NYU college of dentistry

I had almost forgotten about this website until I received an email from meggs. I do owe this lovely website for providing me with almost everything I needed to know about dentistry in the US.

I will be glad to help anyone who wants to know about my experience so far as a student at NYU college of dentistry.

I had interviewed at only two colleges- UPenn and NYU(very risky- not to be done at home- lol). encourage everyone to apply for as many dental programs as possible

I was very very impressed with UPenn as a college. Somehow, it struck me that to have an edge over other people at your interview at UPenn you gotta have a resume of what you've done ever since you landed in the US. In other words, you gotta prove that you've been busy doing something more than studying at Kaplan and writing your natl boards. Ofcourse, I also had a feeling that they were more inclined towards having a diverse student pool. But, inspite of my efforts I missed the boat there.

Coming to NYUCD, I can say only the best things about my college. But to start with, I wasnt really impressed with the interview process. UPenn was definetely more organized. But, as soon as the interview was over and the college tour started, that is when I started liking the college. It is a college that is inclined towards technology and what modernization has to offer. They have completely revamped the curriculum and seem to be fine tuning it even now. My senior batches havent had many of the courses that I've been taking. They have a very large patient pool (I dont have the exact numbers now but would surely flaunt them to you all some time later).

The interview process at NYUCD- It is easier to get into NYU college of dentistry (this particular point could be a pro and a con as well) than to other dental colleges accepting foreign dental grads. Please do ask me about anything specific that you wanaa know regarding this and I would be happy to assist you.

I would end this for now with a few pros and cons about my school.
Pros- a curriculum that is geared towards the future, the college facility and the infrastructure, life in new york, size of patient pool.
cons- a high tuition fee(but it's comparable to other private institutions), a high attrition rate, a very huge class size (I dont seem to mind that).

Dr. hannibal

Wow that was a barrage of questions from Megg...
the answer-
a high attrition rate
What does this means?
answer- Nyu has a large entering student pool. However, not everyone makes it to the final year and graduate. The reason can range from failure to pass the course or if the student engages in some 'unprofessional' conduct. I do feel this is the same for all schools in the US. It shouldnt concern you but, you should be wary that it just doesnt end with getting into the college and that you should be on your toes all the time.

You only got 2 interview offers? or you only decided to attend 2 interviews?
I applied to only two colleges, got an interview in both of them. But, got admission to only one. Actually, I did apply to a few colleges the previous year, but, had missed the deadline on all of them. I renewed my application in these two for the following year. Luckily, got an interview in both and was luckier to make it into NYU.
As far as UPenn is concerned, I believe they stress a lot on your experience in the US besides your scores and your academic performance etc. As far as improving your chances are concerned, keep yourself busy gaining some work experience, be yourself in the interview and cross your fingers for the two months before you get that envelope from them.

NYU is a great school. There are people who think that the class size is huge. But, I've spoken to a few seniors and they say that you do get ample clinical exposure. I am attending my preclinical labs here and am very happy with the resources available to the students to make them learn the clinical nuances. For a few of us, this might be like going back and doing things that we've already tried back in our home countries and for a few it could be like learning something new.

Sanju, you do stand bright chances for admission into NYU. You also do stand bright chances in many of the other dental schools in the US. The important thing is to constantly think about ways and means to improve yourself. Many dental schools look at you as an entire package. The more presentable the *package* is , the more are your chances. With NYU, it is relatively more easier to get into than some of the other colleges. In the end, getting into dental school here is what most of us want. Getting into a two year program would be an added bonus. Getting into programs like UPenn or Columbia would be the icing on the cake.

Shilpi- I guess you are asking me about private loans. Loans are available to students who have a worthy cosigner here. Again, loans are subjective to many other factors like visa status, your credit history and your cosigner's credit history. I am not aware of other means to get a student loan and hence cant comment on that. As for housing in New York.... it is available but is very expensive. There are cheaper accomodations available but it means that you'd be travelling some distance everyday. Many of my classmates come from areas around NYC like Queens, Brooklyn, NJ etc.

Please do keep the questions coming. I'd be glad to help.

Dr. Hannibal

Actually, Tasha and Megg, almost all of us wanna help. But, I am nowhere exaggerating when I say that the dental curriculum drains you over here. I had a very easy time for the five years that I was doin my BDS. I'll leave it to the future, cuz I am sure you'd experience it yourself hopefully this coming year.
Tasha you're doing great as far as your academic records and your exam records etc etc are concerned. And, to top it all, you already know about the nitty gritties of attending the *interview*. You're very much right about the interviews though. The interview process is very chill, they'd ensure that all the adrenaline rush is down before they ask you about yourself and everything about your past present and future. To look at it in a way, everyone goes in expecting a pin retained amalgam and it turns out to be a simple class 1 prep ( analogy... not mine, borrowed).
As for the questions that megg put forth... pros and cons--> There are people who feel that a class size that huge is bad. As a matter of fact, it turns out that getting your faculty to notice you would be quite a task. NYU addresses this problem, by some kind of a mentorship program. Each student is assigned to a mentor who periodically holds one on one discussions with you about your career goals and guides you through the process of realizing it.

Dr. Hannibal

Green emerald,
It depends a lot on where you stay. I know of people who come from NJ and it takes them about an hour and a half to get to the college.

As for the curriculum in the US, there is a lot of attention paid to details. So, every thing that you study would range from its molecular basis to the apparent clinical presentation. I for one didnt have to go through so much while I was in dental school previously.

as for students with kids --->

There are so many of them in my school. Managing kids and studying sure is one heck of a balancing act. It is difficult but they do manage.

Originally posted by green emerald
dr hannibal...your replies are great and so helpful do u mind sharing how the regular students traet the advanced ...generally hows the relationship between the two of them overall how is the performance of advanced standing as compared to regular students

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The regular students are a very competitive lot. They are equal to the task when it comes to exams. Which shouldn't be surprising considering the curriculum that we have. Again, there is camaraderie between both.

In a nutshell, everybody is helpful and understanding or learns to be so in time.

Dr. Hannibal.

yes the classes run till 830 PM.
It would take you an hour and a half to get to NYU from princeton. Princeton is well connected by express trains to ny penn station. Where in princeton do you stay k9?

They claim that second year is the toughest. But, I've heard from past graduates of the school and they say that it keeps gettin busier and busier with each semester.

Dr. Hannibal

The questions would not be concerned with your academic subjects. You'd be asked questions about yourself and what your future plans are. The interview would be held within an hour of the time allotted to you. The interviewer would be a faculty member. It would be a very smooth process. After the interview, you'd be taken on a tour of the college. The whole interview process would be over in about 3-4 hours.

dr. hannibal

I have received a few pm's with a few questions regarding nyu. I am sorry I couldnt find time earlier as I was busy.

I had to search and bump up this thread for a few ppl cuz I have answered many questions regarding nyu in this thread.
There was a question regarding laptops. It would be good to look at a few good deals on laptops starting now. You SHOULD try to buy a laptop that is gonna be easy on your shoulders. Try gettin a light laptop even if it means spending extra money on it. You'd probably be carrying the laptop to school quite often ( i bring my laptop to school everyday).
NYU is really movin towards makin everything electronic. That includes your clinics too and all your pt records are gonna be computerized. This might take a while though. As for now, NYU has brought wireless connectivity into your lecture rooms also ( earlier it was only in the cafeteria). Now, it is become very easy to follow lectures and get the relevant notes from the nyu's blackboard website all at the same time.
BTW, the NYU library gives out rental laptops to its students. The student can keep the laptop for one week and its free (you'lll have a late fee if you keep it for more than a weekbut you could always renew your subscription to that laptop every week). And, the laptops are fully equipped and with the intel mobile centrino technology (light weight and with an inbuilt wirelesss network card).

You should have a laptop the day after your orientation. So, you should start lookin at some good deals around and I would again emphasize the need for a laptop thats light. You might as well spend the extra buck now. Some of my colleagues regret havin purchased the heavier kind as it doesnt serve the purpose.

As for any other question especially regarding loans, if you're not satisfied with the answers in the previous posts, lemme know and i'll post a reply for your questions.

I'll try finding the web addresses for some of the apartments available for rent around the college. But, you should know that nyu does send an application for its dorms. You should apply for it as soon as you get the letter as the dorms are given out on a 'first to apply' basis.

Dr. hannibal

just said:

Hi,
It was really very nice and kind of u to answer the questions about NYU, after allready being admitted there[very few do that].]
I also had some questions:
1] what r the timings of the school{ including the break}
2] Do we need the text books { i have some}
3] Do we need our high speed
4] Do u know that how many diphodont do we need to practice and which ones {anterior or posterior},
5] Iam a female and planning to share a one bed room apt with a girl ,thats the dorm provided by NYU , what do u suggest ?
6] can u say something about the curriculum in the first year [ advansed standing}
7]How is the schedule of the classes there ,do we have test on daily basis,how is the time distributed eg: morning lecture evening practical.

Thanxs ,
Just.

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Timings- The students are divided into 3 batches and all have a 3 hour lab session monday to thursday... at different times during the day... the first batch has its timings from 8-11; second batch from 12 to 3 and the third batch has its timing from 530 to 830. You'll have lectures for 2 hrs everyday from 3 to 5. Fridays are reserved exclusively for lectures--> 9 to 5.

Textbooks- You're gonna be given a vitalbook CD..... which has all the dental books in it. Also, you'd get a few more CD's to help you with the practical portion (contains videos of the various procedures).

high speed and typodonts- NYU will provide you with every dental instrument right from a rubber cup to your curing lights and handpieces.

curriculum and exams- You'll have a barrage of exams all throughout your year. You'll have somewhere close to a 70 exams in the whole year.

student accomodations- dont have much idea about that.




Mallu- THe only trick is to apply as early as possible. You could write exams if you very well believe tht you can do a better job the second time around and also if you've time to take one. But as far as admissions are concerned, your stats look good enough for NYU.

just said:

Thanxs a lot for ur reply. I had some more questions , it will be really nice of u if u could answer them.
1}. Do we have college on Saturdays{ coz someone in the regular program told me that she has classes on weekends}
2} If we need to practice more do they provide with the extra teeth or we need to purchase them
3]Is it really important to have a printer since all the bks are E bookss
4]is there anyway u can tell us what subjects we will have in the first year.
5] Is the curriculum flexible , like the regular universities or is it where the curriculum is fixed and all have to take the same courses.
6] Do u keep the instrument in the locker in school or do we take it home.
Thanxs again in advance.

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1}. Do we have college on Saturdays{ coz someone in the regular program told me that she has classes on weekends}

No. Unless you wanna volunteer for some health screening camps etc that prolly would happen about 2-3 times a year.

If we need to practice more do they provide with the extra teeth or we need to purchase them

They would give you enough teeth to work your way thru your practical sessions. For anything extra, you'd need to purchase teeth, which would cost you $1.68/ tooth.

3]Is it really important to have a printer since all the bks are E bookss


It would be good to have access to a printer. For your info, the dental library has printers where you could print whatever you wanted for free.

4]is there anyway u can tell us what subjects we will have in the first year.

Basic Sciences

General Pathology and Infectious Diseases
Microbiology
Pathogenesis of Oral Disease
Pharmacology
Systemic Pathology

Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Disease Management

Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Certification (CPR - D2/AP)
Diagnosis of Oral Diseases
History and Physical Examination
Radiology
Therapy and Treatment Planning

Foundation Knowledge and Clinical Simulation

Advanced Placement Introductory Course (during orientation)

General Dentistry Simulation II

Restorative Dentistry
Complex Restoration I (crown and bridge)
Complex Restorations II (complete and cast partial denture construction)
Esthetic Dentistry
Growth Guidance
Survey of Dental Specialties I
Epidemiology and Health Promotion

Application of Technology in Health and Health Practice (during orientation)
Diversity, Attitudes and Health Beliefs
Health Promotion III: Applications in the Community
IV: Practicum
Ethics- Case Studies/Seminars in Ethics

Patient Care

Introduction to Patient Care
Introduction to Patient Care - Clinics


5] Is the curriculum flexible , like the regular universities or is it where the curriculum is fixed and all have to take the same courses.

You have to take all courses.

6] Do u keep the instrument in the locker in school or do we take it home.
You get an instrument locker and a clothes locker (for your apron. PS- its gonna be a locker not a wardrobe ) . You could keep your instrument wherever you want but remember you're responsible for it.

Now for smi's question-

1) 3 batches u told us about, on what basis they make these batches? according to last name or something else?
and if you are in the 3rd batch, does that means you will have those late evening lab sessions the whole year or batches differ?
and from monday to thursday u have just these 5 hour sessions? i mean 2 hours lectures and 3 hours lab sessions or anything else?
i am really sorry that i am asking you in detail about the schedules becuase i am going to commute from NJ. and i heard that we would have 8 hours classes(including lectures and labs) but according to you its 5 hours.

You'd get to have a session during every time slot I mentioned in my earlier post. You'd have labs from monday to thursday and your schedule would have a lab session in one of these time slots on each day.

Dr.hannibal

just said:

Hi dr. hannibal,
Thanxs a billion, Is it Ok if i keep posting my questions as I am just very curious person.
I had some more questions , it will be good of u to answer them.
1] How is the grading system. I mean do they give us the whole curriculum and the assingnments due for the whole year and the points for each assignments.
In short i mean how easy it is to maintain agood gpa.
2] R the quiz subjective or objective and how much does it cover {1 chapter per quiz or more}
3]Approximately how many paper submission we have every week.[ is it paper submisison or on computer}
4] Do we get vacation time long enough to visit home in US as i live in south of US.{ can u briefly quote the months of vacation period}
5] The 2nd year of advanced standing on website of NYU shows that it is 12 months, does that mean that we wont have a summer break between 1st and 2nd year and again in between 2 and 3rd year.{Just want to be mentally prepared}
6] What do u personally think about how diificult the program is
7] Is it easy if u plan to work part time/

Thanxs again,
U have been really very helpful.

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1] How is the grading system. I mean do they give us the whole curriculum and the assingnments due for the whole year and the points for each assignments

Yes, you would get a student handbook which would explain wht is required for the year ahead and the nyu intranet also has information regarding individual subject requirements. To answer one of your later questions, whoever told you that we have weekly projects and assignments??? WE would get a few projects and assignments, but it is not gonna be a weekly thing.

2] R the quiz subjective or objective and how much does it cover {1 chapter per quiz or more
did not understand the question.

4] Do we get vacation time long enough to visit home in US as i live in south
You'd get a winter break-15 days approx, a spring break- 7days and a late summer break (somewhere in august the following year)- 14 days approx.

6] What do u personally think about how diificult the program is
It is very difficult especially the second year. It is gonna keep you very busy. And, to answer your next question, initially you wouln't possibly be able to find time to work (so it is gonna be extremely difficult to work part time while studying). You'd probably be giving close to a 70 exams totally for the year. So, you gotta be on your toes to maintain your gpa on a consistent basis. Also, nyu does pack students off if they fail in more than 3 subjects (they fail them for the year).

Dr.hannibal