here are some things to look out for, or ask about at your interviews.
- weather - dress appropriately. i went to university of michigan in a skirt instead of pants (i never thought to buy a pair.. -.-) and literally froze my ass off. it started raining and wind chill made it around 30 degrees outside. im a california girl, so this was not smart.
- cost of tuition AND cost of living - some schools will wayyy underestimate COL, while others overestimate a bit. make sure your figures are right. in the end, dental school debt is daunting for everyone (unless you live in texas..)
- how much time do students spend in clinic? do D1's/D2's get phased into clinic slowly, or do you just go blind in your 3rd year? do you spend 4-5 days a week in clinic, or 2-3?
- what are clinic requirements like? what do people dislike about them/find unrealistic?
- are the students happy? do they feel like they're learning things that are necessary?
- what's the board pass rate like?
- grading system? is the school P/F or H/P/F (fake P/F lol..) or graded?
- are students ranked?
- are there places to blow off steam nearby, aka yummy food, jack in the box, bars, clubs.
- do you want to live near your family? i think this is a big factor that people underestimate.. DS is stressful, it's good to unwind and go home every once in a while.
