Tufts vs BU

[blankguy]

I don't engage in comparisons, but I couldn't help ask what the plusses and minuses of Tufts and the same for BU and which school is better in certain areas over the other, because I have been dealing with people who went to both for the last few years.

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[drPheta]

In my first year at Tufts, and I can definitely say that if you get accepted here, you will enjoy the school.

The faculty takes care of the students. The administration will do what they can to help you, and the school itself has a great program.

BU, don' t know how the student experience is, but I'm sure it's good. Get some BU students on SDN to chime in.

Comparisons...Tufts is slightly cheaper. BU gives you a DVD book (and a laptop, hence higher costs).


I can honestly tell you that if you get accepted, Tufts is a great school to go to. It has an extremely great reputation for making excellent clinicians from its students.

EDIT/ADD:

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that in the off chance that you do fail a class or semester/year, you can retake it and tuition is free. Tufts also highers tutors for you (no additional cost to you) if you fail an exam or are lagging behind/getting overwhelmed by the material. Haven't needed to use it, but students say this is a blessing (hope I don't get to that point, but it's nice knowing I have resources galore).

Also, Tufts is located right off the T on the orange line (New England Medical Center). Directly across the street from Chinatown. So, there's very easy access to it. Boston Common is just a couple blocks north, and Downtown is a couple blocks up as well.

BU is located further south of boston, so you'll need to take the orange line to Mass Ave. or the Silver line to Mass Ave. and transfer to a bus to get to campus (or walk the few blocks). Just something you should know regarding location.

 

[Bickle]

I'm not sure about BU, but Tufts is regarded as one of the best clinical schools in North America. Students from other schools have praised Tufts over its clinics and its focus on producing great clinicians. Tufts graduates are known to be comfortable preforming procedures that other graduates would refer to a specialist. Also, BU is cheaper, but just marginally. When comparing the two, I dont think tuition should come into play since the difference is within a few thousand dollars (peanuts in the long run).

The staff and faculty at Tufts are extremely helpful and caring for their students (again, I am not saying that this isnt the case at BU). Tufts is commited to ensuring success. If you're struggling in a certain subject and the faculy sees a drop in your grades, you are automatically assigned a tutor (free of charge) to get your grades back up. Long story short, they are not out to get you at Tufts, and are commited to your success. I'm sure BU is as well, but again, I dont have any first hand experience with them.

Also, the entrance GPA and DAT scores are higher at Tufts than at BU. Does this mean Tufts students are smarter or better than BU students? Probably not, but it gives you an idea of your chances of being accepted to either school.

As for location, you probably know which one is better, moreso than myself, since you are a Bostonian.

Good Luck,

 

[Bickle]

Originally posted by drPheta




Comparisons...Tufts is slightly cheaper. BU gives you a DVD book (and a laptop, hence higher costs).

Dr Pheta,

Good to hear someone is on my side for a change! Anyways, I thought that Tufts' base line tuition was slightly higher than BU's. Am I mistaken?

 

[drPheta]

I swore BU was more expensive than tufts, but I could be wrong.

But I'm paying 67,000 for this year. Tuition, supplies, tools, books, housing, living expenses, the works. The entire budget that Tufts allots for D'07 is 67,000.

I do know that the diff is only a couple/few thousand off.

 

[PashaJ]

Time to chime in...
I could write a really long post as to how I'm enjoying my time here at BU and the +'s vs. -'s but I won't. I'll just talk about the stuff you guys did.

BU gives you a choice in terms of the books (physical textbooks vs. DVD) so you can decide which you are comfortable with. So far I've maybe used the textbooks for a total of 10 mins in the past 8 weeks. You really use handout's and lecture notes for studying.

Yes the laptop is required but that's not a big deal with me. They want to make sure that everyone is on the same page and it makes it easier on the IT people. The campus is pretty much fully wireless too so it's a must in terms of compatibility.

Tuition is a little more, but that's objective since it includes cost of living and we can play with that. The maximum tuition with living expenses is 69,000. Tufts may differ in CoL but tuition is about the same (40,000).

In terms of tutoring it's free here too. If a student gets a C- or below on any exam, he/she is assigned a tutor. It's mandatory. As I said earlier you're only allowed 1 D throughout the whole year to get promoted to D2. If you have more than 1 D or a GPA of less than 2.0 you take every class that you got a C or below in over. Most of the time these are the science courses.

Quickly, the professors here love to teach. Some of our professors make up part of the Boards so they prepare us well, at least I think they do. The president of ADEA is here at BU too. I'll say, like Tufts, if you're accepted here and you decide to attend you'll very happy. Just be prepared to work a little if you want to do well.

Sorry, it got long anyway but if I can answer any questions let me know.

 

[blankguy]

I talked to a couple of people who went to BU dental. They were chaffing at the workload and they didn't seem to paint a good picture of BU, as in its a pain in the neck type of way. Maybe I just happen to deal with the wrong people.

 

[PashaJ]

It's a matter of opinion. I'm liking it and I'm by no means a gunner.

 

[drPheta]

Yes, it's just personal preference.

BTW...some at Tufts wish the library was open 24 hours instead of the 7am-11pm they do now. I don't really mind so much, because most of my studying is done at home...or if it's for gross anatomy, I'm in the gross lab. So, you may want to take that into consideration.

The workload is going to be greuling at ANY dental school. There is no easy dental school. We all prepare for the same exams (NDBE I and II), so we're all going to have roughly the same cirriculum. I will tell you now. I just finished taking exams in Biochem, Nutrition, and Gross Anatomy on Monday and Tuesday...I studied for Gross since the first week. I went into lab every morning before class, except for Tuesdays, and also went in on the weekends. I studied for Biochem the weekend before the exam, and the same for Nutrition. We've had 2 waxups due during these first 3 weeks, and they each took me about 3 hours each to do. I also transcribe notes for Monday and Friday gross lectures, Tuesday and Thursday Dental Anatomy lectures, and still have time to hit the bars a couple of nights (or clubs). I also have a dog with me, which is a whole other responsibility.

The workload is heavy...yes. But it is not something that you should worry about.

Besides, Tufts students (and I'm sure BU does too...chech with PashaJ) have access to Northeastern and Harvard libraries. We also have full access to Tufts Medford campus facilities (don't know about BU students, but they should have access to BU's back bay campus).

FWIW, take your gut feelings to heart when you're at any interview. If you're comfy with a particular school, are pleased with the students attitudes there (their genuine ones...keep a discerning eye for student bodies who fake it or ignore you), and feel good about the school...that's your school.

Seriously sit down and think about how you felt about the school during the interview, and do it again a couple weeks after. You'll find out where you want to go.

Both BU and Tufts are great schools. In fact, I think Boston is one of the best cities to go to dental school, and I'm sure you know that. Like I said, take your gut feelings seriously, along with all those other factors.


ADD:
Oh yes...forgot to mention the schedule. We start school in September, and end in July (1st year). 2nd year we start in September and end in August. We take the NDBE I summer after 2nd year, and NDBE II summer after 3rd year.

BU, from what I remember from the interview, starts in August and ends in June (1st year), and 2nd year is August till July and has the APEX during 2nd and 1st year summers. Is this correct PashaJ?

That's one thing I wish Tufts had...the APEX program. But I'll just shoot for some externships later on.

 

[savvysearch]

How are the areas where BU and Tufts are located?

 

[PashaJ]

BU has access to a lot of libraries too (Harvard, Tufts, Northeastern, Boston Public Library, and others). When I say access I mean we can take out books too, anybody could just walk into Boston Public.

Apex starts the first week of May and ends mid-July. The good thing is you can go anywhere to do it. I'm going back to NYC for Apex, a lot of other kids are going to Cali. I might do it in SF for my second Apex (January - April 2005, after the NBDE Part I).

Our library is open from 8 am to 12 am but I wish it was open 24 hours too. Actually we have access to the building 24 hours so we just go to the empty classrooms and conference rooms.

Tufts is in Chinatown right by the common. BU is in the South End about 10 mins walking from Prudential Center and 20 mins walking to Newbury. I'd say Tufts is in a better area but BU has a more campusy feel.

 

[blankguy]

I've given rides to BU dental students(via the church that I attend). I drop them off around the Boston Medical Center on Mass Ave beyond the intersection to Huntington Ave. Not the type of neighborhood I want to walk around at night. However this generally seems to be the case with med schools and dental schools. They usually are located in a bad part of town. I wonder why. Anyways I thought I might ask about BU and Tufts since I was curious at this point and from being constatly told that "rankings don't matter in professional health schools like med and dental".


http://www.tufts.edu/dental/student_admissions/dmdgrad.html
Check out the graduating class of 2002 stats at tufts.

Debt at Graduation
Average, all students, D2002: $148,257
Average, all students DIS2002: $81,737

Range of Debt, D2002 students
Debt Range # of Students % of class
No Debt 19 13
$7500-$99,999 13 9
$100,000-$149,999 11 9
$150,000-$174,999 29 21
$175,000-$199,999 22 15
$200,000+ 46 33

Also admission stats for class of 2005

http://www.tufts.edu/dental/student_admissions/dmdstats.html

D.M.D. Program
Class of 2005 Pre-Matriculation Statistics


Total Number of Applications - 2,120

Number of Interviews - 526

Class Size: approx. 154

Grade Point Averages:
Overall ? 3.3
Science ? 3.21

Dental Admissions Test Examination Results:
Academic Average 18.48
Perceptual Ability 17.94

Other Class Characteristics:
48% women
5% Hispanic
42% Asian
3% African American

Geographical Distribution of the Entering Class:
West Coast ? 31% (CA, HI, OR, WA)
New England ? 17% (CT, MA, ME, NH, ME)
New York/New Jersey ? 10%
Southern Region ? 14% (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, PR, TN)
Mid-Atlantic Region ? 4% (OH, PA, VA)
Western Region ? 8% (AZ, ID, NV, NM, TX, UT)
Mid West ? 3% (IL, MO, OK, WI)
Foreign ? 9% (Bahamas, Canada, Indonesia, Korea, Malawi, Morocco)

 

[PashaJ]

It's not that bad at night, I was walking around at 1 am last night, but hey I'm from NY. The reason why they normally have schools in the shady parts of town is because of access to patients. If a school was in Bev Hills or on Park Ave, you're not going to get a lot of patients. People in those neighborhoods don't have a tendancy to go to a dental school, for example, for dental work because they can afford and prefer to have an experienced dentist in private practice.

I don't have any stats about BU right now but I can give you ethnic and geographic demographics:

Ethnic background:
20% Persian
40% Asian/PI
20% Caucasian
15% SE Asian (Indian, Pakistani...)
5% Others (Middle Eastern, Hispanic...)

Geographic:
60% West Coast (Cali mostly)
20% International (Canadian mostly)
10% Massachusetts residents
10% Others

 

[dentist2008]

Wow, are you serious! 20% persians?
I am from Iran and I find it fascinating that such high percentage would be from iran.

 

[grettlin2]

I think BU is better than Tufts if I have to choose. Comparing to the patient pool, both schools locate at similar areas. However, BU seems to take care students more. Just my opinions.

 

[hopefulgirl]

Looks like we are all persians here.

 

[Bickle]

Whats the difference between Persian and Middle-Eastern? There seems to be 20% persian and 15% Middle-Eastern at BU.

 

[blankguy]

Doesn't middle eastern mean Arab? Excluding jews and persians(Iranian).

 

[mcataz]

Maybe I'm wrong, but the comparison isn't even close. Tufts is by far a better schools in every aspect. It's more competitive to get into so obviously the deman is higher for Tufts. In addition, BU has a reputation of students dropping out. I don't know what it's like now. From what I have been told, BU is more or less on the same level as NYU.

I think the real post should be BU vs. NYU. Which one would you go to?

 

[Bickle]

Originally posted by mcataz
Maybe I'm wrong, but the comparison isn't even close. Tufts is by far a better schools in every aspect. It's more competitive to get into so obviously the deman is higher for Tufts. In addition, BU has a reputation of students dropping out. I don't know what it's like now. From what I have been told, BU is more or less on the same level as NYU.

?

My Uncle was a prof at NYU in the mid 90s. When I told him of my acceptance to Tufts he told me that its one of the best schools you could possibly go to in the US. I dont know if he was just being nice, but I believe him.

 

[blankguy]

It seems that more people from Tufts are responding on this thread and therefore it gets a tufts slant to it. The input I'm getting is that both BU and Tufts are good and can't be wrong with either one.

 

[dentist2008]

Go persians! I am real proud.

 

[PashaJ]

This year has an abnormally large Iranian population, my guess the largest in the country. I don't think there is a dental school in the country that has more than 25 Iranians in just one class.

Obviously this thread has a Tufts slant to it, as blankguy said. I'm the only person from BU to post here and I do it because I was in your position last year so it was my obligation, I felt, to post once I became a DS1.

Tufts DAT scores are comparable to BU, and I think BU might have a higher average. Could be wrong. BU and Tufts have comparable facilities...I can't speak for Tufts but we have had renovations in the school and in a few weeks we'll be opening up a new clinic where we could serve 50% more patients, so every student will have a guaranteed chair.

I'm not done with my first semester, let alone my first year at BU to tell you about the students dropping out. The students get dismissed rather than the students dropping out. As grettlin said, they take care of us here so if you get dismissed you might have earned it. The school gives you free tutors and access to a lot of other resources, you have to use them to get yourself out of the gutter when you're doing bad. You can't be passive about it.

Bottom line is every person is loyal to their school so you're not going to get an unbiased opinion. I try to give one but I doubt if it comes out that way. The only thing that a lot of people are upset about is that we're not going to get paid for Apex, or at least we won't be required to get paid for Apex. At least we can go home and do our rotation.

 

[blankguy]

The difference in stats is negliable between the two schools.
However I wonder why people end up being dropped. Why is it that higher number of people get dropped in BU than others? Is it that BU wants to deliverately weed the people out or just that BU doesn't accept as competitive type of people as other institutions(minus the stats)?

 

[drPheta]

Whether or not there is a Tufts slant, doesn't matter. The fact of this topic is which school is better.

It's up to you to decide that for yourself. Like I said, interview, visit, and see how you feel about the school yourself. BU has its students because they chose to go there, not because someone said, "you have to go to BU." (This excludes those who had no other choice).

If you don't want to use your gut feeling and ask anyone in the New England area what school has a more reknown name, Tufts is most commonly mentioned. I can tell you first hand that many professionals around the nation wonder if Tufts students live up to the university's reputation. It's a school that is constantly recognized for the clinical dentists they graduate.

Now BU is another exceptional school. It has the faculty that cares. This is absolutely true for Tufts as well.

For your purposes, we can't tell you which school is better. That is up to you to decide. And you can't do that without actually visiting the schools and seeing the students do their thing. Both universities will be more than happy to let you drop in with the interview group and tour the school with them, get the info from the admissions commitee, and see the school as it is...plain and simple.

Mark Gonthier at Tufts is a wonderful man, and I'm absolutely positive he will help you decide for yourself what school is the best for you. He certainly was a big factor in my decision.

Dr. Shaw at BU is also wonderful, and she also had me wanting BU for a while. Either way, I'm at Tufts now, and I couldn't be happier at another school.

So, visit each school. In fact, visiting the schools will also show your interest early enough to benefit you application standing.

 

[PashaJ]

drPheta is right about everything.

Regarding the weeding out: everyone can pass and get promoted to second year. There are no curves here so everyone has the opportunity to get an A. It's not really that hard to get an A too, you just have to put in the time. I put in about 20 hours a week of studying and I'm at a B+ range right now.

The reason is that people are used to cramming and it doesn't work here so it takes some time to adjust. Some adjust early and survive some realize too late.

 

[Bickle]

Good post Pasha and DrPheta,

The fact of the matter is there is no "perfect school" for everyone. You just have to find the school that fits your needs. Tufts and BU are both great schools, and you cant go wrong with either.

 

[Turnpike]

.

 

[Rezdawg]

Man, lots of persians here. Add me to the list.

I at least want an interview from one of these schools.

Washington University graduate
3.0 gpa
3.1 science gpa
19 academic
18 PAT
17 Total science (ouch)

Please tell me that one of these schools MAY want to interview me. At least make me feel good. This website has made me a nervous wreck because everyone's scores are off the charts.