How accurate is the "cheapest=best" school mindset?

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I'm definitely in the "it's okay to go to the more expensive school" camp. It's a small camp.
 
Me too! Power in numbers... Or is it dollars? (even if they are borrowed dollars).
 
mc719 said:
I had an interesting conversation with my pre-health adviser today that really got me to evaluate my views on financing education. After reading these forums, and the dentaltown forums, I had come to the conclusion that the cost of dental school is the most important factor. However, my adviser raised some very good arguments to this philosophy.
1) There are many ways to pay for any dental school without being weighed down by huge loans. For instance, there's the military and the NHSC which both offer full ride scholarships for up-front commitments and loan repayment options for non-up-front commitments. Furthermore, there are school scholarships and possibly low interest loans if you qualify. Also, if none of those work out, you can try to specialize and make enough money to easily pay back loans. On top of that, if none of that works out there's the IBR loan forgiveness after 10-years if you work in an underserved area.

2) Going to dental school is something you only get to do once.

3) Going to a more expensive school with a better reputation is likely to lead to better future opportunities. Possibly better specialty placement. Possibly better alumni networks. Possibly more up-to-date equipment.

4) Life doesn't always have to be about planning for the future, some of it can be about enjoying the present. I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future. I could do that forever. After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice. After that, I could drive a junker and never go on vacation to save up for retirement. Then, finally, when I retire I'll get to reap the rewards sacrificing happiness throughout my entire life by moving into the nicest nursing home in town.

These points made me realize that, to some extent, it can worth going to a more expensive school. Any differing opinions are welcomed.
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I really should be writing my papers, but this is much more interesting than what Descartes had to say about innate concepts LOL

These are a great points and they definitely makes a person wonder but here some things that i picked from several dentists that i worked with and recent grads and all that:

one thing to keep in mind is that there is no the "number one" school for dental or the best school for dental as there are in med. It really depends on what your more interested in, a person like me, I want a more clinical kind of school so for me a school like UMDNJ (my state school which is also the cheapest for me) is a dream school to me. Is it harder for UMDNJ grads to place into an ortho residency than a grad from Columbia...yes, but it is impossible for UMDNJ grads to get there...NO!!

The point about the military and all these full ride opportunities, you have to keep in mind, that after you graduate you belong to them for the ascertained time that you guys agreed on, whether they placed you in south beach miami or some random place in the middle of nowhere...you have to be there! To me, Id never put myself in that situation, I worked hard and now when i graduate you expect me to work in areas that ill be wanting to kill myself everyday waking up to go to work to, ill pass on that. Again, youll avoid this situation if your dental school bills arent that crazy...unless you attend USC or NYU lol

About the alumni issue, Im all for giving back to the community and being an important part of the health society and all that...but seriously...will you be committed to your dental school after you graduate...say 30 years after you graduate? When i graduate, ill be fixated on my professional career and helping my patients, not worry or be fascinated about the new things going on in Harvard for example lol sure its a memory and great times...but are you going to learn dentistry or being part of a great alumni?

When your adviser said, not to plan for the future but enjoy the present as much as you can, in dental school and all, did he take in consideration what is going to happen after that? My scenario for example, after graduate, ill be, God willing, in my first/second year of marriage...did that pay for itself? am i going to live in my college dorm with my wife for the next x years? How about kids...will they have to wait until i get into a condo or something? What opening a practice some time soon...or will i be working as an associate for ever? These are important questions, and when you go to school that is not as expensive, the answers to these questions will be much more pleasing 🙂

Bottom line, unless you want to do something heroic like curing dental cancers, which if your into, God bless you! its really not worth to cough up an additional 60 grand on school which with interest be a lot more.

Sorry for the long post, but i really dont want to do this paper haha
 
spending more wont make you happier or make your education any better. I go with the simplest solution which for me is: go to a cheap d-school so I can use that $$$ for my business, house, or wedding. I dont intend on going out free donations to d-schools nor do I intend on paying twice for the same education. I also dont really care what the weather is like at my d-school, I am not an avid fan of sunbathing nor do I plan to spend much time galavanting around.

Sorry but I keep it real. I'm there for d-school, everything else is colored bubbles.
 
wired202808 said:
spending more wont make you happier or make your education any better. I go with the simplest solution which for me is: go to a cheap d-school so I can use that $$$ for my business, house, or wedding. I dont intend on going out free donations to d-schools nor do I intend on paying twice for the same education. I also dont really care what the weather is like at my d-school, I am not an avid fan of sunbathing nor do I plan to spend much time galavanting around.

Sorry but I keep it real. I'm there for d-school, everything else is colored bubbles.
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Word. Totally agree.
 
Money is a very important factor, probably the most important factor honestly. Dont want to be negative, but starting right out of d-school, the pay is low and a big loan like 400 k will be really hard to pay back. Not that 250k will be easy, its just less worse 🙁
 
mc719 said:
1) There are many ways to pay for any dental school without being weighed down by huge loans. For instance, there's the military and the NHSC .

2) Going to dental school is something you only get to do once.

3) Going to a more expensive school with a better reputation is likely to lead to better future opportunities. Possibly better specialty placement. Possibly better alumni networks. Possibly more up-to-date equipment.

4) Life doesn't always have to be about planning for the future, some of it can be about enjoying the present. I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future. I could do that forever. After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice. After that, I could drive a junker and never go on vacation to save up for retirement. Then, finally, when I retire I'll get to reap the rewards sacrificing happiness throughout my entire life by moving into the nicest nursing home in town.

These points made me realize that, to some extent, it can worth going to a more expensive school. Any differing opinions are welcomed.
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1. Those military and NHSC scholarships are getting harder and harder to come by. You're not guaranteed one by any means. And after you finish, THEY OWN YOU. Those 4 years in the military can be very rewarding but it's definitely not for everyone. It's military life. And if you're not committed to that, you're going to have a rough 4 years serving it out. And NHSC? You're going to be in the middle of nowhere or in the ghetto. Would you rather trade a fun dental school experience for riding out life for the next 4 years there? I don't think so.

2. If that's the case, let's all just take ridiculous loans and go to the best undergrad school we can. These arguments are sounding just like that girl who went to NYU undergrad because she wanted the best experience to get a religous and women's studies degree while drowning in future debt it. I'm sure it was well worth. Because you know, we only live once.

3. You can do anything at a cheaper state school that you can at the fancy private schools. Ask any dental student at your state school or any dentist who graduated from there. The possibilities there are endless as long as you work hard. Specialty placement? Sure, IF you become a specialist. But the majority of us wont and that's a fact. Alumni connections? You're not joining some secret underground society. Every school has connections. Unless you plan on becoming the next ADA president or head of your dental school.

4. Do you know what's going to end up happening if the go the funnest and most expensive route? You're going to be a practicing dentist who makes about ~40K a year after taxes. Is that what you signed up for? Maybe YOU can eat ramen noodles, but I'm sure your wife/husband and kids aren't going to be too happy about that. You're almost 21 years old, now's the time to plan for the future. You can have the time of your life after you finish school and you're 25. Hell, you can party, club, buy boats, houses, whatever all you want when you're a dentist without debt. You can buy high tech lasers and spinning chairs for your office if you want. Why would you want to live vicariously now with LOAN money of all things?

Like someone on here said, just because you got into dental school doesn't mean you won the lottery overnight. The 8% interest on those things aren't fun.

Do you you people who believe in choosing the best school because its fun, in the best location, new and fancy realize how much of a difference between 20K a year and 50K a year is? It's almost 300K with interest over 20 years. $300,000! You could buy an extra house with that. Or 3 Porsche's. Or take off of work for almost 3 years.

Jeez, sometimes I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.
 
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I think one thing to keep in mind that isn't touched upon much is that most of us are in our mid-20's in school, I'll be 23-27. People we don't get those years back, and I know we've all tried programming ourselves that its all about the future, but there are definitely things to take advantage of during these years that will quickly fade away as we get older. Basically my point is that I'm advocating for being happy wherever you're at, we're already sacrificing 85% of our time for dental school so why not enjoy the other 15% and the rest will work itself out in time. I hope this argument makes somewhat sense, I just think it's worth heavy consideration to base a decision on quality of life. After all, these are going to be a very stressful 4 years.

Would I choose USC over my state school? There's just no way. But I have realized I'm almost for sure willing to sacrifice the extra cost over the other school I got into, LECOM, because I know I'll be happier there. Good luck everybody with these hard decisions!
 
letsdoitbama said:
I think one thing to keep in mind that isn't touched upon much is that most of us are in our mid-20's in school, I'll be 23-27. People we don't get those years back, and I know we've all tried programming ourselves that its all about the future, but there are definitely things to take advantage of during these years that will quickly fade away as we get older. Basically my point is that I'm advocating for being happy wherever you're at, we're already sacrificing 85% of our time for dental school so why not enjoy the other 15% and the rest will work itself out in time. I hope this argument makes somewhat sense, I just think it's worth heavy consideration to base a decision on quality of life. After all, these are going to be a very stressful 4 years.

Would I choose USC over my state school? There's just no way. But I have realized I'm almost for sure willing to sacrifice the extra cost over the other school I got into, LECOM, because I know I'll be happier there. Good luck everybody with these hard decisions!
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But....that's a different a different scenario with USC vs. LECOM. I would have choosen the cheaper school if it was any other place but LECOM or a new school.

Choosing the more expensive school in a cooler city doesn't mean your other 15% isn't going to be as fun in a cheaper place. Your'e not going to dental school with a bunch of nursing home residents. They're young vibrant people just like you fresh out of college. You can have as much fun with beers in a cornfield as wandering the streets of NY. It doesn't matter where you are, it's about the people you are with.
 
letsdoitbama said:
I think one thing to keep in mind that isn't touched upon much is that most of us are in our mid-20's in school, I'll be 23-27. People we don't get those years back, and I know we've all tried programming ourselves that its all about the future, but there are definitely things to take advantage of during these years that will quickly fade away as we get older. Basically my point is that I'm advocating for being happy wherever you're at, we're already sacrificing 85% of our time for dental school so why not enjoy the other 15% and the rest will work itself out in time. I hope this argument makes somewhat sense, I just think it's worth heavy consideration to base a decision on quality of life. After all, these are going to be a very stressful 4 years.

Would I choose USC over my state school? There's just no way. But I have realized I'm almost for sure willing to sacrifice the extra cost over the other school I got into, LECOM, because I know I'll be happier there. Good luck everybody with these hard decisions!
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lol please name the things that cant be done after your 20s 😕
 
Preach awesometeeth. and sorry about the previous post. but i do suggest joining dentaltown just to take a look and see the real world may have in store..
 
wired202808 said:
lol please name the things that cant be done after your 20s 😕
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I would name them for you...but if you have to ask-- then I'm not sure you're the type of person that would find them enjoyable.
 
mc719 said:
Your arguments are all against taking out loans for dental school. I'm saying the more expensive schools are definitely worth considering because, firstly, there are many very viable options for cutting those costs down to size. Secondly, only a few lucky one's of us will get into the cheapest school that they can and also really think they'll enjoy their 4 years at that school as much as they would at a more expensive school.
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Are you really rich or have a giant trust fund that you don't need loans? Then by all means, ignore everything I said.

There are ways. But you have to make sure that it's for you. It's not a free ride through the military or NHSC. You have to serve your time.

I realize you sometimes don't have a choice in where you go. That wasn't the point of this. If you don't have a choice, then there's not much to think about.
 
mc719 said:
My plan A is military, B is NHSC, C specialize in OS or Ortho, D-do 10 yr loan forgiveness with IBR.
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And you just absolutely know that you're going to specialize in OS or ortho if A and B fail? You don't really know anything about doing ortho or OS until you actually go to dental school. That's not a plan, that's more of a hope. You should throw that one out.
 
Hence why I said may. Saying that they are all young and disgruntled is say like sdn is a bunch of happy go lucky pre dents who haven't got a clue as to what they are getting into . And yes there are ways to offset the cost of private dental school. that being said if you had the choice to come out with less debt would you? Most people would.
 
SupDanLOL said:
I would name them for you...but if you have to ask-- then I'm not sure you're the type of person that would find them enjoyable.
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name them please. i would love to hear what i cant do at 30 :laugh:
 
mc719 said:
It depends on your situation at 30. Many of us in our 20s are single, with no mortgage or major responsibilities. Most older people tell me to take advantage of this time in my life and not to get too caught up with the grind. These years will pass by like nothing and we will wonder what happened to all of our time.
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Im almost 30 with no mortgage or wife or kids. 🙂 so whats your point? I've traveled, went skydiving, met famous people, I also have a crazy hobby that gets me a lot of attention.

But I still dont get your "life is passing" by mentality. You're probably too young to understand that work comes before play. And there aint no play in d-school. No matter how sunny the weather is at your overpriced university. 🙂
 
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wired202808 said:
Im almost 30 with no mortgage or wife or kids. 🙂 so whats your point? I've traveled, went skydiving, met famous people, I also have a crazy hobby that gets me a lot of attention.

But I still dont get your "life is passing" by mentality. You're probably too young to understand that work comes before play. And there aint no play in d-school. No matter how sunny the weather is at your overpriced university. 🙂
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You get a pass haha. But as MC said -- it's really about where you are in your life, not the number of days you've been alive. Looks like you're still as carefree at 30 as I am at 23.

And if I was already approaching 30...I would definitely take the cheapest school possible. That's 7-8 years less to pay off loans before I get older/retire/die, etc. 👍

This type of decision is honestly a personal matter. I've just been playing devil's advocate. These decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis. Factoring in the schools, your age, your current financial situation, wife/kids, your aspirations, etc.
 
SupDanLOL said:
You get a pass haha. But as MC said -- it's really about where you are in your life, not the number of days you've been alive. Looks like you're still as carefree at 30 as I am at 23.

And if I was already approaching 30...I would definitely take the cheapest school possible. That's 7-8 years less to pay off loans before I get older/retire/die, etc. 👍

This type of decision is honestly a personal matter. I've just been playing devil's advocate. These decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis. Factoring in the schools, your age, your current financial situation, wife/kids, your aspirations, etc.
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👍👍👍 thats what im trying to tell mc, but i feel he wants to push the other side of the argument for no reason lol.

everyone should take out as little or as much loans as they want. I also dont believe that its worth it to take out more loans just because you are 23, all that means is that you'll take longer to pay them off. I dunno whos really "winning" when you pay more for the same education as you could have gotten elsewhere.

but hey everyone does whats best for them.
 
wired202808 said:
I also dont believe that its worth it to take out more loans just because you are 23
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Indeed. Which is why I would never take out more loans just because I'm 23.:laugh: Someone would need to have a damn good reason to burden themselves with extra debt. Some people might not be able to find it in themselves to logically undertake that debt, even with a number of excellent reasons. Others may. So yea. Seems like we agree haha.
 
There is definitely a plus to enjoying life as much as you can during the moment rather than in a future moment. It's like driving a sports car, do you want to be the old geezer in a sports car or would you rather enjoy it while you were younger?
 
Sigh. There are a lot of these threads recently. Understandable.

It's easy for people to say that you should screw your current happiness and go to the least expensive school. Notably, one of these people is from Texas, where there are three phenomenal schools that people outside of Texas would give an arm and a leg to go. Not all state schools are created equal, so please keep that in mind, AwesomeTeeth, before you say that the cheap state schools give equal caliber experiences to the private universities.

Unless you have spent your college career waking up every day wishing you had gone somewhere else, you have no right to devalue the importance of happiness. Sometimes the cheapest school really, truly makes you miserable. You know that your degree from Inexpensive School X carries as much weight as the degree from Fancy School Y and that in all likelihood it will take you to the same places in your career. But nothing can change that you hate the place. At the end of the day, you saved a ton of money but were miserable for four years. For me, enjoying the next four years is more important than $100K. I don't mean "enjoying" as in gallivanting around big cities, eating at fancy restaurants and taking in shows, as many of you seem to think it indicates. "Enjoying" just means fitting in with the people at the school. It means feeling safe. It means being happy in clinic because there are big windows that let in natural light, and that makes you smile and will help you get through the day. It means feeling like you belong.

To anyone who poo-poos the idea of spending more money on a school for happiness, let me pose this scenario. Suppose you are an actively practicing Sikh man. Do you take money in Utah where you will almost certainly be the only Sikh student and will garner stares and suspicion from patients (because everyone's a little bit racist), or do you go to NYU where there will be 50 other students wearing pagris and the patients won't give your attire a second thought? You don't need to answer. Just think about it. I'll even be completely un-PC and pose this to (most of) you: Meharry.
 
mc719 said:
I had an interesting conversation with my pre-health adviser today that really got me to evaluate my views on financing education. After reading these forums, and the dentaltown forums, I had come to the conclusion that the cost of dental school is the most important factor. However, my adviser raised some very good arguments to this philosophy.
1) There are many ways to pay for any dental school without being weighed down by huge loans. For instance, there's the military and the NHSC which both offer full ride scholarships for up-front commitments and loan repayment options for non-up-front commitments. Furthermore, there are school scholarships and possibly low interest loans if you qualify. Also, if none of those work out, you can try to specialize and make enough money to easily pay back loans. On top of that, if none of that works out there's the IBR loan forgiveness after 10-years if you work in an underserved area.

These are true. However, these make the cost a mute point. If you get the military scholarships then each school costs the same 4 years in the military, and are all thus on equal footing. If going to one school cost 5 years or military and another cost 3, then I would say the cost issue is viable again. about specializing... that is a horrible argument to use as an excuse for taking out more loans. lol

2) Going to dental school is something you only get to do once.
Yup.

3) Going to a more expensive school with a better reputation is likely to lead to better future opportunities. Possibly better specialty placement. Possibly better alumni networks. Possibly more up-to-date equipment.
I disagree here. Cost of the school has nothing to do with how good it is. Simple as that. Yes, there are great schools that cost a lot, but there are also great schools that are "cheap". Additionally, it is hard to say one school is better than another - most schools provide a good education. Once again, simple as that.

4) Life doesn't always have to be about planning for the future, some of it can be about enjoying the present. I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future. I could do that forever. After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice. After that, I could drive a junker and never go on vacation to save up for retirement. Then, finally, when I retire I'll get to reap the rewards sacrificing happiness throughout my entire life by moving into the nicest nursing home in town.
You are correct. However, I would MUCH rather spend the first 1/4 to 1/3 of my life working hard, and making good decisions so that I can spend the last 3/4 to 2/3 of it enjoying myself. Even then, would you rather enjoy 4 years in dental school and be pissed at yourself for the following 10-15? Even then, families are starting later and later. I believe 30 is the new 20. Seriously.

These points made me realize that, to some extent, it can worth going to a more expensive school. Any differing opinions are welcomed.
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My comments in bold.

A few more comments:
I think something that a lot of people forget, it is not the school that gives you great memories of college; Its the people who are around you. How do you know if you will love a certain school if you can't meet any of your future classmates? Thats like trying to determine your favorite movie by looking at the cover - you cant. Essentially, you are drawing a lottery as to who will be in your class with you. All said and done, dental school is what you make of it, no matter where you go.

I think what it comes down to, is cost is not the ONLY factor, its just the largest single factor that can distinguish one school from the next. 👍
 
My thinking is that dental school will be a challenge and alot of work; though, from my experiences in life that usuelly means it's also rewarding. In these ways I dont think dental schools will be that much different.

There are other factors to look at but to me nothing can off set the additional cost - assuming one school is alot higher than the other. Post grad I would much rather save for a home, more free money to vacation, or invest in retirement than pay off more student loans than I had to. Debt SUCKS! lol.
 
veggieheadgeek said:
Unless you have spent your college career waking up every day wishing you had gone somewhere else, you have no right to devalue the importance of happiness. Sometimes the cheapest school really, truly makes you miserable. You know that your degree from Inexpensive School X carries as much weight as the degree from Fancy School Y and that in all likelihood it will take you to the same places in your career. But nothing can change that you hate the place. At the end of the day, you saved a ton of money but were miserable for four years. For me, enjoying the next four years is more important than $100K. I don't mean "enjoying" as in gallivanting around big cities, eating at fancy restaurants and taking in shows, as many of you seem to think it indicates. "Enjoying" just means fitting in with the people at the school. It means feeling safe. It means being happy in clinic because there are big windows that let in natural light, and that makes you smile and will help you get through the day. It means feeling like you belong.
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See i would argue the opposite coin of this to the rest of the respondents in this thread.

You have no right to devalue the significance of debt... and a lot of it.

Sure you might be happier for 4 years and spend an extra 100K, but in all actuality it will turn into 140K with interest over the course of your 10 years of repayment. That is an extra $1200 every month out the window for the next 10 years of your life.... that could have been saved.

So the trade is 4 years of happiness with very little free time in dschool, for 10 years of paying $1200 extra a month when you have a lot more free time? This personally doesn't make sense to me.

Unless you have ever felt the burden and stress of debt, you have no room for the happiness argument. Because the fact of the matter is.... lots of debt = lots of stress = unhappiness. Most students our age cannot fathom the amount of money we are going into debt... i mean 300K. That is 2x the amount of a new 4 bedroom house in the Phx metro area.

When it comes down to the end of the month with a mortgage, car loan, insurance, student loans, misc expenses, and TAXES.... i think we will all find that 110K doesn't go as far as we think it did.
 
UltimateHombre said:
You have no right to devalue the significance of debt... and a lot of it.
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There are two types of people in this world: those who think every school is equal, and those who recognize the distinct differences between schools. Who cares which one other people belong to: you're not paying off their debt, so leave them be. If you want to pass up Harvard/Penn/Columbia for LECOM and Meharry, then that's your own perogative.
 
veggieheadgeek said:
Not all state schools are created equal, so please keep that in mind, AwesomeTeeth, before you say that the cheap state schools give equal caliber experiences to the private universities.
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Agreed. But I haven't found a state school yet that is such a god awful experience that people absolutely hate it there. If you do know any, please let me know. I think the majority of cheaper state schools would give you enough opportunity to specialize, practice, teach, do whatever you want.

veggieheadgeek said:
For me, enjoying the next four years is more important than $100K. I don't mean "enjoying" as in gallivanting around big cities, eating at fancy restaurants and taking in shows, as many of you seem to think it indicates. "Enjoying" just means fitting in with the people at the school. It means feeling safe. It means being happy in clinic because there are big windows that let in natural light, and that makes you smile and will help you get through the day. It means feeling like you belong.
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Those better be some darn impressive windows if you're paying an extra 25K a year for them. But to each their own. I always thought people were overreacting when they gave the feel for the school. I mean, if you interviewed on a day before a test, the majority of students are going to be angry and on edge. I think unless something negative personally happened to you or you visit the campus often, judging for feel would be lower on my list then cost.

veggieheadgeek said:
To anyone who poo-poos the idea of spending more money on a school for happiness, let me pose this scenario. Suppose you are an actively practicing Sikh man. Do you take money in Utah where you will almost certainly be the only Sikh student and will garner stares and suspicion from patients (because everyone's a little bit racist), or do you go to NYU where there will be 50 other students wearing pagris and the patients won't give your attire a second thought? You don't need to answer. Just think about it. I'll even be completely un-PC and pose this to (most of) you: Meharry.
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Aren't you be assuming that everyone in Utah is racist and everyone in NYU is nice/forgiving towards race? I'm pretty sure you would still get some suspicious looks from your patients, but you're probably used to it your entire life by now. If I was him, if Utah's cheaper and isn't a dump of a school, I'm there.

I'm going to throw Meharry, Howard, and new schools out of these arguments just because those are a different story. Obviously, I was never implying to go with the cheaper school no matter what. But if you have a choice between two decent established schools, go with the cheaper one.
 
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DentalGunner said:
If you want to pass up Harvard/Penn/Columbia for LECOM and Meharry, then that's your own perogative.
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Not really an accurate comparison. It's more like would I pass up Harvard/Penn/Columbia for my state school of Michigan, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Ohio State, etc. Yes I would, no question about it.
 
This has turned into an argument rather than a discussion. Fact of the matter is that this kind of decision has to be made individually. Some of you value happiness now more than money later while others value money now and happiness later. It's really not that different. In actuality I think it's stupid to prioritize one over the other. You shouldn't turn one of the biggest choices of your life into Black vs. White. Cost, happiness, YOUR opinions on the school (no one else's), education, and quality of life all should be looked at equally. You shouldn't choose a school just because it's cheapest just like you shouldn't choose a school just because you want to live there. If you got into a cheap school that you like, then sure, it's a no brainer like some of you have said. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have that luxury, so telling them to pick the cheapest school isn't that great of advice. Like I said, these choices have to be made on an individual basis, and ALL aspects should be considered, not just one.
 
cottonschwab217 said:
This has turned into an argument rather than a discussion. Fact of the matter is that this kind of decision has to be made individually. Some of you value happiness now more than money later while others value money now and happiness later. It's really not that different. In actuality I think it's stupid to prioritize one over the other. You shouldn't turn one of the biggest choices of your life into Black vs. White. Cost, happiness, YOUR opinions on the school (no one else's), education, and quality of life all should be looked at equally. You shouldn't choose a school just because it's cheapest just like you shouldn't choose a school just because you want to live there. If you got into a cheap school that you like, then sure, it's a no brainer like some of you have said. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have that luxury, so telling them to pick the cheapest school isn't that great of advice. Like I said, these choices have to be made on an individual basis, and ALL aspects should be considered, not just one.
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I totally agree with you. The whole package must be looked at when making such a big decision. Everyone has different wants, needs, and ideals in a dental school it makes it a very personal decision.

I guess often times since happiness, clinical experience, location of school, etc are all relative, qualitative factors, they get put secondary to cost, which is a measurable, quantitative factor.
 
mc719 said:
I had an interesting conversation with my pre-health adviser today that really got me to evaluate my views on financing education. After reading these forums, and the dentaltown forums, I had come to the conclusion that the cost of dental school is the most important factor. However, my adviser raised some very good arguments to this philosophy.
1) There are many ways to pay for any dental school without being weighed down by huge loans. For instance, there's the military and the NHSC which both offer full ride scholarships for up-front commitments and loan repayment options for non-up-front commitments. Furthermore, there are school scholarships and possibly low interest loans if you qualify. Also, if none of those work out, you can try to specialize and make enough money to easily pay back loans. On top of that, if none of that works out there's the IBR loan forgiveness after 10-years if you work in an underserved area.

2) Going to dental school is something you only get to do once.

3) Going to a more expensive school with a better reputation is likely to lead to better future opportunities. Possibly better specialty placement. Possibly better alumni networks. Possibly more up-to-date equipment.

4) Life doesn't always have to be about planning for the future, some of it can be about enjoying the present. I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future. I could do that forever. After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice. After that, I could drive a junker and never go on vacation to save up for retirement. Then, finally, when I retire I'll get to reap the rewards sacrificing happiness throughout my entire life by moving into the nicest nursing home in town.

These points made me realize that, to some extent, it can worth going to a more expensive school. Any differing opinions are welcomed.
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#1) 7.9% interest rate on the moment you borrow. a 400k education will turn into 450k by time 4-years of DS are up.

#2) NHSC scholarship? lol, you realize 3000 people apply form ALL fields (medical, dental, nursing, etc) and only 100 get rewarded from accross the board. (god luck with that)

#3) NHSC repayment program is "okay", but it doesn't pay enough. Your associate job with them will pay you about 100k a year, and after 2 years, 60k tax free money toward loan. Here is the crazy part, YOUR INTEREST ALONE each year is about 30k lol, so that 60k is just paying interest. What does this mean? You HAVE to pay alot from that principle on a 100k salary (god luck with that)

#4) You know those crazy financial groups, what are they called? BANKS, when the time comes for you to finally establish a practice and they see how much loans you currently have, I don't think they'll be opening their doors for a youngster (despite what SDN's rumors suggest) and allow you to practically have "unlimited" line of credit.... again (god luck with that)

#5) Military is an amazing option (financially), but I would much rather enjoy 4 years of freedom of doing WHATEVER / WHEREEVER. William Wallace said it best: FREEDOMMMMMMMMMMMM. This is especially true for those of you whom wanna specialize
 
DentalGunner said:
There are two types of people in this world: those who think every school is equal, and those who recognize the distinct differences between schools. Who cares which one other people belong to: you're not paying off their debt, so leave them be. If you want to pass up Harvard/Penn/Columbia for LECOM and Meharry, then that's your own perogative.
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AwesomeTeeth said:
Not really an accurate comparison. It's more like would I pass up Harvard/Penn/Columbia for my state school of Michigan, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Ohio State, etc. Yes I would, no question about it.
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+1 to AwesomeTeeth's post. You're using such an extreme comparison dental gunner. If someone got into Harvard/Penn/Columbia, they most likely got into their state school. So they would be deciding between state schools and ivies.
 
hail2pitt said:
Yikes, this whole thread is making me seriously re-think everything lol.
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As in if only $ counts, you should go to Ohio State but you love UPITT so much? 😉
 
dentalWorks said:
#1) 7.9% interest rate on the moment you borrow. a 400k education will turn into 450k by time 4-years of DS are up.

#2) NHSC scholarship? lol, you realize 3000 people apply form ALL fields (medical, dental, nursing, etc) and only 100 get rewarded from accross the board. (god luck with that)

#3) NHSC repayment program is "okay", but it doesn't pay enough. Your associate job with them will pay you about 100k a year, and after 2 years, 60k tax free money toward loan. Here is the crazy part, YOUR INTEREST ALONE each year is about 30k lol, so that 60k is just paying interest. What does this mean? You HAVE to pay alot from that principle on a 100k salary (god luck with that)

#4) You know those crazy financial groups, what are they called? BANKS, when the time comes for you to finally establish a practice and they see how much loans you currently have, I don't think they'll be opening their doors for a youngster (despite what SDN's rumors suggest) and allow you to practically have "unlimited" line of credit.... again (god luck with that)

#5) Military is an amazing option (financially), but I would much rather enjoy 4 years of freedom of doing WHATEVER / WHEREEVER. William Wallace said it best: FREEDOMMMMMMMMMMMM. This is especially true for those of you whom wanna specialize
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You're right. I'm not saying $ is everything but I mean it might as well be the most significant factor. I'm just not too hyped about my state schools though..... it sure will be a tough decision for me if I had to decide between my state schools vs. private schools.
 
Demps said:
You're right. I'm not saying $ is everything but I mean it might as well be the most significant factor. I'm just not too hyped about my state schools though..... it sure will be a tough decision for me if I had to decide between my state schools vs. private schools.
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here is a fact about SDN:
Ever notice why most pre-dents always say "oh just go where you'll be happy, money is irrelevent"

then many dental students say "no, cost should be #1 factor"

and practically MOST dentists say "go to CHEAPEST school possible"

Seeing the trend?
 
dentalWorks said:
here is a fact about SDN:
Ever notice why most pre-dents always say "oh just go where you'll be happy, money is irrelevent"

then many dental students say "no, cost should be #1 factor"

and practically MOST dentists say "go to CHEAPEST school possible"

Seeing the trend?
Click to expand...

👍. Anyone ever realize this is the the trend for most things? Your elders tell you something, but you never believe them until you experience it yourself. However, by then, it's too late to go back and you live with the consequences. Then, you'll say that in the future, you will make sure your kids do the right thing. Then the cycle continues :laugh:. I'm guilty of it too 😎.
 
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