2008-2009 University of Maryland Secondary Application Thread

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shemarty

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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. (200 character max.)

Have you done independent research or study? [If yes,] Please describe. (1200 character max.)

Has your education to date been continuous other than vacations? [If no,] Indicate what you have done while out of school. (200 character max.)

If you are a recent graduate (2008), please indicate what you plan to do during the coming year. (200 character max)

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1000 character max.)

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1000 character max.)

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

Have you done independent research or study? [If yes,] Please describe. (1200 character max.)




What defines "independent?"...does being a student research assistant count, or are they looking specifically for an independent project?...
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Anybody know if they accept the AMCAS fee waiver? I'm guessing they don't since they don't list it as an option. I swear the MSAR said they did.
 
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UVAbme2009 said:
Anybody know if they accept the AMCAS fee waiver? I'm guessing they don't since they don't list it as an option. I swear the MSAR said they did.
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The MSAR says that they do not. Also it says on their secondary link that they do not. boo:(
 
So they got rid of the essay from last year's prompt?:

."Please describe your long term career goals. What has been the major influence in your life that has led you in that direction? (1500 character max)"

....
..
.
 
I graduated in 2007, so would I still answer the "what do you plan to do during the coming year" question since it indicates 2008?
 
cargirl110 said:
I graduated in 2007, so would I still answer the "what do you plan to do during the coming year" question since it indicates 2008?
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yeah i would definitely go ahead and answer that. i think they're pretty much asking the people who aren't finishing up their senior year in college what their plans on during the upcoming year during applications..let me know if you guys have anymore questions about maryland
 
rplyler1 said:
The MSAR says that they do not. Also it says on their secondary link that they do not. boo:(
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Yeah, I went home and checked. NYMC actually changed and is now accepting the fee waiver. Too bad UMD won't do the same.
 
UVAbme2009 said:
Yeah, I went home and checked. NYMC actually changed and is now accepting the fee waiver. Too bad UMD won't do the same.
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i didn't realize that they didn't accept the fee waiver...now i am having second thoughts about applying there. not that i can't come up with the money for the secondary, but it just doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't be considerate of applicants from a low socioeconomic background...it's not like they need our few hundred dollars, right? im worried the lack of consideration for individual circumstances might extend to other aspects of the administration/school...anyone have similar thoughts?
 
Yea, I struggled with that question too for a little while. Just glad I got this secondary done with first.
 
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lisasimpson87 said:
i didn't realize that they didn't accept the fee waiver...now i am having second thoughts about applying there. not that i can't come up with the money for the secondary, but it just doesn't make sense to me that they wouldn't be considerate of applicants from a low socioeconomic background...it's not like they need our few hundred dollars, right? im worried the lack of consideration for individual circumstances might extend to other aspects of the administration/school...anyone have similar thoughts?
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The secondary application fee of $70 is pretty reasonable in the grand scheme of application fees. More importantly, on the plus side, Maryland is one of the few schools that does not require a deposit to hold an acceptance. So if you are admitted, you will not have to come up with $$$ at that time to hold your spot until you decide where you are going.
 
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I asked this question in another thread and no one responded...What is meant by independent research? Does that mean because I have only been involved in research under a biology faculty member that I shouldn't answer this?
 
I'm still waiting to get my AMCAS verified, but I thought secondaries would be sent out as soon as I submitted the primary. So, is something wrong or will it take time for them to process the primary before they ask for a secondary??

Basically, should I be worried that I haven't gotten any secondaries yet and I've submitted and resubmitted my AMCAS first 6/23 and then 6/30?
(I did get an email to fill out the George Wash. secondary a couple times though)

Thanks!
 
kapiolli said:
I'm still waiting to get my AMCAS verified, but I thought secondaries would be sent out as soon as I submitted the primary. So, is something wrong or will it take time for them to process the primary before they ask for a secondary??

Basically, should I be worried that I haven't gotten any secondaries yet and I've submitted and resubmitted my AMCAS first 6/23 and then 6/30?
(I did get an email to fill out the George Wash. secondary a couple times though)

Thanks!
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If you AMCAS isn't verified, then your schools haven't even received your primary application yet. You won't get secondaries until after you've been verified.
 
dmbjeff41jmu said:
I asked this question in another thread and no one responded...What is meant by independent research? Does that mean because I have only been involved in research under a biology faculty member that I shouldn't answer this?
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I think that would count. I took "independent" to mean outside of a classroom, and it doesn't even have to be science: I talked about my English honors thesis. No one even mentioned it in my interviews.

Bottom line: an answer about biology research, even with a faculty member, is better than leaving it blank. (What college student gets their own lab in undergrad?) Emphasize the knowledge about biology and lab techniques etc. you're acquiring outside of a classroom.

Good luck, the Maryland secondary is time-consuming. But worth it :)
 
I just received this secondary and it says two letters from science faculty and one from non-science. Does that non-science actually have to be non-science faculty?? Who gets to know their non-science faculty?? Will they accept letters from non-science people who are not faculty? Anyone know? I took few non-science courses in my first couple of years but didn't get to know any of the profs at all.:scared:
 
Are all of the essays required? For the question...
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. (200 character max.)
I don't have any withdrawals or incompletes. While I have a poor grade I don't really have a compelling reason to explain for it. Thoughts?
 
Podie said:
I just received this secondary and it says two letters from science faculty and one from non-science. Does that non-science actually have to be non-science faculty?? Who gets to know their non-science faculty?? Will they accept letters from non-science people who are not faculty? Anyone know? I took few non-science courses in my first couple of years but didn't get to know any of the profs at all.:scared:
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If it says faculty, it means faculty; if it just says "non-science" then you can probably do with someone outside the scientific discipline like a pastor, supervisor, etc. Well-rounded candidates who took classes outside of the scientific disciplines get to know their non-science faculty. It shows you aren't a one-trick pony. The best advice is to rummage your brain for your best available option and contact that person. Sometimes a prof who doesn't know you that well will be willing to write you a letter if you sit down with them for a little interview/conversation so they feel they can write something and feel honest about having a decent feel for where you are at.
 
BoysLikeGirls said:
Are all of the essays required? For the question...
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. (200 character max.)
I don't have any withdrawals or incompletes. While I have a poor grade I don't really have a compelling reason to explain for it. Thoughts?
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You can just put "Not applicable" if the question does not apply to you.
 
When they ask for your employment history, would that include research? or should research just be discussed in the essay question?
 
can somebody post the link to the residency form?

after certifying the application, you can't get to it apparently. i started filling it out by hand, but think it would look better to type it in...

can anyone help me out?

**nevermind. found it***
 
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So I work at a private nursing home for the mentally disabled. I don't go to a hospital. It's more of a home that houses these patients. Does that still count as clinical medicine??
 
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Is there any point in applying to UMD as an out-of-state student? I'm debating whether or not I should follow through with the secondary because it seems like they heavily favor instate students. Any thoughts?
 
I can't seem to certify my application because it says I haven't answered the MD/PhD section. But every time I try to click on it, it takes me to the MD/Ph.D. homepage with nothing to fill out...how are you guys solving this problem?

never mind! i found that i was clicking on the wrong link :)
 
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elle23 said:
Is there any point in applying to UMD as an out-of-state student? I'm debating whether or not I should follow through with the secondary because it seems like they heavily favor instate students. Any thoughts?
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Which state do you live in? It seems to me as though they tend to give some SLIGHT preference to out of staters who are from neighboringish states (NJ/PA/VA/DE). I could be wrong though. Either way, at my interview there were about 20 people, and about half were out of state. Of course, their overall numbers for interviewed/accepted are much more skewed towards in state, but I say it's worth it. Plus, their secondary gives you more of a chance to sell yourself than a lot of other schools'.
 
Is anyone else having difficult "describing and explaining" the first question in 200 characters? Should it be 1200 characters?

It seems like I'm only drawing attention to a negative aspect of my application and not really doing much explaining if it 200 characters is correct.
 
Watching the Wire and applying to Maryland do not go together well. :laugh:
 
Vania said:
Is anyone else having difficult "describing and explaining" the first question in 200 characters? Should it be 1200 characters?

It seems like I'm only drawing attention to a negative aspect of my application and not really doing much explaining if it 200 characters is correct.
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They must've gotten tired of reading long excuses . . . last year it was 500 characters for that question.
 
What would you consider to be the definition of "clinical medicine"? I have an extra-curricular where we provided donated goods (food, clothes) to the homeless but also some basic healthcare (first aid type stuff). There was also a doctor with us who provided vaccinations and informal diagnoses. Would this count?
 
elle23 said:
Is there any point in applying to UMD as an out-of-state student? I'm debating whether or not I should follow through with the secondary because it seems like they heavily favor instate students. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I noticed they accept very few OOS also. I have gone to school and lived in Baltimore for the past four years, and have done significant volunteer work with inter-city kids. I'm also from a neighboring state. So I figure if they are going to accept a few OOS applicants, they're probably people with strong ties to the area. (At least that's what I'm hoping!)
 
Vania said:
I'm also from a neighboring state. So I figure if they are going to accept a few OOS applicants, they're probably people with strong ties to the area. (At least that's what I'm hoping!)
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That tends to be the trend, yeah.
 
Does anyone else's character count not add up right going from Word to the online secondary?
 
rogerwilco said:
Which state do you live in? It seems to me as though they tend to give some SLIGHT preference to out of staters who are from neighboringish states (NJ/PA/VA/DE). I could be wrong though. Either way, at my interview there were about 20 people, and about half were out of state. Of course, their overall numbers for interviewed/accepted are much more skewed towards in state, but I say it's worth it. Plus, their secondary gives you more of a chance to sell yourself than a lot of other schools'.
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Well, I go to school in PA so maybe that could help? Anyway thanks for the advice.... I decided to go ahead and apply, so I'll see what happens!
 
dwc929 said:
Does anyone else's character count not add up right going from Word to the online secondary?
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Yeah. What the **** is going on here?

Edit - Okay, I got it working. It seemed to dislike Firefox. Worked fine with IE.
 
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Just so everyone knows: when they get your secondary and begin to process it, you will get a letter from them in the mail stating this and requesting your LORs to be sent to them.

I totally freaked out when I got the small, thin envelope because I thought it was a rejection already. :laugh:
 
chad5871 said:
Just so everyone knows: when they get your secondary and begin to process it, you will get a letter from them in the mail stating this and requesting your LORs to be sent to them.

I totally freaked out when I got the small, thin envelope because I thought it was a rejection already. :laugh:
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the same is true for when they respond about your in-state classification (if you applied for it)
 
so when all the boxes next to the required items on the status check page are green, that means we are complete? Did anyone get a email saying they're complete?
 
poohbear00 said:
so when all the boxes next to the required items on the status check page are green, that means we are complete? Did anyone get a email saying they're complete?
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I did not get an email. When all your boxes are checked off it should mean you are complete. It doesn't necessarily mean they've started processing your app, but at least you've gotten everything in to them.
 
Their website (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/admissions/Letters.asp) says you either need a committee letter "or" 2 science letters and one non-science letter (all 3 from faculty). Therefore, I would imagine that you could have 4 science letters and nothing else and as long as you get a committee letter from your school, you should be okay. But if your school doesn't have the option of a pre-med committee letter, then you will need this other non-science letter.
 
ravens11 said:
Their website (http://medschool.umaryland.edu/admissions/Letters.asp) says you either need a committee letter "or" 2 science letters and one non-science letter (all 3 from faculty). Therefore, I would imagine that you could have 4 science letters and nothing else and as long as you get a committee letter from your school, you should be okay. But if your school doesn't have the option of a pre-med committee letter, then you will need this other non-science letter.
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I think as long as you have a committee letter, you're ok. if you don't have a committee letter, then you need a total of three letters.
 
poohbear00 said:
I think as long as you have a committee letter, you're ok. if you don't have a committee letter, then you need a total of three letters.
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To clarify, if you don't have a committee letter, you would need three letters: 2 science and at 1 NONSCIENCE.

Not sure about your school, but my undergrad required at least one nonscience LOR for the committee letter.
 
chad5871 said:
I did not get an email. When all your boxes are checked off it should mean you are complete. It doesn't necessarily mean they've started processing your app, but at least you've gotten everything in to them.
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This however does not account for if you have taken a July or August MCAT. July MCAT scores have been out for a week and I called today and Maryland said they might not download them for another month...
 
dwc929 said:
This however does not account for if you have taken a July or August MCAT. July MCAT scores have been out for a week and I called today and Maryland said they might not download them for another month...
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That's correct and I apologize for any misunderstanding. This statement was made under the assumption that your MCAT score was already in when you submitted your primary.
 
This is my only state school, and probably my best shot. Does anyone have any info regarding interview invites?

I know people who applied to Maryland last year and they started receiving their interview invites at about this time. My one my friend had her interview scheduled for Sept. 23 (but she requested a later interview), so I know the invites have to be coming soon. (Note: These are people who submitted their secondaries to Maryland on July 20th or later. So they weren't super early to the party or anything.)

The nauseous feeling in my stomach is getting old.
 
Bibbed said:
This is my only state school, and probably my best shot. Does anyone have any info regarding interview invites?

I know people who applied to Maryland last year and they started receiving their interview invites at about this time. My one my friend had her interview scheduled for Sept. 23 (but she requested a later interview), so I know the invites have to be coming soon. (Note: These are people who submitted their secondaries to Maryland on July 20th or later. So they weren't super early to the party or anything.)

The nauseous feeling in my stomach is getting old.
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I am a Maryland resident as well. I did some checking on last year's interview thread, and the earliest interview invite that I could find went out on 9/11/2007. The interviews then start in late Sept. and the first wave of decisions goes out Oct. 15th. I guess that we probably have at least one more week of waiting. Good luck!!! :luck:
 
rplyler1 said:
I am a Maryland resident as well. I did some checking on last year's interview thread, and the earliest interview invite that I could find went out on 9/11/2007. The interviews then start in late Sept. and the first wave of decisions goes out Oct. 15th. I guess that we probably have at least one more week of waiting. Good luck!!! :luck:
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Great news! I looked for last year's thread the other day, but I couldn't find it. I'm glad you did. Now I can breathe easy for another week. Thanks!
 
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