Pianoboe01 said:
Irene, I see from your profile that you're going to UMDNJ... congrats! Why not Kentucky, is it in-state for you? I really liked it there, and yes, Kim Bryan is the nicest guy ever!!
UK really is a great program and I actually really enjoyed myself when I interviewed there as well. The overall vibe that I got there was that the community is very warm and genuine. And yes, both UK and UofL are in-state for me, since I go to UofL for undergrad. But, I'm originally from New Jersey (well, I've been in KY for 11 years), and I still really feel like I'm more in my element when I'm up North. Kentucky is a really stable and beautiful place, but I have to say that after 11 years here, life tends to become a little stagnant. Louisville is a pretty decent city, and so is Lexington, but I'm really more of a big-city girl, and I think Lexington would be a little suffocating for me. I have lots of family in Jersey, and UMDNJ has an amazing program as well....I really fell in love with the school when I interviewed. A sweet perk is that they make it really easy to establish NJ residency after only a month of living there, so basically everyone that goes there gets to pay in-state tuition! That was definetly a deciding factor as well. So, mostly I'm going to UMDNJ not because the schools in KY are any worse...they're actually awesome schools...but more so b/c I feel like I have a great opportunity to go off and experience something new. I highly recommend UK...I've spent some time shadowing at the clinics out there, so I know that they totally represent themselves accurately during the interview...its not a show at all.
The only negative that I can really think of for UK, is the fact that the Dental and Medical students take the same classes together during the first two years...even one of my interviewers (the professor of neuroanatomy) told me that it was a really stupid system that didn't work well at all. He said that the med and dental students get graded on the same curve, even though the med students end up with more time to study since they don't spend nearly as much doing labwork as the dental students do....so the dental students sometimes end up getting the short end of the stick. Still, I'm sure it really all depends on your classmates and your attitude, but personally, I don't think this is something that I would generally like, if I had the choice.
Anyway, sorry for rambling on, lol...but I figured since you were kind of on the fence btw Indiana and KY, I'd provide as much input as I could.
😛 Hope that helps...best of luck!
🙂
