Back from AZ and UNLV interview!

[shane]

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Hello all.

I must say that I was impressed with both schools. It seems that AZ is now top of my list. I think they really have their stuff together and are going to be great.

Anyone else hoping for acceptance? Anyone going to AZ?

If I get in I am going to be in a bind since I was planning on attending Temple.

Today I just received an interview from UPitt!!! UGGHHH.

Of course I am thrilled but can anyone rank this schools for me.....I am looking for a strong clinical program overall.

UNLV, AZ, Temple, UPitt, Marquette.

Thanks a lot! 🙄

 

[ItsGavinC]

Shane,

I was also very impressed with Arizona. In fact, I paid my deposit there, yesterday. Hopefully I'll see you there next year!

I firmly believe that AZ will be one of the top schools in the nation (if not THE top school) in 5 or 6 years.

Shane, did Dr. Simonsen speak to you at all after the interview process? The admissions committee meets directly after the interview process and will typically let the applicants know if they have been accepted ASAP. They do this so the applicants can have the time to seriously ponder their invitation.

Let me know why you liked AZ. I'm stoked to go there!

 

[ItsGavinC]

By the way, what did you think of the school being surrounded by orange groves? The facilities and environment are certainly unparalled by any other US dental school.

 

[shane]

ItsGavinC,

Orange groves are nice to look at....right? I am pretty familiar with the area so that is a plus. AZ has soo many nice places since it's become a resort area so it's growing pretty quickly with many opportunities for future dentists.

I haven't heard anything from them yet though and my interview was Saturday. The only thing he said to me was during the interview..."you represented yourself well". I hope that is a good sign. The political/historical questions definitely threw me off a little but I think I did okay.

I really liked the whole DVD curriculum and the sim lab is going to be very nice and it seems like they will really take care of their first class (small class size) well.

Is AZ your final decision or are you waiting on another school?

Good luck to you and congrats on your acceptance.

 

[DesiDentist]

Orange groves?

No one told me about orange groves. Man, this sucks.
I'm tired of paying 1.99/lb for oranges.

But in philly we have cheese steak groves. Nummy, Nummy.

😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎

There's your orange groves for ya.


DesiDentist


PS: Phil is cool. Don't diss Phil cuz he got some skill with the high speed drill. I know cuz I saw Phil in Phil-eeee, G!!

 

[tinker bell]

Desi,
your poem is cute, btw, where can u buy oranges for 1.99/lb. The max I can do here in CA is sixty nine cent/lb. Does your orange stud with jewels or something?

BTW, Case is going wireless for the whole campus too. And the student service director e-mailed me 2 days after my interview to inform me my stat. Very nice indeed. He even promised to help me find patients and assistant when I come back to CA for the board.

Tinker Bell-TEMPLE DENTAL 007😎

 

[xc1999]

Shane:

what political/historical questions did they ask you? AZ had called me also, and I need to schedule my interview soon. How long did your interview last?

 

[ItsGavinC]

Shane,

AZ is my final decision! I'm sure that you will hear from them shortly! I'd love to have you as a classmate!

xc1999,

The interview day lasts for 4.5 hours, and you ought to be current on historical and political events that are happening around the world. Giving you exact questions would be a bit unfair to other applicants.

I'm sure that Shane can agree with me on this: AZ has an interview format that is completely unlike any of the other dental schools. You'll see what I mean when you experience it. They have a very distinct set of mission statements for their interviews, and the day is organized so that they can fulfill each of those statements. They are looking not only at you, but at how you interact with others, how you relate to others, how you carry yourself, and how expertised you are in dentistry.

Tink,

That's cool that Case is going wireless! I know that most schools are. AZ is still ahead of the game, however (if you consider high-tech stuff to be important). For example, their library has nearly no books.

 

[Bcat]

AZ is still ahead of the game, however (if you consider high-tech stuff to be important). For example, their library has nearly no books.

sounds to me like they have a tight budget. Paying for all of the traveling professors would get pricey.

 

[ItsGavinC]

They are operated under a medical school, so they don't have many of the traditional budget problems that other dental schools do.

In regards to the payment of instructors, paying for professors in this manner is actually cheaper than paying for tenured faculty. There isn't any possibility of the professors getting a "raise", or obtaining tenure, which often results in a professor being locked into a high pay-scale, with no gurantee of increased performance on the part of the instructor.

The curriculum which Arizona is using is one which has been used extensively by business and law schools over the past decade. The model has been shown to be a great success, and nearly always a positive experience for the students.

Ask the students at NYU law how they like having senators, congressmen, vice presidents, etc., teaching their classes -- it's the same idea at Arizona.

 

[xc1999]

ItsGavinC:

Arizona want to see how well you interact with others? I take it it's a group interview? I would think an individual interview would make it difficult to assess that sort of thing...wouldn't it? Did you feel like the interviewer(s) got to know you pretty well (assuming it's a group interview). I only ask cause I interviewed at Temple, and the interviewer pretty much only asked two questions and then did most of the talking after that.

Any input appreciated...thanks!

xc1999

 

[ItsGavinC]

xc,

The interview is 2 on 1. That is, 2 committee members per each student. The entire committee is present, however, throughout the entire interview day. Meaning, that the entire committee is in the same room as you (minus the actual interviews) for the entire 4.5 hour interview day.

They assess how well you work with others, your logical thinking processes, and your ability to make decisions, in a different manner. It is not a group interview. I don't want to give away more than that -- it will ruin the experience for you!

 

[ItsGavinC]

Shane,

In response to one of your original questions:

Originally posted by shane


Of course I am thrilled but can anyone rank this schools for me.....I am looking for a strong clinical program overall.

UNLV, AZ, Temple, UPitt, Marquette.

Ranking UNLV and AZ on the basis of their clinical education is going to be extremely difficult, since neither school has taught a clinical year yet. Marquette has a good clinical program, as does Temple and UPitt. I believe you will receive a strong clinical education at any one of those schools. Frankly, most schools in the US give their students a superb clinical education. Some schools allow their students to work on a wider variety of cases (often because grad. programs are or are not available at that school), but all give fairly adequate coverage to clinical experience.

 

[ehop24]

in reply to the format arizona is using to pay visiting faculty:

Dr. Gordon Christensen, one of the most highly respected dental analysts, predicts that all dental schools will end up in that format eventually. And many dentists support this notion.

What Gavin said about tenure and pay is absolutely correct. It is by far more economical.

Couple that with a decrease in dentists choosing academic settings.

The ADA has recognized that there currently is and there will continue be a faculty shortage. The univ of AZ format has been the most agreeable format to counter this shortage.

Part-time dental faculty, coming soon to a dental school near you!

 

[shane]

ItsGavinC,

Thanks so much for all of your input. That is great that you've decided to attend AZ. I hope that I hear from them soon. I would say that Temple and AZ are my top choices so hopefully AZ will let me know something this week.


Desidentist,

Somehow I always end of laughing everytime you post. If I do end up in Philly, you'll have to take time to humor me every now and then. Good luck.

xc1999,

I totally agree with ItsGavinC with regard to the interview. I think they do consider your interaction with others during the day and the organization of your thought process. Good luck to you and let me know once you hear back from them. 🙂

 

[ItsGavinC]

ehop,

I appreciate your post. Actually, when considering what schools to attend I spoke with both Gordon Christensen (whom you mentioned) as well as Stephen Covey (author of the "7 Habits..." books, etc.). They both confirmed essentially what you said. Gordon mentioned to me about the benefits of the AZ curriculum from a dentists' standpoint, and Stephen mentioned to me the benefits associated with being a student under such a curriculum.

These opinions were not the basis for my decision, but they did add fuel to the fire.

 

[tinker bell]

Gavin, is Stephen Convey an instructor at AZ?

I took a class that uses his book, and one of the assignment was writing about my own funeral. I never thought of dying until reading that book. It's a good book after all. But having to write about my funeral?🙄 I hope I get to live for awhile and enjoy my profession after four yrs in dental school. If Mr. Convey will be one of your instructor, I'm sure you guys will learn some great things. Who else will be your instructor at AZ? Not Clinton, I hope.
At my interview at Case, they told me to read "the millionaire next door" Did they tell you that?
Any way, AZ being the new school has all of the plus sides to attract students. That's a good choice then. So, it's up to you guys to get the school accredited.

Tinker Bell-TEMPLE DENTAL 007😎

 

[DesiDentist]

S.Covey is at the business school at BYU.

DesiDentist

 

[zweeks]

I find DesiDentists Posts to be humerous also Shane, I don't know why, however. Maybe it's because he is on the quest to find the perfect dental school, and truly believes that UPenn is the best school in the Universe. I guess if he thinks so, then why ruin his hopes? Good Luck to all!!!

 

[DesiDentist]

Hi zweeks,

I'm glad I offered you some humor. Just like Gavin finds AZ the best dental school in the world, I find PENN. I am fortunate to go to PENN, it was my top choice. There is a thing called "top choice" I got mine, so obviously I am gonna be thrilled.

When a boy falls in love, the girl is the best girl in his eyes or vise versa. It is in the eye of the beholder.

Of course those people who don't get into their #1 choice school will never realize what I am feeling right now, or Gavin feeling right now.

DesiDentist

 

[DesiDentist]

Originally posted by shane


Desidentist,

Somehow I always end of laughing everytime you post. If I do end up in Philly, you'll have to take time to humor me every now and then. Good luck.

Sure thing, Shane. I'm glad my posts humor you, too. I'll make you laugh more in person.



DesiDentist

 

[ItsGavinC]

Just to clarify, I don't think that AZ is the perfect school. One of the downsides is that there will be extremely limited opportunities (at least initially) for on-site research. Because the building is not connect to, or in the vincinity of, a medical school or a hospital, research will not be a top priority.

I, for one, am sick and tired of doing research. I do believe, however, that the best schools will always be those who have classes that are full of contrast and difference of opinions. I just don't see a lot of research oriented people students attending AZ. I wish that were different, but it won't be for a couple of years.

That is just one of the downsides to AZ.

On the flip side, I believe AZ offers a fresh look at dental school that is not offered anywhere in the country, except UNLV. Even at that, AZ has a much different environment that UNLV. I'm happy with AZ because I believe this IS the dental school education that MANY students throughout MANY years have been searching for.