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

[asuhdds]

Well when it comes to housing I'd say it isn't too difficult to find a decent apartment within walking distance of UCLA.

I'm just an undergrad at UCLA but I live on the frat row which faces the medical school; I just couldn't stand the dorms. Next year I'll be living in a nice roomy apartment with 3 other guys in the house, about 2 minutes walking distance from the dental school. The place costs about 2450 a month with 2 parking... since it's four of us that'll be roughly 600 bucks, but it's the perfect spot.

If I make it to UCLA dental school I'll still live in that same place.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[H2OPOLODENT]

Out of curiosity, what places do UCLA students match to OMFS? I'm sure there are a bunch of different places, but what are some of the more common ones (if there are such places). Also, how many people a year on average go on to oral surgery? I keep hearing how there are so many people going to ortho from UCLA, but don't hear as much about OMFS match.

 

[ziptree]

Columbia, UCSF, UCLA are a few places this year. A few years ago, it Emory was on the list too.

As for the numbers of people going into OMFS, it's different. One year it was like 13-15, the next year it was 1, this year is higher...not sure exactly what it is. This application year will yield about 10-12 people I'm guessing.

 

[PFM]

Well when it comes to housing I'd say it isn't too difficult to find a decent apartment within walking distance of UCLA.

I'm just an undergrad at UCLA but I live on the frat row which faces the medical school; I just couldn't stand the dorms. Next year I'll be living in a nice roomy apartment with 3 other guys in the house, about 2 minutes walking distance from the dental school. The place costs about 2450 a month with 2 parking... since it's four of us that'll be roughly 600 bucks, but it's the perfect spot.

If I make it to UCLA dental school I'll still live in that same place.

i live one block south of wilshire, which is about 1 mile from the dental school. theres also a shuttle right there and i pay 900/mo for my own room and bath. but in your case the distance isnt an issue (1 or 2 miles is the same pretty much). my concern is the amount of distraction this may potentially have living w/ 3 other ppl. i hope that youll have your own room for dental school because its such a hassle sharing a room even with someone you're friends with. i use to live in an apartment sharing a room w/ 2 others and if i had to go back and do that for dental school, i would've gone crazy. i know a $300 difference per month seem alot but you have to figure convenience and comfort into the equation. in the end, that will only be about $14,000 more for your years of dental school. it may seem alot but relative to the $150,000+ of loans you will have, its my opinion thats its well worth it.

 

[MoobDDS]

I don't remember the exact number, but do you recall if anyone has failed out of ucla dental school?

Just curious about the passing rates. thanks

 

[PFM]

I don't remember the exact number, but do you recall if anyone has failed out of ucla dental school?

Just curious about the passing rates. thanks

its hard to "fail out" at ucla but students do fail courses. in this event, you either retake the test, do some kind of remediation, or retake the course the next year. you have a lot of chances to "pass" a course. the reason why it does not happen that often is because UCLA tends to select Type A "I dont want to fail, even if i can a lot of times and still graduate" students. Just on the fun side, if you come to UCLA, chances are that you will fail something...either a class, exam, practical, etc. But dont be discourage its bound to happen after several quarters of 10-15 exams during exam weeks.

If you flunk out of school, then the admissions committee did not do their job of selecting students that can handle the courses

 

[pre-dentalguy]

So, are these just questions for UCLA only? Or can I ask general dental school questions?

PDG

 

[PFM]

So, are these just questions for UCLA only? Or can I ask general dental school questions?

PDG

sure...but my answers will still be UCLA-based because i have no idea how other schools operate

 

[pre-dentalguy]

sure...but my answers will still be UCLA-based because i have no idea how other schools operate

Awesome... well...

In undergrad we all take chem, physics, and ochem as prereq's. When in Dental School, aside from Biochemistry, do we apply those courses to any other lectures? I know there's histology, Gross Anatomy, etc etc... but you dont use chem for those courses. Are there any other courses that I should be aware of that I'm going to need chemistry as a foundation for?

 

[PFM]

Awesome... well...

In undergrad we all take chem, physics, and ochem as prereq's. When in Dental School, aside from Biochemistry, do we apply those courses to any other lectures? I know there's histology, Gross Anatomy, etc etc... but you dont use chem for those courses. Are there any other courses that I should be aware of that I'm going to need chemistry as a foundation for?

Chemistry: im sure you need to know some chemistry to do biochem, dental materials uses it somewhat, pharmacology somewhat, sometimes in physiology and neurophysiology

Physics: the only thing i can think of is the beginings of oral radiology

But as a whole, I think they make you take the chem and physics classes as a prereq because they want you to have a foundation. We are "scientist" afterall and i think in order to know biology, you have to know the basics of chem and physics

 

[DENTZY]

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.

HEY PFM

I will joining school this summer as 3rd year foreign graduate.Since you are in 3rd year at UCLA,I would appreciate if you can answer a few questions for me.

1.Could you tell me how to prepare myself before I get into school.
2.Could you tell me authors of books that you study in 3rd year?
3.What are the normal schedule timings at school(including lab time etc)
4.Also, I want to move in an apartment within walking distance of UCLA.So could you name a few good apartment buildings( with rent range 1000-1400) around the campus(if you know any)? I have applied for UCLA housing but it seems I am very low down on their waiting list.
p.s-I have already been looking up internet renting sites.So,pls. give me a few names rather than asking me to go & google.

 

[PFM]

HEY PFM

I will joining school this summer as 3rd year foreign graduate.Since you are in 3rd year at UCLA,I would appreciate if you can answer a few questions for me.

1.Could you tell me how to prepare myself before I get into school.
2.Could you tell me authors of books that you study in 3rd year?
3.What are the normal schedule timings at school(including lab time etc)
4.Also, I want to move in an apartment within walking distance of UCLA.So could you name a few good apartment buildings( with rent range 1000-1400) around the campus(if you know any)? I have applied for UCLA housing but it seems I am very low down on their waiting list.
p.s-I have already been looking up internet renting sites.So,pls. give me a few names rather than asking me to go & google.

1. as far as i know theres really nothing you could do to prepare for school. maybe start your tooth collection because endo teeth are very hard to come by.
2. most of the lecture materials are presented on powerpoint handouts. a lot of my classmates have not even bought a single textbook in dental school. but if you want, heres one
-Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
by Edward Ellis, James R. Hupp, Myron R. Tucker
3. scheduling for PPID students are different for summer. you guys actually take more class in the summer compared to the other third years. so you have to ask student affairs for what the summer schedule is like.
4. you can call the student affair for help on this one because i don't know whats available around the area

good luck

 

[fightingspirit]

Some would call that irresponsible. .

nope....i'd call it golden wisdom. i am sure you'll never forget that summer. throughout your residency years as an OMFS, whenever things get rough, all you need to do is close your eyes and remember those european summer days. it will bring a smile on your face and at that moment, you'll remember once again how there was a time when you lived life to the fullest. i get the same feeling everytime i remember how i went scuba diving and touched a turtle, as it was passing by under the water....these are moments that never loose their luster. without them, we are dead.

 

[PFM]

bump

This thread from last year may help all of you incomming students with your questions about UCLA

 

[lemoncurry]

my biggest questions are: will they ever invite me to interview and will they accept me?


also, do you know anything about the "family" apartments they have that are about 5 miles from campus?

 

[hattrack04]

I'm a midwesterner that got accepted for the Fall '08 incoming class.......I'm deciding between Penn and UCLA. I know dental school will be stressful, but I hear at Penn it is much worse because of the stiff competition and cut-throat attitude among students. How is it at UCLA? Does it seem to be more relaxed?.....relatively speaking that is.....

 

[PFM]

I'm a midwesterner that got accepted for the Fall '08 incoming class.......I'm deciding between Penn and UCLA. I know dental school will be stressful, but I hear at Penn it is much worse because of the stiff competition and cut-throat attitude among students. How is it at UCLA? Does it seem to be more relaxed?.....relatively speaking that is.....

Here's what I wrote for an international student that privately message me.

First of all I can't really compare the two schools because I have no idea how things are done at UPenn. But, from my experiences at UCLA, clinic is what you make of it. That is to say you can do the bare minimum to graduate or you can be on top of things and get as much clinical experience that you can handle. Yes it is true that UCLA is located in a upscale part of town and may get fewer patient compared to adjacent school but most of the patients you get are complex (meaning they need almost everything and not just cleanings or simple restorative work). To me, the quality of patients outweight the quantity. A couple of things: 1) UCLA has a great specialty rate only because the curriculum is very difficult (some say harder than most US medical schools) and thats why we do so well on boards. You don't have to specialize but don't you want to learn as much as you can about dentistry in depth? Thats what the curriculum will do; and 2) yes research is big but that doesn't mean you have to do research. What that means for you is that the professors that are teaching you are at the forefront of dental research and what you learn here are current results of dental research (big plus if you want to be current with Dx and Tx etc).

As far as jobs, like any big metropolitan area, LA is saturated with general dentist but if you do somehow reconsider specializing especially in endo then the job market look way better.

Lastly, the student body likes team players so you may have a hard time from other students if you do not know how to work well with others.

I hope this helps you out. I know that you can't go wrong either way you choose because both are great schools. Good luck.

 

[Montserrat]

I'm a midwesterner that got accepted for the Fall '08 incoming class.......I'm deciding between Penn and UCLA. I know dental school will be stressful, but I hear at Penn it is much worse because of the stiff competition and cut-throat attitude among students. How is it at UCLA? Does it seem to be more relaxed?.....relatively speaking that is.....

I know absolutely nothing about UCLA, but I do know a fair number of Penn dental residents and second year dental students when I worked as a student researcher there last year. The coffee area in the main lobby to the right of the Au Bon Pain is a decent place to gauge student interaction. There are a lot of students there who are complete Burberry umbrella toting douches. They aren't all that hard to spot, and they do bring that cut throat, ice curtain with them wherever they go. However, if you are the type of person that doesn't mind forming a small niche of trustworthy friends without worrying about being on good terms with everyone, I think you'll do fine there.

 

[kapadiakk]

The international program @ UCLA is fairly new. It wasn’t there when I was there 9 years ago. If you look for a strong clinical program, UCLA may not be a good choice since there are not enough patients. You have to call the patients yourselves to make dental appointments…some are very compliant, some are not. Because of the lack of patients, clinical requirements are low compared to other schools. For example, to graduate from UCLA, you only need to do 12 single crowns (36 at USC, 50 at Loma Linda), 4 root canals (8-10 at USC), 2 bridges (5-6 at USC).

Despite such problem, I still received adequate clinical training at UCLA. You may not have enough hands-on training at UCLA, but you will learn a lot in diagnosing and treatment planning….and to me , treatment planning is much more important than clinical skills since your clinical skills can be improved over time.

 

[hattrack04]

How is the graduate housing for singles at UCLA?? I've heard they are pretty nice. And I know you can only live there for the first 2 years. Do they have mostly 1 bedroom apts or are the majority of them 2 bedroom?? Does it include a parking spot??

 

[charlestweed]

How is the graduate housing for singles at UCLA?? I've heard they are pretty nice. And I know you can only live there for the first 2 years. Do they have mostly 1 bedroom apts or are the majority of them 2 bedroom?? Does it include a parking spot??

A lot of dental students live in a faculty apt bldg (owned by UCLA) on Gayley Ave. (only 10 min walk to D-school). I believe they are all 2 bdr 2 bath apts. Each apt unit has 2 tandem parking spaces. The rent in Westwood is so high….you’ll need to find roommate(s) to split the rent $. There is also another similar apt complex (on Triverton Ave.) where a lot D-students live.

There is a dorm right next to D-school (only 2 min walk) for health professional students….I think only D1and D2 students can live there and they will not let you stay in there during major holidays (ie Xmas, Easter etc).

You pay less if you live further away…..but you have to drive (traffic to UCLA is horrible) and you have to pay for expensive annual parking permit….so I don’t think you really save much.

I know a lot of you want privacy and don’t want to live w/ roommates. I find living w/ my 4 roommates very beneficial: they got extra lecture handouts for me when I ditched classes, they let me borrow dental instruments when I desperately needed them, they gave me their patients so I could fulfill my clinical requirements, they all wanted to specialize….

Good luck w/ your dental education @ UCLA.

 

[Pilot Mike]

How is the graduate housing for singles at UCLA?? I've heard they are pretty nice. And I know you can only live there for the first 2 years. Do they have mostly 1 bedroom apts or are the majority of them 2 bedroom?? Does it include a parking spot??

Weyburn Terrace is really nice and has a lot of D1 and D2 students. We do have to move out after the 2nd year, but for the first 2 years its a great place to live. Its about a 10 minute walk to school at most, there's a bus that also runs every 15 minutes to school, and we have free utilities (gas, electricity, cable, internet, water). The assignments for 1 or 2 bedrooms are done at random, but you can request to have a roomate that you know if you both request to live with each other. Parking spots here are tandom and single spaces, and the parking pass also allows you to park at the lots near the dental school after 430pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. There's also a gym near Weyburn as well as the Wooden Center which is about a ten minute walk. Lots of my classmates live here in Weyburn and we all love it here.

Best of luck

 

[hattrack04]

Weyburn Terrace is really nice and has a lot of D1 and D2 students. We do have to move out after the 2nd year, but for the first 2 years its a great place to live. Its about a 10 minute walk to school at most, there's a bus that also runs every 15 minutes to school, and we have free utilities (gas, electricity, cable, internet, water). The assignments for 1 or 2 bedrooms are done at random, but you can request to have a roomate that you know if you both request to live with each other. Parking spots here are tandom and single spaces, and the parking pass also allows you to park at the lots near the dental school after 430pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. There's also a gym near Weyburn as well as the Wooden Center which is about a ten minute walk. Lots of my classmates live here in Weyburn and we all love it here.

Best of luck

Thanks for the help! Are there a limited number of rooms available at Weyburn?....or do all students have the chance to live there if they want?

 

[Pilot Mike]

Thanks for the help! Are there a limited number of rooms available at Weyburn?....or do all students have the chance to live there if they want?

Not all students get Weyburn unfortunately. Once you are accepted and get your acceptance package, you can apply for housing at Weyburn and can put in your preferences for where you want to live, like Weyburn studio, 2 bed townhome, etc. I do think that the earlier you apply for Weyburn housing, the better your chances are to get what you want.

Hope that helps

 

[DRMarkyMark]

Pilot Mike? I heard about you.

 

[Fonz]

Would we get to use the undergrad gym or do people get a different gym membership?

 

[PFM]

Would we get to use the undergrad gym or do people get a different gym membership?

you can use the undergrad gym...in fact its part of your tuition

 

[harjay]

How does the quarter system compare to your undergrad? I had the quarter system at UCSD, but I'm curious how it works out for people who are used to the semester system.
Do you still have the steady rhythms of exams? (none early, then midterms for a week or so, then nothing, then finals)

 

[PFM]

How does the quarter system compare to your undergrad? I had the quarter system at UCSD, but I'm curious how it works out for people who are used to the semester system.
Do you still have the steady rhythms of exams? (none early, then midterms for a week or so, then nothing, then finals)

you have 2 exam weeks per quarter where all you do that week is take tests (midterm and finals). these are killer weeks (7-15 exams that week depending what quarter and what year youre in). good luck

 

[hattrack04]

Does UCLA require health insurance?? Thanks!

 

[hattrack04]

bumpin

 

[Khala Jaan]

ucsf makes u buy their health insurance! that is totally bogus! he said he's saving $50 for each student by making us all pay for it 2,700 a year! even if we already are covered!

Does UCLA require health insurance?? Thanks!

 

[predental1984]

Hey Khalajaan, did you get into ucsf? and would you go over UCLA?

 

[UCSF2012]

ucsf makes u buy their health insurance! that is totally bogus! he said he's saving $50 for each student by making us all pay for it 2,700 a year! even if we already are covered!

WHAT!?!?!?!?! I havn't had health insurance for some time now, and I'm still alive!

 

[hattrack04]

but how about UCLA??

 

[Khala Jaan]

Hey Khalajaan, did you get into ucsf? and would you go over UCLA?

i just interviewed in friday...yes, i will choose ucsf over ucla...99% sure now ..im praying i get in..then ill make some lists..for now iv put down the ucla deposit

 

[Khala Jaan]

WHAT!?!?!?!?! I havn't had health insurance for some time now, and I'm still alive!

ha! my dad just found out that the dep child age limit just went up for him..so he can cover me until im done with dental school! so it sucks cuz hes like paying twice for me then

 

[hattrack04]

haha let me try this one more time .....Does UCLA require their students to have health insurance???? I keep on getting v-mail when I call the student affairs office....

 

[Regmata]

haha let me try this one more time .....Does UCLA require their students to have health insurance???? I keep on getting v-mail when I call the student affairs office....

i thought all schools require students to have health insurance...often, if you don't provide proof of your own health insurance, they sign you up and bill you for theirs...

 

[charlestweed]

haha let me try this one more time .....Does UCLA require their students to have health insurance???? I keep on getting v-mail when I call the student affairs office....

Yes, you have to pay the mandatory medical insurance fee (it is a part of your tuition).

http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Fees/winter08fee.htm#Anchor-Dentistry-47857

 

[dayfu17]

I've got a question - has anyone at UCLA bought a house? Or is it just too unrealistic? My wife is going to be working, so we should have an income that would be able to cover a mortgage and then some. We have enough savings to put down a respectable down payment. Does anyone think that it would be a good idea? Or would it just be crazy. The housing market is in a slump, so I figured that maybe in like 6 months, after prices have fallen a little more, it might be a good time to try and buy one that we could live in for the four years of dental school. Maybe I am crazy though, I know how expensive things are in LA.

 

[Purpletrinity]

Hi PFM (or any other UCLA Dental Students),

I'm currently volunteering at the UCLA Dental school and was wondering if you knew of any 3rd or 4th years that needed a research assistant?

I am really interested in research and would be willing to do all the "dirty" work just to learn some more. I've considered working with a professor, but was told that it was extremely competitive and that the openings were full.

Any advice/info you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Annie

 

[PFM]

I've got a question - has anyone at UCLA bought a house? Or is it just too unrealistic? My wife is going to be working, so we should have an income that would be able to cover a mortgage and then some. We have enough savings to put down a respectable down payment. Does anyone think that it would be a good idea? Or would it just be crazy. The housing market is in a slump, so I figured that maybe in like 6 months, after prices have fallen a little more, it might be a good time to try and buy one that we could live in for the four years of dental school. Maybe I am crazy though, I know how expensive things are in LA.

Its certainly possible to buy a house because some of my classmates have during dental school. However, a word of warning that if you are not familiar with the housing in LA it is ridiculously expensive especially in the west LA area. But, with that said, feel free to shop around and maybe you will find something to your liking that fits your budget. If I had money before dental school, I would have definitely considered buying a house or some kind of a condo etc because my rent was just a waste and I would have rather invested it in a mortgage. So, you're not crazy but at the same time be smart about where to buy and when to buy.

 

[PFM]

Hi PFM (or any other UCLA Dental Students),

I'm currently volunteering at the UCLA Dental school and was wondering if you knew of any 3rd or 4th years that needed a research assistant?

I am really interested in research and would be willing to do all the "dirty" work just to learn some more. I've considered working with a professor, but was told that it was extremely competitive and that the openings were full.

Any advice/info you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Annie

hey annie,
there are lots of student doing lab but as far as i know, they are the ones doing the dirty work for the PIs and the postdocs (at least that what I did when I was doing research). If you want to find a reseach, you may want to consider helping one of the residents, I'm sure they would welcome the help. good luck

 

[dat_student]

i thought all schools require students to have health insurance...often, if you don't provide proof of your own health insurance, they sign you up and bill you for theirs...

That's my understanding too

 

[dat_student]

you have 2 exam weeks per quarter where all you do that week is take tests (midterm and finals). these are killer weeks (7-15 exams that week depending what quarter and what year youre in). good luck

I liked the summer quarter of 1st yr. It was awesome. We had so much fun.

 

[dat_student]

Out of curiosity, what places do UCLA students match to OMFS? I'm sure there are a bunch of different places, but what are some of the more common ones (if there are such places). Also, how many people a year on average go on to oral surgery? I keep hearing how there are so many people going to ortho from UCLA, but don't hear as much about OMFS match.

Not everybody wants to be an ortho. It really depends on what students want to do. Use UCLA as a spring board to get into whatever you wish to get into. The school helps you get there as long as you put time and effort into it.

 

[Purpletrinity]

Hi PFM,

Thanks for the advice. Are you still at the school? Do you know of anyone in particular or suggestions on how to get a hold of the residents? There isn't that much contact with students or residents when I volunteer. The most contact I have with students is when Im in central services and I don't know if any of them are residents.

Thanks so much!

 

[Fonz]

More on dress code: Can you wear your own scrubs in clinic or do you have to wear the UCLA issued scrubs?

 

[dr bojangles]

same question with residency. i'm from east coast, do you know many classmates (or applicants for that matter) who came from outside CA? is preference given to cali residents (i assume so as it bears the UC title)?