Which school to go to [Undergrad]

[taehkim]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey...it's me again...hehe

Sorry for the incredibly long post, but please bear with me😀

So now I'm having a reaaaally tough time deciding which school to go to. I've boiled down to U of Miami, GaTech and Boston U. Since I'm going for pre-dentistry, does it really matter which undergrad school I go to in terms of getting admitted to future dental schools? For example, would they think lowly of me if I went to a school where Biology wasn't as strong?

I like Miami because I've heard that their Biology program is excellent, and since I'm majoring in it, that would be good for me (imo). In addition, the weather is nice, social life seems good, though I sort of fear getting distracted by parties (not that I'm a party-animal).

On the other hand, I have GaTech. To be honest, I know NOTHING about Atlanta and the school itself, except that it's incredibly rigorous and offers a really good engineering school. However, engineering is not for me, so I got in as a Biology major, but something tells me Bio isn't that good there. Most of the people I asked are telling me to go to GaTech (especially my parents) because it holds a better name recognition amongst the others and would facilitate my job seeking and doing internships in the near future. My argument on that is, does job opportunity really matter if you're becoming a dentist (since you start your own business)??

Finally, I like BU because I love the college-city setting it possesses (my sister goes there so I visited once). To me, other than the strong academic programs, social life is a very important factor to my college expectations, and being an incredibly diverse environment and all, BU seems suitable for me. Additionally, BU is also a Dental School so I guess I'd have the advantage of asking current Dental students on advice and I'd also be able to visit the dental facilities they have over there.

So, my overall question to you guys/gals is this:
Which school do you think is the best for me for a biology/pre-dentistry student? Does it really matter where I go, or should I just choose where I think I'd best fit in? 😕

Thank you for your time and it would help if you could tell me which undergrad school you went to/are currently in.

 

[Anatomy Fanatic]

Go to the school that fits you the best! As long as the school is a four-year university that has a decent reputation of getting students into professional schools, it really doesn't matter where you go or what you major in (provided you finish dental school pre-requisites). It seems that from your post, you think that the University of Miami would fit you the best especially considering your chosen major. Dental schools just want to see that you were able to overcome the challenges faced at a four-year institution. They don't really care which four-year institution it is!

 

[doc3232]

Hahaha...
ok
I doubt D-schools even know if a school isn't strong in Bio. anyway, Don't leave yourself with a regret.
Ask yourself: Where will I be happy, I don't mean academically happy.
And don't forget, you need a good GPA.
I know these decisions are very tough to make.

GOOD LUCK

 

[bigstix808]

On the other hand, I have GaTech. To be honest, I know NOTHING about Atlanta and the school itself, except that it's incredibly rigorous and offers a really good engineering school.

Finally, I like BU because I love the college-city setting it possesses (my sister goes there so I visited once).

not sure if you've ever been to GT, but it is smack dab in the middle of atlanta. emory-crawford long hospital is right across the interstate so you could shadow just about any health profession you could ever think of there, and you can't beat the sports there. if you want the city life, you can def get that there. i've never been to boston so i can't compare, but everyone i know that goes to GT says they love it.

 

[My3kGT]

Ultimately you should choose the school that offers you the best combination of education, campus life and lifestyle. One thing I note is that all your choices are large schools. This is fine if that’s what you want. Personally I chose to go to a (very) small suburban college and went to graduate school at a large urban university. I discovered I really preferred the small school to the large one. So trust your judgment and go where you feel most comfortable, because if you’re not happy your grades and everything else will suffer. It’s the best 4 years of your life, enjoy it.

I went through the same agony when my son applied to college. He actually chose the school, at least in part, because he wanted to go to dental school there. He made it a point to drop by the dental school frequently, talk to the students and admissions staff, and let his professors know of his plans to go to dental school. He got to be a familiar face to the D school and when it came time to apply he already knew a lot of the key people. He had the grades and DAT scores to back it up, but there is no doubt that knowing him as a person instead of just a photo and an application did not hurt him one bit with the admissions committee. He was one of the first rounds of interviews and had his acceptance letter before Christmas.

So ultimately, go where you think you’ll be happiest. But a little planning ahead never hurts either. You may want to evaluate a school as an eight year plan instead of a four year one.



Good luck with whatever decision you make.