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- Apr 22, 2015
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Hey guys,
I recently finished going through the dental application process and will be starting this summer. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I made this thread in hopes of helping applicants that will be applying this next cycle. I know I would have really appreciated something like this as I was selecting schools in my application.
The aim is to provide some insight into each school I interviewed at. I hope others will join in, and give their perspective of schools they interviewed with. I am not harping on any school, and am looking to just give sound representations of each school. Please know that I think ANY dental school is worth going to, and I have found that there is NOT a perfect dental school. Each school has its pros and cons. But also, NO two dental schools are equal. You will come out different depending on which one you attend. It doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t succeed, but if “practice makes perfect” then I think the culture of your school will carry over with you into your practicing career.
I was invited to 12 dental interviews. Because these were all pre Dec 1st, I could only attend 9 due to scheduling conflicts and wanting to save funds. And trust me, when I first sent in my application, I was hoping to just land ONE interview. I had no first choice or preference towards any school going into these interviews. I interviewed with the mindset of me trying to find which school would be the best for me. With that said, I want this thread to be about the schools, not me.
Here are the schools. If you want to know more about one, just scroll down and I have written a brief synopsis of my interview experience there. (This is organized by visit dates)
-UoP
-ASDOH
-NYU
-MWU-IL
-Ohio State
-UCSF
-LECOM
-MWU-AZ
-Roseman
University of the Pacific
- Very nice facilities. UoP’s new building is top-of-the-line and looks amazing. Its sim lab and clinic are 2nd to none.
- Students dress business casual. Gives off a “haughty-taughty” vibe, but after meeting students, they are everyday joes that worked hard… to be fair, I did meet some kids who were having their parents cover tuition and costs. So, I saw the full spectrum, rich kids to everyday kids.
- They pride themselves at being the best. And the way things looked, I believe it.
- The feel of the comradery and pride in their Dugoni family is tangible. It’s understandable why they have a very large endowment from alumni, and why once you attend, you are Dugoni for life.
- Every student I talked to said it was hard, very hard, the first year. But a lot better the next two.
- Campus, it wasn’t really a campus. It was a beautiful downtown mini “sky rise.”
- Busy clinic.
- Everyday schedule for student, 7:30am – 5:00pm
- Technology: Advanced
- Faculty was very cordial. It felt like a business, but a very friendly business.
- Open door policy. (actually there are no doors to faculty members office to encourage students to visit)
- The only negative I came away with was high costs and busy schedule.
- I felt a graduate from here would come out the most business ready, and very skilled at using top-of-the-line equipment. However, this comes at a great cost of working very hard during your three years here.
ASDOH
- Nice campus and nice surrounding area. If you like warm weather, this is the place. The community was very modern and clean. Once again, it was a business style building, not your traditional campus building on universities.
- Very service oriented. If you are looking to be the best at serving underserved communities, this school will help.
- This was probably my favorite interview, in terms of it being “fun”. You role play and are always interacting.
- Nice facilities. Everything is new, modern, and clean in terms of equipment.
- Empty clinic.
- Scrub Dress Code
- Very nice and humble students. Never felt a “gunner” mentality from anyone I met.
- The students claimed the coursework was relaxed and nice paced.
- Student Schedule, Flexible…depends on the days, but usually 9am-3pm.
- Great faculty. The dean was AWESOME. A character I will never forget.
- Technology: Above Average
- I came away with the feeling that a dentist from this school will be very service oriented and look to help the needy. Also, schooling here would be relaxed and easy paced.
NYU
- In an awesome setting, Manhattan. It was fun going to NYC and using taxis and subway, and all the noises of the people. And the smell…woof! So many good smelling foods.
- As you imagine, the school looks like a sky rise.
- Inside, the school is not clean. There was one newly renovated part that was beautiful, but the majority of the building needs some work. The student lounge felt like an infirmary.
- Busy clinic
- Sim lab was dirty, disgusting, and a little dated
- Crowded. You could not get into the elevator without maxing out the weight capacity.
- The faculty is nice and fun though. Every faculty member I met treated me like we were old pals.
- Student life, every demographic imaginable. The students also seemed to form cliques and it felt very much like returning to high school. There was a little bit of a high school mentality still.
- Casual clothes dress code. Jeans, boots with fur….. (really saw that)
- Technology: Below average to basic
- Student schedule. Meh, watevers man…. All the lessons are podcasted, so no one goes to lectures. The students openly admit that 90% of student don’t go to class, but that they still ace the tests just off podcasts
- I feel since the class size is so large, you could be ANY type of dentist you wanted. If you survived going through here, you would have no problem making it in the real world with saturated dentists. The school seemed to do a great job at handling the large number of students, and really, at this school, you get out of it what you put in. You are the master of your fate.
MWU-IL
- A small campus in a suburb of Chicago. The campus is shared by several health professional disciplines, each with its own building, so it feels like a mini-college campus.
- Cold
- Very clean and nice inside.
- Nice sim labs, and very up-to-date
- Clinic was brand new, very nice, but empty
- Students were way nice
- Scrub Dress Code
- Technology: Above Average
- I felt a student here would not be stressing too much over course work, and would come out an above average dentist.
- Nothing but good things to say about this school
Ohio State
- This was the fanciest interview. If you get invited here, go. It feels like a royal wedding and the food is AWESOME.
- That said, the interview process is chaotic and you are herded around like cattle (They interview almost 100 people at a time) Plus, the interview is not personal and I have no idea how they are able to equally compare each applicant when they have 40+ interviewers.
- Campus was pretty cool. Everyone there wears OSU paraphernalia, and it feels like you are back in college. Pretty campus.
- The dental school building, however, is dilapidated. Your first two years are in a dungeon, with no windows (for reals). The sim-lab, was old, dirty, and you drill dry on typodonts attached to a single metal post. (Once again, you “play like you practice”)
- Everyone is so friendly there (Midwest)
- Cold
- Scrub Dress Code
- Technology: Below average to Basic
- Clinic was clean and somewhat modern. But empty (Probably because it was a Saturday)
- I felt a student here would have a good time. It would be a continuation of the college lifestyle, and have a ton of extracurricular activities. You could see how close the students of each class were, and I left wanting to be a part of it, in spite of the old dental building (dungeon).
UCSF
- This is nerd heaven. If you want to feel like you are part of a leading medical/dental school. This is the place.
- The building is part of the medical school which takes up a whole city block. (Huge!)
- Everyone there, you can tell, is very well educated and this is evident in how they speak.
- Very relaxed student vibe. The kid that interviewed me told me that this was easier than undergrad, and that I would have plenty of time to golf.
- That same student, however, complained that since there are so many specialties there, all their cool cases get referenced out.
- Faculty. Smart. They are the ones writing the dental textbooks.
- Scrub Dress code
- Technology: Above Average
- I came away from this school with the feeling that a student here will know the human body and its systems very well. You will know more about overall human health when compared to another school. But, I didn’t see any ways that the school prepares you for the business side of dentistry. Nevertheless, if you are looking to specialize, 80% of the kids there do. It felt like a nice/convenient/ great way to go through a great dental school, with low stress.
LECOM
- Location, location, location. If you like warm weather, empty beaches, and fun adventures. LECOM.
- The Dean was dick. Hard headed, stubborn, and any hint at someone questioning his methods…off with his head. Sadly, a kid in my interview asked a pretty legit question…and then dean went on a 10 minute rant, almost yelling.
- But, the teachers made up for the Dean’s rudeness. The teachers were down to earth, outgoing, and you could tell they cared a lot about the students.
- Building was new, but empty. Not much in terms of top of the line instruments (i.e. cadcam, cerec, etc)
- Clinic, empty. But fancy!
- Scrub dress code
- Technology: Basic to Above Average
- This school works, and is functional. A student here would go to a very clean, up to date, modern school, while living AT THE BEACH. As a dentist, I don’t know how they would come out….
MWU-Az
- So, this is MY opinion. I think that this school puts out the best, most modern dentists. If you want to be the best dentists possible, this is the school. They have so many instruments, machines, etc that help you come out the most technologically advanced dentist. Their curriculum is set up so well, and everything is organized so perfectly to help you to succeed. (FYI, it broke my heart to turn this school down)
- The Dean is a STUD! I am sad the he is retiring. He is leaving behind one of, if not the best dental school I visited.
- Campus is pretty cool. It is a bunch of buildings, each with its own respected health profession. They have a gym, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, weight room… all available to the students. So if you like to study hard, and then play hard with fellow dentists, doctors, pharmacists, and veterinarians….this is the place.
- Weather was awesome. The school is located on the “boring” side of PHX. It is surrounding by new retirement homes. Cost of living is cheap, but the city itself is still developing.
- Clinic was nice! But empty…that may be due to the fact the school was on holiday at the time.
- Sim lab is clean clean clean clean!, and they use CEREC, CadCam, Operating microscopes, 4 handed dentistry….They really prepare you for being advanced in dental techniques.
- Technology: Advanced
- They have no specialties there on purpose. This is so that you can exposed to every type of patient imaginable. Plus, since all the old people come in, they say you get to place a lot of implants.
- A student here will study hard, have fun, and come out very advanced in terms of dental techniques. They will have done a lot a procedures, and see a myriad of cases. When I hear of a MWU-Az grad, I will think highly of them.
Roseman
- Campus is boring. It’s in a parking lot with call centers, startups, etc.
- Clinic, empty.
- They are the only school that didn’t feed us.
- Great staff. This school really has faculty that cares about the excellence of its students
- Great didactic approach. I feel this school had the most modern approach on how to teach material.
- Students seemed relaxed. Several of them said they had plenty of free time to get full use of their ski passes
- Technology: Basic to a little above average. For the price, I was expecting more, but I think since it is a new school it is taking sometime.
I recently finished going through the dental application process and will be starting this summer. Long time lurker, first time poster.
I made this thread in hopes of helping applicants that will be applying this next cycle. I know I would have really appreciated something like this as I was selecting schools in my application.
The aim is to provide some insight into each school I interviewed at. I hope others will join in, and give their perspective of schools they interviewed with. I am not harping on any school, and am looking to just give sound representations of each school. Please know that I think ANY dental school is worth going to, and I have found that there is NOT a perfect dental school. Each school has its pros and cons. But also, NO two dental schools are equal. You will come out different depending on which one you attend. It doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t succeed, but if “practice makes perfect” then I think the culture of your school will carry over with you into your practicing career.
I was invited to 12 dental interviews. Because these were all pre Dec 1st, I could only attend 9 due to scheduling conflicts and wanting to save funds. And trust me, when I first sent in my application, I was hoping to just land ONE interview. I had no first choice or preference towards any school going into these interviews. I interviewed with the mindset of me trying to find which school would be the best for me. With that said, I want this thread to be about the schools, not me.
Here are the schools. If you want to know more about one, just scroll down and I have written a brief synopsis of my interview experience there. (This is organized by visit dates)
-UoP
-ASDOH
-NYU
-MWU-IL
-Ohio State
-UCSF
-LECOM
-MWU-AZ
-Roseman
University of the Pacific
- Very nice facilities. UoP’s new building is top-of-the-line and looks amazing. Its sim lab and clinic are 2nd to none.
- Students dress business casual. Gives off a “haughty-taughty” vibe, but after meeting students, they are everyday joes that worked hard… to be fair, I did meet some kids who were having their parents cover tuition and costs. So, I saw the full spectrum, rich kids to everyday kids.
- They pride themselves at being the best. And the way things looked, I believe it.
- The feel of the comradery and pride in their Dugoni family is tangible. It’s understandable why they have a very large endowment from alumni, and why once you attend, you are Dugoni for life.
- Every student I talked to said it was hard, very hard, the first year. But a lot better the next two.
- Campus, it wasn’t really a campus. It was a beautiful downtown mini “sky rise.”
- Busy clinic.
- Everyday schedule for student, 7:30am – 5:00pm
- Technology: Advanced
- Faculty was very cordial. It felt like a business, but a very friendly business.
- Open door policy. (actually there are no doors to faculty members office to encourage students to visit)
- The only negative I came away with was high costs and busy schedule.
- I felt a graduate from here would come out the most business ready, and very skilled at using top-of-the-line equipment. However, this comes at a great cost of working very hard during your three years here.
ASDOH
- Nice campus and nice surrounding area. If you like warm weather, this is the place. The community was very modern and clean. Once again, it was a business style building, not your traditional campus building on universities.
- Very service oriented. If you are looking to be the best at serving underserved communities, this school will help.
- This was probably my favorite interview, in terms of it being “fun”. You role play and are always interacting.
- Nice facilities. Everything is new, modern, and clean in terms of equipment.
- Empty clinic.
- Scrub Dress Code
- Very nice and humble students. Never felt a “gunner” mentality from anyone I met.
- The students claimed the coursework was relaxed and nice paced.
- Student Schedule, Flexible…depends on the days, but usually 9am-3pm.
- Great faculty. The dean was AWESOME. A character I will never forget.
- Technology: Above Average
- I came away with the feeling that a dentist from this school will be very service oriented and look to help the needy. Also, schooling here would be relaxed and easy paced.
NYU
- In an awesome setting, Manhattan. It was fun going to NYC and using taxis and subway, and all the noises of the people. And the smell…woof! So many good smelling foods.
- As you imagine, the school looks like a sky rise.
- Inside, the school is not clean. There was one newly renovated part that was beautiful, but the majority of the building needs some work. The student lounge felt like an infirmary.
- Busy clinic
- Sim lab was dirty, disgusting, and a little dated
- Crowded. You could not get into the elevator without maxing out the weight capacity.
- The faculty is nice and fun though. Every faculty member I met treated me like we were old pals.
- Student life, every demographic imaginable. The students also seemed to form cliques and it felt very much like returning to high school. There was a little bit of a high school mentality still.
- Casual clothes dress code. Jeans, boots with fur….. (really saw that)
- Technology: Below average to basic
- Student schedule. Meh, watevers man…. All the lessons are podcasted, so no one goes to lectures. The students openly admit that 90% of student don’t go to class, but that they still ace the tests just off podcasts
- I feel since the class size is so large, you could be ANY type of dentist you wanted. If you survived going through here, you would have no problem making it in the real world with saturated dentists. The school seemed to do a great job at handling the large number of students, and really, at this school, you get out of it what you put in. You are the master of your fate.
MWU-IL
- A small campus in a suburb of Chicago. The campus is shared by several health professional disciplines, each with its own building, so it feels like a mini-college campus.
- Cold
- Very clean and nice inside.
- Nice sim labs, and very up-to-date
- Clinic was brand new, very nice, but empty
- Students were way nice
- Scrub Dress Code
- Technology: Above Average
- I felt a student here would not be stressing too much over course work, and would come out an above average dentist.
- Nothing but good things to say about this school
Ohio State
- This was the fanciest interview. If you get invited here, go. It feels like a royal wedding and the food is AWESOME.
- That said, the interview process is chaotic and you are herded around like cattle (They interview almost 100 people at a time) Plus, the interview is not personal and I have no idea how they are able to equally compare each applicant when they have 40+ interviewers.
- Campus was pretty cool. Everyone there wears OSU paraphernalia, and it feels like you are back in college. Pretty campus.
- The dental school building, however, is dilapidated. Your first two years are in a dungeon, with no windows (for reals). The sim-lab, was old, dirty, and you drill dry on typodonts attached to a single metal post. (Once again, you “play like you practice”)
- Everyone is so friendly there (Midwest)
- Cold
- Scrub Dress Code
- Technology: Below average to Basic
- Clinic was clean and somewhat modern. But empty (Probably because it was a Saturday)
- I felt a student here would have a good time. It would be a continuation of the college lifestyle, and have a ton of extracurricular activities. You could see how close the students of each class were, and I left wanting to be a part of it, in spite of the old dental building (dungeon).
UCSF
- This is nerd heaven. If you want to feel like you are part of a leading medical/dental school. This is the place.
- The building is part of the medical school which takes up a whole city block. (Huge!)
- Everyone there, you can tell, is very well educated and this is evident in how they speak.
- Very relaxed student vibe. The kid that interviewed me told me that this was easier than undergrad, and that I would have plenty of time to golf.
- That same student, however, complained that since there are so many specialties there, all their cool cases get referenced out.
- Faculty. Smart. They are the ones writing the dental textbooks.
- Scrub Dress code
- Technology: Above Average
- I came away from this school with the feeling that a student here will know the human body and its systems very well. You will know more about overall human health when compared to another school. But, I didn’t see any ways that the school prepares you for the business side of dentistry. Nevertheless, if you are looking to specialize, 80% of the kids there do. It felt like a nice/convenient/ great way to go through a great dental school, with low stress.
LECOM
- Location, location, location. If you like warm weather, empty beaches, and fun adventures. LECOM.
- The Dean was dick. Hard headed, stubborn, and any hint at someone questioning his methods…off with his head. Sadly, a kid in my interview asked a pretty legit question…and then dean went on a 10 minute rant, almost yelling.
- But, the teachers made up for the Dean’s rudeness. The teachers were down to earth, outgoing, and you could tell they cared a lot about the students.
- Building was new, but empty. Not much in terms of top of the line instruments (i.e. cadcam, cerec, etc)
- Clinic, empty. But fancy!
- Scrub dress code
- Technology: Basic to Above Average
- This school works, and is functional. A student here would go to a very clean, up to date, modern school, while living AT THE BEACH. As a dentist, I don’t know how they would come out….
MWU-Az
- So, this is MY opinion. I think that this school puts out the best, most modern dentists. If you want to be the best dentists possible, this is the school. They have so many instruments, machines, etc that help you come out the most technologically advanced dentist. Their curriculum is set up so well, and everything is organized so perfectly to help you to succeed. (FYI, it broke my heart to turn this school down)
- The Dean is a STUD! I am sad the he is retiring. He is leaving behind one of, if not the best dental school I visited.
- Campus is pretty cool. It is a bunch of buildings, each with its own respected health profession. They have a gym, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, weight room… all available to the students. So if you like to study hard, and then play hard with fellow dentists, doctors, pharmacists, and veterinarians….this is the place.
- Weather was awesome. The school is located on the “boring” side of PHX. It is surrounding by new retirement homes. Cost of living is cheap, but the city itself is still developing.
- Clinic was nice! But empty…that may be due to the fact the school was on holiday at the time.
- Sim lab is clean clean clean clean!, and they use CEREC, CadCam, Operating microscopes, 4 handed dentistry….They really prepare you for being advanced in dental techniques.
- Technology: Advanced
- They have no specialties there on purpose. This is so that you can exposed to every type of patient imaginable. Plus, since all the old people come in, they say you get to place a lot of implants.
- A student here will study hard, have fun, and come out very advanced in terms of dental techniques. They will have done a lot a procedures, and see a myriad of cases. When I hear of a MWU-Az grad, I will think highly of them.
Roseman
- Campus is boring. It’s in a parking lot with call centers, startups, etc.
- Clinic, empty.
- They are the only school that didn’t feed us.
- Great staff. This school really has faculty that cares about the excellence of its students
- Great didactic approach. I feel this school had the most modern approach on how to teach material.
- Students seemed relaxed. Several of them said they had plenty of free time to get full use of their ski passes
- Technology: Basic to a little above average. For the price, I was expecting more, but I think since it is a new school it is taking sometime.
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