UOP First Year - I don't want to study, ask me questions

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AbcessivelyCompulsive

AbcessivelyCompulsive

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I'm currently a UOP first year and feel like procrastinating. It's application season, no?

Ask me questions, and I'll try my best to answer 🙂
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Do you have a lot of Canadians in your class? This is one of the most appealing schools out there. I know they mosty focus on your last 2 years, which is great for me since I have a 4.3135/92% avg, along with a 22AA/RC, but I just want to know how hard it is to get into as a Canadian
 
redhotchiligochu said:
I want to ask you SOOOOOOOO badly about incoming stats, like lower quartile sGPA, emphasis on RC/PAT and such, since I'm a oldish nontrad with low-ish GPA looking for an accelerated 3-year program and I haven't heard back from them but...

How is campus location and clinicals at UOP? Do first years get plenty of clinical experience. Even with the condensed schedule and full-course-load summers, do you have time for extracurriculars, externships, etc?
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Incoming stats this year (I think you could look this up):
Avg AA was 22, but remember this is an AVERAGE. There are people that got low scores and still made it in, and they're doing great.

Campus location: awesome but expensive. Could be sketch at night, but the building is state-of-the art with so many windows.

Extracurriculars: I'm busy, yes. But I'm going to a networking night tomorrow with CDA and helping out with the ASDA pre-dental day that we're hosting on Saturday despite my five tests next week. You make time for things
 
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DDSER1 said:
Do you have a lot of Canadians in your class? This is one of the most appealing schools out there. I know they mosty focus on your last 2 years, which is great for me since I have a 4.3135/92% avg, along with a 22AA/RC, but I just want to know how hard it is to get into as a Canadian
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Only one that I know of, but I think people out of the state and out of the country decide not to come due to cost. We accept everyone since it's a private school. the more diverse the better!
 
Thanks for your reply! Here's hoping I'm lucky enough to get an interview 🙂
 
DDSER1 said:
Thanks for your reply! Here's hoping I'm lucky enough to get an interview 🙂
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Good luck! I know application season is extremely stressful.

If you get an interview, you're basically in. Best of luck! I got an interview in March and got accepted in April :X
 
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions.

I am just interested to know how dental school really is. I mean I know everyone already is aware of the hype of the level of dedication required. How did your very first year in dental school compare to your expectations? Was it very difficult to transition from studying in college into the dental school lifestyle?

Edit: oops just noticed you just began DS (first year).


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
ElephCement said:
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions.

I am just interested to know how dental school really is. I mean I know everyone already is aware of the hype of the level of dedication required. How did your very first year in dental school compare to your expectations? Was it very difficult to transition from studying in college into the dental school lifestyle?




Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Dental school, especially here, is really tough. I can't speak for other schools, but at UOP the challenge is balancing the didactics with the hand skills. IMO, the didactics isn't unbearably difficult, but the sheer mass of things to do can be a challenge. It's almost the end of the quarter (week 9!) and we already started doing crown preps. Other schools haven't even touched a handpiece yet! If you have golden hands, which some people do, you're lucky. However, they help you A LOT here. Everyone is so wonderful, the second years are so generous with the time, the faculty are so receptive to your needs.

I took two years off of school and the transition wasn't too bad. Taking time off was one of the best ideas of my life because it allowed me to come in refreshed and prepared for the rigor of dental school; time off gave me a valuable perspective on life that some of my fellow peers are missing.

However, transitioning back into dental school is a learning process. I expected it to be hard here, but man, school is taxing. I can't go without sleep like I used to in undergrad, and it's weird having something to do ALL the time. Still trying to find a balance, heh.

It's hard, but we all make it out eventually! Gotta earn that white coat! :dead:
 
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions! What do you suggest to do to prepare for the interview? Also around what time do they send out interviews? I have heard nothing from UOP yet haha 🙂
 
autumnfairy said:
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions! What do you suggest to do to prepare for the interview? Also around what time do they send out interviews? I have heard nothing from UOP yet haha 🙂
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You're welcome. I remember what it was like being a pre-dent. It was hard finding people that would answer questions.

To prepare for the interview.. nothing out of the ordinary. Dress business, review your personal statement, don't be weird. The interview group is really small, get to know everyone! They'll most likely be your classmates.

I talked to my interviewer about traveling and photography and asked a whole bunch of questions about the school. We barely talked about my experience, from what I recall. You do have an interview with a faculty and another student, but they're very casual.

The first interview session is September 12th. We interview all the way until April, so don't be discouraged if you don't hear anything. I got my interview in March and was accepted a month later
 
omarski said:
Just wondering, what were your stats?
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Haha, how did I know someone was going to ask this. Oh SDN..

sGPA: 3.4
cGPA: 3.6
DAT AA: 23
Overall science 23

Don't remember the rest of my scores. I think I got a 24 in reading, 24 in Bio and 20 in PAT.

There are people in my class with much lower stats, though. The school cares about stats to a degree, but it's more about the person and whether or not they would fit with our school dynamics.
 
AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
I'm currently a UOP first year and feel like procrastinating. It's application season, no?

Ask me questions, and I'll try my best to answer 🙂
Click to expand...

Great username and avatar. Enjoy your time at dental school. You'll be making memories that will last a lifetime!

🙂
 
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What does it feel like to be charged 130k in tuition and fees? With living expenses including and accounting for interest/tuition increase, it'd be about 530k by the time you graduate.

What are your options?
IBR/PAYE?
Have you considering less expensive (but longer) programs
 
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AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
Haha, how did I know someone was going to ask this. Oh SDN..

sGPA: 3.4
cGPA: 3.6
DAT AA: 23
Overall science 23

Don't remember the rest of my scores. I think I got a 24 in reading, 24 in Bio and 20 in PAT.

There are people in my class with much lower stats, though. The school cares about stats to a degree, but it's more about the person and whether or not they would fit with our school dynamics.
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ECs?
 
cacazor said:
What does it feel like to be charged 130k in tuition and fees? With living expenses including and accounting for interest/tuition increase, it'd be about 530k by the time you graduate.

What are your options?
IBR/PAYE?
Have you considering less expensive (but longer) programs
Click to expand...

Meh, it was daunting at first but it's fine. I made it into Western, Columbia, Tufts and NYU, all pretty expensive programs which would have been more or less the same if you include that extra year. I considered longer programs, but UOP was too great of a school to pass up. The support here is amazing, and the Dugoni family network is expansive and close-knit. I wanted to go to a school where the students were collaborative, where I would get the most exposure in the clinic, and where I was closer to my family.

I'm paying for school on my own, and I came from a low-income family. Currently a finalist for the NHSC scholarship, but we'll see about that one. If it doesn't work out, I could always do income-based repayment or other loan forgiveness programs. The estimated costs are more than what you'd actually pay if you're smart about where you stay in SF and what you eat.
 
P0W3RL1FT3R said:
ECs?
Click to expand...

I did research, was a club officer, worked during college and in my time off, and mentored students. I didn't have very much dental experience, tbh. Like 40 hours of shadowing, haha. Though I suggest that if you go to UOP to get some more exposure in dental offices (e.g. mixing alginate, waxing, drilling typodonts, anything) prior to coming here. Not imperative, but it will help you immensely with the workload.
 
cacazor said:
What does it feel like to be charged 130k in tuition and fees? With living expenses including and accounting for interest/tuition increase, it'd be about 530k by the time you graduate.

What are your options?
IBR/PAYE?
Have you considering less expensive (but longer) programs
Click to expand...
lol please explain how you got 530K
 
What do you do for fun near UoP?

PS- Good luck on the NHSC scholarship. Rooting for you. If you get it, that'll be a HUGE victory.

PS#2- Thank you for doing this AMA. I appreciate it.
 
Incis0r said:
What do you do for fun near UoP?

PS- Good luck on the NHSC scholarship. Rooting for you. If you get it, that'll be a HUGE victory.

PS#2- Thank you for doing this AMA. I appreciate it.
Click to expand...

SF has so much to offer! People are going surfing this weekend, I wish I could go. I do yoga and go running, when I get the opportunity. Every weekend my group of friends gather to hang out, play beer pong, go to bars etc. We've had family cooking nights, too. I went salsa dancing at the beginning of the quarter, which was fun

And you're welcome 🙂
 
dyesht said:
lol please explain how you got 530K
Click to expand...
Well since you asked..

Fee and tuition
2012 ADEA: 106399/93863/92988
2014 ADEA : 115/103/102
2016 Current website: 127,019/116,400/115,254

About 5% increase in tuition/fee annually

Cost of living allowance is up to 30k/year. I will give you 25k in living expenses to give OP benefit of the debt

6 reimbursement for three years for simplicity sake
Year 1 Semester 1 - 76k ( 127+25/2) at about 6% interest rate (higher than 6% in reality) = 13680 in interest
Year 1 Semester 2 - 114o0 in interest

Total - 152k + 25k interest

Year 2 - Semester 1 - 116 x 1.05 + 25k = 146.8/2 = 73.4k yielding 8808
Year 2 - semester 2 => 73.4k yielding 6606

Total - 152 + 147 + 25k + 15k

Year 3 - Semester 1 - 115 x 1.05 x 1.05 + 25k = 151.8/2 = 75.9k yield 4554
Year 3 Semester 2 - 75.9k yielding 2277

Total - 152 + 147 + 152 + 25k + 15k + 7 - 498k

If you're taking out max 30k annually for living expenses , it'd be closer to 520k
I also had interest at 6%. It could still be higher than that. For 2014-2015, it certainly was.

Almost 530k. Pretty close for just eyeballing it, even got the margin of error pretty close to 5%
 
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are the studies SUPER intense due to only the three years of school?
 
cacazor said:
Well since you asked..

Fee and tuition
2012 ADEA: 106399/93863/92988
2014 ADEA : 115/103/102
2016 Current website: 127,019/116,400/115,254

About 5% increase in tuition/fee annually

Cost of living allowance is up to 30k/year. I will give you 25k in living expenses to give OP benefit of the debt

6 reimbursement for three years for simplicity sake
Year 1 Semester 1 - 76k ( 127+25/2) at about 6% interest rate (higher than 6% in reality) = 13680 in interest
Year 1 Semester 2 - 114o0 in interest

Total - 152k + 25k interest

Year 2 - Semester 1 - 116 x 1.05 + 25k = 146.8/2 = 73.4k yielding 8808
Year 2 - semester 2 => 73.4k yielding 6606

Total - 152 + 147 + 25k + 15k

Year 3 - Semester 1 - 115 x 1.05 x 1.05 + 25k = 151.8/2 = 75.9k yield 4554
Year 3 Semester 2 - 75.9k yielding 2277

Total - 152 + 147 + 152 + 25k + 15k + 7 - 498k

If you're taking out max 30k annually for living expenses , it'd be closer to 520k
I also had interest at 6%. It could still be higher than that. For 2014-2015, it certainly was.

Almost 530k. Pretty close for just eyeballing it, even got the margin of error pretty close to 5%
Click to expand...
UOP is expensive but I wouldn't bank on a 5% increase every year. I think a lot of those jumps from 2012- now that you got from the ADEA guides were because they built the brand new school.
 
Wormy912 said:
are the studies SUPER intense due to only the three years of school?
Click to expand...

It's pretty intense, but do-able. The helix curriculum here makes it so that all of the biomedical classes I take are intertwined with each other. (e.g. If I am learning about connective tissue in anatomy, I will be learning in physiology epithelium and connective tissue, and in biochemistry the molecules involved in different connective tissue).
 
nonociceptors said:
UOP is expensive but I wouldn't bank on a 5% increase every year. I think a lot of those jumps from 2012- now that you got from the ADEA guides were because they built the brand new school.
Click to expand...

2007
https://web.archive.org/web/2008062...nd_Fees/Estimating_Your_Attendance_Costs.html

69k

69 x 1.05 = 72.5


2008 - https://web.archive.org/web/2008112...nd_Fees/Estimating_Your_Attendance_Costs.html

74k

74k x 1.05 = 77.7k

2009

https://web.archive.org/web/2009072...nd_Fees/Estimating_Your_Attendance_Costs.html

77k

77k x 1.05 = 80.8k

2010

https://web.archive.org/web/2010060...nd_Fees/Estimating_Your_Attendance_Costs.html

81k




Numbers don't lie
 
 
@AbcessivelyCompulsive , Pardon me for bumping up this 1.5 month old thread, but there is such amazing information in here...I'd love to learn more (if you still have some time on your hands). If not, no worries!

AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
I took two years off of school and the transition wasn't too bad. Taking time off was one of the best ideas of my life because it allowed me to come in refreshed and prepared for the rigor of dental school; time off gave me a valuable perspective on life that some of my fellow peers are missing.
Click to expand...

1) What experiences/activities did you do during such a period of time off to make the most of it?

AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
If you have golden hands, which some people do, you're lucky.
Click to expand...
AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
Though I suggest that if you go to UOP to get some more exposure in dental offices (e.g. mixing alginate, waxing, drilling typodonts, anything) prior to coming here. Not imperative, but it will help you immensely with the workload.
Click to expand...

2) Do you have any tips for where to get access to drilling typodonts & waxing? I'm sure alginate mixing may be allowed in certain offices, but I don't know if many would have waxing kits & typodonts.

AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
Every weekend my group of friends gather to hang out, play beer pong, go to bars etc.
Click to expand...

3) So the curriculum, while demanding, is not overwhelming, right?
 
Incis0r said:
@AbcessivelyCompulsive , Pardon me for bumping up this 1.5 month old thread, but there is such amazing information in here...I'd love to learn more (if you still have some time on your hands). If not, no worries!



1) What experiences/activities did you do during such a period of time off to make the most of it?

I traveled a lot, ran a lot of races, did active things.. I really grew into myself. You really don't have much time in dental school to do all of those things, so doing it beforehand makes you a much more interesting applicant. I think it makes it easier to talk to people when you find a common ground on something or if you're a really passionate person. That all comes with experience.

In addition, I worked in clinical research and tutored high school students in AP chemistry/bio/physio/ACT. Tutoring really helped solidify my foundation in science and made me a 100x's better student. It made learning much quicker because I could derive concepts.

2) Do you have any tips for where to get access to drilling typodonts & waxing? I'm sure alginate mixing may be allowed in certain offices, but I don't know if many would have waxing kits & typodonts.

Mmm.. not sure where you could get drilling typodonts unless your family is in dentistry. I know some of my classmates worked in dental labs which helped them with their hand skills.

3) So the curriculum, while demanding, is not overwhelming, right?
Click to expand...

This is a difficult question to answer. I would say it depends on the person. How do you manage your time? Are you easily overwhelmed? I feel overwhelmed sometimes, but that is an indication to me that I need to take a break. This is one of the most challenging experiences I've ever had, but we all make it through in the end.
 
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Do you guys finish 100% of your didactic courses the 1st year (including pharm)? Or do you have some courses the 2nd year mixed with clinic? When do you transition from the sim clinic to the patient clinic? How is the student:faculty ratio in the SIM clinic?
 
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Cello said:
Do you guys finish 100% of your didactic courses the 1st year (including pharm)? Or do you have some courses the 2nd year mixed with clinic? When do you transition from the sim clinic to the patient clinic? How is the student:faculty ratio in the SIM clinic?
Click to expand...

No, we don't finish all of our didactics our first year. Biochemistry, Physiology, and Anatomy are all finished within the first year though. I'm not as familiar with second year's schedules although I know they take microbio and pharm. They're currently complaining about pedo, haha.

We transition from sim clin to patient clinic in our second year. Second years only spend one half day in sim clin.

Student faculty ratio in sim clin is 18:1/2 faculty depending on if the second faculty is grading.
 
Incis0r said:
Are you content with this ratio?
Click to expand...

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. We had problems in the past where we didn't have enough attention because the faculty were taking too long giving us a formal grade for homework (leaving the ratio at 18:1). This quarter, due to our feedback, we no longer have formal grades for homework and the faculty have more time to work with us. I don't feel like I have to fight for attention, and the feedback is always have personal.
 
During your first year, did you only have lectures or did you have some hands on classes? Like waxing or doing impressions?
 
how come warriors blew a 3-1 lead against queen James?

Also what class does Kyrie Irving teach? Since he's always putting on a clinic against the warriors.
 
helprosie said:
During your first year, did you only have lectures or did you have some hands on classes? Like waxing or doing impressions?
Click to expand...

Of course we have hands on classes! We're in clinic by the second year, so we are really heavy in the lab, starting week 1. UOP prides themselves in producing clinicians with amazing handskills, so expect to spend your entire life in sim lab during your first year.

Tuesdays are normally dental anatomy/waxing days
Wednesdays we work on direct operative.
Thursdays we work on indirect.

The schedule is like this for three quarters until our 4th quarter (which is coming up soon for me, yay!), where you start doing block rotations instead of direct operative. In these block rotations we'll be doing anesthesia on each other, x-rays, etc.
 
I too will have a 2 year gap between undergrad and grad. Was it as easy as you make it seem getting back into the groove of studying? I feel like i forget what it is to push myself mentally and coping with the stress
 
How is the diversity, I mean is it too much or normal!
How was your interview?
Is it a friendly environment?
You said the place is sketchy at night, so do you recommend living next campus or far way and how much rent do you pay monthly?
Are the professors cruel or nice?
 
Faefly said:
How is the diversity, I mean is it too much or normal!
How was your interview?
Is it a friendly environment?
You said the place is sketchy at night, so do you recommend living next campus or far way and how much rent do you pay monthly?
Are the professors cruel or nice?
Click to expand...
Diversity of what? students, patients, people in SF?
 
predental21250 said:
I too will have a 2 year gap between undergrad and grad. Was it as easy as you make it seem getting back into the groove of studying? I feel like i forget what it is to push myself mentally and coping with the stress
Click to expand...

It wasn't too bad. The two years off was necessary, for me. It made me a lot more focused. Regardless, first quarter was really rough on everybody. The transition into the intense schedule and workload was exceptionally challenging.

The hardest part of transitioning for me was being okay with spending my entire life 24/7 in school, but because I tutored during my gap years, the didactic material was easy.
 
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nateriver said:
do you guys get any time off? or is there really no summer?
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We get a week off after every quarter, two or three weeks off during the holidays, and a month off during the summer. I think the break that we have is adequate. I always kept myself busy with summer school when I was in undergrad, anyways.
 
Faefly said:
How is the diversity, I mean is it too much or normal!
How was your interview?
Is it a friendly environment?
You said the place is sketchy at night, so do you recommend living next campus or far way and how much rent do you pay monthly?
Are the professors cruel or nice?
Click to expand...

Diversity - great. Very little black people in the class though, which I wish weren't true.

Interview - best interview ever! The food did not compare to Columbia, though. It wasn't really an interview. It was basically a conversation about anything and everything that you have in common with the interviewer. I talked about photography. You also have a student interviewer, but it's just a second or third year who is there to hang out with you and answer questions.

Friendly environment - you'll see when you get here. It's the friendliest environment I found of any dental school. Everyone is so sweet and down-to-earth, faculty and students alike. They do a wonderful job of picking out your class, and once you are a part of the Dugoni family, you are a part of the Dugoni family for life. Your children too.

Surrounding area - most students live close to school. If you want your own room, expect to pay $2000-$2400 a month in a shared apartment. I got lucky and found a room that is very close via public transpo or a 15 minute bike ride for $800 a month. It's tiny though. Money, Quality, Location. Choose 2, you can't have all three.

Professors - almost all really nice people. They definitely practice humanism here. It's what the Dugoni family is famous for.
 
AbcessivelyCompulsive said:
Diversity - great. Very little black people in the class though, which I wish weren't true.

Interview - best interview ever! The food did not compare to Columbia, though. It wasn't really an interview. It was basically a conversation about anything and everything that you have in common with the interviewer. I talked about photography. You also have a student interviewer, but it's just a second or third year who is there to hang out with you and answer questions.

Friendly environment - you'll see when you get here. It's the friendliest environment I found of any dental school. Everyone is so sweet and down-to-earth, faculty and students alike. They do a wonderful job of picking out your class, and once you are a part of the Dugoni family, you are a part of the Dugoni family for life. Your children too.

Surrounding area - most students live close to school. If you want your own room, expect to pay $2000-$2400 a month in a shared apartment. I got lucky and found a room that is very close via public transpo or a 15 minute bike ride for $800 a month. It's tiny though. Money, Quality, Location. Choose 2, you can't have all three.

Professors - almost all really nice people. They definitely practice humanism here. It's what the Dugoni family is famous for.
Click to expand...

Wow, this is very interesting, I like this 🙂
Thank you for your reply
 
Although you're still a first year, do you feel rushed to learn everything? How's the pace?
 
Faefly said:
Wow, this is very interesting, I like this 🙂
Thank you for your reply
Click to expand...

You're welcome !

helprosie said:
Although you're still a first year, do you feel rushed to learn everything? How's the pace?
Click to expand...

The pace is fast and overwhelming most of the time (for me). The program is not for everyone, that's for sure. Despite the fast pace though, it's been such a joy to see how fast my hand skills have progressed. They really push you to meet their high standards, and you bond with everyone in your class.

I'm at the end of my third quarter (arguably the toughest quarter.. we have 7 back-to-back finals next week in three days), and I have one more easy quarter until I am in the clinic. I can't believe this year is almost over, but I am pretty much ready. It's exciting that I will be in clinic practicing what I came here to do so soon.
 
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