BU vs Northeastern?

[kcgrl1124]

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Just wondering which school is best if I want to pursue dentistry. I love both schools and tuition really are very similar so I am having a tough time deciding. Thank you!

 

[BenFelson]

Go with BU b/c it has its own dental school. Academically, BU is slightly better, but Northeastern is known for its co-op/internship programs. This is helpful in this economy.

 

[orthomyxo]

Neither school is "best" for dentistry. Just pick whichever school is cheaper (if it matters to you), or pick which one you like better.

 

[LaxGoaliePharm]

I've read that BU has really bad grade deflation, so you might want to take that into consideration. Supposedly some of the professors grade on really unfair curves. But I'm pretty sure BU is slightly better academically.

Personally, I would pick Northeastern for the co-op program. I'm actually considering Northeastern because of the co-ops.

 

[davidb25]

I've read that BU has really bad grade inflation, so you might want to take that into consideration. Supposedly some of the professors grade on really unfair curves. But I'm pretty sure BU is slightly better academically.

Personally, I would pick Northeastern for the co-op program. I'm actually considering Northeastern because of the co-ops.

I'm finishing my junior year at BU, and it's grade deflation not inflation.

 

[LaxGoaliePharm]

I'm finishing my junior year at BU, and it's grade deflation not inflation.

Sorry I meant grade deflation. haha

 

[kcgrl1124]

just wondering, but is BU very competitive? like especially in the dental/pre-med area?

 

[Mahliah]

The 1 that's dirt cheap.

 

[HH Holmes]

Know that (to my knowledge), Northeastern is based around a co-op style program, meaning that most (not all) students graduate in five years, and spend anywhere from two to four semesters doing job related internships for credit. This turns a lot of people away from Northeastern, so do your research before you jump in.

BU on the other hand is a normal four year university and from my understanding, has a pretty strong pre-med/pre-dent track as well as their own professional schools. This may be a factor if you want to do some shadowing and/or research.

Are you accepted to both? Weren't enrollment deposits due May 1st?

Regardless, good luck with everything.

 

[orthomyxo]

The 1 that's dirt cheap.

Neither is dirt cheap. Last time I checked, Northeastern was 39K/year and BU was 36K/year.

 

[Mahliah]

Do you know their financial package? I think not. I highly doubt your assumption that the op is paying sticker price.

 

[HH Holmes]

just wondering, but is BU very competitive? like especially in the dental/pre-med area?

Both schools will be extremely competitve for pre-med/dent. Both dental and medical tracks have the same basic classes; Bio, Chem, Physics, Organic and Calc. Throw in biochem, micro and other classes for specific schools.

For both, expect intro classes like Bio 101 and Chem 101 to be "weed out" classes. You will probably have anywhere from 150-500 kids in your class, will 90% of them trying to go to med/dent/vet school. A good amount will drop by the second week of class.

(I learned this from my old math tutor, who was pre-law)... Schools are designed to make money by these "weed out" classes, in two ways. One, in the earlier years (1st and 2nd year) schools make a lot of money off of a student: you are in big classes, so paying one professor for a class of 200 is a lot more economical than paying a professor teaching an upper division science course for seniors with 6 students. They are banking on the fact that a student will change his/her major or just leave the school completely. Make sure you check the freshman retention rate of any school you are going to -- this is very important. Also, schools want to keep their matriculation rates high for professional schools -- this makes them look better. Weeding out students in these 101 classes is a great way to see who will make it to medical school, or even do well in other science classes and the MCAT. There have even been some horror stories I've seen on SDN where certain undergrad schools won't sign certain forms to allow a student with low stats apply (these are rare, don't worry).

Good luck 🙂

PS - Since no one has given you a definitive answer on this thread, I'll be the first... Go to BU. They seem to have a solid pre-med structure, you can graduate in four years and it seems like a great environment.

 

[orthomyxo]

Do you know their financial package? I think not. I highly doubt your assumption that the op is paying sticker price.

herpy derp no ****

I don't think many people get 10K or even 20K in merit-based aid. At least not from these schools. So your assumption that they can attend either school for less than "sticker price" so much so that it could be considered dirt cheap is equally, if not more, doubtful.

OP, just pick which school you want to go to more. Which one you choose will have absolutely no bearing on your success in dental/medical/clown school admissions.

 

[rangicks cowars]

It seems like this school is way too expensive. The COA is $50,000 per year and even if you get a $20,000 yearly scholarship... 6 years in school (average) will still be around $180,000 debt. With interest and stuff this doesn't seem worth it to pay off, unless theres something i'm missing.