UPitt (OOS) vs. TX-Houston (OOS)

[beththebest]

School 1: Pittsburgh
OOS
Pros:

• I really liked the special needs clinic, and the ranking is much higher than Houston. Also, I received a 60k scholarship to Pitt, making it much more affordable. I got to meet more people at Pittsburgh, and generally liked most everyone I met.

Cons:

• I am definitely dreading the cold, dreary weather, and it is more expensive than Houston even with the scholarship.

School 2: Houston
OOS
Pros:
Cheap, and has great weather (I'm used to hot and humid). Houston has better facilities.

Cons:
Ranking (Houston is ranked much lower according to the Shanghai Review), having to schedule your own patients, and a possible language barrier with patients as I do not speak Spanish. I did not get to meet many students while I was there.

Summary: Currently sitting about 60/40 leaning towards Houston due to weather and cost. But unsure how much rankings matter and want to know more about student/life balance at both places. Also I am unsure which school has a better curriculum. I am trying to change my residency regardless of where I enroll, and I am wondering if one would be easier to do that at than the other.

Basically, is the higher ranking worth an extra 40k?

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[zToothinator]

As far as the rankings go, I wouldn't give them any thought. I'm not sure how Shanghai does their rankings, but I know some other ranking systems include the graduate programs, how much NIH funding the school gets, etc which don't exactly pertain to how well your school will prepare you to be a general dentist.

 

[UCLA MCDB]

The higher ranking IS NOT worth an extra 40k.
That 40k will be a lot more with accruing interest.

Language barrier does not matter because you will treat patients from different countries once you become a dentist.
Perhaps, this is a great opportunity for you to learn some basic Spanish.

 

[Accomplished-Raisin]

I don't know too much about Pitt, but planning to be D1 this upcoming at Houston. Hit me up if you have any questions!

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

What did you end up picking OP?

 

[Faefly]

I am learning two languages right now out of apps, you can learn Spanish easily as well.
Takes two months to know basic conversational phrases.
Apps like Dualingo, Memerize, and drops can be your friend.

But you have to start watching Telenova and Spanish music videos to make learning Spanish easier.

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

Summary: Currently sitting about 60/40 leaning towards Houston due to weather and cost. But unsure how much rankings matter and want to know more about student/life balance at both places. Also I am unsure which school has a better curriculum. I am trying to change my residency regardless of where I enroll, and I am wondering if one would be easier to do that at than the other.

Basically, is the higher ranking worth an extra 40k?

Totally skipped over this part. I toured Houston the other weekend and the D1s were super chill. Houston is big on creating a family vibe and I def felt that from the six students I spoke to. My friends at other schools have mentioned their schools is/are cliquey but the Houston D1s said they felt they could hang out with any classmate for dinner or something. A lot of them hang out together over drinks too after exams.

Students said school was a lot of work but manageable. You should DM @Typical Average Student they are a D3 there.

For residency: Buy a house.