2018-2019 University of Maryland

[mysonadoctor]

Kinda late in the game... I always thought if you didnt hear anything by February they were done, cause most schools only interview up till March... I guess you never know.

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[Throwaway21234567]

Kinda late in the game... I always thought if you didnt hear anything by February they were done, cause most schools only interview up till March... I guess you never know.

@nationer5
I sent an update (via email) over the weekend and they may have ghosted me. They have yet to respond
EDIT: they added my update to my file

 

[Wasntmi]

Just received my first A this cycle! So unbelievably thrilled that I can officially pursue my dream of becoming a doctor! Interviewed about 3 weeks ago

 

[angelmed123]

Just received my first A this cycle! So unbelievably thrilled that I can officially pursue my dream of becoming a doctor! Interviewed about 3 weeks ago

Wow congrats!!

 

[bosoxs505]

Are they offering interviews still?

I do not think so. I received my II in the first week of January and they were already scheduling into March.

 

[Throwaway21234567]

I do not think so. I received my II in the first week of January and they were already scheduling into March.

They accepted my update. lol. They added it to my file. why would they do that then?

 

[subdermallight]

Just received my first A this cycle! So unbelievably thrilled that I can officially pursue my dream of becoming a doctor! Interviewed about 3 weeks ago

Congratulations! How did they notify you?

 

[Wasntmi]

Congratulations! How did they notify you?

They sent an e-mail telling me to check the portal Subject line just said application status update. Also I'm OOS

 

[cutemightdeletelater]

They sent an e-mail telling me to check the portal Subject line just said application status update. Also I'm OOS

Congrats!! Would you mind sharing your interview date? I interviewed the first week of February and still waiting to hear back...At this point I'm thinking I must've been put on the WL or R since some other folk around my date have already heard back for acceptances. I'm considering sending in an update but not sure if that would help at this point, or saving it for a letter of intent if indeed I am placed on the WL (Maryland is my top choice even though I'm OOS).

 

[Wasntmi]

Congrats!! Would you mind sharing your interview date? I interviewed the first week of February and still waiting to hear back...At this point I'm thinking I must've been put on the WL or R since some other folk around my date have already heard back for acceptances. I'm considering sending in an update but not sure if that would help at this point, or saving it for a letter of intent if indeed I am placed on the WL (Maryland is my top choice even though I'm OOS).

Not sure about the LOI all I sent was a thank you note to my interviewers. My date was the week of Feb 11-15 (Sorry I didn't want to say the exact one but I hope that gives you a rough idea). Maybe someone else can shed some light on anything you can do now to help you

 

[subdermallight]

Congrats!! Would you mind sharing your interview date? I interviewed the first week of February and still waiting to hear back...At this point I'm thinking I must've been put on the WL or R since some other folk around my date have already heard back for acceptances. I'm considering sending in an update but not sure if that would help at this point, or saving it for a letter of intent if indeed I am placed on the WL (Maryland is my top choice even though I'm OOS).

I was looking at last years thread. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern of accepting first and waitlisting/rejecting later, but the data is sparse. Seems like people pretty consistently heard back just a bit over a month from their interview. So I would predict early feb interviewees to hear this week. (Take this with a pound of salt)

How many people have you heard received acceptances from near your interview date?

 

[scaredlostconfused]

I was looking at last years thread. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern of accepting first and waitlisting/rejecting later, but the data is sparse. Seems like people pretty consistently heard back just a bit over a month from their interview. So I would predict early feb interviewees to hear this week. (Take this with a pound of salt)

How many people have you heard received acceptances from near your interview date?

im also interested. im IS and interviewed the first full week of february but havent heard back yet. seeing as how they only release decisions on tuesdays, hopefully we'll hear back next week? esp with second look being in a few weeks!!

 

[subdermallight]

im also interested. im IS and interviewed the first full week of february but havent heard back yet. seeing as how they only release decisions on tuesdays, hopefully we'll hear back next week? esp with second look being in a few weeks!!

I didn’t know about the Tuesday thing! Is that so? That’s great then, I only need to refresh my email 100x on Tuesdays now

 

[cutemightdeletelater]

I didn’t know about the Tuesday thing! Is that so? That’s great then, I only need to refresh my email 100x on Tuesdays now

From this year's posts it looks like Tue/Thurs to be dates with decisions, or at least the acceptances (probably since they hold interviews Mon/Wed). I've tried so hard not to be neurotic and check SDN and my emails thus far, but this wait is slowly eating me up inside haha

n=2 though for the acceptances in early February, one was the first week of February and the other was Wasntmi who was second week of Feb.

 

[scaredlostconfused]

From this year's posts it looks like Tue/Thurs to be dates with decisions, or at least the acceptances (probably since they hold interviews Mon/Wed). I've tried so hard not to be neurotic and check SDN and my emails thus far, but this wait is slowly eating me up inside haha

n=2 though for the acceptances in early February, one was the first week of February and the other was Wasntmi who was second week of Feb.

someone from a few pages before said that the committee meets on mondays and decisions go out the next day. im assuming that the one thursday that decisions went out, it was because of president's day so they met on weds instead.

 

[confusedandlostsos]

for anyone who's already interviewed, is there a lot of walking during the interview?

 

[Wasntmi]

for anyone who's already interviewed, is there a lot of walking during the interview?

They have you go to your interviewer's office which can be far from the admissions building. I personally didn't want to walk too much (5 minutes outside, 10 minutes or so on the tour), but I heard others had to go decently far (not sure what it would be like with bad weather).

Short answer - prepare to be outside a lot is fair.

 

[bosoxs505]

I'm interviewing later this week and it seems that I have morning interviews. The portal is telling me why time has changed and to arrive at 8 am. Does anyone know how long the interview day goes until?

 

[kt824]

sent an ITA this morning and they responded saying they were done sending II's :/

 

[lecrah_96]

I'm interviewing later this week and it seems that I have morning interviews. The portal is telling me why time has changed and to arrive at 8 am. Does anyone know how long the interview day goes until?

Both of my interviews were in the morning, so my interview day was done after the student campus tour, which I think was around 2 pm!

 

[subdermallight]

Anyone know how much waitlist movement there is?

 

[scaredlostconfused]

Anyone know how much waitlist movement there is?

~10/160 according to msar. did you get a decision today?

 

[liutimot]

Got hit with a waitlist I like this school.

 

[scaredlostconfused]

Has anyone heard anything yet today?

interviewed first week of feb, still nothing :|

 

[cutemightdeletelater]

interviewed first week of feb, still nothing :|

Same! I was hoping to hear today but I guess it'll be another week...

 

[academy4dawise]

still on hold, what are the chances i get an II

 

[subdermallight]

still on hold, what are the chances i get an II

I think someone said earlier here that there will be no more interviews but can’t remember for sure

 

[Throwaway21234567]

sent an ITA this morning and they responded saying they were done sending II's :/

why are we not rejected then?

I think someone said earlier here that there will be no more interviews but can’t remember for sure

I am also on hold. Looks like they are too lazy to reject us

 

[deleted905798]

when can we expect fin. aid packages? I was accepted months ago but haven't heard anything

 

[tomatocarrot]

Aah when is second look?

Second Look Day is on March 29 this year.

 

[tomatocarrot]

when can we expect fin. aid packages? I was accepted months ago but haven't heard anything

I'm not sure when merit scholarships for UMSOM were given out last year, but the financial aid award letters were shared 4/11 last year. Last year, I heard about financial aid and scholarships from most medical schools in mid March to mid April, all before decision day on April 30.

 

[tomatocarrot]

Is the general consensus that we should hear back approximately a month post-interview? Skimming past posts makes it seem like it takes anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months to hear back.

I heard back after 6.5 weeks last year after interviewing in mid-September. It was brutal haha, but worth the wait. They just said ball park 4-6 weeks is when you hear back. Some hear earlier, some later.

 

[tomatocarrot]

anyone know how difficult it is to get instate status at this school?

Very possible. Most students get it. You have to apply for stuff and get letters from different community things you participate in. You can ask out of state students at the second look day for more details if you were accepted.

 

[tomatocarrot]

I am really torn about the grading system. I have a friend who goes to UMD and she says “you have to study really hard for step 1 anyway so pass/fail or not doesn’t really matter bc no matter what you’re going to be trying to know it all”. Other people say that all schools are ranking you internally to some extent and if they’re not then that’s a disservice to the people who are doing well. Other people say pass/fail really makes it a non competitive environment. So idk how much of a factor to make the grading system when weighing UMD against other options

I'm a current student. I debated other med schools that didn't have letter grading system and had the same concern, but it's pretty non-competitive here. Every medical school class will have its competitive people and I"m sure UMSOM is no exception to that (after all, we all were pre-meds once), but overall, most people are collaborative, at least from what I can tell. No one's whispering about each other's grades or trying to knock anyone down haha. We collaborate, have a class group chat and FB page, make sample tests for each other to help prepare for exams...one of our classmates bought Insomnia Cookies and put them in the student lounge to share since we have an exam this week. You get the picture.

In my opinion, grades don't make it more competitive. You ultimately still care about pass/fail...so if you get a C, you think hm, didn't do as well as I hoped, but hey at least I passed, time to celebrate! Maybe the gunners are worried about the A, B, and C's, but most people just want to do their best and adjust to getting B's and C's and it's totally fine. Most people get B's. Our averages sit at 83-86 per exam. The preclinical grades don't matter that much anyways. They could help distinguish you a little bit in residency evaluation or if you didn't do as well on STEP, but ultimately, that STEP 1 score matters more than those preclinical grades so that also takes off some of the pressure.

 

[pinkcatsocks]

I interviewed 1/7 and didn’t hear back until 3/5. I got waitlisted, so more waiting for me!

 

[tomatocarrot]

Do any current students have any information on the proposed new curriculum for 2020?

I know another school told me (on interview day) that the LCME (who grants schools accreditation) decided that all schools must move towards an “intergrated” curriculum model instead of the traditional 2 years preclinical 2 years clinical by a certain year (i don’t remember the details) or they lose their accreditation. So if I’m correct I’d assume it’ll be like other schools that have a more integrated curriculum. I’m also totally guessing though

Thank you for this. I wonder how dramatic the changes will be. From what I remember UMD seemed to have a very traditional curriculum and grades, so I wonder if this would actually change for our second year. Should probably assume not

I'm a current student, but I think for the most part, students and the school aren't answering too many questions on the new curriculum because the new curriculum is still in the works and this new curriculum should not affect those matriculating in 2019 (i.e. if you applied this cycle). We don't want to say anything and then it ends up being not true. Whatever you hear from current students at interview lunches and even second look day, I would take with a grain of salt because a lot of is speculation and the details aren't set down yet. Also to repeat, this should not affect you. You'll still have the tried and true traditional curriculum that's been around for a long time. Yes, it's in need of some reform (I think every med school curriculum can improve obviously), but students do very well on STEP and match well with this current curriculum, so at least you won't be a guinea pig and things will be pretty familiar (plus you can get advice from upperclassmen on your courses). UMSOM has a very strong clinical reputation as well, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the new curriculum. So far we have some working groups forming and discussions going around about specific parts of the curriculum. This is basically the only info we were given so far:

Briefly, the basic premises of the new curriculum are:

• Reform of the preclinical curriculum
  • Integration of normal and abnormal
  • Enhanced clinical relevance and correlation to clinical practice
  • Use of active learning methods and new technologies
  • Consolidation and earlier end of preclinical phase
• Enhancement of clinical training – MS4
  • Back to basics
  • Specific residency prep
  • Specialty-specific scholarly activity/research
• Enrichment of longitudinal tracks/pathways

 

[bosoxs505]

Interviewed on Wednesday and walked away very impressed. I particularly appreciated the lunch with 2nd and 4th-year students. Seems like a top class school and would attend in a heartbeat.

 

[Westoftgebest]

this might have been asked before, but are exams professor written or NBME

 

[anavocadothanks]

got waitlisted here back in November and took it pretty much as a rejection because I saw on MSAR that in previous years only 10-15 people got accepted off the waitlist. Does anyone think it is possible they might be using the waitlist more heavily this year due to new trafficking rules? Is all hope truly lost (please be brutally honest with me on this because I don't wanna keep wishing that I get in if I have no chance)? but I'm IS and interviewed on October 15th!

 

[Flareicus]

got waitlisted here back in November and took it pretty much as a rejection because I saw on MSAR that in previous years only 10-15 people got accepted off the waitlist. Does anyone think it is possible they might be using the waitlist more heavily this year due to new trafficking rules? Is all hope truly lost (please be brutally honest with me on this because I don't wanna keep wishing that I get in if I have no chance)? but I'm IS and interviewed on October 15th!

Honestly, it's difficult to say. There just really no information to make any definitive statements either way. I'd speculate that they probably wouldn't be too drastic of changes in all honesty given the AdCom has years of admissions trends to go off of. I wouldn't expect to see much if any WL movement until May when applicants finalize their schools and withdraw their acceptances.

 

[anavocadothanks]

Honestly, it's difficult to say. There just really no information to make any definitive statements either way. I'd speculate that they probably wouldn't be too drastic of changes in all honesty given the AdCom has years of admissions trends to go off of. I wouldn't expect to see much if any WL movement until May when applicants finalize their schools and withdraw their acceptances.

yeah, I figured thank you for your input!

 

[Perlman]

yeah, I figured thank you for your input!

If it makes you feel any better, you aren't the only competitive IS that got waitlisted. Maryland is a tough school to get into

 

[ahoplad]

Does UMD send an acceptance package in the mail after you have reserved your seat in the class?

 

[phillykat96]

How long does it typically take to hear back post-interview?

 

[Flareicus]

Waitlisted today. Interviewed 2/11, OOS. Pretty bummed out, would have been really happy to have ended up here.

 

[thissuckslol]

Waitlisted today. Interviewed 2/11, OOS. Pretty bummed out, would have been really happy to have ended up here.

I feel you...but may is just around the corner! you never know until the end

 

[mercyandgrace]

How long does it typically take to hear back post-interview?

Admissions said 4-6 weeks at the end of my interview (she added likely recent interviewees will hear back sooner since the admissions committee only has a few meetings left)

 

[mercyandgrace]

Just sucks we won't hear back before second look, I would've loved to go

 

[lecrah_96]

Does UMD send an acceptance package in the mail after you have reserved your seat in the class?

I don't think so. I did not receive an acceptance package in the mail

 

[lecrah_96]

Just sucks we won't hear back before second look, I would've loved to go

You still have next Tuesday?