Pittsburgh

I would like to hear from someone comparing between Penn and Pitts.

I am a first year student at Pitt, I am so happy with my decision. The students in the upper years have been very helpful throughout the first semester. I like the feeling of knowing that I am able to ask for help if I need it. At your first orientation session you are paired with a second air (big brother/sister) and they are there to help you throughout the first year. My class is great too, it's a mixture of people from all over the country. I am not sure about the other schools, but the first semester at Pitt is well balanced with hard and not so hard classes, I'm not saying its not tough because it is, but they do a good job of easing you into the work. The teachers are very approachable, some really make an effort to get to know you. The only disadvantage that I can think of is the cold winter weather but that's because I am from the South 🙂 I hope this helps

-Strong Oral Surgery/Endo/Anesthesia/Pathology
-Good Prostho/Pedo/Perio
-Implant dept./Ortho are a joke. You won't learn **** from those guys.
-Students are generally nice and helpful.
-Nice Sim Lab. 3rd and 4th yrs share the same clinical cubicals. Nice big gym, Peterson Center, next door. Hot undergrad girls!
-The Prostho lab tech, Jim & Norm, are very helpful and very nice guys to work it.
-Patients are randomly assigned to students. There're problems with no call, no show, disappointment...You have to hustle to get your requirements done. Most of the class will finish their requirements on or before grad time.
-Cold weather, old & low income city, not many places for entertainment can be depressing at times.

beannaithe, I have my interview with Pittsburgh on feb20th and I'm very nervous! I was just wondering if you could let me know how the interview process was. Did you guys tour the school first? Who gave you the tour and who interviewed you? How many interviewes were there? Any thing would be appreciated.

thanks and hope to see you next year!

Go Seahawks!!!

Is it true that Pitt dental has an unusually high percentage of Mormons (I was told 40-50%)?

I am a third year and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Our class has 85 people, and of those only about 10 or 11 are Mormons. I like Pitt and know several people who attend different dental schools. I am very happy with my decision when I compare it to problems people face at other dental schools. I would be glad to address any issues if you could ask a more specific question.

Pittisit said:

I am a third year and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Our class has 85 people, and of those only about 10 or 11 are Mormons. I like Pitt and know several people who attend different dental schools. I am very happy with my decision when I compare it to problems people face at other dental schools. I would be glad to address any issues if you could ask a more specific question.

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Hello Pittisit, I'd appreciate it if you could answer a few of my questions.

1. What is the typical format of exams during the first and second year? (multiple choice, short answer, essay, mixed, etc.)

2. Are the textbooks that you must buy actual books, or does Pitt put all of the textbook information on a CD or save it onto your hard drive?

3. Is a laptop required at Pitt, or will a desktop be fine? Ifa laptop is required, does Pitt make you purchase it directly from them?

4. Is there any kind of notetaking service offered at Pitt? Do professors usually give you notes or post notes online?

5. I'm thinking about purchasing an apartment/condo close to the school. Any recommendations?

6. Can you give me an estimate of the number of students who may drop out each year (if any)?

Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide.

I have a question too:

Where and when should we start looking for places to live? Where is the safest place for girls to live?

Thanks!

I am glad that you guys have so many great questions about Pitt, and I will try to answer them one by one. If any other Pitt dental students are out there please feel free to chime in. Here we go:


1. What is the typical format of exams during the first and second year? (multiple choice, short answer, essay, mixed, etc.)

By far the overwhelmingly most used style is multiple choice questions. I don't think I remember any essay questions thus far.

2. Are the textbooks that you must buy actual books, or does Pitt put all of the textbook information on a CD or save it onto your hard drive?

Every course you take at Pitt will usually have a textbook that you can buy at the Student Health Book Store. Pitt hasn't began using DVDs or CDs for their texts and I don't know if they plan on it. I like this style better because I don't like reading from a computer screen for extended periods of time. Most profs are very honest about whether or not you have to buy the book and will tell you if all questions come from notes or notes and text book. If not the upperclassmen will tell you which class require books.

3. Is a laptop required at Pitt, or will a desktop be fine? Ifa laptop is required, does Pitt make you purchase it directly from them?

No a laptop is not required and a desktop will do fine. I started out with a desktop and then bought a laptop, but I never take it to class or even to the library.

4. Is there any kind of notetaking service offered at Pitt? Do professors usually give you notes or post notes online?

Most profs give you the notes at the beginning of class, email it to us in advance or post the files on courseweb (online website). A few classes do not give you the notes and if you want a note taking service the class must set up one themselves. I think we only did it for 1 or 2 classes and I don't remember it being very helpful.

5. I'm thinking about purchasing an apartment/condo close to the school. Any recommendations?

I am not sure there are a lot to choose from. I would probably recommend living in the Shadyside or Squirrel Hill sections of Pittsburgh at least for first year. Both of those neighborhoods require short bus rides to Oakland (neighborhood where Pitt is) and with University ID you ride the bus for free. I think the overwhelming majority of students live here. I lived in South Oakland with all of the Undergraduates so I could walk to campus my first 2 years. This is okay but there are some really crappy places and usually Aug leases are signed in Jan - March here do to demand being way higher than supply. If you PM me some specific names or addresses I could try to look into them for you if I have the time. I moved up north of the city and now commute to school every day. I probably live about 10 miles away and make the drive in about 20-25 minutes. Moving out of the neighborhoods that all the students live allows you to pay less or get more for your money. If you want to live a little further out like I do, I suggest North of the city. The way Pittsburgh is set up if you live to the South or East you have to go through a bridge and tunnel which bottlenecks traffic and makes a long commute. If you live East of the city you have to go through the Squirrel Hill tunnel. However driving in from the North traffic flows at a steady 50 mph. Some students pay to park each day, but there are a few streets near our school where you can park for free and that is what I choose to do.

6. Can you give me an estimate of the number of students who may drop out each year (if any)?

Well barely anyone actually drops out. My class began with 85 and at the end of first year one student found that they didn't want to be a dentist and dropped out. A few people (less than 5) were asked to repeat first year do to grades. The hard part of dental school is getting in; once you are in very the majority graduate.


Where and when should we start looking for places to live? Where is the safest place for girls to live?

If you read the question above I would recommend those two neighborhoods that I said earlier. Now every place has some crappy areas and some ripoff landlords but those neighborhoods have been pretty good to most students. Most people are able to find a place to live when they come in for the 3 day orieintation in the summer.

Best of luck and feel free to post any more questions.

Hi,
I am a pitt undergrad, and I will be at Pitt Dental this coming fall! However, I just got done talking with a professor and he said that he wishes I would have talked to him first about dental schools, etc, etc, because Pitt has a hard time passing their students on the board exams, they have problems with cheating, and it is only getting worse. He gave me a statistic of about a 40% pass rate. Is this true?? I am terrified now that i will be a bad dentist and am regretting that i decided to stay in pittsburgh 🙁
Please, can you help me to feel better about my decision??
Thank you

Pittisit said:

I am a third year and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Our class has 85 people, and of those only about 10 or 11 are Mormons. I like Pitt and know several people who attend different dental schools. I am very happy with my decision when I compare it to problems people face at other dental schools. I would be glad to address any issues if you could ask a more specific question.

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Hey! I'm a second year at Pitt Dental and just wanted to toss my two cents in.

First off, I don't think you should worry about not being a good dentist! One thing I've learned here at Pitt is you get out what you put in. Don't worry about low statistics for boards...all the resources to become a good dentist are here, you just have to work hard and put the time into it.

Personally, I love Pitt Dental (although I'm not too fond of the city...or any city for that matter!)! I don't think you could find better professors and faculty anywhere...they really do all they can to make sure you learn good dentistry. Although, I will say there are some scheduling problems with classes that make it difficult to study for boards and do well in school.

Someone else asked about the Mormons...I have 73 total students in my class, and hmmmm....about...8 or 9 of them are Mormon. Apparently Mormons make good dentists...who knew? 🙂

Hey Kashew77, who is that girl in your class that kinda looks like Keira Knightley? Hey...I'm a married man, but lord she is good looking!

I'm happy to answer any questions!

Peace

Aaronspsr, what year are you in? I was told that the newest class had a surge in mormons.

emm7 said:

Hi,
I am a pitt undergrad, and I will be at Pitt Dental this coming fall! However, I just got done talking with a professor and he said that he wishes I would have talked to him first about dental schools, etc, etc, because Pitt has a hard time passing their students on the board exams, they have problems with cheating, and it is only getting worse. He gave me a statistic of about a 40% pass rate. Is this true?? I am terrified now that i will be a bad dentist and am regretting that i decided to stay in pittsburgh 🙁
Please, can you help me to feel better about my decision??
Thank you

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Oh my god...40%, is that accurate? it's pretty damn low....

In response to emm7, I don't know who the professor was that scared you but I would like to challenge several of his remarks. Pitt does not have a problem with the Boards. As for the NBDE part I we ranked approximately 2 points higher on each section this year than the national average. As per cheating, I am sure that it exists however people are dealt with severely. No matter where you go people will always try to cheat the system, but if you are caught and forced to go before Academic Integrity Board, there is a good chance you will be thrown out. I have never heard of any test (NBDE part I or II, NERBS, or any regional boards) that has a 40% pass rate. If you want to know percentages and want some "accurate" information as opposed to hearsay call the admissions office with Rose Mangold or Ken Etzel and ask specific questions. No matter where you decide to go to dental school you get out of the school what you put into it. If you are looking for an easy ride, dental school isn't for you. It is a lot of work and there is no quick fix

Aaronpsr said:

Hey Kashew77, who is that girl in your class that kinda looks like Keira Knightley? Hey...I'm a married man, but lord she is good looking!

Peace

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Holy freaking crap!!! I might have find my soul mate this time! Atleast i know she goes to Pitt Dental.

Nob01001,

I am a second year...I think I mentioned that!

Anyways, I think it seems like a lot of Mormons because each class has about 10...that adds up to 40 Mormons, not to mention the number in graduate programs like Ortho...and they all hang out together.

Don't sweat it!

Peace

Hey Pittisit and Aaoronpsr,
I'm going to be a first year at Pitt dental in the fall, but I still have a few questions that I'm hoping you guys can answer for me:

I believe during the interview they mentioned that there was some kind of big bro/sis mentoring program where second year student could help freshmen and answer our questions during the first year. Can you provide me with any details on this program? Did you guys find this program helpful?

I have a sister at another dental school who has recently failed one of her classes. She can fail up to four her first year and retake them in the summer without having to repeat the entire year. I'm a good student and I've never failed a class before, but I was curious what Pittsburgh's policy is on failed courses. Do they let you repeat the course over the summer, and if so, how many can you fail and take over the summer without repeating the entire year? Don't worry, I'm not planning on making use of this policy firsthand, but it's nice to know what happens.

From your prior posts, it seems as if shadyside and squirrel hill are good places to live during the first year. Are there many restaurants/fast food places in these areas? Taco Bell, pizza places, Subway, Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, etc?

Thanks for your input guys. I can't wait to attend the orientation and learn a little more about the school.

The big brother big sister program is really nice and I still stay in touch with my big and little even though I am now a third year. The bigs are good for asking questions about classes, getting "oldies", finding out whether or not you should buy a book for a class. The big brothers and sisters are usually matched in some way such as another student from your same undergraduate or maybe the same state.

I am sorry that I don't know a lot about what happens when you fail a class. I am sure that there is a way to make it up if it is just 1 or 2 but I'm not positive about the protocol. I would tell you not to sweat it though. Dental school is hard but everyone seems to pass. We are all good students so it isn't much of a problem. I know at the end of our first year there were a very few students (2 or 3) who repeated first year. We had only 1 drop out because she decided that she didn't want to be a dentist.

Pretty much no matter where you live in the 'burgh you will have plenty of good restaurants. One of the best parts about these neighborhoods (Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland) is the amount of great restaurants. Some of the best ones though aren't chains (even though there are a lot of chains) but individual one of a kind restuarants. Oakland has a couple amazing ones including 1. Lulu's noodles/Yum Wok, 2. Indian Garden, 3. Fuel and Fuddle, 4. Mad Mex, 5. Sushi Boat. Another great thing is that several of these places have half off specials at certain times (happy hour and late night) or with student IDs.

I hope that I answered your questions and please post again with any additional ones that you might have. Don't worry too much about failing classes, I think it is a pretty rare occurence and there must be a system worked out for those who do.

Big brother/sister program is fine, but having the "Mormon" connection is better. They have a nice "network" where upper classmen make sure they get anything they need to be on top of the class. It would be nice if this network of theirs would expand to the other students in the class, but helping non Mormons is NOT one of their strong suits. I have to say, it was nice to see a member of their "network" hold back info about our occlusion class. It was great to see how pissed off they were when they were left out! Instead of getting pissed off and not helping others, try sharing and caring for others around you. This just may be more rewarding than money!

Pittisit said:

The big brother big sister program is really nice and I still stay in touch with my big and little even though I am now a third year. The bigs are good for asking questions about classes, getting "oldies", finding out whether or not you should buy a book for a class. The big brothers and sisters are usually matched in some way such as another student from your same undergraduate or maybe the same state.

I am sorry that I don't know a lot about what happens when you fail a class. I am sure that there is a way to make it up if it is just 1 or 2 but I'm not positive about the protocol. I would tell you not to sweat it though. Dental school is hard but everyone seems to pass. We are all good students so it isn't much of a problem. I know at the end of our first year there were a very few students (2 or 3) who repeated first year. We had only 1 drop out because she decided that she didn't want to be a dentist.

Pretty much no matter where you live in the 'burgh you will have plenty of good restaurants. One of the best parts about these neighborhoods (Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and Oakland) is the amount of great restaurants. Some of the best ones though aren't chains (even though there are a lot of chains) but individual one of a kind restuarants. Oakland has a couple amazing ones including 1. Lulu's noodles/Yum Wok, 2. Indian Garden, 3. Fuel and Fuddle, 4. Mad Mex, 5. Sushi Boat. Another great thing is that several of these places have half off specials at certain times (happy hour and late night) or with student IDs.

I hope that I answered your questions and please post again with any additional ones that you might have. Don't worry too much about failing classes, I think it is a pretty rare occurence and there must be a system worked out for those who do.

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Hey Pitt students! I will be attending Pitt this fall and I was wondering what the academic schedule is like for all four years. Do you get summers off? Also, I didn't get a chance to ask people at my interview if there are externships. Thanks in advance!

The academic schedule is sure to keep you very busy especially your first two years. It is a nice blend of basic core classes (Anatomy, Histology, etc) and preclinic lab work to develop your skills. The first year is a lot of classes and 1 or 2 preclinic classes. The second year is about half and half with a a little less time spent in the classroom and a little more time spent in the lab. Once you get to third year you have approximately 7-9 one hour one credit classes per week that are either at 8 or 9 in the morning. By 10 am we are done with classes and ready to see patients the rest of the day. By 4th year you only have a few classes and it is basically all patient care.

Regarding externships, I know a couple guys that are currently 3rd years who have been leaving to do externships around here and around the country, so I know that you can do them if you want. I hope this helps.

gini21 said:

Hey Pitt students! I will be attending Pitt this fall and I was wondering what the academic schedule is like for all four years. Do you get summers off? Also, I didn't get a chance to ask people at my interview if there are externships. Thanks in advance!

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Thanks for all the info! One more question...do you get summers off at all or is there summer school for every year? Thanks again!

gini21 said:

Thanks for all the info! One more question...do you get summers off at all or is there summer school for every year? Thanks again!

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The summer at the end of your first year we have all of August off. After your second year, you have approximately 4 weeks off before boards, and 1 week afterwards in June and July. After your third year you have no classes in the month of August so you can block yourself out of seeing patients or see them. The clinics stay open but most people take some or all of the time off. I hope this helps, please feel free to ask any other questions.

I was wondering if Pitt has a system set up with a computer company so that students can get their computers at a discounted rate. Are you familiar with anything of this sort? I need a new laptop but the prices out there are a wee bit steep.

Thanks!

sunphish said:

I was wondering if Pitt has a system set up with a computer company so that students can get their computers at a discounted rate. Are you familiar with anything of this sort? I need a new laptop but the prices out there are a wee bit steep.

Thanks!

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Sorry, none that I know of...