Top Dental Schools?

[ddsnp]

Hey guys I was wondering which are the top dental schools that are out there. Is there a website where I can find this information? And does it really matter where you go to dental school...or are all dental schools pretty much the same? I already applied to some schools, but I was thinking on applying to some schools that are really good. I really want to stay in the midwest or the east coast. California is too far. So, are UPENN or Columbia very hard to get into? My stats are....3.88 gpa with a AA/TS/PA of 22/23/20.

Thanks a lot.

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[ISU_Steve]

There are no rankings for dental schools.

As I said in an earlier thread:
It's all personal opinion. If you do a search for opinions or comparisons between dental schools you'll find them ranted, raved, bitched and complained about ad nauseum on SDN.

Here are the links to all the dental schools:
http://www.adea.org/links/default.htm
Have fun developing your own opinions- it's a valuable skill that far more people on here need to learn to utilize (not you necessarily, but I do have a specific person in mind when I say this ).

 

[savvysearch]

Hey guys I was wondering which are the top dental schools that are out there. Is there a website where I can find this information? And does it really matter where you go to dental school...or are all dental schools pretty much the same? I already applied to some schools, but I was thinking on applying to some schools that are really good. I really want to stay in the midwest or the east coast. California is too far. So, are UPENN or Columbia very hard to get into? My stats are....3.88 gpa with a AA/TS/PA of 22/23/20.

Thanks a lot.

You have a very good change of getting into both schools. Your stats are higher than those schools' averages.

 

[drhobie7]

Hey guys I was wondering which are the top dental schools that are out there. Is there a website where I can find this information? And does it really matter where you go to dental school...or are all dental schools pretty much the same? I already applied to some schools, but I was thinking on applying to some schools that are really good. I really want to stay in the midwest or the east coast. California is too far. So, are UPENN or Columbia very hard to get into? My stats are....3.88 gpa with a AA/TS/PA of 22/23/20.

Thanks a lot.

My advice for picking a school is to go somewhere you'll like living for the next 4 years and maybe longer. You can build a lot of contacts in the dental community while in school. Also, you should meet some students and see if they're the types of people you'd like to be around for 40+ hrs per week. I think the reputation of a school is secondary. Your patients probably won't ever know where you went, nor will they care. Your board score will largely dictate if and where you specialize. So, you should go where you want, even if it's not some huge name school. It'd be a good idea to talk with some 2nd and 4th years to get a good picture of the didactic and clinical experiences.

 

[ecdoesit]

This doesnt necessary apply to UCLA.
The weather is perfect. I dont think there are that many of us who want to come back after we graduate, proven by the fact that not that many alumni are willing to donate(most contributions are from faculty themselves). However, since everybody who chose UCLA decide to specialize now or later, you have all these motivated people working toward that same goal. This is not what you get everywhere.

Btw, please dont choose a school based on students' stats. Stats give little info about a sch. Focus more on how the curriculum is structured(best way is from 2nd and 4th yr students). UCLA wants high stats cos our curriculum will grind us up and challenge to crack up down. Dentistry could be a very stressful career. It is one of the way they help us to stay sane later on.

My advice for picking a school is to go somewhere you'll like living for the next 4 years and maybe longer. You can build a lot of contacts in the dental community while in school. Also, you should meet some students and see if they're the types of people you'd like to be around for 40+ hrs per week. I think the reputation of a school is secondary. Your patients probably won't ever know where you went, nor will they care. Your board score will largely dictate if and where you specialize. So, you should go where you want, even if it's not some huge name school. It'd be a good idea to talk with some 2nd and 4th years to get a good picture of the didactic and clinical experiences.

 

[bor0000]

you should definitely try Harvard as the top school, and UCLA is up there. If i had your stats, the choice would be easy for me.

"My advice for picking a school is to go somewhere you'll like living for the next 4 years and maybe longer. You can build a lot of contacts in the dental community while in school. Also, you should meet some students and see if they're the types of people you'd like to be around for 40+ hrs per week."
i for one wouldnt know where i want to stay later. i think it's much easier to plan such things if you have a steady gf, but if you're single, you have more chances of finding a girl not necessarily in the same location where you would practice dentistry for the rest of your career.

 

[drhobie7]

you should definitely try Harvard as the top school, and UCLA is up there. If i had your stats, the choice would be easy for me.

"My advice for picking a school is to go somewhere you'll like living for the next 4 years and maybe longer. You can build a lot of contacts in the dental community while in school. Also, you should meet some students and see if they're the types of people you'd like to be around for 40+ hrs per week."
i for one wouldnt know where i want to stay later. i think it's much easier to plan such things if you have a steady gf, but if you're single, you have more chances of finding a girl not necessarily in the same location where you would practice dentistry for the rest of your career.

Hi,
Another thing you should consider is whether or not you want to be a scientist or a clinician. Some schools will lean one way or the other. Harvard, I have been told, leans strongly toward scientist. Yes, this is heresay, but it's what I've heard. I bet 95% of dental students are going to want to be clinicians when they graduate. It's to your advantage to know if a school prioritizes clinical experience as much or greater than didactic. To get that info you'd probably have to talk with a 4th year, someone who has done both the clinical and didactic years.

 

[bor0000]

drhobie, thanks. i am actually not sure what i want to be as of now, so i'd like a school that offers both options. i am certainly gearing my ugrad major towards research. and i dont have any specific questions towards anybody. but i bet if those students that interviewed, did make a summary about every school they interviewed at(or any school they found worth mentiononing), i'd learn something new.

 

[ISU_Steve]

I believe you should take a look at this Bor0000

The SDN Interview Feedback page: http://www.studentdoctor.net/interviewdent/index.asp

 

[bor0000]

ok thanks

 

[jk5177]

This doesnt necessary apply to UCLA.
The weather is perfect. I dont think there are that many of us who want to come back after we graduate, proven by the fact that not that many alumni are willing to donate(most contributions are from faculty themselves). However, since everybody who chose UCLA decide to specialize now or later, you have all these motivated people working toward that same goal. This is not what you get everywhere.

Btw, please dont choose a school based on students' stats. Stats give little info about a sch. Focus more on how the curriculum is structured(best way is from 2nd and 4th yr students). UCLA wants high stats cos our curriculum will grind us up and challenge to crack up down. Dentistry could be a very stressful career. It is one of the way they help us to stay sane later on.

Your posts do a beautiful job marketing UCLA!

 

[drhobie7]

Your posts do a beautiful job marketing UCLA!

Hehehe, yes we can count on Eric to provide the cons of UCLA. 😀 No seriously, that's his right and it helps create a balanced view. But there are plenty of students who like the school. I think most of my class is quite happy. They're not on here writing about it though.

About half of UCLA grads go on to specialize. Half of us will do general dentistry for the rest of our lives and not pursue specialties later in our careers. Interestingly, the dental school gets the highest percentage of alumni contributions out of all grad schools at UCLA, including medicine, law, business, and public health. We don't get the most money, but we have the highest percentage of alumni contributing out of all grad programs. So the support is actually there. Sure we could use more, but that's how it is with money. You can never get enough.

Many of my classmates have already expressed their intentions on coming back to UCLA to teach part-time. I plan on doing the same. I think once you're out in private practice for a few years you'll start to realize you need more from life and will seek out opportunities to contribute to the profession/school that made you what you are. At UCLA and UCSF our education is subsidized by the state of California more than what we as students pay. That's right. California taxpayers contribute over $30,000 per student per year to our dental education. To take that and fail to give back seems downright ungrateful.

Back to boards....

 

[jk5177]

Hehehe, yes we can count on Eric to provide the cons of UCLA. 😀 No seriously, that's his right and it helps create a balanced view. But there are plenty of students who like the school. I think most of my class is quite happy. They're not on here writing about it though.

I thought he likes the place. Hey ecdoesit, you like the place right?

Interestingly, the dental school gets the highest percentage of alumni contributions out of all grad schools at UCLA, including medicine, law, business, and public health. We don't get the most money, but we have the highest percentage of alumni contributing out of all grad programs.

Do you mean the highest percentage of alumni contributing? So it has nothing to do with the actual amount of dollar contribution, but rather just the percentage of people contributing? For example, if 80 out of the graduating 88 alumni, contributes a dollar each, hence 90% alumni contribution.

I think once you're out in private practice for a few years you'll start to realize you need more from life and will seek out opportunities to contribute to the profession/school that made you what you are.

Yeah. I agree. Looking at teeth day in and day out is only so much fun. There is boredom in every profession, no matter what one does.

Back to boards....

Please, kick some butt on the boards, so it will increases school's rep. I have to say, it is quite impressive to hear about how well the class last year did - second in the country!

 

[ItsGavinC]

It doesn't matter where you go to school. Residencies don't care and patients don't care. The only people who care, oddly enough, are pre-dental students. Actual dental students don't even care--most of us realize that dental school is a hoop to jump through and can't wait to get out and get on with life.

 

[penguinteeth]

Hmm, check US news and world report.

Most of state schools have problem in fundraising from alumni. UCLA is one of them.

I think USC grads contributing way more to their school(including $$$$).

Dental school is not different.

I did undergard in UCLA but now I really doubt about UCLA alumni contribution.

Furthermore, please do not take too seriously on rankings. Your patients will not ask which school you graduated from.

The best fit is the best school for you.

(Personally, I am sick of hearing, oh Havard is number one no UConn is better blah blah blah .... Well, I really don't know if you want to get a headache even from school.)
Go ahead and visit schools and take advantage of interview period and analyze it.

And decide if you want to focus on clinic or research.

And GP is not bad and specialty is not that superior than GP according to my research. (definitely people has different opinions)

Good luck!

 

[drhobie7]

Hmm, check US news and world report.

Most of state schools have problem in fundraising from alumni. UCLA is one of them.

I think USC grads contributing way more to their school(including $$$$).

Dental school is not different.

I did undergard in UCLA but now I really doubt about UCLA alumni contribution.

Furthermore, please do not take too seriously on rankings. Your patients will not ask which school you graduated from.

The best fit is the best school for you.

(Personally, I am sick of hearing, oh Havard is number one no UConn is better blah blah blah .... Well, I really don't know if you want to get a headache even from school.)
Go ahead and visit schools and take advantage of interview period and analyze it.

And decide if you want to focus on clinic or research.

And GP is not bad and specialty is not that superior than GP according to my research. (definitely people has different opinions)

Good luck!

What I said about UCLA Dental having the highest percentage of alumni contributions of all UCLA grad schools was correct. That's straight from the student affairs office and you can email them yourself if you don't believe me.

And yes, dentists' contributions to their alma mater are completely different than those of undergrad alumni. Why might that be? Because dentists have higher incomes on average than college graduates.