Maryland (IS) vs. Penn

[Saskatche-1]

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I am essentially stuck at a crossroad. I really like Penn and my interview experience there was awesome. But at the same time, Maryland is a great school. I am leaning towards specializing in Pedo/Endo/Prostho

Maryland:

Pros:
-In state tuition
-solid facilities
-Already know multiple future D1s there
-close to home

Cons:
-didn't have the best first impression
-class is ranked
-Patient pool mainly prefer extractions


Penn:

Pros:
-great first impression of student body
-high specialization rate
-only rank top 10
-new clinic is amazing
-new prostho clinic/department

Cons:
-~200k more expensive
-far from home


Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, how stressful is having class rankings?

 

[macsak]

I am essentially stuck at a crossroad. I really like Penn and my interview experience there was awesome. But at the same time, Maryland is a great school. I am leaning towards specializing in Pedo/Endo/Prostho

Maryland:

Pros:
-In state tuition
-solid facilities
-Already know multiple future D1s there
-close to home

Cons:
-didn't have the best first impression
-class is ranked
-Patient pool mainly prefer extractions


Penn:

Pros:
-great first impression of student body
-high specialization rate
-only rank top 10
-new clinic is amazing
-new prostho clinic/department

Cons:
-~200k more expensive
-far from home


Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, how stressful is having class rankings?

not as stressful as $200k more debt...

 

[deleted903013]

No school is worth an additional 200k in debt. If you go into endo or prosth and have to pay tuition, you'll be thanking yourself you went to your state school.

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

maryland. penn is an sdn meme.

 

[axiumgod]

At a 200k difference go to Maryland for sure

 

[Saskatche-1]

Thanks everyone. I really do appreciate all the help. That was my mentality, so this really does help make my decision easier.

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[keep learning]

I don’t think there is a official ranking between the US dental schools.

 

[Kenshin_Med]

They better have a good impression for what they are asking. Also 200k extra will be a lot more than 200 after interest. Do yourself a huge favor save that money unless you have some type of hpsp scholarship.

 

[Saskatche-1]

I have just received a scholarship from Penn making it 70k more expensive than Maryland now. I am leaning towards specializing but can also see myself as a GP. Does anyone have any updated feedback, or is Maryland still the better option since it's more affordable?

 

[deleted903013]

I have just received a scholarship from Penn making it 70k more expensive than Maryland now. I am leaning towards specializing but can also see myself as a GP. Does anyone have any updated feedback, or is Maryland still the better option since it's more affordable?

Post interest you're still looking at well over 100k more expensive for Penn. I'd stick with Maryland. Work hard and you can specialize from anywhere. You have no idea how much 100k is until you're paying it back. Plus, you may have to pay for residency for ortho or endo, in which case you'll be thanking yourself you went cheaper.

 

[axiumgod]

I'm biased but at that difference I'd probably switch my vote to Penn

 

[future_nostalgia]

Financials are definitely a huge determining factor -- both schools are great though! I personally chose Penn despite it being slightly more expensive than another school I was deciding on. I'm a current D1 so if you have any questions let me know!

With that said, I think the point about paying for residency is an important consideration to think about! Interest on your dental school loans will continue to accumulate as you go through residency. It all depends on if you think the $70k more (which will turn into a larger difference in the future) is worth it!

 

[bracketbuster68]

As a D3 at a very competitive state school, I will tell you that you can specialize at Maryland if you want to. Penn is not worth the extra cost.

 

[Pablo Sanchez]

I go to Penn, and I personally would not pay $70K pre-interest to attend any one school over another.

 

[Life of Pablo]

Cheapest unless you want to do OS.

 

[wengerout]

I have just received a scholarship from Penn making it 70k more expensive than Maryland now. I am leaning towards specializing but can also see myself as a GP. Does anyone have any updated feedback, or is Maryland still the better option since it's more affordable?

Personally, I really didn't like Maryland at my dental school interview.

70k-100k is about what I paid extra to go to Columbia and it was worth it to me.


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