UF vs NOVA. Go!

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Dentistgirl1

Dentistgirl1

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It is by the grace of God that I've been accepted into both schools. I've read about both, but I can't come to a decision. 🙁 NOVA was my first acceptance (has a super special place in my heart, plus the people there are so nice and laid back). UF is like the Harvard of dental schools to me though.
1) UF is 2 hours away, NOVA is 4
2) Nova has a waaay better environment, hello Soflo! I don't really drink at all, I've actually never been to a bar and I'm never around alcohol.
3) UF IS 20K CHEAPER per year! That's a 80k difference in the end.
4) Living in Gainesville, way cheaper as well.
5) already paid a 2K deposit at NOVA, money I'll never get back!
6) I heard from the dean of NOVA that they're apparently rivals?
7) which school is better for specializing? I love General dentistry and could do it forever, don't get me wrong. But like, better shot at oms is where?
8) I want to have fun and find me a mister and all that, but I also want to be the best dentist I can possibly be!
Opinions? What would you choose?
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Dentistgirl1 said:
It is by the grace of God that I've been accepted into both schools. I've read about both, but I can't come to a decision. 🙁 NOVA was my first acceptance (has a super special place in my heart, plus the people there are so nice and laid back). UF is like the Harvard of dental schools to me though.
1) UF is 2 hours away, NOVA is 4
2) Nova has a waaay better environment, hello Soflo! I don't really drink at all, I've actually never been to a bar and I'm never around alcohol.
3) UF IS 20K CHEAPER per year! That's a 80k difference in the end.
4) Living in Gainesville, way cheaper as well.
5) already paid a 2K deposit at NOVA, money I'll never get back!
6) I heard from the dean of NOVA that they're apparently rivals?
7) which school is better for specializing? I love General dentistry and could do it forever, don't get me wrong. But like, better shot at oms is where?
8) I want to have fun and find me a mister and all that, but I also want to be the best dentist I can possibly be!
Opinions? What would you choose?
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Which one impressed you the most overall during your interview? Does that mindset change when you think about the financial obligations? It's going to be a hard 4 years of school, so you want to be in a place where you'll be comfortable and capable of relating to your peers. It's often said that choosing a name school can be helpful in the long run but in all honestly if you push yourself to be great, what's to stop you from having an edge for specialty program anyways. A school doesn't make a great dentist, a dedicated student does. Go with your instincts.
 
Thank you for this, overall both schools are equally as impressive, although I'd be lying if I said UF didn't have an edge. Nova has newer facilities and a prettier campus but UF isn't ugly either. On my interview day for UF, there was like no sunlight and it almost rained while it was super sunny at NOVA. I'm going to ask to tour both again, this is going to be a tough decision.
HeisenbergDentist said:
Which one impressed you the most overall during your interview? Does that mindset change when you think about the financial obligations? It's going to be a hard 4 years of school, so you want to be in a place where you'll be comfortable and capable of relating to your peers. It's often said that choosing a name school can be helpful in the long run but in all honestly if you push yourself to be great, what's to stop you from having an edge for specialty program anyways. A school doesn't make a great dentist, a dedicated student does. Go with your instincts.
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Dentistgirl1 said:
Thank you for this, overall both schools are equally as impressive, although I'd be lying if I said UF didn't have an edge. Nova has newer facilities and a prettier campus but UF isn't ugly either. On my interview day for UF, there was like no sunlight and it almost rained while it was super sunny at NOVA. I'm going to ask to tour both again, this is going to be a tough decision.
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:troll:
 
Dentistgirl1 said:
To the people that say UF, why? I'm leaning more towards it anyway, but maybe your reasons could help me out?
I was also thinking about doing the military HPSP, if cost wasn't an issue, would you still pick UF?
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If cost wasn't an issue, I still would pick UF. It's closer to home, more reputable program, more established... but that's just me. Who says you can't have fun without alcohol? 😉
 
Dr. AV said:
If cost wasn't an issue, I still would pick UF. It's closer to home, more reputable program, more established... but that's just me. Who says you can't have fun without alcohol? 😉
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Seems like an obvious decision but Idk why I'm so torn! Do you think that they have enough patients in Gainesville? I learn by repetition so I know I'll need to do more than what is required.
 
@Dentistgirl1 Congrats on your acceptances! My opinion is to do what I did, sort out your priorities and go from there. They are both good schools, but I have heard that UF is a more reputable school.
 
Scumbag_Steve said:
There is no reason to be torn. The difference in the number of patients between dental schools is nowhere near large enough to affect your education the way in which you're concerned. All schools have to maintain accreditation standards. Pick UF and never look back. Like, send out the emails the second you're done reading this post.
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Thanks for all your advice, guys! I think I'm going to go with UF, but I need to walk through both schools again before I make my decision. You've been a great help! Lolol there was not one person who said NOVA, damn >__<
 
in this thread a bunch of people who go to neither school weighing in on which school is "better" or "more established" ....lol

Nova places a lot of students into residency programs (and even accepts Nova grads into their own residency programs from time to time) school name will only carry you so far, your class rank and ECs are weighed much heavier in that process (with few exceptions like upenn etc which the name alone carries students into residencies)

There are 5+ students in my class who got into Florida but chose Nova due to the camaraderie and laid back atmosphere offered here. Despite their acceptances to Florida

Our clinic is full of patients, our faculty is great, all in all our students are very happy..... come on Ft Lauderdale/Miami or Gainesville???

NOW, the price tag difference is substantial and anyone considering both schools needs to really consider the implications of the extra debt.

Both schools have the potential to prepare you to be a competent dentist if you do your part, I have spoken to several dentists who say they have been impressed by Nova grads ive heard the same about Florida grads. You get out of this experience what you put in, bottom line.
 
gatsby121 said:
in this thread a bunch of people who go to neither school weighing in on which school is "better" or "more established" ....lol

Nova places a lot of students into residency programs (and even accepts Nova grads into their own residency programs from time to time) school name will only carry you so far, your class rank and ECs are weighed much heavier in that process (with few exceptions like upenn etc which the name alone carries students into residencies)

There are 5+ students in my class who got into Florida but chose Nova due to the camaraderie and laid back atmosphere offered here.

Our clinic is full of patients, our faculty is great, all in all our students are very happy.

NOW, the price tag difference is substantial and anyone considering both schools needs to really consider the implications of the extra debt.

Both schools have the potential to prepare you to be a competent dentist if you do your part, I have spoken to several dentists who say they have been impressed by Nova grads ive heard the same about Florida grads. You get out of this experience what you put in, bottom line.
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80k difference in price is why everyone in this thread is pushing UF
 
gatsby121 said:
i addressed that, it is significant no doubt.... however for some people there are other considerations.

im headed to the beach, ill check this thread when i get back 😀
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lol Ft. Lauderdale life isn't bad, that's for sure. To be clear, I have a family member that earned his DMD from NSU, and he does great work. The price just seems to be important for OP.
 
Even in South Florida, UF is still regarded (by dentists) as a better school to Nova. No one will ever question your decision to go to the state's flagship school which, if that wasn't enough, is a lot cheaper than NSU.
 
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say NOVA. I did my undergrad at UF and have been very involved in the dental school there and interviewed at both UF and NOVA. The "feel" that I got from NOVA was fantastic, sure it doesn't have the same prestige maybe but the facilities are immaculate and they seem to be more forward-thinking in my opinion. The students seemed to be way less stressed out than the UF students. UF pushes their students hard, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in some cases I think that it goes too far. Not much time is given off to study for boards and sure they boast this 100% pass rate on Part 1 for however many millions of years but in reality most schools that I interviewed at had a near perfect, if not perfect, pass rate as well and the students at those schools weren't killing themselves to achieve that. The atmosphere at UF strikes me as deeply political and not all that friendly. I will say that Gainesville is a great college town though and a fantastic place to go to dental school. The faculty at NOVA were all very friendly and I didn't see any signs of issues obtaining patients. The cost is higher at NOVA but I feel as though you get something for your money and I don't think that it's all that crazy to prefer NOVA over UF. Just think back to your interview, how was NOVA vs UF? I think that it sort of sets the tone for how each respective school operates to some extent.
 
Predent850 said:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say NOVA. I did my undergrad at UF and have been very involved in the dental school there and interviewed at both UF and NOVA. The "feel" that I got from NOVA was fantastic, sure it doesn't have the same prestige maybe but the facilities are immaculate and they seem to be more forward-thinking in my opinion. The students seemed to be way less stressed out than the UF students. UF pushes their students hard, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in some cases I think that it goes too far. Not much time is given off to study for boards and sure they boast this 100% pass rate on Part 1 for however many millions of years but in reality most schools that I interviewed at had a near perfect, if not perfect, pass rate as well and the students at those schools weren't killing themselves to achieve that. The atmosphere at UF strikes me as deeply political and not all that friendly. I will say that Gainesville is a great college town though and a fantastic place to go to dental school. The faculty at NOVA were all very friendly and I didn't see any signs of issues obtaining patients. The cost is higher at NOVA but I feel as though you get something for your money and I don't think that it's all that crazy to prefer NOVA over UF. Just think back to your interview, how was NOVA vs UF? I think that it sort of sets the tone for how each respective school operates to some extent.
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See, that's the thing. Cost is important and it's a big factor, but at NOVA, my interview was a blast. I loved the laid back feeling and I just can't get myself to even type the email saying I don't want to go. I called them for 6 months almost until I got off the waitlist. I called twice a week, every week. It was a lot of work! I didn't even think I was going to get in this cycle, and now I'm so blessed to have to make this decision. So much thinking that has to be done.
 
Dentistgirl1 said:
See, that's the thing. Cost is important and it's a big factor, but at NOVA, my interview was a blast. I loved the laid back feeling and I just can't get myself to even type the email saying I don't want to go. I called them for 6 months almost until I got off the waitlist. I called twice a week, every week. It was a lot of work! I didn't even think I was going to get in this cycle, and now I'm so blessed to have to make this decision. So much thinking that has to be done.
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My interview at UF wasn't bad btw!
 
There are a lot of people on this forum in general who are fixated on the cost of dental school. Yes its a factor, a major one in fact, but I don't personally buy into the whole "go to the cheapest school no matter what" mentality. I'm all for forgoing some conveniences now in order to reap the benefits later but not to the extreme that others here are. "Its only 4 more years, just deal with it" is a bad mentality and when do you draw the line? It was just 4 years of undergrad, and then 4 more of dental school, then just a couple more for residency... it goes on and on and this is a significant amount of your life in the grand scheme of things. It'll always be 4 more years until you look back and wish you had made a few more selfish decisions. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't go to UF, but its not at all irresponsible or ludicrous to consider attending NOVA. If you end up hating the culture that is present at your school, you'll be miserable and struggle much more to achieve the same level of success that you would if you were at a school where you were a little happier with some resources that could help you. If driving the Honda gives you road rage because it doesn't have the lumbar support you wanted or power windows and requires you driving around your friends terribly behaved kid to school every morning and you get tickets and wreck the thing constantly and are late to work and get fired, it might take a toll on your wallet and your mental health and not be worth it. Obviously a ridiculous analogy but you get my point. I'm just saying keep an open mind and don't write off a school that you felt like was a good fit because some anonymous person on the internet scared you away with visions of eternal crippling debt. Also, don't go to that school because someone else gave you a poorly adapted version of a car analogy to fit his argument. Best of luck with your decision.
 
Predent850 said:
There are a lot of people on this forum in general who are fixated on the cost of dental school. Yes its a factor, a major one in fact, but I don't personally buy into the whole "go to the cheapest school no matter what" mentality. I'm all for forgoing some conveniences now in order to reap the benefits later but not to the extreme that others here are. "Its only 4 more years, just deal with it" is a bad mentality and when do you draw the line? It was just 4 years of undergrad, and then 4 more of dental school, then just a couple more for residency... it goes on and on and this is a significant amount of your life in the grand scheme of things. It'll always be 4 more years until you look back and wish you had made a few more selfish decisions. I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't go to UF, but its not at all irresponsible or ludicrous to consider attending NOVA. If you end up hating the culture that is present at your school, you'll be miserable and struggle much more to achieve the same level of success that you would if you were at a school where you were a little happier with some resources that could help you. If driving the Honda gives you road rage because it doesn't have the lumbar support you wanted or power windows and requires you driving around your friends terribly behaved kid to school every morning and you get tickets and wreck the thing constantly and are late to work and get fired, it might take a toll on your wallet and your mental health and not be worth it. Obviously a ridiculous analogy but you get my point. I'm just saying keep an open mind and don't write off a school that you felt like was a good fit because some anonymous person on the internet scared you away with visions of eternal crippling debt. Also, don't go to that school because someone else gave you a poorly adapted version of a car analogy to fit his argument. Best of luck with your decision.
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I agree
 
Scumbag_Steve said:
If you're not happy with a brand new Honda Accord nothing in life is going to make you happy. A new Honda Accord has power windows, just like a BMW does. A successful 4 year stint at UF allows you to practice dentistry, as does a successful 4 year sting at Nova, As a matter of fact, the only thing that a new Honda Accord (UF) wouldn't have that a BMW (Nova) does is the emotional appeal. That's what the cost difference gets you.

The analogy is not poor at all. The OP also said that they were not turned off by the interview experience at UF, just that the Nova experience was better.

The $80,000 difference is $95,000 before the OP walks out the door at graduation, if tuition rates and interest rates stay where they are now, which is not happening. If the OP thinks that Nova is worth more than a year's worth of post tax salary, then by all means more power to her going to Nova. I'm trying to convey the point that the emotional appeal of a one day visit to a school is not worth giving up an entire year's worth of post tax salary.

If $95,000 is not worth four years of going to a school that is merely okay vs one that is really great, then we come from separate worlds and will never agree. I'm just trying to let the OP know that she should be fully aware of the financial aspects of this decision and try to make a decision for the next 40 years, not the next 4.

Sorry If I suggested looking at money was "irresponsible" or "ludicrous"
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I was referring to my adaptation of your original analogy as poor. Your analogy was a good one and has a lot of validity to it.

The emotional appeal of a one day visit to a school is not worth a year's salary, but a pleasant 4 years of life in a place that is a conducive learning environment for OP in particular, could be. I'm not OP and I'd also like to believe that I'd be successful in just about any situation but that's just simply not the case for everyone and certain people thrive in different environments so I'm trying to come at this from that perspective. Bottom line is that to some people, 4 years of increased happiness or comfort or whatever else makes one school and area better than another in their mind, is worth 1 years salary. Which was my point, I stand on the side of that argument that says that life is short and its possible for 4 years of comfort to be worth one year of salary and a vocal majority of the members here are on the other side of the argument and don't believe that any amount of increased resources or comfort or happiness or any other quality are worth 1 year of future salary. It would be irresponsible NOT to look at the financial aspects of this decision and I mentioned that it was a huge factor in my earlier post but again, I offered up a differing opinion that it should not be the only factor and there could possibly be other factors that someone making this decision could prioritize.
 
Scumbag_Steve said:
I liken this to a hypothetical trip to a BMW dealership and a Honda dealership. At the BMW dealership (Nova), they pamper you, give you lots of personalized attention, feed you a nice meal, let you test drive many cars, and really try to make you want that BMW 3 Series because you've worked hard, and you earned it. Hey, the BMW 3 Series even has the same fuel economy as that Honda Accord down the street. It's only $13,000 more, it's not that much more expensive than that boring old Honda!

You go to the Honda dealership (UF) to check out the Accord. The dealership treats you reasonably well. They give you a cup of coffee, let you test drive it. They mainly sell the Accord on its affordability and reliability. They don't pamper you and tell you how special the Honda is. They don't sell it on sex appeal like the BMW. So you feel like treating yourself to the BMW based on your experience, and the emotion attached to the car.

What nobody emphasizes to you is that the BMW and the Honda both get you from point A to point B, one for much cheaper than the other. What nobody emphasizes to you is that a brake job costs three times as much for the BMW as it does for the Honda. What nobody emphasizes to you is that the Honda will keep on running for years and years with minimal maintenance, and the BMW will take a large amount of money to keep on the road, with no guarantee it will last as long as the Honda.

What nobody calculates for you is the monthly payment on the BMW vs the Honda. Sure, the initial cost of the BMW is only $13,000 more. But you aren't paying in cash; you're taking out loans and paying them back with interest. By the time you pay off the BMW vs the time you pay off the Honda, you've spend far more than $13,000 for the emotional appeal of the BMW.

Buy the Honda. You'll even have left over money to get a special Gator plate for it. Have fun in Gainesville, and best of luck at UF Dental next year!
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Wow, thank you for this. It really helped me put things in perspective. And thank you, can't wait to.see what it's like to be a gator!!
 
All in all, its going to be a tough decision, and you all raise very valid points. I'm leaning towards UF now, but I'm going to visit both schools one more time before making my final decision. And I know I talked about how much I loved NOVA, but I'd be moving 4 hours away from home and I would only probably see my family once a month, if that. I can see my family a lot more if it's only a 2 hour drive. Now, does UF have the comrardare that NOVA has? I don't necessarily know, I didn't see that when I was there, but I went during exam week I think. I've been thinking about this, even if I put cost aside completely, money comes and goes and one year's salary is not that much in the grand scheme of one's life.. what edge does NOVA have over UF and vice versa? Uf= one of the top dental institutions in the nation, scholarship, more established, more reputable. Nova= private, brand new facilities, easy going atmosphere, better location. I just want to make the best decision for my life and I want to be the best dentist I can be.
Quick aside: This is probably really stupid, but does UF have cadavers for anatomy? I know NOVA does and I thought it was really cool.
 
Hey everybody, thanks for all your help. I've weighed in all your responses and have made the decision to go to UF. It was truly a tough decision to make, but I wanted to take the time to thank each one of you individually for taking the time to provide me with all this great advice. SDNers rock!
 
Dentistgirl1 said:
Hey everybody, thanks for all your help. I've weighed in all your responses and have made the decision to go to UF. It was truly a tough decision to make, but I wanted to take the time to thank each one of you individually for taking the time to provide me with all this great advice. SDNers rock!
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thank you! I am on the Nova Waitlist and do not look forward to another wasted year and reapplying! Hopefully I get a call soon!
 
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