UF or TUFTS?

[AlwaysImproving]

Just wondering what you guys think
UF = state school and sunny
Tufts = sister goes there

I know I will be the one making the decision, I was just wondering what you guys think

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[dentalservant]

I think a lot of it comes down to how you will live during and after dental school. If you value being near your sister to take on higher debt which will effect your standard of living after dental school, then go for it. If you value sun and hurricanes and probably cheaper tuition if your in state then go Florida. If you think you will enjoy the school environment better at one over the other then go there. I went to Tufts but not UF, so I can't speak for them. But Tufts had a great school and the students seemed to love it, but the cost is making me leery to select it. Anywho, good luck with you choice.

 

[AlwaysImproving]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[dentalmagnet]

If I got into both those schools (FL resident too) I would definitely go to UF. I would go to UF over any school really..maybe not Harvard lol. It's the cheapest and I am close to home. Your sister goes to TUFTS, but will she be up there for the next four yrs? Or will you be stuck up there by yourself for the final yr? Those are questions you should ask yourself.

 

[dentalmagnet]

Oh yeah and CONGRATS on getting into UF!!!! I was asking you about that a few days before Dec. 1st. Congrats fellow Bull!!

 

[DrReo]

Congrats on your acceptances! I'd attend the cheaper school, it'll give you more options in the future when, or if, you want to start your own practice, etc. However, if you did love Tufts, and thought it will be worth the price difference, go there!

 

[UCSF2012]

Go to Tufts and make her pay for everything...rent, food, your tuition.

 

[somethinpositiv]

Go to Tufts and make her pay for everything...rent, food, your tuition.

it's the OP's sister.. not significant other..

 

[socloseithurts]

i would say go to tufts!! dental school is so stressful and it would be nice to have some family around. which is why i would rather go to nova than UF. oh wait...i haven't gotten accepted anywhere

 

[AlwaysImproving]

HEHEHE you guys are too funny...

the only thing is that my mom wants to move in with my sister and I in case I join my sister at Tufts....
why do these things happen to me, why!?
lol
so that is like a major + for UF loool

 

[zorie]

HEHEHE you guys are too funny...

the only thing is that my mom wants to move in with my sister and I in case I join my sister at Tufts....
why do these things happen to me, why!?
lol
so that is like a major + for UF loool

My mother has told me that she's going to pack up and move my family to wherever I go to dental school, so I'm with you on the .

I didn't apply to UF, but Tufts seemed nice when I went for my interview. I asked a few of the D2's how competitive people were and if they felt like there was a lot of tension amongst students, and two of them said that the atmosphere was really supportive and that they did these mass emailing of notes amongst classmates. They all seemed busy, but also really relaxed, even in the clinics.

Personally, I try not to think about the money and I would choose based on how I feel about the program and how I feel about the area itself. The only thing about Tufts though is that Boston usually gets pounded with snow a few times a year, and the windchill can make the temperature drop really low in the winter. My advice is to make sure you understand the weather patterns before you make any final decisions since you're probably used to warmer climates.

 

[somethinpositiv]

I think you need to consider the $ factor. If it was $250K vs $300K it might not be a big deal, but you're looking at $100K for UF vs $315K for Tufts. Maybe it's just me, but paying off an extra $215K would change my mind, even though Boston might be more fun than Gainesville..

Also consider.. are you going to dental school for your mom, your sister, or yourself?

 

[supraman]

^ is it really 100k vs 315k? That should be a no brainer

 

[Optimism Smiles]

I'm a little biased at this point in the game (since my Tufts interview is next week), but I'd say UF!! I personally know a lot of people who applied there and never got in, and I never have seen a group of people so bummed before. Take the chance and run I've worked with a lot of the UF students and they all have been really nice, competent dentists. If you aren't fully convinced, take my word for it and just do a quick apartment search in Gainesville and Boston. You'll end up paying ~$1,000/month for a not-so-great place in Boston (I did this for kicks once when people were telling me how expensive Boston is...I saw a TINY studio apartment that cost $1,500/month!) It scared me when I realized that if I lived in Boston I'd be paying about the price of a decent laptop computer every month for 4 years!

 

[DrReo]

^ is it really 100k vs 315k? That should be a no brainer

Agree, 300+ percent inflation isn't worth it if those numbers are valid. Enjoy the sun!

 

[AlwaysImproving]

I think I will choose UF bec/ of the $$
Predents says the 4yr tuition for UF is $71,628 vs $182,000 for tufts

Although Boston is a cool place to live...

 

[somethinpositiv]

I think I will choose UF bec/ of the $$
Predents says the 4yr tuition for UF is $71,628 vs $182,000 for tufts

Predents usually lists the base tuition, making d-school seem cheaper than it is if you just look at those numbers lol. If you actually go to the school's websites, calculate and add up the various fees and living expenses, it amounts to about $100K versus $315K.

 

[DentalRocks09]

I would say UF based on the cost difference. You would be saving a lot of dinero my friend. Regardless congrads on ur acceptances. You still have awhile to decide. Take your time.

 

[MiamiNole20]

Predents usually lists the base tuition, making d-school seem cheaper than it is if you just look at those numbers lol. If you actually go to the school's websites, calculate and add up the various fees and living expenses, it amounts to about $100K versus $315K.

I don't know if I'm reading this incorrectly, but this is taken directly from their website:

"Bottom Line: For 2008-2009, the total cost of attendance (rent, meals, clothing, transportation, tuitiontextbooks, instruments, computer, etc.) for the University of Florida College of Dentistry DMD program is just over $48,000/year for residents of the state of Florida."

So if this is correct, then the total cost for 4 years would be around 192K, which is still a significant difference (123K) from Tufts. I think that the 100K figure you're referring to only includes tuition & fees, not cost of living, etc. Please let me know if I'm wrong. Thanks.

 

[somethinpositiv]

$192K? guess I was off. OK, I didn't actually go to the UF website and add it up, since I didn't apply there, but that seems about right. (I did apply to Tufts, and the number does come out to be $315K). If $72K was the tuition, than adding living and expenses should not exceed $100K, but looks like their tuition went up a lot from the last time Predents was updated..

PDizz you gots to update your numbers!

 

[AlwaysImproving]

I had my mind on UF only because of the costs.
But I got a 25% scholarship for 4yrs from Tufts today via the mail and its making things harder.

 

[somethinpositiv]

I had my mind on UF only because of the costs.
But I got a 25% scholarship for 4yrs from Tufts today via the mail and its making things harder.

Dayum, the Tufts scholarship is 25%?? Assuming I get into Tufts after I interview, I will have the same decision as you, choosing between my state school and Tufts... I don't know if I could seriously consider Tufts unless I also manage to get that juicy 25% scholarship damn! That does make things hard...

 

[somethinpositiv]

Does anyone know if the Tufts merit scholarship is because of GPA, DAT, or both? because if it's GPA than I have no chance

 

[cybermech]

I had my mind on UF only because of the costs.
But I got a 25% scholarship for 4yrs from Tufts today via the mail and its making things harder.

How does this scholarship work? Do you need to send your deposit before they consider you? Do you know how many they offer?

 

[Ranelar]

Re: Tufts Merit Based Scholarship

Everyone admitted is automatically considered for the scholarship. I believe you are informed of receiving the scholarship when you get your snail mail acceptance. The minimum requirements are a 3.5 GPA, 20 on all DAT subjects. Other factors such as community service and extracurriculars are used to determine who should get one of the 20 scholarships. In order to maintain your scholarship the next year, you must be in the top 20 of your class. If you didn't get the scholarship your first year, you can get it by being in the top 20 of your class.

edit: I dunno what this 25% scholarship for 4 years thing is, unless it's financial based, but I don't remember them mentioning a 4 year financial based scholarship.

 

[AlwaysImproving]

The minimum requirements are a 3.5 GPA, 20 on all DAT subjects.

I was wondering how you know this. It didn't say it in the letter I received

Edit: From what I know, that info is incorrect...

 

[Ranelar]

I was wondering how you know this. It didn't say it in the letter I received

Edit: From what I know, that info is incorrect...

Assistant Dean Mark Gonthier discussed these requirements during my interview last Monday.

 

[somethinpositiv]

Re: Tufts Merit Based Scholarship

Everyone admitted is automatically considered for the scholarship. I believe you are informed of receiving the scholarship when you get your snail mail acceptance. The minimum requirements are a 3.5 GPA, 20 on all DAT subjects. Other factors such as community service and extracurriculars are used to determine who should get one of the 20 scholarships. In order to maintain your scholarship the next year, you must be in the top 20 of your class. If you didn't get the scholarship your first year, you can get it by being in the top 20 of your class.

edit: I dunno what this 25% scholarship for 4 years thing is, unless it's financial based, but I don't remember them mentioning a 4 year financial based scholarship.

Every single DAT subject?? Guess I'm out of the running then lol

 

[Ranelar]

Yes, every subject, as far as I understood him. I'm very much out of the running as well, by a long shot I could always try to get it my second year though...

 

[AlwaysImproving]

My sister did not get 20 on all sections of the DAT and she still got the 25% scholarship....

 

[Ranelar]

*shrug* just going off what I remember. Maybe I blanked out when I realized I was no where close to qualifying

 

[mantown10]

My sister did not get 20 on all sections of the DAT and she still got the 25% scholarship....

at my interview they said the scholarships they offered were 4000-6000 dollars

 

[Ranelar]

at my interview they said the scholarships they offered were 4000-6000 dollars

See, that's what I thought as well; it wasn't that substantial. Dunno what this 25% scholarship is... especially one that is guaranteed for 4 years.

 

[mantown10]

See, that's what I thought as well; it wasn't that substantial. Dunno what this 25% scholarship is... especially one that is guaranteed for 4 years.

yeah i would like to know what the story with the 25% is.. I remember 4000-6000 being written on that white board and he said you have to stay in top 20 in class to renew it

if anyone would like to elaborate on the 25% scholarship I would appreciate it

 

[AlwaysImproving]

I didn't know about it either. Also, as mentioned previously, I need to keep up good satisfactory progress to keep receiving it every year...

Here it is exactly, just so we avoid confusion :

I am also pleased to inform you that Tufts University is awarding you a scholarship covering 25% of the billed costs for your first year of attendance at Tufts. First year tuition and fee charges for the 2008-2009 academic year are $62,475; you should anticipate approximately a 5% increase in tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year. Provided you make satisfactory academic progress towards your degree requirements, Tufts University will provide you with a scholarship equal to 25% of each of the following years' tuition and fee charges.

Ok, that was a lot of typing. I can't believe all the stuff I do for you guys . I hope that there are no more confusions. Also, I am sure many of you will receive that and post it here so that I have some more evidence that I am not lying heheheheh.

How does this scholarship work? Do you need to send your deposit before they consider you? Do you know how many they offer?

No need to send deposit.
I did not send it and probably won't.

I wish everyone here the best and GL in everything