is a specialization rate really about the school or the students?

[griller]

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now this is what ive been wondering...just because a school has a high specialization rate, does it really mean that the school is damn good? or does it really only mean that the students they attract are damn good and could have specialized anywhere they went to school?

im leaning towards the fact that prestigious schools attract higher caliber students ... what do you all think?

 

[nate28]

I second that notion.

 

[danhook]

I would say prestigious schools attract high caliber students and therefore make it a great school-> high rates of specialization would be due to a combination of this fact not one or the other, but this is just an opinion it could be a number of factors.

 

[Mackchops]

Some schools also promote a culture that emphasizes specialization, GP, research, or some combination of all of the above. But whether a school has a high placement rate because of a superior curriculum or because it attracts better students does it really matter? Their students get in. Why play the odds?

 

[danhook]

Right On!

 

[harvarddent]

now this is what ive been wondering...just because a school has a high specialization rate, does it really mean that the school is damn good? or does it really only mean that the students they attract are damn good and could have specialized anywhere they went to school?

im leaning towards the fact that prestigious schools attract higher caliber students ... what do you all think?

school and student

 

[Squished Rat]

95% student, and 5 % school.

 

[in her drawer]

95% student, and 5 % school.

I like this number. It makes me feel better for considering turning down Harvard.

 

[grilla drilaa]

A good school has a lot to do with acceptance to a specialty program. Reputable schools can get away with using a P/F grading system eliminating the graduate GPA concerns experienced by students in other schools. It is then the job of the student to do really well on the Boards.

In mediocre schools, students have the double headache of competing amongst classmates for higher grades in addition to the boards which they must do well on.

I'm you do a little research, you will find that the top schools have a higher % of students getting into competetive specialty programs.

 

[Holy Thursday]

now this is what ive been wondering...just because a school has a high specialization rate, does it really mean that the school is damn good? or does it really only mean that the students they attract are damn good and could have specialized anywhere they went to school?

im leaning towards the fact that prestigious schools attract higher caliber students ... what do you all think?

If your board scores are not excellent, if your GPA is not high, and if your extracurriculars are non-existent, no school's name can make your resume stand out.

Bottom line: it is the student that gets accepted to specialty programs, not their ds.

 

[pine88]

I like this number. It makes me feel better for considering turning down Harvard.

I wonder how many people turn down Harvard. Did they say how many offers they make to fill up their slots?

 

[Squished Rat]

I like this number. It makes me feel better for considering turning down Harvard.

Don't feel bad for considering it. Several of my classmates turned them down because it costs twice as much to go there. They all did well on the boards. I'd rather not have all that debt and still be able to specialize.

 

[v&andy_yankee]

You're only going to be as good as the competition

Keep that in mind. Yes, it is mainly based on the student, but how far you push yourself is somewhat dependent on what you see other people doing, if you see other people studying their asses off, you're more inclined to go to the library instead of staying home and watching TV.

 

[Allstar99]

Yea, I know what you mean about passing up certain private schools. I passed up Upenn for the University of Michigan (my state school). After graduation, at the end of the day you're going to be a dentist 🙂. If you work really hard, you can specialize anywhere! Good luck everyone.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

At least for board scores, it is to the school's advantage to have the students do well so they can use it for bragging rights. So each school has its own way to prepare students...some offer a mandatory preparation course, some make you by decks, some end the semester early so you can study a lot....

So in a way, some students may perform better at certain schools depending on if they respond well to the school's push at boards/research/whatever.

In that sense, the school does indeed influence who is competitive...

 

[PDizzle]

I like this number. It makes me feel better for considering turning down Harvard.

Don't sweat turning down Harvard. There are three people in my class that did. Once you get past the name of "Harvard", you can see a lot more clearly.


And to answer the OP, it's almost all the student.

If you predents really wanted to, and studied hard enough, you could all get over a 90 on the national boards part I without even stepping foot into a dental school. It's just a test, just like the DAT. You know every subject. You just buy the dental decks and go at it. Agreed, it's gonna be a lot frig'n harder without 1-2 years of D-School.

My point is that it's a standardized test that each student has to study for on his/her own. School rep may play a small roll but insignificant compared to your board score, interview, experience in the field and letters of rec.