University of California Irvine (UCI) or University of the Pacific (UOP) (3+3 Undergraduate and Dental School)

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Hello! I’m an incoming first year and I want to reach out for additional opinions because I’ve been pretty torn on either of these schools and I feel like it is more of a career VS college experience (or small vs big school) type of decision. To give more context, both schools cost around the same for me (living at home attending UOP costs around the same as dorming at UCI my first year). I also have completed my IGETC + some of the other requirements of math and general chemistry. I’m currently interested in becoming a dentist!

This is more of my thoughts on each school. Sorry if it’s a bit long I’ve really been debating it! Thank you for any possible opinions or input!

UCI

  • Nice location + very sunny weather (sunshine and rainbows…)
  • Liked the campus a lot + good food + can dorm with friends going there
  • Pretty much all classes transfer so GE’s mostly completed + general chemistry transfers
    • Aiming to graduate in three years
    • Can still try applying to dental school in a shorter period of time
      • More difficult? More BIO/CHEM classes (CHEM major) + more classes in general for quarter system (more opportunities for grades & GPA to go up and down eep)
        • Harder to apply/get in for dental school
          • May need to reapply if i uh don’t get into any dental schools
      • Apply second year summer and continue with 3rd year?
  • 300 person student classes - difficult to get quality letters of recommendation but by my second year I will be in smaller/upper division classes which might make it easier?
  • More traditional college experience + connections and meeting new people in those areas + might be happier?
    • See and experience new things & areas!
    • It’s by LA + the beach + many different areas so connections
    • Heavy on better for personal development (going to a bigger school? I’ve been in small schools my entire life and have a less than 100 student graduating class) + independence since it is all on me/my responsibility
  • No car for first year at least so shadowing / volunteering may be difficult since I can’t exactly get around
    • Has public transportation between their hospital + area for volunteering.
  • Will probably apply at the end of my second year (only one year really to get shadowing/volunteering hours?)
  • Pretty good reputation for premed/health

UOP (2 or 3 year undergraduate in Stockton + 3 year dental school in San Francisco)

  • ~150 students admitted for their program for around 50-70 seats at their dental school (~30 percent chance getting in) but class sizes have been getting bigger
    • Still a good deal a lot better than other original acceptance rates
    • Heard of a range from 30-70 for how many pre-dental advantage students they take
    • Conflict between undergraduate campus and the dental school campus
  • More within my comfort zone
  • Averaging around 12 ish units per semester/less classes.
  • 30% chance of getting into dental school + other dental schools
    • Dugoni known for GREAT clinical experience
    • Most dental schools (including Dugoni) are sub 10 percent acceptance rates
  • 2 year program is VERY difficult (99 percent I will end up doing the 3 year program)
    • 3.7 GPA + Application + 25 DAT (minimum) + Organic Chem over summer? + 40 hrs of shadowing (over the first year i presume)
      • Sounds very very very difficult
    • Eligibility for 2 year program is determined after summer of first year
  • 3 year program = 3.15 GPA + 18 DAT + 40 hours of shadowing + LOR’s + (maybe some other requirements?) = guaranteed interview with the UOP dental school
  • Almost all my GE classes + math are complete so I can start with a neat overall GPA (same w/ UCI though)
    • Looked around online about the program and saw a bit about stress + competition from larger class sizes competing for admission into Dugoni/UOP dental school
  • Close to home + can live at home (still same-ish price) + but don’t I want to try something new? New environment?
    • Location isn’t great/the safest but I’ve been there for most of my life? What’s a couple more years?
  • Smaller classes/ better rec letters and easier to get undergrad research experiences
    • More personal student - professor relationships
    • 70% of undergrads get research experience
  • Same-ish cost to live at home compared to living at UCI with dorms
    • Living at home - more difficulties making friends (possible but harder)
    • Since UOP is a private there are more scholarship opportunities
  • Will need to retake general chemistry again there (not able to go straight into organic chem for the year) & if I wanted to try for the two year… then i would have to take organic chem over summer
    • Other IGETC credits transfer
  • I like dentistry as a career and have interviewed dentists, but I haven’t really shadowed one before and I’m a bit scared to commit to the amount of debt but with the 3+3 program I have an additional 2 years worth of income.
  • Anxious about FOMO
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Dentistry school is really hard to get admitted. UOP sounds like a good option to mitigate some of that risk.

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It depends on how much you want to be a dentist? Are you just “currently interest” or “dentist is my dream job”? If not sure, I would pick UCI over UOP. Many people would die to have the opportunity to attend UCI (you can see all these waitlisted, rejected posts here and reddit). Why pay the same amount and commute to a school you don’t really like, just for a future job you are not so sure about? Good Luck.

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Our daughter attended medical school at UCSF and you have to live in the city. Traveling daily into the city, by bridge, and then finding parking, is a hassle and expensive.

Do you know how much the rents are there? $5000 a month for a shared one bedroom in a decent building; and that’s if you can find decent, clean housing. Scholarships, at this level, are almost unheard of, so your parents need to save money to pay for dental school.

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Finances after undergraduate are definitely a concern and not something I’m sure my parents would be able to afford it. I assumed that if I was going into dental school, I would have to take heavy student loans/debt either way and I could at least use some of the loans to pay for housing during schooling? Housing situation isn’t going to be great but that’s big cities. I’m not familiar with the student loan/borrowing process but is it unreasonable on my end to take more loans for housing? I think I might be unrealistic about it.

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Avoid loans (debt) wherever possible. I think it’s commendable that you’re willing to commute from home. :+1:

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You need to research it.
Given the current political climate, we don’t know what’s going to happen in four years, and whether loan amounts will be in the amount that you need.

My daughter lived in small studio apartment with space for one twin bed. So she and her roommate had to buy an XL bunkbed. Part of the reason for the cost, was the security system.
Her apartment was in a “safe” area of San Francisco. There is a lot of crime in San Francisco and people leave their doors unlocked because locked doors invite broken windows. So even in the secured parking areas, thieves still get into cars.

Car Window repair companies make a phenomenal amount of money; they are on 24 hour call/7 days a week.

If you plan on getting into any professional school you need to have a good budget plan. The schools are expensive.

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