Tuition, is it worth it?

[chevy512]

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I'm highly considering BU as a possible dental school to attend. I have yet to visit the school, but from everything I know, it sounds like the place for me. The tuition is very high and I just wondered if anyone had any thought on taking out loans, being in major debt at the end of dental school, buying into a practice while being in debt, etc. Do you think the extra tuition and increased debt worth going to an out of state school (I'm from Indiana)??

 

[vishal_k32801]

If you like the program, go for it. Boston is cool place.
Try to get into state school first (less $$$) compared to
BU. All the best friend.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'll address two issues here.

1) Is tuition worth it? Yes, absolutely. It is a serious investment into your future, and should not be considered "bottom-dwelling" as is credit-card debt or consumer debt. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously, because it should, but you should also realize that the tuition is an enabler, it ENABLES you to make a huge return on your investment, among other things.

2) Is BU's tuition worth it? As a general rule of thumb, you ought to attend the school where you take out the least amount of loans as possible. That simply translates into you having less to pay back, which means YOU get your return investment much sooner. That is, you can keep a portion of your income much sooner if you have less to pay back, than those who are paying back student loans for years.

EVERY DENTAL SCHOOL in the US will give you a fine education. The real differences lie in how you will spend those four years.

 

[openwyd22]

Do you still think that a high tuition (over 200K) is an enabler if you want to practice in a rural community where your fee for service is lower. I would think that you should weigh where you want to practice when choosing a dental school.
Don't get me wrong, I still think you can make a substantial amount of money in a rural community, but not all of them. Let me know what you think.

 

[chevy512]

I am from Indiana and that Indiana Univeristy Dental School is my state school. The school is in Indianapolis which is a very urban and growing area. I know I would get a great education there, but I am really looking into BU. I love the city and what I know about the school makes it that much more enticing. The only downfall is that it's really expensive. I am going to be in debt no matter where I go because I will be taking out loans, but now I have to decide whether a big new and exciting city is worth the extra $$. I am sure i could get just as good of an education, if not better at Indiana.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

If you absolutely love BU and Boston, I guess you should go for it. Personally, I think there are tons of better, cheaper schools out there.

 

[LestatZinnie]

if you visit dentaltown.com, which is where practicing dentists rather than students hang around, they will invariably tell you to go to the CHEAPEST SCHOOL YOU CAN FIND.

as gavin said, school is only as good as you make of it. a lazy student in a prestigious school does not make him a fine dentist and vice versa.

Expensive schools are only worth it if they're the only ones you can get it.

 

[PERFECT3435]

a lazy student in a prestigious school does not make him a fine dentist and vice versa.

i thought you pay for what you get??


just kidding, i totally agree with you.

 

[freedyx3]

ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. prob the best investment in yourself any way you look at it.

 

[grettlin2]

I heard BU is a strong clinic schools, too. Also, they baby their students even you are behind in the class work. As long as you ask and are willing to study, you will AlWAYS get help. I haven't visited the school, but I will be eager to know about that during my interview.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by chevy512
I am from Indiana and that Indiana Univeristy Dental School is my state school. The school is in Indianapolis which is a very urban and growing area. I know I would get a great education there, but I am really looking into BU. I love the city and what I know about the school makes it that much more enticing. The only downfall is that it's really expensive. I am going to be in debt no matter where I go because I will be taking out loans, but now I have to decide whether a big new and exciting city is worth the extra $$. I am sure i could get just as good of an education, if not better at Indiana.

I'll vouch for IUSD. I'm exceptionally pleased with the place so far, and many of the finest, most accomplished dentists I know are IUSD alumni. A lot of pre-dents don't have the luxury of having a public dental school in their home state; I'd be extremely hesitant about throwing that advantage away.