UF vs NYU

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NYU or UF

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SirajK

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Alright guys, I got a big question on my plate and if anyone has any input it would be a tremendous help.
I'd be getting in state tuition with UF and the cost is pretty much half of what I would be paying if I went to NYU.

Cost aside however here are my thoughts on each

UF- I lived in gainesville for 5 years, and i didn't enjoy the town, very bland, and I'm not a football guy whatsoever. The curriculum is very strong and well respected. access to lots of patients bc of its affiliation with shands hospital. research on club opportunities are ample. I think overall I would have a little more personal attention from faculty and not be at as much risk of being lost in the crowd.


NYU- New life experience (not sure if that will turn out positive or negative), get to be near some of the greatest museums in the US. The name recognition is substantial, and there is a lot of potential to form strong networks with people. The thought of living in such a big city is a bit daunting. I wasn't terribly impressed with the facilities but there would be a lot of patient exposures and opportunities for research and resume boosters. incredibly diverse group of people.


I guess what I would like to know is if anyone has input about the quality of education and level of student happiness at either of those schools. Even though I asked plenty of questions on interview day, I really wasn't left with a strong impression in regard to their level of overall satisfaction with their choice.


to me it seems like choosing between a safe bet (uf) with a complete unknown that has tremendous potential but also substantial risk.

thanks in advance guys!
 
I would choose UF over NYU. First off you are paying way less in tuition. UF is a well-known school and the class size of NYU is pretty big. I interviewed at NYU and I turned it down because I felt like NYC was not my kind of city but some people like it. I also spoke with the students at NYU during lunch and a lot of them seemed really stressed out in comparison to most of the other schools I interviewed at, but it could have been my interview day. If i were you I would save the $$$ and go to UF, its a great school with a ton of opportunity.
 
SirajK said:
I'd be getting in state tuition with UF and the cost is pretty much half of what I would be paying if I went to NYU.

Cost aside however here are my thoughts on each
Click to expand...

Okay, I am going to be blunt here, because I would want someone to be with me. Why in the world would you be putting cost aside? Is your financial situation such that money no object? We are talking about a HUGE difference in price here, especially once you consider loan repayments.

I just plugged some numbers into Bereno's wonderful spreadsheet here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tions-of-dental-school-excel-document.868931/

Say you take out 100k a year for 4 years at NYU. I set the interest rate at 5.4%, which is actually low, I think.
Over the 30-year life of the loan, you will pay a total of $923,821.53.

Now, let's do UF, but instead use 50k a year.
Over the 30-year life of the loan, you will pay $461,910.76.

Those are some hard numbers to consider. That's a huge difference. For me, my decision making process would absolutely stop there.

However, let's consider the emotional side of things. In a lot of these threads that I see, someone really *loves* the more expensive school and is trying to justify the high cost in some way. However, based on what you said, you really didn't even like NYU that much! At least it doesn't come across that way. You seem to have your doubts about both schools and aren't totally sold on either of them.

If you don't really prefer one school to the other and especially because of the difference in price, choose UF. The *possibility* of you being *slightly* happier at NYU is not worth $500,000.

Your education is what you make of it. You can be happy at either school. Be happy at UF and use that 500k on something that matters.

Plus, would you not like to be a bit closer to family? I know this isn't a deciding point for some people, but it was for me.

I hope this helps!
 
Plus you might be so busy in dental school, you won't have as much time to actually go out and explore NYC if you decided to go there. Stick with UF, its a great school that many people would love to get into.
 
I'm in the same boat. Just got accepted to UF and NYU!!

I'm going out on a limb here, but I realllllllyyyyy LOVED NYU and definitely favor it over UF. I know most of sdn will freak out over this statement, but i'm basing it over a "gut" feeling rather than one of reason. Don't get me wrong though, I really like UF and feel very lucky to have gotten an acceptance from them.... their tuition is FANTASTIC, it's close to home, prestigious name, lots of positives. But then again the buildings have no windows (huge pet peeve of mine), the facilities were old and dingy, and my interview experience just was kinda bleh. Plus I'd like to opportunity to live a little outside of Florida.

On the other hand, my experience at NYU was incredible. The students and faculty there were so friendly, my interviewer was the nicest lady ever, and everyone just felt like family. It was weird. There was quite a lot of natural lighting,(seriously i'm weird about this lol) and the facilities were beautiful. I am a small town florida girl and I highly doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to live in new york city... so i'm struggling with the notion... The biggest thing for me, is that this is MY life, my days are numbered, and although it may be a much more expensive option, I could see myself being happier at NYU. I went to UCF for my undergrad, so NYU's class size is hardly intimidating.

As for cost.... I have two dentists that have really been mentors to me. They are incredibly wealthy, and do very well for themselves. They seem to agree that dental school is expensive no matter how you slice it and a student loan is just a part of the expenses you'll have later in life. (car payment, house payment, loans for your practice, insurance, having kids, etc...) But then again it seems everyone on sdn does things as most educated responsible people should, and actually plan for what the repercussions of a student loan would be in the future. I realize that if i end up at NYU, it will come at a price. Glimmer is a smart cookie, and like she said, 500k is a huge chunk and it could be put to something much more useful. But then again (for me personally) my motivations for becoming a dentist are really not to live a doctor lifestyle. I just want a stable job, I like working with my hands, and I honestly love the dental field. I don't need a lot in life, and I'm more than happy to live below my means.

My heart wants NYU, my brain wants UF. I've been really struggling with this.
 
Glimmer1991 said:
Okay, I am going to be blunt here, because I would want someone to be with me. Why in the world would you be putting cost aside? Is your financial situation such that money no object? We are talking about a HUGE difference in price here, especially once you consider loan repayments.

I just plugged some numbers into Bereno's wonderful spreadsheet here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tions-of-dental-school-excel-document.868931/

Say you take out 100k a year for 4 years at NYU. I set the interest rate at 5.4%, which is actually low, I think.
Over the 30-year life of the loan, you will pay a total of $923,821.53.

Now, let's do UF, but instead use 50k a year.
Over the 30-year life of the loan, you will pay $461,910.76.

Those are some hard numbers to consider. That's a huge difference. For me, my decision making process would absolutely stop there.

However, let's consider the emotional side of things. In a lot of these threads that I see, someone really *loves* the more expensive school and is trying to justify the high cost in some way. However, based on what you said, you really didn't even like NYU that much! At least it doesn't come across that way. You seem to have your doubts about both schools and aren't totally sold on either of them.

If you don't really prefer one school to the other and especially because of the difference in price, choose UF. The *possibility* of you being *slightly* happier at NYU is not worth $500,000.

Your education is what you make of it. You can be happy at either school. Be happy at UF and use that 500k on something that matters.

Plus, would you not like to be a bit closer to family? I know this isn't a deciding point for some people, but it was for me.

I hope this helps!
Click to expand...






Thank you for that. I didn't intend to make it sound like cost wasn't an important factor for me, but you have a very solid point that perhaps it should be the biggest priority when making this decision. When I think about the price difference... and also that I have an interest in specializing. It doesn't make practical sense to be accruing debt worthy of the cost of a house.
 
UF. Don't put cost aside, you'll thank us later. Both are great schools
 
flybynight said:
I'm in the same boat. Just got accepted to UF and NYU!!

I'm going out on a limb here, but I realllllllyyyyy LOVED NYU and definitely favor it over UF. I know most of sdn will freak out over this statement, but i'm basing it over a "gut" feeling rather than one of reason. Don't get me wrong though, I really like UF and feel very lucky to have gotten an acceptance from them.... their tuition is FANTASTIC, it's close to home, prestigious name, lots of positives. But then again the buildings have no windows (huge pet peeve of mine), the facilities were old and dingy, and my interview experience just was kinda bleh. Plus I'd like to opportunity to live a little outside of Florida.

On the other hand, my experience at NYU was incredible. The students and faculty there were so friendly, my interviewer was the nicest lady ever, and everyone just felt like family. It was weird. There was quite a lot of natural lighting,(seriously i'm weird about this lol) and the facilities were beautiful. I am a small town florida girl and I highly doubt I'll ever have the opportunity to live in new york city... so i'm struggling with the notion... The biggest thing for me, is that this is MY life, my days are numbered, and although it may be a much more expensive option, I could see myself being happier at NYU. I went to UCF for my undergrad, so NYU's class size is hardly intimidating.

As for cost.... I have two dentists that have really been mentors to me. They are incredibly wealthy, and do very well for themselves. They seem to agree that dental school is expensive no matter how you slice it and a student loan is just a part of the expenses you'll have later in life. (car payment, house payment, loans for your practice, insurance, having kids, etc...) But then again it seems everyone on sdn does things as most educated responsible people should, and actually plan for what the repercussions of a student loan would be in the future. I realize that if i end up at NYU, it will come at a price. Glimmer is a smart cookie, and like she said, 500k is a huge chunk and it could be put to something much more useful. But then again (for me personally) my motivations for becoming a dentist are really not to live a doctor lifestyle. I just want a stable job, I like working with my hands, and I honestly love the dental field. I don't need a lot in life, and I'm more than happy to live below my means.

My heart wants NYU, my brain wants UF. I've been really struggling with this.
Click to expand...

That is exactly how I feel about NYU. I fit in with the people much better.. even though the building was crowded at least there was some natural light, and i can't envision a better excuse to attempt living in manhattan. That being said however. For the price of a studio apartment in the city, I could also rent a 3 bed 2 bath house in gainesville, with a grassy back yard, take my dog with me, and hopefully be able to get some natural light and space that way.

After 5 years of living in gainesvillle... what i realized is you have to feel like your soul is connected to your location, otherwise it will be hard to be happy. But that cost difference is so killer that it makes me think that if i went to NYU now, perhaps i will look back and wish i was not so fanciful a person. What seems like freedom for the next 4 years might end up turning into a prison for 15+
 
Gaucho4Life said:
UF. Don't put cost aside, you'll thank us later. Both are great schools
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.
You will be attending Dugoni? I think with that 3 year program you got the best deal of everyone lol.
 
SirajK said:
Thanks for the advice.
You will be attending Dugoni? I think with that 3 year program you got the best deal of everyone lol.
Click to expand...
Pacific Dugoni for me! It's still expensive, but with the extra year of income, it's indeed a great deal. Good luck on your decision!
 
@flybynight, I agree with what @SirajK just said to you. Don't let four years of what *may* be greater happiness cause you to miss out on *more* years of happiness down the road. Look at those numbers I posted above. That is a serious difference.

School will be what you make of it. Florida is a great place to be. You can make your experience great if you want to.
 
SirajK said:
NYU- New life experience (not sure if that will turn out positive or negative), get to be near some of the greatest museums in the US. The name recognition is substantial, and there is a lot of potential to form strong networks with people. The thought of living in such a big city is a bit daunting. I wasn't terribly impressed with the facilities but there would be a lot of patient exposures and opportunities for research and resume boosters. incredibly diverse group of people.
Click to expand...

Hey OP, I know that you're deciding between UF and NYU for dental school. Why not also consider attending UF for dental school and then doing an AEGD in NY afterwards?

There would be a significant benefit if you chose this route.
You wouldn't be spending 140K extra on dental school tuition (450K vs. 310K). Note that with a 100K salary right out of dental school and a 10 year repayment plan, you'd be paying $3,504 / month with the UF debt vs. $5,087 / month the NYU debt (https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLo...epaymentEstimator.action#view-repayment-plans.)

NYU has an AEGD program, which means you'd still be able to add the name to your resume, form strong networks, and get a lot of patient exposure.
 
I forgot to mention that assuming the same 100K salary, in NY, you'd be paying some 3xK tax (I got 37K using http://webinfocentral.com/tax/default.aspx but it really depends on deductions, etc...)

That's about 63K after taxes, translating to $5,240 per month. Deduct the tuition payments, living expenses, and food expenses from that.


So basically my point is: You'd be giving yourself a lot more freedom to do what you want if you attended UF for dental school. That may be practicing in NY, or anywhere else.
 
Ahhhh you guys make such good arguments 🙂 I know. There really is no justifying almost double the tuition. The struggle is an internal one. As for me though, I won't be practicing in new york after graduation. My mentor is already planning for me to join their practice when i graduate from dental school. So whether i go to UF or NYU, I am coming back home to fla.
 
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flybynight said:
Ahhhh you guys make such good arguments 🙂 I know. There really is no justifying almost double the tuition. The struggle is an internal one. As for me though, I won't be practicing in new york after graduation. My mentor is already planning for me to join their practice when i graduate from dental school. So whether i go to UF or NYU, I am coming back home to fla.
Click to expand...

Nice, you already have a job offer before getting your DDS! I normally don't spend this much time on SDN, but I want to share a last tidbit before I start studying.

A dentist on dental town was willing to impart some words of wisdom saying that there was a correlation between performing good dentistry + having tons of debt. He felt more pressured to sell patients on expensive procedures when he had a lot of debt from opening his practice.

Good luck to the two of you. You both seem well-informed so I'm sure you'll be able to make the decision that's best for you 🙂
 
so i'm still stressing over this... bah!!

Although I reallllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy want to live in NYC, the 500k price difference is really starting to sink in and I'm most likely going to go to UF and save the money. I reckon those 4 years will go by super fast.

But my question is, since living in the city is a lifelong dream of mine, do you think it's wiser to do my DMD at UF and then apply for residencies in the city? Although it's early to call it, I'm interested in OMFS and ortho. Is it really difficult to get into a program in NYC?

I'm wondering if this is a smarter route. I feel that if I were to start off at NYU, I wouldn't be inclined to specialize since I would be wigging out about all the debt accruing and want to start working asap.
 
flybynight said:
so i'm still stressing over this... bah!!

Although I reallllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy want to live in NYC, the 500k price difference is really starting to sink in and I'm most likely going to go to UF and save the money. I reckon those 4 years will go by super fast.

But my question is, since living in the city is a lifelong dream of mine, do you think it's wiser to do my DMD at UF and then apply for residencies in the city? Although it's early to call it, I'm interested in OMFS and ortho. Is it really difficult to get into a program in NYC?

I'm wondering if this is a smarter route. I feel that if I were to start off at NYU, I wouldn't be inclined to specialize since I would be wigging out about all the debt accruing and want to start working asap.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna pull a Glimmer here and be blunt. You should not base such a huge part of your life on your feelings. If you want to put money aside, don't put this thought aside: your situation is what you make of it. It sounds like you've been pretty blessed to have the opportunity to attend your in-state school. I'm confident that you could have a great experience at UF.

Think of it this way. If you had only gotten accepted to UF, wouldn't you still be thrilled and make the most of that experience? You would! Don't do something you're going to regret just because of sensationalist feelings. Like you said yourself, "My heart wants NYU, my brain wants UF. I've been really struggling with this."

When it all boils down to it, school is just 4 years of life to get to the prize. Like others said, your experience as a dentist would be much more stressful being 900k in the hole as opposed to 400k. Your parents probably would want you closer to home and to choose the cheaper option too.
 
flybynight said:
I'm wondering if this is a smarter route. I feel that if I were to start off at NYU, I wouldn't be inclined to specialize since I would be wigging out about all the debt accruing and want to start working asap.
Click to expand...

The easiest thing would be to use some of the $500k in savings over the next 30 years to visit NYC a few times. Or better yet, visit Machu Picchu, or learn to scuba dive.
 
I'm a FL resident and have lived a hr away from Gainesville my entire life and I understand your sentiments about undergrad COMPLETELY. Which is the main reason I didn't go there for undergrad and decided to go out of state. However, I believe the dental school (along with other graduate programs there) have a different culture. Maybe try and talk to some students at the dental school right now and see what they say? Get a feel for what they think of the program, the culture, etc. and do the same with NYU if you can. Obviously cost makes a huge difference but you also don't wanna be miserable for the next 4 years as well b/c lets be real, that does have the ability to affect your grades and performance.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I was hoping that I would get a scholarship to NYU in my acceptance packet but just found out that I didn't receive one. #firstworldproblem. Thanks for the reality check @NMC2010 ... What you said really resonated w me "When it all boils down to it, school is just 4 years of life to get to the prize." I think i'm just losing site of my long term goals for my short term goals. Never a smart way to go about things.

That said, living in a city is still a big thing for me. And to be honest Gainesville sounds like torture.. I'm more of a coffee shop/photographer/art museum kinda girl 🙂... although I'm sure I could endure it for 4 years...

But my biggest question is.. is it just not feasible to do a residency in a big city like NYC? I am interested in either a GPR or possibly even OMFS (being female may make this harder) but regardless, I want to experience life a little outside of rural florida.
 
flybynight said:
But my biggest question is.. is it just not feasible to do a residency in a big city like NYC? I am interested in either a GPR or possibly even OMFS (being female may make this harder) but regardless, I want to experience life a little outside of rural florida.
Click to expand...
If you do end up wanting to do an OMFS residency after 4 years of school, limiting yourself to NYC might be problematic given how competitive it is. But if you're just looking to get into general dentistry through a GPR or AEGD, you shouldn't have much trouble landing a spot in NYC. Check out page 13 of this document - there are dozens of accredited programs in NYC and the surrounding boroughs. Spend a year up there, then go settle back in florida with a guaranteed job... doesn't sound like a bad life.
 
Thank you! This is definitely something I would like to do! Do you know if I could apply for both OMFS and GPR/AEGD residencies at the same time? As in hope for the OMFS but if it falls thru, then I'll attend the GPR/AEGD?
 
flybynight said:
Thank you! This is definitely something I would like to do! Do you know if I could apply for both OMFS and GPR/AEGD residencies at the same time? As in hope for the OMFS but if it falls thru, then I'll attend the GPR/AEGD?
Click to expand...
I think when the time comes, you'll know whether you want to, and more importantly, if you have the grades/scores/credentials to go for OMFS. You'd probably end up focusing your efforts toward that and not waste time with GPR/AEGD applications. But I'm just speculating, I really have no idea if people apply to different specialty programs concurrently.
 
I applied to both UF ( I was a state resident) and NYUCD( as well as several other schools) in 1983. I had my pick and decided on NYUCD. Graduated class of 1988 NYUCD . I wanted four years in the incredibly diverse environment of NYC and I got it. I can't speak for UF but NYUCD exposed me to an intense curriculum under high pressure with an international population of patients. Lots of them. I got a ton of clinical experience and had a great time living in NYC. Money was tight but the city is full of poor students and struggling actor types who make it. Having said that, the loans I took out were heinous, and if I were to do it over I would go to UF, save the money, and direct my professional goals towards graduate programs in NYC. Not to mention it's tougher to get the FL license than it is a NY. Nice to have it if you ever plan on returning. I recently decided to return to FL and had to take the NERB/ADEX all over again. Unpleasant to say the least. I have no regrets about going to NYUCD, but I have to say I've met so many outstanding dentists from so many dental schools that it's obvious that it's not just the school,it's the person that makes the outstanding dentist. Best of luck to any who read this. It's a great profession.
 
docaxn said:
I applied to both UF ( I was a state resident) and NYUCD( as well as several other schools) in 1983. I had my pick and decided on NYUCD. Graduated class of 1988 NYUCD . I wanted four years in the incredibly diverse environment of NYC and I got it. I can't speak for UF but NYUCD exposed me to an intense curriculum under high pressure with an international population of patients. Lots of them. I got a ton of clinical experience and had a great time living in NYC. Money was tight but the city is full of poor students and struggling actor types who make it. Having said that, the loans I took out were heinous, and if I were to do it over I would go to UF, save the money, and direct my professional goals towards graduate programs in NYC. Not to mention it's tougher to get the FL license than it is a NY. Nice to have it if you ever plan on returning. I recently decided to return to FL and had to take the NERB/ADEX all over again. Unpleasant to say the least. I have no regrets about going to NYUCD, but I have to say I've met so many outstanding dentists from so many dental schools that it's obvious that it's not just the school,it's the person that makes the outstanding dentist. Best of luck to any who read this. It's a great profession.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this reply. The timing is rather interesting also. I was decided upon UF and then had a moment of hesitation just now... Then came a notification of this post in my email. I really appreciate you taking the time to give your two cents. it really helps to have more affirmation that I'm making a decent choice.
 
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