phil12 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Hi all, I know there has been some threads comparing Toronto vs Western but none comparing UofT vs UofA (there doesn't seem to be much talk about the UofA here in general.) Aside from cost of tuition and living, can anyone talk about how the quality of education and future job prospects compare between the two? I know that the facility at UofT is really old vs UofA who just had major renos and have state-of-the-art tech. But the larger class size at Toronto is actually more appealing to me (just cuz I like having a bigger pool of people to connect with) and I would want to work out east (Ottawa or Montreal, not GTA) after I graduate. Also, does anyone know if either schools teach ergonomics? I heard UBC does and that would be such a huge plus. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braceface25 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 Dental education itself is very comparable across all Canadian schools. There isn't a particular school that prepares students to be more competent than graduates from another school. An issue I would highly consider is the cost of tuition between the two schools you have mentioned. phil12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanup Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 Don't put U of T on a huge pedestal or anything like that. I've heard good things about U of A, and Edmonton is on the up and up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil12 Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 5 hours ago, cleanup said: Don't put U of T on a huge pedestal or anything like that. I've heard good things about U of A, and Edmonton is on the up and up. Yeah the U of A is definitely a great school but I grew up in Edmonton and just wanna experience something different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothurty Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 Sounds like you’re already leaning towards UofT. If the tuition difference isn’t substantial and you’re ok with Toronto’s higher cost of living I’d say go for it. If you’re looking for a new experience then UofT is def the place to be. In terms of quality of education and future job prospects they will pretty much be equal wherever you go. The bigger class size is actually nice like you said you have lots of people you can connect with and yes the facilities are really old but honestly it’s not that bad. UofT teaches a bit of ergonomics and I think they’re trying to implement more of it into their curriculum. I know in pre-clinical sessions some of the demos are constantly reminding you to watch your posture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmSriSaiRam Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 Judging by your description of UofA’s recent overhaul @phil12, I would feel that going to the school with the most up-to-date tech and equipment will allow you to be better prepared when you leave dental school and have to use those technologies in the industry. Better to be acquainted with them in dental school than have to learn after graduating. Not to badmouth UofT, but it seems like a school that has recently invested a lot into updating its facilities seems like a winner to me. And I just took a look at the tuition of UofA and my goodnesssss!! Schools outside of Ontario are such a blessing financially. I would think of it as coming out of dental school with significantly less debt if I went to UofA, compared to if I went to UofT (opportunity costs?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil12 Posted June 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 Thanks so much for your responses!! I just visited the UofT campus again over the weekend again and the old facilities may actually be a dealbreaker for me.. I unfortunately just can't imagine myself excited to be in those grungy halls every morning. I know I am getting way ahead of myself, but do you guys think going to UofT will give an edge if I am looking to specialize/get into policy (i.e. get an MPH, work with the CDA or the gov somehow)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentut2023 Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 10 hours ago, OmSriSaiRam said: Judging by your description of UofA’s recent overhaul @phil12, I would feel that going to the school with the most up-to-date tech and equipment will allow you to be better prepared when you leave dental school and have to use those technologies in the industry. Better to be acquainted with them in dental school than have to learn after graduating. Not to badmouth UofT, but it seems like a school that has recently invested a lot into updating its facilities seems like a winner to me. And I just took a look at the tuition of UofA and my goodnesssss!! Schools outside of Ontario are such a blessing financially. I would think of it as coming out of dental school with significantly less debt if I went to UofA, compared to if I went to UofT (opportunity costs?). UofA tuition is definitely less but when it’s all said and done, it’s 40k at UA vs 50k at UT with the equipment fee and whatnot included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmSriSaiRam Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 46 minutes ago, dentut2023 said: UofA tuition is definitely less but when it’s all said and done, it’s 40k at UA vs 50k at UT with the equipment fee and whatnot included. Interesting. I was under the impression that per year tuition at UofA was ~20k according to their website (not sure if that includes equipment fees or not). Even still, UofA fees seem very enticing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentut2023 Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 47 minutes ago, OmSriSaiRam said: Interesting. I was under the impression that per year tuition at UofA was ~20k according to their website (not sure if that includes equipment fees or not). Even still, UofA fees seem very enticing. https://www.ualberta.ca/school-of-dentistry/programs-and-admissions/dentistry/doctor-of-dental-surgery-dds Under the cost and fees section is where they list the other fees including equipment. I was also accepted by both UofA and UofT, and ultimately decided to go with UofT. If UofA tuition was actually only 20k, I probably would have chosen UofA instead haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lvl3sonly Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 10 hours ago, phil12 said: Thanks so much for your responses!! I just visited the UofT campus again over the weekend again and the old facilities may actually be a dealbreaker for me.. I unfortunately just can't imagine myself excited to be in those grungy halls every morning. I know I am getting way ahead of myself, but do you guys think going to UofT will give an edge if I am looking to specialize/get into policy (i.e. get an MPH, work with the CDA or the gov somehow)? Equipment should not be a factor whatsoever man. It's not even really a factor when deciding to buy a practice, it's not a factor in choosing an associateship position, and it sure as hell shouldn't play a factor in choosing a dental school. I have no idea about MPH/CDA as I have no experience with these and don't know anyone involved in either. UBC "teaches" ergo and it's completely useless. You learn it in your 1st year and you don't even see patients until your 3rd. The curriculum may have changed now but ergo is something that you have to be conscious about, not something that is just taught once and you retain it forever. The only thing that should matter with regards to dental school is how much you will living living at the location and where you want to work in future. Will you be happier staying in Edmonton or Toronto? If the above poster is true and there's only a 10k difference in tuition then that shouldn't really play a factor either. You like bigger class sizes and want to work out east so I would go to Toronto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanup Posted June 26, 2019 Report Share Posted June 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Lvl3sonly said: Equipment should not be a factor whatsoever man. It's not even really a factor when deciding to buy a practice, it's not a factor in choosing an associateship position, and it sure as hell shouldn't play a factor in choosing a dental school. I have no idea about MPH/CDA as I have no experience with these and don't know anyone involved in either. UBC "teaches" ergo and it's completely useless. You learn it in your 1st year and you don't even see patients until your 3rd. The curriculum may have changed now but ergo is something that you have to be conscious about, not something that is just taught once and you retain it forever. The only thing that should matter with regards to dental school is how much you will living living at the location and where you want to work in future. Will you be happier staying in Edmonton or Toronto? If the above poster is true and there's only a 10k difference in tuition then that shouldn't really play a factor either. You like bigger class sizes and want to work out east so I would go to Toronto. I agree with your points here, other than equipment not being a factor when choosing an associateship. It can be. Maybe not when buying a practice as you can put in whatever you like, but I've heard some horror stories re: equipment, sterilization, etc. Having Isolites, Cerec units, Optragates & other niceties at my office is a huge boon for my comfort & productivity for sure. OmSriSaiRam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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