Detroit Mercy Students' input please

[dreamerofdmd]

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I got in recently and was hoping to get some questions answered.
I'm going to just type up a bunch of questions I have-- If you could please please take a few minutes to answer them I'd be extremely grateful.

I'm from New York and I haven't really lived anywhere else ever... is Detroit a fun city?
Are all your exams spaced out nicely or are there test intense block weeks? Are the faculty friendly and approachable?
Do you know how they prepare you for the boards?
How much time will you be spending in wetlabs doing labwork and such?
Also, are the part 1's taken at the end of the second year?
Is the gross anatomy a real anatomy course with a full cadaver per group of students?
Are there e-books or regular textbooks?
Is the teaching styles of the courses problem solving based or lecture based? (Some schools let students trouble shoot and figure things out while others tell the students what's important to know)
Are your classmates really friendly-- is the dynamic of the class social and cooperative? (some schools' classes are very competitive)
Are scrubs required?

I know they're a lot of questions... but I'd really appreciate responses. Thank you guys!

 

[UDM 2008]

dreamerofdmd;6337242]I got in recently and was hoping to get some questions answered.
I'm going to just type up a bunch of questions I have-- If you could please please take a few minutes to answer them I'd be extremely grateful.

I'm from New York and I haven't really lived anywhere else ever... is Detroit a
fun city?
There's plenty to do, but it's not New York.

Are all your exams spaced out nicely or are there test intense block weeks?
Fairly spread out, except for finals week. Some faculty will let the class vote to move exams during the semester to spread exams out. I think the basic science faculty make their exam schedules so you won't have more than one of their exams a day.

Do you know how they prepare you for the boards?

They give a useless board prep class. You get a week off to study for part one. Most people buy dental decks. Most people to well.

How much time will you be spending in wetlabs doing labwork and such?

You'll get very good at setting denture teeth.

Also, are the part 1's taken at the end of the second year?

Yes


Is the gross anatomy a real anatomy course with a full cadaver per group of students?

Full Cadaver for each group of 6 or 7. One semester for below the neck and one for the head and neck.
Are there e-books or regular textbooks?

Textbooks.

Is the teaching styles of the courses problem solving based or lecture based? (Some schools let students trouble shoot and figure things out while others tell the students what's important to know)

Lecture based, no PBL.

Are your classmates really friendly-- is the dynamic of the class social and cooperative? (some schools' classes are very competitive)

Depends on the class, some can be competitive, but most are friendly.

Are scrubs required?

Scrubs are required in clinic, but most people wear them all the time.


I know they're a lot of questions... but I'd really appreciate responses. Thank you guys!

 

[Adam_W]

I am from MI, but one of my best friends in the class is from NY (South Shore LI), and he seems to like it.

I won't sugarcoat it - Detroit (the "city") is awful, except for the downtown. But there is still plenty to do in the surrounding areas. I live about 20 min. from school in what is technically the 5th safest city in the country, so there are definitely nicer areas, and plenty to do.

The faculty, so far, have been pretty willing to move exams around to accommodate the hectic schedules. I feel that the exam schedules are very fair. Likewise, the faculty are great. I like every one of my instructors and they have all been more than helpful.

Our class is very friendly, and we even go out together on weekends sometimes. Sure, there is some competition, but I always feel that we are very cooperative and helpful (WAY more than I expected).

I think the previous poster did a great job of answering your other questions.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[jawdoc19]

hi udm 2008 and kwonsou

do you have any idea if udm is starting a program for foreign trained dentists this year?

 

[Adam_W]

hi udm 2008 and kwonsou

do you have any idea if udm is starting a program for foreign trained dentists this year?

I'm almost certain they are (the new school is designed to accommodate a larger class), but I don't really know any details.

 

[Rondo22]

Hello everyone,

This is actually for the UDM students who posted earlier. I also have been accepted for august, and am currently looking for places to live. I know you said that you currently live in the 5th safest city in the US. Which city is that? Royal Oak? Troy?

Where would you suggest living? I was looking at Royal Oak, but it seems like it is close to a 30 min drive if there is traffic. Dearborn is closer, but it looks a little rough on the east side of the southfield freeway, so you would have to live on the other side which is still a commute.

So any suggestions as to which city to live in? I am leaning towards Royal Oak, it may be a little bit of a drive but it seems safe, and from what I heard it is where all the younger crowd is....

Thanks in advance for your help! See you in August!

 

[ak1985]

I am also looking for ideas as to where I should stay. Which area would have a nice/affordable apartment (since I don't want to shovel the snow in winter) that's relatively close (~20 minute drive)?

 

[UDM 2008]

A lot of people live in the the areas around Royal Oak. I've rented a townhouse in Dearborn for the past three years that's worked well for me. It's about 10 minutes to the school and 15 to the hospital clinic. My place will be available in July if anyone is interested.

 

[jawdoc19]

I'm almost certain they are (the new school is designed to accommodate a larger class), but I don't really know any details.

Thanks, thats something positive to hear. I applied for 2008 but after moving to the new campus they are not responding.The wait for interview has been very long now. If you happen to get any info please share.

 

[Adam_W]

Hello everyone,

This is actually for the UDM students who posted earlier. I also have been accepted for august, and am currently looking for places to live. I know you said that you currently live in the 5th safest city in the US. Which city is that? Royal Oak? Troy?

I live in Livonia. I got that "5th safest" statistic from the brochure for my apartment, so who knows how accurate it is... Livonia is about 25 minutes from the new school, but it's quiet and the rent is pretty reasonable.

 

[Rondo22]

I live in Livonia. I got that "5th safest" statistic from the brochure for my apartment, so who knows how accurate it is... Livonia is about 25 minutes from the new school, but it's quiet and the rent is pretty reasonable.

Thanks for the help!

What do you think about the Royal Oak/Troy area. The only reason why I ask is because they seem closer to the school, as I am trying to cut down as much drive time as possible???

 

[Adam_W]

Thanks for the help!

What do you think about the Royal Oak/Troy area. The only reason why I ask is because they seem closer to the school, as I am trying to cut down as much drive time as possible???

Royal Oak is probably about 20 minutes, but they are doing work on I-75 over the next few years, and that might make the drive slower. Troy is probably at least 25 minutes. Have you looked at Dearborn Heights or Southgate?

 

[BenignDMD]

...............

 

[Rondo22]

I've looked into Dearborn Heights, and found some nice places on michigan ave. The only thing was that once again, it was still about a 20 min drive because anything east of the southfield fwy looks kinda rough.

I think it is going to be between Royal Oak and Dearborn though. I feel these are the safest and yet closest places to the new school.

 

[JamieMac]

What do you think about buying a place? How about a good area to live in that is between Ann Arbor and the new school? My fiancee will be working in Ann Arbor; me attending UDM.

You may want to consider Novi or Farmington. Sort of in the middle, and decent areas.

 

[BenignDMD]

What would the commute be like from Novi to the new campus?

 

[Dr2BSoon]

I live in Dearborn and it is a 10 minute drive home from to school and maybe 20 minutes to school (with traffic) taking I-94. I love it in Dearborn!

 

[Rondo22]

Does anyone who lives in Royal Oak know exactly how long it takes for them to get to school ?

Is Dearborn rough at all? Parts of it seem like it is just as bad as Detroit?

 

[Nefarious14]

I'm from New York and I haven't really lived anywhere else ever... is Detroit a fun city?
You can find things to do in any city. Its not NY for sure, but its not as awful as it is made out to be (i'm from chicago myself) but they did open a New MGM casino with some clubs and bars, and people tend to go to some of the bars in the downtowns of suburbs. you'll find a lot of people tend to congregate in RO even if they don't live there
Are all your exams spaced out nicely or are there test intense block weeks? Are the faculty friendly and approachable?
I'm in my first year, and sometimes you will have three exams a week, but here's the thing you are in dental school so you will learn to deal with it. On the whole though, the staff is helpful in trying to space things out for you especially if they are approached nicely and politely with a rational solution. But then again, there are times when exams cannot be changed. on the whole, its not so bad
Finals week however, is its own special nightmare 😉 but suprisingly with a little caffeine you can get through it
Do you know how they prepare you for the boards?
On the whole I hear our the upperclassmen do well.

How much time will you be spending in wetlabs doing labwork and such?
It depends on the year
I'm still a DS1 and this semester, we haven't spent an inordinate amount of time. First semester there are a couple of major projects that will have you at school for several hours if you don't manage your time wisely.
Word around town is that in your second year your practically live in the simLab
Also, are the part 1's taken at the end of the second year?
Not sure, hope a second year or above answers this
Is the gross anatomy a real anatomy course with a full cadaver per group of students?
You bet. And the groups are small about 6 people per body, seven at the most. While exciting at first, for me the novelty wore off pretty quickly. You take gross anatomy your first semester and head and neck your second semester. the professor is nice but his exams require you to really know the material inside out. And as frustrated as you get with the class, you can't be mad at the doctor because of his personality 🙂
Are there e-books or regular textbooks?
Regular textbooks, although there has been a meeting and a discussion forum on switching to ebooks
Is the teaching styles of the courses problem solving based or lecture based? (Some schools let students trouble shoot and figure things out while others tell the students what's important to know)
Lecture based
Are your classmates really friendly-- is the dynamic of the class social and cooperative? (some schools' classes are very competitive)
There's good and bad in every class...apparently i'm told my class is especially drama filled, although to me its more amusing than anything to watch them freak out like its junior high all over again
my advice is just find a group of people you can resonate with and just stick with them. Generally people are nice, but there will be the scattered a-holes, smart mouths, and shady ones 🙂
Are scrubs required?
scrubs or business casual but there is no restriction on color as long as the top and bottom match



I looked at some of the other posts,
the commute from Novi isn't terrible I have friends who come from there
On average most popel drive between 20-35 minutes to get to school

I would hold off on living in deerborn, I know some guys who do and are ok, but its not a place for girls to live by themselves

I live out in Troy and I don't mind because my appt complex has three entrances to the highway that are at most 6 minutes away...traffic some mornings is excessive and I know people complain about I-75 but i've noticed that i-94 is much worse. As for the construction it doesn't block your way to school and the lane closures are after the exit you need

I wouldn't buy a place because of the crappy housing market out here

Don't worry about U of D not responding, they have the SLOWEST response time of anything, it was july after i got accepted before I heard information about housing and such

Also for FAFSA applicants, I don't know if you've been told but they didn't give the correct school code the right one is E01403

PM me with any more questions guys i'd be glad to help

 

[Dr2BSoon]

I would hold off on living in deerborn, I know some guys who do and are ok, but its not a place for girls to live by themselves



I wouldn't buy a place because of the crappy housing market out here

These 2 statements are BAD ADVICE!!!! I honestly don't know where this person is coming from with these statements, but they obviously don't know the area or our class well. (Are you really in the Class of 2011 dude?) I know plenty of single women who live safely and happily in Dearborn (NOT spelled "DEERBORN"). Many of our beloved classmates who are women live in Dearborn and love it; if you got to know more people in the class you would see that plenty or men and women in our class enjoy their living experience in Dearborn. I feel much safer in Dearborn than I do when visiting friends in Southfield or Royal Oak. I have never been worried or scared living here. In fact, my real estate agent told me that he would recommend the west side of Dearborn over any other area I was considering for safety, close proximity to the campus, affordable housing, etc. As long as you live on the west side of the Southfield freeway you will find cute, safe, clean neighborhoods full of idyllic homes. As for buying, let's see, as a renter you will be throwing money away every month and at the end of 4 years you will have nothing to show for it. As a homeowner you will be paying the same amount to have a larger space to call your own and at the end of 4 years you will have built equity in your home and improved your credit even if you break even when you sell. The housing market in Dearborn is actually not too bad. The homes in my neighborhood and surrounding areas that I have seen have sold within 6 months.

 

[OffAngleHatchet]

As for buying, let's see, as a renter you will be throwing money away every month and at the end of 4 years you will have nothing to show for it. As a homeowner you will be paying the same amount to have a larger space to call your own and at the end of 4 years you will have built equity in your home and improved your credit even if you break even when you sell. The housing market in Dearborn is actually not too bad. The homes in my neighborhood and surrounding areas that I have seen have sold within 6 months.

Actually, I see it differently. As a renter, you're not paying to live in the apartment... you're paying to be able to walk away.

 

[Rondo22]

These 2 statements are BAD ADVICE!!!! I honestly don't know where this person is coming from with these statements, but they obviously don't know the area or our class well. (Are you really in the Class of 2011 dude?) I know plenty of single women who live safely and happily in Dearborn (NOT spelled "DEERBORN"). Many of our beloved classmates who are women live in Dearborn and love it; if you got to know more people in the class you would see that plenty or men and women in our class enjoy their living experience in Dearborn. I feel much safer in Dearborn than I do when visiting friends in Southfield or Royal Oak. I have never been worried or scared living here. In fact, my real estate agent told me that he would recommend the west side of Dearborn over any other area I was considering for safety, close proximity to the campus, affordable housing, etc. As long as you live on the west side of the Southfield freeway you will find cute, safe, clean neighborhoods full of idyllic homes. As for buying, let's see, as a renter you will be throwing money away every month and at the end of 4 years you will have nothing to show for it. As a homeowner you will be paying the same amount to have a larger space to call your own and at the end of 4 years you will have built equity in your home and improved your credit even if you break even when you sell. The housing market in Dearborn is actually not too bad. The homes in my neighborhood and surrounding areas that I have seen have sold within 6 months.

If you don't agree with this advice, why don't you help out and answer the questions. It is easy to say how wrong someone is, but lets hear your input!

Thanks

 

[ak1985]

Does anyone know of a website where I can look for apartments in the area. I've tried apartments.com and hope there's more sites, so I can get a better idea prior to going there and finalizing anything (I live in Canada, so can't make too many trips).

For people who like royal oak (or other nice areas), please let me know the address (you can PM me) etc. of any apartment buildings you're aware of.

thanks! see you all soon.