Need help picking a school (NJ)

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey guys,
My two years of community college is nearly complete and it's time to choose which school I would like to transfer to in order to complete my bachelors degree in biological studies. Im a New Jersey resident and so far I've come up with two colleges of interest.

First, RUTGERS University in New Brunswick. I like the fact that they have strong research facilities and its pretty well-known (prestige.) Rutgers also has a dental school in Newark, so I feel like rutgers students would be favored during admissions to the dental school. The things that scared me off from rutgers is that it's a very big city-like college making lectures pretty straightforward without much room for questions and I wont recieve scholorships (just financial aid.)

Secondly, Richard STOCKTON University (recently turned into a univeristy.) I would be able to go to school for very little cost due to scholarships plus financial aid. It's a smaller school, so there's more attention from professors to students. I feel as though it would be easier to stay on top of my class and earn better grades at Stockton compared to Rutgers. Also, they do offer a "pre-dental" major, but I'm not sure how legitimate it is. Stockton isn't as prestigious as Rutgers. Its a good school, but I'm scared that dental schools will favor someone who went to a university like Rutgers over me.

Any NJ residents, (or whomever) that are pursuing/or are established in dentistry that have any insight on what college I should commit to would be greatly appreciated.

These are just the two options I have come up with. If there's another school in New Jersey I should apply to please aware me.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Anyone?

 

[wowyourecool]

Rutgers. I graduated in May and don't regret choosing to go there. I'll be attending Columbia Dental School in the fall and honestly believe that I got in because of all the opportunities that Rutgers provided me with. It is, after all, a large research university and will give you everything that you need to succeed! Yes, most classes are HUGE, so you don't get the chance to have discussions or ask questions - but, most professors are very accommodating and are willing to answer your questions both online and during office hours. There are SO many research and volunteer opportunities at Rutgers, making it easy to get involved. Rutgers also has a Health Professions Office that can assist you throughout undergrad and with the application + interview process for dental schools. Although they can be unorganized at times, they are quite helpful as they have experience with getting people into dental school. You shouldn't be concerned about not doing well at Rutgers. If you put in the work, it's not difficult to get an A in most, if not all, your classes. Don't procrastinate and finish the assigned reading BEFORE that material is taught in class (that way, you spend class time clarifying things you didn't understand while reading, as opposed to learning new concepts). To do well and to essentially get mostly A's, you just have to do better than most people, which is not THAT hard at Rutgers considering that it attracts people of all different intelligence levels (so not just gunners, for example). If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me! I also think you'll find this thread helpful:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/anyone-rutgers.1045706/

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Thank you so much for your reply, exactly what I was looking for! the thread you linked was also very persuading. I'll send you a pm in the near future. Thanks again, your post was very helpful and congratulations on the acceptance!
I have some time before decision so I'll give this thread some more time if anyone wants to chime in. Would be neat to hear from someone who did undergrad at stockton, haven't seen any on this forum yet. Or even someone who went to a community college and transferred to Rutgers, would be neat to hear about the adjustment!

 

[A.C.Slater]

Honestly, attend whichever school you'd feel more comfortable at. I attended undergrad in NJ and feel like the name and prestige of the school played little to no bearing on my admission to DS. Unless your attending Princeton, chances are the adcoms won't care either. The school I attended had small class sizes which were awesome when it came to asking for letters of recommendations from my professors. We all new each other really well and they could articulate my work ethic and personality easily. You should definitely look into the Gateway to Dentistry Program regardless of which school you choose to attend. Keep your GPA as high as possible and kill the DAT and the school you attend won't matter. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and god luck.

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Thanks for the input, A.C.Slater.
I would feel much more comfortable at Stockton due to the class sizes and tuition being waived. I'm just worried that I will miss out on great research opportunities at Rutgers.
I suppose in the end, all that matters is a high GPA and DAT score with enough shadowing hours to be a competitive applicant. Rutgers classes may better prepare me for the DAT, but may take a toll on my GPA.
Stockton may be the best choice if those three things are all that truly matters. I'll be able to maintain a high GPA, have some more time to shadow and prepare for the DAT.

God, I'm so back and fourth on this decision

 

[Ollivander]

I should be studying for a lab quiz right now so I'll keep this short haha. I chose to go to Auburn out of high school. After two and a half years there I felt like I couldn't get the one on one help from professors that I needed and the classes of 250-300 really put me at a disadvantage. I ended up transferring to a large D-II university and am doing pretty well in my science courses now. It was worth it to me because now not only can I seek out help from professors more easily, but since the class size for science courses is ~70 students, my professors know me better and are able to write a better LOR. I think Rutgers will look better for samesake, but at the end of the day GPA and DAT scores matter the most. If you feel like you would significantly benefit from the smaller class sizes, I'd go to Stockton. If I could do it over again I'd go to the university I am at now straight out of high school and have a 3.75+ GPA heading into applying for dental school, but that's not the case. Good luck in whatever choice you make!

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Very helpful reply, thanks AuburnTiger! That's my fear- too big of a school. I plan on visiting Rutgers during my spring break and sitting in a few classes to see how I like it. Good luck on that quiz by the way!
I'm very indecisive, so everyone's replies are greatly appreciated! As of now, I'm leaning towards Stockton and also planning on applying to a few small/medium sized universities in-state to see what they have to offer. Again, thanks!

 

[qwerty934]

Adcoms dont care where you are from. 3.5 from ivy league and 3.5 from some random university. they would treat you the same way. just go to which one ever you feel comfortable with.
of course they would pick ivy league applicant if they had exactly same GPA, DAT, EC, etc.
just my two cents.

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Thanks Qwerty934,
Your 2 cents makes perfect.. Well, sense 😀 knowing I'll be transferring from a community college with just four semesters left, it seems like it'd be much more difficult to adjust to such a large university with such a short amount of time. Not saying it's impossible, but almost seems unnecessary if adcoms weigh your DAT and GPA heaviest (assuming you've also met shadowing hours) and basically disregard where you acquired your GPA as long as it's an accredited college, unless it's an Ivy League.
Looks like the smaller, less known school is in favor on the SD forums so far! Thanks again everyone!

 

[Bis-GMA111]

go where ever is cheapest and you can do the best. rutgers may have the best name in nj but a lot of classes can be difficult. my 2 cents: go to another nj school, do well, take your dat, do well.

 

[P0W3RL1FT3R]

Appreciate the feedback, Toothman2k14!
Stockton would be the cheapest choice so far. Unfortunately, I applied one day late to Rutgers which took my eligibility away for scholarships. At this point, it seems Stockton may be the right choice. I'm not quite ready to press that big red "decline admission" button for Rutgers just yet, though! Still want to visit each campus and give this some more thought.
Appreciate all of the advice so far!