Hi LT,
The answer to your question depends on your personality. I'm a first year here at UConn and while I love it despite the fact that I feel like I'm struggling (maybe I'm a masochist.........lol), I can tell you that there are definitely students who regret coming here. We have a cluster of students who just don't want to work this hard (I'm not making a judgment here.........you CAN get a DMD/DDS elsewhere with less work). It's also very easy to underestimate what the workload will be like prior to getting here, hence all the warnings you get from the school during the interview.
I likely will not specialize and knew that before coming here to UConn. So why did I choose this school? For a number of reasons. First, I do want to keep the option of specializing open to me. I don't know a great deal about the dental specialties yet and, if I decide that pursuing one of them will fulfill me, I want to be able to do so.
Also, we are getting an education here that can't be beat. I view that as a privilege. Yes, we get a full medical education for the first two years. And, perhaps some of it goes beyond what we will need to function as dentists. Still, I wanted the challenge and feel privileged for all the additional material we are learning. Sometimes it's very hard to preserve this attitude though. Right before exams I become entirely frazzled and quite difficult to live with. Sometimes I cannot believe all we are expected to know and the level of detail they want us to learn. It seems humanly impossible, but then you cast your doubts aside, keep studying your darn butt off, and pull a passing score. It feels wonderful when you succeed. I sincerely believe that what I'm struggling through right now will help me develop a discipline that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Lastly, since coming here, I've found that I really like my classmates. I was afraid of coming here and finding snobby, aloof students.............that has not been the case. The class is small and I feel like we are all rooting for each other. The faculty, too, are great. They are eager to help you and that includes providing a shoulder to cry on when you feel like you aren't going to make it. I've had nothing but positive interactions with everyone since I've been here.
Hope that helps a bit. I know this is a huge decision. Let me know if you have more questions.
Margaret
That can't be true, is it? Oh man, we're gonna get rocked! 
