If any current students could answer some of these questions that'd be great!! I only found some answers from like 10 years ago so some updated info would be great, I'm curious about the clinical requirements
Standard Format:
1) Name of Your Dental School
2) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?
3) What is the hardest class? Why?
4) What is the easiest class? Why?
5) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabatoge each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?
6) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?
7) Are there any classes taken with medical students? If so, which ones?
8) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?
9) Is there a notetaking service for lecture available?
10) Is class attendance mandatory?
11) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?
12) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?
13) What is the % first time board pass rate? What is the average score?
14) When do you take the NDBE? 1st year or second year? (I guess this wouldn't apply for us since we're taking the combined boards!!)
15) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? If not, do you have to study simultaneously with classes?
16) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?
17) Are patients readily available to fulfill clinical requirements or do you have to do a lot of work to get them in?
18) Is it a hassle to get a chair once you get patients in? In your opinion, does your school have enough chairs?
19) What are the clinical requirements to graduate? (number of crowns, fillings, etc...) Is it reasonably attainable or pretty difficult?
20) Are there opportunities for different off-site dental clinic rotations? If so, what are they?
21) Are there opportunites for outreach trips to underserved areas or countries? If so, what are they and for how long?
22) Is there sufficent preparation for practice management? What career placement opportunites does your school offer?
23) What is the dress code at your school? Scrubs? For what years?
Please feel free to add any other potentially helpful information about your dental school below! Multiple posts about each school are definitely appreciated if there is something new you feel is worth adding!
Standard Format:
2) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?
First semester is block schedule, after that it's mixed
3) What is the hardest class? Why?
Debatable but probably Body, Health, and Disease or Oral Histo
4) What is the easiest class? Why?
Foundations or Population Oral Health
5) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabatoge each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?
Nah not really, yes people help each other
6) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?
No textbooks, everything online.
7) Are there any classes taken with medical students? If so, which ones?
Yes, first year and a half you take Molecular Mechanisms, Body, Health, and Disease , Histology, and Anatomy with the med students
8) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?
1st two years are Pass/Fail. After that P/F/H.
9) Is there a notetaking service for lecture available?
Nothing on a large scale, sure something on a case by case basic could be worked out.
10) Is class attendance mandatory?
Med School no, dental classes yes.
11) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?
Most are approachable.
12) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?
Yup, every one has a big and eventually a little as well.
13) What is the % first time board pass rate? What is the average score?
Not sure this really applies anymore as we are the last class to take NBDE, but this information is on the website.
14) When do you take the NDBE? 1st year or second year? (I guess this wouldn't apply for us since we're taking the combined boards!!)
It won't apply but we take it winter of second year.
15) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? If not, do you have to study simultaneously with classes?
We get an extended winter break, about 4-5 weeks or so.
16) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?
People study mostly either in the VEC, Hammer, or at home. Some study on main campus.
17) Are patients readily available to fulfill clinical requirements or do you have to do a lot of work to get them in?
Patients are readily avaliable.
18) Is it a hassle to get a chair once you get patients in? In your opinion, does your school have enough chairs?
Not in clinic proper yet but we just opened VC-5 so another floor of chairs. Have heard things can get busy some days but can't say for sure.
19) What are the clinical requirements to graduate? (number of crowns, fillings, etc...) Is it reasonably attainable or pretty difficult?
No idea as of yet.
20) Are there opportunities for different off-site dental clinic rotations? If so, what are they?
Many will do rotations for the specialty of their interest, including at other locations in NYC and outside of it. There if you want to do it.
21) Are there opportunites for outreach trips to underserved areas or countries? If so, what are they and for how long?
Yes there are, both with the dental school and the medical school as well.
22) Is there sufficent preparation for practice management? What career placement opportunites does your school offer?
Can't say as of yet.
23) What is the dress code at your school? Scrubs? For what years?
Casual in non-clinic settings. Scrubs when in patient care.
