combined or regular route?

[Alfy]

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Hello, I'm a long time stalker and now first time poster. As of two days ago I found out I got into the 3+4 combined degree program with SUNY Geneseo and Buffalo Dental (I'm a high school senior). I was interviewed at Buffalo and loved the school and found the city to be alright. However, on the drive back to New York, my mother decided to give Geneseo a visit and to make this short, I was a little unhappy with what I was seeing. The village was tiny. I know that I probably won't be happy at Geneseo but I feel that if I stick it out for three years, the thought of being "guaranteed" a spot at Buffalo would make it alright (granted I maintain a 3.5 gpa, get a 20 AA, 18 PAT and have 100 hours of shadowing). However, Geneseo would run about an additional 20k as compared to my other two options of undergraduate schools.

Cornell and Wellesley would practically be free rides. Although I wasn't crazy about Ithaca, many of my friends will be attending Cornell which would make for a fun 4 years. I would be happier, but there are still the worries of applying to dental school (cost of applying, GPA , etc). What I'm asking is, is the 3+4 program really worth it? Or do I have a really warped perception of the dental school application process to the point where my little high school mind is thinking that it is crazy hard? I know that I am ranting and I should follow my heart and all that good stuff, but having input from those who have gone through the process would help (especially from those have done an accelerated program). Thanks ^_^

 

[cjb04]

Ultimately, the decision is yours and you alone have to weigh what is more
important to you: cutting out a year of undergraduate to live in a small town where you may not be happy, away from the friends you know and having your acceptance to a program contingent on a strict set of guidelines.....Or you could spend the normal 4 years in a school of your choice, apply to a number of programs across the nation, go to dental school where you want to, and have time to continue evaluating your decision to be a dentist. If you lock in the decision now and have doubts later, it may be more difficult to change paths than if you simply wait to apply your junior year of college. While you will learn a lot in college, keep in mind that it also gives you the time and experience you need to fully mature. All of that said, I would recommend holding off. If you read these forums and maintain the drive that let you excel in high school, you will be able to get into almost any dental school you want to when you apply. Keep your options open, shadow dentists and specialists, go on a dental mission trip abroad if you have the opportunity to, and enjoy undergrad; it goes by quick! Good luck on your decision, and best of luck to you in the future.

 

[Alfy]

Thanks for the response!

I was set on choosing Cornell until I talked to my guidance counselor. Although he is not to familiar with the dental school admissions process, he said that the combined degree program with Buffalo might save a lot of headache that applying later on to dental school will bring. He also insinuated that it would be far easier to get a 3.5 at Geneseo than at Cornell and therefore if I don't like Buffalo, I could always apply to other dental schools with my Geneseo credentials.

 

[beastmode]

Having attended Geneseo...if I were placing myself in your shoes I would attend Cornell in a heartbeat. You said that it would be cheaper than Geneseo, and that made the decision easy immediately. Geneseo is a great school with an outstanding reputation, but most importantly it is CHEAP. This is its main selling point, a supposed ivy league education with a SUNY price tag. But, if the price is the same or less, why not choose the well known ivy. The 3-4 program is a great deal, but honestly if your are getting "practically a free ride" from Cornell, not to mention roaming these boards in high school, you will have no problem succeeding in undergrad and getting into dental school. The dental school application process isn't that difficult if you are someone that is well prepared and starts college knowing that you want to take this path. It gets hard when you are trying to compensate for past mistakes or wrong choices. Undergrad is an experience that you don't want to have to "live" through for 3 years, it should be some of the best times of your life. Take your nearly free ivy league education and enjoy your four years. Then, if for some reason you dont want dentistry anymore, you will have a big ticket name to sell to other graduate programs. Also, I would not count on getting a better GPA at Geneseo, the school prides itself on being rigourous, especially in the sciences. You may also end up wanting that senior year with your friends, this is one of the main complaints that I have heard from 3-4 students. Hope this is helfpul, if you want any more info on life at Geneseo as a pre-dent, pm me. And I failed to mention that I loved my years at Geneseo. So this is not advice based on a negative experience, simply an honest opinion.

 

[enfuego]

If you maintain proper stats in the combined program, will be guaranteed admission into dental school or will you only be guaranteed an interview?

 

[setdoc7]

I did a combined degree program, and I would tell you in no uncertain terms do not do it. I went to a college I did not want to attend because of the program and a scholarship. Worst three years of my life. People love Cornell, go there if you can. If you can get into this program now, you must be a pretty serious student, and you will probably have your choice of schools when the time comes.
BTW yes, I did become a dentist, and dentistry is a great career.

 

[Alfy]

To enfuego, from what the interviewer told me, you are guaranteed a spot in the school if you meet all the requirements. You also need letters of recommendation in addition to the gpa, dat and shadowing requirements.

Thanks for the honesty guys! It's different hearing advice from those who are more familiar with the program than from my guidance counselor (who thought you needed MCATs for dental school lol). As of now, I'm most likely going to pick Cornell and have a fun four years (although I probably shouldn't be typing this from a Wellesley computer hehe).

 

[gryffindor]

Thanks for the response!

I was set on choosing Cornell until I talked to my guidance counselor. Although he is not to familiar with the dental school admissions process, he said that the combined degree program with Buffalo might save a lot of headache that applying later on to dental school will bring. He also insinuated that it would be far easier to get a 3.5 at Geneseo than at Cornell and therefore if I don't like Buffalo, I could always apply to other dental schools with my Geneseo credentials.

I agree with your guidance counselor about the applying to other dental schools with your Geneseo credentials. I don't know about it being easier to get a 3.5 at Geneseo over Cornell. Although when you think about it, Geneseo has all the smart kids from New York going there whereas Cornell has smart kids from around the world as your competition, hmmm, maybe there is some truth to your counselor's advice. I passed up Cornell for a different 3/4 program with SUNY Buffalo and I don't regret it one bit. My undergrad experience was not the awesome exciting experience they tout on the campus tours (I was a tour guide at my undergrad so I knew how to polish that stuff and make it sound good to the newbies). I call BS on "the best years of your life" expectation undergrad carries with it. The best years of my life have been after I graduated dental school, free from worrying about exams, class rank, and applications to dental schools/residency and actually having money and free time to spend on interesting experiences. Graduating at 24 from dental school allowed me that opportunity. I admit I was somewhat miserable during my 3 years of undergrad and wished I was somewhere else. But instead of feeling sorry for myself, it just kept me focused on studying and keeping my grades up because I knew my ultimate goal was to end up at dental school where I'd finally get to learn about the stuff I was really interested in.

As soon as I got to dental school, my college experience didn't matter anymore. FWIW, I barely even remember anything from all those courses that were supposed to "broaden my horizons" in college because the volume of material I had to learn in dental school wiped it all out. I loved my time at Buffalo for dental school, however, I do wish someone had told me like your guidance counselor did that I could have applied to other dental schools with my credentials just to see what other options I could have had for dental school.

 

[UCLAzy]

cornell grading is very tough. dont go there if you want a high gpa!

 

[Alfy]

But wouldn't some dental schools take into account that there is a grade deflation policy at Cornell (granted you don't have a 2.0 but maybe a 3.1-3.2?) or do they consider all schools equal?

 

[gryffindor]

Some dental schools do have a factor that adds points to your application depending on where you went to undergrad, but it won't be enough for a 3.0 from Cornell to outshine a 4.0 from Geneseo. Every school is trying to publish better stats, and a 3.0 will drag down the "incoming average" compared to a 4.0. Besides, how do you know there won't be a 4.0 student applying from Cornell that will outshine the 3.0 application anyways? Of course, that 4.0 student might be you in which case you'd have lots of options open to you. The predents here can probably give you a better picture about GPA and name of college at time of application but I've always understood that a high GPA and standardized test scores to back it up aren't going to keep any doors closed to you for grad school regardless of where your undergrad degree is from.

If I were in your shoes, I'd avoid a school with grade deflation. It has potential to close doors for the future.

 

[setdoc7]

I agree with your guidance counselor about the applying to other dental schools with your Geneseo credentials. I don't know about it being easier to get a 3.5 at Geneseo over Cornell. Although when you think about it, Geneseo has all the smart kids from New York going there whereas Cornell has smart kids from around the world as your competition, hmmm, maybe there is some truth to your counselor's advice. I passed up Cornell for a different 3/4 program with SUNY Buffalo and I don't regret it one bit. My undergrad experience was not the awesome exciting experience they tout on the campus tours (I was a tour guide at my undergrad so I knew how to polish that stuff and make it sound good to the newbies). I call BS on "the best years of your life" expectation undergrad carries with it. The best years of my life have been after I graduated dental school, free from worrying about exams, class rank, and applications to dental schools/residency and actually having money and free time to spend on interesting experiences. Graduating at 24 from dental school allowed me that opportunity. I admit I was somewhat miserable during my 3 years of undergrad and wished I was somewhere else. But instead of feeling sorry for myself, it just kept me focused on studying and keeping my grades up because I knew my ultimate goal was to end up at dental school where I'd finally get to learn about the stuff I was really interested in.

As soon as I got to dental school, my college experience didn't matter anymore. FWIW, I barely even remember anything from all those courses that were supposed to "broaden my horizons" in college because the volume of material I had to learn in dental school wiped it all out. I loved my time at Buffalo for dental school, however, I do wish someone had told me like your guidance counselor did that I could have applied to other dental schools with my credentials just to see what other options I could have had for dental school.

Your experience sounds very similar to mine, except many years apart. With 25 years of hindsight and just having put my oldest son through college, I would say why not have the awesome time in college if it is available? Trudging through 3 years of undergrad science with a goal in mind is okay, but I saw my son have an unbelievable college experience and then go on to grad school and it appeared to me to have been far more enjoyable. Make the most out of your youth is what I say, you are only young once and you will be a dentist for a very long time, but only be in college for 4 short years.