Penn vs Tufts

[eagle21]

I've been accepted to both Tufts and Penn and have been debating over them for awhile now and wanted to see if anyone else might have been/ is currently in my situation right now and would mind sharing their thought process during their own decision.

I interviewed at Tufts first and they were the happiest student body I've seen throughout all of my interviews. They were the only school where I also liked the other candidates. I've heard that Tufts really focuses on making good clinicians. I'm thinking I'll do a GPR/ AEGD and then go into private practice, but I'd like to keep my options open if I do end up wanting to specialize. I'm hung up on Penn because of their high success rate of placement into specialty programs, new renovations, and prestige. Most other factors seem pretty equal between the two schools for me. I don't want cost to influence my decision.

Does anyone know how nice/ supportive/ helpful the faculty is at either school? Does anyone know how much the Penn renovations would really affect the class of 2020? I'm worried we'd be stuck in the construction which would be even worse than just having the old facilities.

Thank you!

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[musicplease]

I felt like Penn students were sort of stressed out.
If you 100% want to specialize then you should stick with Penn but I do believe you would have a more enjoyable experience in Boston.
If you want to be a general dentist go to the cheapest school always, and in your case Tufts is a great school with a strong clinical reputation.
Don't let the prestige even be a factor, nobody cares.

what are the total prices including living expenses for both schools?

 

[singht5]

I would go with Penn myself instead of Tufts. I prefer the area where UPenn/Drexel is. They are in the process of expanding and renovating the surroundings. Its cheaper to live in Philly instead of Boston. Like you said, Penn has a higher success rate of placement. Plus Penn is a lot more competitive to get in than Tufts. I applaud you for getting in there. It's totally your choice.

 

[nateriver]

Penn all the way lol, if you go there, you keep options open, in the event that you change your mind and wanna specialize, you'll be glad you went there, and if not you can still do gp , but at least you'll be sitting better as far as options to be able to decide once you start school

 

[eagle21]

I felt like Penn students were sort of stressed out.
If you 100% want to specialize then you should stick with Penn but I do believe you would have a more enjoyable experience in Boston.
If you want to be a general dentist go to the cheapest school always, and in your case Tufts is a great school with a strong clinical reputation.
Don't let the prestige even be a factor, nobody cares.

what are the total prices including living expenses for both schools?

thanks for your advice! the quote they gave me was $109,963 for Tufts and $111,100 for Penn (including living)

 

[MRZ8]

Does anyone know how much the Penn renovations would really affect the class of 2020? I'm worried we'd be stuck in the construction which would be even worse than just having the old facilities.

I wrote down everything Corky/D4s said about renovations during my interview.
-The simudont lab was created in the last 4 years; current D4s were guinea pigs.
-New preclinical lab, installed next to Simudont Lab, done in August
-New 55-chair clinic (replaces former library)
-22 new seminar/study spaces
-New Main Clinic by 2017/2018
-The GRD Lab ("Dungeon") is being renovated (before I enter Fall 2016, I think)

 

[singht5]

I looked over the cost of tuition for Penn but it seems like the cost of living in Philly is a bit overestimated. I used to live in Philly for 3 years in an nice apartment 5 min from center city that set me $500 a month which included utilities. This will add up to about 6,000 a year as compared to Penn estimate of 17,000 for cost of living.

 

[JLT223]

I wrote down everything Corky/D4s said about renovations during my interview.
-The simudont lab was created in the last 4 years; current D4s were guinea pigs.
-New preclinical lab, installed next to Simudont Lab, done in August
-New 55-chair clinic (replaces former library)
-22 new seminar/study spaces
-New Main Clinic by 2017/2018
-The GRD Lab ("Dungeon") is being renovated (before I enter Fall 2016, I think)

Plus that new libary

 

[musicplease]

thanks for your advice! the quote they gave me was $109,963 for Tufts and $111,100 for Penn (including living)

the difference in cost is not significant at all.

Penn has a very competitive environment because everyone is aiming for a residency.
If you want to be a general dentist then Penn will be a lot more stressful and definitely not worth it.

It seems that you also enjoyed your time at Tufts more, and it seems like you will be happy as a general dentist as well
remember you can specialize from Tufts too. I would choose Tufts if I were you.

 

[poutinepower]

the difference in cost is not significant at all.

Penn has a very competitive environment because everyone is aiming for a residency.
If you want to be a general dentist then Penn will be a lot more stressful and definitely not worth it.

It seems that you also enjoyed your time at Tufts more, and it seems like you will be happy as a general dentist as well
remember you can specialize from Tufts too. I would choose Tufts if I were you.

If you want to be a general dentist no school is that stressful, only specializing is stressful and if you do end up choosing to specialize Penn makes it easier.
Penn should be a little cheaper as well if you include living costs.