2009-2010 University of Maryland Application Thread

shemarty · May 6, 2009

Prompts

Please describe and explain below any academic problems which you might have had while in college and/or graduate or professional school. Please include withdrawals, incompletes, poor grades, etc. (1000 character limit)

Have you done independent research or study?

Has your education to date been continuous other than vacations?

If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. (1000 character limit)

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 character limit)

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 character limit)

What does it mean to enter into a profession? (1500 character limit)

LOR Reqs

sarahl86 · Jul 8, 2009

I'm displeased with the fact that my school is at the bottom of the 09-10 threads...so I'm bumping it with secondary questions (from last year) for anyone too lazy to peek at last year's thread.

- Describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine (1000 character max)
- Describe your most satisfying experience related to community service (1000 character max)
...and the ever notorious:
- What does it mean to enter into a profession (1500 character max)

Good luck!!

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

when did the secondary come out for u sara? also any idea if these will probably be this years questions? It seems they like that professionalism question since its been used the past 2 years probabl safe to assume thatll be there?

sarahl86 · Jul 8, 2009

I received my secondary in the beginning of September because I took the MCAT in late July/early August (can't remember which) and then had a rather irritating hold-up in my LOR processing...yeah, that paranoia about a med school losing your letters? Totally justified and happened in my case...so my application/interview invite/acceptance dates were not the norm for a Maryland applicant.

I can't definitley say one way or another if these will be the same questions next year. If they eliminate the professionalism question in the secondary I'd expect it in an interview because they do seem pretty fond of it and I think its an interesting question.

JasonE · Jul 8, 2009

just got an email with the secondary. pretty tough one. what really sucks is that some of the essays are going to be similar with many peoples personal statement. what to do?

jackson1 · Jul 8, 2009

got the secondary! I'm a little confused because I found somewhere that says LOR's need to be mailed directly to them and not to AMCAS, but somewhere else it said to mail them to AMCAS...anyone know for sure?? Here's the prompts:

Please describe and explain below any academic problems which you might have had while in college and/or graduate or professional school. Please include withdrawals, incompletes, poor grades, etc. (1000 character max)

If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. (1000 character max)

Edit: I missed the essay section

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 character max.)

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 character max.)

What does it mean to enter into a profession? (1500 character max.)

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

jackson1 said:
got the secondary! I'm a little confused because I found somewhere that says LOR's need to be mailed directly to them and not to AMCAS, but somewhere else it said to mail them to AMCAS...anyone know for sure?? Here's the prompts:

Please describe and explain below any academic problems which you might have had while in college and/or graduate or professional school. Please include withdrawals, incompletes, poor grades, etc. (1000 character max)

If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. (1000 character max)

Edit: I missed the essay section

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 character max.)

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 character max.)

What does it mean to enter into a profession? (1500 character max.)

I just called them, LORS are sent to AMCAS not the school, its a mistake that is being corrected.

sarahl86 · Jul 8, 2009

Man, you guys got lucky. More characters and you can just send your LORs to AMCAS. Wish they had done that last year!!!

amikhchi · Jul 8, 2009

Anyone else notice for the most recent MCAT date box there is no 2009?

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

amikhchi said:
Anyone else notice for the most recent MCAT date box there is no 2009?

yes i just called them about it, they said IT is working on fixing it now. So hopefully no one else calls ahah...they lady i called seemed like this was the 1903201 call she got on the subject.

amikhchi · Jul 8, 2009

K great, wow man... it's just the beginning and I already feel overwhelmed by the number of essays and extra applications i have to fill out... gotta love the road less traveled

mannyowens · Jul 8, 2009

does maryland screen secondaries?

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

mannyowens said:
does maryland screen secondaries?

no

Aggro · Jul 8, 2009

No.

This secondary is RIDICULOUS. Why in God's name are there like five essays, some of which are just direct repeats of the primary application?

"What does it mean to enter a profession?" -- profession - pruh-FESH-uhn - noun - a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science (e.g. the profession of teaching).

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

Aggro said:
No.

This secondary is RIDICULOUS. Why in God's name are there like five essays, some of which are just direct repeats of the primary application?

"What does it mean to enter a profession?" -- profession - pruh-FESH-uhn - noun - a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science (e.g. the profession of teaching).

yah dude this, loyola, duke, and rush probably win the most insane secondary prize. I wrote all of this before hand but it took me a long ass time. my profession essay sucks so much i want to vomit as i read it :laugh:

Aggro · Jul 8, 2009

I dunno, UCLA gives them a run for their money. I checked the thread for last year and there were NINE essays. NINE!

metallica81788 · Jul 8, 2009

Yeah, this one's a beast. Hope to have it done by Monday night.

Appless · Jul 8, 2009

Aggro said:
I dunno, UCLA gives them a run for their money. I checked the thread for last year and there were NINE essays. NINE!

maybe, i did UCLAs and i thought it wasnt bad...really simple questions that I found easy to answer. I dont find it easy to answer what is professionalism. UCLA had really small character limits to making it easier for me

Aggro · Jul 8, 2009

Seriously -- I don't even know how to begin that one. I'll probably write a bunch of crap about dedication, perseverance, and camaraderie. Bleh.

drdude21 · Jul 8, 2009

Can "your most important exposure to clinical medicine" be a shadowing experience? I have clinical volunteering I could talk about, but had a much stronger exposure shadowing that I would write about with more passion...

dru2002 · Jul 8, 2009

Wow this one is beastly. At least Loyola screens before you put in this much work. lol. If only I didn't really like Maryland's SOM.

sarahl86 · Jul 8, 2009

drdude21 said:
Can "your most important exposure to clinical medicine" be a shadowing experience? I have clinical volunteering I could talk about, but had a much stronger exposure shadowing that I would write about with more passion...

Then do that. You can elaborate on volunteer experiences in your AMCAS, personal statement (which hopefully you did), and your interview.

nick_carraway · Jul 8, 2009

Yay!!! Maryland!!! I loveeee youuuu. Please be nice to me this year

metallica81788 · Jul 8, 2009

So I think this "enter into a profession essay" sucks.
This is going to be worse than my Ohio State altruism essay. And that one was horrible.

neuromcdoctor · Jul 9, 2009

If I graduated in 2008 should I still fill out the question below:

."If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. ..(1000 character max)".

I am soo soo soo sick of secondaries....

JasonE · Jul 9, 2009

neuromcdoctor said:
If I graduated in 2008 should I still fill out the question below:

."If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. ..(1000 character max)".

I am soo soo soo sick of secondaries....

since you applied to like 70 schools, i dont blame you. thats like a semesters worth of work! good luck though

neuromcdoctor · Jul 9, 2009

JasonE said:
since you applied to like 70 schools, i dont blame you. thats like a semesters worth of work! good luck though

Ha ha yes I did apply to a ton of schools, but back to the original question...should I fill out this Maryland Q if I graduated in 2008

" .If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. ..(1000 character max)".

nick_carraway · Jul 9, 2009

neuromcdoctor said:
Ha ha yes I did apply to a ton of schools, but back to the original question...should I fill out this Maryland Q if I graduated in 2008

" .If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. ..(1000 character max)".

Considering that they gave you an exact year, rather than leaving it ambiguous, I think it's safe to say that you can leave it blank.

BerlinDude · Jul 9, 2009

Duke also has a large number of secondary essays, but is a top medical school. WTF is U. Maryland's excuse?

I've heard the Dean of admissions there is a jerk-off. Anyone have any info on this?

Even though this is really my only safety school, I'm thinking of dropping it - or of submitting the secondary blank - because I don't have time for this crap.

SportingMD54 · Jul 9, 2009

koko_eats said:
Considering that they gave you an exact year, rather than leaving it ambiguous, I think it's safe to say that you can leave it blank.

Personally I would contact them to see what they want...

Stixman28 · Jul 9, 2009

BerlinDude said:
Duke also has a large number of secondary essays, but is a top medical school. WTF is U. Maryland's excuse?

I've heard the Dean of admissions there is a jerk-off. Anyone have any info on this?

Even though this is really my only safety school, I'm thinking of dropping it - or of submitting the secondary blank - because I don't have time for this crap.

Wow, that's a lot of insults for just one post. And just so you all know, the dean told us that he reads SDN.

I'd have to bet that a blank secondary would be an auto reject, unless you submit proof of your nobel.

BerlinDude · Jul 9, 2009

Stixman28 said:
Wow, that's a lot of insults for just one post. And just so you all know, the dean told us that he reads SDN.

I'd have to bet that a blank secondary would be an auto reject, unless you submit proof of your nobel.

Ha, yea, I guess you're right. I'm just annoyed I wasted the money on selecting U Maryland on my primary. I don't have the time to write five essays for Maryland.

sarahl86 · Jul 9, 2009

Stixman28 said:
Wow, that's a lot of insults for just one post. And just so you all know, the dean told us that he reads SDN.

I'd have to bet that a blank secondary would be an auto reject, unless you submit proof of your nobel.

QFT...don't like it, don't apply here. The secondary essays don't take that long (and in the grand scheme of things, whats one day of working on it worth? A career in medicine or not?) and FWIW my experiences with Dean Foxwell have been positive. He's got a tough job so give the guy some slack.

alibai3ah · Jul 10, 2009

neuromcdoctor said:
Ha ha yes I did apply to a ton of schools, but back to the original question...should I fill out this Maryland Q if I graduated in 2008

" .If you are a recent graduate (2009), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. ..(1000 character max)".

Umm... I wrote what I did the year from 08-09 (also a 08 graduate) and what I am planning on doing. I would not leave that blank, the point is to see what you did after you graduate....

alibai3ah · Jul 10, 2009

BerlinDude said:
Ha, yea, I guess you're right. I'm just annoyed I wasted the money on selecting U Maryland on my primary. I don't have the time to write five essays for Maryland.

Really?? I became even more interested in the school after the secondary, they have some REALLY good programs. I def think this school is underrated...

Appless · Jul 10, 2009

alibai3ah said:
Really?? I became even more interested in the school after the secondary, they have some REALLY good programs. I def think this school is underrated...

lol every school has "good programs."

SportingMD54 · Jul 10, 2009

Elijah05 said:
lol every school has "good programs."

Depends on your definition of "good". Different things attract different people...

alibai3ah · Jul 10, 2009

SportingMD54 said:
Depends on your definition of "good". Different things attract different people...

Exactly, plus there are plenty of schools that I have researched and been turned off after going on their website.

djd2187 · Jul 12, 2009

metallica81788 said:
So I think this "enter into a profession essay" sucks.
This is going to be worse than my Ohio State altruism essay. And that one was horrible.

Does anyone have any ideas about what they are writing for this essay?

I was thinking about writing about helping people and working together with other fields but so far that seems pretty ordinary. Any help, would be appreciated.

SportingMD54 · Jul 12, 2009

djd2187 said:
Does anyone have any ideas about what they are writing for this essay?

I was thinking about writing about helping people and working together with other fields but so far that seems pretty ordinary. Any help, would be appreciated.

Since I am working for a doctor this summer and have spent like 2 months with him for 40+ hours a week, I just defined what I thought professionalism was and then said how he did it. I then just kinda said that that is how I want to be when I am a doc. Perhaps you had an experience like this you could elaborate on.

joshto · Jul 12, 2009

what is the link to the secondary?
I started filling it out on Friday, but the e-mail, with the link, is no longer in my e-mail address for some mysterious reason.

SportingMD54 · Jul 12, 2009

joshto said:
what is the link to the secondary?
I started filling it out on Friday, but the e-mail, with the link, is no longer in my e-mail address for some mysterious reason.

http://medschool.umaryland.edu/admissions/forms.asp

pilkington82 · Jul 12, 2009

ok this might be a stupid question but when completing the letters section on the secondary do I list each individual letter if my school is sending a packet of letters? There is no committee letter but just a letter packet. It says don't list if there are letters included in a packet with the school's committee letter. I am not sure which way to go, I assuming that because there is no committee letter with my letters I should list them individually. Right? Thanks

djd2187 · Jul 12, 2009

SportingMD54 said:
Since I am working for a doctor this summer and have spent like 2 months with him for 40+ hours a week, I just defined what I thought professionalism was and then said how he did it. I then just kinda said that that is how I want to be when I am a doc. Perhaps you had an experience like this you could elaborate on.

so do you believe that this question asks about the profession of doctor or the general word profession? Because the way I looked at it, I wrote about general definition of profession and included the profession of medicine within it. What do you guys think?

jackson1 · Jul 12, 2009

djd2187 said:
so do you believe that this question asks about the profession of doctor or the general word profession? Because the way I looked at it, I wrote about general definition of profession and included the profession of medicine within it. What do you guys think?

I did the same thing-mostly general about entering into a profession with some specific about entering the profession of medicine.

Appless · Jul 12, 2009

djd2187 said:
so do you believe that this question asks about the profession of doctor or the general word profession? Because the way I looked at it, I wrote about general definition of profession and included the profession of medicine within it. What do you guys think?

Thats what I did and what probably all 5k+ people who apply to maryland do.

Ilovewater · Jul 12, 2009

poteat86 said:
ok this might be a stupid question but when completing the letters section on the secondary do I list each individual letter if my school is sending a packet of letters? There is no committee letter but just a letter packet. It says don't list if there are letters included in a packet with the school's committee letter. I am not sure which way to go, I assuming that because there is no committee letter with my letters I should list them individually. Right? Thanks

I called, and the lady said to just to choose "Pre-medical committee letter".

pilkington82 · Jul 13, 2009

I called, and the lady said to just to choose "Pre-medical committee letter".

Thanks

neelson88 · Jul 17, 2009

metallica81788 said:
So I think this "enter into a profession essay" sucks.
This is going to be worse than my Ohio State altruism essay. And that one was horrible.

o god, that osu essay is awful. i still havent started it and I will probably procrastinate until all my other essays are done.

amikhchi · Jul 17, 2009

I wasn't too fond of the altruism essay, and i'm not too fond of the bajillion essays some schools make you write... 10 short essays is still 10 essays

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