Pros/Cons of U Maryland, Attn Interviewees/dental students

[Ryltar]

Hello, I have an interview at UMD in a two weeks.

What are the pros and cons of UMD dental school? For dental students, what are your most favorite and least favorite aspects of UMD dental school?

Thanks in advance!

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[Ryltar]

bump

 

[vlct0ria]

I too am interested, but most people on this forum probably only know as much as we do...probably want to try the actual dental forum which mostly dental students visit. 👍

 

[kitejunky27]

I got asked that question at my interview

I thinks its annoying thing to ask since half the reason you go to a interview is to learn about the school. If asked now i could give good answer about why maryland is good for ME, but during my interview i was still processing what i had learnt and had not yet had a chance to walk around baltimore yet.

the question seems a little backwards to me.

 

[Maka]

I'm a D1 at UMD, I interviewed back in Feb, accepted off the waitlist March 30th. This school has a lot of pros, some cons. First, the school itself is beautiful, it's only a few years old.

1 - Our technology is incredible all around, but because I'm a D1 I really haven't had a chance to indulge in it all yet...but I can't wait. The D3s/D4s love it. One technological aspect I have enjoyed is our "mediasite" - essentially all of our lectures are shown live online/recorded and linked to the powerpoints....so maybe I'm confused about something on "slide 48," I can go to that slide and hear the professor talk about it quickly and efficiently. Some classes require attendance, others it's optional provided you're scoring at a certain level (so in cell bio if your test avg is above an 80, you don't have to go to class).

2 - Another plus is we take our boards after year 1 when the material is still fresh - all the D2s are so happy it's out of the way (I'm not sure if our passing rate is 100% or not, but it's up there).

3 - The student body is pretty great, we were assigned a "big brother/big sister" during orientation, and the D2s are really out to help us. They give us advice on how to prepare for certain tests and even the occasional "waxing party." Also, I expected the dental school to be really nerdy, but a lot of us play sports together, hit the gym, and just have a good time.

There's a lot more things, but these are what comes to mind during my 2am study break.

Cons:
1 - To some, Baltimore is a Con. If you're not comfortable in an urban environment, this school is not for you. I'm from a rural area, I love being in the city. I live right downtown, 5 min walk from school, I can walk to just about anywhere of interest. I'm also 6'1 190 lbs, so walking around is not an issue for me. Some of the female students don't feel safe walking around at night time, but they school does provide a free ride service anywhere on campus. One upside to Baltimore is a huge patient pool.

2 - Most of our teachers are really great, some are a drag. Some of our teachers are from different countries, so if English is not your first language, you might have some of the material lost in translation. I'm from the States, and it has not been an issue for me, however.

3 - This is expected, but you work your butt off. The effort that got me an A in undergrad won't get me a C here - if you think D1 is going to be a cake walk, even with a solid bio background, you're in for a very rude surprise.

Overall, I'm totally pleased with the school, I'm enjoying my life, and I've learned more in 2.5 months here than I did in a year of undergrad. On my interview, I didn't have any surprises, honestly, it sounds cliché, but just be yourself and tell the truth. The interviewers are intuitive people, and can smell bull**** upwind in a hurricane, so be honest. If you have any other questions, just let me know.

 

[Ryltar]

Thank you Maka. That's pretty interesting that UMD dental students take their boards part I after the first year. I'm not sure if this is advantageous or not. Do you know of any other dental schools that do this?

 

[lekso]

Thank you Maka. That's pretty interesting that UMD dental students take their boards part I after the first year. I'm not sure if this is advantageous or not. Do you know of any other dental schools that do this?

I know ASDOH an Midwestern take the boards at the end of the 1st year too. Students that I've talked to seem to love it. I'm sure there are some other schools that do that but I'm not sure which.

 

[dentist1234]

Can one become a Maryland resident either before school starts or at least after the first year?

 

[Maka]

Can one become a Maryland resident either before school starts or at least after the first year?

From what I understand you can do that, however it is not easy. One D2 that I know did it is married to a Maryland resident so that made it easier for her...however I personally am not looking into it (I hope to get a military scholarship), so I don't know much about it. My out-of-state loan package, after EVERYTHING is about 88k/year. You should understand that you do not have to accept that much, but I'm living in a nice 1-br apartment by myself downtown, and I think it's worth it.

 

[judiciousjim]

I am thinking of reclassifying myself as a Maryland resident. I have lived in Baltimore for 4 months now and by next fall (if I get in), it will have been more than 12 months. However, I have not heard back from them. Do you guys think it's a good idea to call them up and let them know that I've been working in Baltimore for 4 months and will continue to work there for another 9 months or so? Also, what is the total instate costs per year?

Thanks

 

[Ryltar]

2 - Most of our teachers are really great, some are a drag. Some of our teachers are from different countries, so if English is not your first language, you might have some of the material lost in translation. I'm from the States, and it has not been an issue for me, however.

Doesn't every dental school have a few professors who are mediocre at teaching? How many professors that are a drag are we talking here?

 

[Maka]

Doesn't every dental school have a few professors who are mediocre at teaching? How many professors that are a drag are we talking here?

Each "real" class we have is taught by like...5+ teachers. So for micro, we have one lecturers doing adaptive immune system, one doing innate, one doing gram neg bacteria, etc...so if you have a crappy teacher, odds are the pain won't last long (same goes for good ones unfortunately). At this point so far I have 2 teachers that I cannot stand, maybe 4 that I love, and a plethora of those that are OK all around. The ones I dislike happen to be brilliant researchers, which is probably why they got tenured. Honestly though, once you "learn" how to be in dental school, it really doesn't matter. I cannot learn in class, so I end up not going or zoning out, then busting my butt in the library for 8 hours a day when the time comes. Other kids go to every class and are attentive (I don't know how they do it), and I suppose it would matter more for them.

Oh, the way attendance works is this: some classes "require" it and will dock you points if you do not go, other classes have "threshold grades" so if you have B average, you don't have to go, others will afford you favors if your attendance is good...so if you're at a 79.5, they'll round that up to a 80% (B) if you have good attendance, and will leave you at a C if you have bad attendance. Also, if you fail something, the school/class will be nicer about fixing it if your attendance is good. Labs are mandatory, however I love waxing labs and look forward to going.