I've narrowed my choices down to UNC or OSU (maybe Marquette). I've already been accepted for '09 and now I'm struggling with a decision between UNC and OSU. I am an Ohio resident, but I heard that you can get in-state tuition at UNC after a year (yes, money is a factor). I know that UNC has an awesome reputation, but is it that much better than OSU?! Also, I've heard that there is a lot of "politics" stuff going on at UNC. If anyone has some advice, I'd love to hear, whether it be cost of living, residency requirements, quality of program/facilities, things to do, etc. Just one stipulation... try to give HONEST advice.
Thanks guys.
First off, congrats on the acceptance to UNC as an out-of-stater - this is certainly no easy task.
I'll be talking to a current UNC student, who went there as an out-of-stater, later this week about NC residency stuff (and to get input about UNC) since this student was able to get in-state status fairly easily. I also called Dr. Morano at UNC since he handles all residency issues, but he still has yet to return my call. I'll do my best to pass along any info I get. I've also heard, however, that it's becoming harder and harder to get UNC residency...
I've also been accepted to UNC out-of-state (from PA), and one thing that you might want to think about is where you'd eventually like to practice. If you want to return to Ohio to practice, keep in mind that you'll have to take another licensing exam since Ohio is obviously in a different region than NC. While some might say that this isn't a huge deal, a dentist I spoke to said that it's not as simple as sitting down in a room to take a written exam since there is a clinical portion to the licensing exam. I have no idea since I'm only a pre-dent like you, but I plan to call the ADA to get clarification on this...
I'd say generally that people would agree that UNC has a better reputation than OSU in the dental community. Some might even argue that it's one of the best, most well-rounded (didactic, clinical, and research aspects of the program are all very strong) dental programs on the east coast (and possibly in the nation). Another thing to consider is class size: UNC has 80 (as TaylorAtDuke pointed out to me - large enough to not get tired of seeing everyone in your class, but small enough where you could get some personal attention from professors; and less competition), while OSU has 100+. You also get very early clinical exposure at UNC (summer semester of 1st year). UNC students are supposedly fairly competitive, but I think you'll find this anywhere - this is professional school, and we're talking about one of the top programs in the nation here. There is on-going construction at UNC, but it hasn't seemed to be affecting students much at all.
Would you mind elaborating on the "politics" issues that are supposedly going on at UNC?
