Boston University?

[UMpredent]

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It seems like people on this forum do not consider BU to be all that great, and I'm wondering why? I know that their stats are a little lower than other schools, but don't you think that could be due to the high cost of tuition and living expenses? I interviewed there and got a really great vibe from the students and staff, Boston is an incredible city as well. Any current BU students or applicants willing to share their opinions?

 

[UMpredent]

nobody?

 

[Habslive]

I'm a DMD1 at BU, and I can't speak for the clinic, since we haven't been up there yet, but so far I've been pleased, all in all.

What kinds of things are you wondering?

 

[Albuterol]

It seems like people on this forum do not consider BU to be all that great, and I'm wondering why? I know that their stats are a little lower than other schools, but don't you think that could be due to the high cost of tuition and living expenses? I interviewed there and got a really great vibe from the students and staff, Boston is an incredible city as well. Any current BU students or applicants willing to share their opinions?

I really enjoyed my interview experience there as well and hoping I get in there, their APEX and externship programs were really appealing to me.

 

[The Anhedonia]

i think most people on these forums complain about the high cost of tuition at BU relative to other schools. also, i've read from others that they feel like BU is run like a business and not like a school, but these are merely SDN posts and not necessarily true.



also, i read in the Dental forums that a D2 used alginate to take an impression on a patient - what a nightmare 😛 (though this certainly has nothing to do with the reputation of the school).

 

[dl9006]

i met someone who was a D1 at BU.
she seemed to like it. said everyone's friendly and it's relatively relaxed atmosphere.

the only complaint was the cold weather in boston lol

 

[korndoctor]

is finding patients hard at BU and your clinical skills are based on competencies correct?

do people find it hard to get good grades at BU?

is it hard doing the labwork at BU?

what other pros/cons do people say about BU? very curious as i am deciding between BU and NYU

is the big class size at BU a problem for you students?

for boards, did the first 1 year curriculum prepare you guys enough or did you have to do a prep course?

 

[Kneecoal]

is finding patients hard at BU and your clinical skills are based on competencies correct?

do people find it hard to get good grades at BU?

is it hard doing the labwork at BU?

what other pros/cons do people say about BU? very curious as i am deciding between BU and NYU

is the big class size at BU a problem for you students?

for boards, did the first 1 year curriculum prepare you guys enough or did you have to do a prep course?

a) these are questions you should be asking at your interview
b) there's no point in "deciding" between BU and NYU when you don't know if you're accepted at either one yet
c) if you think the big class size at BU could be a problem, i don't know how you could decide between there and NYU because NYU is twice the size, closer to 3 times once the international students join up.

 

[Dentite99]

I know this is probably impossible to answer, but does anybody know when BU's next round of invites will go out? I tried to compare the timing to last years forums but couldn't really find any correlation.

 

[pinetar321]

Don't judge until youve been there. its a great schhol that looks to be focused on turning out real-world_competent cliniccians. the fscilities are alright and the city is awesome but the cost is around 90k a year, according to their financial aid packet.

 

[orangutan777]

just had an interview at bu. it was way better than sdn makes it out to be. The school and city are both great. Some downsides tho: everyone doesnt have own chair and your grades are based on competencies rather than an exact number of treatments so i don't know how much practice you actually get (something to consider if you want to be a gp). Oh yea it's expensive as hell too.

However, the experience was great. BU definitely went up on my list. The students and faculty were welcoming and very friendly.

 

[DmdNJ]

I know this is probably impossible to answer, but does anybody know when BU's next round of invites will go out? I tried to compare the timing to last years forums but couldn't really find any correlation.

I just got an interview yesterday from BU

 

[korndoctor]

BU impressed me big time, they are great at producing world-class clinicians and have lotts of research opportunities. people on sdn make it out to be a not so great school because they want to patronize a school to make theirs appear superior, like columbia or harvard when they actually produce people that aren't great clinicians but are just book smart.

what are others pros and cons about bu? the chance of not getting a patient or chair, will that be problematic?

and do we have to push our own carts around when moving from chair to chair?

 

[dl9006]

apologies for being out of topic but i had a question about BU that i felt may not warrant a separate thread.

do you guys know if we have to confirm with BU before going to your interview?

thanks for the help!

 

[dl9006]

BU impressed me big time, they are great at producing world-class clinicians and have lotts of research opportunities. people on sdn make it out to be a not so great school because they want to patronize a school to make theirs appear superior, like columbia or harvard when they actually produce people that aren't great clinicians but are just book smart.

what are others pros and cons about bu? the chance of not getting a patient or chair, will that be problematic?

and do we have to push our own carts around when moving from chair to chair?

could you explain where you found out about this assessment? im not doubting you, just curious where you find this sort of info.

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also, apologies for being out of topic but i had a question about BU that i felt may not warrant a separate thread.

do you guys know if we have to confirm with BU before going to your interview?

thanks for the help!

 

[KitKat09]

was very impressed by BU as well. Great program, wonderful faculty, loved Boston.

 

[UMpredent]

was very impressed by BU as well. Great program, wonderful faculty, loved Boston.

I know- very impressed by the school/city/interview as a whole. I wasn't even really considering Boston until my interview. It's going to be a tough decision if I get into BU. I'll have a hard time justifying the cost of tuition... especially because I plan on specializing....

 

[korndoctor]

from dentists that have graduated from bu that have contributed internationally...they have lots of international community programs and is well known to the world.

for those of you that were impressed with BU at the interview, what other schools are on top of your list?

 

[orangutan777]

from dentists that have graduated from bu that have contributed internationally...they have lots of international community programs and is well known to the world.

for those of you that were impressed with BU at the interview, what other schools are on top of your list?

Pitt is also on the top of my list. I had zero expectations for both schools going in, but left the interviews quite comfortable with the schools/cities and very impressed. The interviewers were also the most sincere and welcoming that I have had.

What also impressed me about BU was the fact that both tour guides had jobs line up (one was a 3rd year!) after graduation through BU's APEX program.

also, apologies for being out of topic but i had a question about BU that i felt may not warrant a separate thread.

do you guys know if we have to confirm with BU before going to your interview?

thanks for the help!

yea you have to confirm either by phone or email. the info is in the interview email that they sent to you.

 

[dent2b814]

Just interviewed there on Tuesday and had a great experience. I'd always heard about the expensive tuition and costs, but Boston is fabulous. I spent 4 days in the city and had a great time. A little colder than I'm used to for November (from Atlanta), but besides that, had a great time in city. As for the school, SDN is the one that tears BU's reputation up. Go interview and I guarantee your head will turn.

The APEX and externships and study abroad options are very unique and stand alone in comparison to a lot of other dental schools. Some people may think BU gets overshadowed by Tufts and Harvard being in the same city, but BU is a force to reckon with in dentistry. I would have never guessed it from reading SDN (thus, please read and take everything with grain of salt), but the students and staff are really chill and the experience seems sufficient to be a competent dentist.

Not having enough chairs...ehh, is a problem. Getting to do APEX at home for 2 months, twice (and opportunity that finds a lot of their student's jobs)....great trade off. 90K + a year....can't argue with numbers. Their figures is what keeps people away, not the clinics.

 

[KitKat09]

This is how one of D3 answered my question about chairs...


Regarding enough chairs and patients. Yes, you'll have enough of both to be able to graduate in a timely manner. That should not be a problem. Plus, even if a chair isnt available for a given session, you can speak with the clinical coordinator and if its a situation where you have to see the patient, they will find a way for you to see the patient. As far as the patients are concerned, its not the number of patients that is a problem...rather, its finding patients that have the requirements you are looking for. For instance, I had some issues finding a complete denture patient. But, you can request this and be put on a waiting list...or a classmate that has an extra case can transfer the patient to you. Therefore, you'll get it one way or another. I actually had so many patients on my list that I didnt even have a chance to see about 25% of them because I was too busy with the others. Having said all that, you still need to take initiative to get an appointment or find patients that fulfill your needs. The school will meet you half way, but you need to make the effort as well. If that happens, you'll be fine.

 

[pinetar321]

I think the only reason SDN can tear down BU is the cost....

other than that, I think most of the bashing is from people who want to deter competition from BU... so they can get in LOL

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

I think the only reason SDN can tear down BU is the cost....

other than that, I think most of the bashing is from people who want to deter competition from BU... so they can get in LOL

I think that's smart though. I mean, I don't think no one is that altruistic to give up all the answers and hints of getting into ds among the applicant pool that's the same as yours, when that could indeed lead to them edging you out.

When someone is D1+ and if they want to bend over backwards then by all means, it wouldn't hurt.

(Not meant to argue with you, btw).

 

[pinetar321]

nah its cool. I totally see where youre coming from tho. The thing I struggle with is the image that this presents. I constantly tell prospective pre-dents that we are less cutthroat than premeds. We won't go out of our way to hurt other people for our own gain. For the most part, I've found this to be true about my colleagues. We're out there to HELP anyone who wants to join the industry and make a dent in the huge lack of dental care out there. Its in our best interest to make people more aware of dental care and this is more feasable with more dentists. I'm perfectly comfortable that I will get in somewhere and I realize that not everyone is in the same position as me. Its just tough for me to want to get into dental school based out the premises of luck and circumstance, rather than my own sweat and hard work... I just want to earn it. : )

 

[spud daddy]

nah its cool. I totally see where youre coming from tho. The thing I struggle with is the image that this presents. I constantly tell prospective pre-dents that we are less cutthroat than premeds. We won't go out of our way to hurt other people for our own gain. For the most part, I've found this to be true about my colleagues. We're out there to HELP anyone who wants to join the industry and make a dent in the huge lack of dental care out there. Its in our best interest to make people more aware of dental care and this is more feasable with more dentists. I'm perfectly comfortable that I will get in somewhere and I realize that not everyone is in the same position as me. Its just tough for me to want to get into dental school based out the premises of luck and circumstance, rather than my own sweat and hard work... I just want to earn it. : )

Good post.