anyone pondering UNC??

[waiting]

I was just wondering if anyone else is seriously thinking of UNC?? I'm VERY torn right now b/w there and several other schools and am actually going to meet and talk with the dean about some of my concerns (avg. boards scores, specialty placement, research, etc.)....does anyone have any unanswered questions about UNC's program that they want me to ask? I'll let you know what I hear....

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[qdog91]

I have been accepted to UNC and I believe the avg board scores in one of my concerns. Is it the fact that they don't give the students enough time study or what? When are you going to meet with the dean? Does it make sense to go out of state and pay more money, even if board scores are average?

q

 

[waiting]

hey qdog...

yeah, the very avg. board scores is one of my concerns too...I remember asking one of the 3rd yrs. when I was interviewing there about it and he admitted that he was surprised by how his class had performed (low)...He also mentioned how they hadn't had ANY time to study for it as the exam was like the Monday after a week of finals for them....and I mentioned it to the Admissions Dean who told me something to the effect of "we don't teach to the boards".....well, that's fine and dandy but board scores are a big deal if you plan on applying to residency programs! Of course, I'm sure they still have students at UNC who just put in the extra effort on their own and do fine...

Anyway, I'm actually meeting with the dean this
afternoon, so I'll let you know what he says. Personally, I love UNC with the exception that it's mainly all NC students who just plan on practicing in this area once they're finished, and that it doesn't have too many students go on to post-grad programs....whereas I plan on practicing in Cali so I'm tempted by a school like UCLA even though it would cost about 55k more over the 4 yrs....but we'll see....what are you leaning towards?

 

[eschou01]

Waiting,

I was also considering UNC, but I have decided to dish out the extra cash and go to PENN. They are both good schools, but in the end, PENN seems to be a better career choice for me. All of the issues you mentioned with UNC (low board scores, residency placement, mainly in-state students) are not issues at PENN. This is not to say that PENN does not have its drawbacks (price being the main one, IMHO). Still, I think it's the best choice for me, personally. I think it's a place that can open up a lot of doors for you, especially if you are looking for a residency. Granted, you will have a larger debt vs. UNC, but it's not like you won't be able to pay it off. Only 3-4% of graduates default on their loans. So what if it takes you a little longer to pay them off.

Besides...UNC will probably have to divert funds from the dental program to support their ****hole basketball team

 

[qdog91]

easy on the b-ball team, i love unc basketball.

waiting, i am leaning towards U of L. They did really well on their boards, and was just overall impressed by school during my interview. however, it is obviously going to cost more money to attend.

q

 

[eschou01]

qdog,

Sorry for the b-ball comment. Couldn't resist
Nice choice to consider UofL. I go to UofL and also got into the dental school. It is really a great school with friendly people. Many of my friends go to UofL for dental school, and If I were not going elsewhere, I definitely would go there.

Price is very attractive for KY residents, but I would be a little hesitant if I were an out-of-state resident, especially since you cannot get residency at UofL and are therefore forced to pay out-of-state tuition all four years.

Good luck with making a choice!

 

[waiting]

thanks for your input qdog and eschou....

I talked w/the UNC admissions dean yesterday (Dr. Brunson). These were his main points:

1) UNC is mandated by the state to graduate 50 general dentists each yr. who will stick around in NC. Considering they only have 75 students total, that's the primary reason they don't send too many students into specialty programs, it's not their goal. BUT, they do admit many students knowing that they'll go on to specialize, and the school encourages them to do so...Over the past 8 yrs., NO ONE who has applied to a residency program has been denied. 80% have gotten into their top choice.

2) BOARDS: Since the vast majority of the class is not planning on specializing, they don't really care about their boards other than that they just pass. Hence, the school doesn't feel justified to change the curriculum and give weeks off to study for it since most students don't really care about it...Plus, passing Part I of boards is not a pre-req. by the school towards being allowed to pass from 2nd yr. to 3rd yr., unlike some schools such as UConn where it is and so students have even more incentive to study. Students who know they'll want to go onto residency usually study more on their own and do quite well.

3) Research: UNC is currently the 3rd best funded school for research in the country. UCSF is one, I forget the 2nd, and their third...Plus, he says they have the highest rated oral surgery and orthodontics programs in the country and both are great depts. which dental students often start working with on projects.

Overall, though, his main point was that you need to go to school where you plan on living/practicing in the future, not based on finances at all...and since I plan on living in Cali, I'm really thinking of going to ucla....

Anyway, just thought you might find this useful...

 

[YellowDucky]

hey waiting

Thanks for the good info. I was wondering why the dean emphasized going to school where you're from/going to practice? I don't like PBL so IU is out. I want to be a general dentist and I like UNC but what do you think of the University of Michigan?

 

[waiting]

hey yellowducky,

first off, cool name!!

I think the reason why Dr. Brunson was so big on going to school where you plan to practice is b/c it'll be easier to pass the respective board of that region if you go to school there. For example, if u wanna practice in NC, then you'd be better off going to UNC since NC has its own board and you're better prepared to pass it (it'll be easier for u to find patients, know what the focus of the exam is on, etc.) if you've gone there...same goes for California, which has its own state board. Not that it's not possible to pass another state's board if you haven't gone to dental school in that state, 'cause people do it every year, but it's just harder...Plus, if you go to school where u think you might want to practice you'll have a chance to network with dentists in the area, etc., which will make the transitiion from school to practice easier...I think that was his main point.

 

[waiting]

oh...as far as Michigan, I didn't go to my interview there but have only heard good things about it...Definitely one of the top 5 public dental schools in the country with a good clinical & research focus from what I've gathered...I'm just not from the area and all my friends and family are from the east or west coast, so decided it wasn't for me...plus it's nearly impossible to get in-state status after a year from what I've heard, so it'd be damn $$!

 

[reena]

hey everyone,

i've noticed that you're all commenting on which dental institutions have the greatest funding for research; here is the link with all the latest info:
<a href="http://www.nidr.nih.gov/research/schools2000.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nidr.nih.gov/research/schools2000.htm</a>

enjoy!

 

[waiting]

reena,

thank you SO much for that link! I've constantly heard all these rumors about this school getting so and so research $ or being ranked "x" nationally in funding, but it's always been half speculative.....thanks for pointing out the definitive source of figures and putting that "speculation" to rest!!

 

[waiting]

actually, the numbers are right on the ball...they represent the total number of Federal $ a school received last year...true, the number aren't that high, but this represents the total amount of purely DENTAL funding a school drew from NIDCR (nat'l. institute of dental & craniofacial research)...Many dental researchers work off grants that they received through NIH, not NIDCR, so their dollars won't be represented in this list. You also mentioned private dollars, which this list doesn't represent either....however, whenever schools are ranked by research $ (e.g., USNews, Gourman, etc.) they're almost always listed by Federal research dollars they've brought in only, not private funds (which are often less anyway)....knowing this, go back and take a look at the list and you will be surprised at how little pure, dental funding some 'big-name' schools are bringing in...