UNC v Buffalo v Stony Brook

[dk87]

Hi everyone... I recently created a post about state residency but i later realized my underlying question was... which school is "better"? UNC, Buffalo or Stony Brook... I know its a very vague question and there are many factors to consider but I would like to hear the opinion of SDNers. Any pros and cons of these schools? Thanks guys!🙂

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[runrabbitrun]

The better school?

UNC!

Stoney is a little better than Buff from what I heard

 

[Regmata]

And Buffalo is better than UNC from what I have heard...

 

[Streetwolf]

I love SB so far but of course I'm biased 🙂

 

[kiskon]

If you're a NC resident go for UNC!👍

 

[dk87]

thanks for your opinion guys.. but can you explain why you chose the school? pros, cons?

 

[Regmata]

Although you can probably find lots of threads about each school if you just did a quick search, I will give you a few reasons why I like Buffalo...


1. It has one of the best clinical programs in the country
2. School typically ranks in the top 20% for board scores
3. You have your own operatory
4. Tuition is cheap
5. Out of state residents can get instate tuition the first year
6. Buffalo is an inexpensive city to live in

 

[dk87]

Thanks.. i understand that i can search for these schools but I have trouble finding adequate info about UNC. Also, I wanted to compare UNC, Buffalo, and Stony so I started a thread for comparison sake. Thanks!!👍

 

[gryffindor]

Stonybrook and Buffalo are probably pretty comparable in terms of price, education, and clinical experience. They differ in other qualities such as class size (Stonybrook <40, Buffalo 85), location (economically depressed part of the state vs way out on the island), winters (bad in Buffalo vs less bad at Stonybrook), and size of apartment you can get for your money (more apartment for your money at Buffalo). I think your class may be a little more diverse at Buffalo since the size is so much bigger.

UNC has lots of sports pride whereas Buffalo and Stonybrook have zero sports worth cheering for and zero school spirit. I have heard Chapel Hill is a fun college town to live in; Buffalo and Stonybrook resemble nothing like college towns. UNC also has one of the best ortho departments in the country, but that doesn't mean much for a dental student. Other than that, a decision for UNC vs the NY state schools probably comes down to cost and location.

 

[Dentalactor]

I actually did the last two years of my undergrad in buffalo and I actually wound up working in this dental lab in the summer with a periodontist/associate professor, I don't want to mention his name but he doesn't work there anymore and is now a professor at USC.
I asked him about UB and his opinion was very low of the school in general.
then again it's your choice just wanted you to know some professoional's opinion

 

[gryffindor]

I actually did the last two years of my undergrad in buffalo and I actually wound up working in this dental lab in the summer with a periodontist/associate professor, I don't want to mention his name but he doesn't work there anymore and is now a professor at USC.
I asked him about UB and his opinion was very low of the school in general.
then again it's your choice just wanted you to know some professoional's opinion

Of course USC can pay the periodontal faculty well, have you seen what they charge for tuition? Heck, I'm a professional too and I'm advocating going to my alma mater. Plenty of clinical experience, you get your own chair, 95% of the class graduated on time and the price tag is 50% of USC. You just have to trade your sunglasses for a windshield scraper and snow tires and you can survive Buffalo.

 

[Regmata]

Stonybrook and Buffalo are probably pretty comparable in terms of price, education, and clinical experience. They differ in other qualities such as class size (Stonybrook <40, Buffalo 85), location (economically depressed part of the state vs way out on the island), winters (bad in Buffalo vs less bad at Stonybrook), and size of apartment you can get for your money (more apartment for your money at Buffalo). I think your class may be a little more diverse at Buffalo since the size is so much bigger.

UNC has lots of sports pride whereas Buffalo and Stonybrook have zero sports worth cheering for and zero school spirit. I have heard Chapel Hill is a fun college town to live in; Buffalo and Stonybrook resemble nothing like college towns. UNC also has one of the best ortho departments in the country, but that doesn't mean much for a dental student. Other than that, a decision for UNC vs the NY state schools probably comes down to cost and location.

You obviously don’t know much about Buffalo, but your reiteration of stereotypes is amusing.

I actually did the last two years of my undergrad in buffalo and I actually wound up working in this dental lab in the summer with a periodontist/associate professor, I don't want to mention his name but he doesn't work there anymore and is now a professor at USC.
I asked him about UB and his opinion was very low of the school in general.
then again it's your choice just wanted you to know some professoional's opinion

I find it funny that someone would bash UB, a school with an excellent reputation and then mosey off to USC, a school that can’t get it together. Furthermore, the perio department is loaded with some outstanding, well known professors. Maybe he just wasn’t good enough to get involved in the projects he wanted or maybe he just didn’t get along with the department for one reason or another, who knows.

 

[ncalcate]

You obviously don’t know much about Buffalo, but your reiteration of stereotypes is amusing.

I am a student at Buffalo and gryffindor's assessment of Buffalo is right on. Gryffindor is actually a graduate of the program, so she is probably in a better position to objectively assess Buffalo than you are.

In my opinion, if I were a predent and not a resident of North Carolina (and thus ineligible to get in-state tuition at UNC), I would choose Buffalo or SB based upon cost.

JetBlue has many cheap flights to JFK everyday from Buffalo. It is a quick and easy flight (when there are no delays). A lot of my classmates make it to NYC a couple of times a semester. So if you're bored, and you have time over the weekend, NYC is just an hour flight away.

 

[Regmata]

Gryffindor decided to focus on the negative aspects of Buffalo, embellishing them and ignoring the positive. The area is beginning an economic upswing, the winters are not that bad (save a few storms), and although UB itself doesn't much in the way of sports teams to cheer for (men's basketball maybe), there are plenty of local sports teams. The Bills may be having a rough year, but the Sabres will do just fine. UNC surely is more of a college town than Buffalo. However, you can live the "college life" all you want to in Buffalo. There are strips of college bars, book stores, artsy areas etc...it just happens to be mixed in with the rest of the city.

While Gryffindor is in a better position to judge the program than I am, that does not mean that she knows more about living in Buffalo or things to do...It is funny, because we are both advocating the same cause...just in completely different manners. Didn't see her second post till just now.

 

[runrabbitrun]

The answer still is: UNC is a better school in the absolute terms.

Now, if your fam and friends are in the area and you want to practice in the area, then Buff is probably your best bet.

As far as cost goes, everyone from out of state can and does establish residency at UNC for years 2-4, so thats a weak argument.

All of your arguments for why UB is great apply to UNC, too:
cheap place to live
great clinical experience
booming economic area

I trust Gryff, she did go there after all.

 

[gryffindor]

While Gryffindor is in a better position to judge the program than I am, that does not mean that she knows more about living in Buffalo or things to do...It is funny, because we are both advocating the same cause...just in completely different manners. Didn't see her second post till just now.

The winters in Buffalo are annoying, at least it was annoying to me to have to clean my car almost every morning before heading to school and then cleaning and defrosting it again after leaving it parked in the Main-Bailey lot all day before I could go home. Buffalo is next to the lake, it can't just ignore the lake-effect snow unless it's a mild year. Ask around about the blizzard of 2000, I was a freshman that year and stuck on the south campus. Then six years laters you get the ice storm. The winter in the tri-state area (where Stonybrook is located) is milder than that of WNY speaking generally, that is a fact.