Dental Schools and Specialty Placement?

[crazy4clana]

Is it worth going to a more expensive but better dental school if it has a higher specialty placement over an average state school?

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[lollipop999]

Is it worth going to a more expensive but better dental school if it has a higher specialty placement over an average state school?

 

[armorshell]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation

 

[crazy4clana]

Heh, nice to know I can always get a straight answer from you guys

This has been true for medical schools and residency placement so I was just asking if its true for dental schools too. I guess the answer is no though from the snarky posts

 

[dmd2011]

Is it worth going to a more expensive but better dental school if it has a higher specialty placement over an average state school?

it doesn't matter what school you go to, its how well you do and your board scores.

 

[fightingspirit]

Is it worth going to a more expensive but better dental school if it has a higher specialty placement over an average state school?

please note:
1-all d-schools in the u.s are good because they must abide by pre-determined standards and maintian accreditation. therefore, there is no such thing as "better" or "average" d-school. some schools are costlier. some schools are more clincially inclined; others may be more research inclined. some pass/fail and other letter grade, but there's no good, vs better, vs average...etc.
2-goodness of a d-school has nothing to do with "specialty placement". specialising is an indiviual student's thing (student desire + board score + class rank).

 

[armorshell]

I was just at Powells books yesterday (Biggest bookstore in the world in Portland, Or, awesome place ), and I was perusing through a book put out by US news about med school. My favorite part was the section about "Big name schools", where the admissions directors and deans from top 5 med schools were talking about how the range of quality for med schools is so tight there's really no difference between the number one school and the number 100 school.

I'm willing to say the same applies for dental school, and anyone who says different is probably trying to sell you something.

 

[SHC1984]

Depends on how much more expensive and how much better the school...I had to choose btw Columbia and Nova...Columbia is 30K more, but the school's good rep is well worth the extra 30K.

Is it worth going to a more expensive but better dental school if it has a higher specialty placement over an average state school?

 

[dentstd]

2-goodness of a d-school has nothing to do with "specialty placement". specialising is an indiviual student's thing (student desire + board score + class rank).

goodness of a dental school has more to do with the kindness that schools displays towards its people and the community at large.

 

[gregfun7]

Depends on how much more expensive and how much better the school...I had to choose btw Columbia and Nova...Columbia is 30K more, but the school's good rep is well worth the extra 30K.

Why do you think Columbia has better rep than Nova?? Just curious...

 

[SHC1984]

Columbia:
Harder to gain admission, higher average DAT/GPA, higher specialization rate, higher average board scores, more research opportunties, more opportunties to meet people that will open doors for you in the future, more opportunties in general, make connections, ivy league name, more well known, etc...

Why do you think Columbia has better rep than Nova?? Just curious...

 

[litldime]

well if you suck as a dentist, no school's name will help you out....its up to you to excel where ever you go...focus on becoming a competent dentist and not on what school's name you throw out at cocktail parties


oh yea, and for other opinions... i suggest you run a search as this question has been asked so many times

 

[crazy4clana]

I'm not talking about the school's prestige, but the quality of education vs. higher chance of specialty placement. I know this is statisically true for average state medical schools and private, more selective schools which have higher board scores and therefore better chance of specialty placement. I didn't know if this was true for dental schools as well.

 

[armorshell]

More selective schools have higher board scores because...they're more selective. Better students do better on the boards, the correlation between selectivity and boards performance doesn't neccesairly mean anything regarding the curriculum.

 

[Shunwei]

More selective schools have higher board scores because...they're more selective. Better students do better on the boards, the correlation between selectivity and boards performance doesn't neccesairly mean anything regarding the curriculum.

True, Armor. I think I came across an article several months before reporting a strong correlation between the DAT and the Boards. Not surprising at all to me, which gets me to thinking that the "higher boards means better school" is kind of circular logic. Students who do well on the DAT tend to know the stuff better, are better test takers, or can absorb the material in a better way. What would really be interesting if a school deliberately takes the students with lower test scores and then turn around to have the highest board scores in the nation.

 

[dentstd]

What would really be interesting if a school deliberately takes the students with lower test scores and then turn around to have the highest board scores in the nation.

As controversial as this'll sound, you can guage that by looking that board performance of the URM's.

 

[blankguy]

People who pose this question are getting a little bit ahead of themselves. First we need to know what it is going to take to stay afloat academically in dental school and then excel in it. Regardless of which dental school we end up going if we really want to go to residency it is our responsibility to be at the top of the heap at our respective dental school. It won't matter where we go it matters how well we do. Another bit approach dental school with an open mind we don't want to lock ourselves in a path that we later find it is not what it was cracked up to be. Let's explore what dentistry has in store for us then make the decision.

 

[Ligature]

As controversial as this'll sound, you can guage that by looking that board performance of the URM's.

Sorry I know this thread is dead.. But not only does that sound controversial....but ridiculous.

 

[PDizzle]

Prob said above but...


Absolutely own your Part 1 NBDE score and if your school has ranks, be in the top 5-10% and you can specialize. Add in a little butt kissing and you're there. It's really a simple as that.

 

[bigstix808]

Prob said above but...


Absolutely own your Part 1 NBDE score and if your school has ranks, be in the top 5-10% and you can specialize. Add in a little butt kissing and you're there. It's really a simple as that.

um, mr dizzle, being a dental student and all i really hope you have come across the notion that board scores wont matter for specializing...you know, seeing how they are going to be p/f in the near future. but i'm sure you're other criteria are right on though

 

[armorshell]

There will be another standardized test for you to take, it just won't be the boards. How do people not realize this?

 

[Syrah]

True, Armor. I think I came across an article several months before reporting a strong correlation between the DAT and the Boards. Not surprising at all to me, which gets me to thinking that the "higher boards means better school" is kind of circular logic. Students who do well on the DAT tend to know the stuff better, are better test takers, or can absorb the material in a better way. What would really be interesting if a school deliberately takes the students with lower test scores and then turn around to have the highest board scores in the nation.

Didn't I hear something about UW trying to implement this? Or maybe I forgot to take my crazy pills...

 

[RozhonDDS]

It makes no differene what school you go to, the only thing that matters when trying to get into a speciality program, are you board scores, overall GPA, and EC stuff.