Top Schools

[KenFred]

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I am new to the dental industry as well as the forum so be gentle with your answers...

If you are planning to open or buy your own practice, why would you want to attend Harvard or Wash over a school such as NC or Temple?

You would be absorbing more debt and it would not make you that much better of a dentist. What am I missing???

Ken

 

[Supernumerary]

If you know you don't want to specialize and don't need the ego stroke that comes with a brand name school - there is almost NO reason to shell out that kind of cash. Just my opinion. Also, the easiest school to get into is generally going to be your state school (if you're lucky enough to have one.)

And you are definitely not old. Many, many people are in their 30's upon graduation. I just received an info packet from my state school that included a short bio of the upcoming class. I would say the majority are in their mid to late 20's, a fair number in their 30's and even some in their 40's. Yes, starting dental school at 40+! By no means are you going to be the old man in your class. Go for it! 🙂

 

[ItsGavinC]

The hierarchy among that exists in other professional occupations, especially law and business, does not exist in dentistry. Patients will NOT ask you where you graduated, and if they do they will do it in a passing manner, not as a method of judging your skills.

Networking is a valuable commodity in dentistry, but you can meet plenty of dentists from all over the country at various members meetings. Because of this, attending a school in an area where you want to open shop isn't a necessity. At times it may be helpful, but it isn't needed.

Typically attending the school that costs less, as Super pointed out, will be to your benefit. It gives you more money to dump into a practice and less money to pay back when the time comes.

 

[shootin4par]

This is a very good and common question. Depending on what kind of person you are chosing a school will be based on several criteria. Does going to a name school matter to get your doctorate? It does and it doesn't. If you look at student who are attending those big name schools, even though there is a heavy price to pay you see a lot of them are really gung-ho about their school. I'm sure many state programs are like that too (just look at UConn and UCSF..) but there is a certain air among those who go to each school. Will going to an Ivy make you a better clinician? Not neccessary. Some schools are research oriented, others clinical and depending on what you want, you need to see what environment is right for you. My mentor graduated from University of Puerto Rico (nowhere near a big name school) but is an amazing practitioner of dental medicine. It really comes down to how much you want it. Also at a lot of the schools which have a really united class you will meet people who will always help you out, and that includes while in school and while you are in practice.

Welcome to the Dental PROFESSION!

 

[Brand]

Michigan is THE top notch dental school!

Actually, like Gavin said, there is no hierarchy among dental schools. But, if there were I'm sure Michigan would be number one! And if not number one than for sure in the top 51!

 

[Brand]

Snsethy, are you daft?! I don't think that there is any doubt that I was joking. I even agreed with Gavin that it doesn't matter. As too whether or not I go to Michigan, are you kidding? It says so in my signature. Thanks for bashing my school, *****. Oh, by the way, go to hell.

 

[Brand]

Snsethy, I'm gonna type real slow. Maybe that will help you understand. You see where is says my name to the left of this message. Go ahead and look. Now look below it where it says location. See it. What does it say? There ya go Ace!

You are obviously from Michigan also, and attended a different state school. In case you haven't realized this all schools in Michigan, besides the UofM are not worth the tuition. Where do these schools recommend you go? Also, I know UofM's reputation, thats why I applied. Do you truly know any graduates from the UofM, because I do. The clinic is slow, but can be very effective.

Also, where are you choosing to go? Oh, and by the way, go to hell.

 

[Brand]

U of M is the only tier 1 school in the state. MSU is teir 2. All the rest are teir 3, or lower. I'm not gonna argue anymore. Just quit being a smug ass.

 

[edkahn]

Can a big name school help you getting into a specialty residency? If not, what are the criteria for specialties?

 

[scandalouslj]

Edkahn,
Big name schools do have some advantage to getting you into specialties, BUT it is very minimal. Schools such as Upenn and Columbia are known for having some of the highest specialty matching rates. But th emost important factors, are by far board scores and gpa. Its really not that differnt from applying to college or dental school. First SAT or ACT and GPA , then DAT and GPA, and finally Board scores and GPA.

 

[shootin4par]

Once again my boy scandalous is right on the money😎

This sort of nepotism must be common in all dental schools cos we at Penn do it (esp if you look at our thread🙂)

Just get into a dental school, bust your butt, and make your dream come true.

If you see what you want then there is nothing stopping you.

 

[Jone]

sorry to butt in, but my opinion on "snsethy versus Brand"...


Maybe a student at UofM doesnt have to work as hard
in the clinic as one at Tufts in order to graduate,
but if he DOES work as hard as the Tufts student,
he WILL be as good a clinician as the Tufts student when he graduates.

Location being out of the factor, UofM would be the
better choice. Tuition at Tufts is ridiculous, and not
justified by its "supposed" better clinical training.

Brand wins !!!

p.s. No I don't go to UofM or Tufts, nor do I intend to apply to either school.

 

[UBTom]

So UMich might not have a large clinic population and thus one might not have as much clinical skills upon graduation...

I say it doesn't matter. You can graduate from a school with a huge patient pool and offers lots of clinical experience like NYU (in a city of 8 MILLION people!) and still not be ready for private practice.

The thing is, there is only so much a dental school can teach you in four years-- When you graduate with your DDS you pretty much only have the very basic skills in dentistry, no matter if you went to UMich or Harvard dental school.

That's what PGY-1 programs (AEGD, GPR, etc.) are for-- Provide an opportunity for you to practice dentistry for a year (or more) in a learning environment where you can learn more advanced techniques, treat more difficult cases, and improve your speed.

These days some sort of post-grad training is become more and more necessary in order to land a good associateship when entering private practice.

Just get into a school, get your DDS, and do a PGY-1 and start practicing! (Or if you are a masochist, go 6-year OMFS, heh) 😀

 

[Dentoman]

Seen a couple of more of U of M graduates, they seem fine to me !
Definetly not lacking in their clinical training or knowledge!

 

[imdaman]

I am a third year at Michigan. I do have a pride in my school and believe that it is one of the finest.
Having said that, I have to say that snsethy has a valid argument by saying they leave us "clueless" You can feel the whole school has pride; both faculty and students, and rather than spoon feeding all the information for us, they let us figure things out our own. If you're not independent and self-motivated, this is not the school for you. Anyway what this means at the end of the DDS training is a very competent dentist if you worked hard. At the other end of the spectrum there are ones who graduate "clueless" It's a double edge sword, but I think I will experience all the obstacles while I am a student so I won't have a problem when I am practicing. But I will never forgive them for endless allnighters!😡
In terms of specializing I heard Michigan is among the best in placing students into specialty.
In terms of patient pool you will realize that it's not the quantity, but it is quality. One patient can give you all the work you need when 2000 others cannot. I think Michigan has more patients in need of prostho work than restorative which would be opposite in big city setting and I like this wide exposure to prostho area. I never heard anyone complaining about lack of patients. Hope this is a helpful info.

 

[Dentoman]

The way i look at it is no matter where you go to school ( talking about decent schools ofcourse), you will graduate with the bare minimum of knowledge and skill to be able to work on people unsupervised SAFELY.
It's your duty to grow your knowledge and skill. That comes through experience and continuing education.

 

[G0 BEARS!!!]

Michigan is no doubt an excellent school, especially for research. I was torn between the decision to attend the University of Michigan, or the University of the Pacific. In the end, I chose UOP for its excellent clinical reputation, and the three year program... However, U Mich would have given me a much better chance of specializing.

Not that rankings ever mean much, but in the last published rankings, U Mich ranked in the top 3 both times... an average higher than that of UCSF or Harvard.

Michigan reminded me a lot of my undergraduate school: Berkeley - which has an incredible reputation, but where you're definitely, " on your own." This is what made Pacific so appealing. I never hear anyone saying bad things about UOP... at first I thought it was too good to be true, and that people were being "paid" to say things like that, but now that I have experienced this school, I know what all the hype is about. Despite having such an insane workload, this is definitely the "happiest" dental school around. There is nothing but positive energy flowing thru the halls.

I am extremely happy with my decision to attend Pacific, but it would be great to have the opportunity to experience Michigan one day, too!

 

[mcataz]

Nothing comes without a price! Sure you can attend a school like Penn or Michigan. But in doing so, you are competing with brilliant students. That means the competition is higher than that of other schools. And the workload will be significantly greater as well considering that professors have to make the exams more difficult to separate students. And professors at reputable schools tend not to spoon feed you which means you will be forced to work hader to figure things out on your own. But the advantage to attending a school like this is that you have the name tied to your degree. And you don't have to be ranked in the top 20 percent to specialize.

At other non-Ivy/top ranked schools, the competition is less and usually your workload is less too. However, you have to be at the top at these schools to specialize.

In the end, it works out to be the same. In order to specialize, you are going to have to work hard wherever you go. It's not like you can coast once you get into a top dental school. There is a price to be paid for attending a school with a name.