Recent BU grad taking questions

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TerrierDent2012

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Hi,

I'm a recent graduate of BU and am currently a practicing dentist. If you guys have any questions about the school or application process, please feel free to send me a message.

cheers!
 
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When did you graduate? Are some of the strange things people say about BU true (bad school, having to pay for patients, hard to get patients and chair time)? How much debt did you graduate with, and how are you doing with paying it back so far? The last question if more personal and I understand if you can't answer that for privacy reasons.
 
I have so many questions for you and sorry in advance if there's a lot. I just put my deposit there and am really nervous based on what I've heard. How competent do you feel practicing as a dentist? How was your clinical training in dental school? Did you get a chair for patients when you needed it or was it difficult to get space when you had a patient? For someone moving into Boston, where would you recommend looking for an apartment if I don't mind a little longer commute but cheaper cost (also what resources should I use to find places). Do you feel that most people did a residency or were there some people in your class who were ready to practice? Thats all for now. Thank you so much for taking the time out!
 
Hi there,

Thanks for your question.

Before I begin I'd like to say that these are only my opinions and experiences with the school. Anything that may be deemed as unfavorable about the school is in no way, shape, or form meant to target the school's reputation. Prospective students should take it upon themselves to make an educated decision and proceed accordingly. I've enjoyed my experience at this school and wouldn't have traded it for anything. Were there rough points? Yes, but it's best not to let any negative aspects get you down. As an adult and prospective healthcare provider, you've got to be able to make positive experiences out of negative ones.

I graduated last year. BU dental tends to have a bad reputation due to the presence of 2 other dental schools in the city. BU is the ''runt of the litter". The first two years were awesome, to be honest. The faculty were attentive and very helpful. The exam schedule made life easier. A bulk of the problems that you hear about are with the clinical years...and they are mostly true unfortunately. It's not like it is a secret either. It has been published in various school reports...so this is common knowledge. The school is in a constant state of limbo, and the administration is constantly making changes. They think that the changes help, which in some cases they do....but it just makes matters more complicated. The big issue is space; I'd like to think of it as the circus car analogy when it comes to the clinic (as one of my mentors put it)--too many people being crammed into such a little space. This makes it really inconvenient when it comes time to getting through requirements and getting chair time. As far as paying for patients goes...I've personally never had to, but I know quite a few people that have. I can count the numbers on 2 hands, twice. You really need to be on top of things in order to get your requirements done. Even that doesn't ensure that you'll be fine clinically. Getting a good pool of patients also makes life a whole lot easier...so you've gotta have some luck too. Keep in mind that ''good pool'' is key in the last statement---patients aren't very hard to get, but getting a good pool of them was tough for me personally. I hope this has answered your questions about the school.

About me personally, I have been very very fortunate and I didn't have to take out many loans. I commuted for most of school, and had some money saved up before entering school (non-traditional applicant). I'm looking at 5 years of loan payback.
 
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Hi RU1992,

I'm sure if you read my previous post, that'll answer some of your questions. But to answer the others..

I'd say that I'm fairly confident with my abilities as a dentist. I have a lot of family members who are dentists as well. If I have a question about anything, I have help any time I need it. Compared to some of my dental colleagues and friends at other schools, I'd honestly have to say my experiences were O.K. at best. Have I seen worse though? Yup, I have. Again, a lot of the clinical experience depends on luck and really going out of your way to get the right patients. Having to fight tooth and nail for chairs at times makes life hectic as well. Dentists around my area tend to think very highly of Tufts, especially since they renovated their facilities. Harvard graduates usually pursue residencies and move out of the area so, they're the minority in the dentist pool. Not to mention, their class size is only a small fraction of what you would see in a typical BU or Tufts class.

Almost everyone I know who did general dentistry pursued a residency.

About apartments---try looking it neighboring areas like Jamaica Plain which is very affordable might I add (and relatively safe).
 
hey, quick q

did you choose bu over any other schools when you applied? if so, what were your reasons. thanks for the advice btw.
 
TerrierDent2012 said:
Hi RU1992,

I'm sure if you read my previous post, that'll answer some of your questions. But to answer the others..

I'd say that I'm fairly confident with my abilities as a dentist. I have a lot of family members who are dentists as well. If I have a question about anything, I have help any time I need it. Compared to some of my dental colleagues and friends at other schools, I'd honestly have to say my experiences were O.K. at best. Have I seen worse though? Yup, I have. Again, a lot of the clinical experience depends on luck and really going out of your way to get the right patients. Having to fight tooth and nail for chairs at times makes life hectic as well. Dentists around my area tend to think very highly of Tufts, especially since they renovated their facilities. Harvard graduates usually pursue residencies and move out of the area so, they're the minority in the dentist pool. Not to mention, their class size is only a small fraction of what you would see in a typical BU or Tufts class.

Almost everyone I know who did general dentistry pursued a residency.

About apartments---try looking it neighboring areas like Jamaica Plain which is very affordable might I add (and relatively safe).
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Thank for your time doing this and sorry if I missed this from your previous answers... but are you doing the residency at the moment then? If not, do you mind to share the reasons?
 
Hey terrier! Thanks so much for doing this....I understand that BU is slightly inferior clinically and that didactically is pretty amaZing....does this effect rates of specializing? Does BU take a large number of their own? How hard is it to make it into the IREC program for doing advanced research post year 1? Also, do u recommend any good places on campus to study 24/7?
 
Wow, I didn't think I'd get asked so many questions right away. So many inquisitive minds here!

preDENT: When I applied I was only accepted to Boston University. As a matter of fact, among a good amount of my class, this was the case as well.

LeoK: I did not apply for a residency because I didn't think that I needed it. Again, I have a lot of family in the field so I've learned a heck of a lot. I work for my dad and uncle so I pick up on a lot of things. It also helps to know that no matter how much I produce, I won't lose my job! 🙂

perio: In my opinion, the school is average at best. A lot of kinks need to be worked out, and again, this isn't news to anyone. They have made some great changes over the years, such as online patient scheduling, which is great and all but I feel it's something that the school should have ironed out right away. After talking to my cousin who went to NYU for instance, scheduling is something that they've never had to worry about. Come to think of it, I don't even think they schedule their own patients. So what I'm getting at is, they'll slowly make changes here and there and act like it is a big deal, but when you consider the setup at other schools, like Tufts for instance it's old news to them.

Research was never my thing so I never paid any attention to it. A few buddies of mine who wanted to specialize ''did research''. They did a whole lot of writing and observing, and had very little say in experiments. If you want to ''do research'' for the sake of putting it on a resume, then you'll be able to do that. And yes, BU does take quite a bit of their own for the sake of boosting their placement percentages.

In terms of studying, I studied at home most of the time. I'd recommend the alumni medical library as that has the longest hours (if i'm not mistaken). I'm not too sure of 24 hour spots, I'm afraid.
 
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Interviewed on Tuesday and got accepted the next morning. I still have interviews lined up at Temple, UMaryland, and lastly Tufts, but I loved the overall feel at BU when I visited. Coming from Stonehill College, I felt very comfortable at BU and really appreciated the student/faculty dynamic.

Can you talk about the influence that BU's exceptional graduate programs had on the pre-doctoral clinical experiences. Is it true that complex cases can be shifted to post-doc students; such as a complex endo procedure, or is it more of a personal choice? Do you feel that being surrounded by these specialties has helped you decided whether specializing was the right choice or not?

Also, what was the most frustrating aspect of the school and what was the most helpful/best aspect of the school. Do you think your classmates and peers would agree? Anything you wished you had known before attending?

Thank you so much in advance. Like I said, I really enjoyed everyone I interacted with and felt like it was a good fit. However, it was my first school and with three left, it looks like I may have a tough choice to make.
 
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Hey TerrierDent, thanks for doing this.

What did you think of APEX? Good experience or waste of time?
 
cleary21191 said:
Can you talk about the influence that BU's exceptional graduate programs had on the pre-doctoral clinical experiences. Is it true that complex cases can be shifted to post-doc students; such as a complex endo procedure, or is it more of a personal choice? Do you feel that being surrounded by these specialties has helped you decided whether specializing was the right choice or not?
Click to expand...

From what I understand at the schools I interviewed at, any school that also has graduate programs often "snatches" the more complex cases from predoctoral students and gives them to residents who need them.
 
Thanks so much terrier! I'm also interested about apex...we're kids able to work with local dentists from their home town?
 
HopefulDMD88 said:
From what I understand at the schools I interviewed at, any school that also has graduate programs often "snatches" the more complex cases from predoctoral students and gives them to residents who need them.
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That's what I am afraid of with BU and Maryland. While I was at BU some of the students made it seem like it was a personal choice, but it is not a surprise that the residents would gain first priority. Just a bummer, because I personally feel complex cases can be extremely valuable learning experiences. You have learn how to approach them eventually, right? Why not sooner, under the guidance of faculty, rather than later, when malpractice comes back to haunt you.
 
I will be answering questions with red text. Using this quote feature is pretty convenient

cleary21191 said:
Interviewed on Tuesday and got accepted the next morning. I still have interviews lined up at Temple, UMaryland, and lastly Tufts, but I loved the overall feel at BU when I visited. Coming from Stonehill College, I felt very comfortable at BU and really appreciated the student/faculty dynamic.

Can you talk about the influence that BU's exceptional graduate programs had on the pre-doctoral clinical experiences. Is it true that complex cases can be shifted to post-doc students; such as a complex endo procedure, or is it more of a personal choice? Do you feel that being surrounded by these specialties has helped you decided whether specializing was the right choice or not?Yes, a lot of the times post doc students will get a lot of the good cases, simply because the good cases are so scarce. The international students also have ''better'' patients from my experiences. My decision to pursue general dentistry was a personal one. My school environment had nothing to do with it. Going into college I knew that I was going to pursue dentistry and run the family practice.

Also, what was the most frustrating aspect of the school and what was the most helpful/best aspect of the school. Do you think your classmates and peers would agree? Anything you wished you had known before attending?The fact that the clinic wasn't managed well at all. Again, I keep pointing back to the space issue: too many people, little clinical space. My friends all agreed with me on this..can't say for the rest of the class, since I didn't know every single person.

Thank you so much in advance. Like I said, I really enjoyed everyone I interacted with and felt like it was a good fit. However, it was my first school and with three left, it looks like I may have a tough choice to make.
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if you get into Tufts, I'd highly consider Tufts. BU isn't the worst school, I want everyone to know that. BU will make you a dentist. But if you have the opportunity to go somewhere else, I would highly recommend looking into other schools and talking to their students/alumni as well. For me, I wanted to be close to home and pay as little as possible. I only applied to schools in the Northeast and BU was the only one that accepted me. I owe my career to this school, and for that i am grateful.
 
periopocket said:
Thanks so much terrier! I'm also interested about apex...we're kids able to work with local dentists from their home town?
Click to expand...

During my interview day, this was a big question. BU does not restricted students to the Boston area in terms of the APEX experience. You can go home and work with a dentist in the area as long as it is not a family member and as long as BU has approved. From what I've heard APEX can be valuable with the right dentist. It depends on the dentist and how much they are willing to involve you in the process. That's why BU has to approve of the site you end up choosing; to avoid experiences where the student ends up gaining nothing.

Hope that helps a little.
 
komondor said:
Hey TerrierDent, thanks for doing this.

What did you think of APEX? Good experience or waste of time?
Click to expand...

APEX is what you make of it. I personally thought it was the biggest waste of time. You're basically shadowing and can do basic things like ''suction''. Yeah, it's great for building ties with dentists, since you can shadow back at home (a lot of people I know did this). But a lot of people just treated it like a break from school. A lot of people use this time to study for the board exam as well. It makes the school unique in a sense, but I think the school could do without it.
 
Thanks TerrierDent, definitely helpful information. I'm with you in regards to general/family dentistry, it has been something I have wanted to pursue from the start.
 
cleary21191 said:
That's what I am afraid of with BU and Maryland. While I was at BU some of the students made it seem like it was a personal choice, but it is not a surprise that the residents would gain first priority. Just a bummer, because I personally feel complex cases can be extremely valuable learning experiences. You have learn how to approach them eventually, right? Why not sooner, under the guidance of faculty, rather than later, when malpractice comes back to haunt you.
Click to expand...

It's not so much that you're more than likely to screw up the more complex cases when your out of dental school.

More likely, if you haven't had the opportunity to learn and practice the complex cases (and you're a GP) you will most often have to refer them to a specialist. This is money that your office is not making. If you learn these techniques in dental school at an institution without postdoc programs, you may be able to perform them and keep the profit in house.
 
Thank you for taking the time to do this. My question is, can you do more than the requirements? For example, I heard you only have to do 1 root canal in order to graduate. Can you request to do more than just 1 (so you don't have to refer patients to other dentists while in practice)? Also, can you comment on the atmosphere of the school in terms of students willing to help each other out, share notes, etc? At my interview, current dental students were saying that most people help each other out, but on SDN you see a lot about how students are gunners and are willing to screw each other over to get ahead (hopefully not the case). Thanks again!
 
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when i interviewed at BU, students were saying a lot of good things about the school. but they often prefaced their answers with like a disclaimer. they also danced around the specialization % question.

and from what my friends at BU say, the reason why the requirements are lower is because the cases are so hard to come by that they really don't have a choice...don't know how true that is but w/e.
 
TerrierDent2012 thanks for being so helpful! I was wondering if you had any opinion on the choice between NYU and BU. They have a lot of similarities (big one being cost). Any advice?
 
magic1425e said:
Thank you for taking the time to do this. My question is, can you do more than the requirements? For example, I heard you only have to do 1 root canal in order to graduate. Can you request to do more than just 1 (so you don't have to refer patients to other dentists while in practice)? Also, can you comment on the atmosphere of the school in terms of students willing to help each other out, share notes, etc? At my interview, current dental students were saying that most people help each other out, but on SDN you see a lot about how students are gunners and are willing to screw each other over to get ahead (hopefully not the case). Thanks again!
Click to expand...

It was tough for a lot of my friends and even myself to graduate on time. Like I said before, good patients were hard to come by. The atmosphere among the students is okay, but there were a decent amount of gunners.
 
marnferr said:
TerrierDent2012 thanks for being so helpful! I was wondering if you had any opinion on the choice between NYU and BU. They have a lot of similarities (big one being cost). Any advice?
Click to expand...

Don't know too much about NYU to be honest with you. My cousin went there and she had a blast. She didn't have any complaints. If cost isn't an issue, I'd recommend asking some graduates from NYU what they think and do a comparison. I did not have the luxury of choosing dental schools, unlike many of you. Make an informed decision. Apart from cost, look into the school that has the strongest clinicals..it'll make life a whole lot easier.

Again I want to reinforce my belief that BU is not a terrible dental school. It has its pros and cons like any other institution... so for those of you that have BU as an only option, do not fret about your future as a clinician. You can always pursue residency training if you feel that you are not able to go out into private practice right after school. For those of you that have choices, I strongly advise you to look into other schools that offer a better and more organized clinical experience.
 
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cleary21191 said:
During my interview day, this was a big question. BU does not restricted students to the Boston area in terms of the APEX experience. You can go home and work with a dentist in the area as long as it is not a family member and as long as BU has approved. From what I've heard APEX can be valuable with the right dentist. It depends on the dentist and how much they are willing to involve you in the process. That's why BU has to approve of the site you end up choosing; to avoid experiences where the student ends up gaining nothing.

Hope that helps a little.
Click to expand...

The only people that have said that (in my experience), are those who have prior experience as dental hygienists, assistants, or are well connected in dentistry through family or friends. And I'm saying this because those who have prior experience in the dental field will obviously get to do more..and those who have some sort of connections in the dental field through family/friends get a lot of autonomy. I would know 😀 . Even though my APEX experience was very relaxed, I still thought it was a complete waste of time.
 
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