whats the deal?

[apaul]

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so we all know that there are no rankings for D schools, why? I know, I know, b/c each school is different, need to find the one that fits you, bla bla bla. But med schools are ranked, law schools are ranked, heck even undergrad schools are ranked, why not dental schools?

Discuss

 

[prez_al]

You have a good point, as I've been referring to the med school rankings in order to make my decision. My guess is that medical schools tend to follow a more similar curriculum throughout unlike dental school. For example if you compare the curriculum at Harvard and Columbia vs. the one at Case and USC. How can you compare med school vs. PBL? My opinion is you really cannot compare the two and conclusively say which one is "better".

Plus, if schools are ranked, strong applicants might be less willing to apply to "second tier" schools and actual accept an offer by them if said school is ranked below NYU (for example). By not ranking schools with a set criteria, schools have a greater opportunity to recruit top applicants evening out the "talent" throughout the country. Plus it eliminates a stigma of someone going to the lowest ranking school in the country because no student would want to attend an institution where a publication claims that it sucks.

A possible ranking system should only list the top 10 or 15 schools in the country as the "elite" while leaving the rest unranked if such a system were to be reinstated.

 

[apaul]

so its just a decision that the uppity ups in the ADEA decided, "we're not ranking so nobody's feelings get hurt" sort of thing, pretty lame excuse if you ask me

 

[prez_al]

I always thought that was the reason. Pretty stupid I know. But honestly, if you didn't have your wicked application and had to settle for the lowest ranked school in the country, would you be happy going there for 4 years and telling future applicants to attend?

If I was an applicant, I would take the rankings very seriously. Why should I consider your school if US News says 5 other schools I was accepted at are "better"??

 

[jmick101]

Actually, most other professional schools respect the fact that there are no official rankings. Truth be told, those professional schools resent US News's rankings because they feel that they dont reflect reality. So the dental schools all decided to withhold the information and forgo the ranking process. Good for them!

Now we actually have to think and decide for ourselves about what school we believe is best.

 

[lnsip9reg]

USNews runs a racket w/ the whole ranking system, and schools bend over backwards to improve their rankings. in the end USNews considers things that have absolutely NO IMPACT on the quality of education you'll get.

i applaud dental schools for standing up and not ranking themselves. i hope that eventually colleges and graduate schools follow suit and say no to USNews as well. there is SO MUCH manipulation that goes into those rankings, trying to twist them so that one's school moves up the list, that one shouldn't put much stock in it at all.

 

[HermeytheElf]

I don't get it...am I right people?

 

[Yellow Snow]

USNews runs a racket w/ the whole ranking system, and schools bend over backwards to improve their rankings. in the end USNews considers things that have absolutely NO IMPACT on the quality of education you'll get.

i applaud dental schools for standing up and not ranking themselves. i hope that eventually colleges and graduate schools follow suit and say no to USNews as well. there is SO MUCH manipulation that goes into those rankings, trying to twist them so that one's school moves up the list, that one shouldn't put much stock in it at all.

I agree with you. Rankings are nothing but a distraction.

 

[StudentDentist]

so we all know that there are no rankings for D schools, why? I know, I know, b/c each school is different, need to find the one that fits you, bla bla bla. But med schools are ranked, law schools are ranked, heck even undergrad schools are ranked, why not dental schools?

Discuss

Discuss? are you writing an essay or something?

 

[DDSY]

My only problem with us not being ranked by US news is that the general public, at least college-educated individuals, won't consider us to be among the "big" professions, if you know what I mean. If you go to us news, they break the rankings down to Law, medicine, business, etc. You don't see dentistry anywhere.

 

[apaul]

Discuss? are you writing an essay or something?

yes, and I'm quoting you

 

[gryffindor]

Does anyone read the FAQs at the top of the pre-dent page?

 

[apaul]

did you read my original post? I've heard that answer a billion times and was beginining a discussion about whether or not those arguments are valid or not? maybe think up some good reasons one way or another. arent we allowed to do such things?