I got accepted at Tufts with merit scholarship and VCU. I am Virginia resident.
Which school will better prepare me to specialize oral surgery or other specialities.
I know cost is a huge issue, but I am certain that I will be specalizing so want to attend the school which can prepare me better.
How do you guys think? I really would like to hear from those of you who are attending these schools or applying for specialties.
If given the opportunity, a lot of people would specialize. The reality is that either school seems to have equal opportunity for specializing, and it isn't terribly large. I have relationships with general practitioners that went to both of these schools, and the consensus was that the schools did not make specializing a priority, and that those students who wanted to be competitive for specialty programs worked remarkably hard to be contenders.
I would strongly urge you to go to VCU. The in-state price tag is a lot to pass up, and you'll be counting your lucky stars should you not receive the coveted position in a specialty program.
I'm from Massachusetts and I go to undergrad in Richmond, and I have friends that are at both Tufts and VCU dental. Going to VCU is literally half the price of Tufts when you include living expenses. And you would be living much more comfortably. Boston is the best city in the world (I'm biased), but money is money, and Richmond is a pretty awesome place too.
Kind of an irrelevant side note, but I talked to the father of one of my close friends who is a GP out of Penn working in a rural area, and he mentioned that the kids that worked with him from VCU had a cowboy mentality, and sometimes delved into procedures that they didn't know how to do. He said he had to bail them out because they messed up cases sometimes.
😱 That was a really unbecoming comment of VCU, but I still think that sort of thing depends on the student.
