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Toronto Vs. Western (2017)


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I know this has been discussed but I figure it may be better to start this seeing as previous discussions may be dated and to also welcome new opinions.

 

From older topics these pros/cons seem to be the most prevalent. Please feel free to chime in if there is anything that is obviously missing or needs to be updated.

 

U of T

+ Downtown Toronto

+ Reputation for American programs

+ Networking (?)/# of departments

- Cost of living

- Worse facilities

 

Western

+ Sim clinic

+ Cheaper cost of living

+ Less competition (?)

- London

- Stateside reputation

 

Other considerations

> Class size (pro or con)

> Atmosphere (class dependent)

> Research

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Pros and cons can't really be generalized even across two people. Everyonr is different. Toronto was a "-" in my book :P. To each their own.

 

Every school has its pros and cons for sure. But I think your attitude will be the biggest factor in whether you have a good experience or not. Trust me you will find things you can complain about regardless of which school you choose.

 

Congrats to all who were accepted this year and I wish the very best to you all :)

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I think most people from Toronto/GTA would probably want to stay in Toronto. So another pro would probably be proximity to family and friends? But to add to the downtown Toronto aspect, anyone that likes big city life can probably attest to the fact that having the opportunity to experience downtown-living during your 20s is something you're very lucky to have if you get in. You definitely don't get this anywhere else in Canada, maybe except McGill.

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As a current U of T student, I will chime in.

 

Pros

Big city living (can also be a con as others have mentioned)

Reputation/name 

Fairly decent patient pool

Good social atmosphere if you are outgoing and make an effort to go to parties etc

Multiple departments, so there are always experts around if you need to talk to them

 

Cons

Larger class size - there are times you will be lining up to use the fumehood in lab

Multiple grad departments - these grad students will probably steal your endo case

Demos/instructors - can be hit.miss, sometimes you will have a demo you absolutely love, while sometimes other demos leave something to be desired..

Lecturers - some lecturers just straight up should not be teaching 

Ugly building/facilities

Competition - everyone still gets really high marks - but we all help each other still

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Just curious but why exactly is London considered a negative? Its not like toronto is the most perfect city in the world?

I was trying to balance the pros/cons, but off the top of my head:

- Public transit is not as good

- Relatively poor nightlife for mid-late 20s (busiest bars are filled with underage/undergrad)

- Not as many attractions

 

Of course if you drive and prefer a smaller city then it is not an issue.

 

 

As a current U of T student, I will chime in.

 

Pros

Fairly decent patient pool

How much would this differ from other schools? I imagine the cases you are exposed to are quite similar wherever you go.

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In private practice, the most important thing is how well you talk to patients.

 

IMO Halifax is probably one of the best dental schools in Canada with a great faculty:student ratio, knowledgeable faculty and a very solid patient pool. Disclaimer: I did not go to Halifax, but I know about parts of it through a friend. I believe UWO and UT have both become mediocre/average dental schools.

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In private practice, the most important thing is how well you talk to patients.

 

IMO Halifax is probably one of the best dental schools in Canada with a great faculty:student ratio, knowledgeable faculty and a very solid patient pool. Disclaimer: I did not go to Halifax, but I know about parts of it through a friend. I believe UWO and UT have both become mediocre/average dental schools.

 

What do you consider a "great faculty:student ratio"?

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In private practice, the most important thing is how well you talk to patients.

 

IMO Halifax is probably one of the best dental schools in Canada with a great faculty:student ratio, knowledgeable faculty and a very solid patient pool. Disclaimer: I did not go to Halifax, but I know about parts of it through a friend. I believe UWO and UT have both become mediocre/average dental schools.

 

Let's not forget about USask, UofA, UofM and McGill. All these schools have small class sizes, great faculty:student ratios (depending on how you want to define it), knowledgable faculty, solid patient pools, etc. Albeit, the clinical aspect of Canada is subpar compared to the US but there are good schools in Canada and wherever students go, they will become great dentists. UofT gets this "name reputation" added to it making it more lucrative, however it's what you make of your 4 years that will ultimately help you in private practice. UWO is just as great as UofT and imo, people should be choosing where they go based on their personal preferences and where they would feel most comfortable. 

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From third party accounts,McGill sounds like a poor dental school from a clinical perspective because they graduate with so little experience. From what I heard most of each class that graduates from McGill ends up doing a GPR because they don't feel confident enough treating patients.

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I'm not trying to be offensive I'm just telling it from my perspective. I went to Uwo and have many friends that went to u of t as well. From what I know and what I hear neither school is a "great" dental school. That's all hype, every place has it's problems. Maybe I'm just too jaded. Both are fully accredited dental schools and teach an appropriate curriculum, and in the end you get what you put into it. That's the most important thing.

 

I don't talk about u if a, u sask, or u of m because I know nothing about it and don't know anyone that went there.

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That has more to do with the culture of McGill than the actual clinical experience.

The faculty pushes GPR pretty hard...like, really hard, but it has nothing to do with the skill level of their graduates.

Do you think a GPR is pretty similar between Canadian cities and between Canada and USA?  Not sure if you personally did a GPR, or if you know others who completed a GPR.

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