UOP vs. UCLA

[scarletfever]

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Hello ppl,

Long time since I posted here. I just wanted to collect your thoughts about the pros/cons between these two fine schools.

Though I might already be biased towards UOP, the difference in fees is tempting and worth a second look. Are there any benefits UCLA offers over UOP - apart from tuition & potentially cheaper housing? Specifically, I only want to compare the 2 programs & not so much the city or weather, etc. Like does one school have a better patient pool, better facilities, better training, better preparation to work as a general dentist after DDS, better state board pass ratio, more confident graduates, better faculty-student communication, better student experience, things to watch out for like being dropped out in the middle of program, etc etc. It would be wonderfull, if someone attending one of these two schools could chime in as well.

I found this thread which raved about UOP over UCLA but it was geared more towards pre-dental and the 3 vs. 4 year thing was also being considered: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=28305

Thoughts?

 

[D(M)ental]

This is like asking a parent to pick her favourite child!!
Anyways from the sound of it both schools are great in terms of everything you mentioned.Not even pin to choose between the two.
If you have family near any either school..go there (it is important for me since I handle sterss better near family) , but is a whole other issue if you are trying to get away (no offence...just kidding 🙂 ) and of course UOP is pretty darn expensive.
Iffffffffffffffff I had such a chioce I'd take the less expensive one.But thats just me.
Lets know how it works out for you.

 

[D(M)ental]

Hello ppl,

Long time since I posted here. I just wanted to collect your thoughts about the pros/cons between these two fine schools.

Though I might already be biased towards UOP, the difference in fees is tempting and worth a second look. Are there any benefits UCLA offers over UOP - apart from tuition & potentially cheaper housing? Specifically, I only want to compare the 2 programs & not so much the city or weather, etc. Like does one school have a better patient pool, better facilities, better training, better preparation to work as a general dentist after DDS, better state board pass ratio, more confident graduates, better faculty-student communication, better student experience, things to watch out for like being dropped out in the middle of program, etc etc. It would be wonderfull, if someone attending one of these two schools could chime in as well.

I found this thread which raved about UOP over UCLA but it was geared more towards pre-dental and the 3 vs. 4 year thing was also being considered: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=28305

Thoughts?

Adding on to my previous post....
I hope by now you realise that there is no such thing as perfect job,perfect dental school ,and perfect boyfriend..or grilfriend as the case maybe.
Someone remarked that one wants to make the best choice considering the staggering amounts of money involved....sure!... I agree!
But it ALL depends on how to make the oppurtunities work for you.One can be given the best of everything in a diamond encrusted spoon..if one doesn't use it..what's the point?You can only drag the proverbial horse to water...

The point being....are you (as in not you Scarlett...generally) asking for a gurantee that a graduate from you choice of school will be the bestest earning 10 million a year? 😛

Make a choice for you cannot go wrong either way.

Sorry if I sound harsh/rude/b****y but you did ask to chime in..this is how the bell tolls.

Good luck 🙂

 

[rahmed]

No first-hand experience here. But a friend of mine who chose UoP this year did a basic research and came out with a problem regarding patient pool in UCLA. Because of its situation in an upmarket part of the city I belive volume of patients belonging to certain socioeconomic class who frequent state dental hospital in general is less. Past students had problem with finishing their requirements in time. UoP, although situated in downtown SF, receives good number of patients. I think you should do a little research on this aspect before final decision. I think in all other aspects UCLA and UoP are comparable and good schools (infrastructures etc; of course UoP is costlier).

My 2 cents. NileBDS come on, we need your help.

rahmed

 

[blacktooth]

hey. scarletfever, hi! remember me?????!!!!!!!!!
well i definitely do agree with rahmed. ucla is in an upscale area , so the patient pool may not be that great.
go to UOP. it has an excellent clinical program.
lastly whichever program you choose , make sure you get the best out of it.it's all up to you but if you have this choice and money is not a factor, go to UOP. 🙂

 

[NileBDS]

No first-hand experience here. But a friend of mine who chose UoP this year did a basic research and came out with a problem regarding patient pool in UCLA. Because of its situation in an upmarket part of the city I belive volume of patients belonging to certain socioeconomic class who frequent state dental hospital in general is less. Past students had problem with finishing their requirements in time. UoP, although situated in downtown SF, receives good number of patients. I think you should do a little research on this aspect before final decision. I think in all other aspects UCLA and UoP are comparable and good schools (infrastructures etc; of course UoP is costlier).

My 2 cents. NileBDS come on, we need your help.

rahmed

Hey Rahmed, Scarlet and everyone ...
Weeeeeell ... you know whatever I say will be looked upon as a biased opinion since I will be joining UOP next July ... right ?
If you are willing to look beyond that point, then I would say;
Never forget that both UOP and UCLA are 2 of the finest dental schools in the country. Actually, all California schools are pretty darn good. You should also note that UCLA has more of a "magnetic appeal" attached to its name. UCLA is a better University than UOP, but in my opinion, UOP's dental school is a better one than UCLA's. You must differentiate between the two.
Anyways, let's cut to the chase. Here is my pro/con list of both of these great schools (I mean, you really can't go wrong). Also note that this is my personal view which is based solely on my opinion of the International Dental Programs at both schools;

UCLA University of California in Los Angeles
Pros: Prestigious name, great staff, great school, excellent research/post grad opportunities PLUS you get to live in LA and have bragging rights over your friends and their friends.
Cons: Weak patient pool, relatively new program (5 years I think), not the best place to live/study in terms of security and safety, stuck up students from what I hear.

UOP University Of the Pacific
Pros: Student oriented school (faculty and staff), major clinical emphasis, strong alumni society, excellent reputation, 20 years experience with the IDS program, amazing job offers upon graduation, undisputable camaraderie among students/faculty/staff, Dean Dugoni is the Past President of the ADA & AADS among many other committees/associations and organizations. Oh yeah, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN FRANCISCO, S. A. N. F. R. A. N. C. I. S. C. O. ! (Do I sound too biased ?)
Cons: Expensive, less post grad/specialty opportunities than UCLA, very intense 24 month program, reputed as a "rich-kid" school, living in San Fran is in fact very pricy … but I still sympathize with whoever is going to NYU .

To sum up, if you plan on specializing, and think you’re a great dentist as is, go to UCLA. Definitely.
If specializing isn't your TOP priority and just need to do things the right way and get an excellent dental education and training in a supportive environment, then I’d say UOP. Definitely.

Also you should note that graduating from UCLA will not guarantee you a spot in a post grad program, nor will UOP hinder your chances. Both schools are what you make of them.

Good Luck !

 

[dent_doc]

Hello ppl,

Long time since I posted here. I just wanted to collect your thoughts about the pros/cons between these two fine schools.

Though I might already be biased towards UOP, the difference in fees is tempting and worth a second look. Are there any benefits UCLA offers over UOP - apart from tuition & potentially cheaper housing? Specifically, I only want to compare the 2 programs & not so much the city or weather, etc. Like does one school have a better patient pool, better facilities, better training, better preparation to work as a general dentist after DDS, better state board pass ratio, more confident graduates, better faculty-student communication, better student experience, things to watch out for like being dropped out in the middle of program, etc etc. It would be wonderfull, if someone attending one of these two schools could chime in as well.

I found this thread which raved about UOP over UCLA but it was geared more towards pre-dental and the 3 vs. 4 year thing was also being considered: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=28305

Thoughts?

Scarletfever,

Congratulations on being admitted to two excellent schools.

I think that the biggest difference between UOP and UCLA is
that if you go to UCLA you have a decent chance of later
being admitted to one of the UCLA specialty programs.
Nothing is guaranteed, but if you get high board scores,
high grades, great recommendations, and get to know the
members of the specialty admission committees your chances
will be good. You may not know now whether you want to
pursue a specialty in the future, but UCLA may give you more
opportunities if you later decide to go for a specialty.

 

[scarletfever]

Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread. Its been very helpful. NileBDS, another excellent well written post. You should be a mod 🙂

 

[scarletfever]

One thing that strikes my curiosity is how fast the UCLA alternate list appears to have moved. I didnt have a particularly good interview and being called this late in the day (sem starts June I believe) suggests that I must be in the 3rd wave of students being offered admissions. At the same time, looking at the UOP alt list, it appears to be pretty stagnant. I havent seen more than a handfull of students getting in via the alternate list (atleast among SDNers), which suggests a much high retention rate at UOP. Would you say this is a valid observation?

NileBDS, what did you mean by amazing job offers upon graduation? Is that internally within faculty/research or in private clinics?

 

[dent_doc]

One thing that strikes my curiosity is how fast the UCLA alternate list appears to have moved. I didnt have a particularly good interview and being called this late in the day (sem starts June I believe) suggests that I must be in the 3rd wave of students being offered admissions. At the same time, looking at the UOP alt list, it appears to be pretty stagnant. I havent seen more than a handfull of students getting in via the alternate list (atleast among SDNers), which suggests a much high retention rate at UOP. Would you say this is a valid observation?

NileBDS, what did you mean by amazing job offers upon graduation? Is that internally within faculty/research or in private clinics?

Scarletfever,

I think you are underestimating yourself. It is likely that
you were near the top of the waiting list for UCLA. Have
you seen anyone else post about getting into UCLA off
the waiting list?

 

[NileBDS]

Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread. Its been very helpful. NileBDS, another excellent well written post. You should be a mod 🙂

Now don't make me blush ... ok, i'm blushing ... 😳
Thanks for the compliment scarlet, but believe me when I say that we have a great MOD !
Besides, I would not fit the job description. It may seem like I am always on SDN, but I am sure that all that is about to change.
Again, thanks a lot for your support, and I wish you the best !
Good Luck !

 

[NileBDS]

One thing that strikes my curiosity is how fast the UCLA alternate list appears to have moved. I didnt have a particularly good interview and being called this late in the day (sem starts June I believe) suggests that I must be in the 3rd wave of students being offered admissions. At the same time, looking at the UOP alt list, it appears to be pretty stagnant. I havent seen more than a handfull of students getting in via the alternate list (atleast among SDNers), which suggests a much high retention rate at UOP. Would you say this is a valid observation?

NileBDS, what did you mean by amazing job offers upon graduation? Is that internally within faculty/research or in private clinics?

Sorry for the confusion ... I was referring to the 'private practice' ones. Once you're out of UOP (most of the times even before graduation), you will have a good lump of top-notch job offers at excellent clinics all across California and beyond (this is coming from 3 UOP Alumni I have contacted following my interview).

As I pointed before, there are not many research opportunities at UOP. This was an issue that my interviewer highlighted. His words as I recall were; "We don’t have many research opportunities here at the Pacific, but if you would like, we would be more than happy to help you in finding one [at UOP]".

See, one of the major selling points at UOP, and one of the prime reasons why their graduates are reputed to have such intense clinical exposure is that the only specialty at UOP is Maxillofacial. Guess who gets the rest of the "would-be referred" cases ? Exactly.
I wandered off into the clinics following my interview and had the opportunity to chat with both a 3rd (senior) year DDS student and a clinical instructor. I was impressed. The student was knee-deep in cases, implants, crowns and what not, and he just loved it ! Every thing there (including lab case delivery) is high-tech geared. They make it much more tempting to go that extra mile on your work/training.
OK, I ADMITT IT ! I AM BIASED ! lol

Anyways, now you know.

Good Luck !

 

[Enamel]

Sorry for the confusion ... I was referring to the 'private practice' ones. Once you're out of UOP (most of the times even before graduation), you will have a good lump of top-notch job offers at excellent clinics all across California and beyond (this is coming from 3 UOP Alumni I have contacted following my interview).

As I pointed before, there are not many research opportunities at UOP. This was an issue that my interviewer highlighted. His words as I recall were; "We don’t have many research opportunities here at the Pacific, but if you would like, we would be more than happy to help you in finding one [at UOP]".

See, one of the major selling points at UOP, and one of the prime reasons why their graduates are reputed to have such intense clinical exposure is that the only specialty at UOP is Maxillofacial. Guess who gets the rest of the "would-be referred" cases ? Exactly.
I wandered off into the clinics following my interview and had the opportunity to chat with both a 3rd (senior) year DDS student and a clinical instructor. I was impressed. The student was knee-deep in cases, implants, crowns and what not, and he just loved it ! Every thing there (including lab case delivery) is high-tech geared. They make it much more tempting to go that extra mile on your work/training.
OK, I ADMITT IT ! I AM BIASED ! lol

Anyways, now you know.

Good Luck !

Hey I didn't know you got UOP.Congratulations!I had a chance to visit the school as a friend of mine is studying there.Great school and they are plush with funds.A very expensive school but they teach you very well.The school has a great location and San Francisco is a fabulous city.I guess for anybody having the funds that is a great place to study.

 

[boardssuccess]

As usual great Posts NilesBDS
just one correction that they do have Orthodontics as a speciality too
so no major exposure in clinics with resp. to ortho. 🙁
As am going there too admit that the program is horendously expensive... But the clinical exp. that you get there is great so .... 😎 and it is SAN FRANCISCO

Sorry for the confusion ... I was referring to the 'private practice' ones. Once you're out of UOP (most of the times even before graduation), you will have a good lump of top-notch job offers at excellent clinics all across California and beyond (this is coming from 3 UOP Alumni I have contacted following my interview).

As I pointed before, there are not many research opportunities at UOP. This was an issue that my interviewer highlighted. His words as I recall were; "We don’t have many research opportunities here at the Pacific, but if you would like, we would be more than happy to help you in finding one [at UOP]".

See, one of the major selling points at UOP, and one of the prime reasons why their graduates are reputed to have such intense clinical exposure is that the only specialty at UOP is Maxillofacial. Guess who gets the rest of the "would-be referred" cases ? Exactly.
I wandered off into the clinics following my interview and had the opportunity to chat with both a 3rd (senior) year DDS student and a clinical instructor. I was impressed. The student was knee-deep in cases, implants, crowns and what not, and he just loved it ! Every thing there (including lab case delivery) is high-tech geared. They make it much more tempting to go that extra mile on your work/training.
OK, I ADMITT IT ! I AM BIASED ! lol

Anyways, now you know.

Good Luck !

 

[NileBDS]

As usual great Posts NilesBDS
just one correction that they do have Orthodontics as a speciality too
so no major exposure in clinics with resp. to ortho. 🙁
As am going there too admit that the program is horendously expensive... But the clinical exp. that you get there is great so .... 😎 and it is SAN FRANCISCO

Hey there boards !
Thanks for the add-on buddy. I did not know that ! So that makes Ortho and Maxillofacial then ...
To tell you the truth, it makes me feel a little bit better. To me, ortho was as fun as watching a kettle boil 😴. It did not satisfy my 'dental urge'.
I'm going to be referring my ortho cases definitely, so if you're interested let me know ...
How's your move so far ? I'm flying to Cali tommorrow.
Thanks for the compliment and i'll see you soon buddy !
Good Luck !