The Ask Me Anything About Ucla And Ill Tell You The Truth Thread*

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are any out-of-state students able to get residency after a year or so?

All out-of-state students I know were able to get residency after 1st year. It was almost more of a formality. That really helped with tuition!

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What has been THE hardest class for you? And what have you enjoyed the most while in dental school?

hardest: the pharmacology series
enjoyment: tail-gaiting at the UCLA games
 
I forgot about that!!! What do you have to do to get into the exchange program?

Also, I know there's a dentist in the area that does only dentures. I'm not interested in dentures, but should I see if I can shadow him for a while just so I have some exposure?

the way he does does dentures may be different than the UCLA (really the Dr. Beumer's way) of doing dentures. You're welcome to shadow but don't expect do dentures exactly the way he does it
 
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How many out-of-state classmates do you have (other than from the West Coast states)? Are my chances slim-to-none of getting in from an east coast state even though I have a strong application? Is there housing for married students at UCLA?

there are about 12 out of staters in my class, but as far as east cost I can think of 2. I answered this question on another forum; UCLA considers everybody and wants a diverse population pool (diverse doesnt just mean ethnicity or nationality, it also means background, experiences, majors, skills, talents, different pt of view, etc.) So I would invite you to definitely apply if youre interested.

yes there is married housing, scroll up this thread if you want more info
 
I forgot about that!!! What do you have to do to get into the exchange program?

Also, I know there's a dentist in the area that does only dentures. I'm not interested in dentures, but should I see if I can shadow him for a while just so I have some exposure?

You could check out his office. It probably won't hurt. However, I doubt he does the labwork, which is what you do in the class. The tough part is setting the teeth in the given time. I seriously doubt this dentist does that.

As far as the Japan program goes...they want people who are very outgoing and sociable, love UCLA, love LA, and are excited about the prospect of sharing this with visiting students.
 
I met with a UCLA '97 grad to learn a little more about the school before my interview this Wednesday but I wanted to run a couple of things by you guys to see if any of this has changed in the last 10 years.

1) In clinic, are you grouped in teams of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th year student who share a patient pool and and in which the older guys help the 2nd year when he starts his clinical work? If so, are you grouped randomly or do you get to choose which team you are a part of?

2) Is there still a required research project? I understand there are some cool applied research opportunities like mouthguard research with Dr. Padilla.

3) Do you get the opportunity to do some elective work, like sports dentistry, etc.?

4) Do students get paired with some kind of "mentor" who helps advise on research and other school-related issues?

5) Are there opportunities to do overseas community service trips during the summer?

6) I heard you start in the clinic almost right away assisting the 3rd and 4th years. Is this true?

finally...

7) Does Dr. Park still teach pharm? I hear he is hardcore and will fail you on a test if you look up from your paper and make eye contact with him twice during an exam.

Thanks again so much for your help. I know this is a long list and some of it may be off base but at least this is how things were done 10 years ago!
 
5) Are there opportunities to do overseas community service trips during the summer?

7) Does Dr. Park still teach pharm? I hear he is hardcore and will fail you on a test if you look up from your paper and make eye contact with him twice during an exam.

5) There's the exchange program w/ Japan in the 3rd year.

7) Please don't scare me w/ these kinds of details... Does he really do that? :wow:
 
1) In clinic, are you grouped in teams of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th year student who share a patient pool and and in which the older guys help the 2nd year when he starts his clinical work? If so, are you grouped randomly or do you get to choose which team you are a part of?

We call it a CPC team. There is a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year in a group. They have a pool of patients (40 in my case, which is WAY too many). As a 4th year I will mentor my 2nd year through an operative procedure (filling) and then a fixed procedure (crown). It's a random assignment.

2) Is there still a required research project? I understand there are some cool applied research opportunities like mouthguard research with Dr. Padilla.

Research is not required. There a ton of research opportunities. Not sure who Dr. Padilla is.

3) Do you get the opportunity to do some elective work, like sports dentistry, etc.?

Electives are required. I hears Sports Dentistry is an awesome one. Hopefully I can take that before I leave. There's also Forensic Dentistry.


4) Do students get paired with some kind of "mentor" who helps advise on research and other school-related issues?

If you want a research mentor you have to ask for one. Regarding other school related things, you usually just talk to a 4th year.

5) Are there opportunities to do overseas community service trips during the summer?

There was a trip to Africa last summer. I think it was for 3 or 4 weeks. Heard it was awesome. There are weekend cleft palate trips to Ensenada, Mexico every quarter. I was one of 10 students who went to Japan. We didn't do dentistry. It was more of a cultural exchange. Best trip of my life. Study abroad opportunities are not abundant at UCLA. I really wanted to spend a whole quarter in another country but it wasn't gonna happen.

6) I heard you start in the clinic almost right away assisting the 3rd and 4th years. Is this true?

There is designated clinic time in the 1st and 2nd years when you are supposed to be assisting 3rd or 4th year students in the clinic.

7) Does Dr. Park still teach pharm? I hear he is hardcore and will fail you on a test if you look up from your paper and make eye contact with him twice during an exam.

Hehe. He has 1 or two lectures on antivirals, which is his specialty. He must have calmed down some in the past 10 years because he definitely isn't like that. He doesn't proctor exams. He's too busy for that now. :) He was actually pretty funny when he taught us. People kept streaming into class late...5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes late! The last girl to come in, he asked her for her name in his serious joking way. Don't worry about that.
 
I met with a UCLA '97 grad to learn a little more about the school before my interview this Wednesday but I wanted to run a couple of things by you guys to see if any of this has changed in the last 10 years.

1) In clinic, are you grouped in teams of a 2nd, 3rd and 4th year student who share a patient pool and and in which the older guys help the 2nd year when he starts his clinical work? If so, are you grouped randomly or do you get to choose which team you are a part of?

yea, you are grouped randomly

2) Is there still a required research project? I understand there are some cool applied research opportunities like mouthguard research with Dr. Padilla.

no, who's Dr Padilla?

3) Do you get the opportunity to do some elective work, like sports dentistry, etc.?

i believe so, UCLA offers elective classes during your 3rd and 4th years

4) Do students get paired with some kind of "mentor" who helps advise on research and other school-related issues?

this is only if you want to...students are not required to do research but its a good idea if you want to specialize

5) Are there opportunities to do overseas community service trips during the summer?

yes

6) I heard you start in the clinic almost right away assisting the 3rd and 4th years. Is this true?

i dont know about right away but you do start with/ patient interaction early

finally...

7) Does Dr. Park still teach pharm? I hear he is hardcore and will fail you on a test if you look up from your paper and make eye contact with him twice during an exam.

Dr. Park is now the dean and doesnt teach pharm except for one lecture. The couse is taught by Dr. Yaigela, very tough course that taught by probably one of the smartest profs youre going to meet. Dr. Yaigela literally wrote the book on dental pharmacology.

Thanks again so much for your help. I know this is a long list and some of it may be off base but at least this is how things were done 10 years ago!

From what the past grads (who are now residents) have told me, the school and the clinic is much better now than it was back then

opps the post didnt come out right...oh well
 
Wow, thanks a lot for the responses guys. I guess Dr. Padilla (if that's actually his name) is gone--he was supposedly some big expert on mouthguards. Its funny that you said people came in 20-25 minutes late to Dr. Park's lecture because apparantly he used to lock the door at the start of class so no one could come in late. From what I hear, he's supposed to be a great teacher and as Dean now brings in big time research dollars for the school. Thanks again for the replies.
 
Hey I'm new to SDN and am applying for the 08' cycle. Speaking of vacation PM me about vacations and travel.
 
Dr Hobie & PFM,

Can you tell me more about this trip to Africa? How does that work with such a packed summer schedule? Also how did you get involved with the trip to Japan? Also curious as to how good these look on your resume when applying for a specialty. I plan on getting involved with as many as I can anyway but I just wanted to see how they are viewed in comparison to research and things like that.

Thanks.
 
Dr Hobie & PFM,

Can you tell me more about this trip to Africa? How does that work with such a packed summer schedule? Also how did you get involved with the trip to Japan? Also curious as to how good these look on your resume when applying for a specialty. I plan on getting involved with as many as I can anyway but I just wanted to see how they are viewed in comparison to research and things like that.

Thanks.

For some residency programs there is no substitute for research. Others don't care about it one bit. You can get a feel for this by talking to people who have applied to given programs. The Africa program was run by Dr. Arstein. I believe it took place during our 3 week break at the end of summer quarter, so very little if any school/clinic was missed. Japan is done during Spring Break and summer of 3rd year. You just don't schedule patients when the Japanese students are visiting. Here's the thing about doing stuff to bolster your resume: It will have the biggest impact and effect if it's something you truly want to be part of. Your excitement will be obvious and make it more meaningful. When you get into school, participate in things that interest and excite you, not what you think will look good to others.
 
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For some residency programs there is no substitute for research. Others don't care about it one bit. You can get a feel for this by talking to people who have applied to given programs. The Africa program was run by Dr. Arstein. I believe it took place during our 3 week break at the end of summer quarter, so very little if any school/clinic was missed. Japan is done during Spring Break and summer of 3rd year. You just don't schedule patients when the Japanese students are visiting. Here's the thing about doing stuff to bolster your resume: It will have the biggest impact and effect if it's something you truly want to be part of. Your excitement will be obvious and make it more meaningful. When you get into school, participate in things that interest and excite you, not what you think will look good to others.

That is exactly why I was asking...because the aforementioned activities ARE the kinds of things I am interested in. I'm not very excited about research which is why I was inquiring about alternative activities and how they are viewed in comparison to research. I will most likely get sucked into some sort of research if I can find something I that interests me, but I am more interested in community programs such as the mobile clinic I am involved with at the moment and international programs. I would really like to see UCLA expand their international program options...maybe something to work on while I am there. :D
 
That is exactly why I was asking...because the aforementioned activities ARE the kinds of things I am interested in. I'm not very excited about research which is why I was inquiring about alternative activities and how they are viewed in comparison to research. I will most likely get sucked into some sort of research if I can find something I that interests me, but I am more interested in community programs such as the mobile clinic I am involved with at the moment and international programs. I would really like to see UCLA expand their international program options...maybe something to work on while I am there. :D

coming from admissions pt of view...i hate reading laundry list of activities where an applicant has superficial involvement. i would rather see 3-4 long activities where the applicant is very involved rather than 10-15 activities where where they only joined in one month or so. One of the things i often wonder is if an applicant were not going into dentistry or other grad school (and in the case of your question, a specialty), would they even do extracurriculars. something to think about because it will show during the admissions process if you were really interested in the activities you joined or you were just doing it to put it on the application

About research; its a necessary activity, i dont like doing research either (thats why i didnt become a PhD) but you may learn to appreciate it if you're involved in a project that is really interesting
 
That is exactly why I was asking...because the aforementioned activities ARE the kinds of things I am interested in. I'm not very excited about research which is why I was inquiring about alternative activities and how they are viewed in comparison to research. I will most likely get sucked into some sort of research if I can find something I that interests me, but I am more interested in community programs such as the mobile clinic I am involved with at the moment and international programs. I would really like to see UCLA expand their international program options...maybe something to work on while I am there. :D

While in school, you'll get emails about opportunities like Japan, Africa, cleft palate trips to Mexico, etc. Just check your email and apply before the deadline for each. As for international programs, you could probably do things that take place during vacation time, but it's unlikely you could do it any other time. Rest assured there are many notices via email about opportunities.

Some more thoughts on research:
For endo, ortho, and certain OMS programs it is often important.
For pedo, perio, pros, AEGD, and GPR it is often not important.
 
coming from admissions pt of view...i hate reading laundry list of activities where an applicant has superficial involvement. i would rather see 3-4 long activities where the applicant is very involved rather than 10-15 activities where where they only joined in one month or so. One of the things i often wonder is if an applicant were not going into dentistry or other grad school (and in the case of your question, a specialty), would they even do extracurriculars. something to think about because it will show during the admissions process if you were really interested in the activities you joined or you were just doing it to put it on the application

About research; its a necessary activity, i dont like doing research either (thats why i didnt become a PhD) but you may learn to appreciate it if you're involved in a project that is really interesting

Thanks for the responses (both of you). I appreciate and agree with this point of view. I hope I don't seem like I am trying to beef up the resume, I'm not even positive I want to go into a specialty, it's more of a possible goal than a surety. My interest in international programs actually stems from travel in Indonesia where some of the poorest and most wonderful people in the world live. My first trip there was a life changing experience and I just have a special place in my heart for them. I am actually going back in August before school with an Australian based program called Holidays with a Purpose where a small group travels to help areas affected by the tsunami. We will be going to an island called Nias and the surounding islands to help build homes, bring supplies, play soccer with the local kids or whatever else they need. It's quite exciting and I am looking forward to it. It is also the reason I would like to expand the international programs at UCLA. A buddy of mine who graduated UCLA in '04 works with the Sumba Foundation (also in Indonesia) and they do a lot of needed free dental work there.

Well, I'm sure I speak for the rest of us on this thread when I say thanks for all of the time you guys put in to help us.
 
I asked about the Africa trip at my interview since I'm interested in that type of stuff too and I was told it cost $6000. Even though it would be a great experience, it seems like there might be some easier (and cheaper) ways to do service activities.
 
Also, question on living expenses. The estimated "personal expense" budget on the fact sheet given to me at my interview says students spend around $25k/year on room/board/transportation, etc. Is this a realistic figure? I know it varies from person to person but it seems like that is an enormous amount of money, even if housing alone costs $1000+/month.

On that subject, what is the price range for housing in the area? I'm definitely a small budget type of person, so I'd be looking for a place to live on the lower end of the scale.

Thanks for the help.
 
Also, question on living expenses. The estimated "personal expense" budget on the fact sheet given to me at my interview says students spend around $25k/year on room/board/transportation, etc. Is this a realistic figure? I know it varies from person to person but it seems like that is an enormous amount of money, even if housing alone costs $1000+/month.

On that subject, what is the price range for housing in the area? I'm definitely a small budget type of person, so I'd be looking for a place to live on the lower end of the scale.

Thanks for the help.

25k is a too much and i think it over budget. i spend about 1500/month on room (i have my own bedroom and bathroom) board (i eat like a king) and transportation (i drive to school). if you can find a cheaper place to live and other things to minimize spending then you wont need 25k/yr.

rooms range from 800-1200/mo give or take a few hundred.
 
You can find rooms in west LA for $500-600 per month. They will be small. Just check out www.Craigslist.org if you want to get a decent idea of the rental market. You can live cheaply (compared to any other major city) in LA if you don't mind not having a nice environment. Shoot, one of my classmates rented a balcony from another classmate, weatherproofed it, and paid around $250 a month. Hehehe. Classic.
 
is ucla in california?
is it near los angeles?
is it a state school?
is it considered a university?
is In-n-out the only real reason anybody goes to a CA school?
 
is ucla in california?
is it near los angeles?
is it a state school?
is it considered a university?
is In-n-out the only real reason anybody goes to a CA school?


you may wanna go bother somebody else, theres no place for sarcasm here
 
Any ideas for a married couple with two dogs? I figured I would have to look for a place on Craig's list or through an agent, but if you guys have any ideas they would be appreciated.
 
is ucla in california?
is it near los angeles?
is it a state school?
is it considered a university?
is In-n-out the only real reason anybody goes to a CA school?

Wow, this is a brainless attempt at...humor?
 
Any ideas for a married couple with two dogs? I figured I would have to look for a place on Craig's list or through an agent, but if you guys have any ideas they would be appreciated.

If I were you I'd consider buying a house in west LA, Palms/Mar Vista, Sherman Oaks, or Culver City for around $600K. They're out there. Check www.themls.com. By combining your loans and your wife's income you could cover the monthly mortgage and have a nice investment at the same time.
 
hi guys - thanks a lot for posting on here. the info is really helpful!
if i'm interested in participating in extracurriculars such as research, will i have any downtime?? it seems like that classes are all day and combined with labwork, when do people find time to do extra stuff? i'm interested in doing research and i know ucla has a great program but is there time to participate and still have time to relax, eat, sleep, watch my tv shows, etc? or will i have to spend my weekends/evenings doing that stuff?
thanks in advance...
 
hi guys - thanks a lot for posting on here. the info is really helpful!
if i'm interested in participating in extracurriculars such as research, will i have any downtime?? it seems like that classes are all day and combined with labwork, when do people find time to do extra stuff? i'm interested in doing research and i know ucla has a great program but is there time to participate and still have time to relax, eat, sleep, watch my tv shows, etc? or will i have to spend my weekends/evenings doing that stuff?
thanks in advance...

Here's my breakdown of my freetime by year:

1: fair amount
2: not so much, defintely the worst year
3: pretty darn good, studied a week before exams
4: better than a 9-5 job, chillin....
 
If I were you I'd consider buying a house in west LA, Palms/Mar Vista, Sherman Oaks, or Culver City for around $600K. They're out there. Check www.themls.com. By combining your loans and your wife's income you could cover the monthly mortgage and have a nice investment at the same time.

Do you really think that is feasible? I mean with a loan amount of around $600K the mortgage payments alone would be close to $4,000 let alone property taxes and insurance. It sounds like the smarter thing to do, it just seems like it would be tough. How much extra dough can we get via loans during the year anyway?
 
Here's my breakdown of my freetime by year:

1: fair amount
2: not so much, defintely the worst year
3: pretty darn good, studied a week before exams
4: better than a 9-5 job, chillin....

So then, did you do research? if i started research 1st year, would it be difficult to stay committed your second year? do any students start research first year and take the 2nd year off to continue the third year? thanx.
 
Do you really think that is feasible? I mean with a loan amount of around $600K the mortgage payments alone would be close to $4,000 let alone property taxes and insurance. It sounds like the smarter thing to do, it just seems like it would be tough. How much extra dough can we get via loans during the year anyway?

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure of the numbers yet. I'm tossing the idea around in my head too. I guess a lot depends on how much your wife can earn. You could get Stafford loans to cover $1,500 per month for the mortgage. Definitely worth checking out. You can rent a house with a yard for around $2,500 per month. That'd be great for your dogs. Definitely a good alternative.
 
So then, did you do research? if i started research 1st year, would it be difficult to stay committed your second year? do any students start research first year and take the 2nd year off to continue the third year? thanx.

I did research my 3rd year. Nothing too time intensive. There's an entire spectrum of time involvement for research ranging from a ton to hardly any at all. I think it definitely would be hard to stay committed to research during 2nd year. I don't know about stopping researching during 2nd year. Probably better to just pare down your hours. Don't sweat it though. There's time for what's important to you.
 
I did research my 3rd year. Nothing too time intensive. There's an entire spectrum of time involvement for research ranging from a ton to hardly any at all. I think it definitely would be hard to stay committed to research during 2nd year. I don't know about stopping researching during 2nd year. Probably better to just pare down your hours. Don't sweat it though. There's time for what's important to you.


I agree with the large spectrum when it comes to research time commitment. If you think it is something you will want to jump into early you might consider doing a joint MS degree in oral biology. I think many of the MS course lectures were held during the lunch hour. A few of my classmates took this route. I'm sure it didn't hurt their CV when they were applying to specialty programs.

I conducted a good portion of my research during 2nd year. It's definitely workable. 2nd year at UCLA can be tough, but it's usually more time intensive for people who need more practice when it comes to lab work.
 
Hey drhobie, congratulations on matching at UCLA OMFS. I know those positions are tough to come by.

I was wondering if you were part of the "surgical track" at UCLA. I read something about it on the website but I'd like to learn a little bit more since I've been considering going for OMFS.

Thanks again.
 
Hey drhobie, congratulations on matching at UCLA OMFS. I know those positions are tough to come by.

I was wondering if you were part of the "surgical track" at UCLA. I read something about it on the website but I'd like to learn a little bit more since I've been considering going for OMFS.

Thanks again.

The Surgical Track came about when my class was in the 3rd year. Some of us (including myself) joined it, but it was really set up for students who were not yet 3rd years. It is run by Dr. Shetty. You are assigned a mentor. You are expected to go to all OMS conferences, get honors in all OMS classes, and there might be some other requirements. Now, of course you can have an OMS mentor without being in the Surgical Track, but it won't be an official program. Might be better to ask a 2nd or 3rd year about it since they have greater involvement.
 
Are there opportunities for scholarships for UCLA students? if so, what are they, how much, and how many students get them?

Also what kind of scholarships are awarded to pre-dent applicants?
 
Are there opportunities for scholarships for UCLA students? if so, what are they, how much, and how many students get them?

Also what kind of scholarships are awarded to pre-dent applicants?

We frequently get emails from our financial aid office about scholarships, most of which are for minorities. I don't have any details on these and it's best if you contact the financial aid office for that info.
 
Are there opportunities for scholarships for UCLA students? if so, what are they, how much, and how many students get them?

Also what kind of scholarships are awarded to pre-dent applicants?

the scholarships offered are usually aimed for specific groups and seldom based from merits. we do get other kinds of free money such as professional grants and dental grants. but as you know, almost all of your finances will be in the form of loans.
 
What's the dress code? Like when do you wear scrubs, street cloths, or a tie?
 
What's the dress code? Like when do you wear scrubs, street cloths, or a tie?

When not in clinic: street clothes and your doo rag.
When in clinic: scrubs

Tie: whenever you want to be a mega-pimp
 
When not in clinic: street clothes and your doo rag.
When in clinic: scrubs

Tie: whenever you want to be a mega-pimp

Then a tie will be part of my everyday attire. :p
 
Hey future bruins, who wants to start a UCLA class of 2011 faceook page?
 
any other questions?
 
hey pfm, a couple questions that came to mind...

when i was at ucla, everyone kept talking about how many opportunities there were at ucla compared to other schools. do you feel the same way? what are some of the opportunities that ucla has which other d-schools don't have? basically, why is ucla the best dental school?

also, regarding ec's while in d-school, sure everyone does research, and academic type stuff, but what about things like intermural sports? are a lot of the ucla students involved in those types of social activities? do students go to the football and basketball games on the weekends? basically, how much of a college experience can you have as a ucla dental student?

and does the school put on many social activities for the students? are there many organized events during d school?

thanks pfm...this has been a very helpful thread.
 
There's a lot of research here. Community service, student body association, etc...just like any other school. Why is UCLA the "best"? Best how? Academically or clinically? UCLA isn't the best clinically. As far as academic goes, everyone tends to do well on their boards because of the curriculum here and the fact that everyone studies damn hard. Clinically, there are other schools that are better than UCLA.

College activities? You were supposed to do them in college. =P There's intramural sports and basketball tournaments here if you want to get involved. Each class usually has parties, so it's pretty sociable. Everyone tends to head out for the Rose Bowl games, UCLA-USC...etc.

And no, there are not many social activities for the students that are formally hosted by the school. Just a dental "prom" the first year. Everyone else is organized by your class social chairs.
 
any other questions?

I applied for student housing, but I'm just curious to know if there are any students that commute from the valley or if its just too much an inconvenience to make that drive down the 405. Also, how much time do most students spend doing wax ups or other related things at the school? I heard some people stay till as late as possible and if thats the case, seems like commuting would be a pain.

Thanks
 
any other questions?

Do you happen to know the selective requirements for guaranteed student housing (weyburn)? thanx
 
Random lottery when I was there.
 
I applied for student housing, but I'm just curious to know if there are any students that commute from the valley or if its just too much an inconvenience to make that drive down the 405. Also, how much time do most students spend doing wax ups or other related things at the school? I heard some people stay till as late as possible and if thats the case, seems like commuting would be a pain.

Thanks

there are a number of my class mates that commute from the valley and other places far away. they seemed to have adapted to the commute and the traffic. lab work depends on how fast you are. some are done during class, others take a few more hours per week to finish and the rest stay nights and weekends. my personal opinion, it take so much time commuting and you dont need added stress. my family lives 20miles away but i decided that the $950 dollars/month rent is well worth it not to deal with the hassles of the road.
 
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