VCU vs Case Western Dental Schools

[DentQT]

Hey fellow SDNers! I'm trying to decide which school to go to, VCU or Case Western. I need to make my decision soon but I am stuck.

VCU is my state school, therefore sooo sooo much cheaper than Case, I also live in the metro Richmond area so I will be close to home (incase my parents feel like coming over to spoil me with food haha, they're only a 30 minute drive away). But VCU does have a lack of patients in comparison to Case Western and they're teaching style is traditional. Case Western has a phenomenal patient population and they are more advanced in using modern academic learning styles within their curriculum.

SO basically....Case is wonderful academically and clinically, but VCU is in a more convenient location and will be much cheaper. At the end of the day I am going to be a dentist no matter which school I go to. My hesitation is the debt I'd be in at Case, but I love the school! ....but then again my entire pre-dental career was geared toward pleasing VCU and Dr. Healy so that I could get in there!

I don't know what to do! Lol...any help/input/suggestions would be appreciated!

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[aznboi89x]

VCU is in the ghetto right? shouldnt be a problem getting patients...

 

[DentQT]

VCU is in the ghetto right? shouldnt be a problem getting patients...

Haha, aznboi, yes it is in the inner city area...but they do have a lack of patients (in comparison to Case), in the sense that they're aren't enough for each dental year/program. My interviewer told me this in my interview and I have heard from many students. They have a population of patients and from that population, the 3rd and 4th years are working on getting in their requirements and then VCU allows the 1st and 2nd year students to get into clinic early, therefore sharing the same amount of patients between a wider range of students. Also VCU has a lot of residency programs, so many dental students have told me that a lot of their complicated or long cases get taken away from them and go to the residents as they also need patients.

 

[UltimateHombre]

Ok... no offense, but this should be a no brainer!

VCU in-state tuition - 200K
Case private tuition - 400K

Listen... Do you realize that over a 20 year payment plan, that you will double those numbers when you add in interest? This isn't a difference of 200K, it's actually a difference of 350-400K when you consider interest. I promise your future self will be kicking you in the balls every day of your life, if you choose the more expensive school. I beg of you to please choose VCU.

Read this thread... it will open your eyes... http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=970137

If you talk to any financial planner, accountant, or seasoned dentist, all will tell you, that you would be insane to choose the more expensive school.

Don't get me wrong, both are great schools, with well established reputations amongst the dental community, but Case will not offer you anything substantially more than VCU. Cases specialty rates and prestige is nothing to write home about. Which i think would be the only reason to possibly consider paying more money.

http://www.enrollment.vcu.edu/accounting/tuition_fees/calculator.html
http://dental.case.edu/dmd/finaid

 

[UCSFx2017]

you listed differences that are already insignificant by themselves but even more so in comparison to the costs

 

[DentQT]

Thank you both UCSFx2017 and UltimateHombre, I really appreciate your input. I understand that cost of the school is a huge factor which is why I'm so confused. They both are great schools...it's like choosing between a Benz and a BMW. But I fell in love with Case and know that I will have better opportunities there (academically and clinically) in comparison to VCU. But I know VCU inside and out, as I live near the area and have done everything with them throughout my pre-dental career which is why I feel like I have a better grasp on their positives and negatives.

Does anyone know any drawbacks to Case aside from tuition? I know the cost between the two schools is a huge factor, but I'm just trying to look at everything.

 

[UCSFx2017]

Thank you both UCSFx2017 and UltimateHombre, I really appreciate your input. I understand that cost of the school is a huge factor which is why I'm so confused. They both are great schools...it's like choosing between a Benz and a BMW. But I fell in love with Case and know that I will have better opportunities there (academically and clinically) in comparison to VCU. But I know VCU inside and out, as I live near the area and have done everything with them throughout my pre-dental career which is why I feel like I have a better grasp on their positives and negatives.

Does anyone know any drawbacks to Case aside from tuition? I know the cost between the two schools is a huge factor, but I'm just trying to look at everything.

If after you've considered costs and are still unconvinced that VCU is the better option, you should go to CWRU.

If you come out of CWRU with over $300K, you'll probably have a monthly repayment schedule of >$4,400 per month for ten-years. By the end of those ten-years, you'll have paid >$500K. If you extend the schedule to 30-years, you will have paid close to $900K. For the ten-year schedule, that's -$52,800 a year after taxes, not before. If you were a single Virginia resident and had a $120,000 salary, your federal and state taxes would be >$26,000. Your net loss from loan repayment and taxes would be -$78,800. $120,000 - $86,000 = $41,200. I'm being generous and am assuming that you'll be fortunate enough to land an associate position paying $120K straight out of school. You're making less than a school teacher for at least 10-years. Factor in possibility of getting married, having kids, taking off time from work to take care of kids, making car repayments, and paying for rent/home mortgage. On top of that, you'll remain an associate working for someone else and you will not be able to enjoy the freedoms associated with being a small-business owner. Why? Because if you don't have less than a 30% monthly debt-to-income ratio, you'll most likely not be able to qualify for a loan for opening your own practice.

You're being very vague about the supposed "opportunities" that CWRU has and that VCU lacks. Academics are entirely dependent on the student. We use the same didactic and clinical textbooks.

This is not like buying a car. You don't have the same security of being able to resell your car because that diploma won't have any materialistic value.

Ask real dentists on DentalTown and I can guarantee a unanimous response in favor of saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. How comfortable are you with participating in the American debt culture? I wouldn't take the choice of having subsidized tuition lightly.

Penn has comparable cost-of-attendance to CWRU's. See post #44 for the financial projection if you were to specialize in OMFS (6-year) after attending Penn.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=590590