Nova Or Maryland

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nebuchadnezzar90

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Hello, I recently got accepted to a few schools but for the moment it is between Maryland and Nova. I live about 15 minutes away from Nova so I possibly wouldn't have to worry living expenses. Just wondering what people think of each school and what they would do in my situation. Also if money wasn't a problem which one would you choose?

Right now i'm leaning towards Nova because it's close to my house and all my family is here and I liked the campus but I liked all the schools I went to so not sure. I also want to practice in Florida but I don't know if that makes a difference.

I also got accepted to Louisville, Case Western, UNE, Touro, and UNLV so if you like these better then let me know.

Thank you in advance.
 
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I'd pick Maryland over Nova for the following reasons:

- Maryland allows you to become an in-state resident after your first year.
- The name value, first dental school --> richest history --> better and well established program compared to 20 years of history at Nova. You will find lots and lots of your fellow Maryland alumni once you graduate.
- I know their facility is all rebuilt in 2008 so everything is brand new with lots of windows (natural light)
 
sexylife said:
I'd pick Maryland over Nova for the following reasons:

- Maryland allows you to become an in-state resident after your first year.
- The name value, first dental school --> richest history --> better and well established program compared to 20 years of history at Nova. You will find lots and lots of your fellow Maryland alumni once you graduate.
- I know their facility is all rebuilt in 2008 so everything is brand new with lots of windows (natural light)
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I am making the same decision as op. How do you feel about the safety of the neighborhoods surrounding Maryland's dental school?
 
salreq said:
I am making the same decision as op. How do you feel about the safety of the neighborhoods surrounding Maryland's dental school?
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I have a closest friend currently a D2 at Maryland. He's alive.
According to what I heard from him, as long as you stay away from certain areas of the city, you are absolutely safe. AND, I also heard that it is especially safe near the campus area. They also have police officers protecting you at almost every block of the city.
 
Maryland is a great school, If you mange to get IS after the first year, which is doable although not guaranteed like other schools, the cost would be similar to what you would pay to NOVA commuting.

I like UNLV because they give IS after the first year guaranteed.

Now the fact that you want to pratice in Florida, I would recommend NOVA. Why? Well from what I've learned during my interviews is that the consensus is you would want to go to school near where you want to practice.

All the connections you make during your 4 years in dental school will be in that state. All the professors, residency directors, and other administrative folks that can help you after you graduate are going to be in that state.

While it is not true for everyone, many people move states and practice dentistry just fine. I just think it is easier/wiser to have that support system you've built for 4 years closer rather than farther.

If you truly love Florida and thats where you want to be, go to NOVA.
 
sexylife said:
I'd pick Maryland over Nova for the following reasons:

- Maryland allows you to become an in-state resident after your first year.
- The name value, first dental school --> richest history --> better and well established program compared to 20 years of history at Nova. You will find lots and lots of your fellow Maryland alumni once you graduate.
- I know their facility is all rebuilt in 2008 so everything is brand new with lots of windows (natural light)
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Will the connections I get help if i'm planning on practicing in Florida?
 
I would go to Nova. I liked the vibe at Nova more during my interview and since you're from the area you'll have a good support system in place. Plus from the sounds of it getting IS in Maryland sounded like having to jump through a bunch of hoops.


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I don't think nova is strong clinically compared to Maryland. That would why I would choose Maryland.
 
Maryland

1. Stronger research program, even has a DDS PHD program
2. Close to Hopkins and NIH in Baltimore --> great research opportunities and networking with people to aim for top tier residency programs in prestigious hospitals
3. Ellicot City --> Korea town in Maryland, has lots of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants that are as good as the ones in these countries or Los Angeles
4. Close to Philly and NYC: spend weekends in these cities after exams

Darn I am jealous
 
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Nova makes sense because it is in your home town. Maryland has the reputation/history yes, but instate tuition is not guaranteed so don't bank on that.

Both will make you a great dentist. Go where you will personally be happier for 4 years.
 
coming from a Nova student, go to where it is the cheapest. Dentistry is insanely expensive nowadays, the less debt you own, the easier your life will be. Clinical experiences is what you make out of it. Nova has less requirement to graduate compared to Maryland because it is based on competency , not production like Maryland, so that is a plus. No one really cares what school you went to when they hire you for a job, honestly.
 
monkeyteeth said:
coming from a Nova student, go to where it is the cheapest. Dentistry is insanely expensive nowadays, the less debt you own, the easier your life will be. Clinical experiences is what you make out of it. Nova has less requirement to graduate compared to Maryland because it is based on competency , not production like Maryland, so that is a plus. No one really cares what school you went to when they hire you for a job, honestly.
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I think Maryland would be cheaper but Nova would be similar if I stay at home and commute to Nova so not sure what to do.
 
DMD.DDS.2016 said:
Nova makes sense because it is in your home town. Maryland has the reputation/history yes, but instate tuition is not guaranteed so don't bank on that.

Both will make you a great dentist. Go where you will personally be happier for 4 years.
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Apparently getting instate is not that hard, just have to some things to get it. I think i'll be happy at either which is why this is so hard lol thanks for the help!
 
nebuchadnezzar90 said:
I think Maryland would be cheaper but Nova would be similar if I stay at home and commute to Nova so not sure what to do.
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Living in Maryland will forever change your life. You live in a bigger world where there are so many different people than you are. You get to meet people with nobel prizes and whose names are used to name certain diseases, medical interventions and etc. You get to meet lots of federal workers, investment bankers, and lawyers in top law firms.
 
EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
Living in Maryland will forever change your life. You live in a bigger world where there are so many different people than you are. You get to meet people with nobel prizes and whose names are used to name certain diseases, medical interventions and etc. You get to meet lots of federal workers, investment bankers, and lawyers in top law firms.
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How do you meet these people?
 
EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
By doing summer research internship and research fellowship at Hopkins and going into top tier dental residency programs.
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You don't really have the time to do long summer research programs as a Maryland student, but we do sometimes collaborate with peers there. You are much more likely to do research within the school
To reiterate, it is possible to get IS after first year. The requirements are not unreasonable, unlike some states where you have to buy a practice or marry a resident.
The area around canpus is pretty safe. Use common sense. Don't be flashy, use your phone late at night, or go down dark alleys or weird areas alone. We have a police escort shuttle for late night library trips that takes you to your door.
If you have any questions about Maryland, please feel free to reach out. I am a current third year student.
 
Follow-up: cheapest best school.

The extra money is so much more important to me
 
umbtoothfairy said:
You don't really have the time to do long summer research programs as a Maryland student, but we do sometimes collaborate with peers there. You are much more likely to do research within the school
To reiterate, it is possible to get IS after first year. The requirements are not unreasonable, unlike some states where you have to buy a practice or marry a resident.
The area around canpus is pretty safe. Use common sense. Don't be flashy, use your phone late at night, or go down dark alleys or weird areas alone. We have a police escort shuttle for late night library trips that takes you to your door.
If you have any questions about Maryland, please feel free to reach out. I am a current third year student.
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Sure. If one is just doing regular DDS, your statements are correct. However, if one learns more basic science and dental research, one may develop strong interests in masters in clinical research and dmd phd.

Maryland has these opportunities and students will have access to Maryland, Hopkins, and even National Institutes of Health through graduate exchange programs.

My two cents:
Maryland for unforeseen, extraordinary opportunities and vision
Nova for saving money and becoming a general dentist
 
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nebuchadnezzar90 said:
Their prices are similar if I live at home for Nova.
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nebuchadnezzar90 said:
Right now i'm leaning towards Nova because it's close to my house and all my family is here and I liked the campus
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^Based on the above information, I would vote for Nova due to those additional perks you discussed about it.

Also, I have done some serious research into Maryland's program, to include interviewing instructors, alumni, and some current students. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to compare other factors in each program.
 
Incis0r said:
^Based on the above information, I would vote for Nova due to those additional perks you discussed about it.

Also, I have done some serious research into Maryland's program, to include interviewing instructors, alumni, and some current students. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or want to compare other factors in each program.
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Thanks a lot for the help! I'll message you with any questions I have.
 
htdt said:
Also it comes down to whether you really want to live at home or not as a dental student. My family lives 30 min from my state school but I know for sure I don't want to live with them and commute.
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That's true, I was thinking of staying closer to the school the first year to see how it is and then decide on what to do the second year. For the last two years I heard it's not bad to commute so i'll probably end up doing that but I only like 15-20 minutes from the school.
 
cc-aerial.jpg


If you go to Maryland, you would gain opportunities to work in laboratories that have some of the most highly advanced, cutting edge technologies and meet people who are leaders in the field of dentistry and dental research like Martha Somerman D.D.S, Ph.D., the director of National Institute of Dental Craniofacial Research and Dr. Lawrence Tabak D.D.S. Ph.D, the deputy director of National Institutes of Health. Faculty members in Maryland have close connections to these people.

Here is the picture of the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. There is another NIH campus in Baltimore and it is close to Maryland and Hopkins. I don't know anyone with nobel prizes in Nova.

Even a person like Jameis Winston regrets choosing FSU over Stanford because even for him, money is not everything in life.
 
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EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
Maryland

1. Stronger research program, even has a DDS PHD program
2. Close to Hopkins and NIH in Baltimore --> great research opportunities and networking with people to aim for top tier residency programs in prestigious hospitals
3. Ellicot City --> Korea town in Maryland, has lots of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants that are as good as the ones in these countries or Los Angeles
4. Close to Philly and NYC: spend weekends in these cities after exams

Darn I am jealous
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Ellicott city is a Korean town? :laugh: Well, that's my favorite city in USA and I have never seen a Korean over there, not even shopping. I always thought it was a historic city with tons of antique shops (that's why it's my fave). Even cried when they flooded the other day.
 
CallMeDoct said:
Ellicott city is a Korean town? :laugh: Well, that's my favorite city in USA and I have never seen a Korean over there, not even shopping. I always thought it was a historic city with tons of antique shops (that's why it's my fave). Even cried when they flooded the other day.
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Yes, the historic town has lots of beautiful antique shops and a japanese green tea cafe. It was also one of the best places for pokemongo. You could catch dragonite there. I also worried about people there when there was flood..
https://www.yelp.com/biz/matcha-time-cafe-ellicott-city

The new part of the town has ton of Korean restaurants that are on par with the ones in the mainland. They are amazing...
https://www.yelp.com/biz/honey-pig-gooldaegee-korean-bbq-ellicott-city

After living in both places for at least 5 years, I say,

National Harbor, Inner Harbor, Alexandria Oldtown, National Mall, Dupont, Adams Morgan, Chesapeake Ohio Canal, Ellicot City Ktown, Annandale Ktown, DC Chinatown, Vietnamese Town, Hopkins, NIH >>>>>>>>>> Florida's beach, cuban bakeries, and some Japanese restaurants that only serve American sushi instead of chutoro and otoro.
 
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EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
Yes, the historic town has lots of beautiful antique shops and a japanese green tea cafe. It was also one of the best places for pokemongo. You could catch dragonite there. I also worried about people there when there was flood..
https://www.yelp.com/biz/matcha-time-cafe-ellicott-city

The new part of the town has ton of Korean restaurants that are on par with the ones in the mainland. They are amazing...
https://www.yelp.com/biz/honey-pig-gooldaegee-korean-bbq-ellicott-city

After living in both places for at least 5 years, I say,

National Harbor, Inner Harbor, Alexandria Oldtown, National Mall, Dupont, Adams Morgan, Chesapeake Ohio Canal, Ellicot City Ktown, Annandale Ktown, DC Chinatown, Vietnamese Town, Hopkins, NIH >>>>>>>>>> Florida's beach, cuban bakeries, and some Japanese restaurants that only serve American sushi instead of chutoro and otoro.
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Good to know. I asked my sister (which lives in MD, and that's why I've been there) and she said "You have only been in Main st, but I wouldn't say that Ellicott city is a Korean town. However, there's Koreans everywhere here in MD. I would say that the majority of the population in Ellicott is composed by white Americans. There's also more Indians than Koreans"
 
Definitely a huge concentration of Koreans in EC. Tons of Korean grocery stores, restaurants, karaoke, associations etc. I'm there almost every weekend getting drunk with a handful of old korean men
 
predental21250 said:
Definitely a huge concentration of Koreans in EC. Tons of Korean grocery stores, restaurants, karaoke, associations etc. I'm there almost every weekend getting drunk with a handful of old korean men
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But not in main st right?
 
Going to a school just because some famous person works there or is in the area isn't worth the extra $100,000 in my opinion... It's like paying an extra $100,000 to attend University of Cambridge just so you can take a class with Stephen Hawking... who I hear (based on ratemyprofessor.com) talks more about himself than the class he teaches. If I wanted to hear a famous person talk... YouTube is bae.
 
Typical Average Student said:
Going to a school just because some famous person works there or is in the area isn't worth the extra $100,000 in my opinion... It's like paying an extra $100,000 to attend University of Cambridge just so you can take a class with Stephen Hawking... who I hear (based on ratemyprofessor.com) talks more about himself than the class he teaches. If I wanted to hear a famous person talk... YouTube is bae.
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Not true. If you do research with a faculty member in Maryland, you can also do your dmd phd or masters with nih nidcr people because they always collaborate one another. Not only with that, you attend conferences at nih, hopkins and get to know people too. You cannot network and collaborate with people through youtube.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
Not true. If you do research with a faculty member in Maryland, you can also do your dmd phd or masters with nih nidcr people because they always collaborate one another. Not only with that, you attend conferences at nih, hopkins and get to know people too. You cannot network and collaborate with people through youtube.
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The number of people who actually do this is small. Maryland is a great school, I love it. I was lucky to be IS and save on it. OP will make the right choice in the end and I continue to emphasis best cheap school. I do recommend living away from home in general, but thats just me. In which case, Maryland is the best option
 
umbtoothfairy said:
The number of people who actually do this is small. Maryland is a great school, I love it. I was lucky to be IS and save on it. OP will make the right choice in the end and I continue to emphasis best cheap school. I do recommend living away from home in general, but thats just me. In which case, Maryland is the best option
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I agree with you that Maryland is a great school.

If the OP just wants to be an ordinary dentist, go to Maryland.

If the OP wants to be the leader, innovator, and someone who creates scientific knowledge and presents his or her work at NIH NIDCR so that he or she could inspire and enlighten millions of ordinary people, go to Maryland.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
I agree with you that Maryland is a great school.

If the OP just wants to be an ordinary dentist, go to Maryland.

If the OP wants to be the leader, innovator, and someone who creates knowledge and presents his or her work at NIH NIDCR, and inspire and enlighten millions of ordinary people, go to Maryland.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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To be fair though, someone with those inspirations and with the motivation/work ethic will achieve that wherever they go.
 
predental21250 said:
To be fair though, someone with those inspirations and with the motivation/work ethic will achieve that wherever they go.
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Environment matters. Mike Zuckerberg took the same ap classes but he took them at Philips Exeter academy with Kennedys and Bushes. He not only got college credits but also founded facebook.


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EighteenstreetloungePUA said:
Environment matters. Mike Zuckerberg took the same ap classes but he took them at Philips Exeter academy with Kennedys and Bushes. He not only got college credits but also founded facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Environment definitely matters, but we're talking about professional school and the field of dentistry which is a niche. If you're great at what you do, people will notice wherever you are.
 
predental21250 said:
Environment definitely matters, but we're talking about professional school and the field of dentistry which is a niche. If you're great at what you do, people will notice wherever you are.
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Yes. And this is how one finds his or her own vision at Maryland.
https://www.dental.umaryland.edu/research/graduate-programs/combined-dds-phd-program/

NOVA, UDM, Western, and UNE are the schools that train clinicians but they do not have the programs, people, or even resources to train clinician scientists.

You need the environment where there are people with unique visions that inspire you not the environment that are full of people with the very same, ordinary goal.
 
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