University of Michigan vs University at Buffalo - opinions please!

[BoxerRumble]

Hey everyone,

I recently got accepted to Michigan after I chose to attend Buffalo. During the interview process, Michigan was pretty much my top choice out of all my interviews but after researching about Buffalo, I started to like them a lot too. They are both amazing schools. It's a pretty tough decision for me and I'll explain below.

Just to summarize:
Michigan - bigger name, nice city, not that much more expensive, during the interview I really felt like it was the school to be for me, specializing rate amazing, technology oriented, and mandatory rotation.
Buffalo - lesser known in California*, 60k cheaper, well respected in the east coast/north east, good clinical program, also technology oriented, faculty was very nice and welcoming.


1. Michigan
Price: $300,000
Clinical Training: At first I read about Michigan's lack of clinical training because it is known to be a research intensive school, it is in Ann Arbor so patient pool is not as big, and rumor about Univeristy of Detriot Mercy graduating better clinicians. But recent information tells me the don't have problems finding patients, that recent graduates liek the program, and I think the mandatory 10 week rotation at health clinic is a really good strong point.
Chair/Scheduling: I believe in the interview I asked this question and they said they give us the chance to do it ourselves but something about they take over if you're behind? Have to review my notes.
Technology: they talked about the itunes lecture/podcasting which I really like. I can't remember their if their sim labs were new or not. They do seem to be very technology oriented. Although they don't use electronic ebooks, I think I might prefer that since I am use to using textbooks.
City: a pretty big plus, I've heard Ann Arbor is a nice city to live in, safe, and although not as diverse as Buffalo, does have high Asian population. Also snows.There is a higher cost of living.
Student/Faculty: All the students were pretty excited about the program, faculties that did the presentatiosn were funny and not uptight.
Community Service: Required 10-12 week rotation.

School starts late June, I will have to take a sociology course in the spring (even though I am out of school and was planning to travel or work a bit, but this won't affect my decision). Interesting pathway program where you choose I think one of 3 pathways. Michigan has a huge name. Better opportunity to specialize I over Bufalo. I believe Michigan really forces the student or gives them more opportunity to do extracurricular activities.

Will have to update this section because I don't have my interview notes with me.

Pro: nice city, big name, better chance to specialize (which I do want), and 10 week rotation.
Con: 60K more than Buffalo, maybe clinical training not as good.

2. Buffalo
Price: $238,311
Clinical Training: Clinical experience first year. Good reputation for clinical training.
Chair/Scheduling: Schedule own patient, use to have own chair but new dean is bringing in more international students so we will have to share chairs. Large patient pool. You will be assigned patients.
Technology: Uses Macbook Pro, electronic textbooks. Sim lab/preclinical lab is old, I don't think they have an actual sim lab. Recorded lectures/video lectures.
City: Don't know too much, decent size city, will snow (which is a plus)
Student/Faculty: Good class size at around 90. Students like the faculty; they are treated like colleagues and respected. Some faculty is med school faculties, and we will have same classes with the med school.
Community Service:

School starts in August. Multiple choice tests, anatomy is just the upper part of the body, and will have 24 hour gross lab open to you. If you fail, you come back in January and retake course.

Pro: Really cheap tuition, great faculty, good patient pool.
Con: old pre clinic lab, might have trouble with chairs in the future


*I know that name of the school shouldn't matter but going back to California, I think Michigan's big name vs Buffalo might help me land some jobs, or get a patient that might look me up. For most of the people I talked to, friends and colleagues - they have heard of Michigan at least but not really Buffalo. I know some dental/pre-dental students from other sides of the country don't even know much about UOP while California kids do not know much about Buffalo or East Coast schools. It's funny actually that a lot of non pre-dental/dental students or people not in the industry didn't even know UOP is a pretty good school.

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[wired202808]

Hey everyone,

I recently got accepted to Michigan after I chose to attend Buffalo. During the interview process, Michigan was pretty much my top choice out of all my interviews but after researching about Buffalo, I started to like them a lot too. They are both amazing schools. It's a pretty tough decision for me and I'll explain below.

Just to summarize:
Michigan - bigger name, nice city, not that much more expensive, during the interview I really felt like it was the school to be for me, specializing rate amazing, technology oriented, and mandatory rotation.
Buffalo - lesser known in California*, 60k cheaper, well respected in the east coast/north east, good clinical program, also technology oriented, faculty was very nice and welcoming.


1. Michigan
Price: $300,000
Clinical Training: At first I read about Michigan's lack of clinical training because it is known to be a research intensive school, it is in Ann Arbor so patient pool is not as big, and rumor about Univeristy of Detriot Mercy graduating better clinicians. But recent information tells me the don't have problems finding patients, that recent graduates liek the program, and I think the mandatory 10 week rotation at health clinic is a really good strong point.
Chair/Scheduling: I believe in the interview I asked this question and they said they give us the chance to do it ourselves but something about they take over if you're behind? Have to review my notes.
Technology: they talked about the itunes lecture/podcasting which I really like. I can't remember their if their sim labs were new or not. They do seem to be very technology oriented. Although they don't use electronic ebooks, I think I might prefer that since I am use to using textbooks.
City: a pretty big plus, I've heard Ann Arbor is a nice city to live in, safe, and although not as diverse as Buffalo, does have high Asian population. Also snows.There is a higher cost of living.
Student/Faculty: All the students were pretty excited about the program, faculties that did the presentatiosn were funny and not uptight.
Community Service: Required 10-12 week rotation.

School starts late June, I will have to take a sociology course in the spring (even though I am out of school and was planning to travel or work a bit, but this won't affect my decision). Interesting pathway program where you choose I think one of 3 pathways. Michigan has a huge name. Better opportunity to specialize I over Bufalo. I believe Michigan really forces the student or gives them more opportunity to do extracurricular activities.

Will have to update this section because I don't have my interview notes with me.

Pro: nice city, big name, better chance to specialize (which I do want), and 10 week rotation.
Con: 60K more than Buffalo, maybe clinical training not as good.

2. Buffalo
Price: $238,311
Clinical Training: Clinical experience first year. Good reputation for clinical training.
Chair/Scheduling: Schedule own patient, use to have own chair but new dean is bringing in more international students so we will have to share chairs. Large patient pool. You will be assigned patients.
Technology: Uses Macbook Pro, electronic textbooks. Sim lab/preclinical lab is old, I don't think they have an actual sim lab. Recorded lectures/video lectures.
City: Don't know too much, decent size city, will snow (which is a plus)
Student/Faculty: Good class size at around 90. Students like the faculty; they are treated like colleagues and respected. Some faculty is med school faculties, and we will have same classes with the med school.
Community Service:

School starts in August. Multiple choice tests, anatomy is just the upper part of the body, and will have 24 hour gross lab open to you. If you fail, you come back in January and retake course.

Pro: Really cheap tuition, great faculty, good patient pool.
Con: old pre clinic lab, might have trouble with chairs in the future


*I know that name of the school shouldn't matter but going back to California, I think Michigan's big name vs Buffalo might help me land some jobs, or get a patient that might look me up. For most of the people I talked to, friends and colleagues - they have heard of Michigan at least but not really Buffalo. I know some dental/pre-dental students from other sides of the country don't even know much about UOP while California kids do not know much about Buffalo or East Coast schools. It's funny actually that a lot of non pre-dental/dental students or people not in the industry didn't even know UOP is a pretty good school.

Here is my opinion:

While reading your post I can see you're def leaning more and more towards Michigan. The big name vs. no name school won't be an issue if you're seeking to be a GP, but as you said there is a higher chance to specialize coming out of U of M than out of Buffalo.

I'm a frugal man and would personally attend Buffalo because 65K pre interest to around 90K post interest is nothing to sneeze at. Remember, after yearly tuition increases and interest that 90K is probably going to be more like 110 or 120K. You can use that money to get married, buy a house or invest into a future practice. Additionally, there is no guarantee that you will get accepted into a specialty program after U of M or you might even change your mind and decide that you don't want to specialize.

If its all about specialization and you're gung-ho about it, then perhaps U of M is the way to go. But if I were you I'd keep my eyes open and really think about what is more likely to happen: you specializing aka getting the necessary grades and actually making it happen or a guaranteed 100K in your pocket. Additionally, there is nothing preventing you from specializing after Buffalo, except you might have to study that much harder, which is really the same thing as studying pretty hard in U of M.

While I wholeheartedly support all SDNers interest in specializing. I think as a predent its a bit foolish to assume or know what you'll want in a few years or even make the case before you set foot in a dental school classroom.

Hope this helps. GL.

 

[BoxerRumble]

Here is my opinion:

While reading your post I can see you're def leaning more and more towards Michigan. The big name vs. no name school won't be an issue if you're seeking to be a GP, but as you said there is a higher chance to specialize coming out of U of M than out of Buffalo.

I'm a frugal man and would personally attend Buffalo because 65K pre interest to around 90K post interest is nothing to sneeze at. Remember, after yearly tuition increases and interest that 90K is probably going to be more like 110 or 120K. You can use that money to get married, buy a house or invest into a future practice. Additionally, there is no guarantee that you will get accepted into a specialty program after U of M or you might even change your mind and decide that you don't want to specialize.

If its all about specialization and you're gung-ho about it, then perhaps U of M is the way to go. But if I were you I'd keep my eyes open and really think about what is more likely to happen: you specializing aka getting the necessary grades and actually making it happen or a guaranteed 100K in your pocket. Additionally, there is nothing preventing you from specializing after Buffalo, except you might have to study that much harder, which is really the same thing as studying pretty hard in U of M.

While I wholeheartedly support all SDNers interest in specializing. I think as a predent its a bit foolish to assume or know what you'll want in a few years or even make the case before you set foot in a dental school classroom.

Hope this helps. GL.

I definitely agree about specializing. When I started applying to schools, all I cared about is a school that will train me well to be a GP, but I am going to keep my options and eyes open. The way I see it is, if I can do well in the first 2 years, then I will look into specializing, but I have read people that did amazing in undergrad get overwhelmed in dental school. I do feel pretty prepared for dental school with my master's background and taking many upper division level courses in undergrad.

I also picked Buffalo over other schools because of the tuition, but I felt Michigan really impressed me at the interview. Out of all the interviews I attended, I didn't feel like any of the schools were a clear top choice except for my last interview at Michigan.

 

[wired202808]

I definitely agree about specializing. When I started applying to schools, all I cared about is a school that will train me well to be a GP, but I am going to keep my options and eyes open. The way I see it is, if I can do well in the first 2 years, then I will look into specializing, but I have read people that did amazing in undergrad get overwhelmed in dental school. I do feel pretty prepared for dental school with my master's background and taking many upper division level courses in undergrad.

I also picked Buffalo over other schools because of the tuition, but I felt Michigan really impressed me at the interview. Out of all the interviews I attended, I didn't feel like any of the schools were a clear top choice except for my last interview at Michigan.

Its up to you, you have to make the decision on what matters more to you. A slightly higher chance of specializing or spending another 100K. It really boils down to that.

I have no undergrad debt and I thought it would be best to go to any schools irregardless of the cost, but after speaking with my GP and reading a lot of articles/threads on dentaltown I decided to opt out for the cheapest choice. But I'm also a frugal person by nature and my parents have always taught me to save, save, save.

If you're gut says Michigan then go for it. You have to be happy with the choice you make and you can't force yourself to go somewhere else just to save money. Just like I can't force myself to go somewhere where i'll have to spend a ton. 🙂

 

[BoxerRumble]

hmm polls are pretty even, can people who voted chime in if they can, that would be great! 😳

 

[thewobblytooth]

I can't say anything about UBuffalo, but I did like UMich a lot when I went to their program. It was the first place I interviewed at and one of my top choices. I'm also from CA and have decided on their program. Although I eventually decided on continuing with the DDS/PhD program at UMich, I did really like their presentation and all of the new changes they are bringing to the school. For one, clinical experience starts as a D1 where you assist D2s/D3s/D4s for their patient pool and 10 week rotations around Michigan seem pretty interesting. I believe the clinical experience you'll get at UMich is comparable to other d-schools. They are very tech-savvy. I also like their focus on technology, having podcasts through iTunes, and having apps for classes. I chose UMich over UPenn over cost, because in my case it would be 0K vs. 380K. Granted, I will be there a few years extra finishing PhD work, I felt like I would be happy there and free of debt. 👍 You can specialize anywhere you go, so you should go where you think you'd be most happy!

For me, cost was a big determining factor. So it may be for you as well.

 

[hifive]

Dont worry about specializing, when comes down to it the only things that will matter when you are applying to a specialty will be your rank and the exam mark that you got for that specialty. It is not necessarily the name of the school but the networking that is the externality, but if you can destroy your exams that will matter more. You have made a good decision.

 

[avangusva]

I would choose U of M. I was accepted to 3 different programs and chose U of M because I felt like they had what I wanted. The faculty at Michigan really seem like they're very invested in the students success and I got a very good vibe from the students who were currently there. I have spoken to many others at the school and the D1's say that the new curriculum is definitely changing for the better. The D3's and D4's say that they feel confident in the clinic and don't really fuss about finding patients like I've been reading here on SDN. Regardless, you have two very great programs to choose from, whatever you decide I'm sure you'll be happy. Congratulations and good luck!

 

[hifive]

I would choose U of M. I was accepted to 3 different programs and chose U of M because I felt like they had what I wanted. The faculty at Michigan really seem like they're very invested in the students success and I got a very good vibe from the students who were currently there. I have spoken to many others at the school and the D1's say that the new curriculum is definitely changing for the better. The D3's and D4's say that they feel confident in the clinic and don't really fuss about finding patients like I've been reading here on SDN. Regardless, you have two very great programs to choose from, whatever you decide I'm sure you'll be happy. Congratulations and good luck!

Its not really about finding patients, its about having a diverse patient pool, Ann Arbor is a relatively wealthy place as a result you dont see that diversity.

 

[avangusva]

Its not really about finding patients, its about having a diverse patient pool, Ann Arbor is a relatively wealthy place as a result you dont see that diversity.

I believe U of M has noticed this and tried to address it by mandating rotations outside of Ann Arbor in cities in Northern parts of Michigan, from what I remember.

 

[dansou5]

I believe U of M has noticed this and tried to address it by mandating rotations outside of Ann Arbor in cities in Northern parts of Michigan, from what I remember.

I voted Buffalo for the price but this is a really good point for Michigan. You get a solid 3 months of exposure in a community clinic outside of wealthy Ann Arbor.

 

[dantemac]

I'd say Buffalo. I think the price margin is a little bit too large to scoff at. I'm all for the gut feeling about U Mich and about the rotations (those are great in my opinion), but I would not opt for that without a scholarship.

 

[wired202808]

I'd say Buffalo. I think the price margin is a little bit too large to scoff at. I'm all for the gut feeling about U Mich and about the rotations (those are great in my opinion), but I would not opt for that without a scholarship.

+1 while I see the OPs love at first sight with Michigan, we as predents and more often as Americans tend to have Buyer's remorse. While I think UMich is an awesome school, I really dont see how it can be 100K more awesome. Just my thoughts.

 

[DentalJedi]

Did everyone on SDN get into Michigan besides me? Man, I'm starting to worry there won't be any spots left when I interview in a few weeks.

 

[thewobblytooth]

lol. SDN is a small, small, small representative of the people that apply to d-school. I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

+1 while I see the OPs love at first sight with Michigan, we as predents and more often as Americans tend to have Buyer's remorse. While I think UMich is an awesome school, I really dont see how it can be 100K more awesome. Just my thoughts.

it's not 100k more, it is 60k.

To the OP, Buffalo is a great school and is well-known (at least in the Northeast) and I know a few people who placed in OMFS residencies coming from that school. I really don't think going to Buffalo over UMich will lessen your chances to specialize.

I also think it would be absurd to choose a school for the sole reason that it will be 60k cheaper. At this price difference, go to the one that you feel you will do best at and will enjoy more. Congrats on getting in– those are both really good schools.

 

[hellopeople]

Did everyone on SDN get into Michigan besides me? Man, I'm starting to worry there won't be any spots left when I interview in a few weeks.

Do you think you would pick Umich over Mercy?

 

[wired202808]

it's not 100k more, it is 60k.

To the OP, Buffalo is a great school and is well-known (at least in the Northeast) and I know a few people who placed in OMFS residencies coming from that school. I really don't think going to Buffalo over UMich will lessen your chances to specialize.

I also think it would be absurd to choose a school for the sole reason that it will be 60k cheaper. At this price difference, go to the one that you feel you will do best at and will enjoy more. Congrats on getting in– those are both really good schools.

60K will turn into 90K to 110K after yearly tuition increases and interest. So in the end the OP pays out 110K to the loan companies. So there's no point to beat around the bush and pretend its 60K when its not.

Additionally, that 110K can be used to invest into a future practice, get married or buy a house. While money isnt everything, its hard to walk away from a guaranteed 110K in your pocket.

 

[tothepark]

According to Buffalo's website the cost of attendance (out-of-state) including fees and housing is close to 325k.. I know that the cost of living in Buffalo is pretty cheap. I don't know what the cost of living is near U Mich, so you might want to also add in the living cost as well..

 

[wired202808]

According to Buffalo's website the cost of attendance (out-of-state) including fees and housing is close to 325k.. I know that the cost of living in Buffalo is pretty cheap. I don't know what the cost of living is near U Mich, so you might want to also add in the living cost as well..

You gain in state tuition after 1 yr so the cost is not 325K, its 238K as the OP listed.

 

[tothepark]

You gain in state tuition after 1 yr so the cost is not 325K, its 238K as the OP listed.

Interesting... but regardless I would also consider adding in the living cost, because that would still probably widen the cost gap between the 2 schools..

 

[wired202808]

Interesting... but regardless I would also consider adding in the living cost, because that would still probably widen the cost gap between the 2 schools..

That includes living costs, plus Buffalo is dirt cheap.