UCLA (IS) vs. Penn

[Dentist To Be123]

Hi everyone! I got accepted to several amazing dental schools yesterday, but UCLA and Penn are my top two choices. I'm a California resident and got a scholarship to UCLA and to Penn.

I absolutely loved Penn at the interview and would be happier living in Philadelphia than Los Angeles. I don't mind moving to the east coast, and I'm used to the harsh winters, since I go to school in the midwest. My family lives about 5 hours away from UCLA, so it'd be a much easier to commute if I wanted to go home for a weekend, but I also don't plan on doing that too often.

Everyone says to go to the cheapest dental school, but I 100% loved Penn. Even though Penn is more expensive than UCLA, would it be silly not to go to the cheapest dental school? (For reference, I'm thinking about getting involved in academia post-graduation, and I don't think I want to specialize, but of course that can change).

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[Sweettooth326]

Hi everyone! I got accepted to several amazing dental schools yesterday, but UCLA and Penn are my top two choices. I'm a California resident and got a $25,000 scholarship to UCLA, bringing the total cost to $315,000. I also received a $80,0000 scholarship to Penn, bringing the total to $390,000. Room and board is included in both costs.

I absolutely loved Penn at the interview and would be happier living in Philadelphia than Los Angeles. I love experiencing new places, so I don't mind moving to the east coast. I'm used to the harsh winters too, since I go to school in the midwest. My family lives about 2 hours away from UCLA, so it'd be a much easier to commute if I wanted to go home for a weekend, but I also don't plan on doing that too often.

Everyone says to go to the cheapest dental school, but I 100% loved Penn. Even though Penn is about $75,000 more than UCLA, would it be silly not to go to the cheapest dental school? (For reference, I'm thinking about getting involved in academia post-graduation, and I don't think I want to specialize, but of course that can change).

Congrats on getting accepted to these amazing schools!!
Go to Penn so it opens up a spot for me to UCLA lol jk.
Sounds like a tough decision. Flip a coin. Heads = UCLA, tails = Penn. Boom.

 

[956139]

It's four YEARS. You're gonna suspend 4 years of happiness over 75k, about 6 month's salary first year you graduate? Your happiness is worth more than 75k imo- work hard and live modestly for a couple years and your debt will shrink. 4 years is a long time to sacrifice happiness for 75k.

 

[Life of Pablo]

I made the same exact decision as you last year! I was also deciding between Penn and UCLA. Overall, here is why I chose Penn over UCLA:

Not to put down UCLA, but I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn. The students seemed far less stressed and overall just happier. When I was at UCLA, the students could not stop reiterating how difficult and stressful dental school was. They definitely didn't seem too happy, but maybe we just caught them at a stressful time. Another thing that drew me to Penn was the 1 exam per week policy as opposed to the 15 exams in a week that UCLA takes during finals. Having 1 exam a week makes things much more manageable.

One drawback to Philadelphia is the weather. You honestly can't beat California weather, but if you're already used to Midwest weather, then it won't be as bad for you. Overall, I've really enjoyed my first semester. Either way you'll be in good hands no matter which school you choose. Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[Beckwith Wiedemann]

Hi everyone! I got accepted to several amazing dental schools yesterday, but UCLA and Penn are my top two choices. I'm a California resident and got a $25,000 scholarship to UCLA, bringing the total cost to $315,000. I also received a $80,0000 scholarship to Penn, bringing the total to $390,000. Room and board is included in both costs.

I absolutely loved Penn at the interview and would be happier living in Philadelphia than Los Angeles. I love experiencing new places, so I don't mind moving to the east coast. I'm used to the harsh winters too, since I go to school in the midwest. My family lives about 2 hours away from UCLA, so it'd be a much easier to commute if I wanted to go home for a weekend, but I also don't plan on doing that too often.

Everyone says to go to the cheapest dental school, but I 100% loved Penn. Even though Penn is about $75,000 more than UCLA, would it be silly not to go to the cheapest dental school? (For reference, I'm thinking about getting involved in academia post-graduation, and I don't think I want to specialize, but of course that can change).

UCLA, you can be an academic dentist coming from any dental school, not just an Ivy. Since you're not planning on specializing and both schools are awesome for that, why pick the heavier price tag?


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[Trave_]

If Penn will made you happiest then go there, you don't want to go somewhere and always wonder what could've been.

 

[themuffinman11]

I made the same exact decision as you last year! I was also deciding between Penn and UCLA. Overall, here is why I chose Penn over UCLA:

Not to put down UCLA, but I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn. The students seemed far less stressed and overall just happier. When I was at UCLA, the students could not stop reiterating how difficult and stressful dental school was. They definitely didn't seem too happy, but maybe we just caught them at a stressful time. Another thing that drew me to Penn was the 1 exam per week policy as opposed to the 15 exams in a week that UCLA takes during finals. Having 1 exam a week makes things much more manageable.

One drawback to Philadelphia is the weather. You honestly can't beat California weather, but if you're already used to Midwest weather, then it won't be as bad for you. Overall, I've really enjoyed my first semester. Either way you'll be in good hands no matter which school you choose. Let me know if you have any other questions

Not to derail this thread, but what are y'alls opinion on going with our gut feeling and how we felt about a school on interview day? I got accepted to a few schools which are similar in cost and its hard to figure out where to go. Do y'all think going off the judgement of how we felt on one day is helpful, or not accurate because it could be an anomaly?

 

[artist2022]

So to rep UCLA here, every dental school will be hard, but you should look at the environment, the students' interactions with one another, the faculty & staff's interactions with the students, and not just at what the students may be feeling. We're always stressed out especially D1s, with Anatomy haha. But the faculty are amazing, your classmates will be amazing, and the upperclassmen are amazing too. Also, with our new Dean, there are a whole bunch of changes to be coming soon. First off, we (D1s) had the opportunity to practice with these brand-new scanners in preclinical lab. Also, our clinic will be undergoing renovations that will be completed by the time I'm a D3 (I believe) so they'll be ready for you! Read that email again and there are no scheduled renovations/changes BUT I wouldn't be surprised if there were by the time you're in clinic! In regards to things "outside" of school, we will be the first or second class to have 8-week rotations, which will be an opportunity to work in public health before we graduate.

I'm also about 2 hours from home, so I go home almost every other weekend and I love it. When you're spending most of your weekdays after class and weekends studying, it's nice to be able to unwind with family and non-dental friends.

ps: Finals week is next week and it's definitely not 15 exams in one week, it's like 5 lol. There's that

 

[Cthuluhoop]

It's four YEARS. You're gonna suspend 4 years of happiness over 75k, about 6 month's salary first year you graduate? Your happiness is worth more than 75k imo- work hard and live modestly for a couple years and your debt will shrink. 4 years is a long time to sacrifice happiness for 75k.

75K at 6% interest (and increasing) is serious, especially because it's all relative to the 4 years that interest is accruing on a bigger loan. Also, $150K in a non-rural area is a hefty estimate for a first year dentist just out of school these days. Even still, after state and federal tax, $75K is a lot relative to $150K.

I would say UCLA just based on cost and to set yourself up for a better future and less years of loan repayment.

 

[Dentist To Be123]

Not to derail this thread, but what are y'alls opinion on going with our gut feeling and how we felt about a school on interview day? I got accepted to a few schools which are similar in cost and its hard to figure out where to go. Do y'all think going off the judgement of how we felt on one day is helpful, or not accurate because it could be an anomaly?

I think the gut feeling you have at a school is very important! There were some schools I interviewed at which were great programs, but I just didn't feel like it was the school for me. Since we'll be spending four years there, I think it's important to go to a school where you felt at home and welcomed! I'm also not in dental school, so I can't speak from experience but that's my opinion!

 

[Dentist To Be123]

So to rep UCLA here, every dental school will be hard, but you should look at the environment, the students' interactions with one another, the faculty & staff's interactions with the students, and not just at what the students may be feeling. We're always stressed out especially D1s, with Anatomy haha. But the faculty are amazing, your classmates will be amazing, and the upperclassmen are amazing too. Also, with our new Dean, there are a whole bunch of changes to be coming soon. First off, we (D1s) had the opportunity to practice with these brand-new scanners in preclinical lab. Also, our clinic will be undergoing renovations that will be completed by the time I'm a D3 (I believe) so they'll be ready for you! In regards to things "outside" of school, we will be the first or second class to have 8-week rotations, which will be an opportunity to work in public health before we graduate.

I'm also about 2 hours from home, so I go home almost every other weekend and I love it. When you're spending most of your weekdays after class and weekends studying, it's nice to be able to unwind with family and non-dental friends.

ps: Finals week is next week and it's definitely not 15 exams in one week, it's like 5 lol. There's that

Are the classrooms and sim clinic also undergoing renovations (or will they be)? Also, how is the housing in LA? I have some friends that go to UCLA for undergrad, and they say they pay about $1800/month in rent. Of course, that cost is variable depending on your lifestyle, but what does the average rent/month seem to be?

 

[Dentist To Be123]

I made the same exact decision as you last year! I was also deciding between Penn and UCLA. Overall, here is why I chose Penn over UCLA:

Not to put down UCLA, but I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn. The students seemed far less stressed and overall just happier. When I was at UCLA, the students could not stop reiterating how difficult and stressful dental school was. They definitely didn't seem too happy, but maybe we just caught them at a stressful time. Another thing that drew me to Penn was the 1 exam per week policy as opposed to the 15 exams in a week that UCLA takes during finals. Having 1 exam a week makes things much more manageable.

One drawback to Philadelphia is the weather. You honestly can't beat California weather, but if you're already used to Midwest weather, then it won't be as bad for you. Overall, I've really enjoyed my first semester. Either way you'll be in good hands no matter which school you choose. Let me know if you have any other questions

I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn too. I felt so welcomed by the students and admissions office!

Was the overall cost for UCLA and Penn the same for you, or was Penn still more expensive?

Also, I don't think I knew about the 1 exam/week policy at Penn. So even during finals, there is only one exam that week? How does that work?

 

[Dentist To Be123]

It's four YEARS. You're gonna suspend 4 years of happiness over 75k, about 6 month's salary first year you graduate? Your happiness is worth more than 75k imo- work hard and live modestly for a couple years and your debt will shrink. 4 years is a long time to sacrifice happiness for 75k.

Thank you so much!

 

[averageasian]

Your happiness matters a lot. And so does money.

75k isn't that much when you forget about compound interest. And keep in mind nearly every school (especially private ones) raises their tuition year after year.....because they can.

Compound Interest Calcularor(Calculate Compound Interest) Compound Interest Formula -- e-Tools Age

 

[Life of Pablo]

I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn too. I felt so welcomed by the students and admissions office!

Was the overall cost for UCLA and Penn the same for you, or was Penn still more expensive?

Also, I don't think I knew about the 1 exam/week policy at Penn. So even during finals, there is only one exam that week? How does that work?

There is no finals week. Its just another regular week with 1 exam.

I got a scholarship from a penn but nothing from UCLA so the price was similar. You also probably saw this during your interview, but literally everything in the school was renovated within the past 5 years which is awesome.

 

[coldicecream]

So to rep UCLA here, every dental school will be hard, but you should look at the environment, the students' interactions with one another, the faculty & staff's interactions with the students, and not just at what the students may be feeling. We're always stressed out especially D1s, with Anatomy haha. But the faculty are amazing, your classmates will be amazing, and the upperclassmen are amazing too. Also, with our new Dean, there are a whole bunch of changes to be coming soon. First off, we (D1s) had the opportunity to practice with these brand-new scanners in preclinical lab. Also, our clinic will be undergoing renovations that will be completed by the time I'm a D3 (I believe) so they'll be ready for you! In regards to things "outside" of school, we will be the first or second class to have 8-week rotations, which will be an opportunity to work in public health before we graduate.

I'm also about 2 hours from home, so I go home almost every other weekend and I love it. When you're spending most of your weekdays after class and weekends studying, it's nice to be able to unwind with family and non-dental friends.

ps: Finals week is next week and it's definitely not 15 exams in one week, it's like 5 lol. There's that

is there a way to confirm the clinic renovations? they didn't mention it at my interview

 

[Dentist To Be123]

is there a way to confirm the clinic renovations? they didn't mention it at my interview

I'm curious about this, too. I tried googling it, but I wasn't able to find anything really.

 

[hedgie]

Are the classrooms and sim clinic also undergoing renovations (or will they be)? Also, how is the housing in LA? I have some friends that go to UCLA for undergrad, and they say they pay about $1800/month in rent. Of course, that cost is variable depending on your lifestyle, but what does the average rent/month seem to be?

From the interview, students said rent is $1200-1500/month in the campus grad housing, depending if you have a apartment-mate or not.

 

[artist2022]

Are the classrooms and sim clinic also undergoing renovations (or will they be)? Also, how is the housing in LA? I have some friends that go to UCLA for undergrad, and they say they pay about $1800/month in rent. Of course, that cost is variable depending on your lifestyle, but what does the average rent/month seem to be?

Living here is expensive, I got grad housing and it's ~$1400 almost for 1bed/1bath in an apartment with a housemate that's another student. I don't know how much the rent is if you don't get grad housing.

is there a way to confirm the clinic renovations? they didn't mention it at my interview

EDIT: Found the email and it's actually not talking about clinic, or any other renovations, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were changes by the time I'm a D3, especially with technology! Those scanners are

* also edited my original post accordingly

 

[parvazi]

Went to UCLA undergrad. Absolutely loved it but went through the same dilemma bw a Cali school and NYU. Chose NYU Even thought it’s more expensive but that’s what makes me happy and I highly encourage you to do that.

 

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following

 

[Dentist To Be123]

Went to UCLA undergrad. Absolutely loved it but went through the same dilemma bw a Cali school and NYU. Chose NYU Even thought it’s more expensive but that’s what makes me happy and I highly encourage you to do that.

Thank you!!

 

[Dentist To Be123]

Living here is expensive, I got grad housing and it's ~$1400 almost for 1bed/1bath in an apartment with a housemate that's another student. I don't know how much the rent is if you don't get grad housing.

EDIT: Found the email and it's actually not talking about clinic, or any other renovations, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were changes by the time I'm a D3, especially with technology! Those scanners are

* also edited my original post accordingly

Is there some part of the dental school you know of that will be undergoing construction soon?

 

[artist2022]

Is there some part of the dental school you know of that will be undergoing construction soon?

No but this could definitely change by the time you start. Plus most of my day is spent in lecture + preclinical lab, so I don't really know what's going on in clinic or sim lab....

 

[futuredentista2023]

Choose where you'll be happier!
Personally, I <3 UCLA

 

[Beckwith Wiedemann]

Choose where you'll be happier!

75k at 7.6% compound interest isn't going to make her happier once she graduates. If we're seriously comparing "prestige" or "rank", there is literally zero between the two. Perhaps UCLA may be more stressful but hey this is dental school, it's going to get competitive.


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[Tommy1234]

I made the same exact decision as you last year! I was also deciding between Penn and UCLA. Overall, here is why I chose Penn over UCLA:

Not to put down UCLA, but I really enjoyed my interview experience at Penn. The students seemed far less stressed and overall just happier. When I was at UCLA, the students could not stop reiterating how difficult and stressful dental school was. They definitely didn't seem too happy, but maybe we just caught them at a stressful time. Another thing that drew me to Penn was the 1 exam per week policy as opposed to the 15 exams in a week that UCLA takes during finals. Having 1 exam a week makes things much more manageable.

One drawback to Philadelphia is the weather. You honestly can't beat California weather, but if you're already used to Midwest weather, then it won't be as bad for you. Overall, I've really enjoyed my first semester. Either way you'll be in good hands no matter which school you choose. Let me know if you have any other questions

1 exam per week is my type of school. No matter what I will graduate in 4 years so why be stressful. Less stress = More Sleep

 

[Likkriue]

It's four YEARS. You're gonna suspend 4 years of happiness over 75k, about 6 month's salary first year you graduate? Your happiness is worth more than 75k imo- work hard and live modestly for a couple years and your debt will shrink. 4 years is a long time to sacrifice happiness for 75k.

And you are so sure he will be miserable at UCLA and not be miserable at UPenn all from a 30 minute interview process when everyone is on their best behavior?

Damn y’all people got rich ass parents or something.

 

[956139]

And you are so sure he will be miserable at UCLA and not be miserable at UPenn all from a 30 minute interview process when everyone is on their best behavior?

Damn y’all people got rich ass parents or something.

75k isn't worth 4 years of happiness for you? 4 years of happiness and supportvs 4 years of stress and a worse program. Hmm

 

[aspiring-dentist101]

Hi everyone! I got accepted to several amazing dental schools yesterday, but UCLA and Penn are my top two choices. I'm a California resident and got a $25,000 scholarship to UCLA, bringing the total cost to $315,000. I also received a $80,0000 scholarship to Penn, bringing the total to $390,000. Room and board is included in both costs.

I absolutely loved Penn at the interview and would be happier living in Philadelphia than Los Angeles. I love experiencing new places, so I don't mind moving to the east coast. I'm used to the harsh winters too, since I go to school in the midwest. My family lives about 2 hours away from UCLA, so it'd be a much easier to commute if I wanted to go home for a weekend, but I also don't plan on doing that too often.

Everyone says to go to the cheapest dental school, but I 100% loved Penn. Even though Penn is about $75,000 more than UCLA, would it be silly not to go to the cheapest dental school? (For reference, I'm thinking about getting involved in academia post-graduation, and I don't think I want to specialize, but of course that can change).

Keep in mind the living expenses in LA and the traffic if you live off campus. Other factors are Penn has a better clinical experience program. Congrats btw and best of luck!

 

[Dentist To Be123]

Keep in mind the living expenses in LA and the traffic if you live off campus. Other factors are Penn has a better clinical experience program. Congrats btw and best of luck!

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

 

[Life of Pablo]

And you are so sure he will be miserable at UCLA and not be miserable at UPenn all from a 30 minute interview process when everyone is on their best behavior?

Damn y’all people got rich ass parents or something.

Literally all 5 students on the panel said how stressed and overwhelmed they were. You don't have to judge the school from a 30 minute interview - you can judge it from what students that are actually going through it have said.

Although if you were to be miserable at both schools, I'd prefer to be miserable in 80 degree weather

 

[Likkriue]

75k isn't worth 4 years of happiness for you? 4 years of happiness and supportvs 4 years of stress and a worse program. Hmm

No cause it’s 4 short ass years. You are so busy time flies at either school. Also whose to say he won’t be miserable at UPenn a year in? This is all speculation and you people are throwing around 75k like it’s nothing. We can argue this to hell and back but my stance is the same. Cheaper school wins out for me every time even if the schools location is in North Korea. You guys are such snowflakes.

 

[aspiring-dentist101]

Hi everyone! I got accepted to several amazing dental schools yesterday, but UCLA and Penn are my top two choices. I'm a California resident and got a $25,000 scholarship to UCLA, bringing the total cost to $315,000. I also received a $80,0000 scholarship to Penn, bringing the total to $390,000. Room and board is included in both costs.

I absolutely loved Penn at the interview and would be happier living in Philadelphia than Los Angeles. I love experiencing new places, so I don't mind moving to the east coast. I'm used to the harsh winters too, since I go to school in the midwest. My family lives about 2 hours away from UCLA, so it'd be a much easier to commute if I wanted to go home for a weekend, but I also don't plan on doing that too often.

Everyone says to go to the cheapest dental school, but I 100% loved Penn. Even though Penn is about $75,000 more than UCLA, would it be silly not to go to the cheapest dental school? (For reference, I'm thinking about getting involved in academia post-graduation, and I don't think I want to specialize, but of course that can change).

Go to where you love. If you love going to Penn, I definitely think you should there and be happy. I think the difference in the tuition amount will be less since LA is expensive to live in. We are all going to be dentist and will pay off that amount in no time! So don't let that small tuition difference be the factor in your decision. You can make that money when you're a dentist but you won't be able to go back and recreate your dental school journey. Again this is solely my own opinion. Either way, best of luck to you!