Students at Westernu CDM, Can you please answer these questions about your dental school?

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elaboratewithdodge

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First off hello everyone,
And I hope everything is going great with you guys since you must be terribley preoccupied with dental school activities.I appreciate your time in advance. I was hoping you could give me an insight about WesternU's didactic curriculum and the grading policies e.g. How deep you go into basic sciences or what percentage of your class gets A in a course? Or what happens if you fail a quiz? I searched all over the sdn for this , and so far all I could get was that you have a rigorous 4 year program and outstanding clinical but all that information lacked certain details that I hope you could help me with. Thanks.
 
I'm interested in learning more about these aspects for WesternU as well
 
Hello


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dentalgem524 said:
Hello


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Click to expand...
Hi there! Seeing that you're class of 2021, I was mostly curious about the online modules or courses. During the interview, one of the students said that that aspect of the program was his least favorite, could you elaborate on what this online learning things entails? Thanks!
 
Greetings Future Dentists!!
I am a first years student at WesternU and will try to answer any questions you have. So keep them coming.

1.) I was hoping you could give me an insight about WesternU's didactic curriculum and the grading policies e.g.
WesternU's didactic curriculum is very unique.
First semester, we take Gross anatomy with the DO students. This class is very fast paced, you're basically in medical school for this class. On the upside, the DMD program has their own grading, which is very fair and doable.
We also take MCBM, basically this class covers all microbiology, Biochemistry or basic Physiology needed to pass National Board. This is taught by dental faculty and is taken along with the Optometry students. This class was by far my least favorite due to the amount of information that is taught. But, again, very fair and doable.
First semester, IDIT, basically all immunology and basic pathology. This class was also tough. A lot of information. this class is taught by medical and dental and optometry faculty. Very fast paced, but again very doable.
Spring Semester:
Head and Neck Anatomy, this is taught in 3 ways. First, online platform. Instead of sitting through a boring lecture, we learn at our own pace and at our own time. we do have weekly timelines, but in my opinion, id rather teach myself/ review the information at my own pace.I can go back and review whenever I want without having to dissect a lecture. also, I have a lot of free time to enjoy life once i am done studying.
Second, we have prosections and a virtual dissection lab. this is great due to the fact that we learn the information very easily. But bad on the fact that we dont actually dissect a cadaver. Third, We have class presentations( done in groups) on various relevant topics in dentistry and medicine. Again, very good if you like learning the information on your own and then presenting findings to the class.
Neuroscience: TBD. This is taught by Dental faculty. The information that i have gotten from 2nd years is that this class is information heavy but again, very manageable.

ALL clinical dentistry is on our adaptive online platform. So basically, dentistry is taught in a couple ways and it Works so great IMO. First, Online platform( learn the information), 2nd: information reinforcement, and 3rd small group case studies and information dissection. Again, IMO, I love this because it allows you opportunities to ask questions in small groups or reinforcement sessions that are considered taboo in dentistry or get a lot of great experiences passed down by faculty. Downside is your have to seek out information on your own via faculty or textbooks. But, again IMO i think this breeds an opportunity to learn the information vs just memorizing from a lecture. WE DONT HAVE LECTURES FOR CLINICAL DENTISTRY!!

If you want lectures for dentistry, WesternU is not for you!! They want us to become life long learners and learn to seek out information vs just being spoon fed the information via lectures.


I Love WesternU and would choose it again if I had to.
I still have my normal life before dental school and have tons of free time to do stuff with classmate and family.
Keep the questions coming!
Best,
C/O 2021 WesternU Student
 
elaboratewithdodge said:
First off hello everyone,
And I hope everything is going great with you guys since you must be terribley preoccupied with dental school activities.I appreciate your time in advance. I was hoping you could give me an insight about WesternU's didactic curriculum and the grading policies e.g. How deep you go into basic sciences or what percentage of your class gets A in a course? Or what happens if you fail a quiz? I searched all over the sdn for this , and so far all I could get was that you have a rigorous 4 year program and outstanding clinical but all that information lacked certain details that I hope you could help me with. Thanks.
Click to expand...

hope this helps
 
Chip Otle said:
Hi there! Seeing that you're class of 2021, I was mostly curious about the online modules or courses. During the interview, one of the students said that that aspect of the program was his least favorite, could you elaborate on what this online learning things entails? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Online Platform, IMO, is great. We basically took out the lecture and replaced it with the lectures information via online Platform. We do it at our own pace which allows time to have a life. My class is 70- 30 in favor vs against. PM me if you need any specifics
 
RDH-DDS said:
Online Platform, IMO, is great. We basically took out the lecture and replaced it with the lectures information via online Platform. We do it at our own pace which allows time to have a life. My class is 70- 30 in favor vs against. PM me if you need any specifics
Click to expand...

So with this platform, do you also take exams at your own pace as well? Also, this may be a little more specifics, but are exams typically given in the mornings? I only ask because I am considering commuting from home to save some money. If the D1 and D2 are too exam heavy, how doable would it be for D3 and D4 year (estimated 45 minute commute)
 
Chip Otle said:
So with this platform, do you also take exams at your own pace as well? Also, this may be a little more specifics, but are exams typically given in the mornings? I only ask because I am considering commuting from home to save some money. If the D1 and D2 are too exam heavy, how doable would it be for D3 and D4 year (estimated 45 minute commute)
Click to expand...

There are build in quizzes into the platform but exams are typically given on campus, on scheduled test times, and on a specific testing software. The school is very high tech and very progressive thinking in terms of utilizing technology to make you learn better and faster.
As far as commuting to school, I currently commute 45-60 min from school. I think it is very doable, if you are disciplined. There is a convenience of being able to live close to campus and near your classmates, though.
Being a dentist will be my second career so moving my whole life and my family closer to campus didnt work for me, which is why I commute.
Definitely commuting during D3 and D4 will be very possible based on what D3 and D4's had said.
Keep the questions coming. I want to make sure people choose the right school for them. The last you want to do is to go to a school and be miserable and wonder what if you would have gone to a different school.
 
RDH-DDS said:
There are build in quizzes into the platform but exams are typically given on campus, on scheduled test times, and on a specific testing software. The school is very high tech and very progressive thinking in terms of utilizing technology to make you learn better and faster.
As far as commuting to school, I currently commute 45-60 min from school. I think it is very doable, if you are disciplined. There is a convenience of being able to live close to campus and near your classmates, though.
Being a dentist will be my second career so moving my whole life and my family closer to campus didnt work for me, which is why I commute.
Definitely commuting during D3 and D4 will be very possible based on what D3 and D4's had said.
Keep the questions coming. I want to make sure people choose the right school for them. The last you want to do is to go to a school and be miserable and wonder what if you would have gone to a different school.
Click to expand...

Hello, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions about the curriculum! Thus far, I really am enjoying what I am learning and beginning to realize that attending this school would be incredible. Some questions I have about the curriculum:
1) I know that you mentioned that all of the clinical aspects of the program are all online. I was just wondering if ALL didactic classes are on the online platform as well?
2) Given that the online platform is a huge thing at Western, are there still a lot of lectures that are mandatory? If you could give me a ratio of how many classes require actual presence, that would be awesome!
Still considering whether I should commute from home or commit to something much closer.
3) Do the pre-recorded lectures have subtitles?
4) Are powerpoints provided on the online platform so that a student may take notes on them?
5) What are the opportunities like for being recruited by a dental corporation?
6) Are there any dental fraternities on campus - and are they enjoyable experiences (either you or your friends' experiences would be really useful for this!)

Thank you so much 🙂
 
gunnyworms said:
Hello, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions about the curriculum! Thus far, I really am enjoying what I am learning and beginning to realize that attending this school would be incredible. Some questions I have about the curriculum:
1) I know that you mentioned that all of the clinical aspects of the program are all online. I was just wondering if ALL didactic classes are on the online platform as well?
2) Given that the online platform is a huge thing at Western, are there still a lot of lectures that are mandatory? If you could give me a ratio of how many classes require actual presence, that would be awesome!
Still considering whether I should commute from home or commit to something much closer.
3) Do the pre-recorded lectures have subtitles?
4) Are powerpoints provided on the online platform so that a student may take notes on them?
5) What are the opportunities like for being recruited by a dental corporation?
6) Are there any dental fraternities on campus - and are they enjoyable experiences (either you or your friends' experiences would be really useful for this!)

Thank you so much 🙂
Click to expand...

1) I know that you mentioned that all of the clinical aspects of the program are all online. I was just wondering if ALL didactic classes are on the online platform as well?
the only didactic class that is on this online platform, so far, is Head and Neck Anatomy. Every thing else is taught in a lecture style classroom.

2) Given that the online platform is a huge thing at Western, are there still a lot of lectures that are mandatory? If you could give me a ratio of how many classes require actual presence, that would be awesome! Every and ALL lectures are mandatory! we have an app called PAQ that requires bar code scanning for attendance purposes. Also, attendance is considered professionalism and this is built into our grading system for each class.

Still considering whether I should commute from home or commit to something much closer.
If you are not worried about 2 hours less of sleep/ hanging out with friends/ life in general commuting is ok.
3) Do the pre-recorded lectures have subtitles? all lecture are recorded and posted within an hour of the lecture finishing. And yes, there is subtitles available, especially since we have a deaf student in our class.
4) Are powerpoints provided on the online platform so that a student may take notes on them? the platform is very unique. you will have to do what you find most comfortable. I take notes directly off the platform. other classmates transfer it to ppt or word.
5) What are the opportunities like for being recruited by a dental corporation?
STAY AWAY FROM CORPORATE DENTISTRY!!! go buy or start your own practice. you will learn more about this in school. We have excellent faculty with great experiences and they actually teach us about practice management skills and common dental practice sense.

6) Are there any dental fraternities on campus - and are they enjoyable experiences (either you or your friends' experiences would be really useful for this!)
There are 2 dental fraternities on campus. I personally didn't join, but still have plenty of fun with my classmates. Pomona is very centrally located to a lot of fun things. The Beach is close, snowboarding/ skiing is close, the desert is close. there is so much to do and ultimately dental school will be the best experience of your life, assuming you choose the school that best fits you. WesternU gives you that flexibility to have fun outside of school
 
RDH-DDS said:
1) I know that you mentioned that all of the clinical aspects of the program are all online. I was just wondering if ALL didactic classes are on the online platform as well?
the only didactic class that is on this online platform, so far, is Head and Neck Anatomy. Every thing else is taught in a lecture style classroom.

2) Given that the online platform is a huge thing at Western, are there still a lot of lectures that are mandatory? If you could give me a ratio of how many classes require actual presence, that would be awesome! Every and ALL lectures are mandatory! we have an app called PAQ that requires bar code scanning for attendance purposes. Also, attendance is considered professionalism and this is built into our grading system for each class.

Still considering whether I should commute from home or commit to something much closer.
If you are not worried about 2 hours less of sleep/ hanging out with friends/ life in general commuting is ok.
3) Do the pre-recorded lectures have subtitles? all lecture are recorded and posted within an hour of the lecture finishing. And yes, there is subtitles available, especially since we have a deaf student in our class.
4) Are powerpoints provided on the online platform so that a student may take notes on them? the platform is very unique. you will have to do what you find most comfortable. I take notes directly off the platform. other classmates transfer it to ppt or word.
5) What are the opportunities like for being recruited by a dental corporation?
STAY AWAY FROM CORPORATE DENTISTRY!!! go buy or start your own practice. you will learn more about this in school. We have excellent faculty with great experiences and they actually teach us about practice management skills and common dental practice sense.

6) Are there any dental fraternities on campus - and are they enjoyable experiences (either you or your friends' experiences would be really useful for this!)
There are 2 dental fraternities on campus. I personally didn't join, but still have plenty of fun with my classmates. Pomona is very centrally located to a lot of fun things. The Beach is close, snowboarding/ skiing is close, the desert is close. there is so much to do and ultimately dental school will be the best experience of your life, assuming you choose the school that best fits you. WesternU gives you that flexibility to have fun outside of school
Click to expand...

Thank you - this is incredibly useful for me! Do you personally wish there were more classes on the online platform?
 
gunnyworms said:
Thank you - this is incredibly useful for me! Do you personally wish there were more classes on the online platform?
Click to expand...
I think there will be in the future. But, I know its a lot of work for the faculty.
I personally have been in dentistry for 10 + years, so yes!! there have even been talks of finishing the program in 3 years depending on how fast people can progress through the platform and show their proficiency in all these credentials that are offered via the online platform.
 
Thanks. Also do you mind mentioning what percentage of your class gets A in each exam?
 
elaboratewithdodge said:
Thanks. Also do you mind mentioning what percentage of your class gets A in each exam?
Click to expand...

I would say there is a normal distribution of grades. Maybe 15 or so ??? Honestly I wouldn’t know and frankly I don’t care!!! Nothing comes after becoming a dentist. Never will you have a patient ask you for your gpa or class rank.
I would say as a good rule of thumb for professional school is to NEVER worry about getting A’s. Be more concerned at knowing, learning, and becoming passionate about the information vs memorizing information just to get an A.
 
For your organ systems, how deep do you dive into medicine? I mean, do you study as as medical students? Like do you know all the criterias of SLE and so on? Thanks.
 
Also, do you know any dental students who have the HPSP scholarships? I'd like to ask a couple questions and maybe get some help/advice along the way. Current WesternU Class of 2022 candidate here!
 
elaboratewithdodge said:
For your organ systems, how deep do you dive into medicine? I mean, do you study as as medical students? Like do you know all the criterias of SLE and so on? Thanks.
Click to expand...
We dive in as deep as it takes for you to be a doctor. I hope this answers your question. To be more specific, Our systems courses are the same as medical students but tested different due to our national boards being different. The beauty of Dentistry is that you have the opportunity to practice on medically comprised or refer them our. This is all based on your comfort and knowledge of the disease. As far as Lupus, this is a very basic and common disease. So yes you will learn about this. Hope this helps.
 
Chip Otle said:
Also, do you know any dental students who have the HPSP scholarships? I'd like to ask a couple questions and maybe get some help/advice along the way. Current WesternU Class of 2022 candidate here!
Click to expand...
I have the MDSSP but I do have 1 classmates who has HPSP. There are only a handful of students with military scholarships at WesternU. PM me if you need specifics.
 
How is Westernu's job placement after graduation (either corporate or associateship) in 1) California and 2) Other states? I was hoping to quickly tackle on the debt after graduation. Thank you!
 
gunnyworms said:
How is Westernu's job placement after graduation (either corporate or associateship) in 1) California and 2) Other states? I was hoping to quickly tackle on the debt after graduation. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Yes, and also how are speciality admission statistics for ortho and omfs?
I have heard that throughout the past two years no one matched to ortho? Not sure if it was right. Do you have any information regarding 2018 matches from Western?
 
Is there a specific laptop required for students?
 
gunnyworms said:
How is Westernu's job placement after graduation (either corporate or associateship) in 1) California and 2) Other states? I was hoping to quickly tackle on the debt after graduation. Thank you!
Click to expand...
There are a high number of students that have job oppertunities before graduating, but I don't know the exact numbers. I am sure you can contact admissions and ask this question, if you are truly concerned. Basically what I am saying, is if you are a loser you will have a hard time at finding a job. But if you are a personable, reliable, hardworking individual who truly cares about people and has a passion to make peoples lives better, you will be fine. hope this helps!!
 
elaboratewithdodge said:
Yes, and also how are speciality admission statistics for ortho and omfs?
I have heard that throughout the past two years no one matched to ortho? Not sure if it was right. Do you have any information regarding 2018 matches from Western?
Click to expand...
Ortho is very difficult to get matched with, in general. But, it is possible. The names and applicants just came out for this years matches: 2 OMFS and 1 ortho, along with 9 other students with other specialties represented. I believe this is a very strong!
As far as thinking about specialty, wait until end of 1st year or mid 2nd year to decide if and what specialty you want to do. Dental school is very demanding as is. Don't come in with the pressures of "needing A's" in order to get into specialty. Just enjoy the process and learn to love people!! if ortho or OMFS is meant to be, you will be drawn naturally towards those specialties and find mentors in those areas of specialty. Hope this helps!!
 
gunnyworms said:
Is there a specific laptop required for students?
Click to expand...
you will be issued an ipad with your dental issue. As far as a laptop, they didn't issue one for us. not sure if they will for your class. But if you are going to purchase one, I would recommend the Microsoft Surface. Everyone who has this, in my class, loves it!!
 
RDH-DDS said:
Ortho is very difficult to get matched with, in general. But, it is possible. The names and applicants just came out for this years matches: 2 OMFS and 1 ortho, along with 9 other students with other specialties represented. I believe this is a very strong!
As far as thinking about specialty, wait until end of 1st year or mid 2nd year to decide if and what specialty you want to do. Dental school is very demanding as is. Don't come in with the pressures of "needing A's" in order to get into specialty. Just enjoy the process and learn to love people!! if ortho or OMFS is meant to be, you will be drawn naturally towards those specialties and find mentors in those areas of specialty. Hope this helps!!
Click to expand...
Wow thanks, I feel much relieved.
Plus, since you mentioned the names came out is there a source where I can get to know these people?Names, Stats, class ranks and so on?
 
elaboratewithdodge said:
Wow thanks, I feel much relieved.
Plus, since you mentioned the names came out is there a source where I can get to know these people?Names, Stats, class ranks and so on?
Click to expand...
I'm sure you can find them on the westeru.edu dmd page
 
Are there any grants that the school offers automatically for students? I know some schools offer those types of awards. If so, what’s the quantity?
 
Specialty match rate:
Since WesternU CDM does not have any specialty program, there isn't any hierarchy in who gets to perform a certain procedure. Each student provider is responsible for their patient, hence they will be performing molar endos, extractions, restoring implants, etc (upon their comfort level). This enables each applicant to build a solid foundation for specialty programs. We have had a solid match rate for Pedo, Oral surgery, Prosth, Perio, GPRs, AEGD's. Ortho varies from year to year (however you'll be trained in traditional and invisalign cases). Although it may be super early to even think about specializing, contacting admissions for exact statistics can help you out.

Scholarships and Grants:
Students are informed throughout the year (almost on a monthly to weekly basis) on available grants and scholarships to apply for.

Best of luck to those incoming students!
 
so to update this thread---- westernU still has their online platform--- FYI--- it's more than a platform (i.e. it's more than just taking classes online), it's basically the closest thing to an online dental school as you can get. you don't get lectures in clinical dentistry or even in some of the science courses. i wish i knew this about westernU. i want you all to make informed decisions about the school that you are about to drop 500k on (650k with interest!) the best advice i can give is know how you learn. this will help determine whether or not westernU is the dental school for you. if you need lectures to learn as your primary mode of learning, then westernU is not for you. if you enjoy self-studying from an online textbook and teaching yourself dentistry (via videos or learning from outside sources because you are blessed with resources), then westernU will be a great fit.
 
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