UPenn or Maryland???!?!?

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lotus24

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Decisions decisions!
Any good input regarding Upenn vs Maryland would be appreciated. Definitely split 50-50 in terms of where to go, already placed deposits for both places. Out of state for Maryland, so cost is not that big of a difference b/w the two. Maryland is closer in proximity. Both places seem great... Help!

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i don't know, but you better hurry and decide. Since you put a deposit in at both schools you are holding up a spot that can be given to another poor sap waiting to get accepted.
 
Pick Maryland....Im on the alternate list at UPENN and its my number one choice. If you pick Maryland it gives me a better chance. Help a fellow soon to be dentist out. ;)
 
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penn...better matching rate.
 
Penn is a fine school; however, Maryland's spectacular new facilities clearly show the emphasis the University has placed on making the school a top-ranked institution, and point to where 21st century dentistry is headed. From the point of view of Class of 2010 and beyond, I don't think Penn compares.
 
starbright said:
penn...better matching rate.

Uhm...cus people should ONLY care about becmoing a specialist to get those big $$ rite? if you're specialize, you're either awesome at a specific thing and that makes you cool or you're a lazy weenie that doesnt wanna bother building a practice. Forget about matching rate, you do well at any school you'll get in wherever you want to.
 
Hi! I don't necessarily agree about the new facilities making the school great. Maryland is a great school, not because of its new facilities...that is definitely a plus, but I don't think the new facilities will better one's education. I personally want to learn about older technologies, because, say if I want to volunteer at a third world country, and they don't have digital equipments, that's fine, because I know how to do things manually. Also, with digital equipments & new technologies, they're not very hard to learn later on, when you're able to afford them for your own dental office. :thumbup:

With that said, MD has always been a school that graduates fine clinicians. All of my dentists are MD graduates, and they're great. Upenn is also a great school. About 10% of the people at MD specialize (according to a friend that is currently a third year), and that percentage is certainly greater at Upenn. Philly is pretty dangerous, but it is safer than Baltimore. :p If I were in your shoes, ignoring all financial aspects, I would choose Upenn.
 
WonderY said:
Hi! I don't necessarily agree about the new facilities making the school great. Maryland is a great school, not because of its new facilities...that is definitely a plus, but I don't think the new facilities will better one's education. I personally want to learn about older technologies, because, say if I want to volunteer at a third world country, and they don't have digital equipments, that's fine, because I know how to do things manually. Also, with digital equipments & new technologies, they're not very hard to learn later on, when you're able to afford them for your own dental office. :thumbup:

With that said, MD has always been a school that graduates fine clinicians. All of my dentists are MD graduates, and they're great. Upenn is also a great school. About 10% of the people at MD specialize (according to a friend that is currently a third year), and that percentage is certainly greater at Upenn. Philly is pretty dangerous, but it is safer than Baltimore. :p If I were in your shoes, ignoring all financial aspects, I would choose Upenn.

Excellent response and not because I chose Penn. I agree with you that new technology does not necessarily mean a better education. Both schools are really nice and they both churn out excellent dentists.
PS: Thought you might want to know that some clinics in developing countries have comparable technology to what we have here. I shadowed at a clinic in Lagos, Nigeria and it looked/worked like any clinic in the States (ofcourse, it was a 'rich folks' clinic so they're not available everywhere or to everyone) so you're very correct about some things getting done 'manually' (The state hospital's dental clinic was not so cool--that's where the poor folks go :thumbdown: ). I'm very interested in working in developing countries too. Maybe we can work together in the future. What D-school have you chosen to attend?
 
duh? said:
What D-school have you chosen to attend?

I chose Maryland over Upenn because I'm a MD resident. :p
 
coolraz said:
Uhm...cus people should ONLY care about becmoing a specialist to get those big $$ rite? if you're specialize, you're either awesome at a specific thing and that makes you cool or you're a lazy weenie that doesnt wanna bother building a practice. Forget about matching rate, you do well at any school you'll get in wherever you want to.

i didn't choose maryland b/c YES i do want to specialize..and not for the money...but because its what i want to do. i also dind't go to maryland because as stated above, those high tech clinics wont help me when im practicing in a FREE clinic.

" Forget about matching rate, you do well at any school you'll get in wherever you want to.[/QUOTE]"

Right.
 
coolraz said:
Uhm...cus people should ONLY care about becmoing a specialist to get those big $$ rite? if you're specialize, you're either awesome at a specific thing and that makes you cool or you're a lazy weenie that doesnt wanna bother building a practice. Forget about matching rate, you do well at any school you'll get in wherever you want to.

i didn't choose maryland b/c YES i do want to specialize..and not for the money...but because its what i want to do. i also didnt't go to maryland because as stated above, those high tech clinics wont help me when im practicing in a FREE clinic.

" Forget about matching rate, you do well at any school you'll get in wherever you want to.[/QUOTE]"

Right.
 
It kind of bothers me (and adcoms, and actual dentists) when pre-dents say that they KNOW they want to specialize while most have not even had any exposure to all the specialties. Anyway, if you actually really know what speciality you're getting into and why, props to you and keep pursuing it.

Oh and yeah, I gotta repeat it. matching rates are b/s. What you need to look at is how many people matched / how many WANTED to specialize (NOT how many in the class). Sure at harvard 99% of people match, but at maryland last year (this is from on of the 2005 grads) all but 1 of the people who wanted to specialize did too. So, like I said, you can specialize from ANY school.
 
WonderY said:
Hi! I don't necessarily agree about the new facilities making the school great. Maryland is a great school, not because of its new facilities...that is definitely a plus, but I don't think the new facilities will better one's education. I personally want to learn about older technologies, because, say if I want to volunteer at a third world country, and they don't have digital equipments, that's fine, because I know how to do things manually. Also, with digital equipments & new technologies, they're not very hard to learn later on, when you're able to afford them for your own dental office. :thumbup:

Just as digital technology is not hard to learn later on, neither is learning about old-school techniques. For example, the dip and dunk x-ray developers. I almsot never developed an x-ray in dental school - we had automated x-ray processors and the assistants did most of the developing with these processors. However, in private practice, neither office I work at uses that technology. Office #1 - seriously old school and hand develops x-rays, which I learned to do in like 2 mintues. Office #2 - all digital, learned also in 10 minutes how to manipulate images and find patients on the software. I wish I had learned more about implants and rotary endo in dental school, I feel like such an idiot in private practice facing an uphill learning curve trying to learn it on my own now experimenting on patients.

If all of you are worried about not being able to work in free clinics b/c you trained at technologically advanced schools, think again. Procedures in free clinics are generally limited to extractions, fillings, and maybe some cleanings and sealants on kids. These are easily learned in any dental curriculum. Having techology on your side is a bonus. The money to build your dental careers will be in the technologically advanced procedures - rotary endo, implants, digital imaging, etc. That is the money you will need if you plan on financing those missions to the free dental clinic to be humanitarians.
 
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