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- Feb 12, 2016
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Can anyone please share their thoughts? I'm leaning heavily towards UMD, but wanted others' perspectives.
University of Maryland
Pros:
In-state tuition = ~33 k a year which is not bad at allllllll
Been around longer -> has a good reputation
Closer to family (~40 minute drive) - since I've never moved far from home, this would be one less major change in my life since I'd be living in Baltimore
Baltimore has the whole "city" aspect
Curriculum structure allows for flexibility in daily schedule (four hours in the morning, do whatever the rest of the day)
Opportunities to add a masters on later if you want
Big urban city has lots of patient variety
Great match list
Great choices in restaurants, going out to eat.
Cons:
Cost-of-living is higher cuz of the city aspect for apartments
Area can be unsafe in some places
Food desert in terms of grocery shopping but can be remedied by Uber
*Larger class size is both pro and con for me because less attention is given to any one student in particular unless they make more of an effort and yet there is more opportunity to meet people who you get along with really well and who could become lifelong colleagues/friends -> more diversity in class
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Virginia Tech Carilion
Pros:
Cool curriculum - super small class size means more attention from faculty and during clerkships, etc to get LOR's for residency
Brand new facilities
Required research built into curriculum - makes you stand out in residencies
Pass/Fail grading (also, though this could be a Con depending on how you look at it)
Small-town feel to it - not sure if that's exactly a pro, but it kinda beats the ghetto vibe I get when I go to some parts of Baltimore
Lower cost-of-living (under my impression this is true) compared to Baltimore
Cons:
Hasn't been around that long, so reputation is an issue, although first graduating class had great Step 1 scores
Private school, so tuition is always gonna be higher = ~44k
Not much food options as compared to baltimore
Small class size = less diversity in the class, less opportunity to meet lots of new people who you might mesh well with
Further from home and possible residency placements
Pass/Fail grading system - may be a good thing, however, in terms of knowing where you stand in the class
University of Maryland
Pros:
In-state tuition = ~33 k a year which is not bad at allllllll
Been around longer -> has a good reputation
Closer to family (~40 minute drive) - since I've never moved far from home, this would be one less major change in my life since I'd be living in Baltimore
Baltimore has the whole "city" aspect
Curriculum structure allows for flexibility in daily schedule (four hours in the morning, do whatever the rest of the day)
Opportunities to add a masters on later if you want
Big urban city has lots of patient variety
Great match list
Great choices in restaurants, going out to eat.
Cons:
Cost-of-living is higher cuz of the city aspect for apartments
Area can be unsafe in some places
Food desert in terms of grocery shopping but can be remedied by Uber
*Larger class size is both pro and con for me because less attention is given to any one student in particular unless they make more of an effort and yet there is more opportunity to meet people who you get along with really well and who could become lifelong colleagues/friends -> more diversity in class
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virginia Tech Carilion
Pros:
Cool curriculum - super small class size means more attention from faculty and during clerkships, etc to get LOR's for residency
Brand new facilities
Required research built into curriculum - makes you stand out in residencies
Pass/Fail grading (also, though this could be a Con depending on how you look at it)
Small-town feel to it - not sure if that's exactly a pro, but it kinda beats the ghetto vibe I get when I go to some parts of Baltimore
Lower cost-of-living (under my impression this is true) compared to Baltimore
Cons:
Hasn't been around that long, so reputation is an issue, although first graduating class had great Step 1 scores
Private school, so tuition is always gonna be higher = ~44k
Not much food options as compared to baltimore
Small class size = less diversity in the class, less opportunity to meet lots of new people who you might mesh well with
Further from home and possible residency placements
Pass/Fail grading system - may be a good thing, however, in terms of knowing where you stand in the class
