Harvard vs. UF (IS)

[mgd2018]

Hi, everyone. Currently decided between UF and Harvard and wanted some feedback as I'm making my decision.

Overview

UF
-$290k total
-Close to home as I'm from Florida
-Gainesville is fine more or less, little boring
-Good specialization rates
-It seems nice overall; I've spent a several hundred hours in the building assisting, doing research, etc. so I'm pretty familiar with it

Harvard
-$437k total
-Boston seemed amazing, but it's cold and I have never lived in a city; I'd probably like it though
-P/F grading sounds great
-Guaranteed specialization
-Opportunity to live in another part of the country
-It's Harvard; in theory, lots of opportunities for networking, learning from brilliant people, etc.
-I liked it much more than UF on my interview day, but it's hard to quantify how much it would realistically differ from UF in terms of how much I like it day-to-day

Clearly, the only logical reason to go to Harvard is to make my chances of specializing about 100%; there is no other good reason to take out $147k more in loans. However, I don't necessarily know I want to specialize. If I did go to Harvard, I would essentially force myself to specialize since there is no good reason to go there if not to specialize; I'm sure I'll be interested in at least 1 specialty quite a lot, so I'm not too worried about not ending up happy because I forced myself to specialize. It'll be fine.

There are 4 possible scenarios once I'm out of dental school:

Harvard w/o specializing: idiotic choice, I won't be doing this
UF w/o specializing: $290k debt; a very good career choice

Harvard with specializing: $437k debt + residency cost; almost guaranteed to get into the specialty/school I want
UF with specializing: $290k debt + residency cost; not guaranteed anything in terms of specializing really but it's still mildly secure since I should be in the top-ish percentile of my class still

Realistically, I'll perform well enough in dental school to be competitive applying to residencies. This fact alone makes going to Harvard to ensure my specialization less appealing because I could, probably, end up in the same situation/specialty after dental school but with $147k less initial debt (after interest accrues over 10-15 years, the cost of Harvard is closer to $300k).

Is the guarantee of specialization, along with the other less major benefits of going to Harvard, worth $300k long-term? Broadly speaking, specializing increases expected lifetime earnings by millions of dollars potentially based on BLS data. That's not a bad investment in the long run to secure a specialty for myself.

Any feedback would be great! Thanks for reading.

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[future_nostalgia]

Hey! I'm also from Florida, but I did not get into UF lol but I did mentally go through this scenario as well. For me, yes of course cost is a super important factor, but at the end of the day I know I personally wanted to go to a dental school that would make me happy. UF was the first school I interviewed at and I didn't really have any issues with any of it (it's a great school!) but when I started interviewing at other places it started to move down in my list of potential choices. Even though it's my state school and would have been my cheapest option (if I got in), I don't think it would have been difficult for me to decline the offer, but this is my own personal preference! I guess they ended up making that decision for me LOL, but here are some running thoughts I had when comparing UF to other schools I interviewed at:

• Geographical diversity and diversity in general are super important to me and I personally did not see a lot of it at UF, I do think there is diversity but I just didn't see it as much during my interview day. Geographical diversity though, is pretty much nonexistent because almost the entire class will be from FL.
• I didn't really like Gainesville, since I currently go to school in a major city. I don't think I would have liked living in a college town for four years over a city.
• During my interview I didn't feel like I learned enough about the school or its curriculum -- and curriculum is very important to me
• They have an amazing alumni network, especially in FL -- but other OOS schools told me they also had great FL alumni networks
• I didn't want to go to a school where I would feel extreme pressure to outperform people if I was interested in specializing; everyone at UF was very friendly, but a lot of other schools emphasized how they try to foster a very collaborative environment which I liked.

Feel free to PM me if you want because I definitely understand your predicament. At the end of the day, both are amazing schools, and you really can't go wrong in your decision! I know it's unconventional to say but sometimes going to the cheapest option isn't always the best move if the cheapest option won't be a place you can be happy at for the next 4 years.

 

[2TH MVR]

As you know ... most here will tell you to go to the cheaper DS and that includes myself.
You can specialize from any school. Are you sure you want to specialize? Specializing to make more money sounds like a poor career choice. You specialize because you want to practice a certain profession. There are no guarantees that you will make more money as a specialist.
Harvard connection. Meh. Assuming you practice anywhere but Boston .... nobody will care. In the real world .... patients care more about your positive yelp reviews than your background.
General Dentistry doesn't rely as much on networking, not like politics or law would be.
As a potential employer ... I honestly could care less about the DS you went to. I would want to know how your people skills are. How competent you are.

On the other hand. If your life is all about experiences and not so much practical reason .... then maybe going to Harvaaad would be a once in a lifetime accomplishment. Are you considering something other than the bread and butter in the trenches general dentistry? Then again .. maybe you want Harvard on your resume.

In the end ... it's your decision.
Good luck.

 

[druncleauntie]

You can try to leverage your position with harvard. Tell them that you really like them but UF is a lot cheaper. Maybe they will give you a scholarship? And tell the same thing to UF, they may also help you out


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[mgd2018]

As you know ... most here will tell you to go to the cheaper DS and that includes myself.
You can specialize from any school. Are you sure you want to specialize? Specializing to make more money sounds like a poor career choice. You specialize because you want to practice a certain profession. There are no guarantees that you will make more money as a specialist.
Harvard connection. Meh. Assuming you practice anywhere but Boston .... nobody will care. In the real world .... patients care more about your positive yelp reviews than your background.
General Dentistry doesn't rely as much on networking, not like politics or law would be.
As a potential employer ... I honestly could care less about the DS you went to. I would want to know how your people skills are. How competent you are.

On the other hand. If your life is all about experiences and not so much practical reason .... then maybe going to Harvaaad would be a once in a lifetime accomplishment. Are you considering something other than the bread and butter in the trenches general dentistry? Then again .. maybe you want Harvard on your resume.

In the end ... it's your decision.
Good luck.

Lot of logical points. As you mentioned, Harvard vs. UF might be more a “experiential / accomplishment” vs. “logical choice” debate more than anything. Thanks for the help.

 

[mgd2018]

You can try to leverage your position with harvard. Tell them that you really like them but UF is a lot cheaper. Maybe they will give you a scholarship? And tell the same thing to UF, they may also help you out


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Trying to do that right now actually. Doubt UF will give anything but I’ve heard Harvard does give out money. I’m really hoping they do

 

[mrdeez]

This has already been discussed.

Harvard or UF (state school)?

 

[mgd2018]

This has already been discussed.

Harvard or UF (state school)?

I’m aware of SDN’s search function lol. Just wanted to post my own thread, see if people had different ideas than that thread.

 

[Charcot-Marie-Tooth]

Hi, everyone. Currently decided between UF and Harvard and wanted some feedback as I'm making my decision.

Overview

UF
-$290k total
-Close to home as I'm from Florida
-Gainesville is fine more or less, little boring
-Good specialization rates
-It seems nice overall; I've spent a several hundred hours in the building assisting, doing research, etc. so I'm pretty familiar with it

Harvard
-$437k total
-Boston seemed amazing, but it's cold and I have never lived in a city; I'd probably like it though
-P/F grading sounds great
-Guaranteed specialization
-Opportunity to live in another part of the country
-It's Harvard; in theory, lots of opportunities for networking, learning from brilliant people, etc.
-I liked it much more than UF on my interview day, but it's hard to quantify how much it would realistically differ from UF in terms of how much I like it day-to-day

Clearly, the only logical reason to go to Harvard is to make my chances of specializing about 100%; there is no other good reason to take out $147k more in loans. However, I don't necessarily know I want to specialize. If I did go to Harvard, I would essentially force myself to specialize since there is no good reason to go there if not to specialize; I'm sure I'll be interested in at least 1 specialty quite a lot, so I'm not too worried about not ending up happy because I forced myself to specialize. It'll be fine.

There are 4 possible scenarios once I'm out of dental school:

Harvard w/o specializing: idiotic choice, I won't be doing this
UF w/o specializing: $290k debt; a very good career choice

Harvard with specializing: $437k debt + residency cost; almost guaranteed to get into the specialty/school I want
UF with specializing: $290k debt + residency cost; not guaranteed anything in terms of specializing really but it's still mildly secure since I should be in the top-ish percentile of my class still

Realistically, I'll perform well enough in dental school to be competitive applying to residencies. This fact alone makes going to Harvard to ensure my specialization less appealing because I could, probably, end up in the same situation/specialty after dental school but with $147k less initial debt (after interest accrues over 10-15 years, the cost of Harvard is closer to $300k).

Is the guarantee of specialization, along with the other less major benefits of going to Harvard, worth $300k long-term? Broadly speaking, specializing increases expected lifetime earnings by millions of dollars potentially based on BLS data. That's not a bad investment in the long run to secure a specialty for myself.

Any feedback would be great! Thanks for reading.

It sounds like you have already answered your question... If it were me (which it was just a year ago), I would personally go with UF.
10 years down the road (whether you specialize or not), you will either be
a. thankful that you have dramatically less debt (going to UF), or
b. you will regret having taken out so much more in loans over a cheaper, still reputable, option.

Just work hard during school and you should be fine. If you were able to get into both of those schools, then I wouldn't worry!

 

[mrdeez]

I’m aware of SDN’s search function lol.

Sorry if I triggered you. I was just linking the two threads to make it easier for everyone. Looks like you’ll fit right in at Harvard though.

 

[mgd2018]

Sorry if I triggered you. I was just linking the two threads to make it easier for everyone. Looks like you’ll fit right in at Harvard though.

Dismissive, then rude after the fact. Glad you’re part of the community, Mr. Probationary Status

 

[DozingDentist]

Sorry if I triggered you. I was just linking the two threads to make it easier for everyone. Looks like you’ll fit right in at Harvard though.

OP wasn't being condescending lol. Relax tough guy.

 

[mgd2018]

It sounds like you have already answered your question... If it were me (which it was just a year ago), I would personally go with UF.
10 years down the road (whether you specialize or not), you will either be
a. thankful that you have dramatically less debt (going to UF), or
b. you will regret having taken out so much more in loans over a cheaper, still reputable, option.

Just work hard during school and you should be fine. If you were able to get into both of those schools, then I wouldn't worry!

That sounds about right. I think I’m more just looking for solid arguments for Harvard at this point haha but there’s not too many. Thanks for the help!

 

[mgd2018]

OP wasn't being condescending lol. Relax tough guy.

Let him be mad. I want to see what the next progression is after Probationary Status

 

[DozingDentist]

That sounds about right. I think I’m more just looking for solid arguments for Harvard at this point haha but there’s not too many. Thanks for the help!

TBH, I would go with Harvard if I were in your shoes.

Definitely see if you can get some more money from them. But, as you said, it's Harvard

Yes, it's dentistry and being Harvard doesn't mean as much as in other fields but you certainly will be in an environment that is brilliant. I don't think you should pass on that opportunity.

 

[DMDtoMD]

I would go to Harvard.

Pass/fail alone will make your life drastically better. Add on the fact you’ll be in Boston as a HARVARD student. Jesus, I’m getting hot flashes just thinking about it

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

I would go to Harvard but only if you plan to specialize. I like the idea of a small class size, P/F, and living up north would be a neat change. If you want to be a GP then do yourself a major favor and stay in state.

Hey! I'm also from Florida, but I did not get into UF lol

How did you not get into FL as in state with a 26AA?

 

[mgd2018]

I would go to Harvard but only if you plan to specialize. I like the idea of a small class size, P/F, and living up north would be a neat change. If you want to be a GP then do yourself a major favor and stay in state.



How did you not get into FL as in state with a 26AA?

I got a 27 and got in. Guess he needed that extra point but yeah UF has a reputation for choosing people strangely, some overqualified don’t get in, etc. And it doesn’t help that some UF interviews are really hard and some are really nice, makes it a bit volatile I guess.

 

[Brady=GOAT]

Think you should get through 1 semester of dental school before assuming you’ll be at the top of your class. Excelling in both didactic + handskills is not an easy task.

 

[Likkriue]

Think you should get through 1 semester of dental school before assuming you’ll be at the top of your class. Excelling in both didactic + handskills is not an easy task.

Been there 3 semesters so far and been doing pretty well in both. People who are able to get into Harvard most will be completely fine didactic wise. I didn’t go to a great science college and am still killing all the sciences.

Now the handskills part is different. Just because your hands are great at one thing doesn’t make you great in another. For example I could prep a pretty nice crown but my restoration preps don’t come out half as nice. So there’s more variety there and the biggest thing there’s is practice practice practice to get better.

Anyone who gets a 27 dat with a high gpa can specialize, it’s not as difficult as people think. I’m probably one of the top people in my class and my dat and gpa is far lower than what these people are boasting.

 

[Brady=GOAT]

OP it seems like you are only going to go to Harvard if you decide to specialize, within in the next few months I assume. You're going to make that decision before being adequately exposed to the fields? Seems misguided

 

[mgd2018]

Think you should get through 1 semester of dental school before assuming you’ll be at the top of your class. Excelling in both didactic + handskills is not an easy task.

I didn’t assume that, it’s just not ridiculous to think I will be. Didactically I’ll do well and I have no reason to think I’ll have terrible handskills haha.

OP it seems like you are only going to go to Harvard if you decide to specialize, within in the next few months I assume. You're going to make that decision before being adequately exposed to the fields? Seems misguided

Yeah it’s definitely not ideal whatsoever. With that said, at Harvard there’s a high pressure to specialize -> I’ll have more incentive to become interested in a speciality -> good chance I’ll end up interested/happy in one.

It’s not a great or logical situation, but there’s just no sensible reason to attend Harvard and go the GP route.

 

[deleted678432]

UF is a great school, plus you can specialize out of any school. My mom has been in the dental field my whole life (not a dentist), and I've met a billion specialists over my life, and NONE of them have come from Harvard or any other ivy. You obviously can and probably will specialize from either school. I like the analogy of, if someone came to you right now an said "I will pay you $150k to go to UF", I think we'd all be dumb to turn that down

 

[future_nostalgia]

How did you not get into FL as in state with a 26AA?

LOL no clue -- but my interviewers didn't seem like they liked me tbh and I personally didn't think I vibed well with the school so it wasn't that huge of a deal. I also don't go to school in FL currently so maybe they assumed from that fact that I wouldn't go to school in FL for dental school? Not sure but I have some other great options haha

 

[ResinTooth]

UF is a great school, plus you can specialize out of any school. My mom has been in the dental field my whole life (not a dentist), and I've met a billion specialists over my life, and NONE of them have come from Harvard or any other ivy. You obviously can and probably will specialize from either school. I like the analogy of, if someone came to you right now an said "I will pay you $150k to go to UF", I think we'd all be dumb to turn that down

to be fair, its a numbers game. Out of 66? dental schools in the US, harvard + columbia + penn is only 3 of them. plus grads of those schools tend to stay coast-side, from what I've seen.

i will completely agree with the fact that you can specialize out of any school.
i'll most likely be attending my state school fyi, not tryna plug for ivies or anything

 

[deleted678432]

to be fair, its a numbers game. Out of 66? dental schools in the US, harvard + columbia + penn is only 3 of them. plus grads of those schools tend to stay coast-side, from what I've seen.

i will completely agree with the fact that you can specialize out of any school.
i'll most likely be attending my state school fyi, not tryna plug for ivies or anything

But I bet that out of those three schools, around 100 specialists are produced per year, which is a huge sum for a mix of 3 schools

 

[ResinTooth]

But I bet that out of those three schools, around 100 specialists are produced per year, which is a huge sum for a mix of 3 schools

definitely agree. Are you refuting something I'm saying or just adding info lol

 

[deleted678432]

definitely agree. Are you refuting something I'm saying or just adding info lol

After I sent that I had no idea how it ties to anything but decided to just leave it lol

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Remember, many dental residencies charge tuition. Combined with accrued interest, you might rack up another $200,000 to $300,000 in student loans. I turned down Columbia and UPenn for a lowly public school full of commoners. I’ve never regretted it once. I went to school on the HPSP so I wasn’t worried about cost, and I still told them no.

Big Hoss

 

[2TH MVR]

T

Remember, many dental residencies charge tuition. Combined with accrued interest, you might rack up another $200,000 to $300,000 in student loans. I turned down Columbia and UPenn for a lowly public school full of commoners. I’ve never regretted it once. I went to school on the HPSP so I wasn’t worried about cost, and I still told them no.

Big Hoss

I thought there was a rule on SDN about letting Commoners post. Geez. Giving this place a bad name.

 

[ResinTooth]

Remember, many dental residencies charge tuition. Combined with accrued interest, you might rack up another $200,000 to $300,000 in student loans. I turned down Columbia and UPenn for a lowly public school full of commoners. I’ve never regretted it once. I went to school on the HPSP so I wasn’t worried about cost, and I still told them no.

Big Hoss

Granted I'm still a pre-dent on the interview trail, but I have yet to meet a pre-dent, dental student, or dentist who thinks that public schools are "full of commoners."

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

Granted I'm still a pre-dent on the interview trail, but I have yet to meet a pre-dent, dental student, or dentist who thinks that public schools are "full of commoners."

The sarcasm is strong with this one. Thou shalt learn it in time, young grasshopper.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[mgd2018]

Granted I'm still a pre-dent on the interview trail, but I have yet to meet a pre-dent, dental student, or dentist who thinks that public schools are "full of commoners."

Simple state-school plebeian, you wouldn’t understand

 

[Beckwith Wiedemann]

Hi, everyone. Currently decided between UF and Harvard and wanted some feedback as I'm making my decision.

Overview

UF
-$290k total
-Close to home as I'm from Florida
-Gainesville is fine more or less, little boring
-Good specialization rates
-It seems nice overall; I've spent a several hundred hours in the building assisting, doing research, etc. so I'm pretty familiar with it

Harvard
-$437k total
-Boston seemed amazing, but it's cold and I have never lived in a city; I'd probably like it though
-P/F grading sounds great
-Guaranteed specialization
-Opportunity to live in another part of the country
-It's Harvard; in theory, lots of opportunities for networking, learning from brilliant people, etc.
-I liked it much more than UF on my interview day, but it's hard to quantify how much it would realistically differ from UF in terms of how much I like it day-to-day

Clearly, the only logical reason to go to Harvard is to make my chances of specializing about 100%; there is no other good reason to take out $147k more in loans. However, I don't necessarily know I want to specialize. If I did go to Harvard, I would essentially force myself to specialize since there is no good reason to go there if not to specialize; I'm sure I'll be interested in at least 1 specialty quite a lot, so I'm not too worried about not ending up happy because I forced myself to specialize. It'll be fine.

There are 4 possible scenarios once I'm out of dental school:

Harvard w/o specializing: idiotic choice, I won't be doing this
UF w/o specializing: $290k debt; a very good career choice

Harvard with specializing: $437k debt + residency cost; almost guaranteed to get into the specialty/school I want
UF with specializing: $290k debt + residency cost; not guaranteed anything in terms of specializing really but it's still mildly secure since I should be in the top-ish percentile of my class still

Realistically, I'll perform well enough in dental school to be competitive applying to residencies. This fact alone makes going to Harvard to ensure my specialization less appealing because I could, probably, end up in the same situation/specialty after dental school but with $147k less initial debt (after interest accrues over 10-15 years, the cost of Harvard is closer to $300k).

Is the guarantee of specialization, along with the other less major benefits of going to Harvard, worth $300k long-term? Broadly speaking, specializing increases expected lifetime earnings by millions of dollars potentially based on BLS data. That's not a bad investment in the long run to secure a specialty for myself.

Any feedback would be great! Thanks for reading.

Does Harvard give any scholarship for you? UF is a good school, what's the match rate there though?

Also, based on your post on Penn thread, how many/what other other schools did you get in?!?

 

[mgd2018]

Does Harvard give any scholarship for you? UF is a good school, what's the match rate there though?

Also, based on your post on Penn thread, how many/what other other schools did you get in?!?

Not sure yet about scholarships at either school yet. Just learned that UF had a 100% match rate last year; not sure exactly how many people specialized, etc. but the rate was 100%. Kinda makes Harvard seem pointless lol.

Just got into UF, Nova, Harvard, and Temple.

 

[DMDtoMD]

Not sure yet about scholarships at either school yet. Just learned that UF had a 100% match rate last year; not sure exactly how many people specialized, etc. but the rate was 100%. Kinda makes Harvard seem pointless lol.

Just got into UF, Nova, Harvard, and Temple.

That may be due to the fact only those with the grades to specialize apply. I know a few people who were interested in OMFS at UF (and other similar schools) but gave up after first year grades

 

[mgd2018]

That may be due to the fact only those with the grades to specialize apply. I know a few people who were interested in OMFS at UF (and other similar schools) but gave up after first year grades

Too bad there’s no way to quantify how much of an effect that had great point though. Guess UF’s rate is a bit misleading really.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

That may be due to the fact only those with the grades to specialize apply. I know a few people who were interested in OMFS at UF (and other similar schools) but gave up after first year grades

So...if these underperformers were dropped into Harvard they magically would have performed better, thus giving them a better chance to specialize? Is that your argument? Or, are you arguing they could hide behind a P/F grading system and hope their school's name carries them the distance? So...are you saying that Harvard and the like are able to sneak subpar candidates into residency? That's slander!

Big Hoss

 

[princeafrica]

So...if these underperformers were dropped into Harvard they magically would have performed better, thus giving them a better chance to specialize? Is that your argument? Or, are you arguing they could hide behind a P/F grading system and hope their school's name carries them the distance? So...are you saying that Harvard and the like are able to sneak subpar candidates into residency? That's slander!

Big Hoss

 

[mgd2018]

So...if these underperformers were dropped into Harvard they magically would have performed better, thus giving them a better chance to specialize? Is that your argument? Or, are you arguing they could hide behind a P/F grading system and hope their school's name carries them the distance? So...are you saying that Harvard and the like are able to sneak subpar candidates into residency? That's slander!

Big Hoss

Maybe that’s true but underperformers don’t really get accepted to Harvard so it’s not too relevant I’d say. Highly doubt anyone goes to Harvard and slacks off because they have P/F.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Maybe that’s true but underperformers don’t really get accepted to Harvard

Oh, so very capable people go to Harvard? Hmmm...if they are indeed very capable then they would excell regardless where they go. If they’d excell wherever they go, they could specialize then regardless of academic “pedigree.” So, you are then arguing that someone who gets into Harvard and their state school should choose their state school because they can specialize regardless and they can save money. Is that correct?

#gotothecheapestschoolyougetinto

Big Hoss

 

[mrdeez]

Oh, so very capable people go to Harvard? Hmmm...if they are indeed very capable then they would excell regardless where they go. If they’d excell wherever they go, they could specialize then regardless of academic “pedigree.” So, you are then arguing that someone who gets into Harvard and their state school should choose their state school because they can specialize regardless and they can save money. Is that correct?

#gotothecheapestschoolyougetinto

Big Hoss

But...we grew up watching doctor tv shows and movies with shots of the Harvard yard, the Harvard library, the wrought iron fences and Boston architecture, the intellectual elite...

wouldn’t these things be like...important in a dental education or something? I mean it is Harvard after all cmon hoss.

 

[mgd2018]

Oh, so very capable people go to Harvard? Hmmm...if they are indeed very capable then they would excell regardless where they go. If they’d excell wherever they go, they could specialize then regardless of academic “pedigree.” So, you are then arguing that someone who gets into Harvard and their state school should choose their state school because they can specialize regardless and they can save money. Is that correct?

#gotothecheapestschoolyougetinto

Big Hoss

Yup, I said all of that in my original post. So why did you choose your state school over Columbia and UPenn even when cost wasn't a factor?

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Yup, I said all of that in my original post. So why did you choose your state school over Columbia and UPenn even when cost wasn't a factor?

I had never been to Manhattan before my Columbia interview. I grew up in a small town, and suffice it to say I’d absolutely lose my mind living there. And Philly isn’t much better, in my humble opinion. I already had a diploma from a “fancy” top 10 school. Having already been there and done that, I don’t have a thing to prove to anyone. And there’s really nothing fancy about these schools anyway. I went with the best fit and fit it did, as I ended up in the top 5%. I knew I’d be able to run and gun wherever I went.

Big Hoss

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

I actually want a different opinion for medical school (my friends). If you got into HMS/Perelman vs your in state med school, which would you go and why?

Does prestige matter for medical students these days or no?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Prestige is important up to a point for med school. Unlike dentistry where specializing is optional med students have to do a residency. So students are competing for spaces in their designated field everywhere. In order to get into one of the higher paying specialties or the ones with the best lifestyle you will need to crush the usmle steps 1&2, have research pubs/posters for the specialty, get good rec letters from that kinda dr, and rank well within your class. If you are shooting for something like derm, ortho, or ent you'd normally need all of those things to align and to get into a more prestigious residency you need to be better than the rest of the highly competitive people.

Prestige is kind of a poor factor in choosing how to rank your program choice in residencies though unless you want an academic career. Some of the most productive ($$$) physicians I know chose to do residencies in hospitals that were busier/higher volume with poorer demographics rather than more academic hospitals that do higher cost procedures more often because of how they desired to practice.

 

[DMDtoMD]

So...if these underperformers were dropped into Harvard they magically would have performed better, thus giving them a better chance to specialize? Is that your argument? Or, are you arguing they could hide behind a P/F grading system and hope their school's name carries them the distance? So...are you saying that Harvard and the like are able to sneak subpar candidates into residency? That's slander!

Big Hoss

I mean, my friend is a sharp guy and worked his ass off to get into UF just to get bombarded with more work and more graded weed out courses. It seems like at Harvard it’s more structured for learning and you’re allowed to make mistakes in the P/F curriculum. If you ask me, I wouldn’t risk it with a notoriously cut throat program like UF when I have Harvard (a guaranteed match).

Just to add: I would rather be in another 100k debt and be guaranteed a specialty I find interesting, live frugally upon graduation and pay it off (surgeons make good money, yanno?). I would NOT risk it at UF, get burnt out, not make the cut and get stuck in general dentistry when surgery is what really interests me

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

get stuck in general dentistry when surgery is what really interests me

No one should apply to DENTAL school if they aren't comfortable being "stuck in general dentistry", as this is the actual goal of dental school, to produce general dentists (who may or may not go on to specialties).

Also forgive the run-on sentence.

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[luminous345]

Thoughts:

- "Prestige" matters much more for medicine than dentistry, particularly for those looking to match into the most competitive specialties: integrated plastics, derm, etc.

- If you're academically good enough to get admitted into Harvard dental, I'm confident you'll absolutely be able to specialize from any school.

- Agree with the idea that you shouldn't apply to dental school if you're not comfortable with "stuck being in general dentistry"

- Lastly (this might just be me reading too much into things), sometimes I feel that people on this board have a hate-boner for the ivy-private schools. If people wanna go, let 'em go.