UC Berkeley vs University of the Pacific 2+3 Accelerated Dental Program

College Search & Selection
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Hi everyone! I wanted some feedback and opinions on whether I should attend UC Berkeley College of Chemistry or University of the Pacific 2+3 Accelerated Dental Program in the fall. Since sophomore year, I have dreamed of going to BOTH universities and I never thought I would be so forutuante to be accepted into both schools! There are many pros and cons to consider and I AM CURRENTLY VERY CONFLICTED. Please let me know your thoughts and opinions!

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC:
I for sure know I want to pursue a career in the field of dentistry, which is the main reason why I want to attend UOP for their 2+3 program. In this program, I am guaranteed and interview with Dugoni if I meet DAT and GPA requirements etc.

Pros:
-basically guaranteed a dds in 5 years if i maintain gpa + meet the dat requirements
-fast and easy way than the traditional 8+ route
-pre-dental advisors and counselors
-most of my peers will be pre-dent/pharm so it’s nice to have a close knit group of people who all want to achieve the same goals etc. we all can motivate each other
-small private school
-i want to become a gp general dentist and from what ive read, dugoni is excellent for preparing their students with clinical work
-ive visited dugoni AND I LOVE THE FACILITY. state of the art technology; a newly renovated school.
-do not have to take any “fluff” classes in my 2 years before dental school. just the pre-dental requirements (hate history fluff classes so im happy i won’t be taking those)
-like the class sizes. a typical chem class at cal will be around 500 students whereas at uop it’s not
-CONNECTIONS; uop is known for their pre-dent/pharm programs and the faculty (i heard) discuss with the faculty at dugoni

Cons:
-stockton
-need to take ochem over the summer
-taking/studying for the dat literally next year around this time vs at cal i have 3-4 years before the dat chaos
-might have to decelerate to the 3+3 or 4+3 if it’s too intense
-not a “big name” school (don’t really care but still)
-since i plan on doing the 2+3 program i will not be getting a BS or BA (just DDS)
-very very expensive

UC Berkeley:
I’ve grown to be scared of the cutthroat environment at Cal and how dead it is. I feel like I will not have the greatest experience especially with it being such a large public school, but with Cal being in such a big area I feel like this environment will better me for the real world. I was admitted into the College of Chemistry which has around 200 students per class, so it has a private school feel. Cal’s Chemistry department is ranked #1/2 up with MIT. I heard it’s easy to find research to do with professors since it’s our area of interest.

Pros:
-graduating with a BS from Cal CoC is rewarding and very prestigious/is looked highly upon in grad school admissions
-one of the best chem departments in the nation; i will getting a very good chemistry education
-i think chem/ochem concepts with dentistry will be easier in dent school if i attend cal since i will be getting such a good education in CoC. at uop, it’s so fast paced and i heard most students aren’t as successful
-ITS BERKELEY
-instate tuition yay

Cons:
-dont even know if i like chem that much to study it that intensely
-what if i lose track at cal? most people go into these huge schools thinking they will be a doctor or dentist but the percent of students actually matriculating into these professional grad schools is very low
-don’t really care about the bs as much… just the dds (not sure if it’s worth wasting my time at cal when i can go to uop and finish in 5 years)
-very cutthroat…
-hard to get classes so might graduate in 5 years (equating to 2+3 uop… id already have my dds) i do not have that many ap credits so it’s going to be a long time before i will graduate
-“fluff classes” like language, history etc
-such a big public school; heard students feel like they are just a number
-don’t have pre-dental advisors and a close community of pre-dents like at uop. so no support group or anything
-8+ years till i finish dental school

Please leave any opinions, thoughts, or suggestions!! There’s so many more factors that play into my decision but I cannot think of them right now lol. Thank you to everyone taking time to read this!! I really appreciate it!! If I am vague about certain things please reply; I would love to talk and hear your thoughts! Thank you all again!!

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Plan on doing 3+3, not 2+3. Ask if you can. 2+3 is just too intense.

Calculate (tuition, fees,room, board) - (scholarships, grants) =
List there costs per year and what your parents can afford off savings and income for each year.
Count 6 for UOP and list.
Count (5 cal) + 3years dental school and list.
Having all the numbers will make things clearer.

Sounds like uop is the best choice for your goals but if it’s not affordable… It’s not a real choice.

Do you have other choices?

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Hi! I don’t have other choices but I’m really conflicting between Cal and UOP. I feel that I will be in debt regardless if i got to Cal or UOP and it is not much of the financial issue I am worried about but just getting the DDS and finishing. If I do go to UOP, I risk decelerating to the 3+3 or 4+3 (since 2+3 is really intense like you said). If I decelerate then there wasn’t really a point of me attending UOP if it is not for the accelerated you know what I mean? Basically it is down to 5 vs 8 years till I finish dental school. Attend a big name school like Cal and get a good education (since their Chem department is ranked #1/2 or do the 2+3 at UOP which is basically guaranteed admission to Dugoni.

Thank you for responding!

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Also… how hard is the 2+3? Since if it is really hard and the chances of decelerating to the 3+3 is very likely, should I just go to Cal instead?

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If you go to UofP will you take organic only or other courses? If you take organic by itself, it will be better becsaue you’ll only focus on that class.

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I will be taking organic over the summer since it is the 2+3 program. However, I believe ochem and general chem are the only classes I will be taking before dent school

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Yo! I actually visited UoP’s accelerated pharmacy program last weekend, so gonna try to give some insight for ya that might relate to your pre-dental. It sounds like you’re really set on becoming a dentist, which is really good! I myself already basically crossed UoP off my list since I’m still unsure of becoming a pharmacist, and once you get into the program it’s all or nothin’.
I don’t think there would be much of an argument regarding costs, since overall 5 years of UoP compared with 4 years of undergrad+4 years of dental school would be cheaper in the long run.

Something else you should consider though, would be the college experience- if that matters to you, that is. In the accelerated program, you’ll be in and out of undergrad in a flash; then it’s off to grad school you go, without fully getting a true taste of college life. Everything will feel pretty darn rushed, and that was the general consensus I heard from those I talked to during my stay at UoP. But really, it all comes down to whether you think you can make it going on the fast lane, or if you can haul it out on the slower path. Hope this helps!

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I was walking by the new UoP dental facility in SF last year with a friend who went to dental school at USC. He started talking about the UoP dental school and seemed to think very highly of it.

If money wasn’t an issue, I’d say go to Pacific.

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Have a friend who was choosing between these two schools and she chose UoP. Loves it there.