Dental School Advice??
Q: I recently got accepted to San Antonio, Houston and Baylor dental schools. My
problem is that I personally like Houston, but several people are telling me
that I shouldn't give up an opportunity to go to the best school in the
country- -which is San Antonio.First, is San Antonio really the best and
why?? I visited and really didn't see anything that stood out, to me. Also
does anyone have an idea where Houston stands nationally? If I do decide to
go to Houston, will it hurt me if I wanted to specialize? Also are there any
Houston dental students out there or grads who can tell me why not to attend
houston dental branch? Personally, I feel I can excel at any Dental school
but I need to know that I'm not making a mistake. Please feel free to give
all the input and advice possible.
A:I have never seen an "official " dental school ranking. I am from Alabama, and
when I was down there I heard UAB was # 1 U North Carolina #2. When I started
dental school at Columbia U, I heard Harvard was #1, Columbia #2. You , being
from Texas, have heard Baylor is #1....I am starting to see a trend...
Board scores are probably one of the best indicators of a good
school....Columbia was 5th in the nation last year (I don't Know who the top 4
were) on part 1 of the boards. I don't know how we faired on part 2, but I'm
pretty sure we were not top 5. How the school does on part 1 indicates how good
the basic sciences are, how they do on part 2 indicates how good the clinical
program is. Any school you've been accepted to should provide you this
information. Also, the average GPA and DAT scores of the school's entering
classes gives you an idea of how "sharp" the students are. The schools should
also provide you these statistics.
No such thing as a dental school ranking. It is about
as mythical as the tooth fairy. Besides when you go
to establish a practice or join a practice, nobody will
base their decision on where you went to dental school.
Dental school only provides the