Who chose a private school over their state school (& vice versa) and why?

[jayjay]

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Hey everyone,
Is anyone else out there trying to decide between going to their state school and a more expensive private school?

A lot of people have told me that tuition and the amount of debt you accrue are the most important things to think about over name, reputation,rank etc.. What do you all think?

More specifically, i'm trying to decide between penn and maryland. Penn has a great name and it seems more of their students go on to specialty programs. MD is also a good school plus it's about 50k less over the 4 years. (It's actually 100k less if you live in state but I don't think they're going to give me in-state tuition...complicated).

Any opinions?

 

[pakgirl]

I chose my state school (UT-Houston) over several private schools (Columbia, Temple, Case Western, Creighton) to be near my family and friends. It also doesn't hurt that my tuition costs are much less at Houston since I am still considered in-state. Even if I wasn't in-state, Texas schools are still much much cheaper than those other schools. Anyway, although Columbia was a school that I would love to go to, I chose to be close to family and not live in busy NYC.

Just make a list of pros and cons and decide what is more important to you....less money/being near home or reputation. Choose a school where you can see yourself being for the next four years!!

 

[jayjay]

thanks pakgirl...I'm going to go make a pros and cons list right now :wink:

It's just so hard trying to measure happiness and quality of life in terms of dollars, you know? I mean is it worth 50k to be a little happier for four years or not?....ugh..can't think about this anymore right now!

Anyway, thanks again 🙂

 

[tj_lee]

Hey,

I decided to go to Columbia after a tough battle between my home state, LA, and the other private schools. Although i go to school in tx, it just seems to bland...but i'll probably end up in dallas anyway.

Although Columbia is 40 or so thousand more than LSU...it's there location. Going outside of my comfort zone, will hopefully allow me to fully mature. At LSU, I would've probably ended up playing golf or football with my hometown buds, not to mention my mom breathing down my neck.

Also Columbia and Upenn are very well known for Specialty work.

well, good luck
Terry

 

[StarGirl]

go to maryland, go to maryland hehehehehe

 

[sanara]

I chose to go to UPenn over UCLA. One, because I don't want dental school to just be an extension of my undergrad and grad work at UCLA. Two, when else am I going to be able to just pick up move?
Three, I know a lot of UCLA dental students, don't have enough patients, clinically feel inadequate compared to say people at USC, supposedly a lower ranked school. So the only pros for me would have been saving money and staying near my family.

 

[babakaram02]

sanara,

just curious to know why you chose penn over Tufts?

 

[Bruin2k]

Even though I really liked some of the private schools I interviewed (especially UPENN), I have decided to attend UCSF this coming fall. My answer is very simply---MONEY. I don't think it is worth spending the extra $25,000/yr to attend a private school. UC schools (UCLA and UCSF) provide a great education and have great reputations. As long as one is willing to work hard, I think you will be able to specialize.

Jayjay--I would attend UPenn over Marland. You won't get a residency in Maryland unless you get married and your wife works there. UPenn is a great school, both clinically and academically, with a great reputation. I would have gone to UPENN if I got their academic scholarship. Good luck!!

 

[Bratty]

hey did you ever decide where you're going? have you heard from ucla yet?
for me since money is a big deal i would definately take that into consideration. Both schools are really good, if you do a search on past post on maryland you will also read a ton of great stuff. I really regret not applying there.
I went to upenn and honestly wasn't impressede at all by what they have. Facilities are old, they didn't really show us more than just the hall ways during the tour. well i hope you got into ucla so you don't have to worry about this and pay a double deposit! good luck!

 

[Freddy King]

Go to a private school only if you want to waste EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS! This also applies to students who are not narrow-minded, cynical, fiscal conservatives. If I described you, please consider: if our goal is happiness, enlightenment, and an improved quality of life, you will best experience these AFTER GRADUATION FROM A PUBLIC SCHOOL when you realize educational savings of EIGHTY THOUSAND DOLLARS! defrayed the size of your mortgage. If that doesn't cause a profound sense of well-being, nothing will. And you'll still have enough left over to give to Greenpeace.

 

[jtdent]

I chose my expensive private school over UW because....I got in to the expensive one and didn't get into to UW! It's as simple as that.

 

[hazelmei]

I was deciding between UOP and UCLA... I chose UCLA mainly because of "money." I have to loan EVERYTHING and so I would rather be $160,000 in debt rather than $260,000... I loved the UOP dental school because I felt really comfortable there and I knew that I would be "taken care of." Also, I love the idea of the UOP "family." But I see it this way-- When I graduate from dent school, no one will be there to "take care of me." I think that going to a state school will help me be more independent and work a little bit harder.. and this will prepare me to depend more on myself after graduating... but that's only looking at my personality type.. i guess it really depends on the person...

 

[gryffindor]

I choose my state school, SUNY Buffalo over Penn because I loved the facilities at Buffalo and was not impressed at all by the dental facilities at Penn (clinics, building, location). Also the fact that I will be way less in debt when I graduate was also a very convincing reason.

I used to think the name (Penn) would make a huge difference after graduating in terms of specialties and job offers, but now that I have been in dental school for two years, I know it is not true. If you want to specialize, it is all about your rank, GPA, and board scores, not what school you went to. If you work hard at your school, you will have the opportunities. In the dental world, a patient rarely asks where you went to dental school, they just want you to take good care of them.

 

[Regina330]

"A lot of people have told me that tuition and the amount of debt you accrue are the most important things to think about over name, reputation,rank etc.. What do you all think?"

Dentists have told me that tuition is the most important factor, and I trust their opinion since they have already gone through it. But, you have to do what you think is right for you. I chose USC over cheaper in-state schools (Pitt, Temple) because I felt that USC was the right school for me for a number of reasons and that I would be happiest there. Yes, debt scares me, but at the same time, it is a profession that will pay well enough to handle the debt.

 

[gryffindor]

oops - meant to say "I chose my state school..."

 

[DMD DOC]

Debt is an important factor but should not be the ONLY factor. I think you should go wherever you feel most COMFORTABLE. If it cost a $100K to get that comfort feeling, than its well worth it. Comfort meaning the faculty, facilities, city, students and the overall picture. I know my state school, Iowa, waitlisted me but then I got in but I also know that Iowa is mainly a research school and the faculty are generally not the best teachers, in my humble opinion, therefore I have no problem spending an extra $100K on a quality education elsewhere, this might appeal to others though. You basically have to find out what your needs are. The dentistry profession has the luxury of allowing us to make this decision, other graduate programs would not allow for me to say this as easily. I am a firm believer in the philosophy the more you know the more you can do, and you can only learn in an environment that you are comfortable in or conducive to learning.