UMich, Harvard, or USCF? help please?!

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rcg224

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I got into UMich, UCSF, and Harvard and have no clue which I should go to. I'm a Michigan resident. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of harvard vs ucsf. Any advice would help :D
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I can't speak for UMich or UCSF, but as a student at Harvard I can say it is an amazing school. On a slightly related note, four students in my class (out of 35 total) went to University of Michigan for undergrad. Not sure what made them choose Harvard over Michigan though.
 
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I would still go to Harvard. Dude, it's Harvard. But that's just my opinion
 
yeah i get in state for mich. And after a year at UCSF I can become a resident and get in state there.
 
You can go to Harvard, it's Harvard.

Or if you want to specialize, you can go to Michigan and get cheaper tuition. You will be top notch at your class and then go to Harvard for specialty school! That way, you still get your Harvard degree for what really counts (specialty diploma) and you also did this process saving money by going 4 yrs to state school.

What about that? :D Pretty cool idea right? I thought about it since I did not get accepted to Harvard, I might as well go for cheap at UF and then do specialty at super-recognized school.
 
u would turn down harvard?! My friend was in similar situation as you last year he chose MIch over SF
 
Yeah, everyone keeps saying not to turn down Harvard. I did really like it but its so much more expensive. Also I'm ready to start pre-clinical stuff asap. But every thing else about harvard i loved. BUT, I loved SF as a place to live, the students loves it there etc.

I was sort of starting to rule out michigan despite the fact that it would be cheaper because its not pass fail and the other two are. Students at both USCF and Harvard told me to definitely go to a pass fail school less stress less competition etc.
 
I would say go to Harvard.
I didn't apply to the other school so I am prolly biased :D

The only places I heard ppl choose over Harvard are the California schools bec/ of the atmosphere.
I think pretty much w/e school you like better and have more chemistry with, then go with that, w/e that is (Harvard or SF). You will be there for 4 yrs!
 
I would say it depends on what your circumstances are. If you don't like the cold, go to UCSF. If you would deem it convenient to stay in MI and if financial things are significant, go to Michigan, as you would not be sacrificing any quality of education (one of the MMI stations I had was a student who chose MI over Harvard and he was not from MI if i recall correctly). If you want to expand your horizons and want to experience a different academically stimulating environment, go to Harvard (or UCSF for that matter). I know Harvard is Harvard, but dental school is also dental school. If you choose MI or USCF, do not doubt your choice and think to yourself "I am missing out on the Harvard experience".

All three of these are excellent schools and I understand your dilemma. I would put your choice largely on outside/personal factors, because you will have a hard time making any of these three look better than the others with respect to education.
 
I have about the same dilemma! Except it's Harvard vs. UIC. I really want to specialize, so I'm leaning towards Harvard. I also really liked the curriculum, people, campus, etc. However... I can't get over how expensive it is! I'm going to have to take out all loans... and then more loans for specializing. I just don't want to be poor after having gone through all this hard work!
 
If you wanna save moneym go to UCSF, you wanna become a researcher, go to Harvard, and I dont know anything about UM sooo...no comments there. I heard this from a doctor, 35% of the kids who graduated from Harvard Dental school will apply and go to Med school afterward. Come to California!!! You're gonna LOVE teh weather!!!!
 
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Mia are you taking out loans for Harvard? If so, how is their financial aid system? I'm just really worried about the >$300,000 I'll have to take out total!
 
kag930 said:
I have about the same dilemma! Except it's Harvard vs. UIC. I really want to specialize, so I'm leaning towards Harvard. I also really liked the curriculum, people, campus, etc. However... I can't get over how expensive it is! I'm going to have to take out all loans... and then more loans for specializing. I just don't want to be poor after having gone through all this hard work!
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you will not be broke after graduating from Harvard, I can tell you that. kk

Most schools are very expensive, if you really liked their curriculum and their campus go to Harvard. You worked so hard to get in there so be there!

oh yea, I'm not saying UIC is not as good as Harvard, but come on, it's Harvard....
:thumbup: for getting in.
 
The most important thing is to be happy. Go whereever yo will be happy. Personally I would love to live in california for 4 years as opposed to boston, once you are moving away from home. Make a list of all the pros and cons of each school and then make a decision that is best for you. No-one but yourself can make this decision.
 
peerless218 said:
If you wanna save moneym go to UCSF, you wanna become a researcher, go to Harvard, and I dont know anything about UM sooo...no comments there. I heard this from a doctor, 35% of the kids who graduated from Harvard Dental school will apply and go to Med school afterward. Come to California!!! You're gonna LOVE teh weather!!!!
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I'm going to disagree a bit with some of these statements. I don't know anybody in my class who wants to be just a researcher, and the claim that Harvard is "just a research school" is false. However, there are tons of research opportunities available for you if that is what you are interested in. As for the 35%, I'm not even sure what you really mean. Students don't apply to medical school. Many of them enter 6-year OMFS programs, which requires you to complete years 3 and 4 of medical school and grants you the MD degree. I can't tell you what percentage of the class typically goes the 6-year OMFS route though. In the end it is like what everyone else says- go where you feel most comfortable.
 
kag930 said:
Mia are you taking out loans for Harvard? If so, how is their financial aid system? I'm just really worried about the >$300,000 I'll have to take out total!
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Yes, I am taking about loans for just about everything (parents contribute some, but majority is just me). However, I don't think it should cost you over 300k even if you took out loans for everything. I thought it was more like 250-260. Still not cheap, but quite a difference form 300+. Financial aid is fine (our financial aid person is awesome). It's a direct loan system from the government so you don't have to worry about choosing lenders or anything like that (although that is an option if you want to take it).
 
I'm looking at similar schools too.

Harvard
University of the Pacific
University of Michigan
University of Florida
UCSF

I would rank the schools in that order based on how I felt at the interview and what I liked about their curriculums. I go to U of M now too and I am a Michigan resident. The way I see it. You are going to be in a ton of debt either way so try to weigh the pros and cons of each school without the money factor (and then throw in the $ part as a last minute deciding factor if necessary). UCSF is as the bottom of my list simply because I wasn't wowed at the interview and I didn't feel like I really fit in when I was there.

From what I hear from current students, Harvard students work hard but are relaxed and Michigan students work their asses-off and are often stressed because it is quite competitive with the standard grading system.

Also, the faculty and professors at Harvard really seem to care about their students more than at other schools (except U of P). This was clear by the amount of contact they had with me before the interview and how Anne Berg was so willing to "help me with my decision if I needed anything."

And hey - don't you want to live somewhere new for the next 4 years?

One more thing. The woman in charge of Fin. Aid at Harvard knows what she is doing - big time! At my interview she gave it to me straight and met with me for 2 hours straight. The only reason I am relaxed about borrowing $300,000 is because of my conversation with her.
 
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Yeah, I keep hearing that Ann Doherty is awesome. Unfortunately she was sick the day of my interview, but I'm going to talk to her next week over the phone. I'm glad to hear that she eased your mind... hopefully she'll reduce some of my worry as well! As for the $300,000 I quoted... I was also factoring in the hypothetical cost of specializing. Do students have to take out more loans to enter a specialty program?
 
kag930 said:
Yeah, I keep hearing that Ann Doherty is awesome. Unfortunately she was sick the day of my interview, but I'm going to talk to her next week over the phone. I'm glad to hear that she eased your mind... hopefully she'll reduce some of my worry as well! As for the $300,000 I quoted... I was also factoring in the hypothetical cost of specializing. Do students have to take out more loans to enter a specialty program?
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Definitely get in touch with her- she will break it down for you and put it all into perspective. As for specializing, it depends on the program. Some have a stipend, others don't and you have to pay tuition.
 
yes she is a straight up type of woman, i liked her though, really nice, and it's celar she knows what she is doing
 
Mia305 said:
Definitely get in touch with her- she will break it down for you and put it all into perspective. As for specializing, it depends on the program. Some have a stipend, others don't and you have to pay tuition.
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Thank you for the advice :)
 
Harvard for sure! It's once in a life time opportunity! It's hard to say No to Harvard, and you don't want to be the one who declined Harvard!
 
outta those 3 options, i'd definately put HARVARD at the top of my list. Dont get me wrong.. UCSF and Mich are amazing schools, but in the Harvard is Harvard!

Either way you're gonna come out of dental school with a heavy debt, and my orthodontist (Harvard graduate) said that the name of a prestiguous school pays the debt off a lot faster than other schools.
 
1. Boston is one of the coolest cities in the US, there's like a million young people there.
2. Harvard is P/F and the students always love the school
3. you can say for the rest of our life that you are a Harvard grad and get immediate respect from anyone.

Just do it.
 
so i know that at the Harvard interview all the students were really comfortable about the lack of pre-clinical. But i'm still slightly worried about this, I'm not entirely sure I want to specialize so I'm a little unsure about where that would leave me after 4 years if I decide not to specialize? Thoughts?
 
rcg224 said:
so i know that at the Harvard interview all the students were really comfortable about the lack of pre-clinical. But i'm still slightly worried about this, I'm not entirely sure I want to specialize so I'm a little unsure about where that would leave me after 4 years if I decide not to specialize? Thoughts?
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Then either don't go to Harvard, or go to Harvard and practice more after graduation.
 
rcg224 said:
so i know that at the Harvard interview all the students were really comfortable about the lack of pre-clinical. But i'm still slightly worried about this, I'm not entirely sure I want to specialize so I'm a little unsure about where that would leave me after 4 years if I decide not to specialize? Thoughts?
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I have been having these same anxieties. I just had lunch with a dentists and she told me hands down her biggest recommendation is to do a 1 yr residency program after graduation from dental school. When she was interviewing for jobs she said a majority of the practices would only interview young dentists if they had completed residency. She said it doesn't pay much but you get so so so much awesome experience that you will be much more prepared when you really get out in the field. So, don't let the potential of not wanting to specialize prevent you from going to Harvard.
 
Let's be honest here....Harvard is a very prestigous school but they are known for RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. If you read their school's agenda and the such you will notice that it is quite different from most other schools. Their focus is in finding innovative ways to do this and that in the field of dentistry.

I think you will have a better didactic experience at Michigan. They have research there but it is optional so really you will have a great clinical training there I think, and if research is your forte you are at one of the most well-funded public universities in the midwest and I don't think you can go wrong with that. UCSF is more research oriented, but less so than Harvard.
 
adizzle87 said:
Let's be honest here....Harvard is a very prestigous school but they are known for RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. If you read their school's agenda and the such you will notice that it is quite different from most other schools. Their focus is in finding innovative ways to do this and that in the field of dentistry.

I think you will have a better didactic experience at Michigan. They have research there but it is optional so really you will have a great clinical training there I think, and if research is your forte you are at one of the most well-funded public universities in the midwest and I don't think you can go wrong with that. UCSF is more research oriented, but less so than Harvard.
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While research is required here, it is not as extensive as you might think. It is a 7 week project that gets completed during the summer after your first year, and there is NO required thesis for it. Obviously there are opportunities for more extensive research if that is what you want to do, but by no means is it forced upon you. Those who are interested in research however have so many great opportunities available to them- just another perk of coming here.
 
Why do people freak out about Harvard so much? Like,.. turning down Harvard is such an insane thing to do. 3 people in my class turned down Harvard for UCSF.

Not sayn that Harvard is a bad school. In fact I hear it's really good and it does have, "the name" but so does plenty of other schools.

My opinion, if you definitley want to specialize and don't mind borrowing a crapload of $$ and need to have that diploma on the wall that says, "Harvard" then go there. Nothing wrong with that.

As far as the research thing goes, UCSF has been #1 in that category for like a decade(determined by funding, not neccessarily output, which is hard to gauge). UCSF is all about research. I personnaly don't care about it, but if your into it, UCSF is the place.

P.S. I heard that Harvard D-School is the illegitimate, red headed step child to their med school. This is from several Harvard grads in UCSF postgrad programs, mostly ortho, I talked to.

You can't go wrong either way you choose.

Congrats on geting in!
 
PDizzle said:
Why do people freak out about Harvard so much? Like,.. turning down Harvard is such an insane thing to do. 3 people in my class turned down Harvard for UCSF.

Not sayn that Harvard is a bad school. In fact I hear it's really good and it does have, "the name" but so does plenty of other schools.

My opinion, if you definitley want to specialize and don't mind borrowing a crapload of $$ and need to have that diploma on the wall that says, "Harvard" then go there. Nothing wrong with that.

As far as the research thing goes, UCSF has been #1 in that category for like a decade(determined by funding, not neccessarily output, which is hard to gauge). UCSF is all about research. I personnaly don't care about it, but if your into it, UCSF is the place.

P.S. I heard that Harvard D-School is the illegitimate, red headed step child to their med school. This is from several Harvard grads in UCSF postgrad programs, mostly ortho, I talked to.

You can't go wrong either way you choose.

Congrats on geting in!
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While UCSF is one of the top research schools, it is not #1. That spot is, of recently, reserved for the university of michigan.
http://www.ur.umich.edu/0607/Jan22_07/05.shtml
 
Hm..that's interesting. I interviewed at Michigan this year and they mentioned dropping to 3rd behind UCSF and UW.

Either way, UCSF and Michigan are both excellent schools if you're interested in research.
 
I would go for the Mercedes :)
just saying
 
I interviewed at Harvard, although I haven't heard back from them yet. I must say that it was an amazing experience. It's not that the dorms and the facilities are super amazing, it's just that it has such a rich history, a well-run program, and some of the most prestigious/accomplished faculty in the world. They get lectures from some pioneer scientists.

I am probably not going there even if I get in because I have no serious plans to specialize and thus cannot justify borrowing 350k for it when I can pay 160k in my home state school, but the interview process was an incredible experience.
 
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