State School vs. Ivy league choices...

[biocmp]

I'm wondering what some of you are doing about your choice for dental school. If you are accepted to both your state school and an ivy league or out of state school with a "better" curriculum and training, which are you going to choose and why?

Pros for state school: In-state tuition, no matter the training, everyone comes out a dentist.

Pros for Ivy league: big name, well known and respected, possibly better training, although not guaranteed by any means, getting your name in so your kids might get in later down the road (or so I hear. Most upper schools give priority to sons and daughters of graduates from their respective schools)
Bragging rights.

But are bragging rights worth an extra $100k-$150k in the hole?

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[DDSY]

Yes, I agree that this is a very tough decision. I am a NY resident and if I happen to get into SUNY, I would save ~$100,000 in expenses compared to if I go to an Ivy League School.

The tough part is that Stonybrook has higher GPA and DAT average (according to Predents.com) than UPenn and much higher GPA average than Columbia and a seemingly good program, and will likely improve on its stats into the future b/c of its tuition advantage. Of course, if you got into UC or UMich, the decision would prob be easier.

However, UPenn, Columbia and Harvard have better name recognition from the general population and are recognized as among the elite schools for Undergrad, Medicine, business and Law, to name a few. People will know that you are a smart person and among the best in your field if you graduate from an Ivy and when you start a dental practice, you could always freely advertise that you graduated from an Ivy. When someone asks what you are doing and, maybe where you graduated from, it wouldn't be a problem. . .

 

[Sprgrover]

...The tough part is that Stonybrook has higher GPA and DAT average (according to Predents.com) than UPenn...

I don't know if this is reflective of Penn's new admission standards but the latest incoming class has an average gpa of 3.75 and I believe an average DAT score in the low 20's.

 

[armorshell]

I think if I got into my state school I would definately go over just about anywhere else.

Of course, my state school is UW

And these interviews I'm about to go on might change my mind, who knows?

 

[DDS:)]

I think this is really depends on which school is ur state school. if ur school is UC schools or UMICH, UW...etc, I would choose to go state school over ivys.

 

[Ething]

I don't know if this is reflective of Penn's new admission standards but the latest incoming class has an average gpa of 3.75 and I believe an average DAT score in the low 20's.

I dont know where you heard this info from but someone at penn this yr told me it was still in the 3.6's and still a flat 20.

 

[Da Bomb]

only Ivy League school worth going to over a state school is Harvard. The reality of it is 95% of the population only recognizes Yale, Harvard, and maybe Princeton as Ivy League. The others only have name recognition amongst people have studied beyond college.
Since Harvard has a P/NP system and name recognition in general population it is worth the extra tuition

 

[Sprgrover]

I dont know where you heard this info from but someone at penn this yr told me it was still in the 3.6's and still a flat 20.

I helped conduct orientation this year and those are the numbers that have filtered out of the admissions office.

 

[hgfdsa]

For me this is the toughest decision in choosing a school. if i have this choice in the end i don't know what i'll choose

 

[in her drawer]

You guys are lucky to have state schools so that you can even entertain this notion.

I hope I get WICHE . . . I hope I get WICHE . . . I hope I get WICHE . . .

 

[INFNITE]

Since Harvard has a P/NP system and name recognition in general population it is worth the extra tuition

Columbia also goes by a Pass/Fail(/Honors) system, and Columbia is one of the most recognizable higher education institutions in the world.

 

[abzirian]

I think this is really depends on which school is ur state school. if ur school is UC schools or UMICH, UW...etc, I would choose to go state school over ivys.

Hmm Umich is my state school, but i'm so damn sick of michigan having lived here for 21 years (and in ann arbor for that matter) that i'd like to go elsewhere..

 

[Da Bomb]

You guys are lucky to have state schools so that you can even entertain this notion.

I hope I get WICHE . . . I hope I get WICHE . . . I hope I get WICHE . . .

My year in my state only 25 of us got into WICHIE schools and of the 25 only 12 got scholarships.

The b.s. is if you dont get the scholarship they wont tell you where you ranked or how exaclty they decided the rankings.

 

[mitosis]

It's a hard choice to choose between a state school and an Ivy. For me the choice is simple: do I want to save over $100,000? As much as I wanted to have my big adventure at Penn (I'm a CA girl), I decided that my state school is the way to go. Ofcourse, it wasn't too hard of a choice, since I got into my dream school!

 

[Da Bomb]

Columbia also goes by a Pass/Fail(/Honors) system, and Columbia is one of the most recognizable higher education institutions in the world.

P/F/H is not the same as a true pass-fail. If you are going to give the honors then why make it pass/fail? The honors puts everything back into the grading system that p/f was designed to remove.

Yes amongst us college educated individuals Colombia is recognized. However, 95% of the public, especially outside the NE, has no clue it is Ivy League. I know it is crushing but Ivy League recognition drops off significantly once you move beyond the big three of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.

Of course Columbia is more recognizable than Penn. After all with name like University of Pennsylvania it sounds more like a state school.

 

[Yeyyy]

NYU has a huge undergrad name. It's about as recognizable a name as any of the ivy leagues. If it really matters that much then you can just go there