UMDNJ vs NYU

[teethmagnet]

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hey guys i have been ACCEPTED into NYU!!!!and i just had a interview at UMDNJ

i am thinking a little bit ahead and was wondering if i get into UMDNJ, which i think my interview went well and my stats are up to par, which would YOU choose---UMDNJ or NYU

also, if you reply to this please say if you are a NYU or UMDNJ dental student or still in college
thanksss

 

[MTD52]

I got into both, and I'm pretty sure I'll be at UMDNJ, as of now. I still have an interview at Columbia yet, but we'll see.

 

[teethmagnet]

where else did you get accepted??
also which other schools have you interviewed at??

i think its a hard decision btw NYU and UMDNJ, both have good programs and each has its own pros and cons

 

[MTD52]

where else did you get accepted??
also which other schools have you interviewed at??

i think its a hard decision btw NYU and UMDNJ, both have good programs and each has its own pros and cons

As does any school. They will inevitably thinks you like/dislike about each place, at least for the most part. Those are the only places that I have interviewed at. The only other interview I have is at Columbia in January, which is the only other school I applied to.

I liked the large class size at NYU since I come from a small town, small high school, and small college. However, I also dislike things about the large class size, namely the lower level of personal contact you'll receive with faculty, and other students for that matter. It's also VERY, VERY expensive. Other things I liked about NYU:
- plastination
- LOTS of international opportunities, something I really want to do
- really liked the Dean and faculty were nice
- some new buildings

On the other hand, UMDNJ doesn't have those same international opportunities, though they do have some. But some other things I liked about UMDNJ:
- loved the people, faculty, and students
- very laid back and friendly, welcoming atmosphere IMO. people joked around a lot, which I loved
- great clinical experience
- nice facilities and some new additions recently built and more coming soon
- small class size = more personal contact
- Newark is not the greatest place to reside, but I imagine you'll see just about everything in clinics (though it might be somewhat similar in NYU)
- WAY cheaper than NYU

Ultimately, the price would probably make the decision for me if it had to, but it doesn't have to. I felt more at home at UMDNJ, and I really like their emphasis on clinicals, and that's really all that matters to me -- price, clinical experience, and how I felt when I was there.

 

[nydentisttobe]

I also got in at UMDNJ and did the Gateway program. After spending 2 weeks there this is what I thought:
the faculty are really fake, full of themselves, and sexist (didn't anyone else wonder why they kept bringing up the percentages of women vs. men at the school and the older male faculty making jokes about it?). They are really strict about dress codes in the clinic, mainly having white shoes. One of the faculty members hit on a student repeatedly during the program. However, I loved the gross anatomy professor!
Newark is horrible. A student committed suicide while I was there doing the gateway program and I felt uncomfortable walking the 200 m to the school everyday. The city itself is really just gross and though NYC isn't far away, the students themselves will tell you that they don't go more than once a semester if that. They don't even go to Hoboken that often, which, though it is only like 9 miles away, takes 30 min to get to because NJ roads are terrible. And p.s. someone got shot there last week.
The facilities are very nice and you do get to see a lot of procedures you wouldn't elsewhere. The old clinic is pretty run-down.
They don't have a gym--you have to pay to join Rutgers's gym and the students drive there even though it's not far because they don't feel comfortable walking there.
The dorm by the school has nice apartments and it was really nice to live with both medical and dental students. The students are mostly nice and very good-looking for all you single people out there 😉
They have a great research program and the faculty there are really nice and approachable.
You can get in-state tuition after 1 year, which is really great.
They don't train students in Invisalign
They don't have service trips outside the US and when I asked why not they made up some ridiculous answer about how they want to train you in their own facilities and don't want to waste the resources, faculty, and time to make these programs available (though plenty of other schools have them and I've heard that they are some of the most memorable experiences at dental school).

Hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision about attending UMDNJ.

 

[MTD52]

Well, you are entitled to your opinion, but you seem to have a flawed concept on what the real world is like, judging by your view of Newark. Yeah, it's a bad city, but coming from someone who lives very close to Hoboken, NYC, and Newark, it's not nearly as disgusting, scary, or dangerous as you're depicting. People commit suicide at NYU's undergrad school all the time, to the point where they built different structures around the school to prevent it. Do you hear anyone talking about that when people refer to NYU? Again, the area is bad, but you're REALLY taking it a little too far. I went to school in Newark for a little bit a while back, and I wasn't the least bit uncomfortable. And as you said, people aren't going out every night while they're in school either because there's just no time. So IMO being in the heart of the city is not really "experiencing the city" either.

I don't agree with the old clinic as run down either. I think it looks just fine, and it was much less run down that I had expected actually. I guess that's relative to what other school(s) you have seen, but I didn't get that feel in the least bit. I was pleasantly surprised at it being nice than I thought.

On the dress code, you're really going to complain about them asking you to wear white shoes? 😕

You don't have to join Rutger's gym. There's a brand new YMCA gym opening in January and it's $30 a month for UMDNJ students. I don't know how nice it is, but I do know that about it.

They do have international trips, so I don't know why they told you they didn't. Read that packet you get on the interview and they have a bunch of examples.

Clearly, I liked it a lot, and you didn't, but I still think your view is pretty skewed. Just out of curiosity, where else did you get in, and where are you planning on going? 🙂

 

[MNova]

I also got in at UMDNJ and did the Gateway program. After spending 2 weeks there this is what I thought:
the faculty are really fake, full of themselves, and sexist (didn't anyone else wonder why they kept bringing up the percentages of women vs. men at the school and the older male faculty making jokes about it?). They are really strict about dress codes in the clinic, mainly having white shoes. One of the faculty members hit on a student repeatedly during the program. However, I loved the gross anatomy professor!
Newark is horrible. A student committed suicide while I was there doing the gateway program and I felt uncomfortable walking the 200 m to the school everyday. The city itself is really just gross and though NYC isn't far away, the students themselves will tell you that they don't go more than once a semester if that. They don't even go to Hoboken that often, which, though it is only like 9 miles away, takes 30 min to get to because NJ roads are terrible. And p.s. someone got shot there last week.
The facilities are very nice and you do get to see a lot of procedures you wouldn't elsewhere. The old clinic is pretty run-down.
They don't have a gym--you have to pay to join Rutgers's gym and the students drive there even though it's not far because they don't feel comfortable walking there.
The dorm by the school has nice apartments and it was really nice to live with both medical and dental students. The students are mostly nice and very good-looking for all you single people out there 😉
They have a great research program and the faculty there are really nice and approachable.
You can get in-state tuition after 1 year, which is really great.
They don't train students in Invisalign
They don't have service trips outside the US and when I asked why not they made up some ridiculous answer about how they want to train you in their own facilities and don't want to waste the resources, faculty, and time to make these programs available (though plenty of other schools have them and I've heard that they are some of the most memorable experiences at dental school).

Hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision about attending UMDNJ.

I think you bring up some good points, and you definitely are entitled to your own opinion, but I wanted to address a couple of your concerns for other people who may view this thread:

About the student who committed suicide, that doesn't reflect on UMDNJ or Newark. It's one thing if he got shot while at school, but whatever happened with that student happened for personal reasons, so I don't think you can hold the institution or the city accountable for his choices.

I believe they do have international opportunities, but you have to seek them out yourself.

Sure the city isn't the best, but inherent to any city like that are demographics with the craziest dental needs; so, from a clinical standpoint, the city is great in terms of exposure - which you also said.

I actually don't think they're research-focused at all, so someone who's hardcore about research may want to consider another school. It seems to me they really emphasize the clinical aspect of the program rather than research.

 

[Albuterol]

I asked about research opportunities during my interview and like MNova said while they are available the school really focuses on the clinical aspect of dentistry.

 

[MTD52]

Yeah the one thing I really don't like is that they don't have a variety of international programs available. I really really want to do that sometime during dental school. I saw in that packet they gave out on interview day though, that they have a 2 week trip to Dublin, if I remember correctly.

Anyone know anything else on their international stuff?

 

[MTD52]

Yeah the one thing I really don't like is that they don't have a variety of international programs available. I really really want to do that sometime during dental school. I saw in that packet they gave out on interview day though, that they have a 2 week trip to Dublin, if I remember correctly.

Anyone know anything else on their international stuff?

 

[teethmagnet]

thank you guys,
i really appreciate it

also-- NYUers--->how do you like the plastinations instead of real dead bodies??--advantage or disadvg?

 

[Sephisabin]

Advantage.

You focus on learning the anatomy rather than "where do I cut the fascia..?" followed by "Ahhh...... I just cut the nerve I was looking for!"

Further, you'll get to see things that those doing dissections can't see--we have a plastinate where you can actually see chorda tympani running through the middle ear, passing in between the malleus and the incus. The people doing dissections get to see pictures and read about it. Awesome.

 

[newyorkblork]

Advantage.

You focus on learning the anatomy rather than "where do I cut the fascia..?" followed by "Ahhh...... I just cut the nerve I was looking for!"

Further, you'll get to see things that those doing dissections can't see--we have a plastinate where you can actually see chorda tympani running through the middle ear, passing in between the malleus and the incus. The people doing dissections get to see pictures and read about it. Awesome.

As an additional comment, my Dentist, my med student friend, and a couple of D-students have stated: while a lot of people think dissections will somehow help with surgical or hand skills, it really is not similar enough to be of any import.

As far as I can tell, plastination will save you from having to saw your way through layers of fat and having to be the guy who volunteers to make those first cuts into the guy's face.

 

[MTD52]

Advantage.

You focus on learning the anatomy rather than "where do I cut the fascia..?" followed by "Ahhh...... I just cut the nerve I was looking for!"

Further, you'll get to see things that those doing dissections can't see--we have a plastinate where you can actually see chorda tympani running through the middle ear, passing in between the malleus and the incus. The people doing dissections get to see pictures and read about it. Awesome.

I do like the idea of plastination a lot. However, not enough for me to choose NYU over another school. In any case, I don't think it's all that great to be able to see things in plastination that you wouldn't see in a dissection. If you don't see it in a dissection, you're never going to see it, so what difference does it make if plastination shows it? It's cool, definitely, and interesting, but not helpful.

 

[Sephisabin]

I do like the idea of plastination a lot. However, not enough for me to choose NYU over another school. In any case, I don't think it's all that great to be able to see things in plastination that you wouldn't see in a dissection. If you don't see it in a dissection, you're never going to see it, so what difference does it make if plastination shows it? It's cool, definitely, and interesting, but not helpful.

Right. The plastinations are cool and are a better way to learn anatomy (based on board scores before and after introducing plastinations), but they are certainly not the only reason to choose NYU. There are much more important reasons to choose the school--it's at the forefront on implant and aesthetic curriculum (There are actually about 20 schools in the US working to model their implant curriculum after NYUs), you will never have to go searching for a patient (largest patient pool BY FAR), you'll see cases that other students only read about (lot of interesting cases in NYC...), large network of dentists when it's time to search for a job and the school is at the forefront of technology (you can work with lasers and cadcam). They are one of 18 schools that use VitalBook--all the books are on your computer. If you need to look something up, you put it in as a search query and you can search over 100 books in a matter of seconds, rather than flipping through individual hard copies.

Never consider the cost of a good education a burden.

 

[MTD52]

Right. The plastinations are cool and are a better way to learn anatomy (based on board scores before and after introducing plastinations), but they are certainly not the only reason to choose NYU. There are much more important reasons to choose the school--it's at the forefront on implant and aesthetic curriculum (There are actually about 20 schools in the US working to model their implant curriculum after NYUs), you will never have to go searching for a patient (largest patient pool BY FAR), you'll see cases that other students only read about (lot of interesting cases in NYC...), large network of dentists when it's time to search for a job and the school is at the forefront of technology (you can work with lasers and cadcam). They are one of 18 schools that use VitalBook--all the books are on your computer. If you need to look something up, you put it in as a search query and you can search over 100 books in a matter of seconds, rather than flipping through individual hard copies.

Never consider the cost of a good education a burden.

I do like everything you said, except for that last line. The cost of education IS a burden, to most people, in almost all cases - undergrad, grad school, dental school, what have you. You're right, being well educated is extremely important and I would love to say invaluable. But however unfortunate it may be, price is, and always will be, a big factor.

I do really like the facilities that NYU has, in addition to the programs you mentioned. And yes, the patient pool is huge, and I know everyone says that, but they also have the largest class in the country, so it has to be. I don't really see that as such a significant benefit. It evens out. A smaller patient pool is just fine if your class is 80 or 90 students. I liked NYU a lot, and that's not to say that I don't really like UMDNJ, because I do, but the sad truth is that a large reason why I didn't consider NYU for a longer period of time is just that it's too expensive. And nearly everyone that I've spoken to that is a dentist and/or in the field has almost unanimously said to go to the cheapest school, for a variety of reasons. As I mentioned, I wouldn't SOLELY go based on that if the price was comparable. And lucky for me, in my case, I probably would make the same choice even if the prices were comparable, but an extra $200,000+ in loan money when I get out is NOT in the least bit appealing.

 

[teethmagnet]

cant stop debating if i should go to NYU or UMDNJ!!!!
i feel like both schools are really on the same level
just each has its own 1-2 advantages over the other:
NYU--new york city and its name
UMDNJ--smaller class size, better clinical exp

how do i evaluate these advantages vs eachother??!!?!?!?!?!?

 

[MTD52]

cant stop debating if i should go to NYU or UMDNJ!!!!
i feel like both schools are really on the same level
just each has its own 1-2 advantages over the other:
NYU--new york city and its name
UMDNJ--smaller class size, better clinical exp

how do i evaluate these advantages vs eachother??!!?!?!?!?!?

Well if those are you debating options, it doesn't seem all that difficult. Let me preface by saying that again that I chose UMDNJ over NYU, so this is my own opinion, and may be biased. Ultimately, you have to choose what's right for you. But based on what you're saying, my thoughts are that first, NYU doesn't really have a great name. I've heard from more than one dentist to go to UMDNJ over NYU, for a few different reasons, and everyone has acknolwedged UMDNJ as a very good school. Also, NYC is great, yes. But keep in mind that you're not really going to be experiencing the city all that often. Dental school is very demanding, and I wouldn't make the choice based on the assumption that you'll have tons of fun in the city. Small vs. large class size both have ups and downs and I guess that depends on how you look at it. To me, small class size seems better in the longrun and the only reason I would like a big one is because I've come from all small schools. In the end, there are two things that really stand out to me. One, huge price difference, and two, as you mentioned, UMDNJ has a great clinical experience - both of these I feel are the most important factors, IMO.

Anyway, that's my take, and I hope it helps.

 

[teethmagnet]

Well if those are you debating options, it doesn't seem all that difficult. Let me preface by saying that again that I chose UMDNJ over NYU, so this is my own opinion, and may be biased. Ultimately, you have to choose what's right for you. But based on what you're saying, my thoughts are that first, NYU doesn't really have a great name. I've heard from more than one dentist to go to UMDNJ over NYU, for a few different reasons, and everyone has acknolwedged UMDNJ as a very good school. Also, NYC is great, yes. But keep in mind that you're not really going to be experiencing the city all that often. Dental school is very demanding, and I wouldn't make the choice based on the assumption that you'll have tons of fun in the city. Small vs. large class size both have ups and downs and I guess that depends on how you look at it. To me, small class size seems better in the longrun and the only reason I would like a big one is because I've come from all small schools. In the end, there are two things that really stand out to me. One, huge price difference, and two, as you mentioned, UMDNJ has a great clinical experience - both of these I feel are the most important factors, IMO.

Anyway, that's my take, and I hope it helps.

by "great name" i meant to the outside world-->not dentists
when ppl/friends/family ask me where i had been accecpted i had told them NYU, their response: "omg, NYU!!!!congratssss wowwwwww. . "
NYU has that "name" of prestige and knowledge to the outside, non dentist, world.
dont get me wrong--i still think NYU has a great program i just dont know whether it is better than UMDNJ's. I do know it is in a better location-nyc vs. newark.
and true-small classes are better for me as well
also----fortunatly, my parents are going to help me out with most of the bill and they said if i want to go to NYU, i shouldnt worry about the cost.

i just think about this decision maybe 248x a day
also some days are very umdnj days--where i am almost certain i want to go their, and other days are very nyu days-where i am almost certain i want to go there.

not such an easy decision.
i wish i could be offered a scholarship to umdnj--that would really tip the scale!!
anyone else having trouble deciding btw these 2 schools?

 

[marina1285]

I too, chose UMDNJ over NYU for many reasons.

I went to Rutgers University for undergrad and let me tell you a thing or two about a class of 300 kids. It sucks. A lot. Dentistry is a hands on science, you do not want to go to a huge school where you are a number. UMDNJ is the kind of school that will hold your hand and personally I think that is much better in this particular profession.

I hated NYU when I interviewed there, It was huge, lots of students, crowded preclinic that was hot and stuffy. The whole feel of it made me uneasy. UMDNJ was friendly, warm, nice and I basically fell in love with it.

UMDNJ>>>>>NYU clinically, At UMDNJ you simply see a great deal more and I believe you come out stronger clinically.

I have lots of friends at UMDNJ who absolutely love it. I have a few friends from NYU that told me not to go there.

Even if your parents are helping you foot the bill, cmon, it's like 100,000 grand more! Tell them to give you that money to start a practice!! Do you know how much 100,000 is with interest???

It really was the easiest choice I ever made, of course that is just me.

Best of luck to you and perhaps I will see you as my classmate 😀

 

[teethmagnet]

I too, chose UMDNJ over NYU for many reasons.

I went to Rutgers University for undergrad and let me tell you a thing or two about a class of 300 kids. It sucks. A lot. Dentistry is a hands on science, you do not want to go to a huge school where you are a number. UMDNJ is the kind of school that will hold your hand and personally I think that is much better in this particular profession.

I hated NYU when I interviewed there, It was huge, lots of students, crowded preclinic that was hot and stuffy. The whole feel of it made me uneasy. UMDNJ was friendly, warm, nice and I basically fell in love with it.

UMDNJ>>>>>NYU clinically, At UMDNJ you simply see a great deal more and I believe you come out stronger clinically.

I have lots of friends at UMDNJ who absolutely love it. I have a few friends from NYU that told me not to go there.

Even if your parents are helping you foot the bill, cmon, it's like 100,000 grand more! Tell them to give you that money to start a practice!! Do you know how much 100,000 is with interest???

It really was the easiest choice I ever made, of course that is just me.

Best of luck to you and perhaps I will see you as my classmate 😀

ha yes you do have good points
and i think i might be leaning towards umdnj, but now i just have to get in!!hope i do, and hopefully we will be classmates!
you've been accepted into umdnj already?