Boston good??

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rachnabc

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I have basically got admission into a Canadian university and wanted advice if it was worth changing to BU (Boston school) for the Advanced Standing program???
Does anyone know how the program is and how much patient experience is provided to the students?
The only advantage for me would be a DDS degree and spending lots of more money!!
 
Hi Rachna,
Congrats on your Canada and BU admission.
How did you get admitted to Canadian School. If I am US green Card holder with an Indian BDS degree could I apply for Canada school. Like what exams to take. How much should I get the scores and any other variables for the admission. Would appreciate if you could let us know this.
 
Hi! For canadian university u ahve to be a permanent residnet of canada and clear the Eligibility examination (check the ACFD site) and then u are called for the interview if your score is greater than 75% .
That's it basically but it is cheaper than US but at soem candian schools u do not get a degree just the certificate and license to practise.
You have any friends in Boston by any chance?
All the best and glad to help
 
Hey Rachna,
Could you tell me what study material is required for the ACFD eligibility exam in Canada. Do they have release exam reprints and decks like NDB 1 and 2? Would appreciate yor help.
 
Hey, not to be mean, but i'm gonna be blunt. Let's keep this on topic with regards to the OP. PM him/her or start a new topic on Canadian school admissions if you're interested (after you search of course)

To answer your question, BU is very expensive compared to whatever Canadian school you got into. Living in Boston is very expensive, too.

You have to decide how good the education at "U of Canada" is, and if it's worth the added 100s of thousands of dollars to attend BU.

I have no idea what school you got into, what your goals and values are with regards to dental schools, and I can't give you any real solid advice without being subjective towards what I think is important.

I say it in every post about "best school" "where should I go" and I feel it applies here.

Clinical exposure is the most important factor in any dental school. We all end up practicing on patients (directly through practice, or indirectly through academia), so it only makes sense to go where we'll learn the ropes the best. Even if you plan on specializing, clinical skills will get you further than A's and high 90's on the NBDEs will. By this I mean that you'll be more valuable to the patient with clincical skills rather than simply regurgitating science facts.

One of my classmates likes Tufts, but the cost of education and living in Boston compared to U of Toronto isn't worth the added clinical exposure and better facilities to them. So, they're considering transferring back to U of T if they can. Does this mean that you should stick with Cananda? Maybe, maybe not.

Draw out a plan, pros and cons of each school and see where that takes you.

I'll make it easier for you as far as the city of Boston goes.

It's expensive
It's fun
Public transportation is great
The weather is wonderful (I love four seasons and snow)
Food is great here
People are rude (especially compared to Canadians)
Lots of young professionals (in case you wanted to meet any)

If I think of more stuff, I'll post here.
 
Hey Rachna..

I was accepted at BU for the Advanced Standing Program, was supposed to start this fall, but I'm still wavering between UPenn and BU.. even tho the choice should be obvious.

I have several friends who are part of the ASP at BU, and really it comes down to what you're looking for in a school. From what I understand, it is a more didactic course, and the AS students spend upto 9 months doing pre-clinical work leaving them with just over a year of clinical exposure. This is considerably less than most other schools offering Advanced Standing Programs.

That being said, I came away with a very positive impression of the school and city.. I see Boston having the additional advantage for you in that its really close to toronto, plus you will definitely be used to the sub-zero winters. The city is great.. I loved it. The atmosphere at the school is warm and friendly, I felt really comfortable. My friends are currently finishing AS-I, if there's any other specific thing you'd like to know PM me..

Also the International Dental forum has a thread discussing the positive and negative aspects of the different schools accepting foreign trained dentists.. check it out, it may help u.

Tasha 🙂
 
You're right, AS students spend from Aug-Mar in the labs doing preclinical and start working the floors in April.
 
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