UCLA or Loma Linda?

[ayoon80]

Well i'm deciding between UCLA and Loma Linda
while ucla seems more appealing to me for obvious reasons, some people say loma linda would be better for me since I would have a better chance of getting into orthodontics after I graduate...

Can anyone else offer negatives, positives of either school?? which would you choose? any feedback would be mucho appreciated~thanks!

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[negar]

Are u kiddin me!!!!!!! i would not even consider Loma Linda if i got accepted to UCLA. UCLA is a far more reputable school and it's cheaper! Loma Linda is a very strict religous school and you actually need to take some religon classes in order to graduate. In the end it depends on you, whatever school you like to go... It was just my personal opinion!
Good luck

 

[StarGirl]

no, loma linda's a good school too... it's just all a personal preference. I have a friend that's going to either temple or loma linda over ucla. It depends on what's right for you. There's really no right or wrong school, it's where you think you will fit in best and will be happiest. 🙂

 

[ayoon80]

hey guys thanks for your responses!
stargirl~ do you know why your friend is choosing those schools over loma linda? I would be interested in hearing why she is declining ucla!

i posted this somewhere else, but loma linda i heard also has the #1 ortho program and they accept 6 students every year, which is more than usual, and they give preference to their students i heard..this is one of the main reasons i am torn! also the fact that loma linda has a superior clinical program...ucla has the name and the academics, but getting into ortho i hear is real tough..any feedback would be appreciated, thanks guys ^_^

 

[StarGirl]

well my friend doesn't like ucla (she's here for undergrad w/ me) there's a lot of politics that goes on and you basically have to do your battles at times....
she wants to be a clinicial for sure so she thought temple and loma linda would be a better choice and it'll be much easier to specialize later on (because most people just want to do general dentistry and only aim to pass).

all 3 schools are relatively inexpensive (which is a plus).

for me i love ucla =) i dont' know what i'll do if i don't get in and end up in the east coast and have to live w/o watching my bball and football games for 4 yrs.... 😛

 

[JonR]

Loma Linda may give preference to their students for their ortho program, but otherwise it is the academic schools that get you in to specialties, not the clinical! Getting in to a specialty program is highly dependent on how well you do on Natl Board Part I (academic section) as well as your recommendations from the faculty in your intended area of specialty. Clinical schools are there to teach you in a way that prepares you to immediately upon leaving begin practicing dentistry in the real world! Not saying you cant specialize coming from a clinically-oriented school, but the big academic schools (ie UCLA, UConn, UNC, Harvard, etc.) are the ones that give their students a marked advantage in specialty program admissions.

 

[baracuda]

ayoon,

One of my buddies chose loma linda over UCLA last year. He was sure that he wanted to do ortho and he said that loma linda preferred their own students and they were ranked very high in ortho. its a tough call. if you're sure you wanna do ortho, look into loma linda. It should be a lot easier for you to rank high in their class that UCLA so you would have a good shot if you're dedicated.

I wasn't very impressed with UCLA's facilities either.

Take care

 

[ayoon80]

hey guys, thankyou so much for all ur input,

stargirl~i love ucla too! and that is one of the reasons i want to go ucla dent, since i love the campus..while loma linda is in san bernadino which = booniville..

JonR~so its the academic section that weighs most heavily? also since ucla has a pass no pass system, would your boards basically be the deciding factor of how well you do in school..

baracuda~ i agree with you that ucla facilities weren't too great, i definately expected better..but the campus is beautiful! Alot of people have been telling me that LLU will give me the upper hand if i want to get into LLU ortho program..but ucla on the other hand would give me the upper hand getting into all the rest of the ortho programs in the country?

so many questions..so little time!..>.< thnx again guys..

 

[ayoon80]

One more question! does anybody know how UCLA dent students are ranked in their class, since its a pass/no pass system? I know people recieve E or honors grades, but how much do these grades matter when applying for ortho programs?

 

[JonR]

ayoon
I can tell you from my experience with UConn, which is where I will attend next year...they are also pass/fail. The assistant dean told us that though class rank is not published, the faculty know where the students stand in the class. He didnt make it too clear, but it sounded as if the faculty did have a distinct idea as to one's rank as compared to the other students. So, even though YOU may not ever know, I would say the specialty programs will be given a pretty good idea- if not told exactly what your number is. Yes, the Natl Board part I is a VERY important component of one's chances in specialty admissions. Especially at P/F schools...the NBDE is the great equalizer. Before you choose Loma Linda, call them and ask them where they rank on Natl Board part I and II. Then call UCLA and ask the same. If specializing is your thing, these ranks are very important-esp. part I, since it is all specialty progs. will have seen when they initially consider you.

 

[gryffindor]

From the ASDA guide to Post-Doc Programs - Loma Linda's acceptance:applicant ratio for their ortho program is 1:40. All the specialties look at your grades, Board Scores, letter of rec, experience, essay, etc, but ortho is the one that examines your class rank "with a magnifying glass." If all of these components of your applications are strong, the name of your school should be a minimal factor in your application.

For all of you not in dental school yet, you have no idea what your class rank will be until the end of the first semester. Keep in mind that the accepted students in your class are the smart ones and everyone will be working hard to make it through.

 

[ayoon80]

hey, thnkyou for all this info..its makin me think things over now..

JonR~thankyou for all that information! i'm going to call them right now and find out actually, so it sounds like for P/F school like ucla..that the boards are Everything! that sounds like a lot of pressure..but if class rank is still a factor in p/f schools then what exactly is the advantage of the P/F system..hmm sounds like Loma Linda might be a better place to get good grades and rank higher since the competition would be less there

griffin04~thanks for the info, that ratio sounds ok, but do u happen to know the ratio for ucla dent students?? so ucla wouldn't really offer an advantage due to its name..hmm then llu definately seems to offer more advantages!

 

[StarGirl]

hmm i recall from a converstation w/ my 4th year ucla dent friend that they do rank the students, but i don't recall how or if they tell you or not... (I THINK they rank you after either 3 or 4th year...not competely sure tho).

I know that this 4th year class there are AT LEAST 20 students applying to orthodontics alone.... but I don't think most people get in right away...also, it's really competitive if you want to do orthodontics at UCLA (just like it is anywhere else). I believe they take one student from their graduating class into their Ortho program per yr.

I really don't know anything bout loma linda cept that it's relatively inexpensive also and that they rejected me 🙁

when do you have to decide by ayoon? keep us posted! good luck 🙂

 

[JonR]

ayoon-
One thing to perhaps consider too...what if you decide you dont want to go into ortho once you actually learn more about it? What if you end up loving endo or perio...or simply want to go general? It sounds like if you only want ortho and are prepared to forsake all else, then llu is the best...I dont know otherwise though. Were not talking about "names" here, we're talking about how well the schools do on the boards, which is the only true unambigous way to rank a school. A school that does well consistently means you will have better chances for ANY specialty. No matter what, though...its really what you make of it. If you fight to the top at LLU, youll be able to get in at most programs anyway

 

[gryffindor]

The book doesn't give too many stats on UCLA's ortho program. There are 6 spots available and residents are paid a stipend whereas at Loma Linda, resident must pay tuition. JonR said it well, school will be what you make out of it.

 

[ayoon80]

Thankyou guys for all your advice!! I am pretty sure i do want to go ortho, but since i'm not too keen on spending 4 years at a school i might not be happy at (loma linda), i've decided to go for ucla, even though it may be more competitive ^_^
Thanks again! hopefully i'll meet some of u guys at ucla!

 

[Bruin2k]

ayoon,

I think you have made a wise choice of attending UCLA over Loma Linda. I would have done the same, if I were in your shoes.

UCLA is a great school (but very competitive) for orthodontics. Nothing is guaranteed but I think as long as you work hard while you are in school, you will be able to get into an ortho program (7 people in 1999, 5 in 2000, and 7 in 2001 got into ortho program from UCLA). Good luck at UCLA!
Bruin2K

 

[markymark]

sorry to bring this thread back up... ayoon, i agree with what JonR said. i think that there are too many predents that apply to dental school with intentions of specializing. i say, come to dental school with an open mind. there are so many different fields out there, how could you possibly know that ortho is best suited for you? another thing you have to ask yourself is, what is the motivating factor? i personally think GP is a good option for anybody. why? because you don't have to rely on referrals from other practitioners, you get to build up relationships with patients that may last a lifetime, you have a variety of different procedures that you can perform (instead of being tied down to just one specialty), and if money is a big factor for you, gp's can make just as much money as a specialist, if they provide their patients with good service (assuming that these patients then refer you to the people that they know).

 

[JonR]

So true...I hear so many people talking about specializing although they havent ever even held a handpiece! The kids at the schools Ive been to all say that you really dont know crap about specialty until you actually sit down at a chair and get working.

The fact is, those who are "sure" they are endo may just not have it in that area. Those who think they are going to be oral surgeons may not have what it takes. Maybe these people have 10 years experience sitting next to a dentist or have had their wishes confirmed in a vision by the endo fairy, but I guess I just cant sympathize.

It's one thing to say you want to specialize and shoot for the grades and all, but to say you know what specialty you will enter and that you are picking a school based on it seems...uh...a bit presumptive?

 

[ayoon80]

Wow, i was surprised to see this thread back up ^_^ but yes, I've already made my decision to attend UCLA. People have told me that LLU would be a better choice for ortho, but I just don't think that is a good basis for choosing that school over UCLA, since UCLA seems to have so much more to offer. I know it seems a bit premature to be set on ortho, but I've wanted to go into this field for a long time; I've seen GPs at work and Orthos at work and I just think that this field is more suited for what I am looking for in a profession. Although who knows, things may change when I actually enter dent school ^^. I'm now set on UCLA since I think I could keep my options open there and also enjoy my 4 years in dental school.