things to consider when selecting dental schools admission?

[jankodejenko]

hello, first off I haven't applied yet but my app is basically done. I'll be happy wherever I can get into but would like to get more insight on things to consider when deciding WHERE I should go for school?

my main reasons are financial and family, but would like to poll for other things I might have missed too.
thanks for your time

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[weaselodeath]

Personally I had three criteria for selecting a school; it had to not be insanely expensive, there had to be a chance in hell of me getting in, and they had to have a good community outreach program. What’s the point of having the ability to do all kinds of low cost work for people if you don’t use it to do something good in your community?

 

[allantois]

1) cost
2) Cost
3) COST

 

[oralcare123]

Even though many people say to consider cost as the main factor, keep in mind that some more expensive schools give you a better, more thorough education.
Exam schedule and number of subjects in a quarter or semester. How large and convenient the lab is
Keep in mind, that at some places you don't pay anything on top of tuition and in others there are additional materials costs, which can be significant
Overall look, feel and convenience of campus is important in my opinion. Ability to eat, rest and exercise. Living costs

 

[desertrat12]

Any factor you put ahead of price will come back to haunt you...

Go to the cheapest school...the end.

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

if my memory served me correctly, you applied a few cycles back already right?

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

It's all about the money, money, money!

Then location, location, location.

Then how well you like the school.

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[doktorinprogres]

Are you trying to specialize? Are you a good enough student to get into an established school that doesn't do traditional ranks? That's the only time I'd consider it worth the money to go to the more expensive school.

Other thing to consider is which school will allow you some time to actually study. Some schools legitimately are in session from 8-5. Some you'll find have a period missing throughout the day or let out class early etc. What's the exam schedule like? Are there summer breaks? Do you have flexibility to attend or not attend classes? These are all things to know not with the express purpose of being as lazy as possible but b/c you know how you study and what you need out of your schedule. Where do kids study, where do they eat in terms of facilities provided is also a tertiary category to judge schools by.

 

[BasicG]

Definitely look at location. Not only will you spend 4 years in the area, but location determines cost of living. For example, Creighton and Louisville are nearly identical when it comes to tuition and fees, but housing in Louisville is $600 more expensive per month, which translates to an extra 29k over the 4 years

 

[TanMan]

Cheap, easy, and 100% board pass rate.
Cheap - no brainer, go to the lowest cost if possible
Easy - Why make your life harder? Find a school that's easy (lenient grading, testing, abundant study materials, etc...)
100% board pass rate - Either because of motivated students or the school is teaching you the board relevant material so you don't really have to do much additional studying.

If you want to specialize, go to a school with a high specialization rate.