Buffalo vs. UDM

[terryyeon]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi guys. I am lucky to be accepted to these two schools Buffalo and UDM, but I am having a hard time deciding which school. Can you please give me some advice on deciding which school is better? I am OOS so tuition is about the same. Thanks.

 

[aznboi89x]

where do you see yourself at? UDM is nationally recognized for clinical experience and Buffalo is also a good school. I met a buffalo graduate in Houston and she had nothing but good things to say. For New york you can claim in state residency after a year so it will save you money in the long run. I also heard Buffalo's faculty is great!

where are you from btw?

 

[KittySquared]

Whichever one is cheaper is the way to go. Nothing else to consider, but that's just my opinion.

 

[terryyeon]

Thanks for your reply. I am from South Korea. So you think UDM is a better choice?

 

[terryyeon]

Thank you Kitty Squared. Cost is about the same (as I am OOS and I can't claim NY residency after a year).

 

[KittySquared]

I think UDM is a great school. I didn't interview there, so I don't know, but I think you have an abundance of patients to work with, so your hand skills will be great when you graduate. If cost is about the same, then from what I've read and heard about UDM from friends who went there, it is totally worth it! But be smart about where you live. Getting a car and living further away from the school is a good idea.

I interviewed at Buffalo and liked the atmosphere of the school a lot. Very friendly people and an outstanding prostho department. Prostho is something that makes a lot of dental students shiver lol. The materials taught in dental schools are less than a fraction of what people should know so it tends to give people headaches, but I'm confident that Buffalo will give you an edge with prostho.


Tough choice, I'm glad I'm not making such a decision lol.

 

[terryyeon]

Haha thanks for the detailed analysis Kitty. And yes, it is a tough tough tough decision. I think UDM, like you said, has a bigger patient pool, and has relatively new technology. Buffalo is in a safer area, is cheaper (just a little bit), and has smaller class size. In my opinion, Buffalo has more prestige as well. It is a tough decision.

 

[KittySquared]

Indeed indeed. Although I have to warn you, the pretty pre-clinics don't mean much. Once you start working in a patient's mouth, none of the fancy stuff in pre-clinic matters. As a dentist, your field of work is very small... Just a mouth lol. I went to my hygiene program with an outstanding and brand new clinic but in retrospect, my actual experience with patients mattered much more. Toronto is only an hour and half away from buffalo and buffalo has a lot of small gems nearby. The city itself and surrounsings are probably nicer overall compared to Detroit. Make lists about each school and see what you value more... Good luck with your decisions 🙂

 

[terryyeon]

Thanks again. It is a personal question and I am asking this because I am just curious. Which school would you choose Kitty? Is your goal becoming a general dentist as well?

 

[hockeyguy77]

Can't go wrong with either, but UDM seems to get really good reviews on here for the reasons you mentioned like access to patients etc.

 

[KittySquared]

Thanks again. It is a personal question and I am asking this because I am just curious. Which school would you choose Kitty? Is your goal becoming a general dentist as well?

For me, if I had to choose either schools, I would pick Buffalo, even if it's marginally cheaper. Any $ you save is good $. And I don't plan on taking the NERB exam. It's not really a fair exam and costs a lot of $. Doing a year of GPR in the state of NY and then you can work without having to take that horrendous test. I don't plan on going to other states so the northeast is a region I'd like to stay in. I'm unsure as to what regional test WREB or NERB they offer but I'd rather not take the NERB lol. I'm not sure how things work for internationals but you can purchase a condo for 70k to 110k in Buffalo. Housing market here doesn't depreciate like say, Florida. You can sell it and ultimately live comfortably for 4 years and sell it. I don't know what you're looking for, so it's hard to say. I'm actually doing GP and don't have plans on specializing. Either school is good for that. Livability and slight cheaper cost are the two deciding factors if I were in your shoes.

 

[bdental2013]

Can't go wrong with either, but UDM seems to get really good reviews on here for the reasons you mentioned like access to patients etc.

hockeyguy77, if you don't mind me asking, which school will you be attending?

 

[hockeyguy77]

hockeyguy77, if you don't mind me asking, which school will you be attending?

Probably UDM, waiting to hear back from a few others though.

 

[terryyeon]

I am just curious hockeyguy. What was the deciding factors for you to choose UDM over any other schools? Your answer and other's answers would really help me, as I am having a really hard time deciding between these two good schools.