How is the community at the University of Maryland?

[WhiteAndGreen18]

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Hey everybody. I have been accepted to Maryland, and I am currently deciding between there and the UPenn. For students currently attending Maryland, how is the student community there? I am really looking for a place where everybody is involved with the school and with each other. I go to a small college now where everyone is friends and knows each others business, and I really like the atmosphere. Would you say Maryland is more tight-knit like that, or not so much? Thank you.

 

[HupHolland]

Hey everybody. I have been accepted to Maryland, and I am currently deciding between there and the UPenn. For students currently attending Maryland, how is the student community there? I am really looking for a place where everybody is involved with the school and with each other. I go to a small college now where everyone is friends and knows each others business, and I really like the atmosphere. Would you say Maryland is more tight-knit like that, or not so much? Thank you.

I would say that the student community within the dental school is very tight knit. Recently our class went on a ski trip and we had 75 people come (we had 2 resort side mansions with indoor swimming pools and 2 condos). I ran into a guy that came on the trip that was a Penn student and said that his class could never organize something like we did. However, each class has their own personality.

If your're talking about the campus community, then that's a different story. UMB is a professional campus filled with professional schools. Our school's budget for planning campus wide events is very limited, as are the activities planned between different programs. Occasionally there will be a mixer but participation is not very high. I would venture a guess that Penn's campus community is probably better since the undergrad campus is on site, but that's just a venture.

Hup

 

[coolraz]

If you are in-state for MD, you should go there. No "community" is going to make it worth 30k a year more (or whatever it is now for Upenn).

That said, if you're out of state, it came out to about the same (when I was applying) and Upenn is very close to the undergrad campus so it's pretty fun. My friend is the president of Psi O there (dental fraterntity) and they host parties where the whole campus comes. Actually, Psi O parties at Maryland also attract a bunch of kids from other schools (no med school so much, they study all the time I guess : )

Hmm, I suppose the take home point is, if you want a good sense of community, join Psi O wherever you go! : )

 

[rarm1]

Both schools are excellent. We have residents from both, and all are great. Differences are the cities - Balt vs Phil... and the costs... I would save money.