dentall Posted March 30, 2012 Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 Hey Everyone, I wanted to get some objective reasons to build a list of pros and cons for each school or at least some opinions. I feel like students at both schools give a very subjective view about their competitors. Looking at most posts, I think a lot of people would lean towards UoT but here is what I came up with so tell me what you think: UBC: -BEAUTIFUL clinic -smaller class/seems to be more community oriented and friendly -in Vancouver (most livable city in the world!)- I've lived in Ontario all my life and think an OOP experience would be great -less clinical exposure (from what students have told me, its actually not as low as what other schools perceive it to be) -PBL -2 years of med school on top of dentistry classes -longer school year -A LOT of bad press from pretty much everybody who doesn't go there UoT: -large class (heard it was cliquey and a commuter school) -in Ontario (close to home=not good or bad) -from what I've heard, highly competitive -early and abundant clinic exposure -better reputation -more graduate programs (I've heard this equals less complicated cases for DDS students as graduate students get priority) -run down facilities -longer summers -cheaper Some of these easily are divisible into pros/cons, some not so much. I'm really drawn to going to UBC to have a great experience, but don't want to regret it because of overwhelming med classes or I feel like I'm being shafted out of clinic time. Any help or feedback you could provide or what you would personally do would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat kelly Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Hey Everyone,I wanted to get some objective reasons to build a list of pros and cons for each school or at least some opinions. I feel like students at both schools give a very subjective view about their competitors. Looking at most posts, I think a lot of people would lean towards UoT but here is what I came up with so tell me what you think: UBC: -BEAUTIFUL clinic -smaller class/seems to be more community oriented and friendly -in Vancouver (most livable city in the world!)- I've lived in Ontario all my life and think an OOP experience would be great -less clinical exposure (from what students have told me, its actually not as low as what other schools perceive it to be) -PBL -2 years of med school on top of dentistry classes -longer school year -A LOT of bad press from pretty much everybody who doesn't go there UoT: -large class (heard it was cliquey and a commuter school) -in Ontario (close to home=not good or bad) -from what I've heard, highly competitive -early and abundant clinic exposure -better reputation -more graduate programs (I've heard this equals less complicated cases for DDS students as graduate students get priority) -run down facilities -longer summers -cheaper Some of these easily are divisible into pros/cons, some not so much. I'm really drawn to going to UBC to have a great experience, but don't want to regret it because of overwhelming med classes or I feel like I'm being shafted out of clinic time. Any help or feedback you could provide or what you would personally do would be greatly appreciated! Vancouver is great (I don't think you would mind the rain if you are coming from the east), and it's a beautiful city to live in. The clinic is great as well (relatively new and lots of new equipment to use). I think it would be nice to live away from home to have a different experience in life, that being said, I think your family and friends will matter a lot to you during the four hard years at dental school. U of T is definitely cheaper both in terms of fees and potential living expenses, and while the clinic is really outdated, in the end I don't think it matters that much at all - when you graduate most of the dental clinics will not have the equipment that UBC does, so it's nice to have the exposure but I would like to think of it as a bonus rather than a plus (that it's nice to have but not really necessary in makng you a better dentist). I would much rather have a lot more clinical experience where I can build my skills instead of taking med classes for two years and not having that time to practice DENTISTRY instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ostracized Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'll comment as a soon-to-be-graduate of UofT. I hated UofT, but I'd still take it over UBC. The price difference is equal to about 1 year of work (after tax). That is significant! Further, the two years of med school kills it for me. Not only is it a big waste of your time, you have to deal with knowing that the med students are learning the same thing as you are, but for 1/2 the price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacoocoo Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'll comment as a soon-to-be-graduate of UofT. I hated UofT, but I'd still take it over UBC. The price difference is equal to about 1 year of work (after tax). That is significant! Further, the two years of med school kills it for me. Not only is it a big waste of your time, you have to deal with knowing that the med students are learning the same thing as you are, but for 1/2 the price! Why did you hate UofT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanup Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Keep in mind that while the two years of med school aren't necessarily conducive to becoming a good GP, they ARE conducive to preparing you for specializing in oral surgery or oral medicine/pathology. I think there's a lot to be said for good facilities. I remember when I toured NYU, the facilities were abso-freaking-lutely beautiful. It left a real impression on me. I know it makes being in lab, clinic & etc. a much more enjoyable time. The thing that scared me about NYU is the large class size, which, fortunately, UBC has the complete opposite of. This is actually why I ended up going with Case Western, which has a class size of only about 60 students (more than UBC, less than U of T). I think a small class size is not only enjoyable, but beneficial in professional school. These people are going to become colleagues and life-long friends. It's nice to be able to know everyone in the class easily. Looking at the Facebook groups of both schools, while all students seemed friendly, the Case Western students knew each other a lot better and exuded a greater sense of camaraderie. The NYU students were all nice and wonderful people, but simply because they didn't get to interact as much, they weren't as tight-knit. As for the price difference, I was always told not to worry about the money too much, and that was coming from dental students (at U of T), dentists, and even the folks paying for it (my parents). NYU would've cost me an extra $80k or so, but I was willing to spend it until I realized I wanted a tighter-knit, more collegiate experience. It was worth the price for the better clinic, better location, more resources, etc. Of course, everyone feels differently, and if you're going to be going into debt to pay for your education, it's certainly something to take into consideration. You may have to spend a few years living within your means to help pay off the difference with interest. It really depends what things you place higher in priority. Either way, both schools give you a fantastic education; it's really more about the experience and the vibe. As long as you're happy there, you'll do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ostracized Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Why did you hate UofT Ehh, to be honest, I probably just hated dental school. The bull**** you need to put up with is probably similar at most schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanup Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ehh, to be honest, I probably just hated dental school. The bull**** you need to put up with is probably similar at most schools. This is a sentiment I've heard from a lot of dental students & dentists, but TBH mostly those who graduated in Canada. The U of T Pre-Dental Society had a Meet the Dentists event. Two were faculty from U of T, the other from McGill. All loved their careers, but they all echoed how much they hated dental school itself, if only for how difficult it was and how much they had to put up with. They made lifelong friends, still. On the other hand, dentists I've spoken to who graduated from the states, and the D3s, D4s that I spoke to in interviews, all seemed to love their time there and truly believed in their education and the quality of their schools. They could have been just trying to sell their school, but seeing as the students who help out with the interviews at U of T and UWO are D1s who haven't had any clinical exposure yet, I think I'd give the D3/D4 students' opinions greater weight. Not sure if it speaks to the mentality, atmosphere, or competitiveness of Canadian schools, but it's interesting to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ehh, to be honest, I probably just hated dental school. The bull**** you need to put up with is probably similar at most schools. So why did you waste 4 years of your precious life doing dentistry? To make matters worse, continue to do it for the rest of your life? It boggles my mind the fact that alot of med/dental/pharm students are like you that do it despite hating it... Where does the motivation come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanup Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 So why did you waste 4 years of your precious life doing dentistry? To make matters worse, continue to do it for the rest of your life? It boggles my mind the fact that alot of med/dental/pharm students are like you that do it despite hating it... Where does the motivation come from? There's a difference between liking dental school and liking dentistry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 There's a difference between liking dental school and liking dentistry. Ahh...that's true. I see what you mean.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ostracized Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 There's a difference between liking dental school and liking dentistry. Yes. Dentistry is a great career. Dental school is a gauntlet. I know of only one person in my class who admits to enjoying their time these past four years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aravis Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 I hope pre-dents aren't getting a grim outlook on what dental school is like cause I'm actually enjoying it a lot. Sure there's stuff that could be done better and there will always be things to complain about but in the end, you're still getting a really good education and you'll do just fine once you graduate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraft Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 I do believe that having more time in the clinic and studying more dentistry from earlier on (as opposed to being stuck in med classes for 2 years) will be beneficial for your career and satisfaction during dental school. And I'd consider more graduate programs to be a good thing. You're able to interact with current grad students and program directors who will help guide you to becoming more prepared for a specialization (and therefore make your application look better too). Given the choice I would seriously be leaning towards UoT just so I wouldn't have to put up with med classes for 2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldcrown250 Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Does anyone have an idea when UBC usually adds the entrance statistics to their website (or if they sent out any stats to applicants when they sent out acceptances/rejections?). I'm applying next year and would love to know if the dat/academic averages increased/stayed the same/decreased his year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adversary Posted April 2, 2012 Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 I believe it won't come out till after class has started so that all the movement is completed. Does anyone have an idea when UBC usually adds the entrance statistics to their website (or if they sent out any stats to applicants when they sent out acceptances/rejections?). I'm applying next year and would love to know if the dat/academic averages increased/stayed the same/decreased his year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentall Posted April 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2012 Thanks for all your help! I think I'm going to pick UoT for the better (more dentistry oriented) education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.