What are the best things about attending Texas A&M (Baylor) College of Dentistry?

Texas A&M is an extremely well-rounded school. It has a little bit of everything, which is why it has such a great reputation. This is one of the best things about attending Texas A&M College of Dentistry (formerly known as Baylor). The school has a long standing, well-known reputation and has ranked among top dental schools for years now. Every alumnus I have talked to is extremely proud of their alma mater. They will confidently tell you they received one of the best dental educations there is to offer. Most of the dentists around the Dallas area are graduates from Texas A&M. This gives A&M students a huge advantage because of the because the alumni are always happy to let you come shadow or help you find jobs. It has been clear through various events that companies and recruiters also hold a lot of respect for the school. Just simply saying you are a graduate from Texas A&M will help you in the long run because they have a reputation of creating good clinicians and dentists.

░░

What are the worst things about attending Texas A&M (Baylor) College of Dentistry?

The curriculum is currently going through a “revamp” process. They are changing the preclinical and clinical set up to better accommodate the new, multimillion dollar clinic. The goal is to create a more comprehensive care unit and hopefully allow students to have shorter appointments. This of course benefits the patients as well. This also involves getting students into the clinic earlier (previously you entered clinic towards the end of D2 spring). As the school is going through this transition, there have definitely been some growing pains. It has been difficult because the old curriculum had been in place for so long, so getting all of the clinical faculty who have been running clinic a certain way for years to change over to a new structure and way of doing things is hard. It has been an adjustment for the students because policies are always changing as new issues arise. It will take some time to work out the bugs and get everyone on the same page. It can be a difficult thing to adjust to changes especially while undergoing your dental education.

░░

What do students need to know/what do you wish you knew before attending Texas A&M (Baylor) College of Dentistry?

I wish I knew how willing faculty were to help you. At my undergraduate university, I felt like instructors always encouraged you to come in if you had questions, yet when you came in during their office hours it felt like they couldn’t wait for you to leave. I always felt like such an inconvenience. This is not the case, at least here at Texas A&M. The faculty really do care if you are understanding the material and they will take whatever time is necessary to help you figure it out or help you find the resources you need. I wish I knew this coming in because I would have taken more advantage of it during my first year of dental school.

░░