info on nitty gritty umdnj day-to-day

[dentalmom]

---

Members do not see this ad.

need help on decision between umdnj and buffalo. nj resident (although buffalo is still MUCH cheaper). get the feeling that clinics at umdnj will be much more varied on proceedures and since scheduling is not handled through students, that is also a huge plus....also brand new clinics (in two years) also makes umdnj very attractive. the down side is get the feeling that the school is very political and maybe a tad cut throat....the neighborhood and safety for a single 21 y/o female is a major concern for me (as her mom). another down side is cost of rent and transportation (insurance here being outrageous). would like to know if parking at the garage is included in tuition, if not, how much, and are spaces assigned. i'd hate to see her having to drive around that area looking for parking on the street. are students friendly and willing to help each other...do they feel a bond with each other?

buffalo seems great....good housing cost of living...get the impression that the students "feel a part of their community" and are friendlier.....down side is clinic and distance (8 hr plus drive in potential bad weather to visit home) & the fact that her boyfriend is waitlisted here but accepted at columbia...so she's leaning towards umdnj....and love on the gw bridge!

any advice regarding housing etc for undmj and what are the day to day problems faced by the students. thanks y'all...you've always been very helpful.


😍 😍 😍

 

[gryffindor]

Originally posted by dentalmom
Down side is clinic and distance (8 hr plus drive in potential bad weather to visit home)

Why do you think the clinics at Buffalo are bad? If you want clarification on anything about our clinics, please ask. I feel we've had a pretty good clinical education. My impression when I visited UMDNJ is that both schools were on the same levels and very similar when it came to clinic.

About driving home in the bad weather... many people fly home, and there isn't enough time to be going home for anything more than the major holidays. Continental flies direct between Buffalo and Newark and I usually find tickets between $100 and $200. Many students in the NYC area fly Jet Blue.

If you have completely ruled out Buffalo, then ignore my post.

 

[dentalmom]

i'm sorry....i didn't mean to be offensive and i do appreciate both your and tom's helpfulness. it's just an impression i got from a couple of posts that sometimes the procedures needed for graduation at buffalo can sometimes be challenging to find.

frankly, i would be happy if she did go to buffalo, since i also get the impression that the environment there is more welcoming and conducive to study(without some of the worries of the again, mostly perceived impressions, of the hassles of day to day life at umdnj). i'm just trying to get a handle on which way would be the best for her. if only the boyfriend would get buffalo acceptance i don't think there would be a question that they'd both happily shuffle off to buffalo and each save around 60 grand.

 

[UBTom]

Hmm... Has your daughter considered NYU (if she got accepted there)?

The pluses: It's close to her boyfriend.. It's in a nice neighborhood... Trendy SoHo is only a mile away... Wide range of clinical experience (rotation to some of the busiest hospitals in the country).. And it's got the hugest patient pool of any dental school in the country.

The minuses: expensive, class size is a bit large, high cost of living (Are you guys NYC residents? If you are, maybe she can live at home, commute and shave $80,000 off the loans)..

Just a thought! 😀

 

[dentalmom]

hi tom

no, she never considered nyu...way too expensive. she doesn't want to live back at home...and i don't really blame her...too many noisy siblings here!

by the way, congratulations on your boards!

diane

 

[dak]

i went to umdnj last week and i found most of it nice except for the immediate surroundings. the upside is that they have a large patient pool and you get to encounter a wide variety of procedures
having seen the suburbs though its not that bad.
they are close, nice
parking costs are $150/year? in the schools lot
and the people that i met were for the most part friendly

hope this helps

 

[dentalmom]

hope someone who is a student at UMDNJ can give details of their experience there.

 

[dentalmom]

dump.....er, bump