Sorry scandalousj, but I really disagree with you on this one.
Im sorry but UMKC is not that great of a school.
We can all only attend one dental school. What basis do you have to say this? Did you ever attend UMKC dental? EVERY school has overachievers and slackers. Dental school is what you make of it, and you can be a fantastic clinician coming out of UMKC or Penn, it is YOUR effort that will make it happen.
1. I felt Penn does a way better job preparing you as a clincian. We started drilling on the dent sims the first day. And sure, a lot of people will tell you of the dent sim sucks, people have been practicing good dentistry for years without it. Butr it does help, it is a 100X more precise than by just looking at a prep with your eye. We had 4th years trying it and they were getting like 80's on their preps.
OK, I don't know what a dent sim is. Obviously this is not a part of our curriculum at Buffalo. I've only heard about them on this board. But believe me, when you are trying to get a class II amalgam done before the kid in your chair goes haywire, it ain't gonna matter if your prep walls are at a 4 degree or 6 degree taper. 100x more precise preps do not translate to more clinical accuracy or usefulness. An 80 on a prep means nothing; I got 60/100 on every prep and restoration I did in our Operative dentistry class. Because I can't do operative? No, b/c they graded on minute things like 1.2 vs 1.5 width of pulpal floor being the distinguishing factor between an 80 and a 60. Again, not a clinically relevant measurement. However, I am 200% confident in the operative dentistry that I do for my patients. That anal grading system down there made me that much more attentive to the details when I do operative, even if I was technically "failing."
elias154 already covered all the points about what it takes to specialize coming out of any school, and I completely agree.
There are a number of perks like the numerous dual degrees Penn offers, which I dont think most state schools do. You can also get a Masters in Education, MBA, and they have many other programs which Penn pays the tuition for while you are in dental school. I am planning on Getting a Masters in Education and takingn a few Business classes at Wharton, before I graduate.
What are you guys doing in your dental school over there if you have time to be taking courses in the other graduate schools? How many in the senior class have actually utilized this feature? If I had know about this earlier, I would have asked the Penn seniors I met on my interviews myself about this.
We also have many social perks like Kegs in the courtyard, or some other form of free beer ( last week they rented out a whole bar for all the grad students) at least once a month. And things like studying in luxury, aka Penn is redoing the whole school, and I heard Nova is drop dead gorgeous since its pretty new.
Take that $80,000 saved by attending the cheaper school, and go out and have some drinks with your friends on Friday. Free beer and a carpeted library isn't worth $80,000
Plus the Ivy league degree is nice, and I thiknk will help you be more flexible when you are looking for a job. People hiring will recoginze your Columbia degree anywhere you go in the US, while that might not be the case at UMKC.
OK, this is the part where your ignorance shines. It's ok, you're still a first year at Penn, you have time to learn. Like elias said, LAW FIRMS will recognize your Columbia degree and scoff at UMKC. DENTISTS don't care. Example: A dentist in Portland, graduate of OHSU, isn't gonna choose his future associate b/c of Columbia vs UMKC. Who is doing the hiring? It is one dentist, maybe 2 if it is a larger practice. Dental associates are not hired by a team of 10 big shot dentists, all graduates of Ivy League Dental. I would bet money that if a third person applies to the job described above, and is an OHSU grad, they have the best chance out of the three of getting the job with the OHSU alum. Yes, graduates of UMKC can be found all over the country, although a large proportion are probably in Missouri and the surrounding states. At the stage in the game when you are all done with schools and looking for a DENTAL JOB, it is all about contacts and who you know, not your resume & board scores.
Obviously if money is a big deal, you dont plan on specializing, or pretty much want to stay in Missouri, I say go to UMKC. But if you think you might want to practice somewhere else not in the general vicinity of Missouri and might want to specialize, thikn about going to the other schools.
Not true. I met a resident at a specialty program at UMDNJ who was a graduate of UMKC. And specializing can tend to be somewhat regional. Graduates of southern dental schools tend to want to try and stay in the South. They apply to and subsequently attend more Southern programs. elias already covered this point. True, if your ultimate goal is to practice in Mo., go to UMKC for sure. It's where the majority of your colleagues will be from. If you think you want to move somewhere else in the future but could be happy living in Mo. for another four years, again, go to UMKC.
