Penn vs BU vs Western

[coorstyer]

Hi everyone! After 8 acceptances last week, I have narrowed my list down to 3. For context, I am originally from Canada so total expenses will be in the 500k range for all 3 schools. I am also interested in specializing but not deadset on it.

School 1: Penn
Pros:

• Curriculum changes to help me tailor my education and explore interests in specialties for eg.
• Modern and advanced facilities.
• Unranked after 1-10
• Has the "ivy league name" to it and lots of networking/connections which I heard can help with applying for specialties??

Cons:

• I've heard that Philly isn't the safest city.
• Largest class size out of these 3 options and I've heard that students at Penn can be quite competitive.
• Far away from home (west coast).

School 2: Boston University
Pros:

• I felt that the community was tight-knit and supportive from my interviews and also attending their visit day
• Also really nice facilities and technology.
• Boston is a nicer city than Philly imo (but more expensive).

Cons:

• Graded and ranked and correct me if I'm wrong but I heard somewhere that students who are struggling may feel pressured due to fear of being kicked out?
• Also far away from home.
• Not sure if opportunities to explore specialties and specialization rates are as high as Penns.

School 3: Western
Pros:

• Smallest class size out of the 3.
• Strong clinical reputation.
• I went to college in socal so I am more comfortable with the environment (eg: can stay close to college friends, gf)

Cons:

• Doesn't have as big of a "name factor" as the other 2.
• More of a GP school so I feel like if I do decide to specialize then I would have less opportunities??
• School campus and facilities are kind of eh.

Summary: Sorry for the long post, but I'd appreciate the input! In terms of BU and Penn, I'm not too sure how to differentiate them as both are far away from me on the East Coast. I am leaning more towards Penn out of those 2 just because I like the new curriculum changes with no classes on Friday which gives me more time to explore other areas of dentistry + the honors programs. If someone has more knowledge on the differences between Penn and BU, plz lmk! For Western, it's really just closer to where I went to college in California (more friends in area), but my home home is still in Canada. Is Western still worth debating over the other 2?

Ig the main thing I'm trying to weigh is opportunities to further advance my career versus staying on the west coast which is my comfort zone.

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[Mr.Smile12]

On the East Coast, the Yankee Dental Congress in Boston is one of the biggest meetings for continuing education, and people from the northeast flock to this meeting. BU has a large alumni pool if you are worried about opportunities. Penn certainly has the name brand that will help you if you want to go more academic in your career.

Canada is a huge country, so I don't know if you are from Vancouver or Halifax.

 

[coorstyer]

On the East Coast, the Yankee Dental Congress in Boston is one of the biggest meetings for continuing education, and people from the northeast flock to this meeting. BU has a large alumni pool if you are worried about opportunities. Penn certainly has the name brand that will help you if you want to go more academic in your career.

Canada is a huge country, so I don't know if you are from Vancouver or Halifax.

Thank you! I am from the west coast originally so that's why I am also considering Western as it is closer to home