Pbl?

[Meas]

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Hi,

I already posted the following message on "Licensure Exam" forum but did not receive any replies. I didn't want to repost this message but I am eager to get a reply soon. Thus, I am reposting the same message hoping that some one will reply because my deposit for both schools will be due very soon! Thanks in advance!

I am accepted at both Boston U and University of Southern California and I am now struggling to deicide which school to attend. Aside from the location and tuition fee, one major difference I found is that USC’s curriculum relies heavily on problem-based learning (PBL).

I experienced PBL before and from talking with the dental students there, they said that it will definitely help them when they actually practice in the real world. Does this format of learning also help the students perform on the licensing exam? I know that I am probably thinking too far, but after all, after studying 4 years, the most important part is PASSING the licensing exam so that you can actually practice.

Any feedbacks will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Meas]

Given that there are ~61 views on this thread, please provide any feedbacks!

Thanks!

 

[omaralt]

Given that there are ~61 views on this thread, please provide any feedbacks!

Thanks!

All schools will prepare you for he licensure. From what I understand pbl only has to do with the didactic courses and won't influence your clinical experience. Licensure exam is a test of clinical competency so pbl or otherwise shouldn't affect it

 

[Meas]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Based on what you said, I guessed PBL can be thought of as a different way of delivering the same knowledge to students. In the end, students who attend schools that emphasize heavily on PBL will have the same knowledge they need to pass the licensing exam compared to schools without PBL.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[MusicJunkie]

I'm unsure, but I believe USC has a new dean and they're considering switching from a PBL system to a more traditional system.

 

[USCDDS123]

i go to usc.

pbl is good if you wanna learn and pass. if you wanna specialize you have to work twice as hard when the board time comes.
pbl is good. usc is good. usc will make you a great dentist.
usc is expensive.
pbl is subjective. they can grade you pretty much however they want (they usually don't) but sometimes they do.
it's not a majority of your total grade, but still counts.

usc is better than boston for sure. city is better, weather is better, you'll probably be a better dentist.

however, most of the girls (even some guys) think they're the best thing that has ever happened to planet earth. which is 😎 but gets annoying...

 

[yuppers]

usc is better than boston for sure.

That statement is as subjective as your PBL.

 

[yuppers]

OP, you have to think about which curriculum will help you learn and understand the mass of information.
Personally, PBL and even a hybrid curriculum (like Case's) are not the best teaching styles for me.

 

[Hysteria24]

Does this format of learning also help the students perform on the licensing exam? I know that I am probably thinking too far, but after all, after studying 4 years, the most important part is PASSING the licensing exam so that you can actually practice.

Exams you need for your license:

NDBE Part I - taken 2 years in at USC. 90% pass rate over the last few years.

NDBE Part II - taken in the 4th year. A lot lower pass rate (not sure the percentage). But the national average pass rate is also a lot lower). Lots of students here study hard for part 1's since those factor into specialty admissions, but just try to pass part II (also probably the case at many other schools). Dean just made a change where students must pass part II's before they are eligible to take the WREB. This will probably give students a little more motivation and thus will improve scores indirectly.

WREB - The Western Regional boards are an actual licensing exam so one can get a license in most of the western states. This is where USC shines. Over 90% pass rate. We have lots of preparation leading up to it (ie mock boards) and our general pre-clinical and clinical criteria for procedures leave smaller room for error than the acceptable ranges for the WREB.

 

[Meas]

Thanks for all your replies! I am glad to know that USC has >90% pass rate for the licensing exam.

Are there students from BU who might know their pass rate? (ADEA doesn't publish this statistic!) I love both BU and USC but BU is unique in that they have APEX program where the students can get a lot of hands-on skills early on.

 

[olvarin]

That statement is as subjective as your PBL.

they're both better than NSU. so i'd stay out of this one kido

 

[yuppers]

they're both better than NSU. so i'd stay out of this one kido

Sorry, I forget to check the latest DS rankings. 🙄