The IDEP/Creighton will cost me between $100,000 and $150,000 less than Case and Midwestern because I am on a scholarship from the state of Idaho. Case will cost me approximately $85,000/year while Midwestern is approximately $95,000/year.
Each school has a great clinical experience, although I would put the IDEP/Creighton above the rest. Here's why: Creighton is a well established program in a large city and the school does not have any specialty residencies at the school which means you get to see every case that walks through the door. This will allow me to see cases that I would be able to see at any of the others and will increase my competency coming out of dental school. Case Western gets you into patients' mouth by the end of your first semester which is sooner than any other program in the nation. They also have a state-of-the-art simulation clinic that allows you to work on manikins while being tracked by sensors that will give you a 3D simulation of the work you have performed, thus helping you to develop your skills using the hand piece before you even look in a patient's mouth. Despite this, I would say the overall clinical experience is not quite as good as Creighton due to many factors include the fact that Case has specialty programs that take patients away from the dental students. While talking to students at Case, each expressed a frustration with obtaining the right type of patients to fulfill their requirements; you basically have to be "buddy buddy" with the scheduling coordinator so that she will give you what you need. Midwestern waits until the beginning of your third year to get you into the clinic, but they have the best simulation clinic of the three. They push you incredibly hard in your pre-clinical simulations so that you can be ahead of the game by the time you get to you clinicals. Another thing that makes me a little worried about Midwestern's clinical experience is that it is a brand new school; their inaugural class is in their Junior year. Due to this, Midwestern still has not built community relationships and their patient base is the smallest of them all. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to see as many patients as I would be able to at the other schools.
Case Western and Midwestern have very innovative curriculums while the IDEP/Creighton has more of a traditional approach. The more innovative curriculums attract me a little more than the traditional because I think they fit my learning style a little more. Despite that, the IDEP will put me at ISU with seven other students. There are five faculty members who teach the eight of us. I have been told by the students who have gone through this program and they each say they are way ahead of their counterparts when they finish up at ISU and go over to Creighton.
As far as the living areas go, we all know Pocatello, ID is not the most desirable place to live, but it is only for a year. Omaha is nice, but it is very humid during the summer and cold during the winter. Cleveland has a very nice summer, but the winters are the worst. Cleveland is right on Lake Erie and the cold wind blowing from the lake in the winter is down right nasty! Arizona is obviously beautiful, but the summer can be unbearable with temperatures daily above 100 degrees F.! Both Kierstin and I have family in the Phoenix area which would make it nice. My parents now live in Lincoln, NE which is about 50 minutes away from Omaha. In Cleveland, we are quite far away from family. Cleveland has church history all around like Kirtland as well as a lot of US historical sites within a day's drive.
What do you all think? What school should we choose?
Well on facebook I said I'd choose Arizona because that is where I am from, but looks like the Idaho path would be great! My brother-in-law is an endodontist in Idaho Falls and goes to Pokey once a week, I think, to help out with the dental program. He says it is a really good program. All kinds of pros and cons! I guess it really just matters what is most important! Good luck! What a fun, but crazy, decision to make!
ReplyDeleteI would have given anything to go to Creighton. Although I have been very happy at University of Washington and it is much, much less expensive, the clinical experience at Creighton I hear is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in your decisions and school. Still thinking ortho? I will start my applications for that this spring. Never seems to end.