University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Pharmacy

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ShockingPurple

ShockingPurple

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I know it's still early before applying for Fall 2014 admission but I figured I'd post this since last year's thread showed that not many current UMES student pharmacists were active on SDN. If you have any questions you can feel free to message me or check out our websites:
www.umes.edu/pharmacy
www.umessop.com
and don't forget to attend the Admissions Open House on October 5th from 9 to 12.

Good luck to those applying and just believe in yourself!
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I am glad to see this link. I want to see more current students here to answer questions. I will be checking often.
 
Hello, I am looking to apply to UMES this fall and I have couple of questions for you!!

1) I saw that princess anne is a small city. Are there plenty of intern opportunities for students in town/near by towns?

2) Also, I am from Arizona, are your classmates mainly from maryland? or there are some out of state students?

Thank you!!!
 
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kyo218 said:
Hello, I am looking to apply to UMES this fall and I have couple of questions for you!!

1) I saw that princess anne is a small city. Are there plenty of intern opportunities for students in town/near by towns?

2) Also, I am from Arizona, are your classmates mainly from maryland? or there are some out of state students?

Thank you!!!
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1) Do you mean intern opportunities to work in addition to class or just for general IPPE/APPE rotations? Because we're in class almost 40 hours a week because of the accelerated curriculum faculty will discourage people from working. However there are exceptions; I'm local so I've stayed with my current pharmacy of 7 years but I cut my hours DRASTICALLY to only Wednesday evenings 4:30 to 8 and every other Saturday. Some students who have worked for corporate chains have been able to transfer from their current Rite Aids, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS stores to other locations here as an intern. But then again they only work limited hours as well, usually just the weekends.
If you we're asking about rotation sites, it is true that Princess Anne is small-but they have IPPE (Introductory pharmacy practice experiences) up and down the shore (Delmarva peninsula). Being IPPE is only every other ties day during the 2 year didactic schedule, if you end up at a site that's possibly an hour away, you can sometimes find someone else who is nearby so that you can carpool with them and with it being every other week you may only end up driving once a month so it's not too bad of a strain on your gas tank.

2) A lot of students are from Maryland-most being from the Baltimore/DC area but we have people from all over: Delaware and Virginia are nearby neighbors that we pick up, some from NJ, Florida, Texas, Tenneesee, California, Minnesota, etc. The one P1 who started this year even came from Puerto Rico.

Hopefully this answered your question. If not, you can send me a nessage on here and of course I'll try to keep checking back here regularly.
 
kyo218 said:
Hello, I am looking to apply to UMES this fall and I have couple of questions for you!!

1) I saw that princess anne is a small city. Are there plenty of intern opportunities for students in town/near by towns?

2) Also, I am from Arizona, are your classmates mainly from maryland? or there are some out of state students?

Thank you!!!
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1) If you're already working at a pharmacy, you can try to transfer and get an inter position. I know two interns who work at RiteAid. Besides there is CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and other independent pharmacy. To add to this, you should also know that the curriculum does not allow you to work a lot of hours. I personally work 15 hrs, and I only have time to study weekdays only.

2) I am a P1, I would say most of us are from Maryland. I know there are some students from NJ, FL and Puerto Rico.

I hope this answers your question.
 
Thank you so much for the responses! You guys answered my question perfectly =]

Do you mind if you elaborate on cons and pros for your school? I would really appreciate your opinions as you two are current students and I am seriously considering for this school.
 
kyo218 said:
Thank you so much for the responses! You guys answered my question perfectly =]

Do you mind if you elaborate on cons and pros for your school? I would really appreciate your opinions as you two are current students and I am seriously considering for this school.
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Pros-this is a 3 year accelerated program so while other schools are completing their 4th year APPEs, we'll be out practicing our field. It's a small program- 60 students per year so the professors are available to help if you need assistance. Some professors even stay later or come in on weekends to offer study reviews. We're near the beach-Ocean City, MD is 45 minutes away. So is Chincoteague, VA and Assateague VA/MD.

Cons-this is a 3 year accelerated program so summer break is cut short. Today the rest of campus came back for classes; this is our 6th week and we'll take our 3rd biweekly assessment on Friday. Passing is 85%-some students have said though that they like this high standard however because it forces you to actually learn the material rather than just studying enough to get a passing score of 70% like other schools,
Some students don't like that we have a professional dress code; I don't mind it however. It's pricey, yes, but then again aren't most graduate programs?
 
kyo218 said:
Thank you so much for the responses! You guys answered my question perfectly =]

Do you mind if you elaborate on cons and pros for your school? I would really appreciate your opinions as you two are current students and I am seriously considering for this school.
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I think the pros and cons are differs from one person to the other. I can't really tell you specifically but we are different from a four year program. So, anything that you don't find at a four years program can be a pro or con depending on how you see it. As I said this is three year program.

I personally have no complain about the school so far, again I am on my first year. but, when I came down here for my interview the faculty surpassed my expectation. The curriculum is organized in such a way that students have on-site training( IPPEs) every other week, where you get a day off from school but also you spend time learning with pharmacists. If you have any pharmacy experience, you know what I mean. If you don't, this will train to be ready to work in a pharmacy setting. There is an APPE rotation, and this IPPEs are perfect to get you used to APPE rotations. The pharmacy setting might be a retail pharmacy or a hospital setting.

I was looking at the class size when I decided to attend this class. Its easy to know your classmates and even students from upper classes. That was helpful so far, and I know some school have class size of 160 students. Professors have open door policy, most of them, that you can walk in. This is in addition to phone and emails.

the last but not the least pro that I considered when deciding to come to UMES, is the curriculum. It is intensive, but at the same time this is what you expect from a postgraduate school. The courses are organized in blocks and each course build up one to the other, or are related in a way to help you create correlation. there are some additional courses that are given through out the semester which you see them once a week or twice a week. We have exam every other Friday.

I think I was able to give you some insight, but if you have any specific questions please feel free to ask.
 
Looks like interviews start next month. Good luck to anyone interviewing and those applying!
 
I really wanted to apply this school due to its great location (very quiet..personal preference) and 3 years program..but couldn't apply due to its extreme high OOS tuition (50k is a lot for me)


too bad i'm not in-state for Maryland..
 
kaidou1412 said:
I really wanted to apply this school due to its great location (very quiet..personal preference) and 3 years program..but couldn't apply due to its extreme high OOS tuition (50k is a lot for me)


too bad i'm not in-state for Maryland..
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You got like 7 interviews and 5 acceptances already. Quit whining =p
 
FelixRx said:
You got like 7 interviews and 5 acceptances already. Quit whining =p
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Apply anyway? After a year you can apply for in state residency and you'll get out after 3 years anyway? It can't hurt...unless you're one who applied to like 20 schools (that had to be a killer PharmCAS billing)
 
Just scheduled my interview! Anyone else scheduled for Nov. 22?
 
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I did ask for Nov. 22 interview but I haven't got my confirmation yet so I'm just waiting to see
But yeah if they confirm that day for me I guess I'll see you there Taco87 :)
 
Taco87 said:
Just scheduled my interview! Anyone else scheduled for Nov. 22?
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2018PharmD said:
I did ask for Nov. 22 interview but I haven't got my confirmation yet so I'm just waiting to see
But yeah if they confirm that day for me I guess I'll see you there Taco87 :)
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Good Luck you guys! I attend a lot of the student panels so I may see you guys there :)
 
UMES is my first interview invite! I am so excited to get an interview and also to finally have something to post on these forums! Requested Nov 22nd :) Can't wait to meet whomever will be there!!
 
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MalakaiMal said:
UMES is my first interview invite! I am so excited to get an interview and also to finally have something to post on these forums! Requested Nov 22nd :) Can't wait to meet whomever will be there!!
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Congrats on the interview invite. I also requested nov 22nd. Have you heard back from them?
 
MalakaiMal said:
UMES is my first interview invite! I am so excited to get an interview and also to finally have something to post on these forums! Requested Nov 22nd :) Can't wait to meet whomever will be there!!
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I have one that day too! I'm so excited! Not looking forward to the cold weather though >.<
 
Rx2b said:
Congrats on the interview invite. I also requested nov 22nd. Have you heard back from them?
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Thanks! Congrats to you too! I was given Monday, the 2nd of December. How about you?
 
how long did it take for them to invite you guys for interviews once pharmCAS application was complete? im just playing the waiting game right now....
 
yeah I got mine too, when is the deadline for that?
 
ShockingPurple said:
Apply anyway? After a year you can apply for in state residency and you'll get out after 3 years anyway? It can't hurt...unless you're one who applied to like 20 schools (that had to be a killer PharmCAS billing)
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Is it hard to get in state residency after 1yr?
 
i go an interview invite for January 17th! would anyone mind sharing their interview experience at UMES/provide any tips?
 
Accepted!!! I'm 100% going to attend this school. It became my first choice after the interview. Anyone else going here for sure?
 
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Rx2b said:
Accepted!!! I'm 100% going to attend this school. It became my first choice after the interview. Anyone else going here for sure?
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Accepted too! So surreal....I am on cloud 9! Such an amazing program and I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity :)
 
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Got accepted tooo!!:) and congrats to everyone else!
 
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2018PharmD said:
Is it hard to get in state residency after 1yr?
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I know of students who haven't had a problem with this. Just make sure to change your address as soon as possible. I can try finding out but I personally don't know how to go about doing all this.
 
ShockingPurple said:
I know of students who haven't had a problem with this. Just make sure to change your address as soon as possible. I can try finding out but I personally don't know how to go about doing all this.
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Pls find out and let us knw. When do they send the link to the Facebook page?
 
Once you send in your seat deposit and your background check from Certiphi has cleared then they'll send you the link to the facebook page.
 
I interviewed here yesterday and can't say enough about the staff's professionalism and helpful atmosphere. I was already accepted at my 1st choice (University of St. Joseph in CT) but will have a tough decision to make if I get accepted here. All the best to everyone else interviewing for this cycle.
 
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Also got my acceptance letter and have already sent in my deposit check! Yay
 
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Congrats on everyone's acceptance! if you guys dont mind.. could you share your stats? im am from out of state and planning to apply to UMES next cycle. does this school accept lots of out of state students? thanks!
 
monkey24 said:
Congrats on everyone's acceptance! if you guys dont mind.. could you share your stats? im am from out of state and planning to apply to UMES next cycle. does this school accept lots of out of state students? thanks!
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As a current P2 student I can give you my stats-they weren't the best (probably because I sucked at taking tests and wasn't as prepared for the PCAT and only took it once) but that's the nice thing about this program, they do offer some grade forgiveness---and I'm in here now.
I have a BS in Biology (2011)-my overall GPA was 3.0 but my pre-req GPA was 3.4.
I had a 40 PCAT (as stated before, I hadn't taken many of my upper level bio classes or organic 2 when I had sat to take it and I only took it once--which UMES doesn't require a minimum PCAT but they state that they look at anyone 40 and above)
I had been a CPhT for 3 years prior-because of this I had worked full time during undergrad so I didn't have ANY extracurricular activities. I didn't join any of the clubs or organizations during undergrad (but I think I've totally made up for that now)
If you check the UMES page for admission requirements, http://www.umes.edu/Pharmacy/Default.aspx?id=18736 they stand true to their word. Not everyone had a 4.0 with perfect PCAT scores and scoreboard of extracurricular activities, but the nice thing is that they lower the bar a bit to give people a chance to get in whereas you may be looked over at other schools-and despite our lowest passing grade of 85%, this program is totally doable.
 
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Not to dissuade people, but no matter what the minimum requirements are, if you are ill-prepared, you will have a difficult time here. My PCAT was 79, and bio/chem sections 85, GPA 3.9. I've seen people come and go in the program because they were not preparing themselves. If you don't prepare well for your requirements prior to pharmacy school, you will have a difficult time while here, more so than "usual." If you think you can study for a test the night before, you will bomb a test here most likely. If you are a poor test-taker, you will have a hard time here. We take an assessment every other Friday. Fail that, and you're going to spend your weekend studying your @$$ off for the harder (usually) version on Monday morning. Fail that, and you will go to extended learning at the end of the semester, sucking time away from your break. Get a fourth EL or fail EL, and kiss your tuition money goodbye, because you can't stick around. Many in the class have had to reassess at least once. If you can't prepare properly for a PCAT, how are you going to prepare for an assessment that happens every two weeks? I'm not saying you have to have rockstar stats, but you better believe when you're here you're striving to be rockstar.

EDIT: nevermind just the assessments, you also have projects, presentations, rotations and other things going on all at the same time.
EDIT2: Corrected grammar
 
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monkey24 said:
Congrats on everyone's acceptance! if you guys dont mind.. could you share your stats? im am from out of state and planning to apply to UMES next cycle. does this school accept lots of out of state students? thanks!
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Yeah, we've got quite a few out-of-staters. Change your driver's license ASAP and get everything in order at the DMV (called MVA in MD) in terms of paperwork and such. The sooner the better, so that for your second and third year you are in-state. Also remember, we are a 3-yr program, so you're out in the workforce a year earlier and a year less of paying tuition. Don't worry about buying books, you only need one, and that's just to get a down-n-dirty prep for medicinal chemistry, and I highly recommend the book. It is small and its to the point. What you need is accessible online.
 
PharmacyHopeful4life said:
I really wanted to apply to this pharmacy school, but I have a pcat of 31 and a GPA of 2.71. Based on the previous posts I think I stand a great chance at this school. ShockingPurple, do you think I have a chance?
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I can't really answer that since I'm just a student here; I was able to share my stats (even though they weren't the best) but they aren't definite. If you call the office and ask to talk to the recruitment coordinator or another advisor they can give you better idea or possibly guidance on how to improve your chances if you aren't.
 
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ShockingPurple said:
As a current P2 student I can give you my stats-they weren't the best (probably because I sucked at taking tests and wasn't as prepared for the PCAT and only took it once) but that's the nice thing about this program, they do offer some grade forgiveness---and I'm in here now.
I have a BS in Biology (2011)-my overall GPA was 3.0 but my pre-req GPA was 3.4.
I had a 40 PCAT (as stated before, I hadn't taken many of my upper level bio classes or organic 2 when I had sat to take it and I only took it once--which UMES doesn't require a minimum PCAT but they state that they look at anyone 40 and above)
I had been a CPhT for 3 years prior-because of this I had worked full time during undergrad so I didn't have ANY extracurricular activities. I didn't join any of the clubs or organizations during undergrad (but I think I've totally made up for that now)
If you check the UMES page for admission requirements, http://www.umes.edu/Pharmacy/Default.aspx?id=18736 they stand true to their word. Not everyone had a 4.0 with perfect PCAT scores and scoreboard of extracurricular activities, but the nice thing is that they lower the bar a bit to give people a chance to get in whereas you may be looked over at other schools-and despite our lowest passing grade of 85%, this program is totally doable.
Click to expand...


I have a 79 composite PCAT (3rd time), a 2.45 sGPA and 2.64 cGPA per PharmCAS
But my ppGPA for UMES is 3.3 not including a couple courses I am taking this Spring.

I have 9 months of work experiences as a CPhT, shadowed at 2 pharmacies, volunteered at a hospital one semester, involved in my church, and volunteer with "Communities in Schools" as a math tutor (Aug 2013-present)

I am a part of our school's pre-professional health society, I am a student ambassador, and a part of MISA (cultural student society)


What do you think my chances are?
And also, when they calculate ppGPA will they take the better of 2 grades if it's a class that I retook?
 
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