Harvard vs. Columbia

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junior23

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Was extremely fortunate to get accepted into a few dental schools on december 1st, and I have narrowed it down to these two. My plans for dental school are either to specialize or possibly do a dual degree-MBA at one of these programs.

- Columbia will be ~290K because of a scholarship.
- Harvard will be ~390K with no scholarship.
- I'm from the midwest so both schools are far from home.
- I am a fan of both cities: Boston and NYC, but like Boston a little bit more

Any input would be appreciated!
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Not sure how MBA would affect it but I would go with Columbia since their matchrate is just as high and no research is required. Harvard does have a bit of an edge in "prestige", but we are dentists in the end. Can't say prestige is a driving force for most dental students or else they would have gone into medicine.
 
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I'd go with Harvard cuz it's Harvard! Picture have that diploma framed in your dental office, bet it will make patience see you differently! No sure how many people are like me , but before I go to any doctor / dentist I check out his/her background first, if I see a Harvard one I would instantly choose him first. Also just bring on Harvard campus the connections and relationships you build in 4 years will be amazing. Columbia is a amazing school but it's not Harvard. For me , I would pay 200k even extra to go for Harvard, if not more.
 
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Dream Creek said:
I'd go with Harvard cuz it's Harvard! Picture have that diploma framed in your dental office, bet it will make patience see you differently! No sure how many people are like me , but before I go to any doctor / dentist I check out his/her background first, if I see a Harvard one I would instantly choose him first. Also just bring on Harvard campus the connections and relationships you build in 4 years will be amazing. Columbia is a amazing school but it's not Harvard. For me , I would pay 200k even extra to go for Harvard, if not more.
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Thinking with your feelings rarely ends well... in this instance, it ends with 100k more pre interest debt for the same outcome.
 
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First off, congratulations! Those are amazing options to be choosing from. In terms of specializing, both are great (maybe the slight edge goes to Harvard). I would say what it comes down two are price and research. If research is something you are very interested in, I'd definitely go to Harvard. Although you can do research at both schools, I believe Harvard emphasizes it more than Columbia. In terms of price, Harvard will obviously take longer to pay off, but if you are planning on specializing in something like OMFS, the debt should be manageable. In this case, I don't know if I'd be able to pass up the opportunity to go to Harvard. Congrats on either decision you make! 🙂
 
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0rgansm said:
Thinking with your feelings rarely ends well... in this instance, it ends with 100k more pre interest debt for the same outcome.
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I00 k is not as much as you think once you started working, I have Been working for 7 years, 100k for working people just means 2 nice cars and 1 old crappy apartment in ghetto area. Once you started working, you will find one of the most valuable resource you have is the connection you made in schools, I personally would not pass the opportunity with Harvard and MIT right there.
 
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Dream Creek said:
I'd go with Harvard cuz it's Harvard! Picture have that diploma framed in your dental office, bet it will make patience see you differently! No sure how many people are like me , but before I go to any doctor / dentist I check out his/her background first, if I see a Harvard one I would instantly choose him first. Also just bring on Harvard campus the connections and relationships you build in 4 years will be amazing. Columbia is a amazing school but it's not Harvard. For me , I would pay 200k even extra to go for Harvard, if not more.
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Lmao.............
 
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Key differences:

- Boston vs NYC
- Research (a thesis is required at Harvard I believe, Columbia doesn't require research)
- Grading (Pure P/F at Harvard? vs P/F first two years and H/P/F last two years at Columbia)
- Ranking (I believe Harvard is unranked outside the top two, Columbia is vague about this and either ranks into thirds or doesn't rank at all anymore)
- Class size (40 at Harvard vs 80 at Columbia)

Specialization rates are pretty strong at both, but Harvard probably has the edge there. I've heard Harvard dental students are a little more tightly integrated with the medical school as well, if that's important to you.
 
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As other have said, schools are overall pretty similar. Harvard focuses on research a bit more with the required thesis.

I know people who choose Columbia over Harvard and vice-versa. I think it honestly comes down to feel. Which interview did you feel more at home/could see yourself more?

If I were in your shoes I would pick Columbia. Save 100k, get a larger class and to work in a brand new clinic. I don't think you can go wrong though.
 
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Columbia easily. Impressive school from what I remember and you get to hang out in New York. I think they are getting new clinics too if I heard correctly. If you really have to worry about specializing right now neither school is going to hinder you obviously. No use crunching numbers and determining some specialization edge.

Can't believe people are saying to go with Harvard. That $100k difference is huge.
 
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Fets said:
Columbia easily. Impressive school from what I remember and you get to hang out in New York. I think they are getting new clinics too if I heard correctly. If you really have to worry about specializing right now neither school is going to hinder you obviously. No use crunching numbers and determining some specialization edge.

Can't believe people are saying to go with Harvard. That $100k difference is huge.
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Yup we got a brand new clinic this year: Center for Precision Dental Medicine
 
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Fets said:
Those look really nice
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Found a more recent picture from the Facebook page.

24958827_10157736951734988_1864735377810189856_o.jpg
 
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Just out of curiosity, what scholarship were you offered and for what amount? Also, are those costs you listed including housing, or just tuition and fees?
 
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junior23 said:
Was extremely fortunate to get accepted into a few dental schools on december 1st, and I have narrowed it down to these two. My plans for dental school are either to specialize or possibly do a dual degree-MBA at one of these programs.

- Columbia will be ~290K because of a scholarship.
- Harvard will be ~390K with no scholarship.
- I'm from the midwest so both schools are far from home.
- I am a fan of both cities: Boston and NYC, but like Boston a little bit more

Any input would be appreciated!
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I am also in the same boat. I am from the Midwest and was accepted to both Columbia and Harvard. I did not get a scholarship from either; however, Boston gave me a better vibe than New York and the students appeared slightly more relaxed and personable than Columbia. What city from the Midwest are you from? I have not decided on the school yet, but I am probably leaning Harvard.
 
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In most cases the dental school you go to doesn't matter. For those who want to specialize some schools might give you a better chance at reaching that goal, but again at any school you can specialize. No school however has the same power and name recognition like Harvard. It's in a league of its own. If 100k is worth having that jaw dropping name, then go for it!
 
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I was stuck making this decision earlier this year and ultimately decided on Harvard. For me, it was cheaper (no scholarship at Columbia and financial aid at Harvard), I liked Boston more, and the pure P/F was important. Plus, the integration with the med school seems to be much more well done--I've heard stuff about potential tension med and dental students at Columbia but can't attest to it. Perhaps most important out of all of those factors was the class size though... I really enjoy being able to know all of my classmates really well. There isn't really much competition here, which is nice!

That being said, I was so close to choosing Columbia because I felt that I vibed so well at the interview. I don't really know how it is to be a student there, but I know you'll have amazing opportunities at both. Good luck deciding!
 
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