U of Michigan Dental or U of Detroit Mercy?

[warrior718]

Hi,

I know this have been asked many times but they weren't up to dated.

I want to become a general dentist and be a great clinician. I am very grateful to receive acceptances from both UDM and U of M. I have a really really HARD TIME choosing between UDM or UM. I am leaning toward to U of M as of now but have not decided.
I live 25 min away from UDM and I live about 45 min away from Ann Arbor

University of Michigan
Pros:

• the name speaks for itself
• ALOT CHEAPER. 60k a year including housing
• its in the college town. Better student experience
• In D4, there is required 10 weeks rotations all over the state of Michigan. i like this a lot

Cons:

• I constantly hear many things saying about how UDM is a better clinical school than UDM. I don't know if this is true...
• Old building

UDM
Pros:

• Heard a lot about its great clinical reputation
• Its in Detroit so more diverse cases
• I know a lot of people that goes to UDM
• Awesome and new facilities
• Live at home so save some money

Cons:

• expensive- 80k a year
• not exactly in the college town but there is downtown Detroit and Royal Oak near
• increased class size

Please share your thoughts. It will be greatly appreciated 🙂

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[OrthoFriendly]

While I cannot speak on behalf of UDM, U of Michigan has a great clinical reputation. Granted Ann Arbor may not be as diverse as Detroit, the school has numerous clinical rotations that span the entire state. These rotations are mandatory and everyone I have talked to has said nothing but great things about those rotations. Along with the clinics, the school uses a vertically integrated clinic system where 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year dental students along with hygiene students work together. In a way recreating how a general practice works. UM also stays up to date with technology by continually switching out old technology with new every couple of years. In addition, the school records lectures and have them accessible to students through the internet.

Aside from the facilities, the faculty are outstanding. The school has a reputation for having top professionals from different specialties. If you have a question about a treatment plan, you can make a trip to the different specialty offices for their thoughts.

Personally, I do not have that much knowledge of UDM other than its great clinical exposure/experience and that its facilities are on the larger size.

Hope this helps!

 

[Chlorophyll Oracle]

Michigan is cheaper and easier to specialize. Mercy has top notch clinicals and access to the entire population of Detroit.

 

[cacazor]

I highly doubt that the renovation at UM will come at the expense of their current students. As a matter of fact, I am sure it'd only be of benefit to you. That said, I would highly recommend UM. UM is one of the nation's top research school, and their clinical training is also one of the best. UDM's clinical education is definitely up there as well, but I feel like UM offers a lot of everything else.

 

[warrior718]

Thanks everyone!

 

[warrior718]

So grateful that I got accepted into both and I just updated my post! Thoughts are appreciated 🙂

 

[Traag]

UDM

• Live at home so save some money

Make sure you take this into account before you total up the cost of each school. I've lived in Ann Arbor, and it's easy to spend $1,000+/month solely in rent for the typical run-down student apartment. When I went to UDM, I noticed that they listed their estimated yearly housing expenses as nearly 11k... If you live with your parents. I don't know many people who are going to live with their parents when they charge almost $1,000 a month in rent. Assuming you're going to live with them for free, that lowers UDM's cost estimate by $42,000 over your 4 years. If you look at their costs on this page and eliminate the housing expenses, UDM is suddenly a good deal.

You said you want to be a general dentist and a great clinician, so I'm assuming your main concern will be clinical opportunities. UDM will have Michigan beat in that regard due to its location.

 

[tarheel616]

I was fortunate to be accepted to both as well, and I have decided to attend Michigan.
Here is a list of my reasons: 1) Culture: I felt the faculty/students are Michigan were much more inviting than my tour at UDM. The faculty gave me the impression that they listen to what current dental students have to say about the curriculum and took student input seriously. Consequently, current students said the exact same when it came to faculty being receptive to changes they wanted. Plus, the whole culture of Ann Arbor revolves around the University, and I could see the pride students had in being a Michigan Wolverine. 2) Opportunity: this school has no limits for what students are able accomplish before they graduate whether it is research or student organizations. 3) Price: Michigan is much more cheaper than UDM and I saw the value of the school. UDM probably does top Michigan when it comes to clinical exposure, however, I do not believe this difference is worth at least $100k over 4 years. Also, the curriculum at Michigan in my opinion allows for a much more diverse patient population around the state. Moreover, the price of Ann Arbor is more reasonable than Detroit and I would pay more to live on an actual college campus than in a city. 4) Family: a lot of my family members have attended Michigan, it is much closer to them and some will still be there next year.

No idea if this helps, but either way you are going to be a dentist! Congrats!

 

[Not_A_Doc]

Michigan. The student experience is unreal. Ann Arbor is fantastic. You'll have the best 4 years of your life.