BU or wait another year?

[pk62281]

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Hey guys,

BU tuition scares me and it's my only acceptance. I'm still waiting on UIC (out of state tuition is even more ridiculous over there) and I have interviews at UDM and MWU-IL coming up soon.

If BU is my only acceptance should I decline and wait another year to try to get in somewhere cheaper like my in state school? I think I'll have a much better chance next cycle.

BU's negative repuatation and tuition really freaks me out.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

Hey guys,

BU tuition scares me and it's my only acceptance. I'm still waiting on UIC (out of state tuition is even more ridiculous over there) and I have interviews at UDM and MWU-IL coming up soon.

If BU is my only acceptance should I decline and wait another year to try to get in somewhere cheaper like my in state school? I think I'll have a much better chance next cycle.

BU's negative repuatation and tuition really freaks me out.

You're not guaranteed to get in anywhere next year. Even if you think your application is better, dental school's might not think the same. Or there might be a flood of better applicants. Turning down a dental school is also a potential negative according to other schools. You might be wasting years of your life by turning down BU by reapplying and waiting. I think you have decent chances with UDM and Midwestern-IL. Pay the deposit for BU and see what happens later after your interviews.

 

[HAWKDDS2014]

You're not guaranteed to get in anywhere next year. Even if you think your application is better, dental school's might not think the same. Or there might be a flood of better applicants. Turning down a dental school is also a potential negative according to other schools. You might be wasting years of your life by turning down BU by reapplying and waiting. I think you have decent chances with UDM and Midwestern-IL. Pay the deposit for BU and see what happens later after your interviews.

I agree completely ! I think it's a foolish decision to turn down a guaranteed acceptance for the POSSIBILITY of getting into other schools next year. Unless you drastically change your application, what makes you think you will have a better chance next year anyway? I understand the tuition can be a little scary, but why apply there in the first place if you weren't willing to attend? You must have seen something about the school that appealed to you - I say go for it !

 

[planisphere]

I disagree. I heard so many bad things about BU. We're talking about another 4-year school here - and you will be living on your career with its diploma.

If you believe that you will have better shot next cycle, I recommend you to try again next cycle.

 

[hifive]

If you have no other options go to BU, do not decline and wait another year.

 

[predent18]

Go if you get in, every year you are not doing dental school you are losing another year of wages.

 

[MoralDecay]

That sounds like an awful decision to make... I would accept it and then try to transfer out for D2. A few of my friends are trying to do that now.

 

[timwatley]

If its your first cycle I would seriously look into passing on BU and reapplying next year. You'll get in somewhere next year for sure. This notion of having to go to a school you're unhappy with is pretty silly. Interviews aren't just for the school, you have to assess whether you'll fit in or not. An expensive price tag for a questionable school means you could be regretting it the entire 4 years. The vast majority of people on here think BU debt is completely manageable. These people would be telling you the same thing if the price tag was 700,000 I'm sure. There HAS to be a point where students refuse ridiculous tuition prices. At least give yourself another chance for cheaper education next year (in my opinion). If you end up accepted by an expensive school again, at least you did all you could.

 

[timwatley]

That sounds like an awful decision to make... I would accept it and then try to transfer out for D2. A few of my friends are trying to do that now.

And your advice is just hands down awful. Transfers are next to impossible.

 

[iralex801]

Definitely attend.

 

[timwatley]

Although I just found a scholarship at BU that cuts tuition in half, you may want to check it out and see how competitive it is.

http://www.bu.edu/dental/community/pipeline/delta/

 

[woolloo]

Always remember that a bird at hand is worth two in the bush. Assess your options carefully after the interviews, and try to follow your heart. Good luck.

 

[Seamonkey Doc]

Hey guys,

BU tuition scares me and it's my only acceptance. I'm still waiting on UIC (out of state tuition is even more ridiculous over there) and I have interviews at UDM and MWU-IL coming up soon.

If BU is my only acceptance should I decline and wait another year to try to get in somewhere cheaper like my in state school? I think I'll have a much better chance next cycle.

BU's negative repuatation and tuition really freaks me out.

Why did you apply to BU if the school's tuition and reputation concerned you?

You can decline it and make someone happy from their waitlist. But the smarter thing would be to just put down the deposit and hope you hear something from the other schools.

 

[hifive]

And your advice is just hands down awful. Transfers are next to impossible.

You would be suprised, I don't know the statistics or anything but there were some transfers(out) at least in my class.

 

[timwatley]

You would be suprised, I don't know the statistics or anything but there were some transfers(out) at least in my class.

Where do they transfer to? I thought curriculums differed quite a bit. That's interesting though.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

Where do they transfer to? I thought curriculums differed quite a bit. That's interesting though.

It's not impossible. Is it the best plan and something you should bank on? Definitely not. But I've seen people several people transfer from one dental school to another one. Curriculum differs more after the first year and generally D1 students are more or less the same. We all take the same biochem, anatomy, etc.

 

[timwatley]

Hmmm well maybe I stand corrected, I had never heard of students actually transferring before. If it's true I guess that could be a route, although it would be pretty risky in my opinion.

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

If it's true I guess that could be a route, although it would be pretty risky in my opinion.

Definitely risky. You better hope you like the school if you end up staying there.

 

[MoralDecay]

And your advice is just hands down awful. Transfers are next to impossible.

Worked out for 2/5 friends last year who are now D2s in Canada. I think the word you were looking for is improbable, not impossible.

 

[timwatley]

Worked out for 2/5 friends last year who are now D2s in Canada. I think the word you were looking for is improbable, not impossible.

Well I was wrong then! That's really interesting, I've always heard it's impossible. So they started out at US schools and transferred to Canadian schools? Were they US citizens to begin with?

 

[Baker2010]

Go. Your not guaranteed to get in anywhere next year. Also, You shouldn't apply to schools that you wouldn't go to if you go accepted. Furthermore, I don't think it looks good to others schools when you have had acceptance and decided that you would rather not go at all than to attend a school.

 

[katwoman1688]

I don't agree that it looks bad to deny an acceptance - I don't think schools will care that much if you have your own reasons. How confident are you with your stats, do you want to wait another year, does it make a difference to you how the rumors have put a negative light on your school? Ask yourself those questions and really decide what you would be most comfortable doing, no one here can tell you what the right decision is because your the one in the end who will have to deal with your choice.
For me, I personally would not go to BU and I would wait a year, but keeping in mind that in the next year I'd have to improve my application so that when I did get interviews I could tell them what I was doing to prepare myself before my second round. I've been here for 6 years (boston area), done a lot of research of schools in the dental field and my entire family is in dentistry so to me, I rather go to a school that doesn't have such a scarred reputation and where I know I'd have a good experience. Again, this is all personal - so maybe you feel differently. Either way just be happy with your decision and if you go make the best of it! If I were you Id put down a deposit and talk to some BU students who are there right now, you can always decide to not go by August or at least you saved your spot.

 

[lululime]

If you've already crunched some numbers and know you can't pay for it, I don't think it's a good idea to go to BU and then have to drop out half way or work several jobs while you're in school---or worse, if you have to take out lots of loans you'll be paying it back for the rest of your life...depends if that's the life you want.... Definitely lots to reflect about...

Good luck my friend!

 

[AwesomeTeeth]

I don't think it's a good idea to go to BU and then have to drop out half way or work several jobs while you're in school

No one works in dental school unless you have a cushy work-study job. It's almost impossible to juggle a real job and dental school at the same time.

if you have to take out lots of loans you'll be paying it back for the rest of your life...depends if that's the life you want....

That would be the loans for just about every private dental school

 

[budentite]

Hey guys,

BU tuition scares me and it's my only acceptance.

There is much missing from BU's published cost estimates:

Do you have a car? Because during your 4th year, you do a 10 week off-site externship out of town/state. At the D4 orientation, they tell you that if you do not have a car, you will have to lease a car (some sites have multiple students so you could possibly carpool if you're lucky).

Do you have enough expendable cash to give to your patients to pay for their treatments? Anecdotally, 90% of students have paid for some of their patient's treatment, 99% if you count the NERB. If you can't afford this, you will be at a significant disadvantage - your 3rd year 15 credit clinical course's (GD630) grade is determined by the quantity of treatment you deliver; also you will have difficulty graduating on time. The sad truth is that losing those procedures will cost you dearly, unless you are one of the lucky ones that gets favorable treatment (the school may have assigned you 2 patients, while your neighbor has been assigned 15 patients in that same time period).

The tuition projections are not even close to reality. From D1 to D4, tuition alone went from $45k to $55k, more than triple the projection I received during interviews. (Ever hear of bait and switch?)


Why would you spend $500,000 on something with such a bad reputation, with so much risk with how the program is administered?

And you have no guarantee that you will even graduate after spending that half million dollars + interest. BU dismisses students every year, even 3rd and 4th year students (for not meeting quotas, of all things - I guess that's one way to pressure students to recruit patients to address their shortage). I've seen too many students' lives ruined by that current Dean.


Final thought: If you get waitlisted or still have interviews at other schools, I can't think of a better way to prove your interest in their program than to turn down an acceptance at BU. (this is assuming you got into BU based on merit and not because of connections)

 

[mahfouz]

There is much missing from BU's published cost estimates:

Do you have a car? Because during your 4th year, you do a 10 week off-site externship out of town/state. At the D4 orientation, they tell you that if you do not have a car, you will have to lease a car (some sites have multiple students so you could possibly carpool if you're lucky).

Do you have enough expendable cash to give to your patients to pay for their treatments? Anecdotally, 90% of students have paid for some of their patient's treatment, 99% if you count the NERB. If you can't afford this, you will be at a significant disadvantage - your 3rd year 15 credit clinical course's (GD630) grade is determined by the quantity of treatment you deliver; also you will have difficulty graduating on time. The sad truth is that losing those procedures will cost you dearly, unless you are one of the lucky ones that gets favorable treatment (the school may have assigned you 2 patients, while your neighbor has been assigned 15 patients in that same time period).

The tuition projections are not even close to reality. From D1 to D4, tuition alone went from $45k to $55k, more than triple the projection I received during interviews. (Ever hear of bait and switch?)


Why would you spend $500,000 on something with such a bad reputation, with so much risk with how the program is administered?

And you have no guarantee that you will even graduate after spending that half million dollars + interest. BU dismisses students every year, even 3rd and 4th year students (for not meeting quotas, of all things - I guess that's one way to pressure students to recruit patients to address their shortage). I've seen too many students' lives ruined by that current Dean.


Final thought: If you get waitlisted or still have interviews at other schools, I can't think of a better way to prove your interest in their program than to turn down an acceptance at BU. (this is assuming you got into BU based on merit and not because of connections)

Wow, I had no idea that schools can just raise the tuition on you like that while you are in school. If that happened to me, I wouldn't stay quiet about that. As I gather, it seems like BU has a reputation of raising the tuition on its students unreasonably. What do you recommend for students to do when they are picking schools to attend? Should we ask around to see if schools have reputations for jacking up tuition and fee rates?


And what about paying patients for treatments? Do you mind explaining more about why students had to do that, and why the dean made students recruit patients? I don't know what to say- that's total BS.

Speaking of bad reputations- has anyone experienced/heard anything bad about any other schools they want to share?

Back to what the OP was saying, I would seriously consider reapplying or at least waiting until the cycle ends to see if I get any more interviews. There's a very small change you will get a good scholarship from there unless you have a flawless application, so you will likely come out with unmanageable debt. From an education standpoint, you might not get what you want out of that education, and that could affect your practice and quality of work. Just some food for thought.

 

[DavesNotHere]

Wow, I had no idea that schools can just raise the tuition on you like that while you are in school. If that happened to me, I wouldn't stay quiet about that. As I gather, it seems like BU has a reputation of raising the tuition on its students unreasonably. What do you recommend for students to do when they are picking schools to attend? Should we ask around to see if schools have reputations for jacking up tuition and fee rates?


And what about paying patients for treatments? Do you mind explaining more about why students had to do that, and why the dean made students recruit patients? I don't know what to say- that's total BS.

Speaking of bad reputations- has anyone experienced/heard anything bad about any other schools they want to share?

Back to what the OP was saying, I would seriously consider reapplying or at least waiting until the cycle ends to see if I get any more interviews. There's a very small change you will get a good scholarship from there unless you have a flawless application, so you will likely come out with unmanageable debt. From an education standpoint, you might not get what you want out of that education, and that could affect your practice and quality of work. Just some food for thought.

Raising tuition is pretty standard i feel. Good luck raising your voice on that. And paying for patient's treatment isnt completely unheard of. I know of a people at my midwestern state school that had to pay their patients to sit for boards, but i feel like this also happens everywhere.

 

[Double Bonded]

This notion of having to go to a school you're unhappy with is pretty silly. Interviews aren't just for the school, you have to assess whether you'll fit in or not.

Exactly 👍

 

[mahfouz]

Raising tuition is pretty standard i feel. Good luck raising your voice on that. And paying for patient's treatment isnt completely unheard of. I know of a people at my midwestern state school that had to pay their patients to sit for boards, but i feel like this also happens everywhere.

You've heard of tuition going up $10,000 in three years? That's 7-8% a year and no one has complained? We might as well call ourselves Drs. Chump.

 

[ugashaun]

I got into bu and USC. Definitely thinking USC now.

 

[budentite]

-

 

[budentite]

Raising tuition is pretty standard i feel. Good luck raising your voice on that. And paying for patient's treatment isnt completely unheard of. I know of a people at my midwestern state school that had to pay their patients to sit for boards, but i feel like this also happens everywhere.

You are correct in a sense, but the point was that BU takes it to a whole other level.

The issue with tuition isn't that they raise it every year; it's that the increases are a lot, and also much higher than they advertised to you. The disparity isn't even close. I don't understand why they aren't bound to the numbers they publish to prospective students. It's just one of countless examples I could give where BU says one thing, but does another. What's worse is that every year, you get less, but at a higher cost. The program has been deteriorating for a while in numerous ways. And for the price they charge, you wouldn't think that you have to fight with your classmates for 1) patients and 2) chairs in the clinic (100 chairs for over 300 D3/D4/AS2 students).

It's one thing if a few students pay their patients for boards at your school - that happens everywhere, especially if your patients have to travel long distance and stay in a hotel for you to take the board in another state; it's a completely different thing when almost every student at BU has to pay their patients for routine treatment (and boards) because the patients can't afford the high fee schedule. Students have no choice because of the severe shortage of patients. Your grade will suffer, and you may not graduate on time, or have a patient for the NERB, or could get dismissed for not meeting quotas. It's pretty pathetic when you have to pay for your patient's class III amalgam because there aren't enough patients to guarantee you'll get another one before the end of the year. Students all the time are forking over $2,000+ (ex. RCT/post/core/ crown lengthening/ PFM) out of their own pocket to treat a single tooth (so the patient doesn't decide to extract it and you lose all those procedures and points for grades and quotas for graduation). BU students have to put up with this putain de la merde, excuse my french, or sacrifice their career ambitions. If you think this is pretty standard, please go/transfer to Boston University's Goldman School of Dental Medicine and free up a spot at another school.

The OP was freaked out about the costs of BU. Some students have limited financial backing, and if this is you, then you are playing Russian Roulette by going to BU Dental.

Do you mind explaining more about why students had to do that, and why the dean made students recruit patients? I don't know what to say- that's total BS.

To quote from my 3rd year clinical orientation at BU, "Patient recruitment is the responsibility of the student." The school would only guarantee/provide a total of 1 patient per student for the first few months of the year.

I don't know what to say- that's total BS.

What's really BS is how some people had zero-2 patients for the first 3 months, while a select few had over 10. Kind of pathetic numbers, nor quite an equal playing field.



This place jumped the shark 5+ years ago. Unfortunately, it's sad...but true.

 

[hifive]

I would pray if I were in your position to get into another school, hopefully UDM. BU has gone so far downhill, but if you dont think another year of applying to schools is manageable just go with BU (I cant believe I am saying this!). But if you can take another year of applying and get it in somewhere else I promise you that you will be in a lot better situation.

 

[ugashaun]

so...go to usc over bu?

 

[wired202808]

Dont ever turn down an offer. Schools can find out about this and can reject you in the future. Just go to the school and make the best of it! gl

 

[DDSPhD]

Exactly 👍

Agreed. You interviewed at a school to find out if the institution and the environment are right for you. Odds are you'll live with your decision for the full 4 years (if not more, given what I've been reading). Banking on a transfer is silly. I wouldn't force myself to make a choice that will inevitably make me unhappy for 4 years.

 

[HeyCharlie]

I would wait a year. Getting an acceptance to BU is like kissing your sister.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

i would wait a year. Getting an acceptance to bu is like kissing your sister.

lol

 

[Silent Cool]

Cuppla things.

1) BU allows you to defer if you pay a deposit. Pay the deposit and defer (for anyone else who is thinking of this).

2) If you deny it and re-apply, schools will not know. They do not ask you if you were accepted. They do ask you if you were ENROLLED, but that doesn't mean accepted. You will not be "blackballed" or "blacklisted" or anything like that. I don't know where people get that idea.

3) I denied schools and re-applied and was re-accepted. If your scores are good and you apply early (ie, first week of cycle), you should get in somewhere else. This isn't like trying to get into Harvard Law School or Harvard Med School.

Good luck.