hey guys!
We'll, i don't have any secrets that will blow anyone away...but i'll voice my opinions.
When I first went to visit SB, I immediately thought to myself that this is a place i would like to spend the next 4+ years at. The environment seemed to be the perfect fit for me, both in location and student body. The faculty and staff members that I had met came off as being very friendly and accomodating. Everyone from the secretary to the admissions officers had big juicy smiles on their faces - of course, this couldnt possibly be a deciding factor, but it contributed to the positive impression i had during my stay. I like the small class size and the fact that students are not ranked. I want to develop good relationships with my classmates and professors and I believe that I would have a good chance of that at SB. I think that the challenging basic medical science curriculum with medical students is great. I have enjoyed the basic sciences in college and I've learned to appreciate what they have to offer. When i mentioned to a friend of mine who goes to SB medical that I was seriously considering SB, he highlighted the fact that some of his best friends are in the dental program. He said that the combined curriculums has helped build solid friendships and organize great study groups. Moving over to the dental related curriculum, i was really impressed with the clinics and labs. It appears that the students get a lot of individualized attention. I don't know which kind of cases are more likely to roll through at SB...but im going to do some more homework on the clinical aspect. I certainly see SB having a good balance of the medical sciences and clinical experience, which is exactly what i'm looking for. I got the impression that research opportunities are always available (the benefit of a state-funded school) I'm unsure how stony brook students do on the boards as a whole, but i'd imagine they'd do very well, providing solid post-grad opportunities. My oral surgeon, although he didnt go to stony brook (his school closed down) has always spoken highly of their program. When a dental school student at another interview asked me where else i was applying, as soon as I mentioned stony brook...she said that she worked with stony brook students during an externship and her words were exactly "i was very impressed at how well stony brook students were prepared". At another school, a 4th year student looked me straight in the eye and firmly said stony brook students know their stuff. Opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's nice to hear feedback from other students. The tuition makes SB even more attractive.
Of course, dental school is what you make of it. I believe that you can come out of any dental school and be a well-rounded professional. UMDNJ is an awesome school too. I'm considering UMDNJ and uconn(if i get in) as state schools and possibly columbia (if i get in) as a private school. I'm learning more and more about the schools with each passing day, and i plan on visiting a few of my top choices during winter break. A bunch of my friends are dentists, so im going to continually keep in touch with them throughout these next few months.
Bottom line, we'll all get accepted and go to excellent schools. Each program has their ups and downs, but i believe we'll make the right decisions. You guys can shoot me an IM at nikedude21 anytime!
Back to the histology lab...phhaaaaat...
later guys!
