How much do u spend for ur DDS?

[spidergirl]

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Hello guys,
Help me to rate these dental schools, Which one do u think is cheaper?
Which one do u think is expensive?..............Thanks!

UOP - San Francisco, CA
UCSF - San Francisco, CA
USCLA - Los Angeles, CA
UCLA - Los Angeles, CA
UPenn - Philadelphia, PA
BostonU - Boston, MA
UPittsburg - Pittsburg, PA
NYU, New York, NY
Nova SE, Fort Lauderdale, FL
UCOnnecticut, Farmington, CN
Uof Florida - Gainsville, FL
Indiana Univ - Indianapolis, IN
UDetroitMercy - Detroit, MI
Columbia - New York, NY
SUNY, StonyBrook and Buffalo, NY
Temple - Philadelphia, PA
Case Western - Cleveland, OH
Marquette University
Creighton University

 

[fairbrother]

Well Visit the the website below and it has all the Information about all the schools in US.
http://www.adea.org/links/default.htm
Question Lies that what is your state of resident and that could change the expenses for some schools.
I think the most Expensive are including living cost(non-resident)
UOP, USC, UCSF, BU, BU UPenn, NYU, CWRU
I think rest of the schools are in moderate side of expenses

 

[spidergirl]

Thanks fairbrother!

 

[Midoc]

I go to UDM. The only figures I have right now are for second year 2003-2004. These figures include all tuition and fees but not books or living expenses.

Fall 2003 $19,495
Winter 2004 $18,953

Only use this as an estimate because I belive first year was a bit more expensive than this and tuition increases every year. The price is the same for residents and non-residents since this is a privite school.

 

[teething]

Midoc,

if you don't mind me asking, How are you paying for D-school. Is UDM really over 40,000 a year for tuition and fees? I couldn't see the tution statement on their website.

 

[LestatZinnie]

Yes, USC is indeed over $40K per year. How do you pay for it? well...there's basically 2 options

1. Rich parents
2. Huge student loan from the bank

 

[ShawnOne]

USC is way over 40k

with tuition and other mandatory expenses (health fee, instrument management fee, student issue etc) USC is 60k/year with an increase of 5%/year. Add another 15k/year for transportation and living expenses.

4 years at USC is going to easily exceed 300k.

 

[Midoc]

I have the HPSP scholarship through the Army, that pays for all the school, fees, books and most of my living expenses.

Most of my classmates do just fine on loans. They generally have to get the Sub/unsub Stafford loans and then an alternative loan as well though.

 

[spidergirl]

USC is way over 40k

with tuition and other mandatory expenses (health fee, instrument management fee, student issue etc) USC is 60k/year with an increase of 5%/year. Add another 15k/year for transportation and living expenses.

4 years at USC is going to easily exceed 300k.

60k/yr! so does it mean that you are totally spending 240k for DDS?!..
Am wondering how much will be the interest amount that you will be paying excluding this 240k loan amount?!(is it another 50k?) and normally how long it takes to pay back the loan?

Oh man, why is this dentistry sooooooooo expensive 🙁

 

[Calculus1]

Same here, I actually get off very cheap(est. cost of 4 years instate at Baylor is $126,000), but I'm still going military because there are a lot of opportunities. Midoc, I heard that last year (my numbers may be wrong, but my point the same) there were 6 perio spots in the Army and only 5 applied. I'm not saying I want to go into perio or really any specialty, but the opportunity is there.

 

[spidergirl]

I have the HPSP scholarship through the Army, that pays for all the school, fees, books and most of my living expenses.

.

LUCKY U! 😎

 

[Calculus1]

LUCKY U! 😎

You could do it too, spidergirl, it's a great program. The only thing that I would worry about is if you're married and have kids. Otherwise, it could work out very nice for you.

 

[spidergirl]

You could do it too, spidergirl, it's a great program. The only thing that I would worry about is if you're married and have kids. Otherwise, it could work out very nice for you.

sorry, I am not aware of it. What are the procedures for it? 😕

 

[Calculus1]

Well, you can start by going to www.goarmy.com to find a local recruiter. Once you do that, as for an HPSP recruiter and tell them that you are interested in a 4 year scholarship (if you are applying for this cycle). They will help you get the ball rolling.

 

[HuyetKiem]

Case Western:

$37,650/year tuition (fixed for all 4 yrs)
$63,023/year for fees, tuition and living expenses

approx. $250,000 for all 4 yrs.

 

[UBTom]

University at Buffalo:

For the graduating Class of 2004, our average total bills (tuition, equipment/lab fees, electronic textbook fees, living expenses) comes out to about:

$135,000 for New York State residents.

$170,000 for out-of-state residents who became NYS residents after their first year.

HTH!

 

[Zurik5]

Well, you can start by going to www.goarmy.com to find a local recruiter. Once you do that, as for an HPSP recruiter and tell them that you are interested in a 4 year scholarship (if you are applying for this cycle). They will help you get the ball rolling.

Sounds like a good deal. Quick question, though. What?s the likelihood of getting sent over to Iraq/Afghanistan if this war continues to escalate?

 

[Calculus1]

Sounds like a good deal. Quick question, though. What?s the likelihood of getting sent over to Iraq/Afghanistan if this war continues to escalate?

Well, it depends on the need for dentists. From what I gather, most dentists are stationed either at home or in Germany(the jump off point for the Middle East). I would also like to think that 4 years from now Iraq and Afghanistan won't be as serious a threat. So, I have no idea what the odds are that in 2008 I'll be sent somewhere I'm not going to like. It's not a decision you can make based purely on money. The way I look at it is, I get to serve my country in some small way AND come out of school debt free. Plus, if I get a chance to specialize that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise, I came out way ahead.

 

[ecdoesit]

Check out the Air Force Program.
Out of all those military people I talked with, Navy wont tell me anything.
I think the representative from Air Force really gives me a truthful answer to all my questions. Do ask them hard questions and see their reaction. I seriously dont want to sign my life away without knowing everything.

For the air force program, it is a 3 yr program. u will serve 3 yrs after u graduate. The neat thing is if u want to specialize, they have their own specialty program given only to military personnel. So, this is how it works: graduate in 4 yrs, work for a yr and apply to speciality. if u get accepted, u get 2 more yrs training. and u owe air force 4 additional years. so that's 10 years to get a specialty degree without owning a penny out of sch.

And, when you are at that stage, u will be ranked pretty high - like a captain or higher and earn that salary with all kinds of benefits. and since they put so much money on u, u might not like the place they sent u, but they are not likely to put u in harmful ways.

 

[ecdoesit]

just one additional note, i heard someone mentioned that they are not going to fund all tuition if the tuition is way too high. this is somewhat a discrepency cos i know this student from usc and got everything paid for thru the army. so this is what you need to check carefully.

 

[KDBuff]

ecdoesit,

I believe the air force actually requires a four year committment for a three year scholarship. This ist he only downfall of the airforce vs. the army or navy. However, that four years does include a one yeaar AEGD, which the navy and army don't include in their programs.

As far as the residencies go, that's the same with any of the services. They all have specialty programs. Don't expect to get into a residency in the air force after serving only one year of your committment. Though it probably does happen from time to time, the majority will serve their committment, then have the opportunity to apply to specialty programs. This is the same in all branches.

 

[Midoc]

If your ultimate goal is to specialize you would probably want to think about the Army or Navy rather than Air Force. The Army is the largest service and thus has the largest number of residency spots.

If you were to consider a military scholarship I would urge you to not consider the money aspect too much. You should be thinking more about service to your country, working environment, whether you can deal with a military life, etc. You must accept the possibility of being deployed to some foreign country or even a war zone or you will not be happy with your time in the military.

 

[Calculus1]

KD, actually, if you want you can have an AEGD count towards one year of your obligation period as long as it is within the military.

 

[Calculus1]

For the army, I mean.

 

[critterbug]

If your ultimate goal is to specialize you would probably want to think about the Army or Navy rather than Air Force. The Army is the largest service and thus has the largest number of residency spots.

If you were to consider a military scholarship I would urge you to not consider the money aspect too much. You should be thinking more about service to your country, working environment, whether you can deal with a military life, etc. You must accept the possibility of being deployed to some foreign country or even a war zone or you will not be happy with your time in the military.

What are the chances, if any, that a trained dentist could actually be called to serve on the front lines of war. Is their a possiblility of this.

I guess what I'm asking is.....Do medical/dental officers have a dual duty in the military, ie, are they soldiers first and then physicians/dentists?

The reason I ask this is because I will be fairly old (pushing 30) when I get my DDS degree and I'm wondering if they (the military) would expect me to be able to do the same things those young buck 18 year olds can do!!

 

[HuyetKiem]

I guess what I'm asking is.....Do medical/dental officers have a dual duty in the military, ie, are they soldiers first and then physicians/dentists?

they are medic first (at front line) and then physicians/dentists.

People should try Navy

 

[Midoc]

What are the chances, if any, that a trained dentist could actually be called to serve on the front lines of war. Is their a possiblility of this.

I guess what I'm asking is.....Do medical/dental officers have a dual duty in the military, ie, are they soldiers first and then physicians/dentists?

The reason I ask this is because I will be fairly old (pushing 30) when I get my DDS degree and I'm wondering if they (the military) would expect me to be able to do the same things those young buck 18 year olds can do!!

I have been told that you are a soldier first an officer second and a dentist thrid. However, that does not mean that every soldier carries a gun and is expected to shoot at people. That just means you will have certain duties and you will be expected to act a certain way.

Under the Geneva Conventions medical personnel are not permitted to carry certain types of weapons and are only allowed to fire their weapons in defense of their life or their patient's lives.

HuyetKiem, I'm sorry but you're blatantly wrong. I suppose it is possible that you would be expected to act as a field medic but the circumstances would have to be very very dire. A field medic does have to know any where as much as a doctor or dentist about anatomy or anything else. They Army isn't going to use an officer whom they have invested $200,000+ in to do a job that an enlisted person with less than a year of training and who is paid maybe $25k a year can do.

 

[UBTom]

Hey guys,

Here's an interesting guy who is being featured at http://www.goarmy.com . CPT James Lussier, DDS. He is a dentist (MOS 63A) with the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson in Colorado.

Looks like here is one dentist who would be in the thick of it..

 

[critterbug]

WOW!!

That was a pretty cool story. thanks Tom!

 

[RaiderNation]

Here's a question for you military guys. You say don't do it for the money. I understand your point. But, consider this...you are married. By the time you leave dental school you have 2 kids. Your wife doesn't work. This means on top of paying 40k for d-school, you are pulling out an extra 20-25k a year to support your wife and kids. You'll end up over 300k in debt. The debt will not easily be paid off. Remember, even though you are a graduated DDS and making a fair amount of money, your expenses are many times more than what they would be if you were single, due to the wife and children. If you start your own practice a few years out (or buy one) you are adding on to your already enormous debt. I don't know about you, but 500k-600k doesn't sound too comforting. Joining the military sounds like a decent option if you have a family. I've often considered joining, mainly because the aforementioned situation will most likely be mine. This decision would be based solely on my future financial well being (in other words, money). Tell me what you guys think.

 

[River13]

Don't expect to be able to enter a non-military specialty program right out of dental school either, even if your grades are good and they accept you--you'll probably have to pay back your time as a general dentist first.

Several guys who did military at my school did so because they were told they could still specialize right after d-school...now we've graduated, and the services are forcing everyone to go right into general dentistry service, contrary to what was promised. One of my friends was even forced to leave his OMS residency 3 months into it to go practice general dentistry last year.

I'm glad I didn't do it.

 

[critterbug]

I'm glad I didn't do it.

Yep. There are many who share your sentiments.

From my understnading, the military will tell you ANYTHING to get you to sign the dotted line. Bottom line (no pun intended) once your sign, they OWN YOU.

That is just a little to scary situation for me. I don't like not knowing what my options will be, which is one of the reasons why I am considering the HPSP loan repayment over the military.

There are many on this forum, including Gavin, who grew up military and can tell you first hand what it was like. I suggest you do a search and find ALL the pros and cons before you sign the dotted line.

Here is what I'm looking into. http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov//members/loan_repayors/

You apply AFTER you graduate, and PICK the location where you wanna work. The higher the need, the more likely will receive the loan repayment. but I think there is a maximum $25,000 per year grant towards loans. You will receive a salary (competitive?) AND a stipend yearly to apply towards your educational debt. You do have to sign a two year service contract though I think.

One thing I don't like though, it seems you have to appy for a location, be hired, and THEN apply for the loan repayment program and there is no guaratee you will receive it. Is this right?

 

[ecdoesit]

I know the military people will try to hide things from us, so you have to ask them everything. From my experience, the air force guy is the most helpful and willing to answer my questions. I guess it would be my facult if i didnt ask enough... I guess u could ask them for statistics how many people go directly into specialty after serving 1 yr. ask them tough questions and see how they react. If they are not willing to answer or try to lead u to another direction, then just forget about it. If you are willing to serve our country, i m sure they will let u enroll after ur graduation. But dont do it for the money. We will be able to make enough to pay off the debt, eventually.

 

[KDBuff]

Couple of points,

Calculus, You may want to check into this some more. I asked this exact question and was told by the army that if a wanted to do an AEGD it would count as a "neutral" year meaning it doesn't count towards payback, nor increase your committment as specialty training would. I was also told by both the army and navy that there was no difference in the two programs. My contract specifically says that an AEGD doesn't count towards payback (Navy). I have bee told by those already serving that this has just changed in the past couple of years. Before now, that did count towards payback, but not anymore. I could be wrong, but I researched this in detail before signing.

As far as asking the recruiter questions, I think you'll find more answers on this site. From my experiences, the rectruiters know next to nothing about the lifestyle of a military dentist, and will not have information to answer detailed questions. The other way to find info is to speak with people who actually served. I found that very helpful.

 

[Midoc]

Here's a question for you military guys. You say don't do it for the money. I understand your point. But, consider this...you are married. By the time you leave dental school you have 2 kids. Your wife doesn't work. This means on top of paying 40k for d-school, you are pulling out an extra 20-25k a year to support your wife and kids. You'll end up over 300k in debt. The debt will not easily be paid off. Remember, even though you are a graduated DDS and making a fair amount of money, your expenses are many times more than what they would be if you were single, due to the wife and children. If you start your own practice a few years out (or buy one) you are adding on to your already enormous debt. I don't know about you, but 500k-600k doesn't sound too comforting. Joining the military sounds like a decent option if you have a family. I've often considered joining, mainly because the aforementioned situation will most likely be mine. This decision would be based solely on my future financial well being (in other words, money). Tell me what you guys think.

You have a tough decision to make. When I ask people not to consider the money aspect I mean for them not to consider the money and ignore every thing else. You need to look at the military life and see if it right for you AND your wife AND your kids. You need to know that you will have little input into where you will be stationed and you need to know that you may be away from your family for weeks to months at a time. I would say that unless your have the full support of your family then I wouldn't think about the scholarship. One thing you can try to do is call up your nearest military base and try to get in contact with a dentist there, see if you can visit and see what things are like. I've never tried this so I'm not entirely sure if it is allowed but I think it would be.