2013-2014 University of Massachusetts Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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MedWonk said:
Anyone know if it's feasible to live in the Boston area and commute to school? Like, live in Arlington and commute from there?
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I don't personally know, but during my interview it was mentioned that a couple of current students with families do commute from the Boston area.
 
MedWonk said:
Anyone know if it's feasible to live in the Boston area and commute to school? Like, live in Arlington and commute from there?
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I had this same question. I live in Boston now, and am definitely considering not moving for first if I end up at UMASS. Thank for the info Pose! And if anyone else has any experience with this, I'd love to hear about it.
 
MedWonk said:
Anyone know if it's feasible to live in the Boston area and commute to school? Like, live in Arlington and commute from there?
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As someone who currently lives in Worcester (not a medical student at umass, still waiting for post interview news), I would unfortunately have to advise you not to live in boston and commute. Any way you go, the traffic is TERRIBLE in both Worcester and boston. The area where umass is (rt 9) is the worst highway in Massachusetts for both traffic and construction (in my opinion). It probably takes me about 15 minutes to get through the 1-2 mile stretch from umass down rt 9 towards Boston during traffic hours, and the traffic essentially is constant all the way down rt 9, with only a couple of ok stretches. You could bypass route 9 altogether and go the mass pike the whole way, but the nearest entrance to the mass pike is quite a distance with almost as much traffic, so even in traffic, you're probably better off staying on rt. 9 until you reach the mass pike in natick or something.

I would say that during non traffic hours you could probably do the drive in 45mins to an hour, but during traffic. . . Oof, wayyyy too long.

I imagine the commuter rail would end up being quite expensive too, but maybe you could look into that.

I will add that Worcester isn't the worst place to live. There isn't really anything to do in the city, but the surrounding towns have plenty of things to do and plenty of great restaurants. The only bad thing is the night life here, but you can always take the trip to boston, or even providence, which is actually easier to get to, and is a surprisingly awesome city with a great night life, restaurants and stuff.
 
Resilience said:
As someone who currently lives in Worcester (not a medical student at umass, still waiting for post interview news), I would unfortunately have to advise you not to live in boston and commute. Any way you go, the traffic is TERRIBLE in both Worcester and boston. The area where umass is (rt 9) is the worst highway in Massachusetts for both traffic and construction (in my opinion). It probably takes me about 15 minutes to get through the 1-2 mile stretch from umass down rt 9 towards Boston during traffic hours, and the traffic essentially is constant all the way down rt 9, with only a couple of ok stretches. You could bypass route 9 altogether and go the mass pike the whole way, but the nearest entrance to the mass pike is quite a distance with almost as much traffic, so even in traffic, you're probably better off staying on rt. 9 until you reach the mass pike in natick or something.

I would say that during non traffic hours you could probably do the drive in 45mins to an hour, but during traffic. . . Oof, wayyyy too long.

I imagine the commuter rail would end up being quite expensive too, but maybe you could look into that.

I will add that Worcester isn't the worst place to live. There isn't really anything to do in the city, but the surrounding towns have plenty of things to do and plenty of great restaurants. The only bad thing is the night life here, but you can always take the trip to boston, or even providence, which is actually easier to get to, and is a surprisingly awesome city with a great night life, restaurants and stuff.
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+1

My mother works in Cambridge and it takes her around1.5 h to get to work if she leaves at 5:45 am ... And we live closer to the city than Worcester. "Rush hour" is essentially the entire morning and entire evening for 95 and rt 9
 
MedWonk said:
Anyone know if it's feasible to live in the Boston area and commute to school? Like, live in Arlington and commute from there?
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As someone who has done the commute personally, I can say that it is DEFINITELY feasible and there are a number of students (mostly people with families or significant others in Boston) who do this every year. Yes the commute can be bad if you are driving during rush hour, but if you are flexible enough to leave an hour earlier or later you can avoid most of the traffic and it is really not too bad. Keep in mind that this is a "reverse commute," as in most people are going into Boston in the morning, whereas you will be leaving Boston. The person above who said it takes their mother 1.5 hours to get to Cambridge is referring to a commute into the city rather than out of it, which of course would have more traffic. The other thing to consider is that most lectures are recorded so if you are the kind of person who doesn't have to be in class to learn, you won't even be commuting every day.

It is definitely easier on you if you decide to live in Worcester, but if you have a compelling reason to live in Boston, I would say go for it. It comes down to whether or not you are willing to spend a couple of hours in your car a few days a week.

Also, as a side note, UMASS has been pretty good about canceling classes when the weather is bad so you also hopefully won't have to commute too much in the snow.
 
MedWonk said:
Anyone know if it's feasible to live in the Boston area and commute to school? Like, live in Arlington and commute from there?
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I currently live in Cambridge and it takes my roommates, who work pretty much right next to UMMS, just about an hour each way, even during rush-hour. I think there's some benefit to it being a reverse-commute, though there are still times when the traffic is killer for them. Somewhat ironically, I work in the Longwood area and it can easily take me an hour to get there when I take the T.
 
I'd also add that there really should be a very good reason for you to make the commute (kids, partner who can't move, etc). Worcester is a great place to live, but more importantly you will find it much easier to be part of the social life in medical school if you live around here. It doesn't seem like it's that important but the first couple of years are grueling hard work and it makes a huge difference to have the support network of your classmates and upperclassmen as you adjust and grow in this environment. Don't underestimate the value of friendships while you go through this journey, and recognize that it is always more difficult to develop those friendships if you live an hour away.
 
Any current students have advice about finding housing in Worcester (or know anybody who is moving out of an apartment/house and would like to pass their lease onto an incoming first year!?) Also on a different topic, what kind of computer do most students use? (My current computer is beginning to enter the final stages of its life so I may need to acquire a new computer before August...)
 
DoctorForLifeMD said:
Ya I am just confused as to why this process is taking so long for them. Has anyone tried calling them and asking about the timeline for the process?
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they actually came to my school and i asked them in person and said from now until may...so its no point asking them
 
No news again.....yay..........I am desperately holding on to the saying "no news is good news"
 
From what I've been told, all decisions for the initial class have been made. If there's any silver lining, it's that UMass always has decent waitlist movement.
 
ubicaritas said:
Who told you this?
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Truth. Last year the dean said 1/2 the class was off the waitlist of size 100. Its because kids realize that their earning potential is so high after medical school that the debt goes away pretty fast. Also UMass has a 140k indebtness (+-10) and thats on pair with private schools who have deep pockets. If I were given a choice between a better ranked private school in NYC and UMass and they cost the same in the end, I'd be choose the private school
 
entrepreneurMD said:
Truth. Last year the dean said 1/2 the class was off the waitlist of size 100. Its because kids realize that their earning potential is so high after medical school that the debt goes away pretty fast. Also UMass has a 140k indebtness (+-10) and thats on pair with private schools who have deep pockets. If I were given a choice between a better ranked private school in NYC and UMass and they cost the same in the end, I'd be choose the private school
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I don't know if I find a lot of truth in this. I was accepted to a few schools that were higher on the research ranking than UMASS, including Einstein and Emory, but I think I will be going to UMASS. My experience during the day at UMASS significantly out shined all my other interviews. The enthusiasm and happiness of the students I met was unmatched.

With the learning contract, cost of living, and low tuition/fees, I will be taking out less loans than my undergraduate education. And the learning contract basically is a 5 year subsidized loan, which is really awesome. But hey, just my opinion 😉
 
entrepreneurMD said:
Truth. Last year the dean said 1/2 the class was off the waitlist of size 100. Its because kids realize that their earning potential is so high after medical school that the debt goes away pretty fast. Also UMass has a 140k indebtness (+-10) and thats on pair with private schools who have deep pockets. If I were given a choice between a better ranked private school in NYC and UMass and they cost the same in the end, I'd be choose the private school
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I think that's only true if they're going for a higher-paying specialty, or they got into a "high-tier" school that offered a generous fin aid package, which quite a few do. Given the choice between Harvard offering a 25k grant vs UMass, I think most people would choose Harvard. Probably not too many people choosing a really expensive school over UMass unless they have a really good reason to do so.
 
MedWonk said:
I think that's only true if they're going for a higher-paying specialty, or they got into a "high-tier" school that offered a generous fin aid package, which quite a few do. Given the choice between Harvard offering a 25k grant vs UMass, I think most people would choose Harvard. Probably not too many people choosing a really expensive school over UMass unless they have a really good reason to do so.
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I'm just providing an explanation to the fact that half the class is from the waitlist. UMass offers a great medical education but for individuals who want to do something more that primary care and explore areas in administration, research, pharma opportunities name brand matters.
 
entrepreneurMD said:
I'm just providing an explanation to the fact that half the class is from the waitlist. UMass offers a great medical education but for individuals who want to do something more that primary care and explore areas in administration, research, pharma opportunities name brand matters.
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I agree that brand name matters. I never said anything to the contrary.
 
entrepreneurMD said:
I'm just providing an explanation to the fact that half the class is from the waitlist. UMass offers a great medical education but for individuals who want to do something more that primary care and explore areas in administration, research, pharma opportunities name brand matters.
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UMASS Medical School is a brand name, especially in the Northeast. Look at the number of students matching into top programs (MGH, Brigham & Women's, Beth Israel, Stanford, NYU, Dartmouth, Brown, etc). Although one of UMASS's focus is primary care, this in no way hinders students from going into ANY speciality. Last year UMASS had 7 students match anesthesiology , 7 derm, 5 general surgery, 3 ortho, 2 vascular, 1 plastics, and 1 neurosurgery. And don't forget 14 emergency medicine, 4 radiology - diagnostic, 3 urology, 1 neurology.
 
medflight2018 said:
UMASS Medical School is a brand name, especially in the Northeast. Look at the number of students matching into top programs (MGH, Brigham & Women's, Beth Israel, Stanford, NYU, Dartmouth, Brown, etc). Although one of UMASS's focus is primary care, this in no way hinders students from going into ANY speciality. Last year UMASS had 7 students match anesthesiology , 7 derm, 5 general surgery, 3 ortho, 2 vascular, 1 plastics, and 1 neurosurgery. And don't forget 14 emergency medicine, 4 radiology - diagnostic, 3 urology, 1 neurology.
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A lot of it is regional familiarity. MGH/BWH/BI/Brown/Dartmouth know UMass very well. Although this year there were 16 matching in CA. It could be they had ties to the state, but I don't being from UMass impeded their ability to match there provided they had the app back it up (I'm guessing they did). Brand name matters, but I think people overestimate its value. A mediocre candidate from Harvard probably won't win out over a stellar candidate from UVM.

Also, this year a lot of people matched peds from UMass. Not sure how many will do primary care, though. Fewer people matched EM. Lots went to CA (16, IIRC). Famous names all over.
 
MedWonk said:
A mediocre candidate from Harvard probably won't win out over a stellar candidate from UVM.
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lol you'd be surprised. The deeper you get into school, the more you see anecdotes that reinforce the truth of the matter; status matters in medicine. Not that UMass doesn't have status, it definitely does in certain hospitals. But most students choose UMass for the affordable cost of attendance, not because it's a brand name school. I would say a good number of my classmates got accepted to some pretty killer schools but turned them down solely for price reasons. And I think most PD's recognize that cost of medical education is a very real burden, and respect our decision to go to UMass. But there are a few PD's out there, many at top hospitals, who place a premium on pedigree.

That being said, an exceptional (IE top 1%) student will still get whatever whatever residency he wants regardless of where he went to medical school.
 
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medflight2018 said:
UMASS Medical School is a brand name, especially in the Northeast. Look at the number of students matching into top programs (MGH, Brigham & Women's, Beth Israel, Stanford, NYU, Dartmouth, Brown, etc). Although one of UMASS's focus is primary care, this in no way hinders students from going into ANY speciality. Last year UMASS had 7 students match anesthesiology , 7 derm, 5 general surgery, 3 ortho, 2 vascular, 1 plastics, and 1 neurosurgery. And don't forget 14 emergency medicine, 4 radiology - diagnostic, 3 urology, 1 neurology.
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I would have to argue that UMass Med does not have a brand name. It is well recognized, respectable and a phenomenal place to receive an education but I think about the brand name medical schools and UMass Med does not make that list in anyway. I think the only state schools that do is UCSF and UNC
 
Brand name or not... If many of your MS4s are matching to Partners or Caregroup hospitals, then that's the school to be at. Favorable affiliations with these programs seems like an absolute game changer.
 
PreciousHamburgers said:
Since the class is full or close to it, plenty of people who interviewed in every month have heard back.
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I suspect at least the initial acceptances are all sent out since they're sent out the 2nd look invite already.
 
Anyone know who we send additional letters of rec to (Through AMCAS, email, mail?)
 
Has anyone that interviewed in March heard anything?
 
subletmyplace said:
Can this really be confirmed yet?
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I don't usually post but I figured I should since I know how anxious this process is for everyone and how any information could be useful. Anyways, take the following information as you will.

I was speaking with my premed advisers last week 4/3 and they said that they had been visiting the medical school on the previous weekend 3/29. Essentially they said that the admissions committee is really behind on their application review process and that they definitely haven't finished sending out the initial batch of acceptances (not waitlist).

I kind of already figured that was probably the case. Someone posted on here pretty reliable information that the committee would probably initially accept around 200 students. When I interviewed on 2/25 only about 98 students had been accepted (as per that financial aid email) and since my interview there has only really been one week where there seemed to be any admission committee movement in terms of sending out acceptances. So my thought is that at some point (hopefully soon) there will probably be a wave of acceptances going out - probably at least 50 spaces still left.

But I could be wrong so don't take that as anything factual.
 
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I was under the impression that they could not accept more than the size of their class
 
Hello, I just wanted to share some friendly advice for everyone moving to worcester for umass med. A common place for med students seems to be Princeton place apartments. However, as someone who has lived here for two years, I want to warn you all to avoid this place at all costs. It has gone way down hill in the last two years.

The office people are extremely rude, and one even went so far as to put her hands on me when I went down to talk about the terms of my lease.

They have switched to taking care of snow removal by themselves, and this winter was horrible. Their "dog park" is the grossest thing you can imagine, and you can't even enter it without stepping in crap. The gym is a total mess, and they don't even have gym wipes or anything 90% of the time.

The worst part was that they lied to us about the terms of our lease extension last year, and now that I'm trying to leave, I am going to be losing money because I trusted what they were saying.

They are having a very hard time renting, and I completely understand why. There are many other cheaper alternatives, with much better living conditions and actual human beings working in their offices instead of these rude aggressive money obsessed d-bags.

Just my two cents. You have all been warned. . .
 
McMeowerson said:
I was under the impression that they could not accept more than the size of their class
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I was, too, since funding for the school has to ratified as part of the state budget. I can't imagine overaccepting would go over well with the state auditor or whoever keeps tabs on these things.
 
McMeowerson said:
I was under the impression that they could not accept more than the size of their class
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I believe the class size is around 125. Their goal is to have no more than 125 students matriculate but they have to accept more than that number because not everyone who is accepted matriculates.
 
rukaegbu said:
I believe the class size is around 125. Their goal is to have no more than 125 students matriculate but they have to accept more than that number because not everyone who is accepted matriculates.
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I think what he means is that they are limited to having only 125 acceptances out at any one time, not that the total number of acceptances they ultimately send out is 125.
 
MedWonk said:
I think what he means is that they are limited to having only 125 acceptances out at any one time, not that the total number of acceptances they ultimately send out is 125.
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Oh, well I don't know anything about the veracity of that statement either way (I certainly could be wrong). If that's the case, then maybe there's 10-20 initial spots still open?
 
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rukaegbu said:
Oh, well I don't know anything about the veracity of that statement either way (I certainly could be wrong). If that's the case, then there's maybe 10-20 initial spots still open?
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Perhaps they are behind on their application review process but have already sent out 125 acceptances? Which would just mean February and March interviewees got the short end of the stick :/
 
sschwa31 said:
Perhaps they are behind on their application review process but have already sent out 125 acceptances? Which would just mean February and March interviewees got the short end of the stick :/
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I'm going to go ahead and assume you're right for my own piece of mind though 🙂
 
sschwa31 said:
I'm going to go ahead and assume you're right for my own piece of mind though 🙂
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From talking to my advisers last week(who talked to the admissions committee recently), my understanding was that they have not sent out all 125 acceptances.
 
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