2020-2021 Maryland

[TheDataKing]

Please tag a pre-allo moderator when the secondary prompt is posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback: University of Maryland

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[LULULU]

Anyone received secondaries yet?

 

[deleted1038508]

Anyone received secondaries yet?

no lol

 

[deleted1038508]

Still no!

 

[SpreadKindness20]

Anyone receive yet?

Edit: MSAR says their application review begins July 21, so they could be holding off until then.

 

[jojobaking]

Received, OOS. Mine was in spam folder so check yours!

 

[hopper98]

Received, OOS. Mine was in spam folder so check yours!

Did the prompts change this year?

 

[theoriginalyaga]

Received, OOS. Mine was in spam folder so check yours!

congrats -- could you post the prompts, if it's not burdensome

 

[jojobaking]

congrats -- could you post the prompts, if it's not burdensome

Hi sorry for sure! Here they are:

~Following questions have a 1,000 character limit (some are yes/no questions which then open a new text box)~

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. (If you feel that you have not had any academic problems please state that)

If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information.

Have you done independent research or study? (We are looking for research that you did outside of the course/classroom requirement)

Have there been any gaps in your education from high school to college, while in college, or after college?

Please explain what you will be doing during the 2020-2021 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2020, what are your plans during this gap year?

~Following questions have a 1,500 character limit~

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine.

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service.

Without limiting the discussion to your own identity, please describe how you envision contributing to the core values of diversity and inclusion at our School of Medicine, and in the medical profession.

What does it mean to you to enter into a profession?

Good luck to everyone!

 

[theoriginalyaga]

Hi sorry for sure! Here they are:

~Following questions have a 1,000 character limit (some are yes/no questions which then open a new text box)~

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. (If you feel that you have not had any academic problems please state that)

If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information.

Have you done independent research or study? (We are looking for research that you did outside of the course/classroom requirement)

Have there been any gaps in your education from high school to college, while in college, or after college?

Please explain what you will be doing during the 2020-2021 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2020, what are your plans during this gap year?

~Following questions have a 1,500 character limit~

Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine.

Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service.

Without limiting the discussion to your own identity, please describe how you envision contributing to the core values of diversity and inclusion at our School of Medicine, and in the medical profession.

What does it mean to you to enter into a profession?

Good luck to everyone!

Question:
Have you done independent research or study? (We are looking for research that you did outside of the course/classroom requirement)

Do you know what they ask for if you say yes for this? like the follow up question? thank you in advance!

 

[jojobaking]

Question:
Have you done independent research or study? (We are looking for research that you did outside of the course/classroom requirement)

Do you know what they ask for if you say yes for this? like the follow up question? thank you in advance!

Unfortunately, all they say is "please explain" which doesn't help much haha

 

[theoriginalyaga]

Unfortunately, all they say is "please explain" which doesn't help much haha

helpful anyways! thank you!

 

[bagellover017]

How will you guys be answering "Have there been any gaps in your education from high school to college, while in college, or after college?" versus "Please explain what you will be doing during the 2020-2021 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2020, what are your plans during this gap year?" If I am taking one gap year I feel I will have the exact same answer.

 

[whatisnotausername]

My app was verified well before July 10 and I still haven't received a secondary. I'm IS. Anyone else?

 

[musicmed26]

My app was verified well before July 10 and I still haven't received a secondary. I'm IS. Anyone else?

Same. It makes me nervous lmao

 

[theoriginalyaga]

verified 6/4, secondary received 7/18, OOS.

 

[Med16484]

OOS just received. just to confirm, normal MD is not the MD/Masters program, correct?

Edit: nvm I see now

 

[whatisnotausername]

I just received mine as well.

 

[Med16484]

By independent research, do they want us to describe our research? I did research, not for a course requirement, so do I fill it out?

 

[theoriginalyaga]

By independent research, do they want us to describe our research? I did research, not for a course requirement, so do I fill it out?

i just put like a one-liner for the various independent research projects i did, mainly post-undergraduate for me.

 

[dgage88]

Secondary received 07/18 IS

 

[Omo Ogbono]

Secondary received 07/18 IS

 

[deleted1038508]

"If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity... and any relevant contact information. 1000 char"

Thoughts on whether it would be ok to just say a volunteering engagement was paused and that I will resume the activity when it is once again allowed, but then not to provide contact information? I don't see why they would need contact info

 

[musicmed26]

"If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity... and any relevant contact information. 1000 char"

Thoughts on whether it would be ok to just say a volunteering engagement was paused and that I will resume the activity when it is once again allowed, but then not to provide contact information? I don't see why they would need contact info

A similar situation happened to me. I already put the contact info into my AMCAS app, so I just wrote it down again.

 

[deleted1038508]

A similar situation happened to me. I already put the contact info into my AMCAS app, so I just wrote it down again.

But like why though lol. I dont enjoy the risks associated with contacting someone I'm not super familiar with

 

[SpaghettiJones]

How will you guys be answering "Have there been any gaps in your education from high school to college, while in college, or after college?" versus "Please explain what you will be doing during the 2020-2021 academic year. If you graduated/will graduate in 2020, what are your plans during this gap year?" If I am taking one gap year I feel I will have the exact same answer.

If you are only taking one gap year after graduating this past semester, then I don't think you should answer this. I believe it's only for people who have already taken one year off from school and will be taking another one. I think the distinction is in the first question, they're asking what you did in gaps you've already taken whereas the second one is asking about future plans.

 

[dgage88]

for the "Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service." question do you think this can be clinical or does it have to be non-clinical

 

[princeoftennis]

for the "Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service." question do you think this can be clinical or does it have to be non-clinical

Since they asked for your most important exposure to clinical medicine, I think it would be a good idea to diversify the experience you illustrate by writing something non-clinical. Ultimately, it is up to your discretion.

 

[musicmed26]

But like why though lol. I dont enjoy the risks associated with contacting someone I'm not super familiar with

I'm worried about the risk of not answering all parts of the essay. Do you think they'll actually reach out? I'm expecting them not to because it seems like a waste of time on their part, but idk. Now I'm nervous about putting the emails lol

 

[deleted1038508]

Since they asked for your most important exposure to clinical medicine, I think it would be a good idea to diversify the experience you illustrate by writing something non-clinical. Ultimately, it is up to your discretion.

Agreed

 

[LiteralLungs]

For this exposure to clinical medicine and most meaningful community service experience, do you think it matters if we talk about multiple experiences that made up a single realization we had?

 

[musicmed26]

For this exposure to clinical medicine and most meaningful community service experience, do you think it matters if we talk about multiple experiences that made up a single realization we had?

I think that if you can portray it in a way that accurately shows WHY it's meaningful, you should be good. However, once you start writing you might find that taking about one experience takes more character space than you expected!


For my most important exposure, I talked about an experience that showed me the intricate way of speaking to patients that are at the end of their life. It's important to me because I saw this Doc talk to this family with such ease, making them feel comforted. Do you think that, even though it wasn't about the medical side, this is an okay experience to talk about? I tied it into having empathy and compassion, etc.

 

[SpaghettiJones]

I think that if you can portray it in a way that accurately shows WHY it's meaningful, you should be good. However, once you start writing you might find that taking about one experience takes more character space than you expected!


For my most important exposure, I talked about an experience that showed me the intricate way of speaking to patients that are at the end of their life. It's important to me because I saw this Doc talk to this family with such ease, making them feel comforted. Do you think that, even though it wasn't about the medical side, this is an okay experience to talk about? I tied it into having empathy and compassion, etc.

In my essay, I talked about similar experiences, albeit more generally, about observing physicians connecting with their patients. If you're able to write about your experiences in a way that conveys how meaningful it was to you, I think you're fine. Your topic has the potential to be very powerful, imo.

 

[LiteralLungs]

I think that if you can portray it in a way that accurately shows WHY it's meaningful, you should be good. However, once you start writing you might find that taking about one experience takes more character space than you expected!


For my most important exposure, I talked about an experience that showed me the intricate way of speaking to patients that are at the end of their life. It's important to me because I saw this Doc talk to this family with such ease, making them feel comforted. Do you think that, even though it wasn't about the medical side, this is an okay experience to talk about? I tied it into having empathy and compassion, etc.

Yes, I think seeing the relationship between physician and patient is good to talk about. Being able to talk to patients through hardships is a huge component of medicine. In my opinion, it's easier to talk about why that is meaningful compared to trying to talk about why seeing a physician diagnose a patient is meaningful. However, that's just from my experiences.

 

[Vinbro123]

Same. It makes me nervous lmao

Check your spam folder. I just checked mine and saw that I received mine on 07/18.

Verified 06/20.
IS

 

[whatisnotausername]

For the "Have you done independent research. Please explain." question. All of my independent research experiences are detailed on AMCAS. Should I give a few sentence summary of what I was doing (re-phrase my AMCAS descriptions) or take this as an opportunity to explain my interest in research and what I've learned from each of these experiences?

 

[user3564]

Did anybody not get a confirmation email after submitting their secondary? I'm just concerned there's an issue with their email list (I also found the invitation in my spam folder)

 

[jemesel]

Received, OOS. Mine was in spam folder so check yours!

What email did it come from? Thanks!

 

[Vinbro123]

For this question: "If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information."

How are you all formatting your responses? I have three activities that have been impacted so I was thinking of formatting it more like a list.

Thanks for the help!

 

[gnΩhmChild]

What email did it come from? Thanks!

Mine went to the spam in my Gmail. Email came from [email protected]

For this question: "If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information."

How are you all formatting your responses? I have three activities that have been impacted so I was thinking of formatting it more like a list.

Thanks for the help!

I did mine as a paragraph but I don't think it matters too much

 

[Vinbro123]

I did mine as a paragraph but I don't think it matters too much

Okay, cool. Thanks for the help!

 

[musicmed26]

"What does it mean to you to enter into a profession?"

Why am I having so much trouble with this question? I'm overthinking it, I know, but it's really giving me some grief!

 

[mpmp3233]

Does this secondary allow for an optional text box for IAs or allow for updates after submission? To make a long story short, I have pre-written all my secondaries but still waiting for my primary to be reviewed (hopefully in a few more days!), but when I submitted my primary I indicated I had no IAs because what I thought were not violations actually were. After talking to a few admissions departments I have learned my best bet is to 1)email the admissions office and dean of admissions, 2) explain in the optional text box why I did not report it on my primary, and 3)update my application with the details if allowed.

Therefore, does this secondary have an optional text box or allow for resubmission where I would have the opportunity to explain this situation?

 

[musicmed26]

Does this secondary allow for an optional text box for IAs or allow for updates after submission? To make a long story short, I have pre-written all my secondaries but still waiting for my primary to be reviewed (hopefully in a few more days!), but when I submitted my primary I indicated I had no IAs because what I thought were not violations actually were. After talking to a few admissions departments I have learned my best bet is to 1)email the admissions office and dean of admissions, 2) explain in the optional text box why I did not report it on my primary, and 3)update my application with the details if allowed.

Therefore, does this secondary have an optional text box or allow for resubmission where I would have the opportunity to explain this situation?

There's "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." and "Have you ever been the subject of disciplinary action that did not result in dismissal from school or place of employment?"
Will either of those work for you?

 

[futuremd25!]

"If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity... and any relevant contact information. 1000 char"

Thoughts on whether it would be ok to just say a volunteering engagement was paused and that I will resume the activity when it is once again allowed, but then not to provide contact information? I don't see why they would need contact info

I am had the same situation but for work and was thinking the same..

 

[futuremd25!]

Are people addressing the "Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 characters including spaces)"' and "Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 characters including spaces)" as specific concrete anecdotes within the volunteering/clinical experience or general observations about the volunteering/clinical experience listed on the AMCAS app? Or something in between?

 

[deleted1038508]

Are people addressing the "Briefly describe your most satisfying experience related to community service. (1500 characters including spaces)"' and "Briefly describe your most important exposure to clinical medicine. (1500 characters including spaces)" as specific concrete anecdotes within the volunteering/clinical experience or general observations about the volunteering/clinical experience listed on the AMCAS app? Or something in between?

I talked about general experiences rather than specific instances. For one of them though I started out with a more vivid intro of something particular that was happening to give "context" and "feel" to the reader. But then I generalized a bit afterwards

 

[Med16484]

Anyone else have everything submitted but still not complete?

 

[anotherpremed4444]

For this question: "If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information."

I have had some really severe personal impacts from COVID-19, but I guess this would not be the place to write that since it talks only about med school app activities?

 

[SpaghettiJones]

For this question: "If a specific medical school application activity was impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, please describe the activity, the time period during which it was to take place, and any relevant contact information."

I have had some really severe personal impacts from COVID-19, but I guess this would not be the place to write that since it talks only about med school app activities?

While your personal impacts due to COVID-19 may have had a huge impact on your life and thus app cycle, I still would refrain from mentioning them since the question specifically asks for medical school application activities. I think they're looking for activities on your AMCAS or relevant activities that were disrupted. Hope you're doing okay!