PBL has been a major issue for people considering attending schools like USC or LECOM Dental School. People on SDN constantly talk bad about PBL and how it makes students teach themselves. However, I think that we should pause for a second and critically think about the possible benefits of PBL. Does PBL deserve such a bad reputation?
In what I have learned from PBL, I believe that it is very beneficial for dental students to learn for several reasons. First of all, PBL is modeled after real-life situations that dentists might face on a daily basis. PBL begins with a case or situation that is presented to the students. The students read the details about the case and plan out a strategy to research necessary, pertinent information. This is where the bulk of learning takes place: students have to research and learn principle topics in the basic sciences (i.e., immunology, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry) that relate to the case. Then the students formulate a plan of action to treat the case. Then in the end, the faculty explain the details of the case, clearing up any misconceptions and finalizing the outcome and details about the patient.
No, PBL is not the same as lecture-based learning, but in all actuality, PBL is very much like what a doctor or dentists comes face-to-face with every day. Perhaps a patient might come into the dental office and begins to complain about chest pains while he is on the operatory chair. The dentist has to gather information about the history of the patient, considering the underlying causes of the patient's chest pains, and take a course of action to help alleviate the patient's pain. Isn't this exactly what PBL is? The structure of PBL trains the dental student to be able to treat cases and situations that he/she might face in the real world. PBL does not isolate microbiology or physiology into one separate courses, but in each PBL case, all the fundamental sciences are integrated and applied to a realistic clinical context. PBL trains the dental student to critically think, analyze, and take action in a clinical setting.
I don't think that PBL is somehow less than the traditional lecture-based learning, nor do I believe that the traditional lecture-based learning is somehow deficient. I have respect for both, as do many schools like USC and LECOM that have a MIXTURE of both traditional lectures and PBL cases. Furthermore, wasn't it Harvard that actually started PBL? - but I rarely hear students complaining or talking bad about Harvard. PBL is not perfect, but sitting in a lecture room for eight hours each day - is that always the best way to learn?
I do believe that one of the main benefits of traditional lecture-based learning is that students are given the incredible opportunity to learn from professors who are some of the most renown educators in their field. Perhaps this is aspect is missing in PBL, where the faculty or instructors leading PBL are often not professors or dentists. PBL students cannot spend all day long in a lecture room and expect to be spoon-fed information by a speaker. Instead, they have to take the initiative, be proactive, and research the relevant information on their own - which is exactly what happens in the real world - where professors/lecturers won't be there to hold your hand and spoon-feed you information. This is another difference between PBL and traditional lecture.
However, USC Dental School actually DOES have lectures, and two of the most renowned, world-class dentists teach at USC. For example, Dr. Pascale Mange is the world-renowned professor of restorative dentistry and teaches as a professor at USC. Furthermore, Dr. Stanley Malamed, who is the world-renown professor of local anesthesia and emergency medicine, teaches at USC Dental School. USC Dental School has the best of both worlds - both traditional lecture and PBL.
I also wanted to address the huge clinical requirements that USC Dental students must complete in order to graduate on time. Many dental school applicants seem to take this as a negative and worry about completing the clinical requirements to graduate on time. However, I believe that the difficult clinical requirements of USC is precisely what trains a student to become a good dentist. We learn by repetition, and the high number of root canals, fillings, crowns, etc. that students have to complete at USC is exactly what makes a good dentist - the heart of dentistry. Maybe students at other schools such as UCLA, NYU, or UCSF spend eight hours a day sitting in a room hearing a lecture, but students at USC complete more clinical requirements than students at most other dental schools. Maybe some students like to sit in lecture all day long, but in all actuality, the reason why someone goes to dental school is to become a good dentist, to be able to actually do dentistry - a skill that cannot be learned by merely sitting a lecture room for eight hours each day. The heart and core and the *artistry* of being a good dentist is being able to work with your hands and shaping someone's smile and self-confidence, NOT just telling your patients about the basics of biochemical pathways like glycolysis. Both are necessary: a good dentist must know both the fundamentals of medicine and have the proper technical skills to help his/her patient. I believe that USC Dental school is a great place to learn both the basic medical sciences and the technical skill.
There is a reason why USC Dental School has survived and thrived for the past 100 years. There is a reason why USC Dental School has such a wonderful reputation of prestige and honor.
Furthermore, I would like to address the complaint regarding the expensive tuition of USC Dental School. Yes, it is true that students can accumulate up to half a million dollars of loans that they must pay off within a 20 year period. This is a very valid concern that makes me worry about my future after graduation. However, when I look at the huge tuition, I have to ask myself, "What do I want to become?" I want with all my heart to become a dentist, and perhaps this is the price that I have to pay to have my dream come true. I have been to other dental schools, and there is NO such thing as a cheap dental school. The tuition money of other dental schools are actually somewhat similar to the tuition of USC Dental School. In the end, even with the huge student debt, I will still be a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and that is a huge honor. To live my life knowing that I can help reshape someone's smile to improve their oral health and self-esteem - what a huge honor that is! The sacrifice, the hard-work, the endless testings and exams - this is part of the journey toward become a health-care professional. Being a dentist or doctor is not all about money and having fancy cars, but it is part of our human dignity to know that we can use the gifts that God has given us to help improve the quality of life of our friends, family, and community. I have been given the incredible gift of having a strong intellect and manual dexterity, and furthering my education in graduate school is rooted in my sense of self-respect and dignity. Maybe I can remember this when I think about the enormous student debt that I will eventually pay off. I am thankful for all the miracles in my life that God has blessed me with. I want to live everyday of my life to honor and to glorify God.
. I'm still looking for more feedbacks. Please share! 
