Decision Time!!! UPenn (scholarship) vs. Meharry!!!!

[hoola]

---

Members don't see this ad.

You blankly accused me of something that is incorrect. As for myself, I really believe what I wrote and I really wrote in consideration for Westum3. Additionally, it did not hurt that it might also help me at the end. However, I did not think about myself first, I thought about the situtation the most. So please do not wrongfully accused me of being a hypocrite. If I got to choose between UPenn or Meharry, I would choose UPenn in a heart beat.

If you read carefully what I wrote, I mentioned "If you got into both Upenn and Meharry and choose Meharry over Upenn, you are truly a hypocrite!!"
I did not say you are a hypocrite now. I said you are a hypocrite IF you choose Meharry over Upenn when you are accepted at both schools. Obviously, you are waitlisted at Meharry now and I don't know whether you even applied to Upenn, so that means you are not a hypocrite. And you just replied that you really believe what you wrote, so I hope you are being honest. If you felt like you were offended, I apologize.

But, The reason why I got mad is you said "You should make your decision because there are some people on the waiting list for both schools are also dependent on your decision too. PLease make your decision soon." You mentioned "both schools" as you also care about people waitlisted at Upenn and you keep telling Wetsum 3 to go to UPenn.

Many people waitlisted at Upenn will read this thread and when they read your posts (you posted 4 times to convince Wetsum3 to go to Upenn), I bet many of them would be pissed off if they knew that you are currently waitlisted at Meharry. That does not mean you do not have any rights to post your opinions or facts whatever. It is up to you. But even if you truly believe Wetsum 3 should choose Upenn over Meharry, I believe it is not a good manner to people waitlisted at Upenn because you are waitlisted at Meharry. Of course, people waitlisted at Upenn incldung me want to write such as "Go to Meharry! blah blah blah." But they do not do that because it is not a good manner. And some of them might not even trust whether you truly believe what you wrote.

I know your posts really help Wetsum 3 to decide where he/she should go, but please think about people waitlisted at Upenn. I do not really mind if you are not waitlisted at both schools. But your posts sounded like you are just convincing him to go to Upenn only because you are waitlisted at Meharry. But as you mentioned, you really believe what you wrote, so I believe you are a good person. Anyway, good luck with Meharry.

 

[Iwantmydds]

If you read carefully what I wrote, I mentioned "If you got into both Upenn and Meharry and choose Meharry over Upenn, you are truly a hypocrite!!"
I did not say you are a hypocrite now. I said you are a hypocrite IF you choose Meharry over Upenn when you are accepted at both schools. Obviously, you are waitlisted at Meharry now and I don't know whether you even applied to Upenn, so that means you are not a hypocrite. And you just replied that you really believe what you wrote, so I hope you are being honest. If you felt like you were offended, I apologize.

But, The reason why I got mad is you said "You should make your decision because there are some people on the waiting list for both schools are also dependent on your decision too. PLease make your decision soon." You mentioned "both schools" as you also care about people waitlisted at Upenn and you keep telling Wetsum 3 to go to UPenn.

Many people waitlisted at Upenn will read this thread and when they read your posts (you posted 4 times to convince Wetsum3 to go to Upenn), I bet many of them would be pissed off if they knew that you are currently waitlisted at Meharry. That does not mean you do not have any rights to post your opinions or facts whatever. It is up to you. But even if you truly believe Wetsum 3 should choose Upenn over Meharry, I believe it is not a good manner to people waitlisted at Upenn because you are waitlisted at Meharry. Of course, people waitlisted at Upenn incldung me want to write such as "Go to Meharry! blah blah blah." But they do not do that because it is not a good manner. And some of them might not even trust whether you truly believe what you wrote.

I know your posts really help Wetsum 3 to decide where he/she should go, but please think about people waitlisted at Upenn. I do not really mind if you are not waitlisted at both schools. But your posts sounded like you are just convincing him to go to Upenn only because you are waitlisted at Meharry. But as you mentioned, you really believe what you wrote, so I believe you are a good person. Anyway, good luck with Meharry.

geeze who cares whether he's hyprocrite or not...I think you are overreacting. I would rather do something more productive than accusing people on the forum.

 

[hoola]

geeze who cares whether he's hyprocrite or not...I think you are overreacting. I would rather do something more productive than accusing people on the forum.

I never accused her. Did you even read my post? Are you waitlisted at either one of these schools? If not, maybe it is easy for you to say that, but i want you to know that nothing is more productive to see what is going on with my first choice school and get into my first choice dental school right now.

 

[SugarNaCl]

Like everyone else says, Penn, no question about it! I don't even know why this is a hard decision. Would be the easiest decision for me with or without the scholarship... Same pick 😉 Good luck.

 

[Rafdaman15]

hey first off congrats on getting into both schools. Its really hard to get into dental school in general soo be happy a out that. You can't go wrong with either dental school you leave both schools with a dental degree. Patients don't choose dentists based on what school they went to. Soo..... Overall choose wherever you feel the most comfortable, just be happy.

 

[2012Lunger]

I interviewed out in Nashville, absolutely loved the school, the students, and even found some charm in the slightly outdated facilities. My desire is to work in community health, and would have absolutely loved to go to Meharry.

My stats were competitve, enough to receive invitations for matriculation in a couple of the California, Texas, and Arizona Schools...however none of these was my top choice. I wanted to go to Meharry...was wait listed...and then eventually chose another school. I am very excited about getting into any school, but was amazed at how competitive it was to get into Meharry.

In the interview I was told that I was a competitive candidate, but that there were 20 other applicants just like me...and that I was not to hold my breath. Don't underestimate Meharry. Who says that it has one of the worst reputations in the country? According to a contact at ASDOH, Meharry grads account for a very high percent of Dental and Medical School faculty around the US.

If you have not been out to Meharry, I can see why you might have a tough time understanding this student's indecision. But once you've been out to interview, you know exactly what you'll be missing by going somewhere else. UPenn is a suite Ivy League school, and they offer numerous opportunities to give service abroad, so don't think I fail to recognize the opportunity of Penn...I have written a couple of letters of recommendations for students that want to go UPenn...I think that it is a great school.

If you want any sort of experience that will prepare you to work in community health, Meharry is by far the best (even better than ASDOH).

Good luck with your decision.

 

[StudentDentist]

I interviewed out in Nashville, absolutely loved the school, the students, and even found some charm in the slightly outdated facilities. My desire is to work in community health, and would have absolutely loved to go to Meharry.

My stats were competitve, enough to receive invitations for matriculation in a couple of the California, Texas, and Arizona Schools...however none of these was my top choice. I wanted to go to Meharry...was wait listed...and then eventually chose another school. I am very excited about getting into any school, but was amazed at how competitive it was to get into Meharry.

In the interview I was told that I was a competitive candidate, but that there were 20 other applicants just like me...and that I was not to hold my breath. Don't underestimate Meharry. Who says that it has one of the worst reputations in the country? According to a contact at ASDOH, Meharry grads account for a very high percent of Dental and Medical School faculty around the US.

If you have not been out to Meharry, I can see why you might have a tough time understanding this student's indecision. But once you've been out to interview, you know exactly what you'll be missing by going somewhere else. UPenn is a suite Ivy League school, and they offer numerous opportunities to give service abroad, so don't think I fail to recognize the opportunity of Penn...I have written a couple of letters of recommendations for students that want to go UPenn...I think that it is a great school.

If you want any sort of experience that will prepare you to work in community health, Meharry is by far the best (even better than ASDOH).

Good luck with your decision.

So what was this unnamed stat? An 18 got into columbia, did you get better? "Competitive" stats vary by ethnic groups. Not impressed by the schools you got into without knowing your numbers. Were these California schools Loma Linda or USC? I'd be impressed only if you got into UCSF or UCLA, because these schools are race-blind.

Since when does working in academic settings a ground for determining reputation? Lots of professors are in academic institutions because their hands have given out. Maybe Meharry students have horrible hands and have to work in academics. It's the 15.8 and 2.9 that gives it its reputation. It's a miserable average.

 

[Rafdaman15]

well all I'm saying is that its not what score you get on the dat that determines how good of a dentist one will be. Meharry has just as high passing rate on the national boards as any other school.

 

[StudentDentist]

well all I'm saying is that its not what score you get on the dat that determines how good of a dentist one will be. Meharry has just as high passing rate on the national boards as any other school.

There is no predictor of how good a dentist a person'll be. It doesn't exist. The PAT's designed to be a predictor of clinical abilities, but Meharry's also at the bottom of this list with a 15PAT avg. It seems to be at the bottom of the list for every predictor used by dental schools.

There are schools that brag about their students' performance on the national exams, and there are schools that brag about their passing rate. It's not hard to pass that exam. Many students get a blend 60's and 70's on individual sections just to have composite score in the 80's.

 

[sillygoose47]

Actually Meharry board exams are 88%, which is below the national average.

 

[dentaldude8]

Go where it is cheaper man, end of story.

 

[dentaldude8]

And I do have to add........ It is accurate to say that Meharry is harder to get into than Penn, but only if you're not black. I think the reason they have so many applicants is due to the fact that not many students know that if your not black applying there is a waste of time.

 

[rladlstns111]

And I do have to add........ It is accurate to say that Meharry is harder to get into than Penn, but only if you're not black. I think the reason they have so many applicants is due to the fact that not many students know that if your not black applying there is a waste of time.

I have to make clear what you said. The reason why Meharry reject many non black people having very good GPAs and DATs (3.7+ and 20+ DAT) is because Meharry knows that they are very unlikely to attend Meharry when they are accepted. Definitely, some (still could be many) of them will be accepted to Meharry, but guess what? they will definitely go to other schools like their state schools (will be cheaper than Meharry) or their first choice schools or other schools. Eventually, Meharry is going to accept non-black people on the waitlist having low GPAs and DATs. Most of them are not accepted to any other schools, so that's their only choice. So, my pioint is Meharry for overqulified students can be hard to get into, but will be easier for low qualified students to get into Meharry. So, you cannot say Meharry is harder to get in than Upenn. Are you kidding me? Upenn is still much harder to get in than Meharry despite of being non black. Believe it or not, Meharry dental school has bad reputation.

However, although that is the way it is, that does not mean Wetsum 3 should choose Upenn over Meharry. If he cares more about his tuition for his entire 4 years, then I believe he should choose Meharry over Upenn. If he cares about more reputation and others, then definitely Upenn. Personally, I would choose Meharry over Upenn because I do not want to have debts.

 

[rladlstns111]

And I do have to add........ It is accurate to say that Meharry is harder to get into than Penn, but only if you're not black. I think the reason they have so many applicants is due to the fact that not many students know that if your not black applying there is a waste of time.

I have to make clear what you said. The reason why Meharry reject many non black people having very good GPAs and DATs (3.7+ and 20+ DAT) is because Meharry knows that they are very unlikely to attend Meharry when they are accepted. Definitely, some (still could be many) of them will be accepted to Meharry, but guess what? they will definitely go to other schools like their state schools (will be cheaper than Meharry) or their first choice schools or other schools. Eventually, Meharry is going to accept non-black people on the waitlist having low GPAs and DATs. Most of them are not accepted to any other schools, so that's their only choice. So, my pioint is Meharry for overqulified students can be hard to get into, but will be easier for low qualified students to get into Meharry. So, you cannot say Meharry is harder to get in than Upenn. Are you kidding me? Upenn is still much harder to get in than Meharry despite of being non black. Believe it or not, Meharry dental school has bad reputation.

However, although that is the way it is, that does not mean Wetsum 3 should choose Upenn over Meharry. If he cares more about his tuition for his entire 4 years, then I believe he should choose Meharry over Upenn. If he cares about more reputation and others, then definitely Upenn. Personally, I would choose Meharry over Upenn because I do not want to have debts.

 

[UCSF2012]

I have to make clear what you said. The reason why Meharry reject many non black people having very good GPAs and DATs (3.7+ and 20+ DAT) is because Meharry knows that they are very unlikely to attend Meharry when they are accepted. Definitely, some (still could be many) of them will be accepted to Meharry, but guess what? they will definitely go to other schools like their state schools (will be cheaper than Meharry) or their first choice schools or other schools. Eventually, Meharry is going to accept non-black people on the waitlist having low GPAs and DATs. Most of them are not accepted to any other schools, so that's their only choice. So, my pioint is Meharry for overqulified students can be hard to get into, but will be easier for low qualified students to get into Meharry. So, you cannot say Meharry is harder to get in than Upenn. Are you kidding me? Upenn is still much harder to get in than Meharry despite of being non black. Believe it or not, Meharry dental school has bad reputation.

However, although that is the way it is, that does not mean Wetsum 3 should choose Upenn over Meharry. If he cares more about his tuition for his entire 4 years, then I believe he should choose Meharry over Upenn. If he cares about more reputation and others, then definitely Upenn. Personally, I would choose Meharry over Upenn because I do not want to have debts.

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

 

[armorshell]

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

I wonder if it's easier to get into Wharton through the dental school than straight through the front door, and if anyone has done that plan yet.

 

[jonxjizza]

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

Unfortunately that is not quite true. I remembered hearing at my interview that a separate application was required for Wharton or any of the dual-degree options, so I looked it up on their website for clarification:

Students who wish to pursue a dual-degree program must gain approval from the Office of Academic Affairs before submitting an application for the companion program. Students should be aware that there is no guaranteed acceptance into a companion program. In addition, each program sets its own admission standards and acceptance into the DMD program does not constitute automatic approval for a companion program.

 

[UCSF2012]

Unfortunately that is not quite true. I remembered hearing at my interview that a separate application was required for Wharton or any of the dual-degree options, so I looked it up on their website for clarification:

Students who wish to pursue a dual-degree program must gain approval from the Office of Academic Affairs before submitting an application for the companion program. Students should be aware that there is no guaranteed acceptance into a companion program. In addition, each program sets its own admission standards and acceptance into the DMD program does not constitute automatic approval for a companion program.

Well, of course, you have to apply. Literal much? The application just doesn't go thru the same knit-picking as the other apps.

 

[jonxjizza]

Well, of course, you have to apply. Literal much? The application just doesn't go thru the same knit-picking as the other apps.

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear on that - the point I was trying to make is that Wharton isn't going to automatically accept you because you're a dental student that wants a dual degree.

I heard about one guy who did that particular dual-degree option, he worked at Goldman-Sachs before deciding on dental school. If you're hard core and there's a compelling reason for you to go to Wharton, then yes I would agree with you that they might not be as knit-picky.

 

[UCSF2012]

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear on that - the point I was trying to make is that Wharton isn't going to automatically accept you because you're a dental student that wants a dual degree.

I heard about one guy who did that particular dual-degree option, he worked at Goldman-Sachs before deciding on dental school. If you're hard core and there's a compelling reason for you to go to Wharton, then yes I would agree with you that they might not be as knit-picky.

You don't even need a good reason. Wanting to operate your own private practice's a good enough reason. Or you may want to operate a chain of practices. The MBA admissions criteria isn't suited ideally for health management on a smaller scale like this. They're more geared towards the corporate world.

UCSF offered an MBA with USF, and I was mildly interested. Getting an MBA's not bad if it's done within the 4 years. But they charge 50k for an MBA from a non-existant school. (Yale offers a tuition-free MBA for grads of other schools.) Penn, Harvard, Columbia, and UCLA are in the premier position for dual degrees. All their MBA programs are top notch and so are their other programs. These are the accessory benefits of attending a top notch school. It's not limited to dentistry. Penn can offer the widest array of benefits. Easily a 1000-fold more benefits than Meharry, as long as you know how to utilize it. Who knows? Maybe when you turn 40 your hands are so shot that you'd have to leave practice. If you went to Penn, you'd have alternatives you wouldn't have otherwise.

 

[Montserrat]

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

I remember speaking to a few Penn Dental students who were interested in an MBA, and they were encouraged to pursue it at Temple after they were rejected at Penn. Penn Law students and Penn Med students are also vying for those limited seats - it's just not that easy.

Wharton has always seemed to separate itself from even the college of arts and sciences - this is probably more visible to Penn undergrads during graduation, when students of the college and students of Wharton are traditionally seated separately.

 

[UCSF2012]

I remember speaking to a few Penn Dental students who were interested in an MBA, and they were encouraged to pursue it at Temple after they were rejected at Penn. Penn Law students and Penn Med students are also vying for those limited seats - it's just not that easy.

Wharton has always seemed to separate itself from even the college of arts and sciences - this is probably more visible to Penn undergrads during graduation, when students of the college and students of Wharton are traditionally seated separately.

Well, like you said, they're competing against Penn Law and Penn Med. The student calibre may favor the other two. You can't have a 640 GRE and hope to get into Wharton. A 20DAT isn't comparable to a 170 LSAT and a 34 MCAT. These students have exceptional verbal ability, with their average law student having 99th percentile verbal skills. At least you're not competing against the entire country.

 

[rladlstns111]

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

So are you saying that Upenn dental school is easier than Meharry to get in? what is your point?

 

[Montserrat]

Well, like you said, they're competing against Penn Law and Penn Med. The student calibre may favor the other two. You can't have a 640 GRE and hope to get into Wharton. A 20DAT isn't comparable to a 170 LSAT and a 34 MCAT. These students have exceptional verbal ability, with their average law student having 99th percentile verbal skills. At least you're not competing against the entire country.

If you went to Penn, you get automatic acceptance to Wharton if you applied. Good way to bypass all the red tape, even if you have no business experience.

Dude, make up your mind. It can't be automatic admission and competitively challenging at the same time. There really is no automatic acceptance, and you'll have to present your personal business vision in dentistry to Wharton or any other business school worth their salt. They won't just accept you to fill a seat - it doesn't work that way.

For the selectionto work in my favor, I'd rather compete against a larger pool for many seats, than compete for a smaller pool against a very high percentage of highly qualified applicants. Competing against the entire country actually doesn't sound so bad, because there would be more seats granted in a pool more easily stratified.

 

[dkswogks]

You should definitely choose Upenn over Meharry! no matter you are black/Asian/white. You are also getting scholarship!! I am not sure how much, but go to Penn 🙂

 

[toothgyal]

clearly there has been quite an interesting ongoing debate we have going..I'm actually very curious now to know how useful wetsum3 actually feels about all these points???
well wetsum3 any feedback???

 

[wetsum3]

thanks guys. after much debate i decided to go to penn. the different opinions were very helpful, but in the end it comes down to a gut decision. i felt as though i wanted to move to a big city and experience something new. thanks again for all of the comments. best of luck to everyone

 

[Macbook1911]

Looks like you have the daunting task of deciding what type of training you plan as a dentist for the rest of your career. One thing I must say is that both are really great institutions according to ADA guidelines. Both are accredited and both have a long history of producing excellent dentist. What I will say is that I would choose Meharry, one because I will be attending as a first year, two because of cost, and third because of the experience you will receive. As you may know, the only specialty programs as Meharry are OMS and General Practice. Which is cool!!! So, where are the rest of those specialties? You may be thinking that Meharry is slipping and needs more specialty programs. But when and orthodontic case, periodontic case, prosthodontic case, etc comes into that clinic (that you already know is top notch, Pediatric Colgate center and all...) who will get those cases... ..... YOU????? DUH, as a student you will get those cases and have the opportunity to master the skills that the residents at UPENN would have more advantage of taking from you. My point is this, at Meharry you will be more comprehensive being that the cases you will get will not be competed with that of residents. We all know that they would have priority over you at UPENN. That's just the way it goes. Choose Meharry for that reason and I think your decision will be made easier.

 

[SHC1984]

CHOOSE UPENN!!! it's definitely a better school that offers higher quality of professors as well as laboratory facilities. Not to mention it's an IVY League!!! And if you have a scholarship offer from UPenn, but not from Meharry, then it's gotta be a no-brainer.

UPenn also offers more specialized programs compared to Meharry. Do some research of your own, and I'm sure you'll find UPenn the smarter choice.

Good Luck!

Great post. I would choose Penn over Meharry even if Meharry offer a full scholarship and Penn did NOT!

Congrats on Penn! 👍

 

[qwerty86]

This thread is a joke by the OP?

 

[IDoWhatIWant]

It's hard for accepted students to decline Meharry's offer when they didn't get into any other school. That's what I mean.

And the "accounting genius" going to UPenn dental from BYU doesn't see the problem of his reasoning, even when he's told directly what that problem is.

Thank you for the laugh. 😀

Hey OP, OBVIOUSLY PENN. wth..... can someone get rid of this thread please?

 

[sillygoose47]

IS this really a joke? WHo is OP?

 

[DCRedskinsRule]

Let's be honest here, if Meharry wanted to they could easily bump their student averages up to a level that is comparable with other dental schools. They don't though because it would undermine the mission of the school which is:

Meharry Medical College exists to improve the health and health care of minority and underserved communities by offering excellent education and training programs in the health sciences; placing special emphasis on providing opportunities to people of color and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, regardless of race or ethnicity; delivering high quality health services; and conducting research that foster the elimination of health disparities.

You read about traditional students with great stats getting rejected by Meharry all the time. Why? Because having a great gpa, dat, life story is only part of the package they are looking for, you feel me?

To say that you will find some of the dumbest minds at Meharry is just silly. For most of us the decision between Penn and Meharry is easy - but there may be other factors at play here.

Just throwing my two cents out there...but I'm so tired of statements like that. "people of color?" Since when is white not a color? Hell, I'm not even white and these types of statements are so ridiculous. It like the Democratic race (before Tuesday). No one remembers that Hillary too has a race...and that Obama too has a gender... It's so sophomoric IMO.

 

[futureOMS]

Scholarship. Meharry may be more laid back...but you can lay back a LOT better after school if you had taken a scholarship and not had to pay $300,000 in student loans.

 

[Montserrat]

Just throwing my two cents out there...but I'm so tired of statements like that. "people of color?" Since when is white not a color? Hell, I'm not even white and these types of statements are so ridiculous. It like the Democratic race (before Tuesday). No one remembers that Hillary too has a race...and that Obama too has a gender... It's so sophomoric IMO.

If you were pale, someone might say "Hey you - pale boy. Go outside and get some sun. Some color will do you good !" Obviously, the guy isn't implying that the sun will change your race. It's visual, not personal.

It's actually funny you brought up Obama. When he was asked why he defined himself as black, it was because that is what people see when they look at him. When he's in South Chicago, he's black. When he's in white America, he's black. In actuality, he's mixed, but he's come to terms with it. It wasn't even until 2000 when the US census became sophisticated enough to even include biracials. It's not sophomoric - it's a visual relic of the past. It'll change with time.

Or you know - we could forego this census thingy and wait till 2012, when the Mayan calendar predicts our collective demise.