as a 1 week rookie at ucsf, i can't say that i know anything at all, but i will say that ucsf has quite an abundance of patients because of the surrounding neighborhood and from what i've been told, ucsf ranks top 2 or 3 out of all US dental schools for clinical efficiency. this is what i've been told (by the dean) and since i just started i can't do anything but believe it for now since i haven't even stepped into the clinics yet much less looked at anyone's mouth. so take this reply for what it's worth. but from talking to upperclassmen and others, i definitely don't think that they expect you to become a dental researcher. ucsf is great because it gives you the opportunity to do research if you want. you'll pretty much always be able to find something. also, it seems that a good number of people usually go straight to practicing after the 4 years without taking a gpr or other advanced learning. so i guess that's a good sign?? either way, i have a feeling i'll still do at least a gpr if not specialize just cuz it's good experience.
