NYU vs. VCU vs. ASDOH ?

[Rose7430]

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I got into these 3 and I'm having a hard time deciding for very different reasons….

NYU pro: the city is awesome, well-branded, lots of specialties
NYU con: expensive as heck, I've heard students are miserable?

VCU pro: in state for me so cheaper, great research opportunities (they're starting a joint DDS/Ph.D program in 2015)
VCU con: I have never left the state of VA in my life -_-

ASDOH pro: West coast!!! and the students look super happy, and they're super community service oriented, and you travel for 3rd and 4th year rotations (I think)
ASDOH con: really expensive still, absolutely no research opportunities


Any input would be great, thanks!!!

 

[Hannah Banana]

If I was in your shoes, I would pick VCU without a blink because it saves lots of $$ but if $$ is not an issue then pick the city you like.

 

[pilotdentist]

I interviewed at 7 big, state schools and thought VCU was definitely near the top of the list for nicest schools. Facilities/technology are top notch and they have cool programs to give free dental care to the public. Only you know what you want/need, and VCU is definitely a solid option.

 

[watermelon15]

if i was a VA resident and got in I'd pick VCU....you can always travel to the cities you like but you can't always pay off huge amounts of debt without being the slightest annoyed....congratulations btw!!

 

[jjdd]

Great job on your acceptances. I live right by ASDOH (have gone to the school and talked to many students) and interviewed at VCU, and overall I was more impressed with VCU. It might be because I look to move elsewhere as well, but I still feel that VCU was a great school. ASDOH is nice with their external rotations but you also have a modular curriculum, which definitely wasn't what I wanted. Post your decision once you've made it and good luck!

 

[Rose7430]

Great job on your acceptances. I live right by ASDOH (have gone to the school and talked to many students) and interviewed at VCU, and overall I was more impressed with VCU. It might be because I look to move elsewhere as well, but I still feel that VCU was a great school. ASDOH is nice with their external rotations but you also have a modular curriculum, which definitely wasn't what I wanted. Post your decision once you've made it and good luck!

Awesome everyone, thanks! Also jjdd, when you spoke with the ASDOH students, what did they say about the culture between students? I read somewhere that they might not be as close with each other because the school doesn't promote sharing like other schools do…. someone said the students don't always even know each other! I can't imagine this is true…?

 

[jjdd]

I don't remember them saying that the school didn't want them to work together, although I feel like that is the word on the street. I do remember them saying that they do not know their entire class though. The student that gave me the tour only said hello to a few other students as we walked around. And definitely only students in his particular year.

 

[UCSFx2017]

I am deeply concerned with your ability to comprehend the vast difference in the amounts of loan and time spent in repayment between those three schools. When I calculated the difference between UCSF, Penn, and VCU two years ago, VCU was $160,000 cheaper than UCSF (with a 5-year repayment plan) and >$350,000 cheaper than Penn (with a 10-year repayment plan). Think of the difference between VCU, ASDOH, and NYU this way: if VCU were to offer you $350,000 to go to their school, would you do it? Because that is basically what's ultimately happening.