Temple vs Tufts?

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mpn90

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Hey everyone! I was accepted to both Temple and Tufts, and really need to make a decision soon between them. They both have their pro's and con's, but I'd really appreciate some input if you'd like to share your thoughts, since I'm very torn between the two.
 
Can we get some info? What is the money difference? Is there family issues?

I don't know about Tufts, but I am going to Temple next year. The area that the school is in is pretty rough, but you probably already saw that during your interview. I liked that Temple had a rigorous clinic, and I am pretty sure that I want to be a general-Den, but they also seem to send a good number of students to specialties (here-say, sorry I have no stats). I also liked their price, and that it was in a city.

They both seem like great schools.....
 
I don't know about Temple, but I'm going to Tufts next year. Its in a relatively decent neighborhood in Boston, very pricey, but offers a great education and has a number of new clinics that are just to die for. Hope that helps.

Here is a very revealing youtube video of Tufts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HXhpcYKyz8
 
i'm trying to make this exact decision and i'm also kind of stumped but i'm leaning towards tufts because they have the research I'd like to get into.
 
yea...saying that temple is in a rough area is definitely an understatement...just the past week, a temple dental student got stabbed/mugged leaving campus...thankfully he survived though!
 
fourrings said:
yea...saying that temple is in a rough area is definitely an understatement...just the past week, a temple dental student got stabbed/mugged leaving campus...thankfully he survived though!
Click to expand...

😱
 
fourrings said:
yea...saying that temple is in a rough area is definitely an understatement...just the past week, a temple dental student got stabbed/mugged leaving campus...thankfully he survived though!
Click to expand...


I'm pretty sure it was a Penn dental student, not Temple. I cant say much about Tufts, but I can say that Temple is not in a great area. With that said, many Temple dental students choose to live in other areas of Philadelphia or surrounding areas which are quire nice and safe. it is a great school in regards to its clinical education and I'm sure there's a significant cost difference between the two.
 
mpn90 said:
Hey everyone! I was accepted to both Temple and Tufts, and really need to make a decision soon between them. They both have their pro's and con's, but I'd really appreciate some input if you'd like to share your thoughts, since I'm very torn between the two.
Click to expand...

I was going through the same privileged predicament all week. The dentist whom I shadowed for mannnny hours attended Tufts, so before even applying for this cycle it was my "dream" school. However, I am a Pennsylvania resident and the 100K difference was enough to make this a no brainer.
I enjoyed both schools during my visits.
Also, during my temple interview the students mentioned that they do NOT live near the campus; they live in center city, rittenhouse, summit, etc. (which i'm sure if anyone has interviewed there knows) Good luck, can't go wrong.
 
Skygrandpager said:
Also, during my temple interview the students mentioned that they do NOT live near the campus; they live in center city, rittenhouse, summit, etc. (which i'm sure if anyone has interviewed there knows) Good luck, can't go wrong.
Click to expand...

Philadelphia Mass transit system is awful. It's not safe, unreliable and absolutely not sanitary. The locals that use the train are absolutely terrifying and absolutely detest non-locals. It's easy to spot a non-local because locals are smelly and poor. Taking that into consideration, you would probably need to buy a car. Auto insurance in Philadelphia is awful. You then have to consider paying for parking at your apartment and at Temple, which is like paying for two parking spots in Philadelphia, which will easily run you over $400 a month. Then you have to consider the awful traffic in the morning and afternoon which requires half an hour to move 2 miles. I honestly thought this question was a no brainer. Tufts for sure. There is an awful crime rampage in Philly that does not look like it will subside anytime soon. Just a few weeks ago there was a flash mob in center city that caused a good amount of destruction and there was another one just a few months back. Philly's new DA and police commissioner have vowed to be more lenient on criminals citing racial discrimination. So basically, criminals have a carte blanche to whatever the hell they want. Go to Boston, where discrimination is hardly a defense for mindless criminal behavior.
 
Just Google "Temple Student Robbed" and read all of the unfortunate results.
 
AskJeeves said:
Philadelphia Mass transit system is awful. It's not safe, unreliable and absolutely not sanitary. The locals that use the train are absolutely terrifying and absolutely detest non-locals. It's easy to spot a non-local because locals are smelly and poor. Taking that into consideration, you would probably need to buy a car. Auto insurance in Philadelphia is awful. You then have to consider paying for parking at your apartment and at Temple, which is like paying for two parking spots in Philadelphia, which will easily run you over $400 a month. Then you have to consider the awful traffic in the morning and afternoon which requires half an hour to move 2 miles. I honestly thought this question was a no brainer. Tufts for sure. There is an awful crime rampage in Philly that does not look like it will subside anytime soon. Just a few weeks ago there was a flash mob in center city that caused a good amount of destruction and there was another one just a few months back. Philly's new DA and police commissioner have vowed to be more lenient on criminals citing racial discrimination. So basically, criminals have a carte blanche to whatever the hell they want. Go to Boston, where discrimination is hardly a defense for mindless criminal behavior.
Click to expand...

I grew up 10 min. from Philadelphia and their public transit is bad, but not enough for me to use my car. I really considered Tufts and tried to justify going. I asked any grads/dentists (only like 5) and they all said go to Temple "fool!". sure I think that I could make that 100k up in my career, however I'll keep the money in pocket instead. Temple is a great dental school.
The crime isn't wild and it isn't enough to send me running for the hills while I pay an astronomical sum to do so (it's not gotham from batman).
IMO it seems like you have a grudge against the school (from other posts), curious to know which school you chose?
 
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All I have to say is shootings and stabbings can happen everywhere....as horrible as that sounds.
For example, University of Minnesota had a shooting also this year
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/...ooting-suspect-release-no-charges-feb-12-2010

Minnesota is a safe place to attend school, yet a shooting still occured outside of the dental school
While Tufts might not have a shooting or robberies yet, it could just as easy happen there being that its in downtown.

I say people are over exaggerating the negatives about Temple. I believe its a great school....regardless make your decision with a grain of salt.
People want to go to the schools that you have been accepted to.
Best of luck making your decision.
 
I had the same decision as OP and chose Temple. In my mind, they were both very similar schools, with very friendly student bodies and great clinical experiences.

I feel like you can't go wrong with either school. I'm not from either area, but I personally felt like I would be more comfortable at Temple. The area surrounding the school doesn't really bother me-- if you're smart you're fine. I don't think people hang around the school after hours.
 
dl9006 said:
it's upenn

link:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/loc...ng_for_man_who_stabbed_Penn_grad_student.html
Click to expand...


Here is what actually happen.

http://thedp.com/article/student-assaulted-38th-sansom

If you are going to be stupid and flash your ipod or iphone around then you are just asking for trouble. Yes, Philadelphia isn't the best city crime wise. BUT if you are smart then you don't take back roads or show off what you have to the world, then you will be fine. Also, Temple does have safety officers as well as Penn that will escort you to where ever you need to go. If you are that worried about safety, look at what the school as to offer and see how many students actually take advantage of it. The "stupid" ones are the ones getting themselves in trouble.
 
I think they are both great schools but Tufts has some sweet new additions to their facility which you could enjoy. (for a small price that is)
 
Thanks for all of the input! I am a PA resident so Temple is MUCH cheaper for me, however I don't want to make money my deciding factor when it'll be 4 years of my life and I'd like to be happy with my decision. Additionally I do have family in boston (distant but still family), however I do not know them too well. I really liked both schools a lot. Boston seems really fun, and although Temple is in a bad area I would not live near campus, and Philly isn't all that bad if you're in the right area. Does anyone have an opinion on how the quality of education compares or would you say they're relatively similar? Also if anyone is from Boston what do you think of the area? Also I know that Temple is undergoing renovations, so by the time I get into clinical things will all be brand-new which is nice. I wish this decision was easier 😕 but I'm still feeling really torn.
 
If the quality of the schools are that close (and I expect that they are), go with the cheaper school: Temple. If you are going to be paying off the loans (and not the gov or parents) money should be a factor in your decision. 100 grand plus interest is a lot of money.
 
dentalgirl2010 said:
Here is what actually happen.

http://thedp.com/article/student-assaulted-38th-sansom

If you are going to be stupid and flash your ipod or iphone around then you are just asking for trouble. Yes, Philadelphia isn't the best city crime wise. BUT if you are smart then you don't take back roads or show off what you have to the world, then you will be fine. Also, Temple does have safety officers as well as Penn that will escort you to where ever you need to go. If you are that worried about safety, look at what the school as to offer and see how many students actually take advantage of it. The "stupid" ones are the ones getting themselves in trouble.
Click to expand...

Being smart has nothing to do with this incident. This incident was unforeseen and impossible to prevent regardless of your "streetsmarts" If you actually read the article, you will notice that the student was not robbed of their iphone, which he was NOT "showing off to the world" He was simply listening to it. The crime was senseless. The victim was stabbed but not robbed. 38th and sansom is one of the safest places to be especially at 9AM in the morning. It's so safe that the security probably overlooked that area.

The unfortunate thing about Philly is that most suspects fit a particular description and if you are always overly cautious with that type of suspect, people will criticize you for racial profiling. Isn't that weird?
 
AskJeeves said:
Being smart has nothing to do with this incident. This incident was unforeseen and impossible to prevent regardless of your "streetsmarts" If you actually read the article, you will notice that the student was not robbed of their iphone, which he was NOT "showing off to the world" He was simply listening to it. The crime was senseless. The victim was stabbed but not robbed. 38th and sansom is one of the safest places to be especially at 9AM in the morning. It's so safe that the security probably overlooked that area.

The unfortunate thing about Philly is that most suspects fit a particular description and if you are always overly cautious with that type of suspect, people will criticize you for racial profiling. Isn't that weird?
Click to expand...

Temple's campus reminds me a lot about the movie I AM LEGEND. When six o' clock hits and the sun starts going down, the parking lot/sidewalks become absolutely deserted. Unfortunately, most people don't own a shotgun, Corvette, and a trusty sidekick dog to fight off the bad guys. In my experience, you just have to be smart. Dental school is such a wonderful opportunity, and if you have the chance to go to a CHEAPER alternative, your wallet will feel a lot better four years from now that you decided to tough it out. Try to learn to stay on the Broad St. sidewalks at night, cough up the $400 bucks to park in the lighted garage, and enjoy learning dentistry in one of the better underserved patient bases in the country.
 
You can't go wrong either way. If you're from PA, I'd say definitely Temple and save that $100K. If you're not from PA, I'd say definitely Tufts in my opinion. Can't beat Boston.

As far as safety goes, Tufts is very safe, as long as you're not a girl alone at 2:00am.. on any given night there's two police cars within a couple blocks from the dental school patrolling, usually they're just there to make sure that rowdy club patrons don't start a fight. There was a Tufts student hit in the back of the head with a 2 x 4 outside of the school late at night, but he wasn't hurt too bad. So yeah, if you're smart enough and alert enough to avoid getting hit by a 2 x 4, you should be alright at Tufts 😛
 
Just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone for the input, and that I've decided to choose Temple 🙂
 
Congrats! From your other posts it sounds like you will be saving some big $$$.
 
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