really think there is a school that will hold you back in your career.