Hello everyone! So I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone on SDN who has helped me throughout the years. I can't believe I have been on here listening to helpful advice since I was a new in my undergrad until now when I have finally accomplished one of my life dreams which is being accepted into dental school 🙂 So to start off, I am from Southern California and I applied to 5 schools, got interviews to 3, and got accepted to all 3! I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to choose between these schools, and I want to do so wisely. I have already taken out the option to attend one of the schools, so I am left with USC or WesternU. I would like all of you out there that have detailed information about either of these programs in their current day and age (or possibly current dental students) to leave a comment and enlighten me. I did my fair share of research on each school when I was applying and even more research after being accepted, but I think it is always smart to learn as much as possible about both of these schools since they will be my home for the next 4 years and where I am taught my lifelong profession. I believe I know which school I am leaning towards but I would still like to hear anyone's input on either school. I think this post will be helpful for anyone considering either of these schools.
***Things to keep in mind:
I know that USC had a little bit of a rocky past but from what I have heard that is behind them and I am not going to hold that against them while choosing, and I would ask that you all don't bring that up when you are talking about the pros and cons of each school. Also please don't make the money be the main factor when discussing the schools. The cost of living at USC is 469K while at WesternU is 420K. I know 50K is a good amount of money (and will be more after loans) but I am lucky to have some of my tuition being covered for me so I am focused more so on the quality/curriculum of the school, quality of clinical experience, life of the dental students, surrounding area, and life outside of school.
I have had some experience with PBL in the past so I know that I can do well in that kind of environment, and I alway enjoyed it a bit more than your standard lecture. On that note, I had a lecture-based curriculum most of my undergraduate degree, and although I think there can be ways to improve it, I know that I would do well in that learning environment as well. Plus the fact that USC students (having PBL) have a substantial amount of free time compared to many dental students at other schools is very appealing in order to have time to study for certain subjects, practice in the sim lab, catch up on other work, or just take a little break.
I know that both schools are very clinically-oriented and basically get you practicing with a handpiece from day 1. That is very important to me since I did witness students from other dental schools who told me that they felt they lacked the confidence and skills to practice independently after graduating and that they needed a GPR or AEGD residency since they did not receive some of the valuable clinical experiences that they felt other schools provided. Also, I know both USC and WesternU love to volunteer in their community, although I do feel that just do to the sheer fact that they are in Central LA and because they have so many more connections, USC does offer a bit more options with their dental school's volunteering opportunities such as the school's mobile dental clinics. Both schools aren't in the best of areas, and I do intend on living right next to campus for either school I attend, but I have always liked the fact of living in the actual boundaries of Los Angeles and attending a bigger school, which is what I would have if I went to USC. Then again there are benefits of living in Pomona like being close to the mountains, OC, LA and basically not having much really next to you but just being relatively close to a lot of different areas near you.
Furthermore, I know that students at both schools have a lot of love for their college and that they feel like they have a relatively close-knit community with other students and faculty, which is great to hear.
Let me know what you guys have to say. Thank you again!
***Things to keep in mind:
I know that USC had a little bit of a rocky past but from what I have heard that is behind them and I am not going to hold that against them while choosing, and I would ask that you all don't bring that up when you are talking about the pros and cons of each school. Also please don't make the money be the main factor when discussing the schools. The cost of living at USC is 469K while at WesternU is 420K. I know 50K is a good amount of money (and will be more after loans) but I am lucky to have some of my tuition being covered for me so I am focused more so on the quality/curriculum of the school, quality of clinical experience, life of the dental students, surrounding area, and life outside of school.
I have had some experience with PBL in the past so I know that I can do well in that kind of environment, and I alway enjoyed it a bit more than your standard lecture. On that note, I had a lecture-based curriculum most of my undergraduate degree, and although I think there can be ways to improve it, I know that I would do well in that learning environment as well. Plus the fact that USC students (having PBL) have a substantial amount of free time compared to many dental students at other schools is very appealing in order to have time to study for certain subjects, practice in the sim lab, catch up on other work, or just take a little break.
I know that both schools are very clinically-oriented and basically get you practicing with a handpiece from day 1. That is very important to me since I did witness students from other dental schools who told me that they felt they lacked the confidence and skills to practice independently after graduating and that they needed a GPR or AEGD residency since they did not receive some of the valuable clinical experiences that they felt other schools provided. Also, I know both USC and WesternU love to volunteer in their community, although I do feel that just do to the sheer fact that they are in Central LA and because they have so many more connections, USC does offer a bit more options with their dental school's volunteering opportunities such as the school's mobile dental clinics. Both schools aren't in the best of areas, and I do intend on living right next to campus for either school I attend, but I have always liked the fact of living in the actual boundaries of Los Angeles and attending a bigger school, which is what I would have if I went to USC. Then again there are benefits of living in Pomona like being close to the mountains, OC, LA and basically not having much really next to you but just being relatively close to a lot of different areas near you.
Furthermore, I know that students at both schools have a lot of love for their college and that they feel like they have a relatively close-knit community with other students and faculty, which is great to hear.
Let me know what you guys have to say. Thank you again!
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