UNC vs CASE

[Mo007]

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Ok... This is going to be a close call.

I have been accepted at both schools? I am from Ohio, but CASE is private school. UNC has an excellent program too, but being accepted as out-of-state student... you gotta be thinking damn hard before you say "NO!".


What you'all think?...

 

[UBTom]

Hi Mo007,

There are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself:

1) Where do you want to practice? Remember that UNC does not prepare you for the NERBs licensing exam if you want to practice in Ohio. Case does.

2) How far away do you want to be from family?

 

[Mo007]

Originally posted by UBTom
Hi Mo007,

There are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself:

1) Where do you want to practice? Remember that UNC does not prepare you for the NERBs licensing exam if you want to practice in Ohio. Case does.

2) How far away do you want to be from family?

1. I dont mind where I practice, I have no plans to be in Ohio, I just want to be a Dentist, then get state license from any state I will feel comfortable with. I didnt know UNC NERB's licensing exam is only for North Carolina.

2. Its ok to be in the East, its better than being in the west, and having family on the east. Still do-able!

Thanks

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by Mo007
1. I dont mind where I practice, I have no plans to be in Ohio, I just want to be a Dentist, then get state license from any state I will feel comfortable with. I didnt know UNC NERB's licensing exam is only for North Carolina.

2. Its ok to be in the East, its better than being in the west, and having family on the east. Still do-able!

Thanks

NERB stands for North East Regional Board, and it's a licensing exam you can take that permits you to practice in several states. Ohio is on the list, but North Carolina isn't.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

Mo007,

I am clearly biased, but this is not a close call at all. For the money alone UNC is so much better - you can get in-state tuition after your first year. That saves you what - at least $60-70K. That's a Tahoe and a wakeboarding boat. Plus, from what I hear the facilities are just as nice at UNC as Case (having never been to Case) and the faculty at UNC are amazing, research opportunities are plentiful, etc. Everyone who applied to a specialty program last year got in. I'm not even going to start with Cleveland vs. Chapel Hill.

 

[UBTom]

to Mo007:

The biggest problem with dentistry is that archaic laws makes migration somewhat difficult. Each region (or in some cases, individual states) have their own licensing board exams. In most cases, if you didn't take a licensing board exam the region/state recognizes, you cannot practice there. Some states do allow you "licensure by endorsement" after you have practiced in a different region for a period of time (like 5 years with a totally clean record), but licensure by endorsement into a different region is still a pain.

For example, a North Carolina license is NOT valid in Ohio (or any other state in the U.S. for that matter). In order to practice in Ohio you need to go there and take the NERBs (which at present entails things like flying in your own patients with you so you can take the clinical exam). Vice versa, if you got a NERBs license, it is NOT valid in North Carolina-- You will have to take the NC board exam to practice there.

Board exams are NOT simple exams. They take LOTS of time to study for and are very expensive (especially the ones that require you to work on live patients).

That's why it's less of a headache to go to a school in the region where you want to practice-- They will prepare and assist you to pass the board for that particular region.

The NERBs by the way gives you license to practice in 21 states. The NC boards gives you license to practice in only 1. If mobility is important to you (so you can migrate elsewhere if good associateships are hard to find in one state), then you want to go to a school that offers a regional board.

That's why you need to take into consideration where you want to practice when you choose a school.

UNC is an excellent school, no doubt. If you want to practice dentistry in NC, that's THE school to go to for sure. But it's definitely NOT the optimum solution if you want to practice in other states.

 

[Mo007]

I think its going to be UNC.

Thanks Everyone...

 

[gryffindor]

Originally posted by jaap
Everyone who applied to a specialty program last year got in.

Yeah, that's because UNC's specialty programs are filled with UNC students. Check their ortho dept's residents - they are all UNC grads with the exception of like the 1 (or occasionally 2) token non-UNC grad/foreign dental student.

I know very little about either school to give an educated opinion. My gut instinct is to go with UNC... only because I think I'd find Chapel Hill more interesting than Cleveland.

I wouldn't worry too much about the NERB exam vs the North Carolina licensing exam. One of my friends in dental school was a patient for a senior taking the North Carolina boards two years ago. The senior took him down to NC, put him up for a day, used my friend for his class II lesion, and passed the exam. The senior was graduating from Buffalo and set on working in NC, nowhere else.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

Originally posted by griffin04
Yeah, that's because UNC's specialty programs are filled with UNC students. Check their ortho dept's residents - they are all UNC grads with the exception of like the 1 (or occasionally 2) token non-UNC grad/foreign dental student.

Works for me! That is if I decide to specialize.

 

[Mo007]

How about Columbia vs UNC?

Now New York is another planet.... and I wouldnt be able to live there. But Ivy league school can be tempting.

 

[Sam Spade]

UBTom, thanks for your input here. This is also very important to me. I'm a pure-blood Upstate New Yorker seriously considering dental school in North Carolina (SUNY Buffalo v UNC). I'm young and uncommitted and genuinely foolish, and I have no idea where I'll want to practice in that many years.

Would you decide against UNC on the grounds that you're not
necessarily interested in practicing in NC after graduation? I understand that it's more difficult to relocate with a degree from UNC, but I'm sure there are a number of graduates each year that do just that. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

Also, to those of you who have already decided on UNC (as of the day after we've been accepted): what is your opinion on the year-round academic schedule? Do you think that a three-week intersession allows enough time to be productive in the interim (eg, doing research, internships, etc)? Out of curiosity, how do dental students typically spend their semesterly/summer breaks?

Sam Spade

 

[robemory122]

Originally posted by Sam Spade
UBTom, thanks for your input here. This is also very important to me. I'm a pure-blood Upstate New Yorker seriously considering dental school in North Carolina (SUNY Buffalo v UNC). I'm young and uncommitted and genuinely foolish, and I have no idea where I'll want to practice in that many years.

Would you decide against UNC on the grounds that you're not
necessarily interested in practicing in NC after graduation? I understand that it's more difficult to relocate with a degree from UNC, but I'm sure there are a number of graduates each year that do just that. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

I'm kinda in the same boat as you. I have residence in georgia but I'm not sure if I want to stay in georgia or even practice in the south....so I decided before I was applying to schools that I would just go to the best school that I was accepted to and that I felt the most at home at. I think that when we are actually at school stuff like "where we want to practice" and "which boards to take" will sort itself out....hopefully
so U MICH here I come!!

 

[UBTom]

to Robemory:

Welcome to NERB country!

to Sam:

Since you are a (fellow) New Yorker, it's a no-brainer. You get in-state tuition at Buffalo, you will be close to family, you will be taking the NERB for licensure in NYS and 20 other states, and you will most likely live in the safest city in the United States (Amherst, NY) while you attend dental school.

If you aren't a New Yorker, then I'd say it's more of a toss.

HTH!

 

[UNCdentalguy]

Welcome to our newest Tar Heels from this member of UNC-SOD c/o 2006! Questions? Email me - [email protected]

 

[no2thdk999]

As a new grad you will have to take at least one board exam (or do a PGY1) to practice anywhere in the US. Taking a board not in the state where you went to school is a pain but not so much more so that it should affect your decision of where to go.

Sam Spade you know my bias for UNC but I'm with UBTom, go to your state school. UNC is FANTASTIC and you would get your money's worth but I think UBTom is a good example that you will get a great education at Buffalo and not have to move across the country and establish residency in a new state.

JMHO
Rob

 

[larryt]

go to Case man... They'll also prepare you for WRBE. Case is the testing site for WRBE, so no need to fly your patients across the country.

 

[Mo007]

Well... I dont understand the whole idea about NERB and WREB... Some of you mentioned UMICH is a NERB school and Case (Ohio) a WREB school. Both schools are in the midwest... Can anyone explain?

 

[arns51]

Case offers testing for both.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

Sam, if you want to stay in NY, Buffalo is probably your best bet.

Case on the other hand for the OP - no way! If you decide to take the NERBs you can take $5,000 of that $70,000 you saved and fly patients to go take it.

 

[Sam Spade]

Thanks everyone! The following link provides information regarding reciprocity and participating states that I found helpful. Evidently, a license can be transferred to most states after practicing a number of years (typically 3-5) in any state.

http://www.ada.org/prof/prac/licensure/licensure_recognition.pdf

Does anyone know how this relates to residencies/ specialty training? Do you need state/ regional recognition to enter certain post-doctoral programs, and does the time spent in these programs count toward the number of years required for licensure by endorsement?

Sam Spade