UW vs. CU

[NothingButTheTooth]

I have been a long time lurking on this thread and was wanting some insight into both of these schools. I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted into the University of Washington and University of Colorado, which were my two top choices. However, I'm having some difficulty in deciding which one to attend. Obviously this choice is ultimately up to me, but if there are any current students from these two schools that could give me some insight into their program that would be greatly appreciated. I'm a WICHE applicant and will be OOS for both programs and the cost of tuition is about the same. I loved the facilities at CU and the lifestyle that Denver provides, and the ACTS program, but I'm not sure how the curriculum and clinical education compares to UW. I loved the new clinical model that UW is going to be implementing, the small class size, and the great reputation of producing quality clinicians.

Here are a few questions that I have:
- In general, what are some pros and cons of each school?
- What is the examination schedule like (finals week or tests every week)?
- What year do you take the NDBE I and is there time to study before the test?
- How many people applied and got into their desired specialty, specifically (OMFS)?
- Do you feel that having specialty programs at your school is beneficial, why?

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[lwen5]

If you are looking to specialize, go to UW.

 

[nanilla]

Honestly, both schools have a great reputation and you really cannot go wrong. I cannot help you out with UW, but I really liked CU when I visited. I would really try and focus on asking more clinical questions such as amount of quality patients, who schedules the patients, is clinic attendance required, % that graduate on time, etc. The pre-clinical stuff is going to be similar, as far as I know both school have letter grades/rankings. Dont worry about NBDE, you study for a couple of weeks and should pass no problem. If your considering OMS choose the school that gives more time off (a summer possibly) or allows you to skip some clinic stuff early. Finally, just look at price, both schools are good, and if you are considering a long OMS road the least amount of debt possible is always best.

 

[athomas]

I'm not currently a UW student, but I know a bunch. The exam schedule is rough, I know some people who have twelve exams before winter break. They take their part 1 in the summer after first year, I believe they schedule their own date so you can take as much or little of the summer to study.

I'm also trying to decide between uw and another school, UoP, not easy to compare programs sometimes