Baccurso,
Here's the scoop on UNC as you requested...
Last yr., they had 804 applicants and interviewed 250. They like to keep their incoming class size to around 75: roughly 60 instate & 15 out-of-state. There were 61 people interviewing there on Sat. and they have 3 such interview dates in the fall. Of the 61 there, I got the sense that the majority were from out-of-state. The admissions dean said that they usually fill a little over half of their class with the Dec. 1st letters.
Interview format: all 1-on-1. There was 1 student interview w/a 3rd or 4th yr. and 2 faculty interviews. Each lasted roughly 15-30 min. The student interview was VERY laid-back and I felt like I was interviewing them more than they were me! The faculty interviews were also very straight-forward. The most 'unusual' question I got had to do w/my thoughts on the 9/11 tragedy and what positives, if any, I felt had come out of it.
Since you're interviewing w/such a large group of people, they split you up into groups of 4. For example, our group was getting a tour while another group was doing their interviews. Their clinical facilities are all located in a state of the art, 28 mill building they built in '98. The clinical rooms are all decked in the latest equipment, fancy chairs, beautiful settings/decor, etc. They have a sweet simulation lab too, the type where each student has their own monitor and communicates with the prof. via the screen. The one thing I really enjoyed was the ever constant presence of the current students. This gave everyone a chance to ask any conceivable question they might have had and all the students seemed very high on the school and their choice to attend. The only negative some mentioned is that since it is a major research school (1st in funding in 2000) there are a fair number of students who are looking to specialize (about a 1/4 of the class) and make the atmosphere competitive for the rest. No back stabbing or anything mind you, but just a pretty intense work load the first semester as everyone tries to figure out where they're going to fall. The students also held an informal panel for us...the student body is about 55/45 male: female with a broad mix of ages and ethnicities.
The students don't really get the summer off in b/w 1st and 2nd yr. as they have an 8 wk. summer session where students are assigned their first patients, essentially mainly cleanings. The patient base is HUGE since UNC is the only dental school in the state. They said there's a waiting list of over 1000 patients and students rarely have trouble finding patients for procedures and stuff. That is, the school gives you access to more patients than you could ever need so no need to go recruiting.....
As far as cost, it's pretty comparable to most places if you're an out-of-stater...the 4 yr. total will run you about 140-150 or so (i'm in state so I didn't pay that close attention to the non-NC budget). All students have to buy the same exact laptop which the school selects for you. Last yr. students had to pay an additional 2900 for this.
hmmm...I can't think of anything else right now but if you have any specific ? let me know and I'll try to answer them!
