USC vs Western

[jellybean10]

Hi everyone, sorry if this question is already out there but I need to decide soon (deposits) between USC and Western. I'm really happy with both, but it's hard to compare because they are so different. I don't know anyone in the dental program at either school and so really only am going off of interview day info, websites, etc. I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions/advice or knows anyone currently in either program and how they like it. Thank you in advance and sorry if this has already been asked.

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[lphiewok]

i got accepted into both of them too but i decided on usc.
i am from texas and i am going with hpsp scholarship from military so tuition was not a factor.

here are reasons of why i chose usc over western.
- Even though western would probably turn out to be a great dental school, i did not want to go to a school that has not produced a dentist yet.
- usc is a better recognized school compared to western which is less well known (not saying this matters to patients/dentistry, but for my own goals and achievements)
- I want to live in LA compared than Pomona.
- more chance for better social life (not necessarily for partying but i have friends living near the area whereas i do not know anyone from pomona)
- more chance for better campus life including USC football games (and Staples center is down the street from campus)
- I have a relative who goes there and loves the experience at usc

either way good luck!

 

[Tommy43087]

USC

 

[Just Peachy]

I go to Western and absolutely love it. Pomona isn't the best place in the world, but the surrounding cities (where most students live) are really nice and there is a lot to do when we get a little free time. The new building is amazing, our sim clinic and patient care center are top of the line, our faculty actually care about the students, and there is not a competitive vibe within our class - we share tips, notes from 2nd year DOs, etc. The way the program is designed, we should do very well on boards - we have a strong academic component but are also hands on in the clinic from about the 2nd week of class. Because it is a new school, everyone is busting their butts to make sure the program does well and the students succeed - because of this, I didn't have a problem being part of a new program. As one of the first classes, you get to set the reputation of the school, which I thought was a cool and unique experience.

So to sum it up: I love Western because the students are great, I have a great social life (when we have free time), the faculty and Dean are on top of their game and care about the students, I feel safe, the facilities are awesome, the program is tough and I feel is preparing me for boards, we get hands on experience from very early on, and our class works together as a team instead of trying to compete with each other (opposite of what I had in undergrad, which is why that is such a big deal to me).

Good luck with your decision!

 

[xhamburgersamx]

There's a big difference between learning practical and real life clinical scenarios via PBL than learning purely the academic sciences necessary to do well on the boards. If your goal is to specialize then some of the better academic schools will benefit you. I guess in this situation it will be Western. However, your clinical exposure will be far less. USC has every grad specialty program in house (same building) and you can volunteer your time there and learn while assisting residents. ONe of the requirements to get into clinic 3rd year is 3 grad-perio surgery assists. Western doesn't have any adv. specialty programs.

Also you want to keep in mind Western's externship. I believe they make you go out to private practices and work there for some time. That would be a huge experience for those wanting to transition to private immediately out of dental school. However, I suppose that is off set with USC's mobile van, skid row, underserved, LA County-medical center rotations, etc. Both schools are good so it's up to you. I would decide on tuition amount and your personal well being living in LA vs. Pomona. Also class size is about double for USC which can play a factor both in more diversity but also higher student:faculty ratio.

 

[ColnagoEPRider1]

I would pick Western University....

 

[New2Philly]

Unless you have a military or health corp scholarship I would go with the cheaper one, especially since USC is the most expensive dental school in the world. Also, their football team is going to stink over the next few years, because Pete Carrol left....

 

[Slack3r]

i got accepted into both of them too but i decided on usc.
i am from texas and i am going with hpsp scholarship from military so tuition was not a factor.

here are reasons of why i chose usc over western.
- Even though western would probably turn out to be a great dental school, i did not want to go to a school that has not produced a dentist yet.
- usc is a better recognized school compared to western which is less well known (not saying this matters to patients/dentistry, but for my own goals and achievements)
- I want to live in LA compared than Pomona.
- more chance for better social life (not necessarily for partying but i have friends living near the area whereas i do not know anyone from pomona)
- more chance for better campus life including USC football games (and Staples center is down the street from campus)
- I have a relative who goes there and loves the experience at usc

either way good luck!

Also, more chances of getting knifed while walking around campus!

 

[SoCalBlondie]

Being born and raised in Southern California and being President of the Pre-Dental club at my school I'd like to say that I know both schools quite well...
USC has been having some problems lately, and their school is very expensive, but they have an established program. They are known to come out AMAZING dentists and I don’t think one should put a price on their education.
Both are in bad areas, and one is not really worse than the other, but at least at USC is just a few minutes out from some good, and might I say fun, parts of LA.
Western might be a good school in the future, maybe the best school, but personally I don’t believe there is enough behind it yet. I would wait to see their board scores…
Luckily I got into my top choice Loma Linda University, or I would probably be having the same problem you are… GOOD LUCK!!

 

[lphiewok]

Being born and raised in Southern California and being President of the Pre-Dental club at my school I'd like to say that I know both schools quite well...
USC has been having some problems lately, and their school is very expensive, but they have an established program. They are known to come out AMAZING dentists and I don’t think one should put a price on their education.
Both are in bad areas, and one is not really worse than the other, but at least at USC is just a few minutes out from some good, and might I say fun, parts of LA.
Western might be a good school in the future, maybe the best school, but personally I don’t believe there is enough behind it yet. I would wait to see their board scores…
Luckily I got into my top choice Loma Linda University, or I would probably be having the same problem you are… GOOD LUCK!!

Congrats on your decision to go to LLU but i thought you didn't have interview from USC yet (reading from your posts on other USC related thread).. Did you have interview after March and got accepted already?

Just wondering since one of my friends is waiting for third round from USC

 

[toooth]

Def USC , Western can sound great but lets face it they have not proven anything yet..at this point its all talk.
USC is a great school eventhough it is expensive great dentists come out of that school and most of them do not regret for a minute their decision to go to USC. I think USC is worth it. Its a great school, and in a MUCH BETTER area than western is.

 

[spud daddy]

Def USC , Western can sound great but lets face it they have not proven anything yet..at this point its all talk.
USC is a great school eventhough it is expensive great dentists come out of that school and most of them do not regret for a minute their decision to go to USC. I think USC is worth it. Its a great school, and in a MUCH BETTER area than western is.

Says the guy waiting to get into Western.

 

[CalDent09]

USC is great school and you will have a lot of network once you graduate, especially if you're staying in So. Cal.

For me, however, I chose Western b/c it is cheaper, the faculties seemed very supportive, I really like the small campus feeling of Western and I don't like the idea of PBL.

Hope this help, Good Luck!

 

[WesternU]

It is a really good thread.
I wonder which school is better in terms of specializing?

 

[Tommy43087]

Says the guy waiting to get into Western.

more of a reason to listen to what he/she is saying haha



Western is a great school(potentially), but i personally believe the benefits of USC outweigh the potential benefits Western has to offer. Personally the beautiful campus USC has to offer really helped my decision greatly(not including MANY other factors). After all, i will be spending the next 4 years there

USC has been my dream school since i started the thought process of dentistry so my opinions might be biased lol (but there is a reason for that)

I know many dentists who are USC alumni, and they are some of the best dentists i have met (including the ones i have shadowed)

 

[peerless218]

Ya one thing USC alumni def have over Western right now is their HUGE networking in Cali and even all over the country. Don't know how much that'll benefit you but it's def a plus out there.

 

[SoCalBlondie]

Congrats on your decision to go to LLU but i thought you didn't have interview from USC yet (reading from your posts on other USC related thread).. Did you have interview after March and got accepted already?

Just wondering since one of my friends is waiting for third round from USC

Quite a while ago I actually asked that my app. no longer be considered at all other schools I allplied to. I knew there was no way I was going to go to any other school, so why waste my time at the interviews and their time reviewing it?

 

[WesternU]

jellybean10, have you made your decision yet? Are you going to Western?

 

[lphiewok]

Quite a while ago I actually asked that my app. no longer be considered at all other schools I allplied to. I knew there was no way I was going to go to any other school, so why waste my time at the interviews and their time reviewing it?

On 02-25-2010. I just got the letter saying my application is undergoing its preliminary review :/ I turned in my application quite late but I believe I am a pretty strong applicant. I have already sent in my deposit at Loma Linda University but would still go to an interview at USC if I was invited…
How long after you received this letter did you get an interview?? Or is it too late??

no offense to you i'm just quoting it to show you why i asked my previous question.
but yeah LLU is a great school and good luck to you!

 

[SoCalBlondie]

no offense to you i'm just quoting it to show you why i asked my previous question.
but yeah LLU is a great school and good luck to you!

I probably called sometime in early March. I can check my email for an exact date if you would like one.. LOL. It was around the time I sent in my large deposit for LLU.

 

[whoaaitzkyle]

I don't go to USC dental school, but it's obviously been around much longer and the fact there are specialty programs where you can assist might be a big plus to you.

USC has a football team and is close to LA....straight up plus to the school over Western. I have to drive 30 mins out tonight to go to hollywood...it sucks. USC also has an undergrad so if you still like the college scene and still want to do the college frat party thing then perhaps that's a plus for you. Although a social scene might be tempting, I find even being in pomona can be distracting at times and hard to do well in all my classes unless if I'm studying all the time.

hmmm the pluses about western....small class, nice faculty, and new facilities are probably my pluses. The faculty are REALLY caring and it feels like I am always getting one-on-one help all the time. Small campus sucks for me but it could be a plus for some people. I love how we have a shared curriculum with the med, optometry, and podiatry students for the didactic portion. gl on your decision

 

[Slacker24]

I offered acceptance to both schools and one other. The choice btw Western and USC was difficult but USC was just way to expencive for me, no matter how hot the girls were there. lol

 

[xhamburgersamx]

I offered acceptance to both schools and one other. The choice btw Western and USC was difficult but USC was just way to expencive for me, no matter how hot the girls were there. lol

How much does western cost per year including housing?

 

[dentalaee]

This is a tough decision. Western really has not proven anything. The program does look very promising, but who knows what will happen over the several years. If the tuition is comparable, then I would choose USC, but if there is a big difference, then Western should be way to go.

 

[whoaaitzkyle]

How much does western cost per year including housing?

tuition i think is around $55,000ish (I think for the next incoming class) + housing is variable depending on if you're living with people or your own place. Generally speaking the pomona area isn't very expensive to live in.

 

[PandaXpress]

tuition i think is around $55,000ish (I think for the next incoming class) + housing is variable depending on if you're living with people or your own place. Generally speaking the pomona area isn't very expensive to live in.

and now i know who you are kyle. Lol. So when we dj'ing and why arent you studying for neuro? haha