UDM vs. Nova

[screwslooseitstrue]

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So, I have been accepted to UDM in Detroit, MI and Nova Southeastern in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I am having trouble deciding which school to choose. I know a lot about the program at UDM but I cant seem to find any up to date information on Nova. All the detailed info that I find at here is from 2007-2009.I hope to learn more about the clinical setting, patient flow, procedure exposure...etc at Nova.

My biggest worry is will I have patients that will challenge me to become a better dentist or will all of the complex cases be pushed up to the specialties.

Or will I be stuck barely getting the patients I need to graduate. I've heard that students have to pass out business cards and basically beg the public to let them do work on them.

The reason being is that I am married and my wife will be working from home basically all day while I am in school. She is not too fond of living in Detroit. If UDM offers the superior program then we will go to Detroit, but If Nova has a decent program as well then we will head over to Ft. Lauderdale.

The cost difference is about $40,000. Nova being the more expensive school.

 

[NavyDDS1990]

I usually consider the length of institution's history. I have also heard UDM's clinical education is very high quality and strong with large patient pool.

 

[Goldtoothfairy]

I was accepted to UDM and waitlisted to Nova. Still hearing back about other schools but here are my thoughts so far.

At first, I thought I would hands down pick Nova because when I went there for my interview everyone was smiling and the school definitely had a great vibe. I loved the culture of the school. When I went to UDM what I loved about the school was the strength of the clinical program (I couldn't gauge the student body since it was on a Saturday). After being on a couple more interviews, researching, and reflecting, I realized one of my goals for dental school is to be in a place where I can set myself up for success as a dentist. To me, that means getting as much exposure and ability to thrive by dealing with different kinds of patients and learning from a diverse clinical environment. Although, I DO NOT KNOW about Nova's clinical program other than my interview and what I read on SDN/ the web, I do know when a school emphasizes their best attributes, such as Nova did with their environment and UDM did with their clinical program, I find that at least those hold to be true. Both schools seemed to have a very competent environment and I'm sure your success is what you make of it at each school. With that being said, I think you have to think of what's important to you. I didn't seem to see any lack of patients at Nova when I went but just think about what factors matter to you the most. I would also reach out to the student ambassadors from the interview (or call the admissions desk and ask for their emails/phone numbers) they're usually VERY helpful with questions like this and I'm sure they'd have more insight too!! Best of luck.