Buffalo interview

[NA4242]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Has anyone interviewed at Buffalo for this cycle? Any feedback would be great. I have my interview there next week.

 

[syn_apse]

i'm up to bat in a few weeks so i am also interested in what people thought of their interview...

 

[emthichrangdep]

when are your interviews, mine's coming up too!

 

[Bronco]

i'm up to bat in a few weeks so i am also interested in what people thought of their interview...

I was scheduled for an early October, but delayed it and just had it yesterday. Nothing to worry about fellas. Its one of the more laid back ones. The 2 dudes that were interviewing me were actually nice and sweet and we started talkin about random stuff, not dental related, for the first 15 minutes of the interview. The writing sample is not a big deal. You have 10 minutes, but its not the content they are looking for. I was impressed bye their clinic. And found out they have a very good research going on aswell. As for preparations, check out the interview feedback and you will be fine. The best part was the food. Some real good Buffalo wings!!! So relax guys, take a deep breath, take some time to check out some chicks. And go kick a$s!

 

[virginiabeach]

I was scheduled for an early October, but delayed it and just had it yesterday. Nothing to worry about fellas. Its one of the more laid back ones. The 2 dudes that were interviewing me were actually nice and sweet and we started talkin about random stuff, not dental related, for the first 15 minutes of the interview. The writing sample is not a big deal. You have 10 minutes, but its not the content they are looking for. I was impressed bye their clinic. And found out they have a very good research going on aswell. As for preparations, check out the interview feedback and you will be fine. The best part was the food. Some real good Buffalo wings!!! So relax guys, take a deep breath, take some time to check out some chicks. And go kick a$s!

I had mine today. I agree with just about everything you said. Interview was very relaxed. The 3rd and 4th year clinic is very nice but the 1st and 2nd year lab is pretty ancient. There isnt a sim lab either. I also didnt realize that there are no textbooks. Everything is off the computer which I thought was odd. You also have to buy one of their computers for 3500 bucks but the tuition is cheap and you can declare residency after the first year. Everyone gets the standard "what is professionalism?" question. Everyone in the admissions office if very friendly. Bring a jacket if you aren't used to the cold weather. I recommend staying the University Inn. They have a free shuttle to a from airport and also to the school in the morning, and also free breakfast. My room was $68 and it had two beds. Make sure to mention that you are there for the interview when you make a reservation to get the discount. Good luck.

 

[superchris147]

I had mine today. I agree with just about everything you said. Interview was very relaxed. The 3rd and 4th year clinic is very nice but the 1st and 2nd year lab is pretty ancient. There isnt a sim lab either. I also didnt realize that there are no textbooks. Everything is off the computer which I thought was odd. You also have to buy one of their computers for 3500 bucks but the tuition is cheap and you can declare residency after the first year. Everyone gets the standard "what is professionalism?" question. Everyone in the admissions office if very friendly. Bring a jacket if you aren't used to the cold weather. I recommend staying the University Inn. They have a free shuttle to a from airport and also to the school in the morning, and also free breakfast. My room was $68 and it had two beds. Make sure to mention that you are there for the interview when you make a reservation to get the discount. Good luck.

the computer costs around 2000 and something dollars but then all your textbooks cost around 1300 so the total costs are 3500. just thought i would clarify

also, having your books all on one computer is actually really nice (or at least i think it is). i know a lot of schools are switching over to this type of thing. its nice to be able to look up 3 different terms that you've never heard of in under a minute when you are sitting in lecture . . . as well as playing video games 😱

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Yes, I agree with a lot of what everyone else said (I had mine on Oct 20). I'll just summarize my thoughts:

PROS: You get your own operatory the 3rd and 4th year, so everyone sets up plants, fishtanks, pictures, etc. It had a really cozy, inviting, and realistic atmosphere. And the pedodontic clinic was adorable; they seem to really, really care about their patients! So you'd get a good intro to running a practice and getting to know your pts. Also, the students were laid back and friendly but there is a very high degree of professionalism, too. I never got the "professionalism question" during the interview, but they made it clear that they call each other by their last names, etc. Um....TONS of preclinical preparation, GORGEOUS library!!! Check out the main reading room and the medical history museum downstairs. The city is actually really nice...small place, but lots of culture and of course near niagara falls and Toronto! Um...the online textbooks let you search for stuff, school is CHEAP once you get residency

CONS: Some of the students didn't seem as rigorous...for instance, one came in wearing dirty clothes and unshowered, bragging that he got in from the waiting list and that he was still passing with all Cs. There's nothing wrong with that, but students at other schools didn't seem to be as braggy that it's possible to just squeeze by...I'm not trying to sound prejudiced; it just came off oddly. (Other students seemed great though). Online text can become tiresome to read, apparently...some of the students said that their profs aren't the best at teaching since they're doing their own thing and that you really should supplement what you're learning on your own. It's cold and snowy. You need to pay out-of-state for a year before becoming a NY resident.

Hope this helps! Any agree/disagreements??

 

[superchris147]

CONS: Some of the students didn't seem as rigorous...for instance, one came in wearing dirty clothes and unshowered, bragging that he got in from the waiting list and that he was still passing with all Cs. There's nothing wrong with that, but students at other schools didn't seem to be as braggy that it's possible to just squeeze by...I'm not trying to sound prejudiced; it just came off oddly.

I don't think you can use one thing that a student against a school and i think that as predents you should really try and remember this for all the schools you interview at. now that i'm in dental school i realized that a lot of things i looked for in schools really did not matter as much as i thought it would.

but nonetheless, just focus on what you want in a school and look for those things and pay less attention to what individuals say.

to address your concern that the students don't seem as rigorous i would have to say that it depends on what class they are in here at buffalo. i'm in the first year class and my class is extremely rigorous. for example we just had our second biochem test. 15 people out of 84 scored a 100%. That means that you're not even in the top 15% if you score a perfect! Our dental anatomy teacher told me that he had heard our class was smart so he made the test as hard as he could but almost the entire class got A's and B's. I can give other examples such as our class scored higher on the gross exams than any other dental class the anatomy teachers can remember (according to the course director, and we score higher than the current med student class). Basically, the average on tests is around 85% which I think is very competitive and I personally would wish it would be around 75%.

They select random students to talk to interviewees so you can imagine you could either get the most anal student or the guy that really doesn't even care that he's in dental school telling you his opinion about the school. I'm not trying to act like buffalo doesn't have its faults but i just don't think that one is one of them

good luck

 

[TucsonDDS]

I don't think you can use one thing that a student against a school and i think that as predents you should really try and remember this for all the schools you interview at. now that i'm in dental school i realized that a lot of things i looked for in schools really did not matter as much as i thought it would.

but nonetheless, just focus on what you want in a school and look for those things and pay less attention to what individuals say.

to address your concern that the students don't seem as rigorous i would have to say that it depends on what class they are in here at buffalo. i'm in the first year class and my class is extremely rigorous. for example we just had our second biochem test. 15 people out of 84 scored a 100%. That means that you're not even in the top 15% if you score a perfect! Our dental anatomy teacher told me that he had heard our class was smart so he made the test as hard as he could but almost the entire class got A's and B's. I can give other examples such as our class scored higher on the gross exams than any other dental class the anatomy teachers can remember (according to the course director, and we score higher than the current med student class). Basically, the average on tests is around 85% which I think is very competitive and I personally would wish it would be around 75%.

They select random students to talk to interviewees so you can imagine you could either get the most anal student or the guy that really doesn't even care that he's in dental school telling you his opinion about the school. I'm not trying to act like buffalo doesn't have its faults but i just don't think that one is one of them

good luck

We kicked those Meds asses on the last couple Gross tests.

Buffalo is as rigorous or as kicked back as you want to be. You will get out of it what you put into it just like any other school. Sure you can graduate with C's but a lot of people want A's. That is why I have been in the library for a grand total of 14 hours this weekend studying histo. Why the fxxk am I still in here.
😕

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Thanks so much for all your reassurance. I felt terrible sharing that experience, and I'm doing my best to be as relaxed and bias-avoiding as possible in this process. I generally have many, many things I'm looking at in each school and each seems to have amazing programs (I'm really trying to choose among the pros, not the cons). I suppose I'm just a little nevous since I come from a large, public university and I'm just ready for a higher caliber of students. I loved my time at UMass, but I'm getting a little tired of the HUGE range of students. Though I have no doubt that dental school is indeed a world on its own!! Judging by how amazing all these applicants are, it's obvious that there won't be a lacking of brilliant minds to bump up against!

Thanks again.