Who goes to Arizona?

[dWiz]

Anyone care to list the pros and cons of this school? <-e.g. faculty, clinical, research, location (city) etc. plz post here

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[jdcinza13]

do a search...plenty of threads on this. Also, look at Gavin's thread "My Arizona Experience". That should give you a good head start.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Anyone care to list the pros and cons of this school? <-e.g. faculty, clinical, research, location (city) etc. plz post here

Faculty is great, in my opinion. No problems there.

Research doesn't exist, so you'll have to go elsewhere for this (ie, one of my classmates spent 3 months at the NIH this summer).

Clinical is awesome. In the 3 months I've been in clinic, I've done more than many D3s will do their entire year. Many of my classmates have done 6+ endos, veneers, lots of crown and bridge, etc. I've done a boatload of restorations. In fact, in these 3 months I've done more restorations than are required all year at many schools.

 

[JavadiCavity]

Faculty is great, in my opinion. No problems there.

Research doesn't exist, so you'll have to go elsewhere for this (ie, one of my classmates spent 3 months at the NIH this summer).

Clinical is awesome. In the 3 months I've been in clinic, I've done more than many D3s will do their entire year. Many of my classmates have done 6+ endos, veneers, lots of crown and bridge, etc. I've done a boatload of restorations. In fact, in these 3 months I've done more restorations than are required all year at many schools.

Makes the folks who claim that Arizona's philosophy translates into less emphasis on cosmetic dentistry than at other programs look foolish.

 

[wimmcs]

I'm actually a first year student and it has been a great experience so far. We have had 2 visiting professors so far and they have been outstanding. As far as I know, we have an ample patient pool. The clinical experience gained here is unmatched (as Gavin mentioned). We take boards after the first year (to me that's a pro). BTW, D2s did VERY well on their boards so we are very excited. The clinics are brand new and their equipment is top-of-the-line (so is the sim-lab). Faculty seem receptive and willing to help. Everyone seems happy to be here (at least most people in my class) and all of the D2s and D3s I've met. Also parking is great compared to many schools where you have to take a bus/shuttle or pay for parking or park very far from the facility. Honestly I can't tell you any cons, other than I wish we had a "real" cafeteria in our facility. So far, so good. If you have any additional questions, (or anyone else) feel free to PM me. Good luck to everyone on this cycle.

 

[dWiz]

I'm actually a first year student and it has been a great experience so far. We have had 2 visiting professors so far and they have been outstanding. As far as I know, we have an ample patient pool. The clinical experience gained here is unmatched (as Gavin mentioned). We take boards after the first year (to me that's a pro). BTW, D2s did VERY well on their boards so we are very excited. The clinics are brand new and their equipment is top-of-the-line (so is the sim-lab). Faculty seem receptive and willing to help. Everyone seems happy to be here (at least most people in my class) and all of the D2s and D3s I've met. Also parking is great compared to many schools where you have to take a bus/shuttle or pay for parking or park very far from the facility. Honestly I can't tell you any cons, other than I wish we had a "real" cafeteria in our facility. So far, so good. If you have any additional questions, (or anyone else) feel free to PM me. Good luck to everyone on this cycle.

sounds like a great school, thx!

 

[ItsGavinC]

Makes the folks who claim that Arizona's philosophy translates into less emphasis on cosmetic dentistry than at other programs look foolish.

Many pre-dents still don't understand the term "cosmetic dentistry". All dentistry is cosmetic.

If a pt. comes into our clinic and wants veeners, are we going to say "no"? Of course not. We'll give all the possible options, from full coverage crowns to veneers, and then help the pt. to make an educated decision. So the patient chooses veneers, will we then say "no" because we don't believe in cosmetics?

The very claim that Arizona doesn't focus on cosmetics is ridiculous. We focus on what each patient wants and needs.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

Ever walked to school in the snow?

The weather is a PRO for me. Sure there are 6-8 weeks where you don't leave your air-conditioned home/car/work during the afternoon, but "Winter" sure is nice.

Cheap Flights...

Another PRO is that Phoenix is the hub for Southwest Airlines and you can fly just about anywhere for $30-120 each way. It's not 1st class or anything, but it is pretty affordable.

I would have to agree about the cafeteria thing, but there are a lot of fast food places five minutes away.

I will echo that our faculty is great. The school attracts a lot of good people and there are no tenured faculty. Also, our dean is seriously the coolest, most connected person I have ever known. Show me another dean who wears cargo pants and skate shoes to school.

I would encourage everyone to at least apply or visit our school. PM me if you need someone to show you around.

 

[drhobie7]

Many pre-dents still don't understand the term "cosmetic dentistry". All dentistry is cosmetic.

If a pt. comes into our clinic and wants veeners, are we going to say "no"? Of course not. We'll give all the possible options, from full coverage crowns to veneers, and then help the pt. to make an educated decision. So the patient chooses veneers, will we then say "no" because we don't believe in cosmetics?

The very claim that Arizona doesn't focus on cosmetics is ridiculous. We focus on what each patient wants and needs.

I think this person meant elective dental treatment to improve one's appearance. I see nothing wrong with this and may very well end up dedicating most of my professional life to cosmetic dentistry. Why? Because I like making a huge impact in people's lives and would happily avoid the insurace factor. So if AZ has a strong emphasis on this I say bravo. That's the way of the future for dentistry.