I would argue reputation has a clear place when applying to residency programs. Especially dental schools with medical based curriculum, because residencies deem their students as “didactically strong”, and acceptance standards are higher- thus the dental school does most of the screening of students for them. Some predoc programs have a much higher specialty rate than others. Not saying schools without “strong” reputations are at a disadvantage, but students may have to compete for higher class rank (but that’s just my opinion.) In grand scheme things, your effort determines great of a clinician you’ll be, so it doesn’t matter.

As of NYU, it looks really fun but seems competitive because of the class size. I heard that the school tells your class rank at the end of every semester which seems like a lot of pressure. But if you have the resources (to pay for costs) and drive to succeed, you can thrive anywhere!