Anyone who chose UPenn/UCSF vs. Maryland?

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ilovedentistry

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Hope everyone is having a great week so far. I would first like to apologize for posting here-- it may not be an appropriate topic in this forum. Yet, I really wanted to hear from some of you, who are already in or graduated from your dental school, and who've gone through a similar situation as I am going through now.


I was wondering if there is any of you who chose UPenn/UCSF over your state school. I was very fortunate to get into the two schools and Maryland (my state school). They are all great schools, and I am very grateful to have gained admissions. Now I am trying to choose one school, and because it is a very big decision, I've been talking with a few dental students and current dentists I know to gain some advice. Each time I've been getting different advices/insights, so I really wanted to hear some more thoughts from more people here. If you had to make a similar decision, I would greatly appreciate it if you could please share with me which school you chose, why you decided so, and if you think you made the right decision.


As a matter of course, personal preferences will be very important in making such decision, and it will be so in mine as well (ie, I would love to try living in the west coast). But some common factors, such as cost/grading system/environment, would also play big parts for almost everyone without doubt. And I would really appreciate to hear about your stories, and perhaps I can learn a little more about these schools as well as strategies in making a smart decision.


A little bit about myself, UPenn has been my #1 choice, and I was extremely excited to get in. Yet, I wasn't able to get their dean's scholarship, and its high tuition is making me hesitate a lot as I will be pulling out loans. In fact it's actually almost killed my desire though I really wanted upenn.. I have a teeny tiny hope of getting a "recycled" deans scholarship at UPENN, I received tiny scholarship at UCSF (doesnt help much), and I am applyling to state scholarships at maryland (~$1000-$10000, but wont hear back by April 1). Looking at each school's cost of attendance, Maryland wins. UMB>UCSF>UPENN. Perhaps 2nd year and on, UCSF could be comparable.


Cost of attendance:
Maryland : 67000/year (possibly state scholarships)
UCSF: 90000 first year. ~75000 second year and on
UPENN: 95000/year


(just tuition:
Maryland: 25000/year
UCSF: 52500 first year, 40000 second year on.
UPENN: 60000/year)


Other than cost, I would be very interested in specializing, so any advantage to it could be a plus for me (penn > ucsf > umb?). During upenn interview, I was really impressed with the amount of students that get into specialty programs, and how friendly the students were. Location-wise, San Francisco wins for me by far. I would love to try living in the west coast, and San Francisco sounds much more appealing than baltimore and philly in terms of safety. Yet I would also like to try living in Philly as well, because it is also a fun city to live in.


When it comes to grading system, UCSF could be the least stressful. UCSF has a Pass/Fail/Recommendation system, Upenn has GPAs yet ranks only down to 10th, and Maryland has a standard GPA/ranking system. I am also curious how grading system will play into specialty matches especially when the boards are going pass/fail now.


This decision making process has been very difficult for me. Everyday, I am leaning towards a different school because each school has its pros and cons at different criteria. I would love to hear if someone here's gone through similar situation. I really thank you for taking your time to read this, and I would really appreciate any thoughtful comments and insights.

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Congrats to you, all great schools and will train you well. I'm a D1 but didn't have to make this exact decision but maybe my input will help.

First thing, lets look at the total CoA for your education.

UMD: 268K + possible scholarship
UCSF: 315K
Penn: 380K

Obviously these numbers are before interest and the yearly increase in tuition (~3-6%) so your end CoA will be higher. Penn is $112+k more than your state school, this is a tremendous amount of $. To put that in perspective, your monthly loan payments at Penn will be 40-45% higher per month than at UMD. UCSF will be somewhere around 17% higher. Food for thought.

Next: grading/specialization. Both Penn and UCSF give you that advantage here due to ranking system and p/f. Both are good in regards to specializing and also have great research opportunities. WRT to p/f boards, it will likely depend on the residency you choose but I doubt p/f will put you at a disadvantage.

Location: Baltimore stinks compared to Philly and Philly stinks compared to San Fran. But is that stink worth the 50-120k at the end of 4 years? You will be able to have fun (when time permits, though not much) anywhere you go. The weather in San Fran is a plus compared to Balt/Philly.

This is just my quick assessment of what you provided-and it looks like UCSF gives you everything you are looking for, at a moderate price tag with little compromise. All of them are great schools, so you should rest easy knowing that. Good luck!
 
I'm in a similar predicament. I already turned down my state school, but now am deciding between UCSF and Penn. I decided to do the military route so I am not worried about tuition. Honestly, where do you find yourself most happy? You will be miserable for four years, so might as well be in a city you enjoy right? Both are good schools hands down so there is no "wrong" decision. I'm sure you've heard all this before. For me..I couldn't fork up another $500 to give to Penn so I am going to ucsf =). it was going to be that or flipping a coin ;)
 
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The cheaper school. Why is this still a question? If you specialize in anything but Pedo and OMS, there is a good chance your specialty program will also have tuition. Even the 6 yr OMS programs that are attached to private med schools have a lot of tuition. Don't blow all your tuition money on dental school. Even if you don't specialize, the financial freedom of not having absurd student loan payments each month will do a lot for your career flexibility. The only reason Penn's specialty rate impresses you is because they advertise it that way. All schools have students who go on to specialize.
 
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