Big decision

[freedyx3]

Hi

Just wondering if you guys can help me make a HUGH decision. Should I go for a private school (tufts) which will leave me with 200K of debt after grad, or should i just go for a public school (SUNY Buffalo) and have only around 100K of debt.

Also, the public school is actually located minutes from my parents house. Would it be wise for me to live with my parents during dental school to save the living expenses?

thanks all

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[racemic01]

I'd go to the public school. Perhaps if you told us why you are considering Tufts this could be more helpful. Unless you feel uncomfortable at SUNY, I can't think of any reason why going to Tufts is worth the extra $100k. I'm sure they're both great schools, but if you have a choice...

I tend to thing that staying with the folks is a bad idea regardless of how much money it saves. 6 reasons off the top of my head:
1- it would be tough to study (in my parents house at least)
2- my parents might start getting annoying
3- lack of private space.. don't have your own living room, kitchen etc
4- potentially awkward telling your friends you're in profession school and still live w your folks.
5- I don't think your place would be the most popular to hang out or study in
6- (please don't take this the wrong way. I love my own parents and can somewhat see the appeal saving money living with them, but..) time to become an adult and get your own place.

 

[iflossdaily]

dude, live at home and go to SUNY. Who cares what people think about you living with your parents. Your peers aren't paying your tuition. I'd love to have that option. Free food, no rent AND lower tution? Those going to private schools will be paying back the interest on their loans for 5-10 years after you. Think about THAT....around 2 grand a month out of your pocket for an additional 5 years because you decided to go to a name brand school. If your parents drive you nuts just study somewhere else and come home to sleep.

 

[calbears55]

Right on iflossdaily. I would definately choose to go to SUNY and save the 100k. Who cares about the a name brand school... you will still become a dentist in the end...but with significantly less debt than most other graduates.

 

[Big_Poppa DDS]

right on iflossdaily,

Study at the library, i would take annoying parents before 100k debt any day!

 

[gryffindor]

The only thing the extra 100K in debt is going to buy you is four years in Boston. I'd love to live in Boston, but I plan on doing so when I am making money and not accruing debt.

Some of my classmates do live at home and no one in our class cares at all where you live. It only matters if you can study there and the commute is reasonable. My house is annoyingly loud, the phone is always ringing, and I still have to account to my parents every time I try to go out past 11 or watch TV, so I decided I needed to live away from them. But anytime I have to buy groceries or supplies, I just go home and raid their fridge and basement. Saves me $$ and time.

 

[Kung Foo]

Hey Freedx, As someone who was in your same situation, I have to agree with everyone else in this thread. For the past 3 yrs, BU was my "pie in the sky" dental school. When I realized I could barely afford to go to the interview this fall (oh, the ever-empty pockets of the student) it made me seriously rethink paying 60k/yr to go to school there, even though BU's a really modern school and Boston would be awesome to live in... Something about the financial aid offer telling us what to do when we reached our aggregate student loan borrowing limit after our 3rd year woke me up - and made it a LOT easier to turn down their admissions offer (well, that, and them wanting a $2000 deposit before Christmas)

You can become a dentist at any accrediated dental school. How good you are depends on you, and the effort you put into it.

About the living at home thing - I decided long ago that I would fail out of school if i lived at home. There's just too much non-focused activity (meals, cleaning, laundry, TV) that sucks your time like a leech. Maybe you could find a nice apartment close to school so you could save cash on a parking permit, walk/bike to school, and be a happy independant camper.

Good luck with your decision... i know it's not an easy spot to be in!!!

 

[gryffindor]

Hey Kung Foo - A parking permit at SUNY Buffalo costs $6 for the year. Actually, I think they automatically bill you for it as part of your "fees". Do you want to walk to school with snow and ice everywhere and the weather is so cold that your finger feel like they will fall off? No one does, so everyone drives. As I've said before Buffalo = not a pedestrian friendly city

 

[freedyx3]

Hi all

I really appreciate all your help. I think I totally agree with you all, the more i think about it, the more i want to save the money especially since UB dental has a pretty good rep already. Actually i got a funny story, i was talkin to this girl today and I asked her what her opinion was of UB dental, and she was like isn't that the best dental school in the world. I had to explain to her it was good but not the best.

Any how about the parent situatoin, i agree living them will def make my grade suffer, so i think i really want to get like an apartment with like two other dental students. Just wondering if any of you konw if its difficult to find people to live with before school starts

thanks

 

[sunwoongc]

public school...200k vs 100k <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> ? enuf said!!

steve

 

[NYNOLE2]

My only negative about UB Denatl would be that it is in Buffalo, NY, but if you already live there then go for it, and def live on your own, either way it is a nice decision to have to make!!

 

[agutier3]

Freedy-

I say go where you will be happy....
It's better to have options than none at all.

Good Luck!