UConn? Any advice to the accepted considering attending?

[Plopper]

Hi, i've been accepted to UConn, and a few others, and i've just heard absolutely horrible stories on this forum about how terrible it was. That the training was aweful, and the courseload too rigorous considering the evil professors and terrible administration.

• Could anyone shed some light on these rumors? Thanks soo much, i'm really struggling with my decision on where to go
• How is P/F (it's not high pass or honors right?)

ps UConn is instate, so it's the cheapest for me... (makes me consider it more, but not the deciding factor)

i'm also considering specializing (proably going to, but am going to wait and see in dental school if i really love general more)


Thanks

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[Yang]

Hi, i've been accepted to UConn, and a few others, and i've just heard absolutely horrible stories on this forum about how terrible it was. That the training was aweful, and the courseload too rigorous considering the evil professors and terrible administration.

• Could anyone shed some light on these rumors? Thanks soo much, i'm really struggling with my decision on where to go
• How is P/F (it's not high pass or honors right?)

ps UConn is instate, so it's the cheapest for me... (makes me consider it more, but not the deciding factor)

i'm also considering specializing (proably going to, but am going to wait and see in dental school if i really love general more)


Thanks

I graduated from UConn last May. The first two years are demanding because we are in med school and have all the dental classes on top of that. Most professors are good and fair I think. Year 3 and 4 are not bad. It is P/F, not high pass or honor. In fact, one will never know what one's class rank is. I based my decision of choosing UConn because of its competitive financial package and high acceptance into residency programs. I think the first two years of med classes help a lot when it comes to board part I performance. However, it board does become P/F attending a P/F school may hurt residency application.

 

[Plopper]

thanks, i've been reading old posts and have been hearing about how unnecessarily hard it is, and how it has a high fail rate, this is really scaring me.

i like the fact that everyone does so well on the part I, which gets them into specialties, fortunately i'll be the last class to take the regular boards before they go p/f

but do i really want to kill myself for 2 years? How much harder is it than a regular dental curriculum? Is it really worth it for the boards?

 

[Yang]

thanks, i've been reading old posts and have been hearing about how unnecessarily hard it is, and how it has a high fail rate, this is really scaring me.
Yes, it does have high failing rate. We lost 5 people out of 40 in our first year and inherited a few from the upper class. There were 37 of us graduated out of which 32 were from my original entering class. First two years are a lot of work and stress.

i like the fact that everyone does so well on the part I, which gets them into specialties, fortunately i'll be the last class to take the regular boards before they go p/f

but do i really want to kill myself for 2 years? How much harder is it than a regular dental curriculum? Is it really worth it for the boards?

I don't know how much harder it is than a regular dental curriculum? I have no basis of comparison. I would guess that dental schools are hard in general. As for the boards, we were given only two weeks at the end of 2nd year to prepare for it. There was no time during the semester that one could study since we had to pass all the med and dental exams. I think I would have done better or equally well if I attended another school. So it is not worth it just for the boards along.

Choosing dental school is a personal decision. UConn has its strength and weakness just like any other ones. I think it depend what you think are important to you. Like others have said in other threads, "go to the cheapest one". If one studies hard one can get into competitive residency from any dental school. Programs don't really care where one went to school. Some schools may have better reputation than others but overall it does not play a major role.

I think it is important to keep the amount of loan as low as possible and meanwhile study hard regardless of which school one goes to. I always went to the cheapest one for both dental school and ortho and I am so glad that I did that. Sometimes I hear my coresidents say that they regret having gone to an expensive school and it is going to take them many years to pay it back. It also limits one's options when school is over.

PS I thought most of the faculty were good and fair including clinic years. The exams were mostly multiple choices and occasionally short answers. We didn't have to write papers or do PBL.

 

[Plopper]

I don't know how much harder it is than a regular dental curriculum? I have no basis of comparison. I would guess that dental schools are hard in general. As for the boards, we were given only two weeks at the end of 2nd year to prepare for it. There was no time during the semester that one could study since we had to pass all the med and dental exams. I think I would have done better or equally well if I attended another school. So it is not worth it just for the boards along.

Choosing dental school is a personal decision. UConn has its strength and weakness just like any other ones. I think it depend what you think are important to you. Like others have said in other threads, "go to the cheapest one". If one studies hard one can get into competitive residency from any dental school. Programs don't really care where one went to school. Some schools may have better reputation than others but overall it does not play a major role.

I think it is important to keep the amount of loan as low as possible and meanwhile study hard regardless of which school one goes to. I always went to the cheapest one for both dental school and ortho and I am so glad that I did that. Sometimes I hear my coresidents say that they regret having gone to an expensive school and it is going to take them many years to pay it back. It also limits one's options when school is over.

PS I thought most of the faculty were good and fair including clinic years. The exams were mostly multiple choices and occasionally short answers. We didn't have to write papers or do PBL.

thank you for the in-depth response that really helps, i'm very concerned with the extremely demanding curriculum plus the higher than normal fail/repeat rate. I also don't like the fact that UConn graduates their class in the parking lot, it seems to me that shows the faculty aren't really that willing to go out of their way for students.

that being said, i'm also looking at Nova, and i've been reading about a lot of hush hush problems with the administration, and the lack of seats in lectures or clinic chairs.

you went to UConn and didn't have to do PBL?? i thought that was one of the things that they've highly touted?

maybe i should start considering UMDNJ and Maryland even more heavily, i liked the schools but they're not in the greatest area...

 

[Jake8]

FYI Ghetto areas = High patient pool

 

[dunkindonuts86]

Hi, I'm a first year at Uconn now, and I really enjoy it. The faculty friendly and always fair. From what I have experienced thus far, the curriculum is difficult, we have medical school classes in the morning and dental classes in the afternoon, but it is by no means impossible. About 2 weeks before every exam, you don't have a life and you study all day and all night, but I think that is to be expected for any dental school. If you are concerned about many of the posts about Uconn that come up when you do a search on sdn, don't listen to it, I think most of it is completely false, I could never see any faculty doing any of the alleged claims. Anyways, let me know if you have any questions, I still don't know too much about the entire curriculum, but I can let you know about first year. Good luck with your decision!