Go to NYU interview or take a gap year?

[happy_6523]

I have a NYU interview this Friday but I am not sure if I should go. I do not have acceptance so far. I applied NYU because I didn't realize how bad it is to borrow 500k but now I know. If I go to the interview and get accepted, I would have to attend, so I would not go to the interview if I am not attending NYU anyway.

I do not have any state residency because I did not grow up in America and my parents do not live here, so I can't save money by going to a state school. I do not want to do HPSP because I don't want to renounce my non-US citizenship and because of medical reason. I am thinking about taking a gap year and work in Texas for a year to gain residency. My relatives live in Texas and my sister is planning to move to Texas. I know that I may not get into dental schools in Texas, but I will also retake DAT to improve my chance and apply other out of state schools. Some public schools allow students to get in state tuition after one year. I have GPA 3.49 and 20 DAT.

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[Yesnoyes]

Go and make a decision afterwards if you get in or not. Either way, its good interview practice for next time around if you choose not to attend

 

[sobertiger]

Go. Do you really want to go through the application process again? Consider all the time wasted. Also, you would be losing out on an extra year of income. The money saved on tuition is not worth it at this point.

 

[happy_6523]

Go and make a decision afterwards if you get in or not. Either way, its good interview practice for next time around if you choose not to attend

It would negatively affect my chance next cycle if I get into dental school and not going.

 

[BasicG]

I am thinking about taking a gap year and work in Texas for a year to gain residency.

I will also retake DAT to improve my chance and apply other out of state schools.

Sounds like you got a plan. If I were in your shoes, I would not attend that interview

 

[B4SS]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but it’s only money. Yes, you want to make smart decisions with money and if taking a gap year does that for you, then go for it, but If you really want to be a dentist you should take every chance you have to maximize that opportunity. Maybe you spend $500-$1000 to fly out and do the interview and decide it’s not for you, at least you’re not left wondering what could have been if you went. You could apply to 3-year HPSP programs or governmental programs if cost really concerns you. I’m cut of the cloth that it’s most important to not only work really hard, but love the work I do, so if a massive investment is my way into my dream career, I would be silly to pass it up, right?

 

[princeafrica]

It would negatively affect my chance next cycle if I get into dental school and not going.

Smarttttt!

Going there and getting accepted and declining your only acceptance may negatively affect your application for next cycle.....contrary to what people who declined acceptances wanna believe.

Personally I wouldn’t borrow $500k which will turn close to a million with accrued interest later to become a GD

 

[deleted678432]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but it’s only money. Yes, you want to make smart decisions with money and if taking a gap year does that for you, then go for it, but If you really want to be a dentist you should take every chance you have to maximize that opportunity. Maybe you spend $500-$1000 to fly out and do the interview and decide it’s not for you, at least you’re not left wondering what could have been if you went. You could apply to 3-year HPSP programs or governmental programs if cost really concerns you. I’m cut of the cloth that it’s most important to not only work really hard, but love the work I do, so if a massive investment is my way into my dream career, I would be silly to pass it up, right?

It doesn't make sense financially to attend a school for 500k plus interest. You don't want your life to be governed by paying $4,000 in student loans every month for 15 years.

 

[deleted942432]

It doesn't make sense financially to attend a school for 500k plus interest. You don't want your life to be governed by paying $4,000 in student loans every month for 15 years.

If only we can be this honest when they asked us why dentistry in our interviews. They would lose 90% of their applicants pool if dentistry was only paying 40k a year.

 

[B4SS]

It doesn't make sense financially to attend a school for 500k plus interest. You don't want your life to be governed by paying $4,000 in student loans every month for 15 years.

Fair enough! 3-year HPSP could be a good route too. If I had to choose between 500k+interest or find a different career, I would probably go with the loan. Like I said, unpopular opinion, but I feel called to dentistry and have dreamt about it since I was a kid (Yep, I’m a weirdo). It just depends if the juice is worth the squeeze for that person! Personally, I didn’t apply to NYU because regardless of my thoughts, my wife is more of everyone else’s opinion! Good thing I have her to keep me realistic and in check. xD

 

[bracesforever]

if you really dont want to go there, then dont. it'll only hurt you when you apply next year if you are accepted to nyu and decline the offer.

 

[princeafrica]

If only we can be this honest when they asked us why dentistry in our interviews. They would lose 90% of their applicants pool if dentistry was only paying 40k a year.

My UCSF interviewer brother graduated from USC and she asked me why I didn’t apply to USC since I was interest in living in Cali. I told her I wouldn’t pay that much money for a DDS and she told me she wouldn’t either lol

 

[deleted942432]

My UCSF interviewer brother graduated from USC and asked me why I didn’t apply to USC since I was interest in living in Cali. I told her I wouldn’t pay that much money for a DDS and she told me she wouldn’t either lol

hahaha my man, you hold all the cards, you could of smack them and still gotten a scholarship to their school.

 

[Blueshirts]

Fair enough! 3-year HPSP could be a good route too. If I had to choose between 500k+interest or find a different career, I would probably go with the loan. Like I said, unpopular opinion, but I feel called to dentistry and have dreamt about it since I was a kid (Yep, I’m a weirdo). It just depends if the juice is worth the squeeze for that person! Personally, I didn’t apply to NYU because regardless of my thoughts, my wife is more of everyone else’s opinion! Good thing I have her to keep me realistic and in check. xD

Lucky man lol, you have a good support system there.

 

[Tootyfruity]

Probably an unpopular opinion, but it’s only money. Yes, you want to make smart decisions with money and if taking a gap year does that for you, then go for it, but If you really want to be a dentist you should take every chance you have to maximize that opportunity. Maybe you spend $500-$1000 to fly out and do the interview and decide it’s not for you, at least you’re not left wondering what could have been if you went. You could apply to 3-year HPSP programs or governmental programs if cost really concerns you. I’m cut of the cloth that it’s most important to not only work really hard, but love the work I do, so if a massive investment is my way into my dream career, I would be silly to pass it up, right?

this
i would never willingly take a gap year
knowing that there's a chance i just threw away my dream career cause the sdn dave ramseys said i couldn't handle my loans

 

[B4SS]

this
i would never willingly take a gap year
knowing that there's a chance i just threw away my dream career cause the sdn dave ramseys said i couldn't handle my loans

Haha. I like it!

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

TMDSAS Dental: Residency <---- Texas residency requirements.
All paths to gain residency in TX require living here for 12 months preceding October 1st. I would give this a read.

 

[Likkriue]

I would go and take the acceptance if you are dying to be a dentist.

 

[Cthuluhoop]

this
i would never willingly take a gap year
knowing that there's a chance i just threw away my dream career cause the sdn dave ramseys said i couldn't handle my loans

If you'd prefer, go on Dental Town so dentists can tell you those loans will be crippling instead of us SDN Dave Ramseys.

OP, at NYU you will be paying $80k a year for 10 years to get that debt paid off. Obviously that is impossible to pay for the first few years working unless you are living at home eating ramen noodles with no expenses, you must rely on a government repayment program until you make enough to really make a dent in that debt. It's going to be a heck of a journey and your life will be focused around that debt

 

[Let me out!]

Most of the responses only consider the debt of NYU.

Have you considered a year worth of extra income? What will you be making and wasting more in the next cycle for applying again?

If NYU becomes your only choice of acceptance, you should go. Wasting another year without a guaranteed acceptance or higher DAT score for that matter even, is a bit of a risk.

 

[bracesforever]

Most of the responses only consider the debt of NYU.

Have you considered a year worth of extra income? What will you be making and wasting more in the next cycle for applying again?

If NYU becomes your only choice of acceptance, you should go. Wasting another year without a guaranteed acceptance or higher DAT score for that matter even, is a bit of a risk.

The Nyu hate on sdn is real

 

[setdoc7]

Who are the people giving this advice? Not an AdCom to be seen. And none of them are in your shoes. And you can not even be sure that they have any connection to dentistry with the exception of those verified. Take the interview. You are assuming that you will get in if you take it, which is a large assumption. And if you get in, what have you got to lose? Unless you have a very high paying job right now, the income from a gap year will not equal out the lost year of dental practice, and if it does, why become a dentist at all? If dentistry is really where you want to be, than NYU is as good an option as anywhere else, since you have no state affiliation right now. Moving to Texas and gaining state residency does not help you if you do not get into a Texas school, which is not easy.

 

[thisismyacct]

It blows my mind that people will work their tail's off for 4 years then decide not to attend an interview because the school is "too expensive". In that case, how about all the time and money that were wasted even trying to attend dental school in the first place? Just go to the interview, do your best to get accepted, and then attend.

If you get accepted and don't attend it will reflect poorly on you if you re-apply, and you also have to consider the lost income from not working a year. There are also student loan repayment options. Not to mention that with a dentist's income, you can invest it into other avenues (example: real estate) to make more money.

 

[flossadvocate]

You definitely should go to this interview and give it a shot. Passing up a year of income as a GD/whatever you decide to specialize in vs applying next year and having the worry of the application process again.. There is only so much you can improve on your application in 3-6 months (if you plan to apply in June). Take that opportunity.

 

[UCLA MCDB]

Go and get an acceptance. Then once you become a dentist, go to Alaska to tackle your debt.
There is no guarantee that you will get in next cycle and you will regret not taking an acceptance from NYU if you do not get in next cycle.
Just my two cents...

 

[ESPN907]

This thread is exactly why people need to apply to only the schools they would actually attend if accepted.

 

[serendipity30]

Take it and get an acceptance! I’ve seen numourous people here on SDN told people to choose the cheapest school and themselves picked an ivy school. Irony right? Except @princeafrica he really did pick the cheapest option.

 

[deleted942432]

Take it get get an acceptance! I’vs seen numourous people here on SDN told people to go to the cheapest school and themselves picked an ivy school. Irony right? Except @princeafrica he really did pick the cheapest option.

I dont think picking the cheapest option is alway the right answer. If the price is fairly close (<30k), then you should definitely go with the school you love the most. Your surrounding can have a major impact on your happiness ans success.

 

[serendipity30]

I dont think picking the cheapest option is alway the right answer. If the price is fairly close (<30k), then you should definitely go with the school you love the most. Your surrounding can have a major impact on your happiness ans success.

I never said picking the cheapest is the best option for everyone. It’s your choice and I, myself didn’t pick the cheapest either. My concern is that people tell others to pick the cheapest and they don’t stick to the cheapest option for themselves.

 

[deleted942432]

I never said picking the cheapest is the best option for everyone. It’s your choice and I, myself didn’t pick the cheapest either. My concern is that people tell others to pick the cheapest and they don’t stick to the cheapest option for themselves.

Yeah, i agreed. Everyone is a hypocrite.

 

[Likkriue]

I chose the cheapest option.

 

[princeafrica]

Take it get get an acceptance! I’vs seen numourous people here on SDN told people to go to the cheapest school and themselves picked an ivy school. Irony right? Except @princeafrica he really did pick the cheapest option.

Yaaa it was either $50k or $200k. Some of y'all would of told me to chase dreams and experiences at $200k

 

[deleted942432]

Yaaa it was either $50k or $200k. Some of y'all would of told me to chase dreams and experiences at $200k

How did you not take the 200k, worst decision of your life lol

 

[princeafrica]

How did you not take the 200k, worst decision of your life lol

I'll most definitely regret it once I graduate

 

[deleted942432]

I'll most definitely regret it once I graduate

Im glad we can agree haha

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

I'll most definitely regret it once I graduate

When you graduate you can just cut me a check for 150K and we can both feel better