Buffalo Chairs

Started by ToothBlaster
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ToothBlaster

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10+ Year Member
UB is admitting around 50 internationally trained dentist now. You do not get your own chair at Buffalo anymore, apparently. And tuition went up/will go up by a lot.
Is Buffalo not worth it anymore to attend? What is the feedback on this?
Are you better off attending another school?
 
ToothBlaster said:
UB is admitting around 50 internationally trained dentist now. You do not get your own chair at Buffalo anymore, apparently. And tuition went up/will go up by a lot.
Is Buffalo not worth it anymore to attend? What is the feedback on this?
Are you better off attending another school?
Click to expand...

You mean that they are giving 50 of their seats to international students so that they can get their certifications in america?? Or are they adding 50 chairs and giving them to international dentists.
Either one sounds fairly ******ed. Lets take away from our own people and give to others. Typical US attitude.
Looks like I can cross another state school off my list.

Edit:
Link to where you found this plz.
 
Apparently, a few D1 students told me that they are giving 50 of their seats to international students so that they can get their certifications in america
Is Buffalo not worth it anymore to attend? What is the feedback on this?
 
There is an entire clinic floor that goes largely unused, if the school no longer gives students their own chair it will not be because of the foreign dentist program. The new program is designed to generate revenue for the school. Many states are bankrupt and state schools are losing funding, causing them to look for new ways to keep their doors open. The program likely won't have a large effect on the current program.

That being said, Buffalo has a new dean and he is very proactive. With a proactive dean comes a lot of changes. All for the better of student education we like to think, but only time will tell.
 
i dont remember hearing anything about international students on the interview back in November.

However, I did hear that tuition was going up and it will now be more difficult to gain residency.
 
i'm not sure about the exact amount,

but, what i know is that they are keeping the amount they take from US the same. but adding a certain amount of International students.


So don't worry you are not competing with that pool of students.

And yes, you will no longer get your OWN personal chair in clinic.
 
rickbhill said:
Can you elaborate? Where did you hear this?
Click to expand...

I mean...not too much to elaborate on. I think it was the woman who talked about financial aid.

On top of that, I'm not trying to hate on the school, but when I asked how many students took the NERB to the student panel while waiting for the interview, one of the girls said 30 students take it, but 1/3 did not pass.

That is verbatim. I was shocked. That really turned me off as an OOSer. The NERB is not required to practice in NY, But it is for the rest of the North East.
 
I interviewed back in November as well. I believe it was Karen Miller who gave the financial aid presentation. I remember her saying one used to be able to buy a house and be considered in-state their first year. They have done away with that and now one has to apply after 12 months of living there.

Is that what you heard?
 
rickbhill said:
I interviewed back in November as well. I believe it was Karen Miller who gave the financial aid presentation. I remember her saying one used to be able to buy a house and be considered in-state their first year. They have done away with that and now one has to apply after 12 months of living there.

Is that what you heard?
Click to expand...

I know that it is what I heard.
 
Will the access to clinical chairs/time be the same as before?
Will access to clinical chairs/time be different with the influx of the international students?
 
rickbhill said:
I interviewed back in November as well. I believe it was Karen Miller who gave the financial aid presentation. I remember her saying one used to be able to buy a house and be considered in-state their first year. They have done away with that and now one has to apply after 12 months of living there.

Is that what you heard?
Click to expand...

That sounds right. I just remember her saying it was not as easy as in the past.
 
The website states that scholarships are awarded to 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students based on need and/or merit. Karen Miller said at my interview that they are usually only several hundred dollars to, at the most, a few thousand.
 
DentalMan123 said:
Will the access to clinical chairs/time be the same as before?
Will access to clinical chairs/time be different with the influx of the international students?
Click to expand...

I am a 2nd year now and this issue is raising some serious eyebrows within our dental school community......However:

The Dean is making some progressive and proactive moves due to the budget cuts that our state has laid down on the SUNY system the past few years.

There are so many operatories (3 floors x 90 per floor) that no body will be without a chair when they have a procedure scheduled -- it just may not be the same chair. Adding international students is a way to increase revenue and make more money for the school because when operatories go unused it's a huge waste of money. This will increase efficiency of our clinics without taking away full-time faculty positions in an attempt to combat the budget cuts.

Moral of the story - don't freak out. You will have a chair anytime you need it. Buffalo has one of the strongest clinical educations in the country and that will not change by adding international students. Change has to be made and most people in this country hate change... Be open minded and don't jump to conclusions based on rumors and false accusations.
 
aadsashoops said:
I am a 2nd year now and this issue is raising some serious eyebrows within our dental school community......However:

The Dean is making some progressive and proactive moves due to the budget cuts that our state has laid down on the SUNY system the past few years.

There are so many operatories (3 floors x 90 per floor) that no body will be without a chair when they have a procedure scheduled -- it just may not be the same chair. Adding international students is a way to increase revenue and make more money for the school because when operatories go unused it's a huge waste of money. This will increase efficiency of our clinics without taking away full-time faculty positions in an attempt to combat the budget cuts.

Moral of the story - don't freak out. You will have a chair anytime you need it. Buffalo has one of the strongest clinical educations in the country and that will not change by adding international students. Change has to be made and most people in this country hate change... Be open minded and don't jump to conclusions based on rumors and false accusations.
Click to expand...


Recent estimate is there is 16 international students. The Dean has also said they will not be included in class rankings.

There are currently 4 tiers (groups) in the School. The Dean said it is possible to split the tiers into 6 tiers once international students arrive. This may create better faculty student ratio.
 
Please do not freak out over this new international program. UB is under some serious budget cuts from Albany already and it wouldn't be a surprise if more budget cuts come our way in years to come. Thus we need to find a way to fund our school without cutting faculty and minimize the impact on our education. The Dean has made some tough decisions, some agree while others do not, but you need to keep in mind that his intentions are to keep our future bright. Think long term, not short.

Yes you may not have your own chair with your own storage space but you will ALWAYS have a chair when you need one. The way the new system is being designed is to have 6 tier system and the students will be on a rotation (between externships and patient care). Getting your own chair is a nice perk but sharing a chair is better than seeing sacrifices in our education due to budget cuts.

With the new international program UB will be able to receive more funding and thus we can keep our school as "whole" as possible. If this ends up working towards our favor we should be able to see improvements in our clinics while maintaing the quality of education.

It is unfortunate that these changes came but no one predicted that NYS would be at a financial crisis. I personally feel that sharing a chair is a small price to pay to attend such a great school.

They are first going to test this out by introducing 16 students to the 3rd year class of 2013. Which will be a scratch on a wall. If things run smoothly they will introduce more but the numbers aren't clear. The plan is still in progress as they tweak it so it may be a success. Our goal is to have a self sustaining school and these actions had to be made if we want to continue to be a great dental school.
 
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