UoP vs. Penn

[summertofall]

Hi! I've been lucky enough to be accepted to these amazing schools this cycle, but I've been having a difficult time deciding which one. I'm currently waitlisted at my state school, which I will absolutely attend if I am accepted off the waitlist, but in the meantime, I wanted to get feedback on which program would be the best option for me. I want to attend the cheaper school, which in this case is Penn (regarding tuition and cost of living), but does the extra year of maximum earnings I'll earn from attending UoP offset its steep cost?

Other Factors:
Penn
Pros:

• Curriculum: 1 exam a week, lectures are recorded, classes aren't mandatory, grading is (supposedly) lenient
• High specialization rates: I understand that anyone can specialize from any school if they put in the work for it, but I appreciate that Penn gives me a greater chance of landing into a residency. That being said, I'm not sure if I want to specialize yet, but I am open to the idea of it.
• Dual degree programs
• Prestige

Cons:

• FAR from home: I'm from California and my support system is very important to me. I've never been away from home before so being thousands of miles away and 3 hours ahead is incredibly intimidating
• Environment: It's going to be a difficult transition going from West Coast to East Coast (weather, time difference, overall environment)

UoP
Pros:

• 3 year program: 1 less year of interest and 1 extra year of peak salary
• Closer to home: I'm from SoCal so going to SF is still far, but not nearly as far as Philly. Visiting home would only be an hour plane ride away
• Amazing clinical program

Cons:

• Curriculum: 4 years of dental school in 3 calendar years. Classes and clinic M-F 8-5 for the next three years on top of constant studying seems very draining and the students seem to be under lots of stress.
• Cost of living: Living in SF is $$$, on top of paying steep tuition fees
• Hard to specialize from: I heard that UoP produces amazing general practitioners, but it's very challenging to specialize with their accelerated program

I really love both schools, which is what makes this decision even more difficult. Any advice is appreciated!

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[Pablo Sanchez]

Can't go wrong with either option. I am currently at Penn and I love it, but having that extra year of income is a good deal as long as UOP doesn't cost so much more than Penn that it cancels out what the value of that income might be. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about Penn!

 

[Life of Pablo]

If you want to specialize, don't go to UoP. I have friends there and it is very, very difficult to specialize directly out of dental school from UoP. However, they do produce really strong general dentists. It just depends on what you want to do.

Also, UoP severely underestimates their cost of living. During my interview, they said their estimate is based on 3 people sharing a 2 bedroom apartment with someone living in the living room (lmao). Some students definitely do that, but I didn't think I wanted to do that.

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

How accurate is Penn’s COL estimate? @Life of Pablo

 

[Life of Pablo]

How accurate is Penn’s COL estimate? @Life of Pablo

It’s accurate. You can definitely find housing for ~500/month. I’d say the average person in my class is paying around 800 ish. The only thing that can get expensive for me is food because I don’t cook, but even then we have food trucks close to the dental school and you can get a lot of food for $5.

In SF, you can take a breath of fresh air and be charged $10. I’m kidding...but seriously SF might be the most expensive city to live in.