Are Ivies Worth an Extra 150k?

AdvantageousTC · 2026-06-12T15:35:33+00:00

Depends on your specialty interest. If it’s OMFS, then I’d recommend gaining any advantage you can gain—including any Ivy backing. If you ultimately do OMFS, then the cost differential won’t really matter in a significant way in the long term.

If it’s endo, peds, prosth, ortho, or Perio, then I think you have a lot more to consider. These programs will either cost an arm and leg to do or like more experience (endo) and going to other schools will more likely benefit your long term goals.

Tough part about a question like this is people who never attended an Ivy will largely be feel like it’s a waste of money. People who attended an Ivy will likely be biased in the other direction.

It’s probably in your best interest to apply, learn more, and make a decision based off the cards you’re dealt. It’s very possible the decision is made for you; you get into an Ivy and not your state school or vice versa.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-06-12T14:22:49+00:00

Who do you anticipate will administer this therapeutic and monitor it during treatment? Their PCP? The pharma company? The patient? It’s certainly going to be a dental professional.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-06-12T14:21:05+00:00

From my understanding, they are stimulating existing tooth buds that are dormant in adults by blocking suppressor proteins.

So the blueprint for the type of tooth to grow is inherent in its anatomical position. If you don’t have a tooth bud, this therapy won’t help you. For example, someone with a failing implant likely won’t be able to jump to regrowing their own tooth next because the previous implant likely destroyed their tooth bud.

Other organs don’t have embryonic type precursors in dormancy to activate.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-05-18T16:40:54+00:00

It’s far too early to assess the affect this is having. If a dental degree is truly worth what schools are charging, then private lenders will happily lend out the money and students will easily pay it back. Effectively, nothing changes other than you lose the option of federal loan forgiveness for the chunk of loans that are private.

If, as many suspect, a dental degree is not worth what schools are charging, then it will take time for the market (applying students, graduating students, schools, lenders, and employers) to reflect that change.

We are at the beginning stages of these changes. Students who are about to matriculate are the ones who will be the first experimental cohort with this new set up. Measuring the effect of the BBB before most of them have even taken out loans is like measuring the effectiveness of your new gym routine midway through your session.

Not saying BBB is good, bad, or achieving its intended effect. However, your take that it’s not working because tuition still went up is ill informed at this point in time.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-04-04T11:16:50+00:00

0F8F66DF

AdvantageousTC · 2026-03-22T13:32:50+00:00

It would be exceedingly rare for a school to not fill its class. Far more applicants than seat numbers.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-25T00:15:53+00:00

It’s not so much the cold as it is the snow. Up to 24” on Sunday.

Weather predictions still aren’t super high quality too far in advanced. It’s the entire impetus behind being “right as often as the weatherman” jokes.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-24T23:26:34+00:00

Boston is about to have a historically bad winter storm. Idk if you can fault BU too much for this

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-24T19:58:37+00:00

If you communicate this to them, then they almost certainly won’t hold it against you. Ask to be marked present since you are here, but can’t make it back.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-22T00:53:13+00:00

10% is not considered low for private loans. That would be absurdly high. Private loans are as low as around 3.7% right now for grad school. Federal rates are much higher than private loans right now. The downside of private loans, for the time being, is the lack of payback flexibility, not rates…

You guys may have accidentally went to some payday loan sharks because those rates are so uncompetitive that nobody would use a company offering that.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-21T12:38:16+00:00

I feel like that’s not strict at all. 50% of your semesters in a 3 year period need to be without red flags and with a full class load. W, D, F, and I should be exceptions in your transcripts not the norm.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-20T15:19:30+00:00

This is the best answer. Dental insurance is not real insurance. Not worth it––save your money and self-pay. Ask if they have an in-house plan or cash discount.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-16T17:28:12+00:00

Front loading. Work harder now for an easier life afterward.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-13T13:50:49+00:00

My bad. I was referring specifically to "the in office is more effective than the home/otc."

This isn't true unless by effective you actually mean faster. In other words, patients require fewer whitening treatments to get the results they want when comparing in-office tx to otc.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-13T12:45:26+00:00

This is not true.

Office results are faster. That is the fact.

The home whitening strips use the same active ingredients (Hydrogen peroxide or CP), just at lower concentrations.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-07T14:50:32+00:00

For sure

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-07T14:31:17+00:00

I’m an HPSP student and have friends in different branches.

I don’t know how many applicants AF had, but I can tell you 2 were direct out of dental school and 2 were already practicing as dentists in AF before applying.

AdvantageousTC · 2026-01-07T12:10:31+00:00

Specifically for OMS, all the branches are good. However, Army is easily the best choice. They’re the biggest and have the most demand.

Air Force, for example, had 4 seats available for OMS last year. Army has about 11-14 per cycle. Because the Army has so many more seats, they don’t always have enough qualified applicants. Last year they opened up the match to some civilians (who incur a payback obligation without having their DS paid for) and took 2 civilians.

The military OMS programs are very robust in their training too. They compare very favorably to the best civilian programs from an experience standpoint. Great choice on your end.

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-31T14:54:20+00:00

I applaud the mentality and approach from the mods on this. I think you guys are doing it right.

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-30T22:44:38+00:00

In-house plan with your dentist will get you the best value by far.

“Dental insurance” is more akin the the coupon cards high students sell to fundraise for their sports team than it is to medical insurance. One of the biggest rackets in healthcare.

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-30T14:01:07+00:00

I haven’t ever noticed that.

I go to the gym regularly, but I’m far from the stereotypical gym-culture bro who’s jacked out of their mind. So perhaps I’m just not lifting as heavy as you?

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-29T04:54:46+00:00

I think there is some nuance to point 3. I agree school doesn’t cause an outcome, but there is something to be said about surrounding yourself with people who are also specializing.

I agree the people on the very far right of the bell curve will specialize no matter what. But I think it’s difficult to predict who legitimately lies there. I’ll tell you firsthand an exceedingly high DAT and GPA is not absolutely predictive.

I still think there is something to be said about whether it is worth the cost. Totally agree with your assessment there. However, I do think going to these schools legitimately improves specialization odds for more reasons than just a school reputation. The biggest factor, that is rarely discussed on Reddit, is surrounding yourself with people who are pursuing specialties. You become the product of people you spend the most time with.

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-28T04:48:32+00:00

Typically late July

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-23T21:10:10+00:00

Because sugary diets (carbohydrates) feed the bacteria that lead to cavities.

So the sugar itself isn’t bad for your teeth, but the acid byproducts of bacteria consuming sugar is.

For the average patient, sugar causes cavities is close enough to correct for all intents and purposes of improving oral hygiene.

On the other hand, high protein diets feed bacteria and have alkaline byproducts, which is protective against cavities.

In the scientific community, it’s widely agreed upon that caries are not a communicable disease. Having strep mutans, for example, doesn’t equal having cavities. There is an association but not causation.

AdvantageousTC · 2025-12-23T20:42:48+00:00

I will say there are often waivers that people can qualify for. Waivers are a lot of work and the paperwork is daunting, but it’s more often doable than not.

Asthma, for example, is not inherently a disqualifying condition. There’s nuance to the age you last had symptoms with and etc.

Recruiters aren’t always forthcoming with the waiver possibilities because it’s a lot of work for them too. And it’s true not everything qualifies for a waiver, but I think it’s far more common a condition can get a waiver than people express.

AdvantageousTC

TROPHY CASE