Is the Money Worth It?

[Toothpicker89]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I know this question has been asked a million times- which school should I choose between this one and that one? But the two schools I am deciding between will never be compared normally.

I put a deposit down at Meharry Medical College before I went to my interview at Tufts University. Now that I am accepted to Tufts, and after seeing their fantastic facilities, of course I would love to attend there. Though, w/ most of my education being financed by student loans... I just wanted opinions on how much the price (tuition& living!) matters when deciding between an ok school and a GREAT one? Over four years the difference will amount to almost $100,000(tuition & living)... which of course, is much more with interest later on.

Is that extra debt worth having a degree from Tufts versus Meharry in the end?

 

[Bis-GMA111]

well let me put it this way..meharry doesn't exactly have the greatest name when it comes to dental schools.

also, if i recall correctly from what i've read, they had the lowest board passing rates for quite a while.

with that said..it's your call. tufts is pretty expensive, and i can see why you'd be torn. but you have to realize that the quality of education (clinical and didactic) that you'd receive at tufts far exceeds the one that you'd receive at meharry. period.

do you plan on specializing? do you plan on practicing right out of school?

 

[user101]

I know this question has been asked a million times- which school should I choose between this one and that one? But the two schools I am deciding between will never be compared normally.

I put a deposit down at Meharry Medical College before I went to my interview at Tufts University. Now that I am accepted to Tufts, and after seeing their fantastic facilities, of course I would love to attend there. Though, w/ most of my education being financed by student loans... I just wanted opinions on how much the price (tuition& living!) matters when deciding between an ok school and a GREAT one? Over four years the difference will amount to almost $100,000(tuition & living)... which of course, is much more with interest later on.

Is that extra debt worth having a degree from Tufts versus Meharry in the end?

Although i didn't apply to Tufts I was accepted to meharry as well. I did not like that place, the students were all cool but the facilities 👎 Tuition is too high at meharry for the quality of education you will receive. My interviewer even told me they are a poor school..and I dont like that students have to go find their own patients (2 of them told me that). I think you would have a much better experience at Tufts so too some extent I say choose it..bc Tufts has a good sized patient pool, correct?
However, you will have your DDS/DMD wherever you go so chosing Meharry isn't a horrible idea.

 

[Jbrowndds]

Go cheaper! Trust me patients dont even know what Tufts or Meharry is. Employers dont care either. Its just not worth the extra money. Maybe $20,000 extra but not $100,000. At the end of the day though its what you want. Do you think the new equipment will help you learn better? Its all up to you.

 

[UCSFx2017]

I was talking to my mentor (GP) and asked her what school she recommended between VCU and UCSF. She said go to VCU and that she would only recommend me go to UCSF if the choices were between UCSF and Howard. I guess she wasn't particularly impressed with Howard and I would imagine Meharry and Howard would be grouped in the same category of schools. Maybe Tufts is the better choice.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

Go cheaper! Trust me patients dont even know what Tufts or Meharry is. Employers dont care either. Its just not worth the extra money. Maybe $20,000 extra but not $100,000. At the end of the day though its what you want. Do you think the new equipment will help you learn better? Its all up to you.

i agree, but if your school admittedly says that they're "poor" and if students have to find their own patients...that should be a cause for concern. you're right employers won't care, but in today's market, you want to come out of dental school equipped with as much clinical prowess as possible.

 

[Toothpicker89]

do you plan on specializing? do you plan on practicing right out of school?

I am a dental assistant currently, and I was just discussing this with the doctor I am working for. I am thinking about specializing, not 100% sure just yet. But I do want to keep that option open- with that, he said Tufts also.

However, being a DDS already- he also touched on how tough it is paying off the debt for private practice, let alone education.
& I plan to practice after school if I do not specialize, but hopefully in a group practice kind of setting before getting out on my own.

 

[Toothpicker89]

I think you would have a much better experience at Tufts so too some extent I say choose it..bc Tufts has a good sized patient pool, correct?

YES! Tufts def. has a large patient pool, the fourth year student who interviewed me explained that patients "flood" into the school due to their great reputation. This was for sure a huge factor for me, I think it is very important to have a lot of clinical experience in school & Tufts will be able to offer this, versus limited experience due to patient pool at Meharry.

I never heard that Meharry was a "poor" school but I guess I believe it, the facilities were extremely different from school to school. With Tufts being state-of-the-art.

@Jbrowndds- I am def. considering if the new/ advanced facilities (& great reputation) will give me a better quality of education at Tufts, in the end. I am just not sure

 

[user101]

hm..seems like tufts is your win-win choice, but you could go to meharry and make the best of it. I say this bc having decent grades and board scores is up to the individual student not the institution.

 

[nondescriptive]

hm..seems like tufts is your win-win choice, but you could go to meharry and make the best of it. I say this bc having decent grades and board scores is up to the individual student not the institution.

If it is up to the individual and not the institution then why does meharry rank last on boards so often? Like Mr. Miyagi said, "No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher."

 

[user101]

If it is up to the individual and not the institution then why does meharry rank last on boards so often? Like Mr. Miyagi said, "No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher."

to answer that question, look up the avg dat/gpa for the matriculated D1 students (i think it's like 17 and3.0)..none of them are over achievers; So of course the school ranks low bc most of them aren't trying to be above average or the best

 

[gryffindor]

YES! Tufts def. has a large patient pool, the fourth year student who interviewed me explained that patients "flood" into the school due to their great reputation. This was for sure a huge factor for me, I think it is very important to have a lot of clinical experience in school & Tufts will be able to offer this, versus limited experience due to patient pool at Meharry.

I never heard that Meharry was a "poor" school but I guess I believe it, the facilities were extremely different from school to school. With Tufts being state-of-the-art.

@Jbrowndds- I am def. considering if the new/ advanced facilities (& great reputation) will give me a better quality of education at Tufts, in the end. I am just not sure

NO.

Stop overthinking this. The $100k saved will give you MANY MORE OPTIONS in the end the than the name on your dental degree. $100K less in education debt allows you to take on practice debt buy an office or start your own which is where the REAL MONEY TO REPAY YOUR LOANS comes from. Yes, associateships will pay you a salary, but all those million dollar success stories you pre-dents read about are not associates who made it big; they are practice owners. Any procedure you may feel clinically less experienced with at graduation can be remedied with many excellent CE courses that teach more "real world" techniques. Again, less debt when you graduate means less loan payments each month which allows more money in your budget to be able to afford that CE course.

And have you seen how cold it is in the northeast right now? Wish I was back in Nashville...

 

[nondescriptive]

to answer that question, look up the avg dat/gpa for the matriculated D1 students (i think it's like 17 and3.0)..none of them are over achievers; So of course the school ranks low bc most of them aren't trying to be above average or the best

And if Meharry had great teachers then wouldn't they do better on the board? How you teach is just as important as what you teach.

 

[autoclavemonkey]

well let me put it this way..meharry doesn't exactly have the greatest name when it comes to dental schools.

also, if i recall correctly from what i've read, they had the lowest board passing rates for quite a while.

with that said..it's your call. tufts is pretty expensive, and i can see why you'd be torn. but you have to realize that the quality of education (clinical and didactic) that you'd receive at tufts far exceeds the one that you'd receive at meharry. period.

do you plan on specializing? do you plan on practicing right out of school?

I would normally say go to cheaper one, but not in this case. Low board passing rate isn't something I'd swallow no matter how cheap the tuition is. My vote goes to Tufts. GL

 

[UCSFx2017]

I would normally say go to cheaper one, but not in this case. Low board passing rate isn't something I'd swallow no matter how cheap the tuition is. My vote goes to Tufts. GL

People make the argument that the reason why Ivy League schools have students with the highest board scores is because of their type of student body and not necessarily because of the professors at the institution. Maybe a similar, inverse argument can be made with these low-tier schools.

To the OP, most predents are more open to choosing a more expensive school. But almost all practicing dentists unanimously advise students to attend the most affordable school. I don't know when or if there is an exception to not choosing the more affordable school.

 

[user101]

And if Meharry had great teachers then wouldn't they do better on the board? How you teach is just as important as what you teach.

Even the best teachers usually dont have everyone in their classes passing with flying colors..I disagree bc I believe the students effort and motivation to succeed is the most important factor.

and besides, Idk if meharry has bad teachers..bc if the program was so bad it wouldn't be accredited in the first place.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

And if Meharry had great teachers then wouldn't they do better on the board? How you teach is just as important as what you teach.

You're not gonna teach a bunch of 3.0, 17AA kids to be above average. It's in one of the laws of physics somewhere. Both the students and teachers are to blame for low board scores, but the teachers have less to work with. But the mission of the school isn't to have the highest board scores anyways, it's to give URMs a chance to become dentists to serve their community.

I would generally tell predents to save the money and go to the cheaper school, because most of schools will teach you the same stuff, but when I applied, one of the dentists I shadowed told me to NOT attend Meharry, unless it's the only school I get into. She hired one Meharry graduate, and said he was by far the worst dentist she's ever seen, to the point where she thought letting him practice was a danger to society. Of course, this is just one dentist's view of just one person who graduated from Meharry, but it's a darn strong view.

I would choose Tufts in a heart beat.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

you don't see many meharry grads in my area. but one of the endos that i shadowed went to howard (non-urm, mind you) and he is a baller.

my views of meharry are solely based off of adea reports and friends of friends

 

[user101]

You're not gonna teach a bunch of 3.0, 17AA kids to be above average. It's in one of the laws of physics somewhere. Both the students and teachers are to blame for low board scores, but the teachers have less to work with. But the mission of the school isn't to have the highest board scores anyways, it's to give URMs a chance to become dentists to serve their community.

I would generally tell predents to save the money and go to the cheaper school, because most of schools will teach you the same stuff, but when I applied, one of the dentists I shadowed told me to NOT attend Meharry, unless it's the only school I get into. She hired one Meharry graduate, and said he was by far the worst dentist she's ever seen, to the point where she thought letting him practice was a danger to society. Of course, this is just one dentist's view of just one person who graduated from Meharry, but it's a darn strong view.

I would choose Tufts in a heart beat.

Yes, what he/she said...Amen to that!

 

[nondescriptive]

I would choose Tufts in a heart beat.

My point exactly. If it is up to the student and not the institution, why not pick Meharry?

 

[nondescriptive]

Anyway, I say go to Tufts. You'll love Boston.

 

[NDPitch]

Go to the cheaper school.

 

[cookiemonster44]

Toothpicker89, I just sent you a private message.

 

[321931]

I know this question has been asked a million times- which school should I choose between this one and that one? But the two schools I am deciding between will never be compared normally.

I put a deposit down at Meharry Medical College before I went to my interview at Tufts University. Now that I am accepted to Tufts, and after seeing their fantastic facilities, of course I would love to attend there. Though, w/ most of my education being financed by student loans... I just wanted opinions on how much the price (tuition& living!) matters when deciding between an ok school and a GREAT one? Over four years the difference will amount to almost $100,000(tuition & living)... which of course, is much more with interest later on.

Is that extra debt worth having a degree from Tufts versus Meharry in the end?

No. Unless you want to do research or something to that extent...I don't think either schools are big on research? Correct me if I'm wrong.

That being said, the extra debt isn't worth it. You will come out as a competent dentist from both schools knowing the same preps, crowns, materials, and be eligible for a job anywhere.

What will separate you the most will most likely be your personality, bed side manner, and other noteworthy skills that are non-dental related. School name? Not so much unless your from an known clinical heavy school which in my opinion is still not much weight compared to your practical skill set.

Regarding boards prep or whatever, its honestly nothing to worry about and I wouldn't judge it to much. I studied for boards a week before and passed. The P/F test isn't hard and theres not much pressure nowadays. Pretty sure you can get a 50% and pass. It's literally a joke (found the DAT "harder" due to the scoring system) and I wouldn't think much of it if I were hiring someone.

 

[autoclavemonkey]

People make the argument that the reason why Ivy League schools have students with the highest board scores is because of their type of student body and not necessarily because of the professors at the institution. Maybe a similar, inverse argument can be made with these low-tier schools.

To the OP, most predents are more open to choosing a more expensive school. But almost all practicing dentists unanimously advise students to attend the most affordable school. I don't know when or if there is an exception to not choosing the more affordable school.

Maybe so, but remember when USC went PBL heavy curriculum? Their board passing rate dropped significantly. Now, I don't know how Meharry curriculum is like. But if they had the lowest board passing rates for extended period of time like the post #2 said, I'd be little suspicious.

Now here's the flipside of things. Their entering class for 2010 had avg sGPA of 3.00 and oGPA of 3.17. Also their DAT avg of 16. So I see UCSFx2017's point that it could very well be the student body. And maybe the OP can stand himself out easier at Meharry as well.

 

[dentalWorks]

I know this question has been asked a million times- which school should I choose between this one and that one? But the two schools I am deciding between will never be compared normally.

I put a deposit down at Meharry Medical College before I went to my interview at Tufts University. Now that I am accepted to Tufts, and after seeing their fantastic facilities, of course I would love to attend there. Though, w/ most of my education being financed by student loans... I just wanted opinions on how much the price (tuition& living!) matters when deciding between an ok school and a GREAT one? Over four years the difference will amount to almost $100,000(tuition & living)... which of course, is much more with interest later on.

Is that extra debt worth having a degree from Tufts versus Meharry in the end?

100k difference with a (nearly) 7.9% interest rate loads up 8000 dollars every year you don't pay it off... So 5 years after graduation, that 100k = nearly 175k

You tell me whats the smartest decision to make

 

[pinpoint212]

100k difference with a (nearly) 7.9% interest rate loads up 8000 dollars every year you don't pay it off... So 5 years after graduation, that 100k = nearly 175k

You tell me whats the smartest decision to make

That is a just very rough estimate. If OP is smart enough, he will start paying it off right after he gets out of dental school. 8000 dollars a year will become smaller and smaller.

 

[Bobby Fischer]

You're not gonna teach a bunch of 3.0, 17AA kids to be above average. It's in one of the laws of physics somewhere. Both the students and teachers are to blame for low board scores, but the teachers have less to work with. But the mission of the school isn't to have the highest board scores anyways, it's to give URMs a chance to become dentists to serve their community.

I would generally tell predents to save the money and go to the cheaper school, because most of schools will teach you the same stuff, but when I applied, one of the dentists I shadowed told me to NOT attend Meharry, unless it's the only school I get into. She hired one Meharry graduate, and said he was by far the worst dentist she's ever seen, to the point where she thought letting him practice was a danger to society. Of course, this is just one dentist's view of just one person who graduated from Meharry, but it's a darn strong view.

I would choose Tufts in a heart beat.

^^THIS.

If the difference is significant, and I don't know but it sounds like they might be, Board Pass Rates are a huge factor.

Also, if a particular d school really is the very bottom of the barrel, even the most practical of dentists & average village idiot will take note. I wouldn't want that, even if I saved a million dollars.

If you are going to buy a car, get one that you know is going to get the job done and buy from a reputable seller. Don't get the one that you saved a few thousand buying off some drug addict off craiglist which leaves you worried it might not start every time you turn the key.

Tufts, if the stats back up the differences in quality/ reputation/ results, all the way. No question.

 

[dentalWorks]

That is a just very rough estimate. If OP is smart enough, he will start paying it off right after he gets out of dental school. 8000 dollars a year will become smaller and smaller.

ur assuming his total tuition is only 100k...

the difference (with living expense) is approx 300k vs 400k. That additional 100k isn't going to get paid off anytime soon... especially considering average new grad salary is 100-120k these days.

 

[Ferneezy]

Can anyone say how many patients specifically seek out dental professionals by alma mater?

Like a ballpark percentage.

 

[NDPitch]

If you are going to buy a car, get one that you know is going to get the job done and buy from a reputable seller. Don't get the one that you saved a few thousand buying off some drug addict off craiglist which leaves you worried it might not start every time you turn the key.

This analogy is a little extreme. I wouldn't associate any dental school in the world with being so bad that you think it might not get you anywhere. Every dental school in the country will "get the job done". It's not like you're going to end up with a lemon! Just because there might be below average students at Meharry does not mean that you won't excel there. Go to Meharry. You will most likely thank yourself when you graduate and start making your loan payments, and realize that Tufts would be twice as hard to pay back.

Consider yourself at a gathering of dentists. Everyone there is a dentist, all practicing where they want to. All of them are doing what they want, and are taking CE as they see fit. Now consider, they all paid well over a hundred grand less than you to get to the same spot in life. Who got the better deal here?

As the cliche saying goes, what do you call a below average student that graduated from a less expensive dental school, and, for the sake of argument, had to take a board exam twice? Doctor. Every resident and dentist I've talked to to date have all said the same thing, and I value their advice because they've already been through the gauntlet. Go to the cheaper school.

👍

 

[NDPitch]

can anyone say how many patients specifically seek out dental professionals by alma mater?

Like a ballpark percentage.

0%

 

[Ferneezy]

0%

See, I had a feeling it was this, or approaches that on a long enough time frame.

I'll tell a story: many years ago I started a wushu club with a college mate. We had decent enrollment and even secured instruction by a Chinese National Team coach that at one time molded Jet Li. While the two of us had years of experience beyond the members we recruited, in Coach Ji's eyes...we were all on the same level.

Point is this: many if not most old school dentists have told me every dental school will teach you what you need to know to be licensed. As a new practitioner, regardless of your school, you know next to nothing. The real learning begins in the real world.

 

[Bobby Fischer]

This analogy is a little extreme. I wouldn't associate any dental school in the world with being so bad that you think it might not get you anywhere. Every dental school in the country will "get the job done". It's not like you're going to end up with a lemon! Just because there might be below average students at Meharry does not mean that you won't excel there. Go to Meharry. You will most likely thank yourself when you graduate and start making your loan payments, and realize that Tufts would be twice as hard to pay back.

Consider yourself at a gathering of dentists. Everyone there is a dentist, all practicing where they want to. All of them are doing what they want, and are taking CE as they see fit. Now consider, they all paid well over a hundred grand less than you to get to the same spot in life. Who got the better deal here?

As the cliche saying goes, what do you call a below average student that graduated from a less expensive dental school, and, for the sake of argument, had to take a board exam twice? Doctor. Every resident and dentist I've talked to to date have all said the same thing, and I value their advice because they've already been through the gauntlet. Go to the cheaper school.

👍

good explanation of your position.👍

I guess when all is said and done, personally I care. I wouldn't be happy with myself having gone to a school I know is sub par.

Yes, the analogy is extreme, perhaps, but only to exaggerate for the purpose of illustration. I don't even know enough about the actual stats of the school in question to make the call for myself. But in this thread I am hearing enough to make me question the quality (3.0 GPAs average, 17 DATs, sub par Board performances).

I would go to Tufts, though, no stress there. Good enough stats at Tufts, and excellent reputation as far as graduates in my experience.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

0%

True story. 0%.

What do you call a person that went to the Caribbeans for their MD? Doctor. Will patients care? Probably not. Will my peers view me as an equal, or will I have to prove myself, knowing that I came from an inferior school? Fair or unfair, there is a social stigma involved in going to Meharry, as it's been known to produce dentists that are of lower caliber in general.

So patients won't care. At least we can agree on that. But do you care what your peers think of you? If you do, don't go here. If you don't, you'll save 100k plus interest.

Better training, and respect from peers will push me towards Tufts. I will pay that 100k plus interest premium.

 

[Toothpicker89]

Thank you all for your insight!👍👍👍 I have some thinking about myself & maybe calculations to do now haha Everyone's opinions have resonated with me, but now I've just gotta figure out what it is that I really want out of this.

 

[UCSFx2017]

True story. 0%.

What do you call a person that went to the Caribbeans for their MD? Doctor. Will patients care? Probably not. Will my peers view me as an equal, or will I have to prove myself, knowing that I came from an inferior school? Fair or unfair, there is a social stigma involved in going to Meharry, as it's been known to produce dentists that are of lower caliber in general.

So patients won't care. At least we can agree on that. But do you care what your peers think of you? If you do, don't go here. If you don't, you'll save 100k plus interest.

Better training, and respect from peers will push me towards Tufts. I will pay that 100k plus interest premium.

An old thread of yours seems appropriate here. By the way, are you at Columbia?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=9250

 

[321931]

Meh, there are some people that will judge you from what school you go to and there are some that won't. I go to a fairly well known/liked/competitive school, but I don't look down on "lesser" known schools nor look up to "better" known schools. Also, I don't find myself better then another because I went to so-and-so school.

I find all my peers equal. We go through the same preps, boards, tests, exams, and everyone has to struggle/earn their stripes to become a competent dentist set by the ADA.

That's just my 2C.