Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Dental Hygienists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Hostos Community College, New York City College of Technology, Monroe Community College, and Farmingdale State College.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Farmingdale State College, New York City College of Technology, and SUNY Canton.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Hostos Community College, New York City College of Technology, NYU, and Farmingdale State College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Monroe Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of NYU, Broome Community College, and Hostos Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of SUNY Canton, NYU, Farmingdale State College, and Monroe Community College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at NYU.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at NYU and Farmingdale State College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at NYU, Hostos Community College, SUNY Canton, and New York City College of Technology.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Hostos Community College • Bronx, NY
Studying Dental Hygiene (completion in 1993)
• 12/5/2011
"I was well prepared for the boards. I was provided with a solid clinical foundation for practicing in the real world."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The education provided was practical, without a lot of fluff. I felt like they didn't waste my time. Also, with the program being at a community college, financially, it makes a lot of sense. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | I have never heard anything negative about my school's program. I have heard repeatedly that it graduates quality hygienists. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I feel that my program prepared me very well for the boards - I scored in the 98th percentile on the National Boards. I felt that I wasn't prepared for the reality that many private practitioners do not practice ideally--no perio charting, no charting of the patients' hard and soft tissues, unnecessary X-rays, insurance fraud--and I didn't know how to deal with this. I was often told by dentists that dental hygienists coming out of my school knew how to scale. |
| Instruction | 8 | I was well prepared for the boards. However, at times, it seemed that, with respect to clinic courses, the grades reflected the attitude of the particular instructor to the student. Career options in public health and teaching were discussed, in addition to preparing us for clinical positions. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I don't really feel that I can compare it to other programs. I know that the attrition rate was about half, so it probably wasn't easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Book learning was important (I was well prepared for the boards). But practical application was always stressed, whether in clinic (they had high standards for performance) or microbiology (examining a sample of crevicular plaque under a phase-contrast microscope or determining how hospitable our own mouths were to cariogenic bacteria). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | Because the number of dental hygiene students was so small, there was often only one section of a required class available. There was some flexibility with non-dental courses, such as sociology and public speaking. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | My school had new units in the clinic. Most professors were interested in the students being able to comprehend the material, and they were available for extra help. They also cultivated among the students an atmosphere of cooperation, so that we often helped each other. |
| Social Life | 5 | School hours were long and rarely left any time for socializing. I think we were largely unaware of any events going on that were not related to our program. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I never sought such services. I am unaware of their existence at my school. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I am not aware that my school has an alumni network. If they do, they do a poor job of making themselves known. |
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