Idk anything about Florida but this is what I can say about unc. I honestly do think it's the best school, but obviously I'm biased and the only thing I can compare it to is based on what I hear from students at other schools.
I absolutely love it here. I remember when I was trying to choose between schools, there were some students at other schools that I asked if they enjoyed it there, and some answers were "ehh yeah it's fine I like it a lot" but the answers I got from students at UNC were much more passionate and 100% confident in their statement that they love it here. And I completely agree. I think it's important to find a school where you're going to be happy. In the long run, every school is gonna make you a dentist that barely knows enough to not be dangerous, so finding a place where you'll be happy for four years is important.
Regarding hearing things about being cutthroat because everything is graded and there are rankings, that does not exist at all. There are maybe 1-2 people out of the entire class that might just be here for themselves, but everywhere is very willing to help out. We have a huge pool of resources where everybody posts lots of study guides and things they make for other people to use for exams and stuff. So i'd say people are very willing to help out others. We all had a friendsgiving together and about 30 of us went to the mountains one weekend for fun. I don't think anybody in our class would describe this as a cutthroat environment. Students/faculty are very willing to help you if you are struggling/need help.
I'd say my favorite thing about the school is the faculty. I'd say all but one of my professors this semester is an absolutely fantastic lecturer. They also all really care about us learning and want us to excel. I'd say most of them even go out of their way to learn our names, so I really like that. Most of them really get to know us and want to know about us. We can joke around with them and stuff and it's awesome. We also got a new dean last year and he is fantastic. He's making some great changes to the school and also does his best to hold meetings where everyone can attend and ask questions and also has students over to his house for dinner too.
Another thing I really like is our building. It has a pretty cool look to it and everything is super nice. The lecture halls are really nice and almost all our classes are lecture captured so we can watch the lectures later so you don't have to go to class if you don't want. Each seat even has a little microphone button on the desk so that if someone asks a question during class, everyone in the room can hear it and it also gets recorded on the lecture capture.
Classmates are awesome. Obviously groups form (it's gonna happen everywhere, that's just how friend groups are), but for the most part everyone is great. We have things that we all do together (Friendsgiving, mountain weekend, etc.) but then you'll also find your group of people to hang out with too. I don't really know anyone that isn't loving it here (I realize there may be people I don't talk to, but I'd say that if anyone does feel that way, they are a strong minority).
Another thing I really like is the fact that we have residencies for all the different specialties. So if you want to go that route, you can definitely get your exposure. "The world is your oyster" is kind of a corny saying, but it really is true. Starting your very first year, you're allowed to start shadowing/assisting/scrubbing in in he OR for oral surgery, can assist in the peds department, and I'm sure all the other ones too. The faculty in these departments are also very willing to meet to discuss the pathway that needs to be taken to go that route and offer advice.
We also take boards after first year instead of second so I like that a lot too.
COL is relatively cheap. I budget and spend around $1100/month including rent/utilities/food which I think is cheaper than a lot of other places. Tuition is also way cheaper than a lot of places and if you are OOS, you can get IS after the first year.
Dental school is obviously not going to just be a breeze, but I definitely think UNC does a great job with easing you in. Not once have I felt overwhelmed, and I think the majority of students would agree with me. I obviously put in the work and try to manage my time well, but I can't say I've been stressed. But I'm also pretty level headed and easy going so that may also just be my personality. And this is coming from someone who did not major in a natural science, so I don't have a strong bio background. The courseload is absolutely manageable for most everyone here. I talked to a student at Penn when i was deciding and he was telling me about how he was trying to keep from crying in october and was just so stressed his first year. I realize this is just one person's anecdote so may not be a good representation.
We also have plenty of time to do fun things. I've talked to kids at other schools and they're like "oh yeah school is so time consuming, i maybe go out to dinner once a month". That's not at all true here. People go to football/basketball games most weekends, we had a class trip in november where we rented a big house up in the mountains and went away for a weekend, I've played golf a couple times, I went to a concert two weeks ago, I go out to eat with friends occasionally. If you work out, there's definitely time for that too. Basically, you'll have a chance to do what you like to have fun.
Overall, i love it here and don't regret it one bit. Some days i'm studying on my porch and just thinking how grateful I am that I go here and made the right choice.
Hope this was able to provide some insight!
