Help deciding please! UoP or NYU?...

[localmotion2189]

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I received acceptances to both schools (so thankful! 😀). However, I have to drop off the first deposit for NYU by this afternoon and I just can't decide which one to go to... So far, my list of pros/cons for each school are:

UoP
pros:
- I went to USF during my undergrad so I know the area well already. I love it there and it feels like my second home.
- Because I am hoping to receive a military scholarship, I will only have to pay back 3 years of service.
- Also, since I would like to specialize (which takes 2-3 years on TOP of d-school and my 3 years of military service), I can start my career in my prime years sooner. I understand that it's hard to tell if I want to (or even can) specialize so early but I am just considering how long it would take to start working IF I did.

cons:
- Worried that a 3 year program will make it more difficult to specialize since I feel I need a TON of time to study. Although I did do well in college, I honestly thought I needed just a little bit more time to study than others who did as well as me.
- I've already experienced living in SF (and loved it) but this may be the only chance I have to live in NY while I'm young.


NYU
pros:
- An opportunity to live in one of the most exciting cities in the world.
- Hopefully, I'll be able to perform better in school since it goes at a slower pace than UoP and I'll have (hopefully) more time to study for tests/quizzes/etc.

cons:
- A longer payback period in the military (4 years).
- There may be a chance I may not like it there at all.


So that pretty much sums up the plus and minuses for going to each school. Most importantly I guess I just want to know if I'll be able to specialize at NYU easier since I know how much time I need to study. Also, I'm a little hesitant on passing up the opportunity to live in NY as a young adult when I've already experienced living in SF. I'm really sorry for the longgg rant but I guess I'm just worried about having any regrets later. Thank you guys for reading all this and any help/thoughts/opinions/encouragement/etc. would be GREATLY appreciated!!! 🙂

 

[chocoholi]

I had both of those choices as well, and I would say UOP. RIght now I am deciding between USC and UOP and am having a hard time. For me, NYU was way too big for me, with over 300 students. I liked how UOP was smaller and felt like a family. UOP also has such a great reputation if you want to specialize.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

Uop.

 

[periopocket]

Uop

 

[drill-and-fill]

Which service is granting you HPSP for UoP if you don't mind me asking?

Oh, and UoP all the way if you can get the military scholarship...

 

[DentalHopeful28]

uop

 

[ushaseos]

UoP > NYU in your situation. Specializing can be done anywhere, you'll need to work extra hard though with only 3 years of allotted time. If you decide not to specialize it's probably the best place to go since you'll be done faster. I think UoP is also cheaper than NYU. Not by a lot but it is worth something assuming you didn't get a scholarship to NYU. If you got one those 20-25K per year deals NYU is not too unreasonably priced.

You might want to look into taking an extra year for research or something before applying. I know a lot of med students do this when they're applying to harder specialties. This does defeat the whole "3 years and I'm done" part, but if all else fails...

 

[enjoycold]

You probably decided at this time.
Most people recommend other schools over nyu bc other schools are less expensive and have less class size.
comparing b/t two schools, i'd say nyu could be better for you bc honestly, finishing dental school in 3 yrs might not fit to you(it doesn't fit to me, i wouldn't be confident to treat patients even in 4 yrs of training).
plus, i rly think nyu is one of the best school that can clinically prepare you as a dentist.

 

[bdental2013]

Which one did you decide?

 

[slamdunk1701]

The thing that so many people overlook with UoP is the reduced opportunity cost of a 3 yr program. Yes it is equally expensive to attend, but you will be able to earn a salary in that extra year. Furthermore, you will spend 1 less year in the army, giving you a total of 2 working years (potentially in private practice) instead of 1 in school and 1 in the army. This should put you WAY ahead financially. You also don't seem convinced with choosing NYC over SF, and so this decision seems simple. Hopefully you chose UoP.

 

[sleeplessinsf]

I went to UOP and did my endo residency in NY (not NYU). At my hospital many of the GPR residents graduated from NYU. I can tell you there is a huge difference in terms of competency and the amount of training received in these schools.

I LOVED our 3-year program and thought we came out as prepared, if not more than anyone from a 4-year program ... Maybe not so much academically (but we still have very high boards passing rate i think high 90%) but definitely clinically. There are plenty of research opportunities if you want to specialize as well. The GPR director at my hospital was an NYU grad himself and loved residents from UOP and thought we were very well rounded.

With the class size being very large at NYU, I hear many complaints of students not being adequately prepared coming out of dental school. They do few fixed, endo, etc and in general needed a lot more guidance. But again with everything in life it is how you make of it. I'm probably biased too🙂. Whatever you decide on good luck!