OSU vs. Penn w/ Dean's

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dc0617

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I am trying to figure out where to go next year and I have narrowed it down to OSU and Penn. I am an Ohio resident and received a Dean's scholarship at Penn, so cost isn't a big factor here.

I don't want to turn down such a great opportunity at a school like Penn, but I don't know if the struggle of packing up my life and starting over is worth the brand name.

The responses I get from people are VERY inconsistent, I have gotten everything from "You better not go anywhere but Penn" to "There isn't a big difference in the education you will get, so go where you'll be happy." Is Penn really better than OSU? Are there any "pros" at one of the schools (beside the "comfort" factor of being close to home) that make it an obvious choice?

Any opinions about either school or advise from someone in a similar situation would be great!

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If you're more of a family person (as in you enjoy being around your immediate family) then go to OSU. If you want to get away and have your own life without much intervention from your immediate family...then go to Penn. The Penn name sounds much better, but in the end (when you retire and about to move on) it doesn't matter - as long as you've served your time as a caring and effective dentist.
 
go where you want to spend the next 4 years of your life.

when the costs of the 2 schools are similar, you gotta look into other factors such as lifestyle, comfort, curriculum, location etc...
 
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Another thing you might want to consider is where you plan on settling down in the future. If you plan to settle down in Ohio eventually, then i'd say go to OSU. Most of your classmates would be from the same state therefore you could keep in contact, perhaps open a group practice together, and perhaps build better network than if you were to go to Penn where most students come from all over the place (16 in state vs 101 out of state according to predents). And naturally, you'll meet dentists/other dental professionals at OSU that could help you get a job or point you in the right direction after graduating.
 
Is one of the schools more focused on clinicals than the other? What about academics? It's really hard to figure out what the strengths and weaknesses of each school are! A student I met at Pitt said she chose it over OSU becuase Pitt has a stronger emphasis on the clinicals. This reminds me, does OSU have some sort of special clinic (Pitt has the one for special needs patients and Penn has the AIDS clinic) What about the student services at each school? I heard at Penn you can only get a tutor is you are failing, does anyone know if its the same way at OSU? If you have decided on one of these schools, why did you chose it?
 
I am trying to figure out where to go next year and I have narrowed it down to OSU and Penn. I am an Ohio resident and received a Dean's scholarship at Penn, so cost isn't a big factor here.

I don't want to turn down such a great opportunity at a school like Penn, but I don't know if the struggle of packing up my life and starting over is worth the brand name.

The responses I get from people are VERY inconsistent, I have gotten everything from "You better not go anywhere but Penn" to "There isn't a big difference in the education you will get, so go where you'll be happy." Is Penn really better than OSU? Are there any "pros" at one of the schools (beside the "comfort" factor of being close to home) that make it an obvious choice?

Any opinions about either school or advise from someone in a similar situation would be great!

You might want to revisit the schools to get a feel which one you are more comfortable at. This might depend on how much time you have to make your decision though. Also, make sure to get in touch with current students to get opinions from those actually at the school. In the end though, the choice is yours.

Just wondering, did you receive the dean's w/ your offer of acceptance?
 
I did receive the dean's with my acceptance, and they gave me a really short time to decide (esp since OSU didn't send acceptances until the 6th for in-state) so I sent a deposit to Penn (I know it's awful since I'm not 100% sure, but I really didn't know what else to do!) Anyway, I want to get this figured out ASAP and not keep people waiting on one of these schools!
 
just go to OSU...

if you're this unsure about where to attend, it's prob. not a good idea to leave your hometown and pay more money to attend a school you're not in LOVE with...
 
Honestly, I think this is a tough decision. First of all, if OSU is really close to your home and family, you should really consider this factor. I know as students we often want to get away from our families to have our own experiences, but the truth is that we look to our families for support and comfort. I have to tell you that when the holidays came (Thanksgiving, X-mas, New Year's), I missed being with my family. Flight tickets are expensive. It's also a bit of drag knowing you have to sit so many hours on a plane. If you're close to home, you can just drive to your parent's house to celebrate or see you siblings and parents. You also already have a community you are familiar with. Coming to a new city, you have to find a new grocery store, barber, library, bookstore, etc. You know what I mean. It's hard enough adjusting to a new school, harder curriculum, etc. Again, this is just my opinion. Why makes things harder by being homesick or losing your support system? Financially, it sounds like $ isn't an issue since you got the scholarship. Congratulations, on that award! I also would advise you to compare the 2 cities (possibly by re-visiting the schools). I'm not familiar with the community surrounding OSU but I have some friends that live in Philly and say it is not that safe. You should read the Philly blog which talks about crime around the university. I'm not telling you to turn Penn down solely on this but just to consider all factors. What if you always had t be looking over your shoulder in the evening or fearing your car or apartment would be broken into? With that said, I know UPenn is an exceptional school, with a great reputation. Many of their students go on to specialize. If that is also one of your goals, you might want to consider Penn over OSU just to give you that extra edge. Again, everyone this is just my opinion in attempting to help and consider the op's dilemma. Good luck on your decision! No matter what you are own your way to becoming a dentist. Congratulations!!!!:luck:
 
I'm in the same boat with UW and Penn while I wait to hear from Harvard. If I don't get into H, I'm choosing Penn over UW despite the cost difference (I got dean's as well, but there's still ~$40k difference if I remember right). The opportunity to spend 4 years in a new, exciting place at a school that I was very impressed with is worth the cost. I stayed with a friend of a friend in u-city for my Penn interview and safety/crime is NOT an issue in that area of Philly. I've never seen a college district so well policed honestly.

People say to keep in mind where you want to practice and I agree but disagree with their motives for such thought. I want to practice in the NW and to me, this is more reason to venture out for at least 4 years and experience something new. There was a thread recently on the portability of dentists and the fact of the matter is dentists rarely move once they have settled and established a client base. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life somewhere, I think the diversification of spending 4 years somewhere else is valuable. Just my 2 cents.
 
oh yeah, about the safety issue in phillie...the campus and the surrounding area is BEAUTIFUL and SAFE. if you wander off a few miles off campus, that's where it gets ghetto and unsafe. and by "unsafe", they don't mean you're gonna get mugged everytime in bright daytime, but it's just not a good idea to walk around alone in those areas during the night...
 
"they" can easily spot the out of towners...

oh yeah, about the safety issue in phillie...the campus and the surrounding area is BEAUTIFUL and SAFE. if you wander off a few miles off campus, that's where it gets ghetto and unsafe. and by "unsafe", they don't mean you're gonna get mugged everytime in bright daytime, but it's just not a good idea to walk around alone in those areas during the night...
 
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