University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry

Negatively ☹️

3 out of 10

UCSF turned out to be a HUGE disappointment. Don't be fooled by it's reputation! Think for yourself and ask many other students questions.

How do you think you will be prepared to serve the healthcare needs of a diverse patient base?

Do you speak any foreign languages?

SDN and researched the school's website.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

1) The great reputation the school has. 2) San Francisco is also a great city. 3) Low cost of education.

Hmmmm. Where do I begin? During my interview I made sure to ask other UCSF students who were NOT involved in the admissions process (ie. those not giving tours or designated to answer questions to make the school look good) what they thought about the school. 1)The students did not have any personality. During my tour I asked one of the 3rd year students if he liked experience UCSF he and he just put his head down. Overall, many of the students did NOT like where they were. 2) I asked another student what he thought a weakness of UCSF was and he said that the professors think of themselves very highly and are not helpful. For example, other schools call you doctor when you enter the clinic, but this is not the case at UCSF. 3) The facilities are OLD OLD OLD!! I can't believe dentistry is taught there! 4)During the whole interview UCSF emphasized diversity---they even devoted a 30 min video promoting it. That's great and all, but they really beat the topic to death thoughout the whole process. I was sick of hearing about diversity, when all I saw were a majority of Asian students. It seemed a bit contradictory on their part. 5) One of the most negative impressions I got was when one of the dental students who was apparently upset told our tour group, "DO NOT GO TO DENTAL SCHOOL!" I almost wanted to laugh, but after the interview day I could see why he hated dental school. 6) The school concentrates excelling more on research than they do on the clinic floor. Before I never knew why UCSF was a top ranked dental school or had a good reputation, but then I found out that the students they accept have excellent GPA's and DAT's and most importantly they are funded with a lot of research money--this is what contributes to their high ranking. This was a disappointment for me because even though research opportunities are helpful, I was looking for a program that emphasizes more clinic with better facilities. Where is all the UCSF money going? To the facilities?...I don't think so. To research? Most definitely.

1) There is NO parking anywhere. 2) During "lunch" you are getting your student interview done. Pretty awkward to be talking with a piece of lettuce in between your teeth!

Student