Help Deciding: UIC vs Midwestern

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
S

SmilinDental

Full Member
Verified Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Hey everyone,

IL resident, was planning on going to Midwestern in AZ but just got accepted to UIC yesterday! I absolutely loved everything about Midwestern when I was there for the interview (except the tuition of course!), but I am having a difficult time trying to justify the high cost of the private school with amazing facilities and faculty for my state school.

Although, there are rumors that UIC tuition will be increasing exponentially over the next few years because of the severe budget crisis in Illinois....

Any thoughts or advice???

Thanks in advance!
Members don't see this ad.
 
How much time do you have to decide? The reason I ask is because the fiscal budget plan for IL was released and UIC should have their tuition and fees for next year posted soon.

Now-assuming the 20% increase rumor is true...if you calculate a ONE TIME ONLY 20% increase in tuition you end up with 231,000 for 4 years over 193,000 that is currently the total for 4 years. That's not including any living expenses. Add about 20-30K a year for Chicago area. Total comes to $331,000 (if you do 25K in living expenses for 4 years). *This was a one time increase...tuition increases may occur every year*

Compare this to Midwestern: estimated 90K per year including living expenses * 4 years =360,000...30K difference.

To me this is not enough for me to consider as a substantial savings for staying in state.
 
punkin85 said:
How much time do you have to decide? The reason I ask is because the fiscal budget plan for IL was released and UIC should have their tuition and fees for next year posted soon.

Now-assuming the 20% increase rumor is true...if you calculate a ONE TIME ONLY 20% increase in tuition you end up with 231,000 for 4 years over 193,000 that is currently the total for 4 years. That's not including any living expenses. Add about 20-30K a year for Chicago area. Total comes to $331,000 (if you do 25K in living expenses for 4 years). *This was a one time increase...tuition increases may occur every year*

Compare this to Midwestern: estimated 90K per year including living expenses * 4 years =360,000...30K difference.

To me this is not enough for me to consider as a substantial savings for staying in state.
Click to expand...

According to predents, instate tuition is just over 100K... where did you get the 193K figure?

In the long run, the deciding question is: Is it worth the extra money to go to school with Supertank?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I have the current figures for years 1-4, fall 2009 -summer 2010.

D1-41,924
D2-50, 925
D3-50,285
D4-49,125
=192,259 and I rounded up since summer 2010 was estimated at a 15% increase from the actual numbers given.
 
punkin85 said:
I have the current figures for years 1-4, fall 2009 -summer 2010.

D1-41,924
D2-50, 925
D3-50,285
D4-49,125
=192,259 and I rounded up since summer 2010 was estimated at a 15% increase from the actual numbers given.
Click to expand...

Wow, there is a big discrepancy in the numbers we're finding. This is off of the UIC website:

http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/tuition_prof/tuition_prof_fal09_spr10.html

Instate tuition is $14,000... Maybe the numbers you have already include cost of living? Where did you get them?
 
SuperTank said:
Wow, there is a big discrepancy in the numbers we're finding. This is off of the UIC website:

http://www.uic.edu/depts/oar/grad/tuition_prof/tuition_prof_fal09_spr10.html

Instate tuition is $14,000... Maybe the numbers you have already include cost of living? Where did you get them?
Click to expand...

Instate tuition is $14,000 per semester, $28K for both...plus 1,800 in fees per semester...plus approx $900 for books (both semesters)...plus $4,700 per semester for clinic fees...total =$(14,008 x 2) + (1,804 x 2) + (4,700 x 2) + 900 = 41,924.

EDIT: Got them straight from my interview on the "UIC College of Dentistry DDS Resident Tuition and Fees Fall 2009-Summer 2010" Does not include living expenses. The OP I'm sure has this same sheet.
 
punkin85 said:
Instate tuition is $14,000 per semester, $28K for both...plus 1,800 in fees per semester...plus approx $900 for books (both semesters)...plus $4,700 per semester for clinic fees...total =$(14,008 x 2) + (1,804 x 2) + (4,700 x 2) + 900 = 41,924.

EDIT: Got them straight from my interview on the "UIC College of Dentistry DDS Resident Tuition and Fees Fall 2009-Summer 2010" Does not include living expenses. The OP I'm sure has this same sheet.
Click to expand...

Wow... the numbers listed on their website really can be misleading. Anyway, it's expensive. Now we know.
 
Yes punkin, I do have the same sheet you are referring to, but that is this year's tuition so I wonder how much it will differ from next years (2010-2011) tuition.

Then again, MWU tuition will likely increase as well and next years numbers are supposedly being released by the end of the month (so I was told by FinAid yesterday).
 
stvnscrzy said:
Yes punkin, I do have the same sheet you are referring to, but that is this year's tuition so I wonder how much it will differ from next years (2010-2011) tuition.

Then again, MWU tuition will likely increase as well and next years numbers are supposedly being released by the end of the month (so I was told by FinAid yesterday).
Click to expand...


generally i tell predents to go with the cheaper school unless the difference in cost of attendance (tution +fees + living expenses) comes out under 50k over 4 years. then i would go where i felt more comfortable by location, weather, and program philosophy.
 
I highly recommend MWU. I visited many dental schools and MWU is the best one in my opinion. Everything is new, super clean, awesome environment, amazing faculty members.....everything is just so amazing unlike many old dental schools that got dirty building + dirty equipments.
They just opened a clinic and it's again...super new and super clean :D
 
Do you guys know if the estimated tuition that these schools provide is "locked in" for the four years? Or should we expect moderate increases each year for the four years?

Anything else that would tip the scale besides cost?
 
I asked about locked in tuition for dental school at my uic interview since that's how it works for undergrads but was told that it doesn't apply for grad or prof. programs.

Not sure about MWU
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Does anyone have anything negative to say about MWU (besides tuition)? Do you guys think it would be harder to be hired into a practice graduating from a new school like MWU as opposed to graduating from an older school like UIC, or is this not too big of a factor? Thoughts?
 
stvnscrzy said:
Does anyone have anything negative to say about MWU (besides tuition)? Do you guys think it would be harder to be hired into a practice graduating from a new school like MWU as opposed to graduating from an older school like UIC, or is this not too big of a factor? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Hmm I really can't think of anything. :thumbup: Maybe the lack of diversity in the dental class.
 
stvnscrzy said:
Does anyone have anything negative to say about MWU (besides tuition)? Do you guys think it would be harder to be hired into a practice graduating from a new school like MWU as opposed to graduating from an older school like UIC, or is this not too big of a factor? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

it doesn't really matter where you graduate from, at least that's what i've heard from most of the dentists i have talked to.
negatives about MWU....hmmmm
OK well summer here sucks from june to september it is like living on the surface of the sun hahaha.
If you really want to do some serious research this isn't the place for you. there are def opportunities and you can get published and what not, but it's optional and not really a big part of what we're doing here.
unknowns: other schools have a very predictable sequence of events that take you from day 1 of dental school to graduation day. what we did in my 1st year isn't exactly what they are doing now. the program is constantly evolving and getting better and more efficient. i didn't get into the clinic until my 3rd year but 2nd years will get in next year (in some capacity). so there are still unknowns here that you have to be comfortable with.
 
Oracle DMD said:
you have no basis for that claim. the fact is that we are just as diverse or more so than the average dental school in the US.
Click to expand...

Just curious then...in your class of 110, how many students are not Caucasian? Can you give a break down for the MWU AZ campus as well?
 
MWU is mostly WHITE!!! that is for sure..lol

The clinic looks nice, I like the set up of the chairs, not the traditional cubical style but what's up with all the BLUE. They could have made the colors looka little nicer.
 
Destiny11 said:
Just curious then...in your class of 110, how many students are not Caucasian? Can you give a break down for the MWU AZ campus as well?
Click to expand...

about 20-25 i guess, depending whether Armenian is white or not, if so then a couple more. i don't have any stats for the whole campus tho.
 
Last edited:
xhamburgersamx said:
MWU is mostly WHITE!!! that is for sure..lol

The clinic looks nice, I like the set up of the chairs, not the traditional cubical style but what's up with all the BLUE. They could have made the colors looka little nicer.
Click to expand...

dentistry is mostly white, tho thankfully it is become more diverse as time goes on.
 
from the ADA 2009:

Need for Minority Dentists

There is a critical need in many underserved communities where minority and disadvantaged people are not getting the care they need. Only 12 percent of students entering dental school are minorities, while minorities make up 25 percent of the general population. Recent data shows that minority dentists treat a very high number of minority patients.

if only 12% of incoming students are minorities nationwide then we're above average. i'll get some stats on minority applications:acceptences so we can factor that that in as well.
 
Oracle DMD said:
from the ADA 2009:

Need for Minority Dentists

There is a critical need in many underserved communities where minority and disadvantaged people are not getting the care they need. Only 12 percent of students entering dental school are minorities, while minorities make up 25 percent of the general population. Recent data shows that minority dentists treat a very high number of minority patients.

if only 12% of incoming students are minorities nationwide then we're above average. i'll get some stats on minority applications:acceptences so we can factor that that in as well.
Click to expand...

Hey oracle, if you can find the # of acceptances and # of attending by ethnicity that would be very valuable information. thanks
 
pumpUup said:
Yes! MWU is simply amazing. I can't stop praising MWU. There is nothing this school is lacking.
Click to expand...

hahaha this person makes me laugh every time i see his/her posts..
maybe not having an alumni is something that school is lacking? (not trying to bash on MWU, just trying to point out one thing since this person makes the school sound so perfect in every way)
 
Have you decided yet OP? Those of us on the MWU waitlist want to know :)

I'm not gonna weigh on what I think you should do cause I'm obviously biased.... haha
 
lphiewok said:
hahaha this person makes me laugh every time i see his/her posts..
maybe not having an alumni is something that school is lacking? (not trying to bash on MWU, just trying to point out one thing since this person makes the school sound so perfect in every way)
Click to expand...

I'm also going to add the $388K cost of attendance after four years. But to be honest and as also mentioned in this thread, every school is on a march to become more and more expensive.:rolleyes:
 
stvnscrzy said:
Hey everyone,

IL resident, was planning on going to Midwestern in AZ but just got accepted to UIC yesterday! I absolutely loved everything about Midwestern when I was there for the interview (except the tuition of course!), but I am having a difficult time trying to justify the high cost of the private school with amazing facilities and faculty for my state school.

Although, there are rumors that UIC tuition will be increasing exponentially over the next few years because of the severe budget crisis in Illinois....

Any thoughts or advice???

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

All of the dental students at Midwestern seem very happy. You definitely won't go wrong if you choose to go there.

Also, do you prefer 4 years of sunny weather or snow?
 
Last edited:
http://www.uic.edu/index.html/hiring.shtml

http://www.progressillinois.com/pos...faculty-and-students-they-havent-seen-last-us

This massive budget crisis really happened within a year. Yes, there were issues before-but not to the degree that we see now. Hiring freezes are never good for any program and limits its ability to grow as a program. I don't know...the last thing I want to be worried about is whether or not my school can even pay my professors.

I liked UIC and right now it's a good school and may still be in four years. These are just things I personally would choose not to have to worry about.
 
Oracle DMD said:
dentistry is mostly white, tho thankfully it is become more diverse as time goes on.
Click to expand...

I think I'm the only 1/8 Norwegian, 1/8 Sweedish, 1/8 French, 1/8 German, 1/8 Guatamalan, 3/8?? guy in my class at MWU. I speak Japanese, wear stretchy pants when I ride my bike, and like to read books about quantum mechanics, and I love to watch COPS. That makes me a minority. Diversity runs deeper than skin shade my friends.

Plus, I believe they raise the tuition here about 5-6% a year and you are not "locked in" once you matriculate here so your tuition rises every year.
 
Last edited:
In case anyone on either school's weightlists are interested, after weighing all the factors, I decided to attend Midwestern!

Thanks for the help guys and goodluck to anyone who is still waiting - your time will come!

:D
 
haisha ni narou said:
I think I'm the only 1/8 Norwegian, 1/8 Sweedish, 1/8 French, 1/8 German, 1/8 Guatamalan, 3/8?? guy in my class at MWU. I speak Japanese, wear stretchy pants when I ride my bike, and like to read books about quantum mechanics, and I love to watch COPS. That makes me a minority. Diversity runs deeper than skin shade my friends.

Plus, I believe they raise the tuition here about 5-6% a year and you are not "locked in" once you matriculate here so your tuition rises every year.
Click to expand...

yeah....you're white. you have, and will continue to benefit, through no fault of your own, from racist attitudes and policies. wearing "stretchy pants" doesn't remove that benefit....it kind of makes it worse. put some pants on for cryn out loud.
 
stvnscrzy said:
Does anyone have anything negative to say about MWU (besides tuition)? Do you guys think it would be harder to be hired into a practice graduating from a new school like MWU as opposed to graduating from an older school like UIC, or is this not too big of a factor? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The only reason I would recommend you not go to MWU is if you are a "gunner" who wants to specialize. We have some people planning to specialize, but competitiveness is actively discouraged and you will not be happy here if you love the competition found in many med schools.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything bad about this school. Part of it is that we are new, and it seems like the founding faculty sat down and thought of everything they didn't like about dental school, and then set up the program to be opposite that. I could go on for pages about how great this school is.

Sure, tuition is higher, but to some extent you get what you pay for.
 
I recently got accepted UIC but I'm OOS. Any advice? Do you think it's a good idea to attend there?
 
AZ Dent said:
The only reason I would recommend you not go to MWU is if you are a "gunner" who wants to specialize. We have some people planning to specialize, but competitiveness is actively discouraged and you will not be happy here if you love the competition found in many med schools.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything bad about this school. Part of it is that we are new, and it seems like the founding faculty sat down and thought of everything they didn't like about dental school, and then set up the program to be opposite that. I could go on for pages about how great this school is.

Sure, tuition is higher, but to some extent you get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

To say that competitiveness is "actively discouraged" I think you're putting across the wrong message. Everyone here that wants to specialize is going above and beyond in terms of how much effort they put in and it's showing in their grades. We are all "competitive" but within ourselves. I think it may be more accurate to say that we are encouraged to work together and negative things such as sabotaging others' work or intentionally withholding resources or information is the part that is discouraged.

At some schools there is so much "competitiveness" that students will go as far as destroying others' lab projects (i.e. waxing, etc.) if they leave them unattended on their bench. I even know people that had a bunch of friends at the beginning of their D1 year and now no one talks to anyone else out of fear that other people might do better than them if they study together.

This is the part that we don't experience here at MWU. It's a very positive atmosphere but, like I said before, those who want to specialize and put in the time and effort will most likely have no problem getting the grades and references they need to do so.
 
I go to Midwestern and it easily has the best learning atmosphere of any school that I have ever attended. I've never gone to a school where the faculty has been so willing to make sure you succeed. It's not really a huge research institution, but coming from schools that have instructors that care more about their research than their students, I don't see that as a negative.

I'm not in the dental school--I'm just a biomed for now--but I can honestly say that if I was accepted here, I wouldn't think twice about going to dental school here, regardless of price. I believe that the quality of education would be worth it. The faculty will literally bend over backwards if that's what it takes to make sure you're learning to the best of your abilities. Everyone always has a smile on their faces and I haven't met anyone in the dental school that is dissatisfied yet. That isn't necessarily the case with other schools. It sounds cliche, but the students here want to be here and aren't just counting down to graduation. I highly recommend Midwestern to anyone that is given the opportunity to come here.
 
punkin85 said:
To say that competitiveness is "actively discouraged" I think you're putting across the wrong message. Everyone here that wants to specialize is going above and beyond in terms of how much effort they put in and it's showing in their grades. We are all "competitive" but within ourselves. I think it may be more accurate to say that we are encouraged to work together and negative things such as sabotaging others' work or intentionally withholding resources or information is the part that is discouraged.
Click to expand...

Yep, you're exactly right. Thanks for the clarification. :thumbup:
 
@ Oracle DMD;

Do you happen to know the total cost of attendance (including living and fees) for D4s yet?
 
To the OP: I have been in a similar dilemma since Dec 1. I had to choose between MWU which I loved and a far cheaper state school which scored low on the "technologically-impressive" scale. Since I am funding through loans, economics wins out. The way I look at it, there is nothing MWU can teach you that you can't cover in some CE courses after graduation. And with the $100k+ of savings, there is plenty of money leftover for helping to establish a practice. And I'm pretty sure the dental equipment at MWU gets dirty too! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

Dentati
UIC (IS) vs Midwestern-IL (IS)
Replies
5
Views
480
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
N
Roseman vs Midwestern AZ
Replies
6
Views
400
starlord2
S
ktv24
VCU (OOS) vs. Midwestern Illinois
Replies
7
Views
470
ktv24
ktv24
A
  • Poll
NYU vs Midwestern Az
Replies
6
Views
597
DS2027
D
A
Temple (OOS) vs Midwestern AZ
Replies
2
Views
422
Beautiful_Melody
B
Top