LLU vs. MWU AZ vs. Touro vs. NYU

[SmileyPreDent]

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Title: Loma Linda vs. Midwestern-AZ vs. Tuoro vs. NYU

School 1: Loma Linda University
Pros:

• Close to home (1 hour and 20 mins away from home)
• Has an orthodontic residency? Not sure if going here helps to be at a school with an ortho program

Cons:

• The religious aspect (I’m Jewish and some of it makes me uncomfortable)
• The school feels very dark/not vibrant or happy atmosphere which is very important for me(it is in the basement)

School 2: Midwestern AZ

Pros:

• Amazing Clinic and great program with D3/D4 pair in clinic-exciting
• Most people during the tour talked about making a good salary after dental school (I want to be a successful doctor who can pay off my loans and live comfortably.) Seems like there is a good setup to find business minded mentors

Cons:

• Expensive
• Farther from home
• Living in AZ doesn’t excite me too much

School 2: NYU

Pros:

• Well known school + opportunities for connections/networking
• Students have lots of resources/notes to succeed

Cons:

• Expensive
• Very far from home/hard to move away / Bad weather
• Huge class size

School 4: Tuoro

Pros:

• I am Jewish and LOVED this aspect of the school
• Gorgeous clinics and I really feel in love with the school and felt comfortable
• Faculty and students seemed very open/welcoming
• Recorded lectures + nice study areas I could picture myself in

Cons:

• New school/probably harder to specialize
• Location: Far, Expensive, and I would need to buy a car/ worry about that
• Bad Weather

Summary:
Before applying, I JUST wanted to stay close to home and family as it was difficult for me to leave for undergrad, which would be LLU from this list, but LLU did not excite me the way other schools did and I had a difficult time getting a feel of the school from the interview, thus I am confused. I have a week to send in a deposit!

Overall I am really looking to be HAPPY these next four years, I think this would include being close to some kind of community and having a social life.
Financially, I don't really have help paying for anything.
I want to practice in Los Angeles eventually and it would be a dream to become an orthodontist, but also would be very happy being a dentist.

Also-interviewed at USC but have not heard back which would be an ideal.

 

[wengerout]

Personally I couldn't go to LLI for similar reasons as you stated.

With that said, I would not recommend practicing in LA, especially Ortho.

High loans + practicing in LA = a bad time.

Personally would pick one of the other 3 schools and then practice in Nevada/somewhere else that has better market for dentist in your situation.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Most people during the tour talked about making a good salary after dental school

They had to have been brainwashed. Otherwise who would take on $650,000 in student loans?

Big Hoss

 

[SmileyPreDent]

They had to have been brainwashed. Otherwise who would take on $650,000 in student loans?

Big Hoss

It was the faculty that come from private practice

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

It was the faculty that come from private practice

They’re correct in that you can make a good income. But here is the problem. With $650,000 in student loans, your monthly loan payment FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS is $5,000/month! That’s $60,000/year! And you’ll be paying that after you’ve paid taxes. So just for your student loans, not factoring in any of life’s other expenses, you’ll need to earn almost $80,000/year. THAT IS JUST FOR YOUR STUDENT LOANS! Just how much do you expect to earn as a dentist?

So, you’re educational debt is going to decimate that good salary they spoke of. Just how many of those deceivers paid back $650,000 in student loans? Let me tell you, none of them. I certainly would not have gone to dental school if was going to put me $500,000+ in debt. That’s for sure.

Big Hoss