WesternU vs. Marquette (OOS)

[bandymanny]

Hello everyone!

For context, I'm a CA resident from Los Angeles. Single Asian male in early 20s. I'd like to be a general dentist and practice in CA. Though I'm willing to explore staying in WI for a few years to sharpen my skills if that is a good tactic to gain experience before I try to find a job in CA. Assume cost is the same, as my parents have luckily agreed to fund my schooling.

Western
- pros: close to home, class size 70
- cons: student didn't seem super enthusiastic, newer program that opened in 2009, Pomona doesn't have much to do

Marquette
- pros: students seem happier, established program (opened 1894, though the current dental building was built in 2002), Milwaukee seems like it offers a lot for a young guy like myself
- cons: far from home, class size 100

What I'd love to hear about:
- How good each school's clinical training is.
- How happy/satisfied students from each school are in their day to day life.
- Is having a school 'network' really that important in helping my find a job?
- Is it beneficial to go to a school in CA if I want to practice in CA afterwards?
- Is it a bad idea to see going far from family as a way to struggle outside my comfort zone and have self-growth?

Thanks everyone!

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[Cthuluhoop]

Since you are not paying for school, then you can probably practice in California since you don't have much to lose, but just know you are going to make very little money if you can even find an associate job with no experience. California is a horrible place to practice dentistry from the research I've done and dentists I've spoken with. So your goal to practice in California, while it works for you since you'll have no debt, is going to be very tough

 

[bandymanny]

Since you are not paying for school, then you can probably practice in California since you don't have much to lose, but just know you are going to make very little money if you can even find an associate job with no experience. California is a horrible place to practice dentistry from the research I've done and dentists I've spoken with. So your goal to practice in California, while it works for you since you'll have no debt, is going to be very tough

What qualifications/experiences make somebody a strong candidate for associate employment? I am strongly considering doing an AEGD/GPR because I am the type of person who usually needs a bit of time to acclimate to new environments, and I'd imagine that it would very helpful in gaining confidence before entering the 'real world.'

Why is CA such a bad place to practice dentistry? I have heard that it is rather oversaturated, but are there any other specific reasons that could help me plan a more informed future? Do you have an idea about the job opportunities in comparison to Milwaukee/Wisconsin?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Cthuluhoop]

I'm a pre-dent as well so take my word as you will, but my information is based from the research I've been doing both here and on DentalTown as well as talking to dentists I know.
It comes down to experience as in work experience, you come out of school with very slow hand speed and limited skills. Your dental education really truly begins post graduation when you are pushed into the real world. I'm also exactly like you were I need a bit of time to acclimate and learn, so I was also considering a GPR, but I've heard mixed things about them from various people, and have heard multiple times to just go out and start working at a corporate office. You'll be worked like an animal, but you gain valuable experience and also learn how to interact with patients on top of learning dentistry. Although it is better for you since you won't have loans to worry about during that extra year!

From what I've discovered, CA is a less than ideal place to practice because everyone wants to practice dentistry there and the saturation and competition is insane. If you have a connection with a practice that you can take over after school, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but the saturation, especially in the urban areas is really awful (as it is across the entire US). I don't know too much about Milwaukee, but since it is a large city I would assume saturation to be fairly bad there and the lower wages that saturation brings, Wisconsin in general I would expect to have some decent areas throughout the state that contain less saturation as long as they are rural.
If you google 'Dentistry in California sdn' there are a few threads with actual dentists discussing their experiences with trying to work in CA.
Like I said this is an important factor to me and other graduates with student loans, you on the other hand it will probably won't matter as much and you can take bigger risks as far as where you practice without that student loan debt hanging over your head. Although whether you want to work the same amount of hours in a hard job and makes considerably less just because you're in California is up to you. Maybe look into less populated areas far from the cities in the Northern part of the state.

Really the take home message from a lot of successful dentists on DentalTown has been to move to a non-competitive area and begin practicing, they really seem to look down on graduate who try to go to New York City, Miami, LA/SF and try to work and then complain about their wages or hours. I would strongly recommend you make a DentalTown account and search around on that message board, lots of valuable information

dentistry in california - how bad is it?

 

[knewstance]

I'd pick Western in your situation, for a couple reasons.

You can network with the dentists related to the school and set yourself up for a good starting position with that. You will have lunch and learns at your school (either one) on a weekly basis. This will be a great opportunity to network with companies and professionals in the field. If you are in WI, you will be networking with people in that area with will not be much benefit for you.

From city stand point, if you've lived in CA, you won't love WI. Winters are not fun and summers are possibly worse. The Midwest is something else with it's weather...

Marquette does have an excellent clinical program. I have shadowed 4 different dentists that graduated from there and they were all amazing. But like most schools, I assume this is due to their hard work and personality. You can get good and sufficient clinical experience from any school.

 

[wiscoapp1]

Western since you plan to go back to CA and practice there you'll have more connections if you stay in the area!