Buffalo or UCLA?-help me decide!

[dentaldoc]

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Hi guys,

I got accepted by both UB and UCLA. I have couple of days to decide which one to choose..

What would you guys will choose if you were in my shoes?

I would love to hear your valuable opinons.. 🙂

 

[PERFECT3435]

ummmm, this one is fairly easy. most def UCLA.

but who cares what i'd choose and what someone else would choose. you guys need to choose a school based on whats best for you. not what i or anyone else thinks.

 

[dentaldoc]

ummmm, this one is fairly easy. most def UCLA.

but who cares what i'd choose and what someone else would choose. you guys need to choose a school based on whats best for you. not what i or anyone else thinks.

I live neither in California nor in Buffalo. So I have to move no mattter which one I choose..
I have visited these schools only once each(for the interview). I don't have any friends studying in these schools. So I am not much aware of how the students feel abt the school. Since I have to decide in a couple of days, I am worried whether I will make the correct decision..

I would appreciate if you guys can tell me what you think as +ves and -ves of these 2 schools.

I will really be thankfull if any student from Buffalo/UCLA will guide me in this

Thanks in advance!

 

[ncalcate]

Hi guys,

I got accepted by both UB and UCLA. I have couple of days to decide which one to choose..

What would you guys will choose if you were in my shoes?

I would love to hear your valuable opinons.. 🙂

I can't comment on the clinical experiences of a Buffalo student since I don't start until August. But I can comment a bit on life in Buffalo.

It's colder than LA... but so is Boston, NYC, Philly and a lot of other schools. Buffalo gets a decent amount of snow, but having lived in Boston for 20 years, the snow that Buffalo gets is only slightly more than you would expect in NYC or Boston. But certainly more snow than LA! But so far, the weather is no worse than I ever saw in Boston. Bottom line: weather in Buffalo is not as bad as some people say.

Unlike UCLA, you can live like a king in Buffalo for very little money. You can live in a nice 1 bdr apartment within walking distance to school for less than $500 per month, including utilities. You simply can't find that around UCLA. From what I've heard, you'd have to pay at least $1000 per month to live in a small apartment that is at least 20 minutes from campus. If you calculate this cost difference over 4 years, that is a huge amount of money. I'm not sure about UCLA, but you can be a NY state resident for years 2, 3, and 4. So you'll pay in-state tuition, which will greatly reduce your overall debt.

That being said, UCLA is a great school. If you hate the cold and want to spend the extra money to live in an exciting city, then think about UCLA. Also think about where you want to eventually practice. At Buffalo, your training will be geared towards different boards (NERBs) than the ones in California. If you want to practice in NY or New England (like me), then Buffalo might be a better bet.

Just some thoughts... good luck in your decision.

 

[dentaldoc]

I can't comment on the clinical experiences of a Buffalo student since I don't start until August. But I can comment a bit on life in Buffalo.

It's colder than LA... but so is Boston, NYC, Philly and a lot of other schools. Buffalo gets a decent amount of snow, but having lived in Boston for 20 years, the snow that Buffalo gets is only slightly more than you would expect in NYC or Boston. But certainly more snow than LA! But so far, the weather is no worse than I ever saw in Boston. Bottom line: weather in Buffalo is not as bad as some people say.

Unlike UCLA, you can live like a king in Buffalo for very little money. You can live in a nice 1 bdr apartment within walking distance to school for less than $500 per month, including utilities. You simply can't find that around UCLA. From what I've heard, you'd have to pay at least $1000 per month to live in a small apartment that is at least 20 minutes from campus. If you calculate this cost difference over 4 years, that is a huge amount of money. I'm not sure about UCLA, but you can be a NY state resident for years 2, 3, and 4. So you'll pay in-state tuition, which will greatly reduce your overall debt.

That being said, UCLA is a great school. If you hate the cold and want to spend the extra money to live in an exciting city, then think about UCLA. Also think about where you want to eventually practice. At Buffalo, your training will be geared towards different boards (NERBs) than the ones in California. If you want to practice in NY or New England (like me), then Buffalo might be a better bet.

Just some thoughts... good luck in your decision.

Thanks for the input dude!. It sure helped me.

Can I ask you abt the patient pool at UB. What I want to know is whether it's adequate to complete the graduation requirements in time?

Apparently the patient pool is less in UCLA..

 

[Jediwendell]

You know, it sure snows a lot in Buffalo...........................Plus Westwood kicks butt. My wife wondered if this was a joke post. 😉

 

[DocDrtySanchez]

I am a Buffalo graduate...actually, I've completed three degrees at UB. After speaking with program directors at about 15 different ortho programs, Buffalo has an excellent reputation and is regarded very highly. I could not have gotten a better education...and for the price, you can't beat it. Granted Buffalo is not the most exciting place to live...but you can't beat 500 a month for a nice two bedroom apartment. Plus, the people are nice, life is nice and slow, and it takes no more than 15 minutes to get
anywhere...compare that to LA.

 

[ncalcate]

Thanks for the input dude!. It sure helped me.

Can I ask you abt the patient pool at UB. What I want to know is whether it's adequate to complete the graduation requirements in time?

Apparently the patient pool is less in UCLA..

Still being a pre-dental student, I don't have any direct experience, but I can pass a long what I've heard. My wife works for a recent Buffalo graduate, who's been out of school for only 10 months, and is already making low six figures (that amount of $$ goes a LONG way here in low-cost Buffalo).

According to him, he said that is was "challenging" to line up all the patients he needed to pass the NERBs, but he attributed that more to the requirements of the NERB as opposed to a lack of patients here in Buffalo. As far as completing your requirements to graduate on time, he's never mentioned that, nor did he ever talk about students not graduating on time because of a lack of patients. So that leads me to believe that isn't a problem.

The practice my wife works for is very large - and is made up primarily of Buffalo graduates, many who graduated in the past 5 years. I have spoken to (and shadowed) many of them, and they all have nothing but positive things to say about Buffalo.

Hope that helps.

 

[ecdoesit]

Interesting post. I would like to give more input, but kinda have to study for finals (7 down 1 to go). Go to check out the predental forum, there should be a class of 2009 thread. Talk with ur potential future classmates. I donno anything from Buffulo, so it is really hard to make comparison. But I have lived in So Cal for over 10 yrs and love it very much here. Weather is super, well, ignore this year that we get the 2nd highest record of partcipitation. When it is a bad day in the lab, I just look out the window and life just got better =) It could also go the other way around while the sky is so sunny while we are studying and it rained after the midterm!

UCLA is great for specilizing. We are relatively weak in patient pool comparing with other CA schools.

My suggestion is to put deposit at both school(they are refundable, right?) and visit each school again. This is your next 4 plus year. It definitely requires more time to think it over. I have shown several people around campus and they turn out to make highly educatable decision about their choice.

Another way is to make a pros and cons.

Ya, it seems long and never ending, but we, as dentists, are likely to face decision making time in the future. Better to practice early.

Getta go review my notes.

 

[Tiramisu]

Go to a school/environment that will make you happy for the next 4 years. I am from CA originally, but I came to school here in the east coast and thank god this is my last year. My life here, regardless of what school i go to, is freak'n miserable. So make sure you like the place/environment you are going to.