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I know there are a few threads on this topic, but I think my situation may differ enough to warrant another thread.
I finally heard back from Columbia today and now must quickly decide between that or SB. I've already made a pros/cons list comparing the two, but the one aspect that's making this decision the most difficult is I'm pretty sure I'd like to pursue orthodontics (how typical, right?). My father is a GP and has an orthodontist, who I've known most of my life, come into his office 2-3 times per week. As a result, I have a TON of shadowing experience in both general dentistry and orthodontics, perhaps to a greater degree than someone with the same amount of shadowing hours due to my relationship to both dentists. Now obviously shadowing dentistry and actually practicing dentistry are two completely different animals, but at this point in time shadowing and researching each field are really the only two things I can do to get a feel for which area I would like to pursue and so far, all signs point to ortho. To put it a different way, its something I could see myself doing for the next 40 years without getting bored with it.
On the other hand, as I said previously, practicing and shadowing are two completely different things and there's no telling whether or not I'll feel the same way towards general dentistry once I start seeing actual patients. Additionally, I may come to find I enjoy another, possibly less competitive specialty more than orthodontics.
So really what it comes down to is if the 100K+ price difference between columbia and stony brook is worth the possible edge Columbia will give me in specializing in ortho or perhaps some other field, as the numbers they gave us during the interview day were very impressive to me. If I was unsure if I wanted to specialize, or was set on becoming a general dentist, I would pick SB in the blink of an eye, as I feel their clinical program is superior to Columbia's. However, I feel I have more then enough shadowing experience in both fields as well as enough input from both types of dentists to make this a point seriously worth considering as possibly justifying spending an additional 100K at Columbia.
And again, I have weighed the pros and cons of each school and I realize there are other differences between them that would sway me one way or the other, but in my opinion this is the only factor that would put Columbia over SB.
So, what do you guys think?
I finally heard back from Columbia today and now must quickly decide between that or SB. I've already made a pros/cons list comparing the two, but the one aspect that's making this decision the most difficult is I'm pretty sure I'd like to pursue orthodontics (how typical, right?). My father is a GP and has an orthodontist, who I've known most of my life, come into his office 2-3 times per week. As a result, I have a TON of shadowing experience in both general dentistry and orthodontics, perhaps to a greater degree than someone with the same amount of shadowing hours due to my relationship to both dentists. Now obviously shadowing dentistry and actually practicing dentistry are two completely different animals, but at this point in time shadowing and researching each field are really the only two things I can do to get a feel for which area I would like to pursue and so far, all signs point to ortho. To put it a different way, its something I could see myself doing for the next 40 years without getting bored with it.
On the other hand, as I said previously, practicing and shadowing are two completely different things and there's no telling whether or not I'll feel the same way towards general dentistry once I start seeing actual patients. Additionally, I may come to find I enjoy another, possibly less competitive specialty more than orthodontics.
So really what it comes down to is if the 100K+ price difference between columbia and stony brook is worth the possible edge Columbia will give me in specializing in ortho or perhaps some other field, as the numbers they gave us during the interview day were very impressive to me. If I was unsure if I wanted to specialize, or was set on becoming a general dentist, I would pick SB in the blink of an eye, as I feel their clinical program is superior to Columbia's. However, I feel I have more then enough shadowing experience in both fields as well as enough input from both types of dentists to make this a point seriously worth considering as possibly justifying spending an additional 100K at Columbia.
And again, I have weighed the pros and cons of each school and I realize there are other differences between them that would sway me one way or the other, but in my opinion this is the only factor that would put Columbia over SB.
So, what do you guys think?
