Columbia vs. UCSF (OOS) vs. TX-Houston (IS)

[toothy97]

Hi all,

I was lucky enough to be accepted to all the dental schools I applied to, and have narrowed it down to three (which I have already put down deposits for). However, I am struggling severely with which school to choose. I want to specialize- and am specifically interested in OMFS- so Columbia and UCSF are very appealing for that. However, I am a TX resident, and UT Houston is significantly cheaper- another draw except for the fact it seems much more geared towards producing general dentists.

Columbia:
-450k total for living expenses, tuition, etc
-Great medical integration (I've always loved learning about the human body, and it would prepare me well for CBSE)
-95% got accepted to post-bac
-Its always been my dream to live in New York. This might be my only chance to do so.
-GREAT family atmosphere
-Pass/fail

UT Houston:
-CHEAP. 252k total for everything.
-In the largest medical center in the word, numerous opportunities because of this
-Great family atmosphere
-No statistics on amount that specialize- but again, seems to be mostly geared towards general dentistry (someone who goes there can correct me on this?)
-Graded (NOT pass/fail)

San Francisco:
-373k total
-Awesome curriculum that is also pass/fail
-Friendly students and faculty
-Also great for specializing

I know people always say go to the cheapest school, but I also value experiences. Being able to live in a completely different city and have different experiences is really valuable to me, and I don't think I would enjoy living in Houston as much. However, finances might very well outweigh that. Any opinions would be appreciated!

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[SuxDrugs&Rocuronium]

Hi all,

I was lucky enough to be accepted to all the dental schools I applied to, and have narrowed it down to three (which I have already put down deposits for). However, I am struggling severely with which school to choose. I want to specialize- and am specifically interested in OMFS- so Columbia and UCSF are very appealing for that. However, I am a TX resident, and UT Houston is significantly cheaper- another draw except for the fact it seems much more geared towards producing general dentists.

Columbia:
-450k total for living expenses, tuition, etc
-Great medical integration (I've always loved learning about the human body, and it would prepare me well for CBSE)
-95% got accepted to post-bac
-Its always been my dream to live in New York. This might be my only chance to do so.
-GREAT family atmosphere
-Pass/fail

UT Houston:
-CHEAP. 252k total for everything.
-In the largest medical center in the word, numerous opportunities because of this
-Great family atmosphere
-No statistics on amount that specialize- but again, seems to be mostly geared towards general dentistry (someone who goes there can correct me on this?)
-Graded (NOT pass/fail)

San Francisco:
-373k total
-Awesome curriculum that is also pass/fail
-Friendly students and faculty
-Also great for specializing

I know people always say go to the cheapest school, but I also value experiences. Being able to live in a completely different city and have different experiences is really valuable to me, and I don't think I would enjoy living in Houston as much. However, finances might very well outweigh that. Any opinions would be appreciated!

Live in a different city for new experiences after you graduate. Go to the cheapest school. With the extra 100k+ you’ll save you can have many, many great experiences.


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[Daurang]

CHEAPEST COST!!! No 'if,or, but.'
My nephew chose Columbia cause NYC is cool but now regrets the expensive experience .
My other nephew just moved out SF cause the city is full of druggies, ****, and homeless...even in the middle of financial district.
I moved out of SF Bay Area years ago cause I'll be a lot richer and retire a lot sooner elsewhere. Don't forget the really high cost of doing business, really high cost of living, really high taxes if you choose to stay in Cali or NY after graduation from Columbia/UCSF.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Houston.

 

[macsak]

CHEAPEST COST!!! No 'if,or, but.'
My nephew chose Columbia cause NYC is cool but now regrets the expensive experience .
My other nephew just moved out SF cause the city is full of druggies, ****, and homeless...even in the middle of financial district.
I moved out of SF Bay Area years ago cause I'll be a lot richer and retire a lot sooner elsewhere. Don't forget the really high cost of doing business, really high cost of living, really high taxes if you choose to stay in Cali or NY after graduation from Columbia/UCSF.

what he said

 

[PreDentTechySon]

I would not want to live in SF or NY just for the experience. The cost of living in both of those cities is among the highest in the nation. Also, you will be so busy with school during those years you likely wont be out exploring all the time. You could probably get the same experience visiting those cities each comfortably for a week with the extra hundreds of thousands you would be saving by chosing Houston ;-) .

You will likely get comperable experience at UT Houston as you would at Columbia or UCSF. If your plans are to specialize in OMFS, your CBSE, class rank and EC’s matter more than the school you attend. I would say the exception may be if you really want to do research and you want a research heavy school (which doesn’t sound like that’s your goal).

 

[Cthuluhoop]

Without a doubt UT Houston. That extra 200k in loans is not worth the experience of living in New York, and in 5 years you'll be thanking your younger self

 

[suede]

Hi all,

I was lucky enough to be accepted to all the dental schools I applied to, and have narrowed it down to three (which I have already put down deposits for). However, I am struggling severely with which school to choose. I want to specialize- and am specifically interested in OMFS- so Columbia and UCSF are very appealing for that. However, I am a TX resident, and UT Houston is significantly cheaper- another draw except for the fact it seems much more geared towards producing general dentists.

Columbia:
-450k total for living expenses, tuition, etc
-Great medical integration (I've always loved learning about the human body, and it would prepare me well for CBSE)
-95% got accepted to post-bac
-Its always been my dream to live in New York. This might be my only chance to do so.
-GREAT family atmosphere
-Pass/fail

UT Houston:
-CHEAP. 252k total for everything.
-In the largest medical center in the word, numerous opportunities because of this
-Great family atmosphere
-No statistics on amount that specialize- but again, seems to be mostly geared towards general dentistry (someone who goes there can correct me on this?)
-Graded (NOT pass/fail)

San Francisco:
-373k total
-Awesome curriculum that is also pass/fail
-Friendly students and faculty
-Also great for specializing

I know people always say go to the cheapest school, but I also value experiences. Being able to live in a completely different city and have different experiences is really valuable to me, and I don't think I would enjoy living in Houston as much. However, finances might very well outweigh that. Any opinions would be appreciated!

May I ask how you got 252k as the total for UT Houston? Since you're instate, the amount you pay to the school (tuition/other fees) would be around 35k per year (140k for all 4yrs). Even with living expenses, 252k seems higher than what I calculated.

 

[princeafrica]

Houston

 

[averageasian]

You may find that your goals change. I went into dental school wanting one thing and I’ve changed my mind already.

Ex: you could find you want Columbia for OMFS but then you end up wanting to do GD. Shoulda gone to Houston then.

Also, you’re forgetting interest. 200k in loans Is really almost a 400k difference. that could be used to buy a second house or practice with that savings.

 

[DMDtoMD]

if you go to school in Texas make sure you are okay with becoming a general practitioner. I know too many people who were 100% set on OMFS at the beginning of the year just to get beaten down by the grading systems at their state school and throw in the towel on their surgery dreams.

 

[toothy97]

May I ask how you got 252k as the total for UT Houston? Since you're instate, the amount you pay to the school (tuition/other fees) would be around 35k per year (140k for all 4yrs). Even with living expenses, 252k seems higher than what I calculated.

It was from UT Houston's website. https://www.uth.edu/sfs/documents/Cost of Attendance-UTH 1819.pdf

Correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[toothy97]

if you go to school in Texas make sure you are okay with becoming a general practitioner. I know too many people who were 100% set on OMFS at the beginning of the year just to get beaten down by the grading systems at their state school and throw in the towel on their surgery dreams.

Yeah, that's my concern. I really don't like the graded system of Houston and I feel like it'll make my four years much more stressful fighting to get to the top.

 

[toothy97]

You may find that your goals change. I went into dental school wanting one thing and I’ve changed my mind already.

Ex: you could find you want Columbia for OMFS but then you end up wanting to do GD. Shoulda gone to Houston then.

Also, you’re forgetting interest. 200k in loans Is really almost a 400k difference. that could be used to buy a second house or practice with that savings.

That is true. However, my parents are loaning me money and I'm paying them back, so I do not need to worry about interest. I also just filled out financial aid- hopefully, I can see what scholarships and/or need based aid I get and make a more solid decision.