penn vs usc

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[L8DYV]

so i know that there's already been a post on this, but was wondering if anyone had anymore thoughts. i've been set to go to penn, but just got accepted to usc. i'm in CA and think that i want to ultimately practice here as well.

been going through the pros/cons of both. either school is gonna be ridiculously expensive. penn has an amazing program in my opinion and living out in philly would be a great experience other than the weather. that being said, i think that pbl might be for me, usc is in sunny socal and i hear that the usc network is invaluable for someone wanting to practice in CA.

part of me is saying that going to USC is going to help me more in the long run to practice in CA and the other part says i'll get a better education from penn and i'd be crazy to pass that up. i know they offer the WREBs in philly at Temple as far as boards go. any opinions to help me make my decision is much appreciated!

sunny, beautiful california versus cold, black ice pennsylvania.

 

[DATRAT]

so i know that there's already been a post on this, but was wondering if anyone had anymore thoughts. i've been set to go to penn, but just got accepted to usc. i'm in CA and think that i want to ultimately practice here as well.

been going through the pros/cons of both. either school is gonna be ridiculously expensive. penn has an amazing program in my opinion and living out in philly would be a great experience other than the weather. that being said, i think that pbl might be for me, usc is in sunny socal and i hear that the usc network is invaluable for someone wanting to practice in CA.

part of me is saying that going to USC is going to help me more in the long run to practice in CA and the other part says i'll get a better education from penn and i'd be crazy to pass that up. i know they offer the WREBs in philly at Temple as far as boards go. any opinions to help me make my decision is much appreciated!

Sounds like you've already decided. For me it would be an easy choice, I was in a similar situation and chose SC. You get a great education and you are a dentist either way, but you can't beat SO. CAL. From what i hear PENN is a great school too, but so is SC. If you like PBL, like me, then USC makes the decision a lot easier. Good luck and go trojans!

 

[EmanUT]

go trojans!

41-38

 

[greenday]

so i know that there's already been a post on this, but was wondering if anyone had anymore thoughts. i've been set to go to penn, but just got accepted to usc. i'm in CA and think that i want to ultimately practice here as well.

been going through the pros/cons of both. either school is gonna be ridiculously expensive. penn has an amazing program in my opinion and living out in philly would be a great experience other than the weather. that being said, i think that pbl might be for me, usc is in sunny socal and i hear that the usc network is invaluable for someone wanting to practice in CA.

part of me is saying that going to USC is going to help me more in the long run to practice in CA and the other part says i'll get a better education from penn and i'd be crazy to pass that up. i know they offer the WREBs in philly at Temple as far as boards go. any opinions to help me make my decision is much appreciated!

Penn saves you 100k at least, experience on the east coast is also a plus. When you come back after 4 years, you can take the western region board and practice in CA.

 

[vaio]

penn is ivy league...i think you will have better chance at specializing if thats what you want....is it more expensive than usc ?

 

[uklover08]

id take penn over sc bc penn seems to have a better program, you can take elective classes that lets you learn how to run your own practice, sc doesnt, penn is ivy league and has a great reputation, that will help you specialize. but if you wanna come back to CA it shouldnt matter where you go to school, just come back and take your western regionals. Overall Penn is a great school and a great program, but SC makes you become very self motivated and makes you pay 90k to teach yourself. good luck w ur decision

 

[greenday]

id take penn over sc bc penn seems to have a better program, you can take elective classes that lets you learn how to run your own practice, sc doesnt, penn is ivy league and has a great reputation, that will help you specialize. but if you wanna come back to CA it shouldnt matter where you go to school, just come back and take your western regionals. Overall Penn is a great school and a great program, but SC makes you become very self motivated and makes you pay 90k to teach yourself. good luck w ur decision

Thanks for reiterating what vaio and I have just said

 

[DATRAT]

How much does IVY league have to do with dental school. Isn't that a title dealing mainly with undergrad. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have much to do with post ba.

 

[michaelazna]

How much does IVY league have to do with dental school. Isn't that a title dealing mainly with undergrad. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have much to do with post ba.

Well considering most of the IVY Leagues are GREAT dental schools...Harvard..Penn...Marquette...the location is what hurts them a bit in some respects but still on of the best undergrad and Post ba schoools...

 

[organichemistry]

How much does IVY league have to do with dental school. Isn't that a title dealing mainly with undergrad. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have much to do with post ba.

when i think ivy league i think "tough to get into" but not necesarrily better all-around schools. sure... harvard's business or law school trump a state school... but i'm quite sure getting a master's at an engineering school like Georgia Tech is tougher than getting that same master's from Cornell.

but anyways... to the OP...

ask yourself this: where will you be happier?

if you sacrifice a little bit of percieved education by passing on PENN, will it haunt you for the rest of your life? will you be miserable being 2500 miles from home?

the one tough thing to weigh i believe is the networking. if you plan on practicing in california, networking at usc makes a lot more sense... but it is difficult how much this should be weighed in your decision.

just be glad you have this "difficult" decision to make instead of deciding whether you should retake the DAT or go for a master's in order to be more competitive next cycle!

 

[organichemistry]

Well considering most of the IVY Leagues are GREAT dental schools...Harvard..Penn...Marquette...the location is what hurts them a bit in some respects but still on of the best undergrad and Post ba schoools...

i had no idea marquette was an ivy league school...

 

[michaelazna]

i had no idea marquette was an ivy league school...

My bad I meant Columbia not Marquette...but still a great school from what i hear..

 

[RnB7]

when i think ivy league i think "tough to get into" but not necesarrily better all-around schools. sure... harvard's business or law school trump a state school... but i'm quite sure getting a master's at an engineering school like Georgia Tech is tougher than getting that same master's from Cornell.

but anyways... to the OP...

ask yourself this: where will you be happier?

if you sacrifice a little bit of percieved education by passing on PENN, will it haunt you for the rest of your life? will you be miserable being 2500 miles from home?

the one tough thing to weigh i believe is the networking. if you plan on practicing in california, networking at usc makes a lot more sense... but it is difficult how much this should be weighed in your decision.

just be glad you have this "difficult" decision to make instead of deciding whether you should retake the DAT or go for a master's in order to be more competitive next cycle!

...mainly with asking yourself "where will I be happier in the next 4 years and after?" That's basically how I made my decision to be closer to home, but that was a significant factor for me right from the start. What's yours? There has to be something out of all these pros and cons you've listed that really stands out. It seems to me that you're the kind of person who's open to new experiences, and so I don't think location is such a key component in your dilemma. Just like organichem said, it all comes down to how important networking is for u. Do really you feel that Penn's amazing program outweighs this? Anyway, both schools are great in my opinion. Good luck with your decision.

 

[starbright]

sooo i was in the same position as you..i'm from so cal, been here all my life, and got into california schools and east coast schools. Out of all the schools ig ot into i chose penn. Being in california is awesome, but the education at penn is amazing...Now, you really see this when you examine USC's pass rate on the state licensure exam..versus penn's...look into that and you will be able to examine how the quality of education differs. And yess, while you will be a dentist either way, i truly believe the instiution you go to directly reflects the QUALITY of work you will do. USC does have connections though i must say....and just a random q....does anyone know if it's 88k IN JUST TUITION? so not including living? cuz crap that's a lot of money..thanks!

 

[winlin]

sooo i was in the same position as you..i'm from so cal, been here all my life, and got into california schools and east coast schools. Out of all the schools ig ot into i chose penn. Being in california is awesome, but the education at penn is amazing...Now, you really see this when you examine USC's pass rate on the state licensure exam..versus penn's...look into that and you will be able to examine how the quality of education differs. And yess, while you will be a dentist either way, i truly believe the instiution you go to directly reflects the QUALITY of work you will do. USC does have connections though i must say....and just a random q....does anyone know if it's 88k IN JUST TUITION? so not including living? cuz crap that's a lot of money..thanks!

I agree with starbright. I'm from Cali and I ended up picking Columbia over USC because I felt like I'd get a better education at a more traditional program with a great reputation. From what I hear, USC has a terrible pass rate on the state exam, and that some the faculty there don't like the PBL program. That said, if you work hard at USC there's no question that you'll be more than capable as a dentist. But if don't want to teach yourself for the first 2 years, want a great opportunity to specialize, and don't want a 145 class size (assuming penns class is smaller than this...not too sure), I'd go to penn. 85K a year at USC vs 65k a year at Columbia was big in my decision as though. But, good luck wherever you go.

 

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