Oklahoma vs Midwestern

[Hardly007]

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I have been accepted to Midwestern, and today just got a call from Oklahoma... hmmm. What to do. Any Oklahoma students out there want to answer some of my questions.

 

[lphiewok]

I would choose Oklahoma.
I've been invited to both for interview, but Oklahoma was much more well developed and their science center was a really wonderful facility.

I have heard from many dentist (b/c im from texas which is a border state from Oklahoma) that Oklahoma produces very good dentists and it's very strong clinically whereas Midwestern, you cannot say that yet.

Tuition would be much cheaper at Oklahoma than Midwestern (even for out of state, you save about 90k for 4 years).

It's a no brainer since oklahoma has been established since 1970s whereas midwestern hasn't graduated a dentist yet and tuition is about 90k cheaper.

 

[SuperTank]

I have been accepted to Midwestern, and today just got a call from Oklahoma... hmmm. What to do. Any Oklahoma students out there want to answer some of my questions.

I'm going t Midwestern, and couldn't be happier. But in your situation, the $90,000 extra you would spend to go to Midwestern just doesn't seem worth it. I would choose Oklahoma. But then again, I'm one of those people that feels that price is one of the, if not the most important factor in choosing a school. What it really comes down to is what's important to YOU. Figure out what you want to get out of a dental school, and see which one will give you the better opportunity to achieve that. Compare things like tuition, cost of living, quality of life, facilities, curriculum, schedule, etc, and go from there. This is an extremely important decision, so be sure to take the time to make the best choice for you.

 

[Doctor PJ]

I feel like were are in a similar position!

 

[Oracle DMD]

I have been accepted to Midwestern, and today just got a call from Oklahoma... hmmm. What to do. Any Oklahoma students out there want to answer some of my questions.

congrats bro! you know i love MWU, but there is NO reason to pass up that much cheaper tuition. enjoy oklahoma!

 

[Oracle DMD]

I would choose Oklahoma.
I've been invited to both for interview, but Oklahoma was much more well developed and their science center was a really wonderful facility.

I have heard from many dentist (b/c im from texas which is a border state from Oklahoma) that Oklahoma produces very good dentists and it's very strong clinically whereas Midwestern, you cannot say that yet.

Tuition would be much cheaper at Oklahoma than Midwestern (even for out of state, you save about 90k for 4 years).

It's a no brainer since oklahoma has been established since 1970s whereas midwestern hasn't graduated a dentist yet and tuition is about 90k cheaper.

name 3 schools that produce weak clinicians. can't? that's because EVERY dental school puts out competant dentists, so i don't see how you could say MWU, or any other school won't do the same.

 

[lphiewok]

name 3 schools that produce weak clinicians. can't? that's because EVERY dental school puts out competant dentists, so i don't see how you could say MWU, or any other school won't do the same.

i do agree with you oracle that every dental school does produce great clinicians and i always think that midwestern is a great school because everyone there seems to enjoy the school (which tells me that school has been doing a good job so far).

when i said that 'you cannot say that about midwestern yet' i was just implying the fact that there is not a graduated dentist from midwestern and did not mean to say that mdiwestern will not produce good clincians.

To answer your question tho, I did actually hear that schools like Harvard or Columbia put less emphasis on clinic (this may not be true and it's only something that i've heard, and i believe it has to do with their requirements and when students get to go into the clinic) and therefore some graduated students from those schools did say that they were not prepared right out of dental school and GPR/AEGD became very helpful for that matter.

So I guess although every school will produce good clinicians, some schools are just more focused on sending students to clinic early and having higher requirements for graduation (which Oklahoma did tell us during interview that their requirements are the highest in the nation)

 

[Oracle DMD]

i do agree with you oracle that every dental school does produce great clinicians and i always think that midwestern is a great school because everyone there seems to enjoy the school (which tells me that school has been doing a good job so far).

when i said that 'you cannot say that about midwestern yet' i was just implying the fact that there is not a graduated dentist from midwestern and did not mean to say that mdiwestern will not produce good clincians.

To answer your question tho, I did actually hear that schools like Harvard or Columbia put less emphasis on clinic (this may not be true and it's only something that i've heard, and i believe it has to do with their requirements and when students get to go into the clinic) and therefore some graduated students from those schools did say that they were not prepared right out of dental school and GPR/AEGD became very helpful for that matter.

So I guess although every school will produce good clinicians, some schools are just more focused on sending students to clinic early and having higher requirements for graduation (which Oklahoma did tell us during interview that their requirements are the highest in the nation)

again i think you are a little misled on how good clinicins are produced. 1st, Harvard isn't your typical dental school from my understanding; being way smaller and more focused on research, i still have never heard of them being less competant than anyone else. getting in the clinic early doesn't make any difference if you haven't been trained to know what you're doing.

clinical requirements. when a school forces you to do 100 crowns instead of 50, it doesn't really make you better at crowns. i have heard the arguement that it's worse to have higher requirements because instead of treating patients, you are worried about meeting requirements. maybe that filling COULD BE a crown, maybe that decalcification could be cause for a class V restoration. what if you're competant after 20 crowns? should you have to do another 80 to meet some arbitrary standard? what if you could have better spent your time actually working on something you feel you need more work on?

 

[MatthewLeeDDS]

Come join us at OU! I know, that's a bit biased. Seriously though, only you know where you belong.

Ask yourself these questions and see if it helps you sort the two out.

Where did you feel most comfortable?

How did you feel about the overall atmosphere at both schools and which city seems to fit your personality?

Do you think you could be there (and live there) for 4 years?

Which school will give you the best opportunity when you graduate?

If money is a factor, how much does it really matter in the end? (Yes, MW is more expensive, but it's not like you won't be able to pay off the loans if you really want to go there... in the end, don't let the money stop you. Be smart, but don't sacrifice your happiness. You only go to dental school once!)


Best of luck on your decision and maybe I'll see you in June!

 

[srb711]

I know money is important, after all that is why I chose Oklahoma over Creighton and Marquette, but another thing I would consider is curriculum (specifically if you think either one will be better for you). I toured Midwestern right as they were getting ready to start their first class and, if I remember correctly, they do more of a module-type curriculum (maybe Oracle DMD can help out here).

Good luck choosing!

 

[peerless218]

again i think you are a little misled on how good clinicins are produced. 1st, Harvard isn't your typical dental school from my understanding; being way smaller and more focused on research, i still have never heard of them being less competant than anyone else. getting in the clinic early doesn't make any difference if you haven't been trained to know what you're doing.

clinical requirements. when a school forces you to do 100 crowns instead of 50, it doesn't really make you better at crowns. i have heard the arguement that it's worse to have higher requirements because instead of treating patients, you are worried about meeting requirements. maybe that filling COULD BE a crown, maybe that decalcification could be cause for a class V restoration. what if you're competant after 20 crowns? should you have to do another 80 to meet some arbitrary standard? what if you could have better spent your time actually working on something you feel you need more work on?

I am glad my school is baed on competantcy and not requirement when it comes to clinical part of the curriculum.