2016 University of Maryland Fall '12 Admissions

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Originally Posted by Newspring

I've been waiting so long and I've got my interview invitation this morning !

And when u turned in ur apps???

just got an invitation for an interview too!!

e-submitted on 12/22.
confirmation letter on supp. material 1/24

I submitted to PharmCAS late December and sent supplemental application near the deadline.
I'm sorry. I can't post my stat at this point.

Originally Posted by chemwhiz

If u don't mind...could u please post ur stats!!

I submitted to PharmCAS late December and sent supplemental application near the deadline. I'm sorry. I can't post my stat at this point.

Just received an invite today morning. Anyone here considering 2/24 morning for their interview?

I received the email for an interview this morning and scheduled for March 2nd.
Anyone planning to intervew on March 2nd?

Could anyone give me some tips for an interview?
Question to who has already done an interview: How is the discussion panel like? Is the topic based on the current pharmacy issues or is it just asking random questions?

Originally Posted by Lovely88

I received the email for an interview this morning and scheduled for March 2nd.
Anyone planning to intervew on March 2nd?

Could anyone give me some tips for an interview?
Question to who has already done an interview: How is the discussion panel like? Is the topic based on the current pharmacy issues or is it just asking random questions?

Pharmacy issues.

Originally Posted by tokenwoken

I will be going on the 17th as well! Are you in the morning or afternoon?

Oopsie! I didn't realize you asked me something. Anyway, I'm in the afternoon. You?

Originally Posted by rei1088

Oopsie! I didn't realize you asked me something. Anyway, I'm in the afternoon. You?

Haha it's all good. I am in the afternoon as well. See you there and best of luck to both of us!

Anyone heading to the afternoon session on 2/24? This is my only interview where there's so many rounds of interviewing...nervous!

i'll be there on 2/24 at 12:30! excited and nervousss

anyone receiving interview invites now: what's the latest day they've given you to interview? the calendar at their website lists March 2 as the last day they give interviews.. anyone get a date later than march 2?

I'm trying to figure out when they will be done with interviews so that they can start giving out responses.. i interviewed within the first batch and i cannot wait to hear back!!!

Originally Posted by drdivasays

i'll be there on 2/24 at 12:30! excited and nervousss

I'm interviewing then too! see you there =]

Originally Posted by PCAT408

anyone receiving interview invites now: what's the latest day they've given you to interview? the calendar at their website lists March 2 as the last day they give interviews.. anyone get a date later than march 2?

I'm trying to figure out when they will be done with interviews so that they can start giving out responses.. i interviewed within the first batch and i cannot wait to hear back!!!

I called the office and they told me that they'd be letting students know in April. That's the latest out of all the schools I applied to, looks like I'm going to have to double deposit as I wait to hear back from Maryland.

I really hope they're just saying that to get people to stop calling them

i called the office today; the last interview slot is indeed March 2. As far as admissions decisions, the lady said that depending when adcom can meet, students can be hearing back as early as 2 weeks from now (but that's not definite).. it could take up to another month for us to hear back.. She urged for us to be patient!!

I interviewed last week and they told us not to expect to hear anything until the end of March/beginning of April.

For those who have recently interviewed--what's the weather like there? I only have a skirt suit and I'm unable to purchase pants in time for my interview next Friday [and also very reluctant to spend the extra money, haha]. Have people just been wearing/carrying heavy coats around? I'm interviewing in the afternoon, and with the tour afterwards I'm guessing it'll extend to the evening, during which it'll be cold. I'm from Arizona and haven't been to the East coast in a decade, any feedback would be appreciated!!
__________________
University of North Carolina -- Accepted
University of Arizona -- Accepted
University of Maryland -- Interview 2/24

Originally Posted by myhappydomain

For those who have recently interviewed--what's the weather like there? I only have a skirt suit and I'm unable to purchase pants in time for my interview next Friday [and also very reluctant to spend the extra money, haha]. Have people just been wearing/carrying heavy coats around? I'm interviewing in the afternoon, and with the tour afterwards I'm guessing it'll extend to the evening, during which it'll be cold. I'm from Arizona and haven't been to the East coast in a decade, any feedback would be appreciated!!

My recommendation would be to wear dress socks.. they're comfy and are a bit thicker than stockings. i bought mine at DSW but you can get them almost anywhere that sells shoes. also i wore a pea coat and that helped. it's not freezing cold, but a bit chilly. no need for mittens or scarves or anything like that

When you get there, you can ask them to where to store your coat/belongings and they will let you know. they are very kind and helpful!!

Are there any interview dates later than march 2??

Originally Posted by chemwhiz

Are there any interview dates later than march 2??

According to Ms. Sharp, the last interview date is March 2.

Originally Posted by myhappydomain

For those who have recently interviewed--what's the weather like there? I only have a skirt suit and I'm unable to purchase pants in time for my interview next Friday [and also very reluctant to spend the extra money, haha]. Have people just been wearing/carrying heavy coats around? I'm interviewing in the afternoon, and with the tour afterwards I'm guessing it'll extend to the evening, during which it'll be cold. I'm from Arizona and haven't been to the East coast in a decade, any feedback would be appreciated!!

When I interviewed (yesterday), it wasn't very cold. But then again, I love the cold. Also, the tour is only 20 minutes. Mine was in the afternoon as well and we ended before 5pm.

Has any interviewee from the January batch that has gotten an admission letter? So anxious!

Originally Posted by Uzumaki Naruto

Has any interviewee from the January batch that has gotten an admission letter? So anxious!

Sadly, no.

How does everyone think the interview went? I interviewed on the 17th in the afternoon

Originally Posted by myhappydomain

For those who have recently interviewed--what's the weather like there? I only have a skirt suit and I'm unable to purchase pants in time for my interview next Friday [and also very reluctant to spend the extra money, haha]. Have people just been wearing/carrying heavy coats around? I'm interviewing in the afternoon, and with the tour afterwards I'm guessing it'll extend to the evening, during which it'll be cold. I'm from Arizona and haven't been to the East coast in a decade, any feedback would be appreciated!!
__________________
University of North Carolina -- Accepted
University of Arizona -- Accepted
University of Maryland -- Interview 2/24

I recommend wearing a heavier coat, weather depending. But most important is wearing comfortable shoes. The tour isn't just of pharmacy hall, but of the campus.

TO EVERYONE WORRYING ABOUT INTERVIEWS
Maryland does not have rolling admissions, therefore, even if your file has been received and deemed complete by the admissions committee, it will not be reviewed until all applications are received - something which typically occurs in mid-January but can go on through February. As I often say, students need to be cognizant of the fact that some schools of pharmacy prefer to evaluate entire applications - not simply the numbers. In that light, tell me, considering the hours of effort you put into writing the application, how long would you like an admissions committee to review your application? 10 minutes? 30? Now multiply by 1500 because EVERY applicant is equally deserving of that effort. Then you will begin to have an appreciation for the energy that Maryland expends in selecting the best candidates (not merely the highest scoring ones) for interviews.

TO EVERYONE WORRYING ABOUT ACCEPTANCES POST-INTERVIEW
Again, I stress that Maryland does not have rolling admissions. There is an internal process which permits some select candidates to hear back more quickly, but the bulk of the review will not have even begun. I would not expect most applicants to hear back for at least another two weeks. If you do not hear back by the April date, then you should consider picking up the phone.

To everyone,
I urge patience. Its actually to your benefit that Maryland takes this long in deciding. They want to be sure they are getting the best students and you don't want to be sitting in class next to an absolute yo-yo next year because the school didn't do its due diligence! If you have pressing deadlines, you can always ask for an extension. If you have to give a deposit elsewhere, and you think Maryland is your number 1, then put in your deposit on the last day possible, and wait. Because to go to your #1 school, that deposit is a small cost when compared with the cost of your education. Go where you want to go. The people who are most successful in life are those who choose their path forward and never let anyone tell them they can't do things.

I interviewed on January 27th and wrote to Ms. Brammer (in the admissions office) about a week ago to see if they were accepting people yet. I wish I would have read this thread to see that it takes about 5 weeks for them to get back to us first. Well..... I'm very eager to hear back!

I do have three questions for the students that I didn't get to talk about much on my interviews:

1. I noticed that a lot of other schools focus on interdisciplinary work in at least a clinical setting or volunteer opportunity. Is there any way for pre-pharmacy students to start working with pre-med, nursing, social work, etc peoples and gain experience in any capacity?

2. I got the feeling that doing rotations abroad was encouraged during pre-pharmacy years. How well are those rotations organized? Do you have any "exchanges" set up with other schools in other countries?

3. What is the acceptance rate for people getting into a residency? (Out of all the people who graduate from UMB that WANT to do a residency, how many people actually land one?)

Thanks for all your help!

---------------------------------------------------
GPA: 3.7
PCAT Composite: 87
University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill: Accepted
State University of New York at Buffalo: Accepted
Virginia Commonwealth University: Accepted
University of Maryland: Interviewed
University of Southern California: pulled application
MCPHS: pulled application
ACPHS: pulled application

DrDrugs2012,
I called a couple of days back enquiring the status of my application and the admissions committee said that my file was reviewed and my gpa was low. They went on to say that they are not inviting me for an interview at this time. Does that mean that I still have a chance of getting an interview in another few weeks or my options are closed with respect to university of Maryland??

Originally Posted by DrDrugs2012

TO EVERYONE WORRYING ABOUT INTERVIEWS
Maryland does not have rolling admissions, therefore, even if your file has been received and deemed complete by the admissions committee, it will not be reviewed until all applications are received - something which typically occurs in mid-January but can go on through February. As I often say, students need to be cognizant of the fact that some schools of pharmacy prefer to evaluate entire applications - not simply the numbers. In that light, tell me, considering the hours of effort you put into writing the application, how long would you like an admissions committee to review your application? 10 minutes? 30? Now multiply by 1500 because EVERY applicant is equally deserving of that effort. Then you will begin to have an appreciation for the energy that Maryland expends in selecting the best candidates (not merely the highest scoring ones) for interviews.

TO EVERYONE WORRYING ABOUT ACCEPTANCES POST-INTERVIEW
Again, I stress that Maryland does not have rolling admissions. There is an internal process which permits some select candidates to hear back more quickly, but the bulk of the review will not have even begun. I would not expect most applicants to hear back for at least another two weeks. If you do not hear back by the April date, then you should consider picking up the phone.

To everyone,
I urge patience. Its actually to your benefit that Maryland takes this long in deciding. They want to be sure they are getting the best students and you don't want to be sitting in class next to an absolute yo-yo next year because the school didn't do its due diligence! If you have pressing deadlines, you can always ask for an extension. If you have to give a deposit elsewhere, and you think Maryland is your number 1, then put in your deposit on the last day possible, and wait. Because to go to your #1 school, that deposit is a small cost when compared with the cost of your education. Go where you want to go. The people who are most successful in life are those who choose their path forward and never let anyone tell them they can't do things.

Originally Posted by 410

1. I noticed that a lot of other schools focus on interdisciplinary work in at least a clinical setting or volunteer opportunity. Is there any way for pre-pharmacy students to start working with pre-med, nursing, social work, etc peoples and gain experience in any capacity?

2. I got the feeling that doing rotations abroad was encouraged during pre-pharmacy years. How well are those rotations organized? Do you have any "exchanges" set up with other schools in other countries?

3. What is the acceptance rate for people getting into a residency? (Out of all the people who graduate from UMB that WANT to do a residency, how many people actually land one?)

1) There aren't many interdisciplinary courses as part of the curriculum, however, you are free to take courses in the other schools on campus. As I recall learning at one point, regardless of which school's classes you are taking, all the credits you take are covered under your flat fee tuition. So take as many courses as you can fit/want. There are more science opportunities in the med school and the graduate school. There are more patient care opportunities in the nursing school, especially if you are interested in nutritionals and other aspects of patient care.

There are also collaborative programs that are non-credit. Global medical brigades is one of them. The students from all the health colleges - medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing - go to remote places in the world and provide healthcare to indigenous people. I am sure there are more local to Maryland/Baltimore opportunities if exotic locations where malaria and snakes that eat your butt whole aren't appealing.

2) There is a set collaboration with a renal transplant group in Australia. It varies from 2 to 6 students per year based on preceptor availability. Additionally, the school has sent students abroad to Thailand, Taiwan, and Jordan recently (or so I heard). The best thing is that the school will work hard to set up a rotation for you if you really want it and can justify why its important to your professional goals/development. They wont set up a community rotation in your hometown with CVS just because you want to stay home for a month, but if you find a preceptor who does something no one 'in network' does, they will bend over backwards to make it happen for you. That includes international.

3) I have no idea what the residency acceptance:applicant ratio is. But I do know that ~50-60% of the class goes into community, and ~30% gets accepted into residencies. Assuming that about 10% does other areas (pharmaceutical, managed care, government, public service, etc), then that means the acceptance rate is ~75%. Just spitballing numbers here based on estimates. Regardless, its a high number. If you know you want a residency from the beginning, you can definitely get one, and quite possibly a really prestigious one at that. Most of the people who I know wanted one and did not get one are people who decided to go for a residency at ASHP mid-year in December (i.e. about two-three weeks before application deadlines)... pretty late planning to really get one.

Originally Posted by chemwhiz

DrDrugs2012,
I called a couple of days back enquiring the status of my application and the admissions committee said that my file was reviewed and my gpa was low. They went on to say that they are not inviting me for an interview at this time. Does that mean that I still have a chance of getting an interview in another few weeks or my options are closed with respect to university of Maryland??

Did they say they declined an interview? If they used the word denied, declined, etc, then yes, its over for this year. If they said a decision wasn't yet made, then no.

Originally Posted by DrDrugs2012

1) There aren't many interdisciplinary courses as part of the curriculum, however, you are free to take courses in the other schools on campus. As I recall learning at one point, regardless of which school's classes you are taking, all the credits you take are covered under your flat fee tuition. So take as many courses as you can fit/want. There are more science opportunities in the med school and the graduate school. There are more patient care opportunities in the nursing school, especially if you are interested in nutritionals and other aspects of patient care.

There are also collaborative programs that are non-credit. Global medical brigades is one of them. The students from all the health colleges - medicine, dental, pharmacy, nursing - go to remote places in the world and provide healthcare to indigenous people. I am sure there are more local to Maryland/Baltimore opportunities if exotic locations where malaria and snakes that eat your butt whole aren't appealing.

2) There is a set collaboration with a renal transplant group in Australia. It varies from 2 to 6 students per year based on preceptor availability. Additionally, the school has sent students abroad to Thailand, Taiwan, and Jordan recently (or so I heard). The best thing is that the school will work hard to set up a rotation for you if you really want it and can justify why its important to your professional goals/development. They wont set up a community rotation in your hometown with CVS just because you want to stay home for a month, but if you find a preceptor who does something no one 'in network' does, they will bend over backwards to make it happen for you. That includes international.

3) I have no idea what the residency acceptance:applicant ratio is. But I do know that ~50-60% of the class goes into community, and ~30% gets accepted into residencies. Assuming that about 10% does other areas (pharmaceutical, managed care, government, public service, etc), then that means the acceptance rate is ~75%. Just spitballing numbers here based on estimates. Regardless, its a high number. If you know you want a residency from the beginning, you can definitely get one, and quite possibly a really prestigious one at that. Most of the people who I know wanted one and did not get one are people who decided to go for a residency at ASHP mid-year in December (i.e. about two-three weeks before application deadlines)... pretty late planning to really get one.

Thanks so much for getting back to me! Do you ever do health drives or anything with the med students? I feel like that's something that really attracted me to other schools was that they had balls together and did health drives all together (med, pharm, dental, etc.). If not, it would totally be something to set up!

I actually live in Baltimore now, so I know that there is the Baltimore Rescue Mission on Central and Baltimore where you can volunteer for homeless people, but in all of Baltimore with all it's clinics and so people groups of people that need health care, I find it hard to believe there aren't a few more places to volunteer! (especially for professional-degree seeking students!)

There is no shortage of places to volunteer in Baltimore. As I often say, its a city in great need. But the school does not necessarily spoonfeed you opportunities - not because they don't know about them, but because they take a hands off approach. They treat you as an adult and instead of begging students to do things, they allow students to approach them. This ensures that the student is genuinely interested in following through on their interests. And if you have a new idea, you are ENCOURAGED to speak up, propose a plan, and the school/organizations will work with you to make it happen. Plus, all the frats do things. The least innovative thing they do is the simple health fair. They have been doing that for years. The school won the medication adhernce challenge this year. Unsurprising since there are a crazy number of hyperinvolved students at UMB.

anyone have any idea when adcom is meeting?

.

Originally Posted by Luminitsa

I interviewed last week and they told us not to expect to hear anything until the end of March/beginning of April.

That's what we were told when I went to the interview as well. Looking at last year's thread though, people started hearing back mid-March. Hopefully that'll be the case this year too. I'm tired of waiting!!

Originally Posted by 410

Thanks so much for getting back to me! Do you ever do health drives or anything with the med students? I feel like that's something that really attracted me to other schools was that they had balls together and did health drives all together (med, pharm, dental, etc.). If not, it would totally be something to set up!

I actually live in Baltimore now, so I know that there is the Baltimore Rescue Mission on Central and Baltimore where you can volunteer for homeless people, but in all of Baltimore with all it's clinics and so people groups of people that need health care, I find it hard to believe there aren't a few more places to volunteer! (especially for professional-degree seeking students!)

Just join a Student Organization or participate in the SGA. I get at least 3 e-mail a week about fundraisers, charity event, volunteering etc. You will never have to set anything up yourself unless you want to. There is NO shortage of opportunities, only a shortage of time.

Originally Posted by PCAT408

anyone have any idea when adcom is meeting?

Starting in March and all month long. So if you do not hear back yea or nay immediately it doesn't mean they have denied your application.

For current students who moved to Maryland from really far out of state (i.e. California!), how did you bring your car over? Or did you just buy a used car when you got there...?

Originally Posted by 410

Thanks so much for getting back to me! Do you ever do health drives or anything with the med students? I feel like that's something that really attracted me to other schools was that they had balls together and did health drives all together (med, pharm, dental, etc.). If not, it would totally be something to set up!

I actually live in Baltimore now, so I know that there is the Baltimore Rescue Mission on Central and Baltimore where you can volunteer for homeless people, but in all of Baltimore with all it's clinics and so people groups of people that need health care, I find it hard to believe there aren't a few more places to volunteer! (especially for professional-degree seeking students!)

I'm sure there are more, but here are some interprofessional opportunities at UMB, off the top of my head. The President of UMB, Dr. Jay Perman MD, is very dedicated to interprofessional collaboration and education. He has students from each of UMB's schools come work together in his Peds clinic once a week. I think these are rotation students (P4s) but I'm not sure. In addition, we have the annual Interprofessional Patient Management Competition, where teams of interdisciplinary students compete to solve a clinical case. For the Medication Adherence Challenge, one of our student organizations teamed with the University of Maryland Association of Nursing Students for an event, and the new Script Your Future Baltimore Student Coalition is multidisciplinary and will be continuing to hold events on medication adherence. There are many interprofessional opportunities in Geriatrics. If you want specifics PM me. There is also an interdisciplinary Approach to the Critically Ill Patient elective class, which uses Sim-Man technology. It is currently at the SG campus, but it's open to students from both campuses. I expect to see continued growth in opportunities like these, but DrDrugs2012 is right in that if you have an idea or desire to do something that isn't being offered, do it! Great advice no matter where you decide to go to school.
Oh, and for dances, etc, the University SGA plans all sorts of social events for the entire campus, so that would include medical, nursing, dental, etc. Each school has representatives on USGA so keep that in mind in case you are interested in serving in that capacity.

Originally Posted by silensui

For current students who moved to Maryland from really far out of state (i.e. California!), how did you bring your car over? Or did you just buy a used car when you got there...?

There have been people from the west coast that have driven their cars over, filled it with what they needed, and road-tripped it over. There have also been people that have shipped it over. If you have any questions specifically, feel free to message me and I can direct you to the proper person to talk about what they did to bring their cars over.

Thanks, FarmerRx! I'll wait until I hear back from the school before I spam you with questions.

From the original U of Maryland thread in '07, people said that pchem is part of the pharmacy curriculum. Is this still the case? I have to take pchem for my major right now and really hope I don't have to do that again.

Originally Posted by silensui

Thanks, FarmerRx! I'll wait until I hear back from the school before I spam you with questions.

From the original U of Maryland thread in '07, people said that pchem is part of the pharmacy curriculum. Is this still the case? I have to take pchem for my major right now and really hope I don't have to do that again.

Yes you will have to take PChem your first semester, but IMHO it is a slightly abridged version. If you practice your calculations and study the structures then you should do fine. The real kicker for most is Biochem

Oh my gosh oh my gosh woke up to an acceptance letter in my e-mail account No more refreshing the inbox every afternoon!!

Hope everyone else hear back soon!

ETA: I chose the Baltimore campus.

Originally Posted by silensui

Oh my gosh oh my gosh woke up to an acceptance letter in my e-mail account No more refreshing the inbox every afternoon!!

Hope everyone else hear back soon!

ETA: I chose the Baltimore campus.

Congrats! When did you interview?

I'm an out-of-state applicant from California, and I got my acceptance email this morning!

Originally Posted by mayapapaya1228

Congrats! When did you interview?

Thanks! I interviewed January 28th.

Congrats also, STAR1526! I'm also from CA. Are you considering staying in or going OOS?

Got my acceptance email this morning, too~!!
So excited!!

Congrats! When did you interview?

Originally Posted by silensui

Thanks! I interviewed January 28th.

Congrats also, STAR1526! I'm also from CA. Are you considering staying in or going OOS?

Congrats to you on your acceptance! & Thank you! Unfortunately I'll be withdrawing my application & giving up my seat at University of Maryland, since I was offered admission to UCSD in CA recently. I will be staying in CA.

Has anyone gotten an official rejection letter yet? I turned in my supplemental in December and my pharmcas app was turned in before the January deadline. I have heard nothing from Maryland, except for the "do not reply, we have received your app" and another one saying "application received, applications under review". I've spent a lot of time and money on applications and like any other applicant, I would appreciate knowing one way or the other (though by now it's safe to assume I've been denied, since the last interview was March 2).

Best of luck, STAR1526! I am pretty tired of La Jolla after 4 years , but UCSD is a great school to attend as well.

Originally Posted by seaswim

Has anyone gotten an official rejection letter yet? I turned in my supplemental in December and my pharmcas app was turned in before the January deadline. I have heard nothing from Maryland, except for the "do not reply, we have received your app" and another one saying "application received, applications under review". I've spent a lot of time and money on applications and like any other applicant, I would appreciate knowing one way or the other (though by now it's safe to assume I've been denied, since the last interview was March 2).

I'm sorry to hear! That was the case for me with UoP. Have you tried calling them?