usc?

[bruinpredent]

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So i've been hearing some mixed feelings about USC...some like it, some hate it, some have beef with PBL, others say its too expensive, and yet others love it.

For those of you who are USC dental students, or anyone who knows a student at USC or has an idea about life as a dental student at USC...what gives? Are the students as unhappy as some make them out to be? Is the problem PBL, or is the supposed discontent with the school being somewhat exaggerated?


I'm sure there are plenty of USCers that love it...anyone care to share?

Thanks in advance

 

[jonnytight]

I am a D2 at USC... Its a good solid program.

PBL can work for you if you want it to. You can slack off, study like crazy, or just be an average student. You do learn even though you might not think you do. The free time you have isnt really free-time. You use that time to study, prepare stuff for your PBL group, lab work, research, etc...

As for boards prep, I cant tell yah much firsthand... its only what I have heard. They offer several practice tests which you have to take before taking the boards... kind of like a diag. If you dont pass then you cant take the boards. Also they have sessions and lectures (a word they dont like to use around here 😀 ) where they review material.

The faculty are for the most part good... you will find great and bad faculty everywhere.

Hope that helps... Reply back or PM me and we can discuss further.

 

[QCkid]

I hate PBL, give me spoon fed anyday. I spent 80 to 90 hours a week for the first two years teaching myself the basic sciences. Others in my class spent somewhere close to 0 hours studying. Becuase their are ways to get arround accountability, you have to really try hard not to graduate from USC. What I mean by that, is that if you pay no attention to your cases and don't study at all, you can memorize questions off of the study banks and old tests and still get C's and B's at USC. What does that do for our profession and the confidence that you have in your fellow professionals?

In reality, most of my classmates took their study's seriously and felt the burden of being a competent doctor pushing them to learn more then perhaps they would have at a traditional program. Still, I would say that I wouldn't send my family to, or refer my patients to at least a full 25% of the students in my class.

 

[tightwade]

The program is poorly run, and the requirments to finish have been made so diffiult that only a handfull of students graduate on time. Basically instead of telling the student body the realities of the program which is turning into a 5 year dental school, they keep raising the requirments and making us pay them more. I have heard many leave the school and never want to go back or give back, and whay would we when you are treated like dirt. Many students have thought about sueing the school, and if anyone has heard of this type of thing I would like to hear about it.

 

[jonnytight]

This is a post that I put up a minute ago in another thread....


MMM PBL does work.... if you want it to.

If you're really against it from the get-go then nothing would end up working for you. There will always be some freshmen that end up hating PBL because they are skeptical about it.... hey I was too in the beginning but it does work.

Honestly though... I went to UCLA for undergrad and sat in like 50-400 student lecture halls... most of the time the instructors didnt know how to teach and I ended up teaching myself the material in the library up until late nights...

Does this sound familiar? MMM teaching yourself... If you think about it sitting in a lecture hall then going to study in the library for hours on end to teach yourself again isnt much different than teaching yourself in the first place... then teaching what you learned to others in a small group...

I think the later is better... but thats just my opinion. And by the way.... PBL at USC is by no means perfect (just to play devil's advocate).

 

[xylashellx]

im only a first year so what do i know but i have some friends that are D2 and D4...

i love PBL. it makes learning fun and you learn even if you dont try or dont want you. before you know it you are spouting out terms and diseases. for me it really shows me not only what to learn but why we are learning it. they always apply every basic science back to the clincical dentist which is cool.

you are only full PBL for the first year. then second year its 2 times a week. then third year its 1 time a week (this is all from what ive heard).

from what ive heard people at USC ROCK the boards...im talking mid 90s. every upperclassmen that ive talked to that really wanted to do great on the boards said that they have no fear of getting into specialty programs.

yes the school is expensive and ive heard that we have twice as many requirements as other schools but hey that might make us better dentists with more practice.

the thing that i love about usc is that people are HAPPY. yes at dental school. upperclassmen are happy and willing to help D1s. the environment is really a cool place and most of the faculty that ive met i absolutely love. there will always be a$$holes.

my advice is: if you are antisocial and cant talk to people naturally...dont go to usc. if you cant motivate yourself dont go here. if you are really worried about the money...marry someone rich.

 

[TeethVader]

PBL is a very good critical thinking pedagogy; however, 100% PBL definitely does not work for me. I would've really appreciate a hybrid program. Have the foundations tought in lecture and applied in PBL. We are loosing faculty and some other faculty here at SC do not favor the PBL method of learning. I would definitely appreciated if we had lectures for courses such as Radiology, Endo, Operative and other dental topics.
As far as the clinical aspect, damn!! SC is extremelly anal and remediation in such courses as bonded restorations aren't uncommon; you really get your arse worked big time.

 

[WestCoast]

I've heared of this as well. Last year only half apparently graduated on time, with some matching into specialties like ortho not being able to attend the program because the school didn't let them go. Also I hear that usc is notorious for increasing clinical requirements in the middle of your clinical years like between junior and senior year. wtf? they obviously have no problems attracting students because of the name and location but its a shame that they have these schemes to keep students for extra months-years so that they can make more money.