University of Maryland Class of 2011

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Thanks for the info.

Where is everyone else who is in next years class?:confused:
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So everyone always tells me about U suites, but I just heard about the Sail cloth factory apartments, it seems closer to the hospital, but is it a farther walk to class? and is it safe?
 
They're about the same distance, except when walking from USuites you can cut into the VA and not have to be outside very long (helpful when its really cold, or really humid).

As for if its safe, I live right near sail cloth and walk by every day and have never had any problems, but your mileage may vary.

If you're worried about safety at all, go for the Suites, its like a freaking fortress to get in there.
 
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Pontifex Maximus said:
They're about the same distance, except when walking from USuites you can cut into the VA and not have to be outside very long (helpful when its really cold, or really humid).

As for if its safe, I live right near sail cloth and walk by every day and have never had any problems, but your mileage may vary.

If you're worried about safety at all, go for the Suites, its like a freaking fortress to get in there.
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true. key card access everywhere. if you're lazy (like me when its freezing outside) and sneak in behind another resident, a security guard watching the surveillance cameras will bust you;) It's happened to me enough times that most of the day-time guards know me as the lazy med student by now:laugh:
 
I had also been looking at the sail cloth factory. Do you guys know anyone that lives there? And if so do they like it?
 
A friend of mine did. but she goe sto the law school and they have a shuttle for them (lazy ass lawyers). It's nice for girls coz they have valet at the garage and the whole garage is basically secure. Is it the same at fayette?.. does fayette even have a garage for cars? do you pay extra?
 
Congrats to the SDNers that just got accepted to the class of 2011! I'm another current MSI at Maryland...I'm a little slow and just found this thread, lol. If you come, you'll love it, no doubt. If you have any questions of me too, just ask or PM me!
 
Hey,

So where is everyone from? Is everyone in this thread who is planning on going to University of Maryland next year from Maryland? Im actually from Upstate New York, and I go to Binghamton University. How about you guys/gals?:)
 
I'm from Maryland, but originally from West Virginia.

Have any of you >=MS1's heard of the Avalon Centerpoint aparments? Just found an ad for them on craigslist.
 
Hey everyone,

I've also been looking at apartments.U suites seems like it has everything but online reviews are really bad (bad management, furniture). Pascault row apartments also has furniture, utilities, and parking covered - but looks rundown on the website. Can any of the current students comment on Pascault row?

I've also looked into the atrium and marlboro and redwood sq. They seems really nice at a good price but don't have parking covered. Are there any private parking lots that are safe? and how much do they usually cost? Thanks in advance
 
theoracleman said:
Hey everyone,

I've also been looking at apartments.U suites seems like it has everything but online reviews are really bad (bad management, furniture). Pascault row apartments also has furniture, utilities, and parking covered - but looks rundown on the website. Can any of the current students comment on Pascault row?

I've also looked into the atrium and marlboro and redwood sq. They seems really nice at a good price but don't have parking covered. Are there any private parking lots that are safe? and how much do they usually cost? Thanks in advance
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Pascault Row's facilities are really old. And fairly small. USuites is much, much nicer IMO. There's also a big price difference between the two.
 
For Usuites, since they don't give a tour.. any comments on a 2br2bth vs. a studio? in terms of space vs. price?
 
hey...i will likely be part of next years class as well...just wondering if you guys are planning on living alone or with room mates?
 
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Ya I'm still debating that. I thought I'd just get a roomate coz 1- it's cheaper, 2- you get to meet someone and sorta live with them and are forced to be sane hah. But a lot of med students I spoke to during interviewing seemed to live alone, or have lived with a roomate first year and then chose to live alone the next.. so ya, that's why I asked about the U-suites 2Br2bath vs the studio
 
ckdba I plan on living with my girlfriend next year, though I dont think we are planning on living with anyone else. Though if I were not going to be living with her I would definately consider having a apartment mate becuase it would be so much less expensive then living alone.
My girlfriend and I are actually driving down from NY to look at appartments around the school this Friday. I'll let you all know what we find. :)
 
Lulu8 said:
I'm from Maryland, but originally from West Virginia.

Have any of you >=MS1's heard of the Avalon Centerpoint aparments? Just found an ad for them on craigslist.
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I live in Centerpoint. I think they're nice - the apartments are all new (built within the past couple of years, some finished as recently as last year), and the parking garage is part of the complex so you don't have to walk far to have access to your car. They also have a fitness center, which I used a lot the first few months of med school and am ashamed to admit I haven't stepped foot into since. They are also close to campus - only 3 blocks or so from class (5-10 minute walk depending on lights). Plus, quite a few of my classmates live in the building, so its not hard to find a walking buddy if you are worried about walking home late at night (I have finally gotten over my fear of walking back to the apartment after dark by myself - its really not so scary). I also like having a concierge (now its a security guard, but still) to sign for packages and take care of dry-cleaning, etc. It is also a very secure building, with controlled access as well as security watching on monitors to make sure someone who doesn't live there can't try to enter in behind you.

The bad? If you are relying on the business center downstairs for printing purposes, good luck. Only one of the printers usually works, and even that is pretty intermittent. And depending on what time you go down there to print, there can be a line. This is not a huge issue though, since Maryland gives you a ridiculous print quota for each block (I have about 2000 pages on my quota right now). I also think they are a little pricey - I live in a 2 bedroom with my husband, with the rent at $1430 per month, and if you live by yourself in a 1 bedroom I think its around $1100. Also, I can't always get a hot shower in the morning, and lately it has been even worse (we're talking ice cold in the morning just to wash my face, and even in the evening I can't get a constant temperature). This is because Centerpoint is "energy efficient" aka "centralized water heater." So you compete against everyone else in the building for hot water during peak times, including competing against their dishwashers and clothes washers. Take this with a grain of salt, because some of my friends that live in the same building don't seem to have this problem, but it annoys the crap out of me. I would rather live in an old outdated apartment if it meant I could get a hot shower whenever I wanted.

It is also a pet-friendly building, which is good and bad. Good if you like pets (I do), but bad because some of the owners are irresponsible and let their dogs pee/poop wherever, including just about every sidewalk leading to the entrances. (I saw a resident walking outside barefoot - ew!);) If you have any other questions about Centerpoint, just drop me a PM.
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
I live in Centerpoint. I think they're nice - the apartments are all new (built within the past couple of years, some finished as recently as last year), and the parking garage is part of the complex so you don't have to walk far to have access to your car. They also have a fitness center, which I used a lot the first few months of med school and am ashamed to admit I haven't stepped foot into since. They are also close to campus - only 3 blocks or so from class (5-10 minute walk depending on lights). Plus, quite a few of my classmates live in the building, so its not hard to find a walking buddy if you are worried about walking home late at night (I have finally gotten over my fear of walking back to the apartment after dark by myself - its really not so scary). I also like having a concierge (now its a security guard, but still) to sign for packages and take care of dry-cleaning, etc. It is also a very secure building, with controlled access as well as security watching on monitors to make sure someone who doesn't live there can't try to enter in behind you.

The bad? If you are relying on the business center downstairs for printing purposes, good luck. Only one of the printers usually works, and even that is pretty intermittent. And depending on what time you go down there to print, there can be a line. This is not a huge issue though, since Maryland gives you a ridiculous print quota for each block (I have about 2000 pages on my quota right now). I also think they are a little pricey - I live in a 2 bedroom with my husband, with the rent at $1430 per month, and if you live by yourself in a 1 bedroom I think its around $1100. Also, I can't always get a hot shower in the morning, and lately it has been even worse (we're talking ice cold in the morning just to wash my face, and even in the evening I can't get a constant temperature). This is because Centerpoint is "energy efficient" aka "centralized water heater." So you compete against everyone else in the building for hot water during peak times, including competing against their dishwashers and clothes washers. Take this with a grain of salt, because some of my friends that live in the same building don't seem to have this problem, but it annoys the crap out of me. I would rather live in an old outdated apartment if it meant I could get a hot shower whenever I wanted.

It is also a pet-friendly building, which is good and bad. Good if you like pets (I do), but bad because some of the owners are irresponsible and let their dogs pee/poop wherever, including just about every sidewalk leading to the entrances. (I saw a resident walking outside barefoot - ew!);) If you have any other questions about Centerpoint, just drop me a PM.
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Given what you know now about the building do you feel that you are planning on living there next year? If not where do you plan to move to?
Also are there any other appartment building you wished you had looked into before you decided to live in Centerpoint? Thanks for the info :)
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
I live in Centerpoint. I think they're nice - the apartments are all new (built within the past couple of years, some finished as recently as last year), and the parking garage is part of the complex so you don't have to walk far to have access to your car. They also have a fitness....
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Cool! Thanks for the super helpful info. My husband and I are deciding if we are going to be renting or buying. We're a little worried about the market prospects of baltimore and loosing money if we do buy. Does anyone know anything about the area around Penn Station? Is it a good location, or dangerous, etc. We're looking in that area since he'd be taking the MARC into D.C.
 
Lulu8 said:
Cool! Thanks for the super helpful info. My husband and I are deciding if we are going to be renting or buying. We're a little worried about the market prospects of baltimore and loosing money if we do buy. Does anyone know anything about the area around Penn Station? Is it a good location, or dangerous, etc. We're looking in that area since he'd be taking the MARC into D.C.
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I guess I'll weigh in here. I've stayed out of this because I don't want any of you to think that I'm trying to make a buck off of you :) I'm an MSI and my husband is a realtor. He's helped some of my classmates buy houses and we own ourselves. If any of you would like to get in touch with him and talk about the possibilities for owning in Baltimore and the pros/cons, send me a PM. He's pretty non-pressure and works with a lot of first time buyers so he's used to talking people through the process and he knows the stress of being a med student and a med student spouse. :)
 
BEMD said:
Given what you know now about the building do you feel that you are planning on living there next year? If not where do you plan to move to?
Also are there any other appartment building you wished you had looked into before you decided to live in Centerpoint? Thanks for the info :)
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I am not planning on staying at Centerpoint, but that is because my husband and I are purchasing a home in the Mount Vernon area (LucidSplash's husband is our realtor).
If that were not the case, I would probably stay here, but complain more to management and try to get something done about the water issue (if they can't fix it, maybe a discount or something on utilities).

Other apartment complexes I would recommend near the campus (I've looked into some of them, or have friends living in them so have seen the units firsthand). This is by no means an exhaustive list - there are many large apartment buildings within reasonable walking distance of campus:
The Redwood - probably the most comparable to Centerpoint - same ammenties and distance, but just as expensive
Marlboro Classic
Sail Cloth Factory - slightly older apartments, but they have a nice character
Camden Court

A lot of students also choose to rent in the Ridgeley's Delight area, which is just south of campus (still walking distance). These are generally row homes, and can be significantly cheaper than the apartment complexes if you don't want all of the extra amenities.
 
Lulu8 said:
Cool! Thanks for the super helpful info. My husband and I are deciding if we are going to be renting or buying. We're a little worried about the market prospects of baltimore and loosing money if we do buy. Does anyone know anything about the area around Penn Station? Is it a good location, or dangerous, etc. We're looking in that area since he'd be taking the MARC into D.C.
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Now that I've answered apartment questions, perhaps I can give some useful info for your situation. Have you lived in/near Baltimore? My husband and I did not (out of state student), so we were hesitant to buy in any specific area until we moved here to see what each neighborhood was really like. That being said, if I had known anything about which areas of Baltimore would be nicer or where my husband would be working (he takes the MARC to DC every day), we would have bought before we moved, because trying to accomplish this while in medical school is a chore.

We are buying a 1 bedroom condo in Mount Vernon, so it is about 7 blocks south of Penn Station. South of Penn Station is not bad - lots of students and young professionals. North of Penn Station is kind of ghetto in my opinion, but might make for a better investment if it is a property you plan on hanging on to for awhile - Baltimore City is still in the process of revitalization, and everything is trickling outward from some of the more established neighborhoods (Canton, Federal Hill, Fells Point, Mount Vernon, etc).

We were hesitant to buy right away because we wanted to live in a relatively nicer part of Baltimore, which meant a higher monthly mortgage payment that we weren't sure we could afford. Of course, after paying $1430 a month in rent (not including utilities) and finding that we had managed just fine, we decided we could reasonably take on a mortgage as long as the payments weren't much more.

As for market prospects of Baltimore, I wouldn't be too worried. Property values have certainly increased dramatically over the past few years, but not as compared to some of the "hot" areas like NYC, Miami, etc. I don't think the market bubble is as big of an issue in Baltimore. My opinion is that the reason property values are going up in Baltimore is because people finally care about the city again, and are willing to move back and fix things up after years of neglect - so part of it is the suply/demand of people wanting to move into a city (which can change, hence the bursting of a bubble), but most of it is just rehabbing old properties into a livable condition (something that is a more permanent increase in property value). My husband and I don't really expect our property to appreciate much since we moved into an established neighborhood, but I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a property in some of the more rough areas to appreciate as long as you can ride it out 8-10 years.

You'll find there are a lot of opinions on this topic, most of which can't seem to agree. :p
 
Hey Guys. Check the videos out below. I am so pressed that they are UMD students, lol. Any school where students have enough time to do this is my kind of school!

Which Med Student are You (UMaryland Vids):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCMFUb1LKjI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmVQib6KEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJbrD1qzAEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjfNb5iiBQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgZpo5oGpbk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aole8XE0mo0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naZJw62ILPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb6dajRqICM

Maryland Students Spoofing Nextel Ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtzHCmxwovs
 
DoctaJay said:
Hey Guys. Check the videos out below. I am so pressed that they are UMD students, lol. Any school where students have enough time to do this is my kind of school!

Which Med Student are You (UMaryland Vids):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCMFUb1LKjI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmVQib6KEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJbrD1qzAEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjfNb5iiBQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgZpo5oGpbk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aole8XE0mo0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naZJw62ILPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb6dajRqICM

Maryland Students Spoofing Nextel Ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtzHCmxwovs
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These are are absolutely amazing... :laugh:
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
Now that I've answered apartment questions, perhaps I can give some useful info for your situation. Have you lived in/near Baltimore? My husband and I did not (out of state student), so we were hesitant to buy in any specific area until we moved here to see what each neighborhood was really like....
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We've never lived near Baltimore before, and so we're in kind of the same boat where we don't know anything about the different sections of the city. Actually, we went and looked at some condos for sale just about 3-4 blocks south of Penn Station on St. Paul Street this weekend. The block was cute and seemed relatively safe. The walk to penn station seemed a little dangerous and my husband will be doing it everyday, sometimes late in the evening. Do you think that is too far north to be a safe area to live?

Also, how does parking work at the medical school? Is the walk from the school to the lot dangerous?
 
DoctaJay said:
Hey Guys. Check the videos out below. I am so pressed that they are UMD students, lol. Any school where students have enough time to do this is my kind of school!
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Lol. You are right, you'll have time to do this kind of thing. Limited time, but it's there. If this was during their 1st/2nd year, it was the week right after an exam. If it was 3rd/4th year...well I dunno I'll have to let you know when we get there lol

I feel like all my classmates have seen these...some of my other friends from other med schools have watched them too and told me how funny they were. UMD Med is like a youtube celebrity now
 
It sounds sweet, Dr J, but I assure you, it sucks. It's a lot of work. I used to think that only 2 hours of lecure and sometimes a clinical correlate or a small group meant that we would be done by noon, I'd study till 4 or 5, and that would be it. SO WRONG. LucidSplash and I were at school on Friday until like 10pm studying for our exam today. Sometimes I wish that we had more disciplined, structured lecture/discussion group/problem sets - I think I would be able to stay on task better. I find that, with this 8-12 schedule + the AVIs, its very easy to skip and get behind. Then you're spending a week + playing catch-up, and stressing out the entire time.
Sigh. I used to think I was disciplined - now I'm not so sure. :(
 
LadyWolverine said:
It sounds sweet, Dr J, but I assure you, it sucks. It's a lot of work. I used to think that only 2 hours of lecure and sometimes a clinical correlate or a small group meant that we would be done by noon, I'd study till 4 or 5, and that would be it. SO WRONG. LucidSplash and I were at school on Friday until like 10pm studying for our exam today. Sometimes I wish that we had more disciplined, structured lecture/discussion group/problem sets - I think I would be able to stay on task better. I find that, with this 8-12 schedule + the AVIs, its very easy to skip and get behind. Then you're spending a week + playing catch-up, and stressing out the entire time.
Sigh. I used to think I was disciplined - now I'm not so sure. :(
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But wouldn't those more discipled lectures that you desire take away from your study time?
 
DoctaJay said:
Is it true that all the lectures are video taped and streamed online so I could be home in my pajamas watching the lectures live?
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Half true - the lectures are recorded and posted later in the day, not streamed live. The lectures for MS I are 8-10 and are usually up on the web by 12-1. So if you want you can skip class and watch it later. I recommend doing this only if you can find a productive use for that 8-10 slot. I was skipping class a lot and watching the AVI later, but I've found that even if I don't get everything from class, it saves me time if I go to class, even if I have to watch the AVI over again (less rewinding, etc). AVIing everything was taking too much time for me - and I wasn't really studying enough at the beginning as a result. I do know people that AVI everything though and do ok, so its definitely figuring out what works for you. Beware the pull of the AVI though :) It can get you in trouble.

FYI - For anatomy, all the clinical corrleate lectures are during the 8-10 slot. Attend all of these, just because they are some of the best classes. After anatomy, a lot of the clinical lectures are in the 10-12 spot. I like to attend all these as well just because they mix it up from the grind a bit. Also, depending on the format, they are not always recorded.
 
DoctaJay said:
But wouldn't those more discipled lectures that you desire take away from your study time?
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Lol, I don't think LW is saying she'd prefer a different lecture schedule, just that she used to think that she herself used to be disciplined and now not so much so.

I certainly resonate with it. Don't get me wrong, the schedule here is one of the best parts about Maryland. But for myself, I have learned that I CAN NOT STUDY AT HOME. I have good intentions, but I MUST stay at school in the pods if I want to be truly productive. But sometimes, being done at noon, it is just so so tempting to go home and nap. If I lived closer to campus, it might not be such a big deal (and I only live like 1 mile away now). But once I'm home, all hope is lost for the day.
 
LadyWolverine said:
It sounds sweet, Dr J, but I assure you, it sucks. It's a lot of work. I used to think that only 2 hours of lecure and sometimes a clinical correlate or a small group meant that we would be done by noon, I'd study till 4 or 5, and that would be it. SO WRONG. LucidSplash and I were at school on Friday until like 10pm studying for our exam today. Sometimes I wish that we had more disciplined, structured lecture/discussion group/problem sets - I think I would be able to stay on task better. I find that, with this 8-12 schedule + the AVIs, its very easy to skip and get behind. Then you're spending a week + playing catch-up, and stressing out the entire time.
Sigh. I used to think I was disciplined - now I'm not so sure. :(
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When you say you were at school till 10pm studying...were you there because you knew you wouldn't study if you went home or because you had to be there to study? Just wondering what I'm in store for.
 
Lulu8 said:
When you say you were at school till 10pm studying...were you there because you knew you wouldn't study if you went home or because you had to be there to study? Just wondering what I'm in store for.
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We were there because that's where we were studying. No one is going to require you to study in a specific place at a specific time. A LOT of people study at school or the libray though, as it is nice to have other students around to ask questions, discuss something, take a study break, etc.

During a normal week, I will ideally stay at school until like 8pm to study. However, I do taekwondo off campus, so twice a week I leave by 6pm to get there. The weekend before an exam (roughly every 3 weeks or so) I have been there until 12am, though like LW said I left at 10pm this past Saturday. On the weekends (not pre-exam), in an ideal world, I get to school between 10-12 at least one day and study for 4-8 hours. Usually this ends up being only one day on the weekend, though I probably should always be there both days. But I'm married, so I have to make some concessions to actually spend time with my hubby.
 
LucidSplash said:
We were there because that's where we were studying. No one is going to require you to study in a specific place at a specific time. A LOT of people study at school or the libray though, as it is nice to have other students around to ask questions, discuss something, take a study break, etc.

During a normal week, I will ideally stay at school until like 8pm to study. However, I do taekwondo off campus, so twice a week I leave by 6pm to get there. The weekend before an exam (roughly every 3 weeks or so) I have been there until 12am, though like LW said I left at 10pm this past Saturday. On the weekends (not pre-exam), in an ideal world, I get to school between 10-12 at least one day and study for 4-8 hours. Usually this ends up being only one day on the weekend, though I probably should always be there both days. But I'm married, so I have to make some concessions to actually spend time with my hubby.
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Did anyone else just get a little heart attack?
 
Allie86 said:
Did anyone else just get a little heart attack?
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Totally. I think I passed out when I read that and just now regained consciousness.
 
Just received my acceptance from U of Md!!!! I am so excited.
 
Allie86 said:
Did anyone else just get a little heart attack?
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Oh dear. I really didn't mean to freak anyone out. Definitely ask around, this could be way off what other people do (well, not pre-exam weekend, I think everyone is usually putting in long sessions then). That being said, I have really struggled with parts of school and so have made an extra effort to "put in the hours" in an attempt to make up for what I lack in natural ability. :rolleyes: Also, I am the world's least efficient studier, though I have gotten better since August.

You can expect to do less the week immediately after a test, since there is less material from previous days to review during that week. Yes, we do have social lives (I mean, as much as med students can) and we do get out sometimes. Just ask the people here: SuzieQ is in an orchestra outside of U of MD, I do taekwondo and sometimes see my husband ;) , and people volunteer and do research, etc. You will work hard but its not a death sentence. Seriously, I really didn't mean to freak you guys out. You'll all be amazing and do fine - you got in, which means that you CAN do this and do it well.
 
LucidSplash said:
Oh dear. I really didn't mean to freak anyone out. Definitely ask around, this could be way off what other people do (well, not pre-exam weekend, I think everyone is usually putting in long sessions then). That being said, I have really struggled with parts of school and so have made an extra effort to "put in the hours" in an attempt to make up for what I lack in natural ability. :rolleyes: Also, I am the world's least efficient studier, though I have gotten better since August.

You can expect to do less the week immediately after a test, since there is less material from previous days to review during that week. Yes, we do have social lives (I mean, as much as med students can) and we do get out sometimes. Just ask the people here: SuzieQ is in an orchestra outside of U of MD, I do taekwondo and sometimes see my husband ;) , and people volunteer and do research, etc. You will work hard but its not a death sentence. Seriously, I really didn't mean to freak you guys out. You'll all be amazing and do fine - you got in, which means that you CAN do this and do it well.
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This is ABSOLUTELY the truth, I couldn't have said it better myself. I mean granted, if you can find 8hrs of material to study the day after an exam (like today :love:)...you're probably trying too hard. We do have to be real with you though, to do well in medical school, you have to treat it like its your full time job. Most of your friends are probably working full-time jobs, making money and all...but while they are working their 40hr weeks, don't be surprised if you find yourself studying that much, because at times youll put in at least that much, guaranteed. My father is a physician and there's a reason he said he'd never go back to this, even after internship, residency and fellowship...

By no means is that a death sentence or anything. Wherever you go, at first its a bit overwhelming (as you will find, we all did!) but you get used to it pretty quickly. Now its routine and doesn't feel really so crazy anymore. Don't see it as "I'm in school" anymore...this is more like your JOB now! We aren't just learning those sciences you studied in college...you're finding about how it applies to people and their pathologies, its very next level stuff...but as my wonderful colleagues said, you'll have lives, you'll have fun, and you will be fine because you were accepted!

You will work hard, and play much harder. I still see my girlfriend all the time, we study together and have dinner together most nights. After I'm done studying for the day, I'll go out for random drives, maybe to the mall or something if I feel like it (I live in Columbia right now, I'm a crazy commuter...) I'm even shadowing a few docs this week in addition to the aforementioned. Don't stress about all our talk! You'll have more time in school than you think, trust me on that ;)
 
OK, here, I'll drop a dime from probably the laziest person at school (me):

Our school only gives material to the students for 2 hours a day. Outside of anatomy, small group is essentially a reinforcement of lecture material, so it doesn't count as anything new. Our lecturers don't talk any faster than the schools down the road (believe me, some are slooooooooooooow). That inherently means you're going to need to cover some stuff on your own.

You do need some semblance of discipline (you can learn this) no matter where you go. For a different school, my biggest discipline issue would be not falling asleep after 6 hours of lecture! You really just have to set yourself a block of time, or a set of goals you want to cover each day. I don't go to lecture, never ever, so I have to do this a little more. Every day I basically say, I'm going to cover the day's lectures, and then review. Most of the time, I get it done. Sometimes I don't. If I don't, it hurts the next day, because I have to add extra time to make up for it. As long as you don't get too far behind, you'll survive.

I probably study somewhere around 6 hours a day (normal weeks, not holycrapihaveanexamandimfreakingout weekends). That works for me - more or less could work for you. Some days if I'm feeling good, I'll do more. After I understudied by a lot for our very first exam, and then studied ridiculous amounts for number 2, I spent a lot of time coming up with a method that works for me. It took 3 more exams before that really kicked in.

It really is very personal. I have friends that are at school for 12 hours each day, minus time for eating and the gym. I'd go absolutely freaking insane if I did that. But it works for them. And none have gone through early mid-life crises yet.

Sorry to ramble for a long post, but I wanted to emphasize that I do love our schedule, and now that I've got my routine, I wouldn't go to any school in the country not on one like this. If anyone has any questions about anything, feel free to shoot me a PM or just post here, happy to answer anything else :)
 
I have a quick question for all of the current students, especially those that live in appartments right next to campus. Do you and your classmates all have cars? I know that the public transportation isnt the best in Baltimore, so it is basically a necessity to have a car? The reason I ask is becuase I currently do have a car, but before looking at appartments this past weekend while I was in the city I didnt realize how much it would coast to park my car for a month at a time. :oops:

Also, I had a second question. When I was looking at appartments this past weekend I primarily focused on the buildings like The Sail Cloth Factory, The Marlboro, etc. These were all very nice but a little pricey. I was wondering where else I could live that would still be relatively safe but a little less pricey. Also, how does parking work in these areas. Thanks for your help.
 
Any idea if UMD has a second look weekend?
 
Allie86 said:
Any idea if UMD has a second look weekend?
Click to expand...

Sadly I am pretty sure that they don't. I called them about a month ago and they said that they were thinking about it but weren't sure. They told me to contact Dr Foxwell, the dean of admissions, to ask him. When I emailed him he put me in touch with a current medstudent. It actually worked out well becuase the student went to my Undergrade and was able to answer all of my questions, and I even was able to meet with him in person when I was in the city last weekend. So even though they may not have a second look weekend you could probably still work something out. :)
 
Allie86 said:
Any idea if UMD has a second look weekend?
Click to expand...

I was at a meeting for one of the student groups yesterday where this was addressed actually. Apparently funding was cut for the second look weekend a few (?) years ago. Why? Politics partially, and probably because of the lovely funding cuts to education too is my guess. I don't actually know the answer, just that we don't have one. When we were applying, UMD didn't have it either so it's probably been a while.

I'm sure that if you contact the Office of Admissions (or maybe even the Office of Student Affairs) and are looking to visit campus again, they will most likely help you out. Personally, if you want a real feel for the school, come during the week when all the action is going on. Spend the night with someone, go to classes for the day, walk around the hospital and whatever else you might want to see of the facilities...I'm just daydreaming, but definitely call one of the offices, they are very nice and helpful to students in my experience.
 
Lulu8 said:
We've never lived near Baltimore before, and so we're in kind of the same boat where we don't know anything about the different sections of the city. Actually, we went and looked at some condos for sale just about 3-4 blocks south of Penn Station on St. Paul Street this weekend. The block was cute and seemed relatively safe. The walk to penn station seemed a little dangerous and my husband will be doing it everyday, sometimes late in the evening. Do you think that is too far north to be a safe area to live?

Also, how does parking work at the medical school? Is the walk from the school to the lot dangerous?
Click to expand...

That area is fine...in my opinion, anything south of Penn Station is going to be decent to very nice. Usually you can tell just by walking around the neighborhood - do you see people walking around, are there restaurants and shops, is the sidewalk mostly free of trash? My husband walks home from Penn Station nearly every day (we are still living next to campus right now), and he thinks the scariest part is the few blocks leading up to our building, and even that isn't so bad.

As for parking, I'm not sure...perhaps LucidSplash or someone else can answer that question. I've walked there before, but never at night, so I'm not sure if it would seem scary or not. During the day it seems fine - just a block or so north of the medschool.
 
Allie86 said:
Did anyone else just get a little heart attack?
Click to expand...

There is so much variability in how much people study, you really have to find what works for you. I try to make it to lecture most mornings (because like LucidSplash mentioned, I find it saves me time later on because I don't like waiting until 1pm for the AVI to be posted). I usually stay on campus and study until about 4 or 5 pm. If I go home, instead, I'll study until 6 or 7, just because I'm not always as productive. I don't usually study much most weekends - just kind of look over notes and things, or catch up if I got behind at all during the week.

Now, exam weeks are a different story. Most of our exams are on Mondays, so for about 4-5 days leading up to the exam I am studying for as long as I can handle. That is usually until about 10 pm during the week, and on the weekend before can involve me staying up until 1-3 am. It's weird how "cramming" changes in med school. Undergrad cramming is the day before an exam...med school cramming is like a week before the exam.

I know people who barely study and ace exams, and people who study like crazy all the time and still only get B/C grades. I found that even when I was studying more, it didn't impact how well I did, so I cut back and am much happier now. I eat dinner with my husband every night, we watch tv, go out on the weekends, and attempt to live as much of a normal life as is possible when you're in med school. As a previous poster mentioned, if you treat it like a full-time job its not so bad. It takes a few weeks (or months for some) to adjust, and then you're set.
 
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