Will you give back to your Alumni or Dental school after graduation?

kerrydds06 said:

I was reading about Dr. Jeff's charity to vets. Thank you Dr Jeff. It got me thinking that my own ortho is costing me over $2000 here at UB. Yes they charge their own students for dental treatment here!

My school will NEVER see a cent from me after i graduate, instead when they send out their mailers, I'll send them a copy of the ortho bill in the return envelope.

(I need an amalgam replaced, Dr Jeff, what is the phone number to your appointment desk? Do I just bring a copy of my DD214?)

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Not giving a cent either. Our school has a penchant for wasting money in rediculous ways. I will give to my undergrad, but not to the dental school. Instead I plan to give of my time and efforts to help underserved populations, but I don't see how throwing my school any money would do much good. I will still probably show up for the annual golf tournament fundraiser, but that is it.

Yes they charge us for tx at our school too. As a matter of fact, a dental student in my class needed her ortho retainer fit. Our Ortho dept head refered her to his son's office who preceded to charge her 60 bucks upfront just to be seen.

kerrydds06 said:

I was reading about Dr. Jeff's charity to vets. Thank you Dr Jeff. It got me thinking that my own ortho is costing me over $2000 here at UB. Yes they charge their own students for dental treatment here!

My school will NEVER see a cent from me after i graduate, instead when they send out their mailers, I'll send them a copy of the ortho bill in the return envelope.

(I need an amalgam replaced, Dr Jeff, what is the phone number to your appointment desk? Do I just bring a copy of my DD214?)

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If you would have waited for a couple of years some orthodontist in private practice would have LOVED to provide your orthodontic treatment for FREE!! I have a couple of Doc's in treatment right now and my staff rolls out the red carpet for them when they come in

You could spend that extra 2 grand on golden beverages instead of contributing to your grad ortho program

I'll give money to my school (UNLV) when they give me my vacation time back. We go to school more days a week than U of P, but we graduate in 4 years instead of 3. It makes no sense at all. Plus, they told us something completely different when we applied. Whoever has to make the Alumnus calls for donations should pretty much just lose my class' contact info right now, since calling us will be a waste of time. In fact, every time they call me I'll put the on hold and never pick up again to run up thier phone bills...

I will definitely be contributing either with money or my own time immediately after graduation. I'm in a bit of a different boat than people at private schools. The state of California pays more for my education per year than I do so I feel I have an obligation to repay the favor. Not only that but I like my school and would be stoked to come back and teach for one half day a week. My school charges students for ortho too but it's only about $2K, which is a hell of a deal considering it would cost double to triple that in an ortho practice in LA.

The other reason I will contribute to my school is that I want to see it improve. I'd like to have the school's name remain strong long after I graduate. I'm curious to read other replies as I wonder if the failure of alumni to contribute is a problem at many schools.

My school will be getting $0.00 from me. Looks like dental school sucks everywhere.

kerrydds06 said:

Will you give back to your Alumni or Dental school after graduation?

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Gee, let me think about that for a--NO.

And I really don't feel bad for future generations of dental students because I know that my donations would not reduce the cost of their educations one measly cent. My school is a black hole--the more money it receives, the more it squanders. I might as well just flush my money down the toilet...

I don't plan on donating for a looooong time, but it's not because they charged us. Dental care is expensive and most universities are hurting for money.

For me, the reason for not giving back is because of the systematic abuse which was so common at my school. There are a few faculty I loved and would do anything for...but as for the rest, I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. They better hope I never catch them in a dark alley at night...

toofache32 said:

I don't plan on donating for a looooong time, but it's not because they charged us. Dental care is expensive and most universities are hurting for money.

For me, the reason for not giving back is because of the systematic abuse which was so common at my school. There are a few faculty I loved and would do anything for...but as for the rest, I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. They better hope I never catch them in a dark alley at night...

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Dental school is not college. It is a demanding apprenticeship. Want to experience some real abuse?...do a construction lineman apprenticeship.

groundhog said:

Dental school is not college. It is a demanding apprenticeship. Want to experience some real abuse?...do a construction lineman apprenticeship.

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Surely I'm not being lectured about hard work and tough jobs. Spending my younger years logging trees in the forestry business taught me one thing: I didn't want to be a lumberjack the rest of my life.

If you don't know what abuse I'm referring to, you're either not in dental school yet or you go to a powder-puff school like San Antonio.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

toofache32 said:

Surely I'm not being lectured about hard work and tough jobs. Spending my younger years as a male prostitute made me realize I didn't want to do that forever...at least not for money.

If you don't know what abuse I'm referring to, you're either not in dental school yet or you go to a powder-puff school like UT, Memphis, not UT San Antonio. UT San Antonio is a real dental school compared to Univ of Tennessee, which is comaprable to chiropractic school.

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That's what I think, too.

toofache32 said:

For me, the reason for not giving back is because of the systematic abuse which was so common at my school. There are a few faculty I loved and would do anything for...but as for the rest, I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. They better hope I never catch them in a dark alley at night...

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I agree. There were some real a-holes at my school, and many, many who specialized in cock-blocking anything intelligent, streamlined, or logical.

Half of my first pay check will go toward Case dental school

I knew that would ruffle some feathers. No wonder OMFSRES and I are such half-a$$es.

toofache32 said:

Surely I'm not being lectured about hard work and tough jobs. Spending my younger years logging trees in the forestry business taught me one thing: I didn't want to be a lumberjack the rest of my life.

If you don't know what abuse I'm referring to, you're either not in dental school yet or you go to a powder-puff school like San Antonio.

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Hard work goes with the show. Its the mental stuff I was talking about. Just a few examples.

You are expected to power drink with the crew each night after work, help out when one of the crazed journeymen starts a barfight, and then get up at 5:00AM ready to climb steel towers while suffering through a heavy duty hangover.

Now one warns you that the heavy string of insulators you are helping to manuver into place with a hand line is about to break free from the winch line before getting properly securred to the tower. Your response and pain creates a real laugh for the journeymen.

You can't do any job good enough or quick enough. You get harassed till you break. You then either cry or fight. If you cry you are done. If you fight ,you earn your place but the harassment does not let up one bit until you top out as a journeyman.

Education is essential. With our state financial crisis, it is really hard for people to get higher education. Like other people have said, if the money is used in a good way, I will donate back. If it is used to increase graduation requirement and additional lectures, I will have to say no.

drhobie7 said:

I will definitely be contributing either with money or my own time immediately after graduation. I'm in a bit of a different boat than people at private schools. The state of California pays more for my education per year than I do so I feel I have an obligation to repay the favor. Not only that but I like my school and would be stoked to come back and teach for one half day a week. My school charges students for ortho too but it's only about $2K, which is a hell of a deal considering it would cost double to triple that in an ortho practice in LA.

The other reason I will contribute to my school is that I want to see it improve. I'd like to have the school's name remain strong long after I graduate. I'm curious to read other replies as I wonder if the failure of alumni to contribute is a problem at many schools.

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kerrydds06 said:

UB is a state school

NY pays a lot for my education too, but I'll give back to the public, the tax payers, NOT the school

charging dental students is a matter of principle, its like that OS that charged Dr. Jeff for the implant he did on his charity patient.

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I disagree that charging dental students is a matter of principle. I don't think the school does it simply to take money out of our pockets. Dental schools require a lot of money to run and often operate in the red year-round.

That's wonderful you're committed to contributing back to the people of NY. I differ in that I have a sense of gratitude towards my school, which doesn't seem to be shared by anyone else on this posting board. My perspective is that my school is making me into a dentist. Sure, I put in a lot of work but it's really the opportunities the school provides that enable me to become a great clinician. For that I'm grateful. I wish more people shared my outlook because I think it would result in significant improvements to the schools, which would make the education of future dentists that much better.

If I grow to like my dental school as I have my undergrad university, I will probably donate after I pay off my student loan debt.

simpsonj24 said:

Hey, I resemble that remark!

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simpsonj24 or any other UT-San Antonio people, do you get two months off during the summer and if you do, what do most students do during that time?

I'm asking because I am applying there and while looking at the schedule on the web site I don't see any dental school activity between May 20th and July 18th for this year.

drhobie7 said:

My perspective is that my school is making me into a dentist. Sure, I put in a lot of work but it's really the opportunities the school provides that enable me to become a great clinician.

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I see it this way: I was able to become a dentist despite my dental school.

toofache32 said:

I see it this way: I was able to become a dentist despite my dental school.

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Sarcasm or not, I agree whole-heartedly

toofache32 said:

I see it this way: I was able to become a dentist despite my dental school.

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I'm sure that's the case for many people and it's really a shame. I feel fortunate to have experienced otherwise.

kerrydds06 said:

There is a reason so many people are dissapointed by their dental school.
I love my undergrad which was private and expensive (HPU) and will gladly help them when i can. But dental schools are mismanaged, especially with the huge budgets they have, combine this with a lack of faculty and not keeping up with new technology and the politics, you have a bad learning environment. this affects great dedicated faculty who are there for the longhaul. We are just passing through, 4 years aint long.
You are just a number to the school, like you said, you, YOU! put in a lot of work, so does every one else who graduates, What sucks is that even though we work hard, the schools dont have theit shmit together. It could be a LOT better with better management.

FYI the increased revenue the school makes by charging their own students is insignificant, compared to what they could be getting in donations after we graduate. I'll give my undergrad $5000 annually (tax write off and i get a gold pin to wear when i go visit) to let those instructors know how much i appreciated their help in getting me here, (I didn't deserve a lot of those A's if you know what I mean). Dental school will get nada!

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I certainly feel the same way. My beef: the indifferent attitude and the politics of the Admin people, particularly the guys in charge of the cirriculum. Almost everyone seems to be in the b!tchy mood most of the time. There're times that you feel like everyone is out to bust your b@lls.
Not only the students but the faculty are also caught in the web of politics. It was bad enough that the head of alumi association went around asking some of the 4th yr what went wrong?! It was a nice try but come on, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. After all, they were dental students once upon a time!

My school charges $250/crown, $1500/upper+lower braces to dental students. How can you expect donations from alumni if you're making a profit on your own students?! I just received my diploma and it looks like a piece of **** for $200K tuition! 8X11 standard size instead of 11X14 professional size, printed on a cheap piece of **** paper. If I want the 11X14 size then I have to pay $40. WTF?! My undergrad diploma is 11X14 and it looks more professional than my professional dental diploma, how ironic! son of b!tches!

It's not a question of ingratitude of alumni because most of us want to give back to the school, deep down inside! I plan on giving donations to my undergrad and dental school. But for now, my friends and I are just gonna wipe our @ss with those dental alumni letters. Once I've calmed the hell down and be able to afford it, I'll think about giving to my dental school.

lnn2 said:

I certainly feel the same way. My beef: the indifferent attitude and the politics of the Admin people, particularly the guys in charge of the cirriculum. Almost everyone seems to be in the b!tchy mood most of the time. There're times that you feel like everyone is out to bust your b@lls.
Not only the students but the faculty are also caught in the web of politics. It was bad enough that the head of alumi association went around asking some of the 4th yr what went wrong?! It was a nice try but come on, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. After all, they were dental students once upon a time!

My school charges $250/crown, $1500/upper+lower braces to dental students. How can you expect donations from alumni if you're making a profit on your own students?! I just received my diploma and it looks like a piece of **** for $200K tuition! 8X11 standard size instead of 11X14 professional size, printed on a cheap piece of **** paper. If I want the 11X14 size then I have to pay $40. WTF?! My undergrad diploma is 11X14 and it looks more professional than my professional dental diploma, how ironic! son of b!tches!

It's not a question of ingratitude of alumni because most of us want to give back to the school, deep down inside! I plan on giving donations to my undergrad and dental school. But for now, my friends and I are just gonna wipe our @ss with those dental alumni letters. Once I've calmed the hell down and be able to afford it, I'll start giving to my dental school.

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I echo most of this, and I may add that I will not be donating a cent

Would any of you consider giving back in kind so that the students benefit directly? Like donating a book to the library or instruments like a composite curing light.

That would be better eh?

if you guys are complaining that your school charges you $1500 for braces, you're a bunch of crybabies. do you know how much that would cost in private practice? $1500 is a great bargain. we're charged $2300 and i still think that's very generous of my school. i will not give a penny to my school though, for other reasons....

lnn2 said:

My school charges $250/crown, $1500/upper+lower braces to dental students. How can you expect donations from alumni if you're making a profit on your own students?! I just received my diploma and it looks like a piece of **** for $200K tuition! 8X11 standard size instead of 11X14 professional size, printed on a cheap piece of **** paper. If I want the 11X14 size then I have to pay $40. WTF?! My undergrad diploma is 11X14 and it looks more professional than my professional dental diploma, how ironic! son of b!tches!

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Dang. They gave us 16x20 diplomas, it's an obnoxious monstrosity that is sitting under my bed at my parent's house because I have nowhere to hang it. I went out of my way to order (as in I had to pay for it) a smaller, 11x14 because sometimes programs/state boards want a copy of your diploma. Of course, the wonderful print place made a mistake on it.

Some day I will donate back to my school. That someday isn't too soon, however, since I have yet to achieve a positive cash flow.

why should someone give money to their school when they already paid them for the schooling and tuition? just pay them more for what? giving you an education that you already paid so much money for

grant555 said:

Not every school needs alumni donations. Johns Hopskins, for example, receives about a billion dollars in federal aid every year for research, so even if they had a dental school, no donation you could give would touch Uncle Sam's pocket book.

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This is like saying: not every poor guy needs food and money. Look at the wealthy folks with billion dollars. They don't need any finanical assistance.
Take care and GOD bless.

griffin04 said:

Dang. They gave us 16x20 diplomas

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Dammmmn. 16x20 I guess size does matter!

lnn2 said:

My school charges $250/crown, $1500/upper+lower braces to dental students. How can you expect donations from alumni if you're making a profit on your own students?!

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Wow, that's actually a VERY reasonable rate. Here at Nova, crowns cost $350/400 N/HN and $3650 for braces.

Those are the costs for outsiders, for students, all pre-doctoral provided care is free (lab costs are still included, tho) and braces are ~$2700. I needed 2 root canals done and had a PG friend of mine do it, one was comp'd and the other reduced in $.

I am happy with the way it's done here at my school... now whether I would let one of my classmates do a crown on me is a different story

As for the donating part, sure if things stay the way they are now, but I still have 2 more years to go to get disgruntled.

-Mike

dWiz said:

why should someone give money to their school when they already paid them for the schooling and tuition? just pay them more for what? giving you an education that you already paid so much money for

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...yeah, that you paid so much for, but still didn't even come close to actually paying *for*. Do a little research and find out how much money your school is getting from outside sources. All that money is what you're *not* paying for.

Yeah. Most students don't realize that they have blown their "semester's tuition" on the 20th PVS impression that still didn't get the margin in. Students have no idea how expensive dental materials are!

do you think if a school has a high percentage of alumni donating, it is indicative of the quality of the school/experience?

Personally, I think I'd prefer to teach as a way of giving back. You can give back without having to pull out your checkbook.

koobpheej said:

do you think if a school has a high percentage of alumni donating, it is indicative of the quality of the school/experience?

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It doesn't indicate the quality fo the school but it definitely indicates the alumni's positive experience at the school.
I think U Penn Dental school named a building after an alumni because he had donated $5 million

Yes, it's true that tuition does not even come near to covering costs. For everything else the state tax payers foot the bill. That is why fees for service are so deeply discounted. This is part of the school and student's way of paying some back. This is also why out of state tuition is more expensive. Presumambly most of the in staters will stay and pay missive amounts of personal and business taxes back to the state to further off set the investment the tax payers make to educate them. I really don't see any nobility on the school's part. I feel I will owe the residents of my state for my degree. So far all I can see at school is a bunch of people paid (very well I might add) to rule over us poor plebians with an iron fist in a blatantly fascist manner. I think people wind up as faculty and high level admin at dental schools because they cannot yet find a tropical island on which they can become the brutal tin pot dictators they obviously so desperatly wish to be...

I might be willing to start a scholarship to the candidate that can out drink me

My school will not get a fcuking cent from me for the following reasons:
1. As it is, we are the most expensive state school in the country
2. As of late, our entire university has been caught red handed for embezzling all kind of funds and a day doesnt go by without some mention of it in the news papers
3. I had a horrible educational experience. Half the kids in my class had mommies and daddies who attended the same school and sure enough, they had a great experience.
4. The politics
5. The politics
6. The politics
7. We have a new building of which 2/3rds will be empty for the next 5 years because a mis management of funds during its construction phase.

So in short: when I get the mailer to ask me for funds, I shall send them a mailer back asking them to suck my c0ck

I do intend to offer my services free of charge to the inner city population that my school is supposed to serve. Also, my undergrad institution will be getting help from me financially.

No, tell us how you REALLY feel.

So in short: when I get the mailer to ask me for funds, I shall send them a mailer back asking them to suck my c0ck

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Just wipe your ass with it (or pick up dog s--t with it to avoid DNA evidence) and send it back to them. I think you'll get taken off the mailing list REAL quick for that one.

AMMD said:

So in short: when I get the mailer to ask me for funds, I shall send them a mailer back asking them to suck my c0ck

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Before graduating they had us fill out a form with our mailing addresses after graduation. I knew good and damn well what that was for. The chairman of the Restorative Dept and I didn't get along at all, so I put his address down with my name. That was my last little going-away present to him. He must have gotten all my alumni junk mail for a year, because that's how long it took them to find out my real address.