Tufts or BU... who should I keep?

[pinetar321]

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Hey everybody. I got into Tufts and BU and I need to decide who to withdraw from soon, so that some other predent can have their chance when Jan 15th rolls around. CONVINCE ME what school is better b/c I am totally stumped. In my mind they have the same numbers, same location, similar numbers, similar facilities, similar reputation... I'm stumped.

 

[drpepper47]

you like them both equally? I personally like Tufts better because of the brand new facilities and I really liked they made an effort to really show what the school was about during the interview day or that packet they sent. Go with whichever school you feel more comfortable at/would thrive in.

 

[pinetar321]

yea i was psyched about the new facilities too, but then I learned that they were pretty much only for post-grads and administration, with the exception of the new sim lab

 

[orangutan777]

BU was pretty vague in their clinical experience since it was based on "competancies" rather than a set number of procedures. However, the APEX program is pretty interesting since it can help you have a job lined up when you graduate.

 

[cowboy17]

.

 

[adizzle87]

yea i was psyched about the new facilities too, but then I learned that they were pretty much only for post-grads and administration, with the exception of the new sim lab

The great thing about the expansion is that the new sim lab is available to DMD students. Yeah, it sorta sucks that DMD students don't get to use more of the new real estate. They do get dibs on the two floors that were used by the post-grad programs though. The "old" facilities aren't that old and since they aren't expanding the class size, DMD students benefit greatly from inheriting the post-doc clinic space.

 

[blondie10]

the fact that Tufts is renovating the main clinics between 2010-2014 kind of worried me... the directors weren't sure when this would actually be happening/how long it would take and how much chair time the students would lose. Not to mention all the construction noises when you're in clinic!

 

[ERA8669]

I was not invited for an interview at Tufts, so maybe I am biased...but I have a view of Tufts from a patient's standpoint because my mother had a lot of work done there. She hated it there and thought it was chaotic and seemed a bit disorganized. She also said the students were often quite rude and didn't really seem to care about the patients. Obviously this is a completely different viewpoint than one of a dental student, but I don't know if it says something about the school in general???

 

[KitKat09]

ERA8669, has your mother been a patient at any other dental schools?

 

[ERA8669]

No, she hasn't. That was just her opinion of the school after having spent $1600 or so there. Like I said, it is just one patient's viewpoint, it may say nothing about the school from a dental student's point of view.

 

[Ryltar]

Personally I would choose Tufts over BU. There are quite a few things I didn't like about BU:

1. Really really old clinics, which lacked digital patient files and radiography.
2. Didn't present any information about the school during the presentation, but rather gave long lectures on the role of a dentist. Unlike BU, Tufts gives you all of the facts.
3. I don't know if this is true, but my tour guide said that if you get 2 Ds, you're kicked out of the program. This seems rather irrational, because one of the faculty's goals should be to attempt to graduate their entire class, and mentor their struggling students. After all, there are only 4400ish slots available out of all dental schools in the US.
4. Their graduation requirements seem weak (e.g. 2 root canals).

 

[erichen]

Funny about the D's thing...i heard the opposite. The students at lunch said that they go to great lengths to pull you up in your classes...did anyone else at BU interview here that?

 

[efitzger]

I recommend BU...solely because I would love a seat at Tufts for myself!

Seriously, I was impressed with Tufts when I interviewed there two years ago, and sure hope to interview (and attend) this year...I'm itching to get an interview now; seems like everyone has one except me! I'm already starting on my 'backup' plan for application next year and it's terrible to think about.

So BU...yeah...that's it 😉

Hey everybody. I got into Tufts and BU and I need to decide who to withdraw from soon, so that some other predent can have their chance when Jan 15th rolls around. CONVINCE ME what school is better b/c I am totally stumped. In my mind they have the same numbers, same location, similar numbers, similar facilities, similar reputation... I'm stumped.

 

[jdpaul14]

Tufts has a great reputation. My buddy interviewed there and he loved it, but he got into a Texas school so he chose the lower tuition. Gluck!

 

[cybermech]

Sooo, yea, I picked Tufts over 7 other schools, including Pacific and Penn. (BU didn't even give me an interview until after Dec. 1... figures).

The facilities are excellent... and to be honest, a dental chair is a dental chair.. they all work fine. Being a patient in a dental school is always ****ty.. but hey, it's cheap, so people shouldn't complain.

Only drawback at the moment is the faculty to student ratio in the preclinic... I will admit that it kinda sucks. But if you can live with that, I would definitely come here.

ALSO, the single biggest thing that stood out to me were the people. The students here generally want to be become general dentists. You won't see much gunning, or at least hopefully not. Everyone here is very chill and know how to relax and have fun. Obviously though, if you want to do well and get into a specialty, you have the resources here to do so.

 

[Ryltar]

Another side note, Tufts has the highest root canal procedure count for graduation requirement that I've heard of, ten. Furthermore, all but the first can be performed on molars.

 

[Ryltar]

Funny about the D's thing...i heard the opposite. The students at lunch said that they go to great lengths to pull you up in your classes...did anyone else at BU interview here that?

Maybe it was just our tour guide. *shrugs*

 

[cybermech]

Funny about the D's thing...i heard the opposite. The students at lunch said that they go to great lengths to pull you up in your classes...did anyone else at BU interview here that?

It's REALLY REALLY hard to get a "D." You have to try extremely hard... as in like NEVER come to class ever. And if you're going that way, they will throw tutors at you left and right. It's a nice support group🙂

 

[Ryltar]

It's REALLY REALLY hard to get a "D." You have to try extremely hard... as in like NEVER come to class ever. And if you're going that way, they will throw tutors at you left and right. It's a nice support group🙂

I was probably misinformed by the tour guide then. Anyhow, Tufts does the same thing. They offer mentoring and throw tutors at their troubled students.

 

[Tooth Pulp]

I recommend BU...solely because I would love a seat at Tufts for myself!

I think this alone answers your question. Most students who have been accepted to both will prefer Tufts and for a reason. Try and find someone on predents the past years who have been accepted to both and chose BU. I mean you may be able to, but it's not many.

 

[tinman831]

You won't see much gunning, or at least hopefully not. E

Obviously you haven't heard much about the D'11's

 

[tinman831]

I was not invited for an interview at Tufts, so maybe I am biased...but I have a view of Tufts from a patient's standpoint because my mother had a lot of work done there. She hated it there and thought it was chaotic and seemed a bit disorganized. She also said the students were often quite rude and didn't really seem to care about the patients. Obviously this is a completely different viewpoint than one of a dental student, but I don't know if it says something about the school in general???

Sorry to hear that your mother had such a bad experience at Tufts. Unfortunately a persons chair side manner is not something that can be taught here, nor at any other school. When you become a patient at a dental school, it's expected that you'll experience a lot of delays and disorganization in your treatment. That's the trade off for the cheaper fees you pay. This is something that you'll find at schools all across the country. We're all here to learn. And when you finally start the clinical portion of your training, you'll see what it's really like. 🙂

 

[cybermech]

Obviously you haven't heard much about the D'11's

Haha, yea, I heard that you guys (I'm assuming you're a D11?) are all gunners. LOL

 

[Tooth Pulp]

I withdrew my application from BU on December 5th. They e-mailed me to confirm the withdrawal on December 6th. I received an interview from BU on December 10th. I withdrew for the second time on December 11th... That's how organized their administration is...

Haha

 

[sketo43]

Hey everybody. I got into Tufts and BU and I need to decide who to withdraw from soon, so that some other predent can have their chance when Jan 15th rolls around. CONVINCE ME what school is better b/c I am totally stumped. In my mind they have the same numbers, same location, similar numbers, similar facilities, similar reputation... I'm stumped.

Within Massachusetts, I would say that these 2 schools do not have the same reputation. Having lived all my life in Massachusetts, I would say that the general public has a very high opinion of Tufts dental school, and a lot of people don't know that BU has a dental school. Does this really matter? Maybe, maybe not. I know some people that always look for a Tufts dentist, even when they travel to other parts of the country. Tufts has a great reputation within Massachusetts. Right now, when I tell people that I am applying to dental school, they always assume that Tufts must be my top choice. It's not that people "look down" on BU or anything like that, it's just not as well known to the public.

If you're not planning to practice in MA, then I don't know how these schools are regarded in other states. I think you'll get a great education at either school, and reputation probably shouldn't be your #1 priority. But I just wanted to give my thoughts, as a Massachusetts resident.

 

[enamelo]

It's great that all Tufts people have replied to this thread and all...but people reading this should remember that SDN has a heavy bias towards certain schools simply based on sample size. Just because several Tufts students have replied saying their **** don't stank, doesn't mean Tufts eclipses BU in any regard. I've met both sets of students and being 100% honest, I felt like the BU class was more down to earth. Similarly, I've met a lot of BU students who were accepted to both schools...it's not like BU is some Tufts backup, as it would seem based on the small SDN sample size.

I really shouldnt site specific examples but I felt like the Tufts class was out to prove something, repeatedly saying how they got into other schools but chose Tufts instead. I'm not saying they were lying...I'm sure that was the truth, but once you're in a school I feel like it's time to drop your admissions ego. Plus, SDN has sort of proven my point...Tufts is working its way toward UOP in terms of admissions sackriding.

 

[ERA8669]

It's great that all Tufts people have replied to this thread and all...but people reading this should remember that SDN has a heavy bias towards certain schools simply based on sample size. Just because several Tufts students have replied saying their **** don't stank, doesn't mean Tufts eclipses BU in any regard. I've met both sets of students and being 100% honest, I felt like the BU class was more down to earth. Similarly, I've met a lot of BU students who were accepted to both schools...it's not like BU is some Tufts backup, as it would seem based on the small SDN sample size.

I really shouldnt site specific examples but I felt like the Tufts class was out to prove something, repeatedly saying how they got into other schools but chose Tufts instead. I'm not saying they were lying...I'm sure that was the truth, but once you're in a school I feel like it's time to drop your admissions ego. Plus, SDN has sort of proven my point...Tufts is working its way toward UOP in terms of admissions sackriding.

I really like this post and I'm glad someone finally said this!! I have been researching the Tufts vs. BU posts for several months and I have felt this way all along! So well said, thank you!! I'm sure there are plenty of people who would choose BU over Tufts, but maybe they just aren't on here posting about it.

I also wanted to say, I think the focus shouldn't be so much on which school is "better" but rather on which school is a better FIT for a particular person. Do you prefer block exams? Or exams every week? Smaller class size? Or larger? Do you feel that the APEX program is something that will benefit you? Or do you think that it would frustrate you to basically be a dental assistant for a little while? Like I said I haven't interviewed at Tufts yet, but I have been researching them both and thinking about these differences a lot since I am a Mass resident and I wanted to give both schools a chance. I'm sure there are obviously tons more differences, and yes Tufts may have more up-to-date technology etc. and is more well known, so obviously a person has to decide whether these things are important to them.

I shadowed at an office of several wonderful dentists, one of which was a BU grad and one who was a Tufts grad. They both had great things to say about their schools and were always joking about which one I would be attending. I really don't think it made a difference in the long run though, and I think they were both equally great dentists.

 

[SmilezZz]

Hey somethinpositiv,
Which state school did you choose Tufts over?

 

[ukbasketballis1]

Most Dentists I have spoken to have a lot more respect for the students that come out of Tufts as opposed to BU.

 

[prazmjou]

keep tufts, I think it's cheaper? Pick the cheapest school if you cant make up your mind.

 

[efitzger]

I'd pick whichever felt better to you. Honestly, I think most dental schools are 'good'. Sure, maybe some are better in this arena, others in that...but seriously...any of these schools give you the training and guidance to become an excellent dentist.

As with nearly everything in life, money is a consideration too...

keep tufts, I think it's cheaper? Pick the cheapest school if you cant make up your mind.