Columbia University AMA (Rising D4)

[Alpha Centauri]

Another year another match cycle. Please feel free to post anything that might need to be answered as I procrastinate for the last few days of our D3 Finals

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[batman12345]

Since this question is for sure going to be asked a ton, might as well get it out of the way first. Estimated student loan balance? Your #1 plan to pay it back whether through government forgiveness or aggressively?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Since this question is for sure going to be asked a ton, might as well get it out of the way first. Estimated student loan balance? Your #1 plan to pay it back whether through government forgiveness or aggressively?

Probably around 280k.

Govt forgiveness is not for me IMO. I would have a better answer for you if I was working already, however I would say I lean on the side of paying less money for longer to have a better quality of life. Current plan is to graduate then do a GPR, associate for a year or two then move on. Anything can change in a moment's notice (IE COVID) but am fairly comfortable with that rough plan

 

[batman12345]

Probably around 280k.

Govt forgiveness is not for me IMO. I would have a better answer for you if I was working already, however I would say I lean on the side of paying less money for longer to have a better quality of life. Current plan is to graduate then do a GPR, associate for a year or two then move on. Anything can change in a moment's notice (IE COVID) but am fairly comfortable with that rough plan

I agree govt forgiveness isn’t for me either. Who wants to wait 25 years?

Why a GPR? And how much practice do you believe you’ll have by the end of your D4 year, especially in bigger procedures such as crowns, molar endo, implants?

 

[NJ_Doc]

Probably around 280k.

Govt forgiveness is not for me IMO. I would have a better answer for you if I was working already, however I would say I lean on the side of paying less money for longer to have a better quality of life. Current plan is to graduate then do a GPR, associate for a year or two then move on. Anything can change in a moment's notice (IE COVID) but am fairly comfortable with that rough plan

Hello I am just curious about the 280k. Did you get scholarships from Columbia? Or have you been paying off loans? I am really interested in Columbia dental but the cost of attendance is a big factor for me. right now, the estimated cost of attendance is just under $120k a year for 4 years, plus a 4-5% interest rate for a decade at best. but if you have 280k, that is alot more doable.

Also another question. How do you like the combined classes with the medical school curriculum? did this have a big impact on your education or made you better prepared? thanks.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I agree govt forgiveness isn’t for me either. Who wants to wait 25 years?

Why a GPR? And how much practice do you believe you’ll have by the end of your D4 year, especially in bigger procedures such as crowns, molar endo, implants?

I want for a patient to walk into my practice with a complex scenario and ask myself "How" can I treat them rather than "If" I can treat them. I'm also not sure if I want to specialize or not and want to be absolutely sure before committing to a speciality.

Dental school isn't for speed/practice. That comes with experience (GPR+) and I am not worried about it

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Hello I am just curious about the 280k. Did you get scholarships from Columbia? Or have you been paying off loans? I am really interested in Columbia dental but the cost of attendance is a big factor for me. right now, the estimated cost of attendance is just under $120k a year for 4 years, plus a 4-5% interest rate for a decade at best. but if you have 280k, that is alot more doable.

Also another question. How do you like the combined classes with the medical school curriculum? did this have a big impact on your education or made you better prepared? thanks.

1) A little of both. I was fortunate to receive a small stipend which helped tremendously. I also keep myself busy and do some side work here and there related to my hobbies. My debtload is not typical of any private dental student.

2) Med school was cool. Cadaver lab was a great experience as well. A lot of classes felt unrelated to dentistry but wasn't really something to complain about. Some classes were super straightforward where you just needed to read lecture handouts / summaries provided to you, others were not so clear. Never was an issue though.

There's definitely a honeymoon phase with the med students in the beginning but cross talk between programs slowly fade away as they ease into rotations. I'm still friends with a bunch of them

 

[Predent20192023]

Sorry this will be a lot of questions but I'm very interested in Columbia. What were your undergrad stats, dat score, extracurriculars, and did you do any research? How many stipends does Columbia give out annually? Cost of living /rent? On campus living or off? If off Do you like the P/F grading system? Thanks so much for doing this.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Sorry this will be a lot of questions but I'm very interested in Columbia. What were your undergrad stats, dat score, extracurriculars, and did you do any research? How many stipends does Columbia give out annually? Cost of living /rent? On campus living or off? If off Do you like the P/F grading system? Thanks so much for doing this.

3.8 GPA, 24 TS 23AA 17PAT 25 RC 19 QR. EC I had my own business and normal volunteer work. Stipends not sure but they exist and are assigned based on your FAFSA I believe. Cost of living is very high but that also depends on your financial habits (Blessed with my parents covering rent). Rent is 1200 per person for a 3 bed 2 bath in on campus housing. Pass fail is AWESOME

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

What other schools did you get into and why did you choose Columbia?
What are the clinical requirements to graduate and is it easy to fulfill them?
How do you like the washington heights area of NYC?

 

[FeralisExtremum]

Hi, why Columbia?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

What other schools did you get into and why did you choose Columbia?
What are the clinical requirements to graduate and is it easy to fulfill them?
How do you like the washington heights area of NYC?

I only got into private schools and CDM was similar in price. No brainer
Clinical requirements are actually competencies. You do a dry run or two before you take the final practical with (both are patient based but the final you cannot have faculty help you)
Washington heights is not my favorite place to live but it is more affordable

 

[toothstones123]

How do you think your D4 year will be affected due to Covid in NYC? Clinic time? requirements?

 

[Alpha Centauri]

How do you think your D4 year will be affected due to Covid in NYC? Clinic time? requirements?

Less clinic time, less hands on learning / more hands off learning, same graduation date.

Bummer for sure but as I mentioned, I know I will do the most learning in a GPR

 

[toothstones123]

Less clinic time, less hands on learning / more hands off learning, same graduation date.

Bummer for sure but as I mentioned, I know I will do the most learning in a GPR

Thanks for the reply- I'm an incoming D1 at CDM and I'm kinda expecting at this point that the D1s won't be on campus... Do you have any advice for the transition especially since I'll probably be doing didactics from home?

 

[Tea&Teeth]

How large is the patient pool for Columbia? Do you have a hard time finding patients? What do most students do after graduating (e.g. GPR/AEGD or specializing or straight to clinic etc.)? I am very interested in Columbia and wish to apply there this cycle, what is their school's focus (e.g. UCLA is big on research and UCSF is big on outreach). Thanks a bunch!

 

[Life of Pablo]

Thanks for the reply- I'm an incoming D1 at CDM and I'm kinda expecting at this point that the D1s won't be on campus... Do you have any advice for the transition especially since I'll probably be doing didactics from home?

Honestly you kind of lucked out. Dont have to spend on rent, so you'll save a lot. Everyone studies from home anyway.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Thanks for the reply- I'm an incoming D1 at CDM and I'm kinda expecting at this point that the D1s won't be on campus... Do you have any advice for the transition especially since I'll probably be doing didactics from home?

Similar to what TLOP said, first semester was mostly didactics that could easily be done from home. Is it stupid you are paying 40k for a semester of online learning? Yes. However your clinic time wont be affected, as you don't start drilling until second semester. Expect to take biochemistry, anatomy, tooth anatomy ,and histology for first semester. It wont be bad at all online and yes saving on the rent is pretty big. Not sure if you need to be in NYC for that or not however

 

[Alpha Centauri]

How large is the patient pool for Columbia? Do you have a hard time finding patients? What do most students do after graduating (e.g. GPR/AEGD or specializing or straight to clinic etc.)? I am very interested in Columbia and wish to apply there this cycle, what is their school's focus (e.g. UCLA is big on research and UCSF is big on outreach). Thanks a bunch!

Patient pool is great, never a hard time having patients. Very few go straight into private practice, most specialize with the remainder doing AEGD/GPR