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

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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.

I LOVE THIS👍👍👍👍
 
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.

I LOVE THIS👍👍👍👍

or how bout u dont go to d-school at all and save more money 😉
 
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.

I LOVE THIS👍👍👍👍

What are you trying to prove? I've never seen a single post contradict itself so many times...

"I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future"
-- your status says pre-dental, so its safe assumption your rat-racing the undergrad GPA... why bother doing that? go party your ass off in undergrad, get out with a 2.0 GPA THEN you can think about your future afterwards

"After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice"
-- Wouldn't it be easier to do the ramen noodles thing for the 4 years of dental school so that the next 10 years are spent living an easier life with less debt and perhaps even own a practice? I'd rather do 4 years of misery than 10 (but thats just me)
 
What are you trying to prove? I've never seen a single post contradict itself so many times...

"I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future"
-- your status says pre-dental, so its safe assumption your rat-racing the undergrad GPA... why bother doing that? go party your ass off in undergrad, get out with a 2.0 GPA THEN you can think about your future afterwards

"After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice"
-- Wouldn't it be easier to do the ramen noodles thing for the 4 years of dental school so that the next 10 years are spent living an easier life with less debt and perhaps even own a practice? I'd rather do 4 years of misery than 10 (but thats just me)

I think they were being sarcastic... at least I hope so 😀
 
What are you trying to prove? I've never seen a single post contradict itself so many times...

"I don't always want to be in the rat race, sacrificing happiness now for some mysterious and glorious future"
-- your status says pre-dental, so its safe assumption your rat-racing the undergrad GPA... why bother doing that? go party your ass off in undergrad, get out with a 2.0 GPA THEN you can think about your future afterwards

"After I graduate dental school, I could live on ramen noodle for 10 years to pay for a practice"
-- Wouldn't it be easier to do the ramen noodles thing for the 4 years of dental school so that the next 10 years are spent living an easier life with less debt and perhaps even own a practice? I'd rather do 4 years of misery than 10 (but thats just me)

the thread itself is a big bizzaro world type of logic. The OP doesnt care about $$$ because hes getting a military scholarship, so he is trying to push that logic onto other people. Without really taking the time to think about the fact that 99.9% of predents pay for school on their own or through loans.

Money doesnt matter when you have a military scholarship, otherwise im counting my money and going to an affordable school. fools can overpay if they like 🙂
 
I'm not trying to push my logic on anyone. People can do whatever they want. I just thought this would be an interesting topic for people to think about before deciding what school to go to. Up until about a week ago, I had a plan to save money by doing the army scholarship, while living with family and continuing to work every weekend and holiday during dental school. I was all set on that plan, but then after speaking with some people who are much more experienced than myself, I realized it is important to have a BALANCE. It is too easy at this time to get overambitious about putting off any kind of current happiness for future rewards, and then once you get to the future, you realize that the journey was what it was all about. I am definitely guilty of this, so don't get me wrong. However, there are people who are on both extremes. Some people are all about the moment, others are all about the future. I would bet that most people reading this thread are the ones who are all about the future. I'm just sharing my personal realization that both the present and the future are worthy of respect. Just something interesting to think about during this major time of change in all of our lives.

the whole thread you keep mentioning that you dont care bout $$$ since you have a military scholarship.

so maybe you should keep your balanced ideas to yourself and let other people make a fiscally comfortable choice instead of advocating them to "balance themselves out" by spending the money they dont have.

i think people should focus on their future and save all that they can. thats a long term choice that equals a ton more success than 4 yrs of thrills n money wasting moments.
 
You might have a black and white decision, but for others, like myself, there are many different levels and shades of gray. If you care so much about my specific situation, I'll use myself as an example. One extreme for me would be the most fiscally responsible option which would be army(sign on bonus), living at home, and continuing to work during the weekends. The other extreme, the fiscally irresponsible one, would be to take out all loans for USC or NYU. For the first extreme, I believe that I would be the least happy during dental school. For the second extreme, I believe that I would be the happiest during dental school. However, there are many levels between both extremes, and I am planning on taking one of those in-the-middle levels.

you do realize you will get deployed?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=447909
 
You might have a black and white decision, but for others, like myself, there are many different levels and shades of gray. If you care so much about my specific situation, I'll use myself as an example. One extreme for me would be the most fiscally responsible option which would be army(sign on bonus), living at home, and continuing to work during the weekends. The other extreme, the fiscally irresponsible one, would be to take out all loans for USC or NYU. For the first extreme, I believe that I would be the least happy during dental school. For the second extreme, I believe that I would be the happiest during dental school. However, there are many levels between both extremes, and I am planning on taking one of those in-the-middle levels. And remember, that long term success that you are talking about by saving all that they can could very well come with depression, heart disease and other health problems from all the stress people would be putting themselves under.

most people would rather save than spend. if you wish to spend please do so at your own peril.

everyone else should save.

the end 🙂
 
Sometimes I wonder if a lot of people promote going to the least expensive school because they want seats to open up at the ivies and ivy equivalents. Just sayen.

And it seems like you're not even reading my posts because you're not arguing my points at all. You keep getting the wrong idea, and I feel like I'm expressing my ideas pretty clearly.

yes i got into Columbia and I want to go to USC. so please go to NYU instead. 🙄

I stopped reading your posts because the bizzaro world logic doesnt work here.
 
Lol, you guys are killing me!

Look, it is important to be happy in what you do. That is very true. However, it is OK, to sacrifice every now and then (note, not always) to allow yourself greater happiness in the future. It is also important to be financially responsible. However, it is OK to spend a little more here and there for some of the pleasures in life. For example, I might treat myself to some savory sushi after a long day of work once a week as a personal treat.... Sure it costs a little more, but it is only once a week, and it keeps my morale up!

I still don't see the correlation to a school's cost and your overall happiness... Once again, it is important to make a financially intelligent choice, but it is also important to consider your well being (happiness). All said and done, both can be achieved. I don't see why you must have one and not the other! I plan on owing between 315K and 350K coming out of dental school (depending on tuition increases), yet I still feel I will be very happy in school and after. What is the debate here? 😎
 
Not quite sure if this debate is going on anymore but this is what happened to me today. I had originally wanted to go to this more expensive school because I thought the people there were great, I would fit in better, and I would enjoy my time there. This was just based on the 4 times I've visited the school. There is also this other school that is more financially sound, but I just felt like the people there would be a little more hardcore and no fun so I didn't want to go there. I got to talking to my friend who goes to the second school, and he's made me realize that it doesn't matter which school you go to, you will enjoy your time there. You will spend 4 years of your life where ever it is you choose to go and you will adapt to it. You have no choice but to make friends and you will become very close with the people around you. And the people around you will set the way you feel about your school as someone on here has already said.

I have heard many dentists say that all dental school does is provide you with a certificate that states that you can practice dentistry. No one school can ever prepare you for the real world. The real learning, experience, and confidence comes the years after you graduate. It doesn't matter what school you go to, none of the schools can really prepare you for real life. With the exception that if you want to specialize, then it would make sense to go to a school with more recognition.

I was really loosing sleep over which school I should pick and I've decided today that I'm opting in for the cheaper school. I'm not trying to persuade anyone into anything. I'm just letting everyone know what I'm doing and what I think is right for me.
 
I can't believe this debate is still going on... but i agree with Bereno, why can't happiness and fiscal responsibility be the same.

Sure you can guess where you can be the most happy, but until you actually are there, you really have no clue. There are so many intangibles to being happy, but more than anything, it will be your classmates, which nobody can predict from interviewing at a school.

So why not go to a school where you can save 100K and make you own happiness with your new friends.

Also, last tangent... OP i didn't realize that you had the HPSP scholarship. That makes it rather convenient to hop on the "happiness" band wagon when the burden of debt is no hanging over your shoulders. And i might add, that while you are being "happy" in dschool for 4 years, we will all be happy working when we want, how often we want, and where we want, without the stress of being deployed. All of which would affect my happiness the 4 years after dschool.... your "happiness" is bought with a price my friend and you will have to return it after dschool.

Again, i will say it... if you have never been burdened by debt (which most college kids haven't) you can't use the happiness trumps debt argument... you have no idea. I stress over a mortgage and 2 car payments and my wife's student loans. I can't imagine what my 300K of student loans will feel like...
 
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.

A lot of people on SDN are pretty driven individuals. I doubt you'll get a lot of people agreeing with this statement on this site. However, a lot of my friends would agree with this statement. Another popular one I hear is you can die at anytime so you should live for the present or something like that.
 
A lot of people on SDN are pretty driven individuals. I doubt you'll get a lot of people agreeing with this statement on this site. However, a lot of my friends would agree with this statement. Another popular one I hear is you can die at anytime so you should live for the present or something like that.

MC719 wrote that on the first post. I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic when he wrote it. Ugashaun should have used the quote feature to show this lol



MC719 - why did you delete all the posts?? 😕
 
MC719 wrote that on the first post. I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic when he wrote it. Ugashaun should have used the quote feature to show this lol



MC719 - why did you delete all the posts?? 😕

change of heart maybe? lol
 
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