Best Dental School?

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RichardSwiss

RichardSwiss

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Procrastinating D2 here, just thought I'd get opinions on the best dental schools in the U.S. just for fun :laugh:

This can include the best specialty programs as well as heavily biased opinions... It's all for fun!

Thanks!:horns::horns::horns:
 
Not in dental school yet, but through my interview season I was very impressed with how well-rounded Michigan is. Incredible town/campus, amazing program, and big 10 football. UNC is hard to beat too.
 
AN4TOMY said:
Not in dental school yet, but through my interview season I was very impressed with how well-rounded Michigan is. Incredible town/campus, amazing program, and big 10 football. UNC is hard to beat too.
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Which schools have you been to? Just curious how they compare in the grand scheme of things :horns::horns::horns:
 
CU, case, UCSF, Michigan, and unc. Pitt in 2 weeks. I absolutely loved UNC and Michigan. If I get into both of them (knock on wood) I have know idea how I’d choose between them.
 
D2 here, interviewed at 12 schools during my cycle and have visited a few more to see friends as well. Top to bottom the schools that stood out to me were Columbia, UAB, UPENN, Louisville, UNLV, and Midwestern(Midwestern is realllly expensive though). I have heard good things about Michigan, UF, and UNC as well.
 
wengerout said:
D2 here, interviewed at 12 schools during my cycle and have visited a few more to see friends as well. Top to bottom the schools that stood out to me were Columbia, UAB, UPENN, Louisville, UNLV, and Midwestern(Midwestern is realllly expensive though). I have heard good things about Michigan, UF, and UNC as well.
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How did UNLV stand out to you? (UNLV student here and just curious how other people think about us 😛)
 
Kou_KeiKi said:
How did UNLV stand out to you? (UNLV student here and just curious how other people think about us 😛)
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Nice clinic, nice place to live, and you can get In-State after year one (Although still pricey even with in-state i'll admit).
 
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wengerout said:
I would much rather live in Las Vegas than say Milwaukee or Lincoln. Personal preference though.
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I was born and raised on the foothills of a mountain so thinking about that heat makes me want to peel my skin off. Different strokes I guess
 
AN4TOMY said:
CU, case, UCSF, Michigan, and unc. Pitt in 2 weeks. I absolutely loved UNC and Michigan. If I get into both of them (knock on wood) I have know idea how I’d choose between them.
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What's your top choices? Would you choose UNC and Michigan over Colorado?
 
Why does no one talk about UofMinnesota? Any opinions?
 
Blackmamba12 said:
Would you mind elaborating on what you liked about Mich and UNC over CO?
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CU was an amazing school, but I've lived in CO for 22 years. UNC and Mich, to me, seemed like the most well-rounded schools in terms of student life, academics, university sports teams, etc. The campuses at both of these schools were amazing, and the university seemed like they treated the dental students very well. I am also very interested in OMFS, and CU doesnt have an OMFS program to shadow, while Mich and UNC have two excellent programs where I can get my roots settled in the community.
 
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youngsushi said:
The cheapest one you get into


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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but if a lot of the schools you get into are around the same price, give or take a couple thousand, how would you pick a school over the other?
 
coldicecream said:
but if a lot of the schools you get into are around the same price, give or take a couple thousand, how would you pick a school over the other?
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How about class size? Does that play into choosing a DS? Besides cost .... I chose the school with the smallest class size.
 
AN4TOMY said:
Not in dental school yet, but through my interview season I was very impressed with how well-rounded Michigan is. Incredible town/campus, amazing program, and big 10 football. UNC is hard to beat too.
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I interviewed at Michigan and loved the school but..........renovations for 4 years..🙁
Penn just finished all their renovations (thankfully) and speaking to some current D4s, it was definitely a struggle in clinic.
 
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AN4TOMY said:
It'd be like saying a lamborghini isn't a nice car because it's more expensive than a '03 camry.
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But the goal is to get from point A to point B — in this case, become a dentist. One of these choices will leave you a slave to an absurd amount of debt for a ridiculous amount of time, but both will get the job done. So, it’s ‘03 Camry for the win!

#makedaveramseyproud
#livelikeadentistwhenyouareastudentandyouwilllivelikeastudentwhenyouareadentist

Big Hoss
 
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Definitely UMichigan. My brother got into harvard, USC, columbia and Umich and he ended up choosing michigan since its as reputable as the other schools but a fraction of the tuition
 
AN4TOMY said:
Tbh thats kinda a dense way to look at it. I agree that private schools may not be "#1", but price is not the lone reason. It'd be like saying a lamborghini isn't a nice car because it's more expensive than a '03 camry.
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This isn't great logic...first, a lamborghini, in reality, IS a nicer car than a camry, and the price premium reflects the car. lts completely false to blanket state that a private school is worth the premium cost. Also, a lamborghini, which a nice car, is a very very poor purchase decision for the majority of people and will leave them a burden they likely can't get out of. Only difference is some regular person won't be granted a loan for such an expense. Dental school on the other hand, loans are guaranteed. So not only are you getting an equal education experience as a cheaper school, but you are also purchasing an education that is a very very poor purchase decision and will leave you with a burden you likely won't get out of - at least for a very long time. Oh, and you'll very likely never own a Lamborghini if that is what you are in to. Bottom line, with no exceptions that I am aware of, the BEST dental school - hands down - is the CHEAPEST school you get accepted to. And for many, that "cheap" school will still prove financially debilitating. Sad reality. Dentistry is awesome, but the circumstances around dentistry and not.

Food for thought...my brother in law got a bachelors degree in tech. He isn't anything special, your regular smart hard working person - you know, the type of person that could probably get into dental school. He applied himself in school with less effort than most the predents I knew, but landed a good job out of college. He is now 3 years in and makes 6 figures. He asked me the other day what an average new grad dental salary is. I told him corporate pays about 120k...he laughed, a genuine laugh. He couldn't believe it. His response - there are so many things you can do with no grad debt to make 120k. He didn't say this in some arrogant way. He was dead serious. He is doing it. His colleagues are doing it. I'm not saying abandon dentistry, but if people are rushing to dentistry for the lifestyle, they are short changing themselves if they don't consider other careers.

I wish I had at least taken a few computer classes in undergrad. Maybe I would have liked it. Who knows. Then I could be enjoying free ski passes (provided by his company), free mt biking passes (also provided by his company), the ability to work from home if needed temporarily, oh and stock options. Grass is always greener, but if you are at NYU shooting for 500k in debt, your grass might actually be brown.
 
desertrat12 said:
This isn't great logic...first, a lamborghini, in reality, IS a nicer car than a camry, and the price premium reflects the car. lts completely false to blanket state that a private school is worth the premium cost. Also, a lamborghini, which a nice car, is a very very poor purchase decision for the majority of people and will leave them a burden they likely can't get out of. Only difference is some regular person won't be granted a loan for such an expense. Dental school on the other hand, loans are guaranteed. So not only are you getting an equal education experience as a cheaper school, but you are also purchasing an education that is a very very poor purchase decision and will leave you with a burden you likely won't get out of - at least for a very long time. Oh, and you'll very likely never own a Lamborghini if that is what you are in to. Bottom line, with no exceptions that I am aware of, the BEST dental school - hands down - is the CHEAPEST school you get accepted to. And for many, that "cheap" school will still prove financially debilitating. Sad reality. Dentistry is awesome, but the circumstances around dentistry and not.

Food for thought...my brother in law got a bachelors degree in tech. He isn't anything special, your regular smart hard working person - you know, the type of person that could probably get into dental school. He applied himself in school with less effort than most the predents I knew, but landed a good job out of college. He is now 3 years in and makes 6 figures. He asked me the other day what an average new grad dental salary is. I told him corporate pays about 120k...he laughed, a genuine laugh. He couldn't believe it. His response - there are so many things you can do with no grad debt to make 120k. He didn't say this in some arrogant way. He was dead serious. He is doing it. His colleagues are doing it. I'm not saying abandon dentistry, but if people are rushing to dentistry for the lifestyle, they are short changing themselves if they don't consider other careers.

I wish I had at least taken a few computer classes in undergrad. Maybe I would have liked it. Who knows. Then I could be enjoying free ski passes (provided by his company), free mt biking passes (also provided by his company), the ability to work from home if needed temporarily, oh and stock options. Grass is always greener, but if you are at NYU shooting for 500k in debt, your grass might actually be brown.
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Tbh this was too long to read, but saying a school can’t be #1 solely because it’s expensive is dense. A Lamborghini is a nice car.
 
AN4TOMY said:
A Lamborghini is a nice car.
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But not when buying it severely limits other life choices. In that case it’s just a burden.

As a side note, if we’re really debating cars, I’d rather have a new Ford GT.

2945F45B-3CE4-47E8-A33E-4D9AB7600B23.jpeg


Big Hoss
 
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Big Time Hoosier said:
But not when buying it severely limits other life choices. In that case it’s just a burden.

As a side note, if we’re really debating cars, I’d rather have a new Ford GT.

View attachment 242135

Big Hoss
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If I were to spend big bucks on a car, I’m going with a rolls royce. The apex of luxury with a hell of an engine. Can’t go wrong with a GT though.
 
AN4TOMY said:
If I were to spend big bucks on a car, I’m going with a rolls royce. The apex of luxury with a hell of an engine. Can’t go wrong with a GT though.
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Well I'm definitely out-classed...I'm rocking on '05 Sienna and the dual climate control is the most luxurious I own - can't image it gets better than this
 
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I'm assuming when we discuss the quality of a dental school we are primarily referring to the clinical experience and skills the school offers its students. So just a few things a future dental student should consider:

1. A good portion of the clinical experience is up to the student - gaining trust from faculty, etc, can go a long way at getting more cases/better cases
2. Nothing in school can compare to how much will be learned outside of school in a much shorter period of time
3. That said...if school A costs 500k but provides a superior clinic experience than school B which will run you 250k, you are still financially AND educationally better of to school B and do a good GRP after. Less debt, and better education.

Nothing against expensive schools, we've just got a major math problem on hand for new dentists in terms of debt:income.
 
Big Time Hoosier said:
But not when buying it severely limits other life choices. In that case it’s just a burden.

As a side note, if we’re really debating cars, I’d rather have a new Ford GT.

View attachment 242135

Big Hoss
Click to expand...
That time of year to compare dental schools to buying nice cars. Came up with a new thought. Going to your instate public dental school is like buying a Lamborghini. Going to the expensive private dental school is like buying 2 Lamborghinis and donating one.
 
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GoDental101 said:
That time of year to compare dental schools to buying nice cars. Came up with a new thought. Going to your instate public dental school is like buying a Lamborghini. Going to the expensive private dental school is like buying 2 Lamborghinis and donating one.
Click to expand...
If that’s the case the expensive dental school is quite the bargain if you’re getting two dental degrees.
 
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