Columbia vs. Tufts

[HermeyCrab]

Struggling to decide between these two!!!!

I think my gut is telling me Columbia-- I like that students are ambitious/motivated but not (from what I sensed) competitive, especially with P/F/Honors system; doors are wide open to specialize; smaller class size; and NYC would be an exciting place to be after spending most of my life in Massachusetts and attending undergrad in Boston (a city I LOVE but maybe need to branch out from...)

Hesitation is mainly due to Tufts' superior clinical reputation. I don't like the sound of Columbia's heavy didactic emphasis and lack of clinic until 3rd year. Seems like going to Columbia means accepting that I'll definitely do a postgrad program afterward, even if I decide on general dentistry. I always imagined dental school curriculum to follow more along the lines of Tufts' , with clinic beginning earlier and students leaving more confident with their hand skills. But then again, maybe postgrad programs are becoming more highly recommended universally, and the extra biomed curriculum + year spent in AEGD or GPR would be worthwhile...? Ah, I'm stuck, I really don't know!

Would appreciate any input!

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[ColumbiaASDA]

To answer your question, Columbia does have a heavy didactic emphasis but doing a post-grad residency is extremely common--in fact, very few people end up going straight into private practice. By coming to Columbia, you're not forced to "definitely" do a postgrad program. It's up to you. If you want to do private practice afterwards (which some students have because they've secured a job), then go for it. Most students like doing a GPR/AEGD--hospital experience rather than in a private setting. Going to residency helps you improve on your hand skills and it presents to you cases that you may never see in private practice. Competency shouldn't be the question at all--you'll be spending your whole life in this profession. You'll constantly be learning. It's really up to you to decide what matters more: good clinical experience/good education. I will say that post-grad directors have always praised Columbia for their stellar students--hence we have such a high specialization rate. They know the caliber of Columbia students.

Our curriculum is constantly changing--for instance, I believe we have a new curriculum for the class of 2018 in preclinics; in addition, the current second years might be able to perform cleanings on patients in their second semester. To be honest, I personally wouldn't be comfortable working on a patient until I've developed a strong foundation on the procedure.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[HermeyCrab]

Great answer, thanks. Very true-- starting clinic early doesn't make sense if you're not properly prepared.

On that note, would you mind sharing your experience with preclinics at Columbia? I see that the current curriculum devotes fourth semester entirely to PCC. Did you get much training in hand skills prior to that? Was it enough to leave you feeling confident (or as confident as possible, anyways!) to enter clinic? Sounds like the curriculum might be changing, so I'll be sure to call admissions and ask what the plan is for 2018, but I'm still curious to hear what you have to say!

Thanks for being so helpful!

 

[IsaacYankem]

Columbia. Far more options regarding specializing, and Tufts grads have told me they felt the clinical reputation is slightly overrated.

 

[ColumbiaASDA]

Great answer, thanks. Very true-- starting clinic early doesn't make sense if you're not properly prepared.

On that note, would you mind sharing your experience with preclinics at Columbia? I see that the current curriculum devotes fourth semester entirely to PCC. Did you get much training in hand skills prior to that? Was it enough to leave you feeling confident (or as confident as possible, anyways!) to enter clinic? Sounds like the curriculum might be changing, so I'll be sure to call admissions and ask what the plan is for 2018, but I'm still curious to hear what you have to say!

Thanks for being so helpful!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/asda-at-columbia-university.1032269/

Can you ask the question here? This way everyone else who's interested in what Columbia has to offer can also view your inquiry. I'll respond to your post accordingly.