Howard vs Case Western ***Please Help***

[shemshad6682]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I desperately need your honest opinion about this. Any advice will be really appreciated. so I have been accepted to both programs and with deposit deadlines coming up, I am having a hard time to make my final decision. I live in DC just minutes away from Howard campus so going there will be very convenient for me and allows me to save more money. Howard's tuition is significantly cheaper than Case: Case 85000/year (including living expenses) vs 38000$/year at Howard. that will make around 160,000$ difference over four years not counting the interest, plus at Howard, I even have a chance to get one of those merit based scholarships to cover part of my tuition. On the other hand, i was really impressed by Case and its facilities as well as research opportunities there. The school is big on research so as a person who loves to do research that is very exciting. On the other hand, when I interviewed at Howard, I was not as impressed. Howard has average, kind of old facility/technology that is enough for you to be trained as a professional dentist but I wouldn't say it's top notch. Ever since I got into both schools, there has been a big debate going on in my family/relatives/ friends regarding which school I should attend. Long story short, it all comes down to cost vs quality of education. Which one is more important, especially in today's economy?

I have given lots of thoughts about this but i just cant decide which way to go. What would you do if you were me? i have made a brief comparison:

Case:
More reputation- better/newer facilities- high tech simulation labs- strong clinical training - nice campus 🙂 close proximity to Cleveland clinic- newly developed curriculum etc.
Cost: 85000$/year
Having to live away from family for four years in Cleveland (cold winters🙁)
Estimated debt after graduation: 320,000$

Howard:
20 min from where i live!
large patient pool- diverse student body- average facility/technology
having the responsibility to find your own patients 🙁 (our tour guide literally told us that!)
cost:38000$/year
Estimated debt after graduation: 150,000 (if I dont get any scholarships and end up getting loans)

sorry for the long post. Any input is highly appreciated especially from Howard/Case students.

 

[PreDent100]

I would pick Howard if I were you. I don't think that the facilities and reputation are worth such a large difference in cost.

 

[KristopherTruth]

I would go with Howard. That 150,000 will go a long way in the future. Howard will teach you what you need to know. With that 150,000 you can buy all the up to date equipment you want. Also, I know a dentist who went to case and his advice is "go to the cheapest school'. No one asks him what school he graduated from. All in all, this is a good problem to have and good luck with your choice.

 

[futuredds2015]

First I would like to say hello to everyone... I wish I had come upon this forum earlier... anyways, back to the topic in hand...

after being in the same exact case, however, I was debating between Howard and NYU... I thought long and hard... with technology playing a big key in the medical profession, I weighed the newer facilities more than older ones... usually (NOT IN ALL CASES) the more advanced and efficient a machine can be, the higher the chance it will replace and older one... with that being said, a hospital or school that can provide those can play a great advantage in the future... being prepped with these procedures can put you and your practice ahead of the competition... (i.e. implants seem to be the future of dentistry, so a place where you can see that the most will help you)

cost is a big factor that I swayed back and forth between.. i was unsure if i wanted to be in debt almost 3-4 times as much... however, there are many opportunities to help this... either through scholarships, military programs, or even by being the top of your class... assuming you will do some sort of residency, whether it is a general or specialty... you'll be able to make some money back pretty quick (about $50, 0000 at least) but once again, what you learn I feel holds more value then just money... but that's just me...

and living away is not always that bad... it will give you a chance to be more independent and maybe youll even learn something about yourself... worst case, its for 4 years, then you move back to dc...

---- now to be devil's advocate ----

living at home gives you a chance to same some money on living... but at the same time you want to be sure you will have an adequate space to truly study... meaning, clear of distractions in the home, if you do not want to study at the library...

the large patient pool is awesome... but like that student told you, you'll have to find your own patients... and with that, they also have to be willing to pay for those procedures... im not sure if this is true or not, but i was told by one student (let me emphasize one, so people do not shoot me), that he ended up making some deals with his patients and would offer to pay for parts of the procedures just so he could successfully meet some requirements... not sure if this is allowed/ethical/or even true... but it was what i was told...

the cost is definitely a plus... i mean who doesn't want to save money... so there is really no downside to that....


---- conclusion ----

if i were in your shoes, and i was in a similar set... i would go with case western... but that's my personal opinion but in the end the choice is yours and no one elses...

 

[shemshad6682]

I would go with Howard. That 150,000 will go a long way in the future. Howard will teach you what you need to know. With that 150,000 you can buy all the up to date equipment you want. Also, I know a dentist who went to case and his advice is "go to the cheapest school'. No one asks him what school he graduated from. All in all, this is a good problem to have and good luck with your choice.

Thanks! I agree, at least with the part "it's a good problem to have😀". Having two schools to choose from makes me feel blessed and no matter what happens, I'm ready to take my destiny! It feels good to think that I may actually have a future!

 

[shemshad6682]

First I would like to say hello to everyone... I wish I had come upon this forum earlier... anyways, back to the topic in hand...

after being in the same exact case, however, I was debating between Howard and NYU... I thought long and hard... with technology playing a big key in the medical profession, I weighed the newer facilities more than older ones... usually (NOT IN ALL CASES) the more advanced and efficient a machine can be, the higher the chance it will replace and older one... with that being said, a hospital or school that can provide those can play a great advantage in the future... being prepped with these procedures can put you and your practice ahead of the competition... (i.e. implants seem to be the future of dentistry, so a place where you can see that the most will help you)

cost is a big factor that I swayed back and forth between.. i was unsure if i wanted to be in debt almost 3-4 times as much... however, there are many opportunities to help this... either through scholarships, military programs, or even by being the top of your class... assuming you will do some sort of residency, whether it is a general or specialty... you'll be able to make some money back pretty quick (about $50, 0000 at least) but once again, what you learn I feel holds more value then just money... but that's just me...

and living away is not always that bad... it will give you a chance to be more independent and maybe youll even learn something about yourself... worst case, its for 4 years, then you move back to dc...

---- now to be devil's advocate ----

living at home gives you a chance to same some money on living... but at the same time you want to be sure you will have an adequate space to truly study... meaning, clear of distractions in the home, if you do not want to study at the library...

the large patient pool is awesome... but like that student told you, you'll have to find your own patients... and with that, they also have to be willing to pay for those procedures... im not sure if this is true or not, but i was told by one student (let me emphasize one, so people do not shoot me), that he ended up making some deals with his patients and would offer to pay for parts of the procedures just so he could successfully meet some requirements... not sure if this is allowed/ethical/or even true... but it was what i was told...

the cost is definitely a plus... i mean who doesn't want to save money... so there is really no downside to that....


---- conclusion ----

if i were in your shoes, and i was in a similar set... i would go with case western... but that's my personal opinion but in the end the choice is yours and no one elses...

Thanks for the well-written input. I appreciate it! I guess the most valuable piece of information that I need is whether graduating from Howard would make you a strong enough candidate for residency, not just in Howard but other D schools as well. I would like to know for example how competitive Howard graduates are as compared to lets say Case graduates when they apply for specialty? (let's say that you are in top 5% of your class in Howard and are competing with someone who is in top 10% of her class at Case or any other school?). I know lot's of variables play in this and it mostly depends on you as a person, but I really wanna know how big are the role of schools here? my goal is to at least have an idea before I make my decision.

 

[KristopherTruth]

The unfortunate part is, is that your not gone to know everything needed to make the best choice. What you do know is the cost involved. You know the logistics around D.C. That means getting to and from class easily. As far as where Howard graduate place? Its up to you where you place. The DDS is just a stepping stone and you can get there anywhere. There are Howard grads who are struggling to make their bottom line and there are Howard grads who are millionaires. There are Howard grads who are in a small rural town serving those population and there are Howard grads teaching at Ivy-leagues. Its really up to you how far you take it. Again, you will learn what you need to learn, just like any other school whether it be NYU, CASE, Meharry ect. In the future your values will change as well. You may not value that $150,000 now but give it time...when those numbers get real and it is not that easy to pay down that debt then you will see.