Hey everyone, I was extremely fortunate to be accepted into 4 schools this cycle (Rutgers, Temple, Touro, and Columbia). I'm currently debating between the 3 that this post is about, but feel free to advocate for Temple if anyone thinks it's worth attending (OOS), but Temple is more expensive than Touro (from what I've seen Temple would be ~480k for OOS students) and is in a very dangerous area which makes me hesitant to consider it over the other options.
Goals:
- Planning on specializing (eyeballing OMFS), but this can change as I have never actually done specialist work and don't know for sure if it is what I want (once I start doing rotations as a D3 and D4, I will know for sure)
- Obviously, I want to avoid as much debt as possible but want to get as much return on investment as possible (I am willing to take on more debt if it means I'm put in a better position at the end of the road)
Rutgers
Pros:
1. In-state tuition and cheapest option (~270-300k for 4 years)
2. Known to have rigorous clinical requirements (might be a pain in the ass, but it'll make me a better practitioner)
3. Nice closed-off campus
4. On-campus housing
5. Many post-doctoral residency programs for specializing at Rutgers
Cons:
1. The area around the school isn't the safest
2. Not P/F
3. Not what the success rate is for students that specialize
Touro (4 years at NY campus, aka not in the NY/NM cohort)
Pros:
1. P/F for D3 and D4
2. Beautiful campus/clinic located in a safe area
3. Seems to provide outstanding dental care according to Google reviews (4.8 stars with 1.8k reviews, which is significantly higher than every other school I've looked up). Not sure how Touro has so many good reviews, but I do value the fact that patients appear to love the care they receive here.
4. Very modern equipment with a focus on teaching modern dental techniques.
Cons:
1. More expensive than Rutgers (~450k for 4 years)
2. No post-doctoral residency opportunities at Touro
3. Have struggled to find how successful graduates are at specializing
4. No on-campus housing
5. Letter grades for D1 and D2 students
Columbia:
Pros:
1. Specialization school (majority of graduates end up specializing)
2. P/F curriculum
3. Many post-doctoral residencies at Columbia
Cons:
1. Extremely expensive (~500k for 4 years)
2. D1 and D2 students take the same classes as med students (not sure if this is a con, but I've read mixed things from people when it comes to this)
Conclusion:
I may have missed some aspects of each of these schools so would love to hear people's opinions of them. I also may not have the most accurate data in terms of tuition, so please correct me if my cost calculations are off. I am having a difficult time deciding which one is best for me as I can see arguments for all of them. I know a lot of people will say go for the cheapest school, but as I've said earlier, I do care about return on investment and quality of life at the school I will attend (this will be the next 4 years of my life after all). I am considering applying for the 3-year HPSP this summer but haven't committed to anything yet. In terms of my actual experience with these schools, my in-person visit to Touro was very impressive and is one of the main reasons it is on this list, but I realize schools will only advertise the goods during these tours, so I might be missing some important details. I greatly appreciate any feedback anyone has for me!
Goals:
- Planning on specializing (eyeballing OMFS), but this can change as I have never actually done specialist work and don't know for sure if it is what I want (once I start doing rotations as a D3 and D4, I will know for sure)
- Obviously, I want to avoid as much debt as possible but want to get as much return on investment as possible (I am willing to take on more debt if it means I'm put in a better position at the end of the road)
Rutgers
Pros:
1. In-state tuition and cheapest option (~270-300k for 4 years)
2. Known to have rigorous clinical requirements (might be a pain in the ass, but it'll make me a better practitioner)
3. Nice closed-off campus
4. On-campus housing
5. Many post-doctoral residency programs for specializing at Rutgers
Cons:
1. The area around the school isn't the safest
2. Not P/F
3. Not what the success rate is for students that specialize
Touro (4 years at NY campus, aka not in the NY/NM cohort)
Pros:
1. P/F for D3 and D4
2. Beautiful campus/clinic located in a safe area
3. Seems to provide outstanding dental care according to Google reviews (4.8 stars with 1.8k reviews, which is significantly higher than every other school I've looked up). Not sure how Touro has so many good reviews, but I do value the fact that patients appear to love the care they receive here.
4. Very modern equipment with a focus on teaching modern dental techniques.
Cons:
1. More expensive than Rutgers (~450k for 4 years)
2. No post-doctoral residency opportunities at Touro
3. Have struggled to find how successful graduates are at specializing
4. No on-campus housing
5. Letter grades for D1 and D2 students
Columbia:
Pros:
1. Specialization school (majority of graduates end up specializing)
2. P/F curriculum
3. Many post-doctoral residencies at Columbia
Cons:
1. Extremely expensive (~500k for 4 years)
2. D1 and D2 students take the same classes as med students (not sure if this is a con, but I've read mixed things from people when it comes to this)
Conclusion:
I may have missed some aspects of each of these schools so would love to hear people's opinions of them. I also may not have the most accurate data in terms of tuition, so please correct me if my cost calculations are off. I am having a difficult time deciding which one is best for me as I can see arguments for all of them. I know a lot of people will say go for the cheapest school, but as I've said earlier, I do care about return on investment and quality of life at the school I will attend (this will be the next 4 years of my life after all). I am considering applying for the 3-year HPSP this summer but haven't committed to anything yet. In terms of my actual experience with these schools, my in-person visit to Touro was very impressive and is one of the main reasons it is on this list, but I realize schools will only advertise the goods during these tours, so I might be missing some important details. I greatly appreciate any feedback anyone has for me!
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