Could anyone provide some insight on the pros and cons of both? They are both OOS for me and I don't plan on specializing.
UCLA v. UMaryland
- Thread starter jbyun48
- Start date
Well Mr. Byun,
UCLA is an amazing program. You have the option of becoming a great GP (the route I am taking) or a specialist (which shouldn't be hard considering UCLA's placement rate). There are lots of Koreans. The school is Pass/Fail... So, That made finals week somewhat enjoyable. You have a small class. You have a very active ASDA chapter to get involved with. You have TONS of research opportunities. Assuming you are a Cali resident, it is much more financially smart (which should be the only deciding factor in my opinion). And the name does not hurt.
Both options will make you a dentist. But, the better choice might make you happy while in school, less stressed during finals, and less broke after school.
lol.
Happy choosing,
Jawsss
UCLA is an amazing program. You have the option of becoming a great GP (the route I am taking) or a specialist (which shouldn't be hard considering UCLA's placement rate). There are lots of Koreans. The school is Pass/Fail... So, That made finals week somewhat enjoyable. You have a small class. You have a very active ASDA chapter to get involved with. You have TONS of research opportunities. Assuming you are a Cali resident, it is much more financially smart (which should be the only deciding factor in my opinion). And the name does not hurt.
Both options will make you a dentist. But, the better choice might make you happy while in school, less stressed during finals, and less broke after school.
lol.
Happy choosing,
Jawsss
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
- Messages
- 262
- Reaction score
- 151
I've head nothing but good things about both programs. I'll personally be going to UCLA in fall, in large part because 1) it's so close to home for me and 2) It's great reputation in placing students into specialty programs. If you're dead-set on not specializing I'd take a hard look at Maryland because I have heard that their facilities are amazing and they do a fantastic job of getting you tons of clinical experience. Compared to the places I've interviewed, UCLA seems to be middle of the pack clinically, but absolutely outstanding didactically and in terms of providing their students opportunities to get involved in extra-curriculars which are both very helpful for getting into specialty (depending upon what you want out of a school that might not be very appealing to you). UCLA tends to have the reputation of being a little bit more competitive compared to most schools because so many students come in with the mentality of wanting to be specialists that they all are striving extra hard to earn that A in class which could certainly make things more stressful. A HUGE plus of UCLA however, is the awesome weather year round, which I think many people underestimate when picking a place to live for four years.
I never interviewed at Maryland, but from what I've heard if you're looking to do general dentistry it seems to be a slightly better option although UCLA certainly produces plenty of excellent general dentists. You definitely have a tough choice ahead of you, but both are great choices so you really can't go too wrong. Great job in putting yourself in this position, you've earned it! Best of luck!
I never interviewed at Maryland, but from what I've heard if you're looking to do general dentistry it seems to be a slightly better option although UCLA certainly produces plenty of excellent general dentists. You definitely have a tough choice ahead of you, but both are great choices so you really can't go too wrong. Great job in putting yourself in this position, you've earned it! Best of luck!
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2013
- Messages
- 37
- Reaction score
- 3
I interviewed at both and was accepted to UCLA and waitlisted at Maryland, I am a CA resident. I really like the location of Maryland's campus and believe they have a larger patient pool which may or may not make it easier to get procedures done. They also have the PLUS clinic that only does work on immunocompromised patients, which seems really interesting. Maryland has grades versus the Pass/Fail of UCLA. Even though I was waitlisted I would still probably choose UCLA, but that is almost entirely due to geography. Cost of living is lower in Baltimore and you could go almost completely carless depending on where you chose to live in the area which is much more difficult in Los Angeles.
I would probably pick which ever was the less expensive option, so take into account the higher equipment fees of UCLA and the higher OOS tuition of Maryland until you could become a resident. In the end both programs will get you a degree and its going to come down to how much you want to get out of program, any program, to become comfortable practicing.
I would probably pick which ever was the less expensive option, so take into account the higher equipment fees of UCLA and the higher OOS tuition of Maryland until you could become a resident. In the end both programs will get you a degree and its going to come down to how much you want to get out of program, any program, to become comfortable practicing.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 508
- Reaction score
- 111
Both fantastic schools that provide exceptional educations. Not sure of the financial aspects, so if they're in the same ballpark and "fit" and "feel" are equal, you're looking at 4 years in Brentwood vs. 4 years in Baltimore.
Just to clarify some things.
UCLA is Pass/Fail. So, students will strive for an "A" however, from what everyone at school says and even what I noticed this quarter, students quickly realize that you only need to pass, so they are striving for a C- (70%+) rather than an A. This made finals weeks and studying with others students very stress-free. Even with a bunch of passes and a pass on the boards, UCLA manages to match any student that desires to specialize. We have a great administration that stays on top of applications and lobbies for you during the application process.
However, many people also say "if you are going to specialize, go to UCLA, if not, go somewhere else." I am not planning on specializing. I received the NHSC scholarship and fully plan on being a general dentist for the rest of my life. UCLA is BY FAR the best option that I saw for this. There is no stress of grades. Passing your classes at UCLA (and I think I can say this because I just took seven finals and saw my grades) is not THAT difficult. Yes, you have to study, but I don't think you have to study more than students at other schools... I would venture to say, you study less. There were multiple times during finals week that I said "ok, to pass, I need to get a 35% on this final." Granted, I always tried for the highest grade, but, any pass I received in my classes looks just as good as a grade at another school. So, you can see why I think that UCLA is probably a better route for students desiring to go into general dentistry.
Maryland was an amazing school. I loved it when I visited. It just did not have what I was looking for.
UCLA is Pass/Fail. So, students will strive for an "A" however, from what everyone at school says and even what I noticed this quarter, students quickly realize that you only need to pass, so they are striving for a C- (70%+) rather than an A. This made finals weeks and studying with others students very stress-free. Even with a bunch of passes and a pass on the boards, UCLA manages to match any student that desires to specialize. We have a great administration that stays on top of applications and lobbies for you during the application process.
However, many people also say "if you are going to specialize, go to UCLA, if not, go somewhere else." I am not planning on specializing. I received the NHSC scholarship and fully plan on being a general dentist for the rest of my life. UCLA is BY FAR the best option that I saw for this. There is no stress of grades. Passing your classes at UCLA (and I think I can say this because I just took seven finals and saw my grades) is not THAT difficult. Yes, you have to study, but I don't think you have to study more than students at other schools... I would venture to say, you study less. There were multiple times during finals week that I said "ok, to pass, I need to get a 35% on this final." Granted, I always tried for the highest grade, but, any pass I received in my classes looks just as good as a grade at another school. So, you can see why I think that UCLA is probably a better route for students desiring to go into general dentistry.
Maryland was an amazing school. I loved it when I visited. It just did not have what I was looking for.
just wait until you have Shin, good luck
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2013
- Messages
- 37
- Reaction score
- 3
Information is available on the UMD website. They have a few more hoops to jump through than other states I have looked at. You can also help your process along by having letters from residence that speak to how much you are committed to making Maryland your home state. For California you need to do all of the same paperwork items, change driver's license and voting. Their process is done almost entirely online and if you are having issues with it or get declined thats when you can appeal and submit items to help your case.
