Choosing a Dental School

[collegekid92]

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For those that have been accepted, Congratulations, and for the rest, don’t lose hope. I had a few questions regarding dental schools, and would be very appreciative of any feedback I could get.

Now that acceptances have rolled out, I had a few questions as to where to go/how to decide.

1. How much should cost be a factor in where I decide to go? Ultimately, my parents are going to be paying for it so loans, etc won’t be a factor, but that doesn’t mean that I am going to pick the most expensive school either because I still value their money ...

2. How does general DDS or DMD school correlate to an individual receiving a specific residency ... to what degree does the school you go to, influence post-grad plans.

3. In the long run, say I am from Pittsburg ... if I go to school in Boston, the connections and individuals I encounter will likely be from places other than Pittsburg so if I have a desire to ultimately practice in Pittsburg again or form a group practice, how difficult is this/would this be? ... along those same lines, do you think a practicing dentist would prefer you going to school in the same city as opposed to hours away?

4. Do most people (patients) really look at the school you graduated from, or for the most part is it just for your own pleasure?

Thank you in advance.

 

[ushaseos]

1) I am taking loans so this is a MAJOR consideration for me. Since you're not paying you have more flexibility but you have to decide at what point you think you're over paying. For me the choices are UCSF (if I hear back), UCLA (in) and UoP (if I get in). Both the UCs aren't cheap at ~275K, but they are my cheapest options. UoP is ~360K which is not a good deal, but adding in 1 extra year of even modest income, it ain't so bad. USC which is ~400K was a terrible proposition for me. I didn't want to take that kind of loan even if they gave me an extra year of income like UoP. (Not trying to offend fans of USC, just stating my opinion).

2) I am sure putting the name of a prestigious institution will be better for residency apps. That said, what constitutes prestige is completely vague. Residency is going to be mostly about how strong your application is and how well you're networked with your selected department and their analogues elsewhere. If you know the right folks and they like you, you'll have a relatively easier time matching. If you don't, good luck! To answer your questions though - less about institution, more about you and your relationships with the department.

3) If you're planning on starting your own practice you don't need to care. If you're planning on getting hired, it would depend on who is hiring you as an associate (or member for group practice). Geographic proximity can be a factor so if you have a place in mind, try to get in close. Personally, I think competence and personality would be the biggest factors...besides networking with the right people.

4) Nobody cares once you're done with your training. I've seen dentists from very presitigious places in my shadowing and volunteering. I've asked them where they went to school and if they liked it etc. but patients don't give a flying f***. If you do your job well, they couldn't care less. Of course you'll be hanging it in your office so its only you who'll care. This is partly why I was hoping to get just an acceptance. Didn't care where it came from since I know I'll do my very best where ever I go and I'll try to accomplish my goals. Once I'm done with dental and any potential residency things, it doesn't matter which school I went to.

As with any subjective answers, these are my opinions formed from things I've experienced or observed. YMMV