What do you really think of UB

[sunnyside77]

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i've been accepted to both UB and Tufts and i thought i was so determined to go to UB over Tufts before i got in ( i got into Tufts first). now i'm having some second thoughts. is UB really a better school than Tufts? i'm saving about $20,000 by going to UB, but is it really worth it? please give me some honest opinions on both schools. thanks... 🙂

 

[ncalcate]

i've been accepted to both UB and Tufts and i thought i was so determined to go to UB over Tufts before i got in ( i got into Tufts first). now i'm having some second thoughts. is UB really a better school than Tufts? i'm saving about $20,000 by going to UB, but is it really worth it? please give me some honest opinions on both schools. thanks... 🙂

I grew up right outside of Boston and attended Tufts for undergrad, but I still decided to go to Buffalo over Tufts (and BU). Anyone that tries to tell you that one school is "clinically better" over the other will be likely basing their comment soley on their opinion and/or hearsay. I would take those comments with a grain of salt.

I personally chose Buffalo because over the four years, Tufts was nearly twice as much. Buffalo costs about $150,000, while Tufts is nearly $300,000. That $150,000 difference was HUGE to me since I was funding it entirely myself. In addition to the cost difference, I also considered the lifestlye. At Buffalo, you can live a 5 minute drive from school in a spacious apartment with a yard. In Boston, that simply doesn't exist. Many Tufts students have to spend at least a half hour travelling on public transportation each way from their very small apartments. The last thing I wanted to do after classes from 9 to 5 was to jump on a crowded green line trolley for 45 minutes just to make it home. And keeping a car in Boston is extremely expensive.

Boston is by far way more exciting than Buffalo, and it is difficult if not impossible to catch Red Sox games on TV out here in Buffalo 🙁 . But to me that was not worth an extra $150,000.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[Toothinator]

How are you only saving 20k?? It should be more like 200k

 

[Lefty7]

I say cheap is good. But then if it's really only 20K over four years, I'd pick the better school. I don't think that everyone who says one school is clinically better than another is pure heresay. Schools have vastly different programs and some schools simply prepare you better (again clinically speaking). That said, I don't really know which school is better, BU or Tufts, but I am biased and generally think Tufts is superior.

 

[Lefty7]

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[Lefty7]

duplicate

 

[Audio]

Buffalo gives you the best bang for your buck in the US - dollar for dollar, the best school in the US imho. Tufts is great too.

 

[ncalcate]

I say cheap is good. But then if it's really only 20K over four years, I'd pick the better school. I don't think that everyone who says one school is clinically better than another is pure heresay. Schools have vastly different programs and some schools simply prepare you better (again clinically speaking). That said, I don't really know which school is better, BU or Tufts, but I am biased and generally think Tufts is superior.

I understand your point about hearsay, and in retrospect, it wasn't the best choice of words. I think bias is a better term, since that is actually the term that you used.

It should come as no surprise that most dentists in Western New York believe that Buffalo is probably the best school in the country when it comes to preparing students clinically. On the same note, when I spoke to dentists in Boston before I decided upon Buffalo, they routinely said something like "Tufts is the best clinical school in the country if you can afford it." So my point is that listening to people's opinions or some predent on SDN saying "everyone knows that School XYZ is the best school" is not necessarily a proper way to evaluate a school. Everyone has their own biases, and you don't want those biases to sway you. You should make your decisions based upon objective measures (like cost, average board scores, NERB pass rates, etc) and not take people's opinions too seriously.

And to the OP, as others have stated, I would check out where you got that $20K number from, because it doesn't seem right based upon the student budgets I have seen.

 

[dentalguy6596]

here is UB Estimated Student Expenses
http://www.sdm.buffalo.edu/programs/dds/EstExpenses.pdf
UB Total expenses:
[/list]

1. 1st year = $57,258 non-resident ($42,458 residents)
2. 2nd year = $54,018 ($39,218)
3. 3rd year = $51,705 ($36,905)
4. 4th year = $51,084 ($36,284)

you can establish residency in the second year. so, for non-residents, you'll only pay non-resident for first year and after that pay resident. you total will be: $57,258 + $39,218 + $36,905 + $36,284 = $169,665

and Tufts...

• 
  http://www.tufts.edu/dental/student_services/financial_aid/cost.html
  Since Tufts is a private school, you'll pay the same amount as resident/non-resident.
  Total Cost of Education $71,319 + $74,214 + $70,384 + $65,209 = $281,126
  
  Simple math: $281,126 - $169,665 = $111,461
  On top of the saving, you'll have shorter commute time, great housing, & less distraction.

 

[darius99]

u are going to a great school either way, so save the money-- u wont regret it

 

[sunnyside77]

thank you guys for all the inputs. i've already decided on going to buffalo. like so many of you said, both schools are great. i'm going for the cheaper one. not only that i'm not a state resident, i'm also international, which means i get no loans at all. the entire funding of my education comes from my family, which is not super super rich. i could really save some $$. frankly, i liked Tufts better than buffalo after i visited both schools, but i guess it's not worth $20,000 per year.
again, thanks for all the info! and for those of you going to buffalo, i'll see you all this summer~ 😉