Many dentists will tell you to go to the cheapest school possible. That's because they think that they got a great training and are great dentists. It's not like a dentist who had avg stats who went to an average school would even realize his skills may just be average. In his own mind, he's an excellent dentist. And when he's faced with a complicated case he doesn't know how to treat, he'll think the case was just complicated and no one'd really know how to treat it.
Let me use an example in medicine. I'm from Georgia, and the two dominant medical schools are MCG and Emory. Both'll have nearly identical curriculums, but Emory is top 20, while MCG is unranked. My city is full of MCG alums, and the doctors here are just okay. They provide good healthcare for a broad range of cases. However, if you're in a more life-threatening situation or are facing a complex case, you'd better get your ass to Emory Hospital, or you're not going to get better. The MCG doctors have mistreated and misdiagnose complex cases too many times for comfort.
Alright kids. And right above us, yeah, right there. This is a fine specimen of ignorance AND bull crap. Yep, that one ... umm, author is dentstd. See it? Good.
Please don't take to heart the BS dentstd spews - just my opinion and hopefully, you'll agree. Still, we can learn much through the ignorance of others. So let's begin the dissection, shall we?
"It's not like a dentist who had avg stats who went to an average school would even realize his skills may just be average."
Stuff like this only helps people fall prey to a victim mentality. Not everyone will but someone might buy into this rubbish and think, I'm not at fault; my school didn't train me properly. It's completely up to the individual as to how much they want to learn and advance clinically in their profession. That means you, yes you, are the sole person who dictates how great of a dentist you'll be whether you go to school A or school B. Even didactically, if you want to learn the stuff or do well on the boards, you still need to put in the time it takes to do that. Just because say, Columbia, has more classes thrown at you doesn't mean you can't do just as well on the boards if you went to any other school. Unless! unless you know you need to have that to learn. In that case, we're back to it's-up-to-the-individual.
"they think that they got a great training and are great dentists." or "In his own mind, he's an excellent dentist."
Well, I'm assuming, as pre-professionals and professionals, we'll have a little bit more self-awareness than these statements imply. Nonetheless, whoever this imaginary dentist is, it's not your problem. Just because they don't know, doesn't mean squat as far as your choice in school goes. This doesn't speak about the school but about the kind of person "imaginary dentist" is.
I'm not even touching "let me use an example in medicine." It's vile, terrible nastiness and should be avoided like the plague. Don't worry about some opinion on hospitals... that's completely irrelevant in your choice of d school.
edit: As for the clear and obvious implication that dentists who tell you to go to the cheaper dental school are ignorant about their own sub par abilities. That's just garbage.
dentstd: Your use of "it's not like .." doesn't make clearer or modify in any way the fact that your statement "they
think they got a good training" implies that these dentists only
believe they got a good training and not that they
did get a good training. If you didn't intend for it to be up for interpretation, you ought to clarify and say what you really, truly, in your heart of hearts, mean. That way you needn't spend your time backpedaling. I'm just saving you some trouble, is all.
edit#2: i took out the name calling. altho it really isn't beneath me, i believe this is important and i do want this to be taken seriously. also, last thing i want to do is start a trend of that.
