Texas school decision

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aggies12

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I know there have been some similar threads about this, but I desperately need some up to date advice on deciding which Texas school to attend. Texas A&M Baylor was not a good fit in terms of location, although I have heard wonderful things about this program. So my decision is between SA and Houston. I have always wanted to attend SA since I grew up around Austin, so am much more familiar with SA vs. Houston. I did not grow up in a city, nor do I enjoy being in cities, so the more suburban location in SA is a huge plus for me. However, I did not have the best interview day at SA, and got a very uptight/unhappy vibe from everyone there, which I would have figured normal for a dental school if not for Houston. I would rather be close to family, but I also realize I'll be so busy I won't have much time to visit anyway. I LOVED the "family" atmosphere at Houston, and was surprised to see how upbeat and happy the students and faculty seemed. I also know there has been a curriculum change there that sounded pretty appealing. But, the thought of living in Houston for 4 years is pretty depressing to be honest.

Any advice would be helpful, thanks in advance!
 
I don't think you should choose based on the students you saw at SA on your interview day unless they literally grabbed you by the shoulders and told you to run away. I actually got a laid back / happy vibe from the students at SA on my interview day, so I don't think it's a reliable indicator.

They're both good programs, so I think you should choose the city you'd rather live in for 4 years. Sounds like you should choose SA!
 
Go to SA. I didn't get a stuck up vibe when I interviewed there. The students were really nice!
 
Thank y'all so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I never thought the students were stuck up, just not as lively, but then again my personality is not very bubbly so maybe that would be a better fit anyway haha. Thanks again!
 
During my SA interview, both my student tour guide and interviewer seemed very nice, helpful, and happy. My student interviewer even offered me tips for my faculty interview. With a class size of 100, I am sure you will find all kinds of classmates in each TX school.

Since SA has the best location for you, I agree with others that SA is most likely the best school for you.
 
Does SA still require third years to repeat a whole year if they don't meet point requirements? I seem to remember students at Houston saying if they don't finish, it's just made up in the summer. Just curious!
 
aggies12 said:
Does SA still require third years to repeat a whole year if they don't meet point requirements? I seem to remember students at Houston saying if they don't finish, it's just made up in the summer. Just curious!
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I wouldn't be surprised. Most schools require you to repeat or take the class during another time. Dental school is on a tight, jam-packed schedule so if you mess up one class, you may just have to do a 5th year there or be dismissed from the school. Though, you should know if you are on the brink of failure, there's plenty of help everywhere.
 
I didn't like that SA doesn't teach to the boards or offer review classes/mock boards unlike Houston. So if that's important to you, something to consider.
 
Typical Average Student said:
I wouldn't be surprised. Most schools require you to repeat or take the class during another time. Dental school is on a tight, jam-packed schedule so if you mess up one class, you may just have to do a 5th year there or be dismissed from the school. Though, you should know if you are on the brink of failure, there's plenty of help everywhere.
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My question was regarding the difference in how the two schools would handle that situation, and more specifically to clinic requirements, not classes (although that is also helpful information!). I honestly was not surprised SA would make you repeat a year, even if you were short by a few points. I was surprised when I heard the other schools don't have that policy (you just take extra time in the summer) but I did not hear this from the schoolsdirectly so I'm not sure of this. I just think it says something about the program and how much they are willing to work with students. Thanks for the reply!
 
aggies12 said:
Does SA still require third years to repeat a whole year if they don't meet point requirements? I seem to remember students at Houston saying if they don't finish, it's just made up in the summer. Just curious!
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Yes, SA does require you to repeat a whole year if you don't meet the point requirements. It happened to a friend of my friend who both go to school there. He was a third year at the time and now this person is currently in their 5th year of dental school.

EDIT: I didn't mean for this post to scare anyone. SA is a fantastic school known for producing great dentists. I believe this was a crazy incident so don't let it deter you from wanting to go to SA.
 
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MasterOfNone15 said:
Yes, SA does require you to repeat a whole year if you don't meet the point requirements. It happened to a friend of my friend who both go to school there. He was a third year at the time and now this person is currently in their 5th year of dental school :/
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During my interview at SA I inquired about this. My interviewer told me if you fail ONE class they have time allotted during the summer to retake it.
 
MasterOfNone15 said:
Yes, SA does require you to repeat a whole year if you don't meet the point requirements. It happened to a friend of my friend who both go to school there. He was a third year at the time and now this person is currently in their 5th year of dental school :/
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Did he mention why he didn't meet the point requirements? Did he not have enough patients, or did he fail too many of his reqs (and therefore didn't receive points for the failed work), or did he just dilly dally until the last month or something? Or some freak incident?

The professors I talked to at SA said that if someone fails third year, it's because they aren't competent enough to move on, not because they are just a few points short.
 
Advance said:
During my interview at SA I inquired about this. My interviewer told me if you fail ONE class they have time allotted during the summer to retake it.
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I think it was a requirement needed in the clinic. Maybe this is the case if it is a didactic course? I could be wrong though because I didn't ask this question at my interview.

strep mutans said:
Did he mention why he didn't meet the point requirements? Did he not have enough patients, or did he fail too many of his reqs (and therefore didn't receive points for the failed work), or did he just dilly dally until the last month or something? Or some freak incident?

The professors I talked to at SA said that if someone fails third year, it's because they aren't competent enough to move on, not because they are just a few points short.
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Hmm so I was told it was a weird and unfortunate situation. I think it had more to do with the patient(s)? rather than the student and I was told that it was kind of an unfair situation. I don't know if the whole competent thing is true, but I also don't know the full details of this story. The only reason I question it is because I've been told that this person ended up being the one of the top producers in their class for the following years. Like I said, don't quote me on the details of the story because I don't know this person or what entirely happened but this is what I told from another student. There is also a possibility that some rules have been changed so students don't have to repeat an entire year? With the new building going up and a lot of changes being made to the curriculum, it is possible that now we're being told the new rules. Sorry if I freaked anyone out.
 
MasterOfNone15 said:
I think it was a requirement needed in the clinic. Maybe this is the case if it is a didactic course? I could be wrong though because I didn't ask this question at my interview.



Hmm so I was told it was a weird and unfortunate situation. I think it had more to do with the patient(s)? rather than the student and I was told that it was kind of an unfair situation. I don't know if the whole competent thing is true, but I also don't know the full details of this story. The only reason I question it is because I've been told that this person ended up being the one of the top producers in their class for the following years. Like I said, don't quote me on the details of the story because I don't know this person or what entirely happened but this is what I told from another student. There is also a possibility that some rules have been changed so students don't have to repeat an entire year? With the new building going up and a lot of changes being made to the curriculum, it is possible that now we're being told the new rules. Sorry if I freaked anyone out.
Click to expand...

I have also heard of changes being made to the curriculum, but only on the didactic side, and this doesn't seem to be set in stone. Thank you for the info! I'm sure freak incidents happen or personal situations occur that would cause someone to not meet requirements, but I just don't seem to hear similar situations at the other Texas schools, so was just curious.
 
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