caribbean dental schools

bigtimer786 · Jul 16, 2004

hey guys i was wondering can anyone give me information about carribbean dental schools. I need to know the process of getting accepted and also the process of coming back and practicing in the states. It will be greatly appreciated.

thank you

Dr.BadVibes · Jul 16, 2004

bigtimer786 said:
hey guys i was wondering can anyone give me information about carribbean dental schools. I need to know the process of getting accepted and also the process of coming back and practicing in the states. It will be greatly appreciated.

thank you

doesnt exist dude....there is one in Trinidad, but you are treated the same as any int'l graduate...gotta do two years at a US dental school....not worth it

jes1ca · Jul 16, 2004

If you really want the tropical climate, I would suggest going to NSU! 🙂

Jessica

ItsGavinC · Jul 16, 2004

Like Badvibes said, dental caribbean schools don't exist in the same way that medical caribbean schools do.

And, like he said, there is only one, the degree isn't recognized by the ADA (whereas caribbean medical schools DO award the MD degree), and students have to apply to US schools and earn a DDS/DMD to practice in the states.

KrebsPsycho · Jul 16, 2004

Haha...I posted something similar to this one around this time last year. I thought a Caribbean was my backup plan since I was not so confident. But after taking the DAT and receiving my first interview invitation, the idea of going to a Caribbean dental school vanished...

bigtimer786 said:
hey guys i was wondering can anyone give me information about carribbean dental schools. I need to know the process of getting accepted and also the process of coming back and practicing in the states. It will be greatly appreciated.

Dr.SpongeBobDDS · Jul 16, 2004

Like Dr.Badvibes said, you'll have to apply as an international grad which would mean another 2-3 yrs of school ---- if you are lucky enough to get a spot. Many international grads end up matriculating as freshmen. Just the way things are.

The closest thing dentistry has to Caribbean or DO schools (and I know I'm going to offend some people here) are schools like NYU and Nova. These schools take students of a little lower caliber than other schools would normally consider and then charge through the nose for the education. It doesn't mean the education is inferior or that all students who go there are mental weaklings; it's just a little easier to get in. Hope that helps. 🙂

JRogoff · Jul 16, 2004

Dr.SpongeBobDDS said:
The closest thing dentistry has to Caribbean or DO schools (and I know I'm going to offend some people here) are schools like NYU and Nova. These schools take students of a little lower caliber than other schools would normally consider and then charge through the nose for the education. It doesn't mean the education is inferior or that all students who go there are mental weaklings; it's just a little easier to get in. Hope that helps. 🙂

Two points to make:

1. Average GPA of my class is over a 3.5. Last time i checked "lower caliber" students didn't have GPAs like that.

2. NYU's tuition for 2004-2005 - $45,320
Nova's Tuition 2004-2005 - $28,325

This came right from both school's web sites. There is about a $17,000 difference in tuition. With that in mind, i would not consider Nova's tuition "through the nose."

Dr.SpongeBobDDS · Jul 16, 2004

See. I knew I would offend somebody. 😉 I didn't realize Nova's class average had gotten so high. I was basing my statement on the numbers from a couple years ago when I applied. I guess maybe back then it was the stigma of being a "new school" or maybe I was just completely out in left field.

I was just trying to get across to the OP that there are some schools where you traditionally have a better shot with lower GPA, schools like NYU and UOP (but apparently not NOVA. 🙂 ) My bad.

JRogoff · Jul 16, 2004

^^^

Its all good man, no harm done, now you know! 😀

toothcaries · Jul 16, 2004

Dr.SpongeBobDDS, the dental education bigot.

(kidding)

Smooth Operater · Jul 16, 2004

Just wondering, Is Nova a private school?

JRogoff · Jul 16, 2004

^^^

Sure is.

jes1ca · Jul 17, 2004

As a future Nova student, my earlier comment about Nova as an alternative to a Carribean dental school was meant only in terms of the climate, not the caliber of student. 🙂 It's pretty tough to get in (as are most dental schools).

ItsGavinC · Jul 17, 2004

JRogoff said:
Two points to make:

1. Average GPA of my class is over a 3.5. Last time i checked "lower caliber" students didn't have GPAs like that.

I'm not debating this for the purpose of argument, but an average over 3.5 would make Nova one of the top schools in the country as far as GPA goes. Any link to that information?

toothcaries · Jul 17, 2004

for reference the gpa in buckeye country hovers a little below 3.5..

http://www.dent.ohio-state.edu/admissions/classprofile.htm

Dentin068 · Jul 18, 2004

Dr.SpongeBobDDS said:
Like Dr.Badvibes said, you'll have to apply as an international grad which would mean another 2-3 yrs of school ---- if you are lucky enough to get a spot. Many international grads end up matriculating as freshmen. Just the way things are.

The closest thing dentistry has to Caribbean or DO schools (and I know I'm going to offend some people here) are schools like NYU and Nova. These schools take students of a little lower caliber than other schools would normally consider and then charge through the nose for the education. It doesn't mean the education is inferior or that all students who go there are mental weaklings; it's just a little easier to get in. Hope that helps. 🙂

Last time I checked, the Stats for NYU were about 3.2-3.3 GPA and 18.6 on the DAT. Not bad stats since they take over 200+ people. However the tution is definitely outrageous. But, still I feel that some of these private schools like NYU and UOP are charging us for the school's name. What institution you graduate from will follow you around for the rest of your career. :laugh:

____________________________________
NYU College of Dentistry 2008

ItsGavinC · Jul 18, 2004

toothcaries said:
for reference the gpa in buckeye country hovers a little below 3.5..

http://www.dent.ohio-state.edu/admissions/classprofile.htm

I was aware of Ohio State, but was referring to Nova.

dental2008 · Jul 18, 2004

The funny thing about Nova is that they claim/have this 3.4/3.5 GPA, yet their DAT scores are not at par with other schools that have similar GPA's. Look at the schools with 3.5 GPA's, mostly 20's avg DAT. I do not see 20 avg DAT at Nova. More like 17-18 there. Big difference.

Maybe they accept students from schools with inflated GPA's. Who knows

ItsGavinC · Jul 18, 2004

dental2008 said:
Maybe they accept students from schools with inflated GPA's. Who knows

I don't know either, and it isn't that big of a deal, but I recall Andy saying that his incoming class had an average of like 3.2. So to increase .3+ in AVERAGES over two years is fairly astounding.

ddstothecor · Jul 18, 2004

I think Nova is trying to shed their "new school" image.
Now that they have a substantial applicant pool, it's not inconceivable that their requirements for acceptance have gone up. Also, the Florida board is among the toughest in the nation, and Nova prepares its students to pass about 85-90% of the time on the first go around. Hell, 99% of us NSU WREB people are passing.

behand · Jul 18, 2004

hey guys, I am just wiondering if anybody knows if BU is a good school. I know that it is a little expensive but in terms of re. do u guys think that it is a good school, and also is getting accepted in that school hard. I saw the waiting list for that school and it is huge,,, (any help is appreciated.)

Dr.BadVibes · Jul 18, 2004

Dr.SpongeBobDDS said:
Like Dr.Badvibes said, you'll have to apply as an international grad which would mean another 2-3 yrs of school ---- if you are lucky enough to get a spot. Many international grads end up matriculating as freshmen. Just the way things are.

The closest thing dentistry has to Caribbean or DO schools (and I know I'm going to offend some people here) are schools like NYU and Nova. These schools take students of a little lower caliber than other schools would normally consider and then charge through the nose for the education. It doesn't mean the education is inferior or that all students who go there are mental weaklings; it's just a little easier to get in. Hope that helps. 🙂

Ouch...you are completely right, but if I said this, I would have been so flamed.....goes to show you how people can act....

Dr.BadVibes · Jul 18, 2004

behand said:
hey guys, I am just wiondering if anybody knows if BU is a good school. I know that it is a little expensive but in terms of re. do u guys think that it is a good school, and also is getting accepted in that school hard. I saw the waiting list for that school and it is huge,,, (any help is appreciated.)

From my research on these forums and from talking to others, BU, like other schools is good and bad. A BU graduate who is doing her residency at Temple told me that "BU looks great on the outside, but lacks on the inside"...she went on to explain that BU looks great with its high tech technology and such, but it lacks on teaching and its patient pool. Since Im not going to BU, I didnt ask for more details, but if you do past searches on these forums, you?ll see that current BU students complain that their school lacks a quality patient pool. I think that since you are in the same city as such an incredible school as Tufts, its hard to compete with them.

The BU resident I talked to also said that the APEX program really sucked and it was a waste of her time....and if you past threads on this, you?ll see that its the general consensus among BU students

Also, BU?s tuition is incredibly high, so do you get your money?s worth? Having fancy machines and typodonts doesnt really impress me, but I dont goto the school....better to ask D4?s this question or BU grads on DentalTown.

Sorry to be so negative in my reply, but to be honest, Ive only heard bad things about BU....hopefully someone else can reply with some good points....

On another point, I know that BU?s dental public health program is one of the best in the world.....if you decide to go towards that direction, then you?re entire perspective on the school may change...

snsethy · Jul 20, 2004

bigtimer786 said:
hey guys i was wondering can anyone give me information about carribbean dental schools. I need to know the process of getting accepted and also the process of coming back and practicing in the states. It will be greatly appreciated.

thank you

There's supposed to be a new school opening in Hawaii pretty soon. I should hike my grades up so I can transfer when it opens :laugh:

Zurik5 · Jul 23, 2004

Nova/NYU, commmmon now that may be the funniest post I've read in a long time 🙂

If you?re looking for an inferior education, I would check out Facultad de Odontologia in Mexico. Instead of oral sedation, they give patients shots of tequila and then steal their money. Rather than using amalgam they use refried beans? crazy stuff there! (J/K, don?t flame me)

jes1ca · Jul 25, 2004

behand said:
hey guys, I am just wiondering if anybody knows if BU is a good school. I know that it is a little expensive but in terms of re. do u guys think that it is a good school, and also is getting accepted in that school hard. I saw the waiting list for that school and it is huge,,, (any help is appreciated.)

I'd choose any of the other schools I saw over BU. I think the waiting list must be huge b/c the flux through the acceptance list is really high. It's expensive. The clinics seem pretty old. I didn't really get a "feel good" feeling from the place. The many students that I met didn't really seem to love the place. I love Tufts though. It's in Boston too and has a lot of similarities. I don't think acceptance to any dental school is easy. I think getting into a private dental school is easier than a public school though and it's one of the big private schools. Good luck.

Jessica

GatorDMD · Jul 25, 2004

jes1ca said:
I'd choose any of the other schools I saw over BU. I think the waiting list must be huge b/c the flux through the acceptance list is really high. It's expensive. The clinics seem pretty old. I didn't really get a "feel good" feeling from the place. I don't think acceptance to any dental school is easy. I think getting into a private dental school is easier than a public school though and it's one of the big private schools. Good luck.

ditto. Why pay so much more for your education?

behand · Jul 25, 2004

you are entitled to your opinion. I made my decision and have my reasons for it.

Yah-E · Jul 25, 2004

Gavin:

To answer your question, Nova Dental does not advertise their incoming class GPA ln our school's website due to the fact that our school's webmaster blows! I believe that our school's website is VERY weak in comparison to many other dental school's website. Due to this reason, I've been collecting admission data/statistics directly from the admissions office each and every year since I've been here at Nova Dental on my own to share with pre-dental students.

Again, this year, when the school year starts and the class has solidified, I will receive the entering class profile directly from the source.

One point of clarification, I never posted "3.2" for this year's Nova incoming class, in fact, I was the one that informed all the incoming Nova dental students on SDN that the admissions director told me their class has the highest incoming class GPA in the school's history, which is above a 3.5!

ItsGavinC · Jul 25, 2004

Yah-E said:
Gavin:

To answer your question, Nova Dental does not advertise their incoming class GPA ln our school's website due to the fact that our school's webmaster blows!

Then you obviously haven't seen our lame website which is a pitiful excuse for one. It's a joke and the fact that it exists in the manner it does makes me cringe. I have no doubt that we LOSE fine applicants because our website blows.

ItsGavinC · Jul 25, 2004

Yah-E said:
One point of clarification, I never posted "3.2" for this year's Nova incoming class.

I never said you did. I was referring to the stats for YOUR class, which I recall being a 3.2 or something in that range.

jes1ca · Jul 25, 2004

behand said:
you are entitled to your opinion. I made my decision and have my reasons for it.

If you like BU a lot, I'm really glad that you chose the school. It just wasn't the place for me.

Yah-E · Jul 25, 2004

My class has a 3.4 GPA overall, I don't believe I said "3.2" in the past. Who knows, who cares right? 😉

OzDDS · Jul 31, 2004

Hey.. I hear that Sydney University in Australia has recently renovated their dental program to a 4-year pbl curriculum very similar to USC's PBL option. And not only that.. but the ADA has made a site visit to Sydney and apparantly it might actually be accredited in the US/Canada within the next year or two!

ItsGavinC · Jul 31, 2004

OzDDS said:
Hey.. I hear that Sydney University in Australia has recently renovated their dental program to a 4-year pbl curriculum very similar to USC's PBL option. And not only that.. but the ADA has made a site visit to Sydney and apparantly it might actually be accredited in the US/Canada within the next year or two!

That would be an interesting move, if true, but I also think that it would be an extremely detrimental one. I completely disagree with it unless Oz sees fit to loosen it's regulations on US trained physicians and dentists.

As it stands now it is nearly impossible for a non-native, US-trained phsyician or dentist to get acceptable licensure to practice in Australia. The process is a drawn-out one that is literally under the random control of the healthcare system, which results in many physicians/dentists having to reside in Oz for 4-5 years before being able to practice, and only then being able to practice in rural areas.

OzDDS · Jul 31, 2004

detrimental in what way? I wonder if after the US accredited those to vet schools if it made practicing as a vet in australia for US trained vets any eaiser.. I doubt it though.

WildcatDMD · Aug 1, 2004

I really think it's lame that so many people talk so much $&)# about BU when you all know damn well that not many BU students post on here to give responses. It seems everyone who gets accepted to some dental school on here wants to find some school they feel is not as good as theirs to cut down to make them somehow feel elite by being accepted to their school. Which is ******ed, since there is no ranking system for dental schools, and all the so called information about BU comes as weak anecdotal info that has not been posted by current BU students. All the posts I have read from BU students on here has been fairly positive.. maybe I am missed something. And after moving here 2 weeks ago and going out to the bars with some of the soon-to-be second years, I am more than excited about BU.

Anyway, for the most part, dental school is not exceptionally difficult to get into. However, for people in states like Arizona, where there is no state school, and the school that just opened with Gavin's class accepts very few in-state students (to my knowledge), so getting accepted to a dental is a little more difficult, and it does turn out that paying a lot of money to go to a private school in an awesome city is completely worth it to have the opportunity to be a part of such a rewarding profession. Honestly, I am not at all worried about the extra 100K I will be spending here.

Sorry to rant.. it's just irritating to read so much unsubstantiated crap talking just to boost people's ego.

😀

WildcatDMD · Aug 1, 2004

Oh, and since orientation / school starts on Monday, I fully plan on posting unbiased, first-hand information about BU so that people will have more information from which to make thier opinions.

ItsGavinC · Aug 1, 2004

WildcatDMD said:
Oh, and since orientation / school starts on Monday, I fully plan on posting unbiased, first-hand information about BU so that people will have more information from which to make thier opinions.

Sweet. Make sure people in the pre-dental forum, know about it. The prospective applicants hang out there more than here, and they will be the future of your school.

Nilez · Aug 1, 2004

I hear ya wildcat... and since noone from BU seems to post regularly to defend all the negativity i'll be doing the same as you..posting about my experience...

i'm sorta in ur shoes too...being a canadian student in a situation where individuals with 3.9's are waitlisted, i had to resort to looking into U.S private schools... speaking to actual grads and current students i get pure positivity...reading many posts on here..mainly Dr.Badvibes' it's pure negativity about BU. Seems like they're bashing the very things BU is chosen for by applicants...

anyway..i'm waiting for the real deal so i can actually respond to certain accusations.. i.e APEX... unless ur sweeping gunk off the floors all day long...why would such great experience be slammed? In those two periosds of APEX could you not make great contacts with ur mentors...even be considered a prospective associate upon graduation?

patient pools is another topic that seems to come up...i went to the school last week to have a look around and talk to people and i didn't hear any complaints about that.....anyway ...another matter to clear up in the future...

will be in touch...see ya tommorrow wildcat!

OzDDS · Aug 3, 2004

Zurik5 said:
Nova/NYU, commmmon now that may be the funniest post I've read in a long time 🙂

If you?re looking for an inferior education, I would check out Facultad de Odontologia in Mexico. Instead of oral sedation, they give patients shots of tequila and then steal their money. Rather than using amalgam they use refried beans? crazy stuff there! (J/K, don?t flame me)

Actually.. In case you didn't know.. The state of California has actually accredited at least 1 mexican dental school that I'm aware of to supply the spanish speaking population here in southern california. Since their grads get immediate ability to sit the California state board exams.. then after a few years of practice you can start getting licensure reciprocity with other states.

OzDDS · Aug 3, 2004

Dr.BadVibes said:
Originally Posted by Dr.SpongeBobDDS
Like Dr.Badvibes said, you'll have to apply as an international grad which would mean another 2-3 yrs of school ---- if you are lucky enough to get a spot. Many international grads end up matriculating as freshmen. Just the way things are.

The closest thing dentistry has to Caribbean or DO schools (and I know I'm going to offend some people here) are schools like NYU and Nova. These schools take students of a little lower caliber than other schools would normally consider and then charge through the nose for the education. It doesn't mean the education is inferior or that all students who go there are mental weaklings; it's just a little easier to get in. Hope that helps.

Ouch...you are completely right, but if I said this, I would have been so flamed.....goes to show you how people can act....
__________________
Temple School of Dentistry Class of 2008

.....Doing research in Panama .

Whatever.. Honestly, I'd rather have a dentist who had a 2.8gpa in college who had steady hands and was a rockstar in the clinic who made me feel comfortable, than a dentist who had a 4.0gpa at an ivy leage school who has no communication skills or manual dexterity. Dental school is what you make it.. and in the end your success or failure as a dentist will depend on your clinical skills. Unless you want to to be a researcher.

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