:o has anyone chosen to attend the wrong dental school?

[fruity_trident]

hi everyone,
(i posted this in the pre-DENTAL forum too).

i applied to 15 schools, i am not a strong applicant and i really really really really want to go to dental school next year. i don't know if i will get in or not, but assuming that i get into some - how will i know if i'm going to the "right" school for me?

i am hoping to visiting these schools (if i get interviews)...but everything always seems peachy when you're visiting (just like clothes/shoes always look better on u @ the store).

does anyone wish that they attended a different school? has anyone transferred after attending another dental school? in fear of school rivalries, u can PM me about certain schools (if u have negative comments).

thanks.
i know this is a long winded msg, but i keep feeling that i went to the wrong school for undergrad...so i don't want to make the same "mistake", if i can call it that.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[dentalman]

Why did you go to the "wrong" undergraduate school? Was it: Class size, party atmosphere, faculty, research, prestige, louzy dating scene, too rural, too urban, poor preparation for dental school, or a bad football team?? The "right" school for you depends on the type of person you are. So there is a vague answer to your vague question.

 

[texas_dds]

the best dental school or residency or anything like that is the one you get into. im serious. you will have no way to compare it to anything else and even if something may have been more ideal in an alternate reality, you will never ever know. the best undergrad and dental schools are the ones i went to because i will never know anything different. ya know?

 

[fruity_trident]

the best dental school or residency or anything like that is the one you get into. im serious. you will have no way to compare it to anything else and even if something may have been more ideal in an alternate reality, you will never ever know. the best undergrad and dental schools are the ones i went to because i will never know anything different. ya know?

i know what u mean...but doing a year abroad can tell u which of the 2 schools attended is better.

to answer the question before...my class sizes are too huge, hard to meet profs, terrible football team, no school spirit, don't even want to get into the dating scene (but it doesn't matter now..my bf doesn't go to my school)..

 

[Zurik5]

Yah i think that dental school sucks everywhere. Go the cheapest route...

 

[trypmo]

Zurik, I'm shocked! Why would one want to slam the ding-dong of an innocent llama???




(Sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[gumgardener2009]

i asked this question to dentists before i chose a school. each one said you'll be a dentist no matter where you go. the school's football team won't matter because you'll be too busy. maybe after you graduate, you'll be able to go to the games.
since you claim you're a weak candidate, you may only get into 1 school or you may be put on the following year's waiting list. thus the best school for you is the one that accepts you.

 

[fruity_trident]

i asked this question to dentists before i chose a school. each one said you'll be a dentist no matter where you go. the school's football team won't matter because you'll be too busy. maybe after you graduate, you'll be able to go to the games.
since you claim you're a weak candidate, you may only get into 1 school or you may be put on the following year's waiting list. thus the best school for you is the one that accepts you.

ya... that's what i'm thinking.
don't get me wrong..i think ALL DENTAL schools are good..and they will teach u everything u know...
just that i'm sure the atmosphere in a big city would be very different from a small town, etc, etc...

 

[zimaad]

well....most dental schools are located in city atmostpheres....it's where they get the patients from. School costs can be a big influence....but also look into cost of living. Beyond that..just get a feel for the schools when you visit and make your descision based on that.

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

I wouldn't say I chose the wrong school, but when I talk to students from other schools there are things that I envy a little bit. Mostly these are things that I would never have considered before dental school.

1. Some schools seems to be easier than mine. It's hard to compare since I've never gone to another dental school, but my school really believes in those C's. My class is full of hard-core gunners and a meager 3.5 still puts you in the top 10.

2. Other schools get tons more off-time than us. No summer break at my school. 35-40 hours of mandatory class time each week.

3. We have to do an insane amount of our own lab work; even as seniors. It would be nice to be at a school where a lot of that was taken care of by someone else.

A lot of this is probably just self-pitying, grass-is-greener type thinking on my part, but it's something you might want to think about. Also keep in mind that I picked my school on price and wouldn't change any of those things if it meant paying more for school.

 

[ItsGavinC]

A lot of this is probably just self-pitying, grass-is-greener type thinking on my part, but it's something you might want to think about. Also keep in mind that I picked my school on price and wouldn't change any of those things if it meant paying more for school.

Excellent points, all of them.

But, if you had an in-house lab doing all of your labwork during your clinic years, would you not pay an additional $5k/year for that?

What about $2k/year for no mandatory attendance and and 4 weeks of summer break?

Just wondering (I have some of the same feelings you do).

 

[Zurik5]

Zurik, I'm shocked! Why would one want to slam the ding-dong of an innocent llama???




(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Ok, there I changed it for you?are you happy This one is much funnier...

 

[ShawnOne]

I just wanted to comment on the "pick the cheapest school" idea.

In my opinion, that is a pretty narrow-minded way of thinking.

Although price should definately be considered when choosing a school, I think it should be only 1 of the factors considered and not the sole determining factor. What about location? clinical exposure? teaching style? treatment of students? reputation? alumni network? research opportunities? school philosophy? school policies?

For all of you "pick the cheapest school" people, how do you feel about the "pick the cheapest dentist" patients?

I think you deserve each other...

 

[makebuleeve]

shawn....cheap dental school doesn't mean bad dental school. a lot of state dental schools are cheap but also good. on the other hand...a lot of the private dental schools are expensive but bad.

I just wanted to comment on the "pick the cheapest school" idea.

In my opinion, that is a pretty narrow-minded way of thinking.

Although price should definately be considered when choosing a school, I think it should be only 1 of the factors considered and not the sole determining factor. What about location? clinical exposure? teaching style? treatment of students? reputation? alumni network? research opportunities? school philosophy? school policies?

For all of you "pick the cheapest school" people, how do you feel about the "pick the cheapest dentist" patients?

I think you deserve each other...

 

[edkNARF]

shawn....cheap dental school doesn't mean bad dental school. a lot of state dental schools are cheap but also good. on the other hand...a lot of the private dental schools are expensive but bad.

What exactly do you mean by this? What criteria makes a "bad" dental school?

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

Excellent points, all of them.

But, if you had an in-house lab doing all of your labwork during your clinic years, would you not pay an additional $5k/year for that?

What about $2k/year for no mandatory attendance and and 4 weeks of summer break?

Just wondering (I have some of the same feelings you do).

That's an interesting thought, Gavin. For a mere $5,000/yr extra I would definitely consider it. However, in my case the next cheapest school would have been an additional $15,000/yr after accounting for tuition difference and the increased cost of living. (My state school is dead cheap and in one of the most inexpensive areas in the US.)

The way I see it, that $15,000/yr would come to $60,000 plus interest so I'd end up paying back about $75,000. That buys a pretty nice boat where I come from. I think I can suffer through two years of lab work for that.

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

Now that you have me thinking, Gavin, I could pay classmates to do my labwork for much less than $5,000/yr. Maybe I should just take out an extra $1000 every year and use it to buy freedom from my most despised labwork.

 

[ShawnOne]

shawn....cheap dental school doesn't mean bad dental school. a lot of state dental schools are cheap but also good. on the other hand...a lot of the private dental schools are expensive but bad.

I agree. I never said public is bad and private is good.

I am saying many factors should be considered and price is only 1 of those factors. In other words, look at the whole picture and dont focus solely on price.

If you have the opportunity to attend a cheap school that also has all the qualities you desire (location, treatment of students, etc) then great, its a no brainer!! But often its not that easy (such as my case last year).

 

[trypmo]

Ok, there I changed it for you?are you happy This one is much funnier...

Nice! ...and I see you've succumbed to the "make your avatar a pic of you and your S.O." trend.

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

Nice! ...and I see you've succumbed to the "make your avatar a pic of you and your S.O." trend.

I was just thinking that I liked that trend. Everyone should use their own picture as their avatar.

 

[Zurik5]

Nice! ...and I see you've succumbed to the "make your avatar a pic of you and your S.O." trend.

LOL, it's actually a picture from a newspaper, and it's some random guy w/ his gf....

 

[gumgardener2009]

even after dental school you still have 90% of your dentistry to learn. schools teach mostly to the boards. as my dad says, you get out of it what you put into it.

 

[busupshot83]

LOL, it's actually a picture from a newspaper, and it's some random guy w/ his gf....

HAHAHA