To those who have an acceptance at another school, I would pick that other school if I were you. I have many friends and acquaintances who have graduated or are currently attending UOP and a sizable number of them tell me that if they could go back, they would "highly consider" picking another school. They conveniently down play how you end up paying more for their 3 years than most other schools' 4 years and how toxic and stressful the program naturally is due to the time constraint. I would like you all to keep in mind that this one school isn't pulling some "3 year miracle" that the other schools have never tried before. There were dental schools in the past that were 3 year programs but they switched to 4 year eventually due to changing requirements, standards, and curriculum over time. UOP loves mentioning that they are the "only 3 year program in the nation" which is used as a marketing tactic to convince pre-dents to sign up with them in order to get an extra year of earning potential. If you are really sold on the 3 year program, Roseman will soon convert to a 3 year program and will charge notably less than UOP currently does. If I were a Californian choosing between UOP and Roseman, I would heavily consider moving to Utah and going to Roseman for huge cost savings and a much more pleasant overall dental school experience. I have heard that Roseman's program is pretty laid back, streamlined, and optimized compared to UOP's which is probably how they realized they could convert to a 3 year program. It seems that a notable number of the students at UOP dental tend to be Californians who did not get into UCLA, UCSF, or USC. Of course, there are others who had different reasons. I personally believe UOP has stayed a 3 year school due to profit motives (more money made per student per unit of time), glaring lack of name brand recognition (compared to UCSF, UCLA, USC for example), desire to stay attractive as a choice compared to their competition, and overall lack of genuine care for students' well-being. Back in 2016, a first-year dental student committed suicide which should make a person wonder what exactly triggered that tragic decision. Dental school is undeniably challenging, but at UOP wouldn't you think it would be more difficult just to cross the finish line let alone specialize? At the same time, at UOP you pay the highest cost of attendance per academic year than any other school in the nation while wondering whether the "year saved" is worth all the pain and toxicity associated with getting through their program. I feel all these very real aspects should be addressed for purposes of honesty and transparency. I don't say all of this to be a downer or pessimistic individual. I am posting this so that people who have a choice to make can do a better job making the choice that is truly best for them.
