NYU vs Tufts vs Pittsburgh

[DentalMan123]

Hi, I have been accepted to three schools: NYU, Tufts, and Pittsburgh
I am having a lot of trouble deciding and any feedback/help will sincerely be appreciated please I am also a NY resident (LI).
I know there are no rankings for dental schools, but how would you rank these schools?
Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[zriceman]

Hi, I have been accepted to three schools: NYU, Tufts, and Pittsburgh
I am having a lot of trouble deciding and any feedback/help will sincerely be appreciated please I am also a NY resident (LI).
I know there are no rankings for dental schools, but how would you rank these schools?
Thank you.

Very easy to rank. Top place goes to the school with least cost of attendance. Last place goes to school with most cost of attendance.

 

[DentalMan123]

Does price really matter that much? I always hear that you should go where you will be happiest... go where you want to live for four years.... where you will have a good experience.... etc.

 

[phungy]

It's tough to rank schools since no one has gone to dental school three times.

Make a spreadsheet and compare the schools. I can't speak for Tufts or Pitts.

Here are my reasons for choosing NYU:
-State of the art facilities.
-Formal departments for all the specialties and even implants.
-Dean Bertolmai is president of American Dental Education Association
-First Dental school to have Cariology Dept
-NYU is the forefront and leader of evidence based dentistry
-100% Part 1 Pass rate in 2010
-First dental school to incorporate Invisalign into curriculum
-Leaders in research (For example: Dr. Singh proved that cocaine addiction causes aberrations in the development of the brain case, the brain, the ear, the jaw. -Dr. Malamud is developing a device that uses oral fluid sample processing. It's user friendly and cost effective.
-Dr. Spielman discovered ASIC channels
-Dr. Kinnelly discovered important channels in mitochondria & apoptosis)
-Plethora of patients

 

[DrReo]

It's tough to rank schools since no one has gone to dental school three times.

Make a spreadsheet and compare the schools. I can't speak for Tufts or Pitts.

Here are my reasons for choosing NYU:
-State of the art facilities.
-Formal departments for all the specialties and even implants. Send the patients away?
-Dean Bertolmai is president of American Dental Education Association ?
-First Dental school to have Cariology Dept ?
-NYU is the forefront and leader of evidence based dentistry
-100% Part 1 Pass rate in 2010 More of a personal test and putting the dedicate time in.
-First dental school to incorporate Invisalign into curriculum
-Leaders in research (For example: Dr. Singh proved that cocaine addiction causes aberrations in the development of the brain case, the brain, the ear, the jaw. -Dr. Malamud is developing a device that uses oral fluid sample processing. It's user friendly and cost effective. Academics or Clinician
-Dr. Spielman discovered ASIC channels
-Dr. Kinnelly discovered important channels in mitochondria & apoptosis)
-Plethora of patients

None of those are reasons why I'd want to spend >$100k.
Ask:
A Dental student will (usually) tell you to go where you want to be the happiest

A Dentist will tell you to attend the cheaper school

 

[DentalMan123]

None of those are reasons why I'd want to spend >$100k.
Ask:
A Dental student will (usually) tell you to go where you want to be the happiest

A Dentist will tell you to attend the cheaper school

So who is right?
What if I am accepted to two schools that are the same price? i.e. Stony Brook vs Buffalo, haha

 

[rickblas]

Hi, I have been accepted to three schools: NYU, Tufts, and Pittsburgh
I am having a lot of trouble deciding and any feedback/help will sincerely be appreciated please I am also a NY resident (LI).
I know there are no rankings for dental schools, but how would you rank these schools?
Thank you.

I know most of the people above are saying to choose the cheapest school, but in this situation aren't these schools almost equivalent in tuition (negligible 5-10k a year at most difference)? So how is this advice helping, am I missing something? Also, depending on how far you live in LI, you could probably commute from home fourth or third (when course load is less stringent) year to NYU and NYU won't even be that bad in cost?

Purely my opinion I would rank these schools as

NYU=Tufts>Pitt

Obviously I am a biased New yorker and in all honesty I have never heard of univ of pittsburgh and most NYers if you want to practice here never have either, if this name recognition thing matters to you (not knocking on pitt, I am sure it is a good school and all). However, with Tufts VS. NYU putting how YOU felt about the school yourself aside (as I am not you), I would judge this decision on Boston VS. NYC....ya....NYC wins out. I don't know much about pitt so I won't comment on it. good luck with your decision!

 

[browncrack]

If you spend the money you might be happier by just having the ability to borrow more money. Go where it's cheaper. You'll be happier in the long run with fewer loans to pay. 5-10k over four years is 20-40k in principal to repay.

Alternatively, you'll probably want to work in NYC when you graduate so plan for the NYC 50K residency and an extra year of interest before you start to repay. You'll probably need to take out an extra loan just to live in NYC during your NYC residency. I would put this on as a cost of attendance for all schools if you plan to work in NY state.

 

[zriceman]

i also go to nyu so i ll make a few comments on these

It's tough to rank schools since no one has gone to dental school three times.

Make a spreadsheet and compare the schools. I can't speak for Tufts or Pitts.

Here are my reasons for choosing NYU:
-State of the art facilities. Facilities (undergraduate clinics) are nice, but not the best. Some schools have more "state of the art" clinics and expensive "toys" for undergrads to play with.
-Formal departments for all the specialties and even implants.
-Dean Bertolmai is president of American Dental Education Association
-First Dental school to have Cariology Dept
-NYU is the forefront and leader of evidence based dentistry
-100% Part 1 Pass rate in 2010 This is a plus. Knowing that I am among hundreds of other students will have excellent chances of passing nbde I if we put in our efforts.
-First dental school to incorporate Invisalign into curriculum. This can be done with a weekend course if not taught in school. Not a big deal.
-Leaders in research (For example: Dr. Singh proved that cocaine addiction causes aberrations in the development of the brain case, the brain, the ear, the jaw. -Dr. Malamud is developing a device that uses oral fluid sample processing. It's user friendly and cost effective. Only if one wants to become an expert in this field
-Dr. Spielman discovered ASIC channels Only if one wants to become an expert in this field
-Dr. Kinnelly discovered important channels in mitochondria & apoptosis) Only if one wants to become an expert in this field
-Plethora of patients. This is a plus

 

[monreal]

None of those are reasons why I'd want to spend >$100k.
Ask:
A Dental student will (usually) tell you to go where you want to be the happiest

A Dentist will tell you to attend the cheaper school

True. But it's of my nature that the less I owe, the happier I am , so the dental student and the dentist in me can finally agree.

Dental school is the same everywhere and is only 4 years! Debt will dictate your life after graduation, and will make you take choices you don't want to take; it will delay your ownership, which is enough for me.

 

[liriano]

I know most of the people above are saying to choose the cheapest school, but in this situation aren't these schools almost equivalent in tuition (negligible 5-10k a year at most difference)? So how is this advice helping, am I missing something? Also, depending on how far you live in LI, you could probably commute from home fourth or third (when course load is less stringent) year to NYU and NYU won't even be that bad in cost?

Purely my opinion I would rank these schools as

NYU=Tufts>Pitt

Obviously I am a biased New yorker and in all honesty I have never heard of univ of pittsburgh and most NYers if you want to practice here never have either, if this name recognition thing matters to you (not knocking on pitt, I am sure it is a good school and all). However, with Tufts VS. NYU putting how YOU felt about the school yourself aside (as I am not you), I would judge this decision on Boston VS. NYC....ya....NYC wins out. I don't know much about pitt so I won't comment on it. good luck with your decision!

As a UPitt student, I find the above comments RIDICULOUS. The University of Pittsburgh is known WORLDWIDE as being a leader in a number of fields. Dentistry happens to be one of them. Being a New Yorker myself, I can honestly say that UPitt, amongst most circles, has a BETTER reputation than NYU. Check the stats on pre-dents. I know others (like you) will say it doesn't matter where you go to school, and you're probably right. But don't say things that are off-putting about another school that you have no idea about.

For the OP, UPitt is fantastic. There are NUMEROUS threads discussing Pitt from all types of perspectives - I suggest you Search. I'm jumping off my high horse now.

liriano

 

[Daurang]

Seriously, you can go to North Pole Dental School and few will ever care what accredited school you graduated from. Having personally seen some 30,000 patients, the topic has come up in conversation maybe less than 10 times. If the overall price difference is more than $50K just pick the cheapest school. If it's less than that pick the one where you think you'll be the happiest.

 

[rickblas]

As a UPitt student, I find the above comments RIDICULOUS. The University of Pittsburgh is known WORLDWIDE as being a leader in a number of fields. Dentistry happens to be one of them. Being a New Yorker myself, I can honestly say that UPitt, amongst most circles, has a BETTER reputation than NYU. Check the stats on pre-dents. I know others (like you) will say it doesn't matter where you go to school, and you're probably right. But don't say things that are off-putting about another school that you have no idea about.

For the OP, UPitt is fantastic. There are NUMEROUS threads discussing Pitt from all types of perspectives - I suggest you Search. I'm jumping off my high horse now.

liriano

Ok hold up!, I didn't say anything ridiculous or even discuss Upitt in terms of dental education. However, I could grab a bunch of people off the street from NYC and nobody has ever heard of Pitt but tons have of NYU and Tufts dental. Likewise, I have worked as a dental assistant for a few dentists in NYC and none really could comment on pitt as they didn't know much about it (hence why I didn't apply there). No where in my post did I say NYU had a better rep than pitt or vice versa and I SPECIFICALLY said I would not comment on pitt as I do not know anything about its dental education and didn't want to knock the school. I made a superficial comment on the general reputation of Pitt Vs. NYU Vs. Tufts in my opinion from what I have seen. If general rep doesn't matter to you or to anybody than it doesn't matter...as the guy above me said nobody really cares where you went to D-school anyway. I was just giving an opinion/perspective to the OP to think about as that is what he wanted!

Sure, Pitt may be known worldwide as being a leader in many fields, but I have never heard of it and neither have my friends..or dentist....so I guess we are all living under a rock? Also, NYU is a leader in many of its field as well...ever heard of Stern, Tisch? This doesn't even really matter in the first place! I was not even trying to be offensive toward Pitt, but rather just giving a simple personal opinion from the general perspectives I had on the three schools the OP mentioned, and in my opinion I would rather go to a school that is familiar to me and people I know and in a great urban location i.e. Boston or NYC (Granted this situation where costs are almost the same and ignoring any feelings one has towards these three schools since none of us know how the OP felt about them). Gosh sue me for having an opinion!

Sorry if you found my post to be off putting toward Pitt, that was not my intention.


P.S. 'I can honestly say that UPitt, amongst most circles, has a BETTER reputation than NYU. Check the stats on pre-dents. "

If I remember correctly, in the current version of the ADEA book (or whatever that book with the stats is) NYU had a DAT average of 20? and Pitt of 19.4? Pitt's avg GPA was higher though...so don't make presumptuous comments on the stats of the schools either! The stats aren't THAT different.

 

[browncrack]

Common problem in NYC- the rest of the country doesn't exist if beyond NJ and upstate. Lots of other schools in the country-they all get to the same point of graduation and degree. Save the money-go where it's cheaper.

 

[Mackchops]

Just as there are dental students/predents who are strongly pulled to one school or another for the "name", there are patients who are impressed as well. How many times have you seen an advertisement for a dentist or physician and included in the list of credentials is "Harvard trained" or "Ivy League graduate". It's in there because it matters to some people.

I'll argue that just as much as it's silly to me to pick a dental school because of it's name, it's equally irresponsible to pick the cheapest school. It's a factor. Consider everything. But I would ignore the absolutest advice of those on here who say that cost is everything. NYU's a good school but very expensive. Are the nice facilities, world-renowned faculty, New York location, and more patients than you can handle worth that much more tuition? If so, come here and ignore the naysayers!

For me, I would come to NYU again over any other similarly priced school - pretty much any of the privates. I'd pay an extra 10, 20, 30, 40,000 dollars to come to NYU. However, I probably would have gone to my in-state UF had I been given the option -- an extra $150,000 over four years is too steep in retrospect, especially for the quality of education UF puts out.

 

[browncrack]

I was checking the bios of the faculty mentioned as pre-eminent minds at NYU, on the NYU site. None of them actually went to NYU for education. It seems as if the better choice to become like them would be to follow in their footsteps at OSU, Toronto, Cincinnati, Tirgu Mures-Romania, Michigan. All of those schools probably cost less than NYU. Only the dean is OS Harvard trained- no other Ivy backgrounds. No one hiring at NYU seemed to be bothered by the lack of IVY. They saved money, so should you. Go where it's cheaper.

 

[DentalMan123]

I was checking the bios of the faculty mentioned as pre-eminent minds at NYU, on the NYU site. None of them actually went to NYU for education. It seems as if the better choice to become like them would be to follow in their footsteps at OSU, Toronto, Cincinnati, Tirgu Mures-Romania, Michigan. All of those schools probably cost less than NYU. Only the dean is OS Harvard trained- no other Ivy backgrounds. No one hiring at NYU seemed to be bothered by the lack of IVY. They saved money, so should you. Go where it's cheaper.

What if I want to specialize? Does it matter where I go?

 

[browncrack]

What if I want to specialize? Does it matter where I go?

If you plan to specialize then spend as much as you can on dental school. Only the private schools and the Ivies produce orthodontists. You won't regret it. Of course, if you've always been interested in Oral Surgery- go to the more expensive school. If you pay more for it, it is better. This is just common sense.

 

[DrReo]

If you plan to specialize then spend as much as you can on dental school. Only the private schools and the Ivies produce orthodontists. You won't regret it. Of course, if you've always been interested in Oral Surgery- go to the more expensive school. If you pay more for it, it is better. This is just common sense.

Plus at more expensive schools it's easier to get A's so you can get a high GPA and beat out those who didn't spend money and go to state schools. It's a win-win situation!

 

[Blue Panther]

I read the entire thread. Forgot to do one thing so I went back and checked the status of who is pre-dent and dental student. Then it made more sense.

 

[Blue Panther]

Sure, Pitt may be known worldwide as being a leader in many fields, but I have never heard of it and neither have my friends..or dentist....so I guess we are all living under a rock?

Your posts in this thread reminded me of Patrick from sponge bob.

 

[DentalMan123]

Plus at more expensive schools it's easier to get A's so you can get a high GPA and beat out those who didn't spend money and go to state schools. It's a win-win situation!

Is this true? It is easier to get As at more expensive schools? Why?
So if I want to be a general dentist I have to go to the cheapest school, and if I want to specialize I have to go to the most expensive school? Why?
What if I am 50/50?

 

[DentalMan123]

If you plan to specialize then spend as much as you can on dental school. Only the private schools and the Ivies produce orthodontists. You won't regret it. Of course, if you've always been interested in Oral Surgery- go to the more expensive school. If you pay more for it, it is better. This is just common sense.

Are you serious? Please elaborate

 

[rickblas]

Your posts in this thread reminded me of Patrick from sponge bob.

Why thank you for the compliment...

->DentalMan123- They are obviously being sarcastic. Some people are so cruel. Anyway just don't even bother and go to the cheapest school like all the dental students/dentists in this thread said. They must know more than us predents anyway since they have been through D school already and if they say better facilities, name recognition in the location you want to practice (I was assuming you wanted to practice in NYC/NY area), and superficial biases don't matter than I guess they don't.

Pitt seems to be the cheapest by about 5-15k a year depending on how you want to live so I guess it IS your safe bet. I am just a silly predent anyway, disregard my naive favoritism of NYU/Tufts, and go to the cheapest school (PITT) UNLESS you can save money commuting to NYU 3rd and 4th yr from LI or have a rich uncle up in boston.

 

[DrReo]

Is this true? It is easier to get As at more expensive schools? Why?
So if I want to be a general dentist I have to go to the cheapest school, and if I want to specialize I have to go to the most expensive school? Why?
What if I am 50/50?

It's sarcasm. Do yourself a favor and go to the cheaper school.

However, at least for undergraduate, grade inflation usually exists greater in private than public. Since you're graded on class rank for specialty applications, GPA isn't relevant for comparison.

 

[DentalMan123]

Pitts is the cheapest, so definitely Pitts? Thank you

 

[Aqua469]

Hello DentalMan123,

Just wanted to know when you got the call for interview from NYU? I have also applied to NYU although my scores are not good (Part 1 is 80), but my GPA is 3.94, so I am not sure if I'll get a call? Your reply would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Blue Panther]

Pitts is the cheapest, so definitely Pitts? Thank you

Do your own research, instead of asking people on SDN and have them influence your choice. No one school is perfect and all of them have their flaws.

 

[DentalMan123]

and how can i do my own research? any suggestions?

 

[cybermech]

If you're concerned about your dental education, your experience in dental school is about 95% determined by your:

1) Personal motivation
2) Willingness to seek out advice and mentors
3) Hard work
4) Ability to be proactive in EVERYTHING you do, which is a MUST at dental school.

Hi, I have been accepted to three schools: NYU, Tufts, and Pittsburgh
I am having a lot of trouble deciding and any feedback/help will sincerely be appreciated please I am also a NY resident (LI).
I know there are no rankings for dental schools, but how would you rank these schools?
Thank you.

 

[DrReo]

If you're concerned about your dental education, your experience in dental school is about 95% determined by your:

1) Personal motivation
2) Willingness to seek out advice and mentors
3) Hard work
4) Ability to be proactive in EVERYTHING you do, which is a MUST at dental
school.
5) Attitude

Excellent list!

 

[Localnative]

If you gain acceptance to a state school, I would seriously consider attending. Dental school debt is a big factor (unless you have private funds to finance your education), and there are a ton of state institutions that offer a quality education. Of course, your academic credentials (grades, board scores, EC involvement) are very important, and achieving excellence in those areas will make you competitive coming out of most dental schools.

THAT BEING SAID, I attended Tufts and it prepared me fairly well for postgrad and I am not unhappy w/ the education I received there. They constructed a huge addition atop the prexisting 8 floors of the school and the facilities there are gorgeous. Also, they have a wonderful, growing research program and if you are interested in craniofacial biology and molecular genetics, they are very well endowed. The city of Boston provided an awesome playground for the time spent outside of dental school. You will have time for leisure outside of dental school, so locale is definitely of utmost importance.

Best of luck

 

[DentalMan123]

If you gain acceptance to a state school, I would seriously consider attending. Dental school debt is a big factor (unless you have private funds to finance your education), and there are a ton of state institutions that offer a quality education. Of course, your academic credentials (grades, board scores, EC involvement) are very important, and achieving excellence in those areas will make you competitive coming out of most dental schools.

THAT BEING SAID, I attended Tufts and it prepared me fairly well for postgrad and I am not unhappy w/ the education I received there. They constructed a huge addition atop the prexisting 8 floors of the school and the facilities there are gorgeous. Also, they have a wonderful, growing research program and if you are interested in craniofacial biology and molecular genetics, they are very well endowed. The city of Boston provided an awesome playground for the time spent outside of dental school. You will have time for leisure outside of dental school, so locale is definitely of utmost importance.

Best of luck

Thanks, so you would choose your state school over Tufts if given the opportunity? Thanks

 

[Localnative]

In retrospect?

My state school is a respected institution, and I believe they offer a comparable education to Tufts. I think I would have performed similarly in my didactic and clinic years, and I likely would have wound up in the same postdoc situation regardless of where I went to school. Given that? It probably would have been wiser from a loan repayment standpoint to attend the state school given all my dental and medical school loans, but I certainly don't regret my decision to go to Tufts. I received a solid education, and loved living in the city. Not sure I would have been happy living in Gainesville; I'm more of a city type of guy, so it's personal preference.

And, if you have to take out educational loans, you WILL pay them back. It will be a bit painful, but this is a wonderful career path with many options. So, consider this an investment in YOURSELF. Regardless of where you end up, you've chose a great field.

 

[DentalMan123]

If money was not an issue, all of them were the same price, which would be the best choice? Which school provides the best overall experience? Best quality, life, experience, education, etc....

 

[DentalMan123]

In retrospect?

My state school is a respected institution, and I believe they offer a comparable education to Tufts. I think I would have performed similarly in my didactic and clinic years, and I likely would have wound up in the same postdoc situation regardless of where I went to school. Given that? It probably would have been wiser from a loan repayment standpoint to attend the state school given all my dental and medical school loans, but I certainly don't regret my decision to go to Tufts. I received a solid education, and loved living in the city. Not sure I would have been happy living in Gainesville; I'm more of a city type of guy, so it's personal preference.

And, if you have to take out educational loans, you WILL pay them back. It will be a bit painful, but this is a wonderful career path with many options. So, consider this an investment in YOURSELF. Regardless of where you end up, you've chose a great field.

If money was not an issue, all of them were the same price, which would be the best choice? If you were to do it all over again, would you still recommend the cheaper school over Tufts (if they were the same price, that is)?

 

[Daurang]

If money was not an issue, all of them were the same price, which would be the best choice? If you were to do it all over again, would you still recommend the cheaper school over Tufts (if they were the same price, that is)?

Money IS the most serious issue so there's no getting around it.

The facility at Tufts is gorgeous and students there seem much happier than those at BU. Tufts is located in Chinatown/Theater District with lots of meal/entertainment option right outside the building. I don't see anything wrong with going to Tufts if they give you a full scholarship.

 

[HupHolland]

Just as there are dental students/predents who are strongly pulled to one school or another for the "name", there are patients who are impressed as well. How many times have you seen an advertisement for a dentist or physician and included in the list of credentials is "Harvard trained" or "Ivy League graduate". It's in there because it matters to some people.

I'll argue that just as much as it's silly to me to pick a dental school because of it's name, it's equally irresponsible to pick the cheapest school. It's a factor. Consider everything. But I would ignore the absolutest advice of those on here who say that cost is everything. NYU's a good school but very expensive. Are the nice facilities, world-renowned faculty, New York location, and more patients than you can handle worth that much more tuition? If so, come here and ignore the naysayers!

For me, I would come to NYU again over any other similarly priced school - pretty much any of the privates. I'd pay an extra 10, 20, 30, 40,000 dollars to come to NYU. However, I probably would have gone to my in-state UF had I been given the option -- an extra $150,000 over four years is too steep in retrospect, especially for the quality of education UF puts out.

Is UF really that great? I have seen many of your posts touting UFCOD and find it hard to believe that the education there is anything special. I have a friend that attended my school AND UF and doesn't seem impressed with UF at all.

Hup

 

[Mackchops]

Is UF really that great? I have seen many of your posts touting UFCOD and find it hard to believe that the education there is anything special. I have a friend that attended my school AND UF and doesn't seem impressed with UF at all.

Hup

Purely anecdotal. Maybe it sucks? It depends on who's doing the talking. Sorry for feeding this bastion of truth an unverifiable opinion.

 

[Localnative]

"If money was not an issue, all of them were the same price, which would be the best choice? If you were to do it all over again, would you still recommend the cheaper school over Tufts (if they were the same price, that is)?"

Again, as previously pointed out, loan repayment is a huge issue. But quality of life is significant too. One of the reasons I chose Tufts was b/c I wanted to be in a metropolitan area. Dental school is about balance, and if you keep your nose in the books and stay in preclinic or the lab 24/7, you'll go nuts. Living in Boston gave me a ton of entertainment/leisure options. The real bonding w/ your classmates takes place outside the classroom. Not too mention its such a young, friendly city... and a great place to form friendships and bonds w/ people beyond the confines of the dental school. I don't think I would've been happier living in a small college town w/ a dental school attached to it (Gainesville). City life definitely helped to preserve my sanity even during the most trying years of my predoc education.

 

[DentalMan123]

If money was not an issue, all of them were the same price, which would be the best choice?
I would possibly do the Army and have my tuition covered.