U of T vs UWO

[dentfloss]

Hey everyone,

 

Just thought I'd start this thread to help us make a decision as to where to go. So for those who are already in and those who have plenty of knowledge about these schools please shed some light as to what you think, what your experiences have been and just the pros and cons.

 

Thanks very much ....Its really appreciated!!

[lecture3waves]

Excellent thread! I'm facing the same tough decision myself, and would be interested to hear opinions by other people too.

 

To get the ball rolling...

 

Toronto

+downtown toronto

-more expensive rent

 

Western

+cheaper rent

+perhaps less demanding academically (as a result of TO taking the higher of the high achievers).

 

As far as teaching and facilities go, I think both school are pretty much the same.

[Bee6]

UofT's historically famous reputation vs. Western's newer Schulich reputation

 

A student at UWO said to expect some changes/improvements to the facilities in the future...whether it will occur within the next 4 years to benefit us is an entirely different story.

[coolwater]

uoft

 

-location=convenience for most applicant

-rent of living, for people who are not from toronto

-reputation is somewhat better than western, ive heard

-increases your chances of obtaining residency

-more graduate programs

-strong research

 

western

 

-facilities def. better than toronto, as far as ive seen.

-only two graduate programs

-not as competitive as uoft=better work environment.

-location not very ideal, for most people

 

 

all in all, everyone ive come across has said that both schools are very good. but, generally, people who are planning to go into academia as such and not into clinical dentistry, would be better of going to uoft. also, going to uoft serves better for people who wish to specialize. i certainly do not agree with the last point. i think getting into a speciality depends on how you perform in bds, regardless of what your institution is.

[FullMetalDS]

generally speaking a program with many specialty programs is not an advantage for dental students, since the more challenging cases will all be funneled to the residents, leaving dental students with the more simple cases...just a thought

[Visceral]

generally speaking a program with many specialty programs is not an advantage for dental students, since the more challenging cases will all be funneled to the residents, leaving dental students with the more simple cases...just a thought

 

Yah, that's what I was told by a student at UWO and it is a really important point.

 

The more expensive rent at UofT is offset (just slightly) by cheaper instrument fees, I noticed. Although there might be some hidden fees to justify that so that point might be moot.

 

I don't know, this is a really hard decision. Personally, I got a better vibe from UofT, but I have been in London for the past 3 years and I have loved it. Ahh...

[dentfloss]

Great feedback...please keep them coming!

[Adversary]

I asked a colleague in UWO Dentistry and he told me what I have heard many, many times from many students: there's lots of politics.

 

He said there are some bad profs, but they teach you a lot. This is a moot point because no matter where you go, there will ALWAYS be bad profs. Part of the problem is that recent grads and more importantly, North American grads do not want to take a paycut to teach. They want to do what they love most: dentistry and working with their patients.

 

I do know that you will be picking up a drill by the second day of class. However, if you fail the drill exam or anything and subsequently fail the remedial, you will be kicked out. This policy is only for Year 1. After that, you're safe.

 

The campus is rather old to me as I am used to buildings that are less than 2 years old equiped with the latest technology. I think the closest looking building at UBC is Main Library and that has since been demolished and in its place is a brand new glass building.

 

I do love the city of London. It is very old and historically rich. Did you know that it was during the 8 months Dr. Banting spent there that he came up with the experiment that led to the discovery of insulin. Yes, the geek in me went to visit the museum:D .

 

London reminds me of those old movies. This is a big contrast to where I live, Vancouver, where the property market has pushed through much development.

 

Good food is definitely harder to find - no way close to par with Vancouver nor Toronto. You will not be spoiled with a wide variety of palate pleasing dishes - I am used to eating greek, italian, chinese, japanese, korean, and east indian food.

 

However, being a small city - almost like a town, the people are VERY NICE. They go out of their way to make you comfortable. For example, during my trip to London, the bed and breakfast host drove me around and took me to and from the greyhound station. The bus driver gave me a free ride as he saw I was stuggling to find change. Moreover, when I took the wrong bus, he went out of his way. However, keep in mind that I discovered to my amusement, there is only ONE bus going through the route. The 30 mins interval was due to the time it took him to loop back around to the same stop. I found that hilarious considering how many buses run the 99 B-Line to UBC. Finally, when I went to get some fries from one of those oldschool trailers, the guy serving me gave me extra fries as a londoner's welcome.

 

I love that city and the townie feeling. Btw, over here in Vancouver, I routinely see bus drivers closing the door on people who are inches away from the door. The ones over in London actually take the time to look out and wait for people.

 

 

 

For all of you who are considering which school, UT or UWO, to attend, trust me when I tell you it doesn't really matter. The differences are small and likely will never play a significant role in your career development. They are among the best dental schools in Canada - you'll do fine for sure. That being said, you might want to focus on the non-dental factors such as location, costs, distance from family, food, etc. I have already outlined some of the London facts. Would anyone like to add more about the City of Toronto?