Clinical:
I have seen Tufts, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and NYU, and overall Maryland has a pretty good clinical setting. I don't know about you guys but when the tour guy took us down to the clinics, the whole environment felt more like a hospital than crammed dental offices. Also, Baltimore has a pretty diverse patient population, which is something you should definitely consider. Schools in urban areas are always good choices if you are looking for a good clinically experience.
Research:
Maryland does have an excellent research program.
I'm sure if this is entirely true but Dr. Meehan, Dean of Admission, said they were 2nd in the nation last year for NIH grants. I'm not sure if this means anything but at Tufts, they gave us a summary of schools with the most # of 2004 AADR abstracts. I guess, in other words, that means # of researches published:
1. BU
2. Harvard
3. NYU
4. Tufts
5. U. Penn
6. Maryland
7. Columbia
8. Temple
(From Harvard - Maryland, the schools differ by 1 or 2 but Maryland and Columbia differ by 9 in # of 2004 AADR abstracts.)
Student Body:
This was one of the reasons why I wanted to come here. Everyone had fun with each other, and the student body seemed tight compared to other schools I've been to, or at least that's how I perceived it.
Location:
Like I said before, urban areas usually have a diverse patient population so it was plus for me. Baltimore can be dangerous but I would assume there would be a pretty comfortable level of security around the dental school area. I've lived in NYC, and I can't say Baltimore is better than NYC but it's close to experiencing an urban life as you would in NYC if you are into things like that.
Overall quality:
I agree with USUaggie. It was the best program out of all my interviews. I got accepted to every school I interviewed, but for the reasons above, I picked Maryland.
Other serious input:
I have friends working at NIH (which has no affiliation with Maryland Dental), and all the people they have talked to said Maryland was the best in the country. I'm going to Maryland and I don't think it's the best in the country but I guess it's something to think about and something for you to decide.