Hi everyone! My AADSAS status changed to "offer made" on 2/22 and I received Rose's email about the acceptance letters being late, but I still haven't received the letter. I'm on the west coast but still it shouldn't take this long. I have emailed and left a message on Rose's phone but I haven't heard back yet. Can anyone tell me how much the deposit is and what are the steps to accept the offer? The deadline is next Tuesday and I'd like to know if there's anything that I need to prepare for in advance. Thanks!
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The deposit is $750 (cashier's check). You also have to fill out some simple "i accept the offer" paperwork that will be sent to you in the acceptance package that you have to send with the deposit. Congrats on your acceptance!
Edit: HAH, anhaka, you beat me to it
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Hey orangutan777, I believe you were at my Temple interview 🙂 What made you decide Pitt over Temple?
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I liked that pitt houses all specialties, has good research opportunities, didactics are front heavy and not spread out throughout the four years, boards are taken after first year, and oh, good sports teams haha.
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No, it has to arrive at their office BY March 9 NOT postmarked by.
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Personally, by now I would have it overnight shipped and congratulations on your acceptance.
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Yeah, like Blue said, if you've made the decision, get that sucker there asap with 2nd day mail, with delivery confirmation. If there's any doubt that they might not get it in time, call Rose, and I'm sure she'd be able to work something out with you.
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Why are you asking us? We are not the one's who interviewed at UoP or Pitt, nor live in California, nor ever had to decide between the two schools, nor know you personally to see what you want out of a dental school and life.
But since you asked, I'll go with Pitt 😉
No but seriously, they are both great schools. The benefits of UoP over Pitt for you is that its only 3 years and you are from California. Tuition might be the same, Pitt is $60k/year and estimate cost of living is $20k/year by the school. On the other hand, UoP crams the first two years of dental school into one and if you think you wouldn't be able to handle or love that kind of curriculum than chose Pitt.
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While not at the same degree, Pitt does something similar, which is front load all of the basic sciences so that you can take boards after the first year, and now we're actually starting in the clinic (at least partially) in the spring of our second year doing basic restorative procedures. So, Pitt's 1st year isn't quite a walk in the park either, hehe. And we don't get a real summer break either until August, and during that time we've got to take boards, so it's not a real vacation.
Pitt though, has one of the widest varieties of specialty residencies of all dental schools, and most of them put a preference on Pitt students - so this is something to think about as well. And if anatomy is your thing, Pitt is one of the handful dental schools that has you doing cadaver dissections for head and neck anatomy - you really don't forget it once you see it on a body, haha.
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Rumors have it that your class has one of the hardest curriculum, and they are changing it for next year to lessen the load for first year? They took out biochem for us.
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Year, we've been getting our asses kicked, this has definetly been the most difficult academic year of my life, undergrad was a total walk in the park compared to this... we've already lost 3 from academics because of the new policies, 1 for maternity leave, and we'll see how many we've lost when we go back to school next week. Your Fall semester will definitely be easier with the lack of Biochem, taking 19 units compared to 25 your first semester will make it seem like a BREEZE. haha. I hope they don't fit you with some other classes though, the 19 -> 23 unit spring transition would be much better.
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Hmm...Vic did you guys get some sort of break? Isn't it a little late for Spring Break?
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We had all of one day off for Spring break, that was a Friday, and we had a Final that Monday, so it's not like we even got to relax. This is the first time we've had off since Christmas... the schedule is pretty brutal. We get a week off, and then we start back up for the summer semester, which goes until august, and we get most of august off, but we've got to study for and take boards during that time... so in all reality, we get 2 weeks off at Christmas, 1 week off for spring, and 1 week off for summer in the first year.
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June 3-4. Are you going to Pitt next year? If so, didn't you get an email from Rose about the orientation earlier.
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Well they added some more to make it 25. This is what our curriculum looks like thus far, unless they make some changes to it. What do you think?
http://www.bulletins.pitt.edu/graduate/prodental.htm
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Yeah I am. Rose sent everything except the orientation reservation form. I got only seven of the eight attachments. Hopefully I can get in touch with her in the next few days via email or phone. Thanks for the dates!
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That's the same schedule that we had that included Biochem (aka, Molec and Cell Bio) - so hopefully they'll have a revised one if they're really getting rid of Biochem like I had heard. They didn't have our Fall schedule until like July, so I'd expect the same ETA on yours.
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But you also want to specialize, that probably adds a lot of stress. I want to do GP, what will the intensity be like for that then....haha already setting my goals low.
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Oh, I kinda wanted to specialize, and then I realize how mind numbingly boring Ortho seems to me.... hehe. Ortho is the kinda thing you either love or hate. I'm thinking about GP now as well, with my sights set on a GPR. We'll be happy to grant you entry into The Bottomfeeders club, where our motto is: "We Specialize in Helping Others Specialize." To pass your classes is... doable, but you've still got to work your butt off. The difference between that A or a B, or that B or a C is very small sometimes, and every bit helps. Hehe, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine. 🙂 I don't mean to scare folks off by sounding all doom and gloom, Pitt is still a great school!
I would do some homework before you guys move here. I have went to school here for 4 years, and during that time I have been jumped while walking home (hospitalized for 50,000 dollars) and just last night my car window got smashed out and everything was stolen out of it, oh and no one has ever been caught for the asault because the cops don't do anything. This is the reason I turned Pitt down the second they accepted me, just letting everyone know before they move here. But good luck.
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Wow, sorry to hear about that Aj, what area you do you live in?
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Wow. So is it that hard to specialize/be at the top of the class due to the massive curriculum first year? I ran into a student during the tour who said he just matched into ortho, but he took his boards his SECOND year. Is this still a viable option? Also, Vic, what are some of the safe areas in which to look for an apartment in your opinion? The above poster has given me some serious concerns lol!
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The poster went to a school that is located a mile away from the PIT Airport, in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Which is no where close to UPitt (Oakland).
This is a good map for locating the neighborhoods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania_neighborhoods.svg
Oakland is mostly undergrad occupied. Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are where most grad students live. Some live in downtown as well.
This is in downtown. The place looks nice in pictures but has mixed reviews: http://www.washingtonplaza.com/
This is a good map for locating the neighborhoods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania_neighborhoods.svg
Oakland is mostly undergrad occupied. Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are where most grad students live. Some live in downtown as well.
This is in downtown. The place looks nice in pictures but has mixed reviews: http://www.washingtonplaza.com/
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Vic what is Introduction to dentistry course?
True, I went to a school outside of Pitt. BUT, my gf went to uPitt and I always stayed at her apt right on campus, actually 200 feet from Forbes avenue which is the main street. That is where everything happened. Also, believe me when I say that Oakland is a dangerous place, I have spent a lot of time there so I know. Just warning you that you need to stick to safer neighborhoods outside of downtown Oakland to ensure safety.
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Well, I guess the nice thing about competition within a class is that you're competing with everyone else who is undergoing the same challenges, not what other people might be doing at other schools which have easier times to start with. I'm pretty sure we've still got people who have above 3.9's. And yeah, you take your boards after the first year is over, which is either normally during the break right before the Fall Term 2nd year, or during Winter break 2nd year. My understanding is that many dental schools take boards near the end of the second year. The way they've got it now, we'll be starting in the clinic with basic restorative work (easy fillings, etc) while still taking didactic classes in the Spring of our second year, and if you hadn't taken the boards before then... I'm not sure what you'd do, assist I guess.
And, as far as safety, (and this is me, having come from undergrad in Irvine, CA, which was last year's safest city in America) I regularly leave the school past 10 PM, and I feel more or less perfectly safe walking to the bus stop on Forbes and getting my bus to Squirrel Hill and walking home the rest of the way. Sure, everyone knows that somebody got shot or stabbed in front of Oh's a year or so ago - Pittsburgh is one of America's larger cities, stuff like that happens, but I would be inclined to say that I feel much safer walking around late at night around the school at Pitt than I would have at the other two schools I was accepted at, Howard and Columbia. Howard even told us that if we leave the school past 9 alone we should call for a security escort - it's not anything like that at Pitt.
As far as places to live, I'd say the safest area would be Squirrel Hill - it's a family area and it is kept very nice and is quiet. Next would be Shadyside, which is the more College Kid area of town, you hear about some petty crime here every so often, but that happens everywhere. Next would be North Oakland, but only the more southernly parts. Just about all of my friends live in Shadyside or North Oakland, and they all walk or take the bus home late at night, and they've never had a problem. Sure, you should never assume you're completely safe anywhere you are - you should always be aware of your surroundings at night and keep and eye out, but I consider most of the areas around Pitt to be pretty safe.
Now, some areas you SHOULD NOT look at: Oak Hills - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get an apartment here, no matter how good it looks online. It's literally half a mile from the dental school, and looks amazing on paper, but when you actually look at it, to get home, you'd have to walk a few blocks through the Hill District, which is renowned for crime. Many people do decide to get apartments here, and we hear tons of stories of cars getting broken into, and apartments getting robbed. The Hill District is actually in the opposite direction of everything else, so you wouldn't even need to go through here for most anything. South Oakland - while not as bad as the Hill District, and while it still has some nice areas, most of the areas you wouldn't want to be walking alone late at night. Lastly, some parts of North Oakland you might want to avoid, most of the area is nice, but one or two parts are a tad shady.
Again, you shouldn't feel unsafe going to Pitt, most times there is a very heavy police presence around the school.
And to Panther, Officially, Intro to Dent is an amalgamation of valuable classes that will teach you a variety of things associated with learning how to be a great life long learner, scholar, and dentist. Unofficially, it's a class that's taught by a group of very well meaning, but unfortunately very badly organized teachers who teach a variety of classes that should likely have been taught as single or two day seminars instead of assembled into a class. This is also the class that has you shadowing in the clinic, so that part is nice. Also, on the positive note again, it is a huge grade buffer because just about everyone get's an A. You still have it in the second semester, but it's under a new name, "Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 2." My understanding is that Intro to dent will be only 3 or 4 units for you guys.
As far as what you learn, you've got Stats, How to Search for Journal Articles, Evidence Based Dentistry, Community Service and Outreach, Patient interviewing (actually very useful - they hire these actors who pretend to be patients and you can like pause and rewind them), some basic clinical skills (like how to put on a Dam and four handed dentistry), motivational interviewing, learning about smoking cessation, etc.
And, as far as safety, (and this is me, having come from undergrad in Irvine, CA, which was last year's safest city in America) I regularly leave the school past 10 PM, and I feel more or less perfectly safe walking to the bus stop on Forbes and getting my bus to Squirrel Hill and walking home the rest of the way. Sure, everyone knows that somebody got shot or stabbed in front of Oh's a year or so ago - Pittsburgh is one of America's larger cities, stuff like that happens, but I would be inclined to say that I feel much safer walking around late at night around the school at Pitt than I would have at the other two schools I was accepted at, Howard and Columbia. Howard even told us that if we leave the school past 9 alone we should call for a security escort - it's not anything like that at Pitt.
As far as places to live, I'd say the safest area would be Squirrel Hill - it's a family area and it is kept very nice and is quiet. Next would be Shadyside, which is the more College Kid area of town, you hear about some petty crime here every so often, but that happens everywhere. Next would be North Oakland, but only the more southernly parts. Just about all of my friends live in Shadyside or North Oakland, and they all walk or take the bus home late at night, and they've never had a problem. Sure, you should never assume you're completely safe anywhere you are - you should always be aware of your surroundings at night and keep and eye out, but I consider most of the areas around Pitt to be pretty safe.
Now, some areas you SHOULD NOT look at: Oak Hills - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get an apartment here, no matter how good it looks online. It's literally half a mile from the dental school, and looks amazing on paper, but when you actually look at it, to get home, you'd have to walk a few blocks through the Hill District, which is renowned for crime. Many people do decide to get apartments here, and we hear tons of stories of cars getting broken into, and apartments getting robbed. The Hill District is actually in the opposite direction of everything else, so you wouldn't even need to go through here for most anything. South Oakland - while not as bad as the Hill District, and while it still has some nice areas, most of the areas you wouldn't want to be walking alone late at night. Lastly, some parts of North Oakland you might want to avoid, most of the area is nice, but one or two parts are a tad shady.
Again, you shouldn't feel unsafe going to Pitt, most times there is a very heavy police presence around the school.
And to Panther, Officially, Intro to Dent is an amalgamation of valuable classes that will teach you a variety of things associated with learning how to be a great life long learner, scholar, and dentist. Unofficially, it's a class that's taught by a group of very well meaning, but unfortunately very badly organized teachers who teach a variety of classes that should likely have been taught as single or two day seminars instead of assembled into a class. This is also the class that has you shadowing in the clinic, so that part is nice. Also, on the positive note again, it is a huge grade buffer because just about everyone get's an A. You still have it in the second semester, but it's under a new name, "Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 2." My understanding is that Intro to dent will be only 3 or 4 units for you guys.
As far as what you learn, you've got Stats, How to Search for Journal Articles, Evidence Based Dentistry, Community Service and Outreach, Patient interviewing (actually very useful - they hire these actors who pretend to be patients and you can like pause and rewind them), some basic clinical skills (like how to put on a Dam and four handed dentistry), motivational interviewing, learning about smoking cessation, etc.
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Thanks for all the great info buddy. You answered my next question, I was going to ask what is health promotion and disease prevention haha
Yeah from the website, first year including the summer are jam packed without breaks. But second year looks promising so at least you got something to look forward to after this summer.
Yeah from the website, first year including the summer are jam packed without breaks. But second year looks promising so at least you got something to look forward to after this summer.
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From what I remember last year, there wasn't an Orientation RSVP, but they may have changed it. As far as teeth, you're going to need as many as you can get. Mostly you're going to get posteriors - in our Operative Dentistry class (aka, amalgam) we made 3 posterior quadrants (2 premolars, 2 molars each), 1 mandibular, 1 maxillary, and 1 that was just decayed teeth. To get these 12 teeth though, you'll need to search through dozens to find ones that work, thus the needing as many as you can get. I also think we'll be using more later on. My suggestion is that you go to as many oral surgeons as you can and drop off jars starting ASAP. You can use 3rd molars for both pre-molars and molars, and that's most of what you'll be getting from OMFS.
If it turns out you don't get enough teeth though, we all usually share, so you'll be able to find ones you need one way or another.
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No she did not forget it. We are not suppose to have that form.
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