UCLA vs Buffalo

[OctaviustheFish]

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I may be a bit biased (I go to Buffalo and they want me to a year because of some personal stuff that happened during finals week..) anyway- I will tell you this about Buffalo- (again- maybe a bit biased...)

the dean is new and kind of a hardass- and everyone is afraid of him because of some of the changes he is making. can't say if this is a good or bad- but so far hasn't been real great (example: we used to each have our own chairs- not anymore, also- we had a great international humanitarian program which may be done away with next year).

we now have international students with the third year class- which means less patients (there is already a huge shortage)-

the school is cracking down on performance,etc (more stress, pressure)- so they are kicking more out, making more repeat, etc- (NY has now money- so Buffalo has no money (it is a state school))- so more repeats= more money.

tuition is less than other schools, but has increased a lot since I started.

the climate and "culture" of Buffalo are miserable. dental school is hard enough- but add to that a struggling economy and terrible weather and you have a depressed patient base as well as a depressed student.

do not underestimate how this may affect you- I think you said you are from NY- so maybe you are used to the weather- but living in a sunny city could be worth its weight in gold if it makes you happier overall.

so yes, while money is a big deal- dental school can suck your life away, so if you think UCLA will suck it away less, go there.

patient shortage- I mentioned this already- but it has a huge impact. most schools will tell you that this is not unusual, but it is a real issue nonetheless- it can be incredibly stressful and challenging to get requirements when you don't have enough patients.

okay- now some good points about buffalo-

many faculty are really amazing- they are smart and talented.
the students also get along really well and have a real sense of friendship and trust, etc.
great for research (if you are into that....)
lots of specialty programs, and it seems that they favor buffalo grads (pedo in particular)
good community outreach programs

there is probably more- but again, dental school hasn't been a great experience for me ( you get out what you put in- and I have dealt with a lot of outside stress,etc- so it has been really hard for me...)

if you want to know more- IM me- I am good friends with the top 2 guys in my class- both clinically, and GPA, so I can get input from them about your questions so you get a fair analysis.

 

[UBDent19]

Is the "great international humanitarian program" you're referring to the BOCA program?

 

[Regmata]

Yes, he or she is referring to BOCA which may or may not be continued due to the loss of the faculty that headed the program. Yes, this was due to the new Dean forcing out said faculty for reasons that we can only speculate about. The new Dean is in some respects, cleaning house as often happens when a new regime takes over. Many of his decisions have been unpopular with present students and faculty. People are often resistant to change. Hopefully, his decisions take the school to a better place in time.

Students will no longer have their own chair in an effort to provide better instruction. Pilot programs at the school were run, student opinions weighed heavily and as it turned out, students felt that streamlined clinics were more beneficial to education. While it may be viewed as a pain, students who never had their own chair won't know what they are missing and will benefit from new set-up.

There is now a foreign trained dentist program being implemented. This is largely due to the need for the school to gain capital. NY is broke and school funding has been drastically cut and will continue to be cut in the future. The administration is doing what they can meet budgeting requirements and sometimes this means unpopular changes. In addition to the FTD program, you will probably see clinic fee and tuition hikes.

The school is not making students repeat for monetary purposes. There are plenty of other students coming up below each class that could fill the seats, which are limited. Grading systems have changed a bit to better gauge student performance. This is as much a test of the new curriculum as it is of the students. Things are changing, hopefully for the better and the new Dean makes is a priority to grade those changes and faculty. I am one of those who is resistant to change and not terribly happy with what has happened, but this is one of the things the Dean has gotten right.

It is unfortunate that some students feel things are miserable while in school. I guess at times, things can be depending on your work load. However, the overall experience my classmates and myself had while at UB was overwhelmingly positive.

Lastly, as for the patient shortage. There really wasn't one in terms of clinic requirements. The only real issues tend to be with molar endo, but nearly everyone is given enough patients to meet requirements. Now, you may have trouble getting to do the number of procedures that you WANT to do, because students share patients amongst one another to make sure we all get what we need to graduate. You won't see a real patient issue unless NY cuts dental coverage from Medicaid. It has been proposed, but to my knowledge has not gone through. It this happens, the school will need to come up with something to accommodate the loss of a significant portion of their patient population.

The school is in a transition period, but that doesn't mean the education is poor and/or that the school won't train their students to be excellent dentists. It is just changing and people used to the old way are bitching about it, despite that many of these changes will improve the education offered.

 

[BombayBDS]

this thing is still alive - interesting.

 

[UBDent19]

Man, that's a bummer. I had come to terms with not getting our own chair in clinic but I was really looking forward to the BOCA program. It would seem to me that another faculty member could pick up the slack (sorry OP for hijacking the thread). Go to BUFFALO! 😀