early assurance programs

[murray17]

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Are early assurance or affiliate programs worth it, or should I just go to undergraduate school and apply to dental school the traditional way?

 

[321931]

Are early assurance or affiliate programs worth it, or should I just go to undergraduate school and apply to dental school the traditional way?

Early assurance is the way to go.

1) Lower requirements, and or you have a higher chance to get in.
2) If you actually don't end up doing dentistry, you still have taken all the core bios to do something like MD, PharmD, Podiatry, Nursing etc

I would do early assurance.

 

[DonutEater]

Are early assurance or affiliate programs worth it, or should I just go to undergraduate school and apply to dental school the traditional way?

Don't you have to attend the dental school that gave you the early assurance?

Isn't it better to go to undergraduate school of your choice and apply to dental schools the traditional way to have your options open?

I wouldn't personally want to be tied to the school for 6+ years.

 

[321931]

Don't you have to attend the dental school that gave you the early assurance?

Isn't it better to go to undergraduate school of your choice and apply to dental schools the traditional way to have your options open?

I wouldn't personally want to be tied to the school for 6+ years.

Well, you do have the option of also applying out of state/other places. So you have a cushion with early assurance and in addition, you can apply elsewhere and perhaps attend a different program. (if you like it)

Makes sense. I would of done it in a heartbeat.

 

[jon62690]

Well, you do have the option of also applying out of state/other places. So you have a cushion with early assurance and in addition, you can apply elsewhere and perhaps attend a different program. (if you like it)

Makes sense. I would of done it in a heartbeat.

This.

This is what I did (NJIT-UMDNJ 7 year). I had the guaranteed seat should I decide to stick with UMDNJ. It was nice to know I had a fail-safe. With my GPA and DAT, I knew I was definitely safe to apply to other schools (and lose my guarantee). I am now in my 3rd year, about to graduate, and will be going to Penn and not UMDNJ. Either way, accelerated/early assurance programs offers its own advantages, and should you not decide to use them, you're still good! I cannot think of any disadvantages of such programs. Lastly, if you don't get into any programs, you can always just graduate undergrad in 3 years and make an informal "accelerated" program for yourself.

 

[murray17]

So, you can't apply to other programs unless you drop out of the early assurance program? The problem is what if I change my mind about where I want to go? Villanova has a 3 year undergrad and them 4 year Penn dental program. It's a long shot if I get in there, but might be good. Also, Uconn 4/4 year program. Still waiting to see if I even get any interviews.

 

[321931]

So, you can't apply to other programs unless you drop out of the early assurance program?

No. It depends on what early assurance program you are in. Some say its alright, some say its not.

 

[jon62690]

So, you can't apply to other programs unless you drop out of the early assurance program? The problem is what if I change my mind about where I want to go? Villanova has a 3 year undergrad and them 4 year Penn dental program. It's a long shot if I get in there, but might be good. Also, Uconn 4/4 year program. Still waiting to see if I even get any interviews.

Most have a stipulation/fine print that you should remain committed to the dental school your program is affiliated with. But even then, I still don't see any negatives to such stipulations.

Also, keep in mind costs. I got into Penn's 7 year program through both UPenn undergrad and Lehigh but turned them down because of cost of both undergrad and dental school.

If you change your mind about where you want to go, you can always elect to just finish your undergrad degree and apply to dental schools like normal students. Most programs, where undergrad is 3 years long, also allow students to stay in undergrad an extra year to finish their degree prior to entering dental school. This will give you plenty of time to apply like a normal student.

 

[murray17]

Thanks for all the advice. I have alot of options. Being from NY I could also go to Binghamton, then Buffalo for dental school-that would be the cheapest option. It's hard to decide the best route at this point in my life!!