Maryland vs WVU

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Mike Zeus

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I know this is very subjective and ultimately my decision to make, but I'd like to get your opinion on the matter. I am a West Virginia resident and was accepted into Maryland's dental school. I have yet to receive any such notice from WVU, but I interviewed there and am hoping for an acceptance. While not suggesting that WVU is a bad school, Maryland was just so amazing with its brand new dental building, state-of-the-art technology, and interesting curriculum (NBDE I after the first year, clinic time during your first years, clerkships with dental specialties, etc.).

Of course, the major downside to Maryland is cost. As an out of stater I would pay, based on ADEA data from past years and cost of living in Baltimore, over twice the cost of going to WVU as an in-state resident (Approximately $300k vs $150k). What would you do in my shoes: Go to your top choice school cost be damned, or go the considerably less expensive route even if you'd prefer to train elsewhere?

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I don't really know much about WVU, but in terms of cost... staying in state will save you A LOT of money in the long run. For instance, saving 100K can translate to actually saving 150K once you take into account interest and how you plan to pay your student loans back. Obviously, I am biased towards Maryland and can go on and on about why it is such a great school... however, I think if you details the pros of both WVU & MD... perhaps that might give you some sort of direction
 
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Well, as an update, I did get accepted to WVU as well, so I have a real choice on my hands; considering it is already December 16th, I need to make a choice soon. Based on updated numbers (the financial aid presentation notes for Maryland and the helpful estimated, itemized semester by semester budget from WVU) The difference would be more like $150k for WVU and closer to $350k for Maryland.

I know Maryland is a top tier school and on the forefront of dental education (in terms of curriculum and technology)...but is it really worth an extra $200k? My brain says WVU, but my heart says Maryland...when I get them to agree, I'll be quite relieved.
 
Well, as an update, I did get accepted to WVU as well, so I have a real choice on my hands; considering it is already December 16th, I need to make a choice soon. Based on updated numbers (the financial aid presentation notes for Maryland and the helpful estimated, itemized semester by semester budget from WVU) The difference would be more like $150k for WVU and closer to $350k for Maryland.

I know Maryland is a top tier school and on the forefront of dental education (in terms of curriculum and technology)...but is it really worth an extra $200k? My brain says WVU, but my heart says Maryland...when I get them to agree, I'll be quite relieved.

Congratulations on your acceptance to WVU. I'm sure it makes your decision even more difficult now. Like I said before, I can go on and on about MD, but now that you have a choice between the two schools... (if I were you) I would go to the school that costs less. You will be thankful in 4 years
 
As much as I love it here at Maryland, and as much I'm sure you would love it here, the smart play here seems to be WVU. I'm sure you will get a great education, and in 4 years no one will care where you went to school anyway. As long as you aren't completely dreading the faculty and school at WVU, $200,000 is a huge amount of money. It's your choice, but I think that is a significant enough amount of money to swing the decision to WVU.
 
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