Maryland

[sonylarkhi]

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Hey guys...
I have an interview coming up at UMD and I wanted to know some current student's perspective on the school....like cool stats or facts about the school (i.e. specialization stats, NIH grant stats etc.) that we can mention on "Why Maryland"....i've tried searching thoroughly, but more is always better...I'd really appreciate any help...Thanks!!!!

 

[jackbauer!]

i don't think ranting about specialization stats or NIH grants will get you into Maryland. your answer to "Why Maryland?" should be more personal and relate to the intangibles... good mix of clinical/research, friendly students and faculty, amazing facilities, broad patient population, taking boards after year 1, school history (we are the world's first dental school) etc.

jb!🙂

 

[sonylarkhi]

i don't think ranting about specialization stats or NIH grants will get you into Maryland. your answer to "Why Maryland?" should be more personal and relate to the intangibles... good mix of clinical/research, friendly students and faculty, amazing facilities, broad patient population, taking boards after year 1, etc.

jb!🙂

I don't plan on ranting about specialization and NIH grants....and that is personal for me because that's what I want to do...specialize and some research...so that's why I was asking....but thank you for the advice...I love the school already and just wanted to learn more....you remember what it is like to be in our shoes?? 🙂

 

[jackbauer!]

I don't plan on ranting about specialization and NIH grants....and that is personal for me because that's what I want to do...specialize and some research...so that's why I was asking....but thank you for the advice...

ok, then i suggest you check out the list of research funding by the NIDCR (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Funding/DentalSchools/GrantstoDentalInstitutions2006.htm)
keep in mind that there is additional funding not listed here & i believe that we were #3 in the nation when i interviewed (don't quote me on that... Dr. Meehan will go over this on interview day).

about specializing, anyone that wants to specialize will specialize. it will take a lot of hard work and dedication, however. our class is extremely bright and it breeds a lot of friendly competition. i have absolutely no clue on what our specialization rate is... i don't think any schools really have any firm numbers on this.

best of luck at your interview!
jb!🙂

 

[PD3]

taking boards after year 1

Could you elaborate on this. Does Maryland just cram all of the necessary coursework in? Is there less "preclinical" type of stuff the first year? How does this compare to the experience at another school?

Sorry to bombard with questions, but Maryland is also VERY interesting to me and I had not heard about this.

Thanks.

 

[jackbauer!]

Could you elaborate on this. Does Maryland just cram all of the necessary coursework in? Is there less "preclinical" type of stuff the first year? How does this compare to the experience at another school?

Sorry to bombard with questions, but Maryland is also VERY interesting to me and I had not heard about this.

Thanks.

Yes, all the necessary coursework is crammed into first year... the curriculum is listed on the school's website. The first year is very rigorous, but I don't think our pre-clinical curriculum is lacking. We have done more lab stuff than my buddy at another dental school, and he takes boards after 2nd year. That's about all I can tell you about how it compares to other schools, as Maryland is the only school I've attended 😎

jb!🙂

ps- boards after 1st year was a very appealing to me since it will be nice to get them out of the way... plus it will probably make the rest of dental school less stressful.

 

[PD3]

Thanks. It sounds very intriguing.

 

[OMFS132]

My wife when she started out in 2003 picked Maryland over Columbia because of various personal reasons. At that point she debated about everything from tuition to specialization worrying every day if she was making the right decision or not. After undergoing 4 years of journey with her through the dental school and presently seeing her through specialization, one thing i can tell you regarding specialization, no matter where you go your class rank and board scores are the ones that will get you there. Regarding her Maryland choice, it was the best! Regarding her class stats, i think there were about 100 students

7 got into Ortho
1 got into Endo
7 got into Pedo
1 got inot Perio

 

[Bifid Uvula]

I'm a Maryland grad... Overall a great school, well-rounded education, but still quite painful to endure for 4 years. I hear things have continued to improve ( especially with the new school and technology available).

Lot of history in this school... afterall its the worlds oldest/first dental school.

Other positives... Some of the faculty are nationally and internationally known researchers, lecturers, clinicians and authors. You will have opportuntity to spend 1 on 1 time with those faculty members and have the opportunity to perform research and publish with them. All the official dental specialties are also represented at UMAB with fully accredited residency programs. You can get all the exposure you want to a particular specialty should you want to try to specialize after graduation.

Baltimore is a rough city, but it can be fun too.