BU vs UDM

[dl9006]

i am really conflicted.. i am an international student so costs are about the same.


BU pros:
-atmosphere
-Boston is a great city
-exams are spread out

BU cons:
-a bit more expensive (~10k more per yr)
-hard to find patient in boston? (not too sure about this one, comment anyone?) this one's my main concern.



UDM pros:
-great patient pool. reception room was filled with patients when i interviewed
-friendly faculty
-get to see many diverse cases

UDM cons:
-not so nice of a city...(environment is an important factor for me. didn't like the city and can't seem myself living there for 4 yrs..)
-need a car to commute to school=more $$$



i know these threads are way too common but i need some guidance choosing the school i will be spending the next 4 years.
i feel like if I go to UDM, i could become a great clinician but if I go to BU, I might not get the same kind of extensive training..
i may be wrong but i'm not sure..
thanks guys

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[lums2]

Can someone from BU please speak up, so that this person can let his UDM seat go
Honestly, I asked my interviewer at UDM whether the students received enough experience to become competent GPs once they graduate. In order to answer my question we walked up to 5 students (all 4th year) and he asked them what they felt they had the least amount of experience in. They all said fixed/prostho....I don't know what that means, but the point is that all schools have their weaknesses, and my interviewer was great at giving a unbiased perspective about the current issues. You should have pulled aside 4th year BU students and asked them the questions you currently have...
I do have the e-mail address of a 4th year BU student who was very helpful..PM me if you are interested in contacting him to find out more about his school.

Good luck

 

[adizzle87]

BU....Boston is dense so you don't need to worry about finding patients

 

[skoolgirl]

I would go to Boston...i just loved the campus.

 

[mike5]

The only advise I have for you is not to make your decision based on what people on sdn tell you to do, you have no idea who is writing/advising you. I can guaranty that more than 95% of people who will answer you have an underlying/selfish reason for sending you one way or the other...

 

[dl9006]

The only advise I have for you is not to make your decision based on what people on sdn tell you to do, you have no idea who is writing/advising you. I can guaranty that more than 95% of people who will answer you have an underlying/selfish reason for sending you one way or the other...

👍

lol yea definitely..

 

[283507]

dude it's detriot, 15% unemployed, cold as hell, increase crime, and BU have a APEX program which can help you in your career networking. In detriot, think having 1 out of 6 out of work would be an ideal place to start your career.

 

[ChubbyBaby]

dude ... and BU have a APEX program which can help you in your career networking.

The APEX program is a ploy to get the traditional dental students OUT so they can free up clinic space for their international/advanced standing program people for a couple of months. It's strictly a money issue; they don't care about your APEX rotation/experience. This is what multiple BU graduates have told me.

If you manage to get a good place for your APEX rotation (that leads to a good job), chances are you're already good at networking, and would've gotten that job anyhow.

UDM is my opinion is clearly the clinically superior school.

However, as many have mentioned, Detroit is not for everybody.

 

[ChubbyBaby]

I take it back. I have no idea which program is clinically superior. I went to neither.

All I will say is that the APEX program is not something that makes BU better than UDM.

 

[UDM H8tr]

i am really conflicted.. i am an international student so costs are about the same.


BU pros:
-atmosphere
-Boston is a great city
-exams are spread out

BU cons:
-a bit more expensive (~10k more per yr)
-hard to find patient in boston? (not too sure about this one, comment anyone?) this one's my main concern.



UDM pros:
-great patient pool. reception room was filled with patients when i interviewed
-friendly faculty
-get to see many diverse cases

UDM cons:
-not so nice of a city...(environment is an important factor for me. didn't like the city and can't seem myself living there for 4 yrs..)
-need a car to commute to school=more $$$



i know these threads are way too common but i need some guidance choosing the school i will be spending the next 4 years.
i feel like if I go to UDM, i could become a great clinician but if I go to BU, I might not get the same kind of extensive training..
i may be wrong but i'm not sure..
thanks guys

I graduated from UDMSD but i would HIGHLY suggest going to BU!!! You are bound to not enjoy your experience at UDMSD. The students there do not generally enjoy their experience.

To address some of your concerns, first, you will get no better education from UDMSD than you will from any other school!!! Seriously, i hear this so often but don't know what it is based off of. The ADA requires that ALL graduates from ANY dental school meet a certain minimal standard. UDMSD is no different. In fact, the clinical requirements at UDMSD are less than a ton of dental schools around the country. "Diverse" cases are not good learning experiences, they are headaches!!!! IMO, the greater volume of cases you experience, the better. I know for a FACT that UDMSD's requirements are far less than many other dental schools. I know some states have GREAT medicaid coverage and so those dental schools have more requirements. Michigan has cut dental medicaid benefits!!!! Simply by seeing tons of cases, you will learn a ton. "Diversity" of cases means NOTHING, volume of cases means a whole lot more, IMO! And you don't get volume at UDMSD!

The pt pool at UDMSD is no better or worse than anywhere else. The faculty are generally friendly (few but MAJOR exceptions) but friendly faculty are not enough to make up for terrible policies and protocols. The clinic is a major headache even in spite of the friendly faculty! But yes, the unfriendly ones stick out like a sore thumb and will be a real pain. I just happens that the unfriendly ones happen to get into positions of leadership!

My point, don't go to UDMSD. You are bound not to enjoy your experience! Enjoy BU!

 

[lums2]

I graduated from UDMSD but i would HIGHLY suggest going to BU!!! You are bound to not enjoy your experience at UDMSD. The students there do not generally enjoy their experience.

To address some of your concerns, first, you will get no better education from UDMSD than you will from any other school!!! Seriously, i hear this so often but don't know what it is based off of. The ADA requires that ALL graduates from ANY dental school meet a certain minimal standard. UDMSD is no different. In fact, the clinical requirements at UDMSD are less than a ton of dental schools around the country. "Diverse" cases are not good learning experiences, they are headaches!!!! IMO, the greater volume of cases you experience, the better. I know for a FACT that UDMSD's requirements are far less than many other dental schools. I know some states have GREAT medicaid coverage and so those dental schools have more requirements. Michigan has cut dental medicaid benefits!!!! Simply by seeing tons of cases, you will learn a ton. "Diversity" of cases means NOTHING, volume of cases means a whole lot more, IMO! And you don't get volume at UDMSD!

The pt pool at UDMSD is no better or worse than anywhere else. The faculty are generally friendly (few but MAJOR exceptions) but friendly faculty are not enough to make up for terrible policies and protocols. The clinic is a major headache even in spite of the friendly faculty! But yes, the unfriendly ones stick out like a sore thumb and will be a real pain. I just happens that the unfriendly ones happen to get into positions of leadership!

My point, don't go to UDMSD. You are bound not to enjoy your experience! Enjoy BU!

If you feel that you needed more clinical experience, then it's your own fault for not treating more patients. I doubt there is a limit to the number of procedures you're allowed to do, and I think most students can take on as many patients as they can handle. You should have taken advantage of everything the school had to offer, and I don't think you should be blaming UDM for your shortcomings, it's very unprofessional.

 

[UDM H8tr]

If you feel that you needed more clinical experience, then it's your own fault for not treating more patients. I doubt there is a limit to the number of procedures you're allowed to do, and I think most students can take on as many patients as they can handle. You should have taken advantage of everything the school had to offer, and I don't think you should be blaming UDM for your shortcomings, it's very unprofessional.

You brought up some good concerns. Allow me to address them:

First, i never stated that I needed more clinical experience ... although that would be true. That is why i did post-grad training. MANY STUDENTS DO POST-GRAD TRAINING. It is common knowledge that graduating dentists are only considered "minimally competent". I don't know of a single graduating student that would not have liked more quality clinical experience!

With that said, I will say that the "educational experience" at UDMSD is terrible. But educational experience and clinical experience are two totally different things!

You seemed to equate "clinical experience" with the number of pts a student treats. This is absolutely false. I define, and i think most dental students would define "clinical experience" as the volume of quality dental procedures (endo and crowns specifically) a student is able to perform. Some students see a ton of patients on a totally booked schedule for two years yet they don't graduate on time because they aren't able to complete certain requirements. It has nothing to do with the students desire to gain a good "clinical experience"! So, clinical experience and number of pts seen are two totally different things!

While there are no formal limits on the number of procedures a student can perform, there are some very real limitations! First, if the pt can't afford treatment, you are not doing the procedure (no matter how much you want that "clinical experience"). Second, if the word gets out that you are doing valuable procedures beyond your graduation requirements and there are students who are not graduating on time because of you, you will be in BIG TIME TROUBLE!!! So, yes, there are severe limitations to gaining a "clinical experience". Most every dental student at UDMSD graduates with ROUGHLY the same experience! Bottom line! Not much you can do about it!

Also, when it comes to doing something like a denture, it becomes such a pain in the neck, a headache, or a nightmare, that it is simply not a good clinical experience. You are best just getting through dental school and gaining that experience in private practice or in a post-grad program where you have MUCH MORE flexibility!

So, i do feel i squeezed as much out of UDMSD as it had to offer. The unfortunate part is that i don't feel it had much to offer. I feel that i basically had to educate myself along the entire way. I felt like the UDMSD was more of a stumbling block than an assist in meeting my educational and career goals! Bottom line, average clinical education, terrible educational experience!