Official U Maryland Class of 2009 Thread

[tinkerbelle]

Hmm. Maybe there's still hope for the 3k grants then....

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[neuropower]

hi guys
same here about the 40k+ in loans. i can't believe that they aren't helping us out at all. i'm really disappointed. i think i'm going to call them on monday just to find out how we can be proactive for this 3k grant, if not for this year, then for next...

 

[cytoskelement]

some of my classmates received a grant this year... the first one in three years here!

i've received 3K both first and second year... this year it was reduced to 2K. ????

financial aid does not have a tremendous amount of money to give. good luck in your appeals, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

for the future, FAFSA done (at least submitted) on or as soon after Jan 1 (use estimates). Maryland Professional School Scholarship as soon as it is available!

 

[tinkerbelle]

for the future, FAFSA done (at least submitted) on or as soon after Jan 1 (use estimates). Maryland Professional School Scholarship as soon as it is available!

Well I guess that's something to keep in mind for next year.

I'm still annoyed though. I called the financial aid office, and even though the lady I spoke to was super nice, it didn't sound like there was much I could do

And startfruit- it sounded to me like the financial aid packages were complete. If more funds open up during the summer, then we might receive some extra money, but that seems sort of doubtful. And I bet 1st years are low on the money totem pole.

 

[BlueMagpie]

Sorry - just to be clear, did you guys receive the 3K grant or not? I was under the impression that most of us would get it if we turned in the FAFSA by the priority deadline..

 

[starfruit]

No. No one here has reported receiving a $3K grant.

I suppose we all can consider our "resident" status to be a form of financial aid, so we can be thankful for that at least.

Mention of the $3K grant should not be such a prominent part of the financial aid presentation during the interview day, though, if many folks don't receive the award. They really did make it sound as if it were almost a sure thing.

Oh, well.

 

[neuropower]

I called them today...
It sounds like they gave out these initial packages and are waiting to see if people accept them or not. Think about all the people that received a package (and possibly some grant money), but are going to decide against Maryland. If you think about it, people that qualified for grant money from Maryland are going to get really nice financial aid packages from private schools with bigger endowments that can offer them better deals. So I'm hoping that a lot of these kids will decide to go elsewhere and then the financial aid office will be able to redistribute that money to some of us!
She just made it sound like all the money ran out before they got to me, but I thought I got my stuff in early, I don't understand!

 

[tinkerbelle]

I called them today...
It sounds like they gave out these initial packages and are waiting to see if people accept them or not. Think about all the people that received a package (and possibly some grant money), but are going to decide against Maryland. If you think about it, people that qualified for grant money from Maryland are going to get really nice financial aid packages from private schools with bigger endowments that can offer them better deals. So I'm hoping that a lot of these kids will decide to go elsewhere and then the financial aid office will be able to redistribute that money to some of us!
She just made it sound like all the money ran out before they got to me, but I thought I got my stuff in early, I don't understand!

Hmm. That's a good point. I hope you're right

 

[BlueMagpie]

I called them today...
It sounds like they gave out these initial packages and are waiting to see if people accept them or not. Think about all the people that received a package (and possibly some grant money), but are going to decide against Maryland. If you think about it, people that qualified for grant money from Maryland are going to get really nice financial aid packages from private schools with bigger endowments that can offer them better deals. So I'm hoping that a lot of these kids will decide to go elsewhere and then the financial aid office will be able to redistribute that money to some of us!
She just made it sound like all the money ran out before they got to me, but I thought I got my stuff in early, I don't understand!

Man, I sure hope so. I just got off the phone with the FinAid office and I am utterly livid.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Man, I sure hope so. I just got off the phone with the FinAid office and I am utterly livid.

Join the club

I hope everyone on this thread comes.... but as for everyone else... well... i hope everyone who got grants picks a private school over UMD...

 

[starfruit]

Join the club

I hope everyone on this thread comes.... but as for everyone else... well... i hope everyone who got grants picks a private school over UMD...

Indeed.

 

[boobah16]

To all of you who are still "under active review" and waiting patiently (or impatiently, as I am) for some sort of answer from UMD- I called again today and the woman in the admissions office said that the last adcom meeting was tonight and that all letters would be mailed out by the end of the month. She wasnt too helpful otherwise, but at least we know news is on the way soon....

Good luck to you all!

 

[ms2209]

Ok, WTF - what's the deal with Maryland's crappy financial aid package? I actually happened to get the 3,000 dollar grant, but that's not exactly going to put a dent in the total of over 44,000 dollars it'll cost to attend. I might as well just go to a private school - and I'm in-state! I thought NYU's financial aid package was lousy, but they gave me a 4,000 dollar scholarship and the total amounted to about 52,000 dollars - and their tuition alone is something like 35,000! Plus, most of the loans I got from UMD are unsubsidized. Sorry, but I just cannot get over this...at first I thought it was a mistake, but I guess not. I'm seriously reconsidering whether or not it's even worth it to go to Maryland for financial reasons anymore...

 

[tinkerbelle]

Ok, WTF - what's the deal with Maryland's crappy financial aid package? I actually happened to get the 3,000 dollar grant, but that's not exactly going to put a dent in the total of over 44,000 dollars it'll cost to attend. I might as well just go to a private school - and I'm in-state! I thought NYU's financial aid package was lousy, but they gave me a 4,000 dollar scholarship and the total amounted to about 52,000 dollars - and their tuition alone is something like 35,000! Plus, most of the loans I got from UMD are unsubsidized. Sorry, but I just cannot get over this...at first I thought it was a mistake, but I guess not. I'm seriously reconsidering whether or not it's even worth it to go to Maryland for financial reasons anymore...

Lucky you! You're the first one to get the 3k grant! If it helps any, the cost of attendance should only be like 40k... and you can probably take it down to 38k or lower if you spend your money wisely.

 

[CopperButterfly]

Does anyone know if we can get away with not paying for hospital insurance via the school? I already have a good plan that is paid for by other sources.

 

[yessir]

I am in the same boat regarding insurance. I am assuming that we can elect for our own coverage. It doesn't make any sense that they would require us to choose their coverage. However, I haven't verified this.

 

[LucidSplash]

To all of you who are still "under active review" and waiting patiently (or impatiently, as I am) for some sort of answer from UMD- I called again today and the woman in the admissions office said that the last adcom meeting was tonight and that all letters would be mailed out by the end of the month. She wasnt too helpful otherwise, but at least we know news is on the way soon....

Good luck to you all!

Thanks for the update Boobah! <Fingers crossed!>

 

[starfruit]

Does anyone know if we can get away with not paying for hospital insurance via the school? I already have a good plan that is paid for by other sources.

Yes, you can waive the school's hospitalization insurance if you have a comparable plan (assuming "hospitalization insurance" in the budget means health insurance).

See
http://www.umaryland.edu/health/

 

[starfruit]

Ok, WTF - what's the deal with Maryland's crappy financial aid package? I actually happened to get the 3,000 dollar grant, but that's not exactly going to put a dent in the total of over 44,000 dollars it'll cost to attend. I might as well just go to a private school - and I'm in-state! I thought NYU's financial aid package was lousy, but they gave me a 4,000 dollar scholarship and the total amounted to about 52,000 dollars - and their tuition alone is something like 35,000! Plus, most of the loans I got from UMD are unsubsidized. Sorry, but I just cannot get over this...at first I thought it was a mistake, but I guess not. I'm seriously reconsidering whether or not it's even worth it to go to Maryland for financial reasons anymore...

Hey, at least you received the grant.

 

[shawty ya'head]

i got the grant as well.
i'm out of state. this really puts a spinner on things. i wasn't considering going but UMD just got 3,000 cheaper.

do you get this grant every year?

 

[tinkerbelle]

i got the grant as well.
i'm out of state. this really puts a spinner on things. i wasn't considering going but UMD just got 3,000 cheaper.

do you get this grant every year?

how is penn state not way cheaper for you? aren't you a PA resident?

and yes, you may get the grant every year, although it is not guaranteed (sp?).

 

[neuropower]

how is penn state not way cheaper for you? aren't you a PA resident?

and yes, you may get the grant every year, although it is not guaranteed (sp?).

Tom Gordon (the med school's financial aid counselor) told me that the computer randomly selects who gets the University grant...
he said if we attend maryland for four years, we should expect to get it 2 out of 4 as long as you file before March 15. but he was sort of laughing and made it sound like you could just get screwed over by the computer.
it sounds like a combination of luck and getting in everything as early as possible (i.e. as close to jan 1 as possible).
does anyone know if there's other money besides the 3K university grant, the Perkins loan money, and the Stafford loans? I know there's also the 1K grant from the state of maryland, but he said that comes from a different office.

i definitely don't think its fair to give one kid a 120,000 scholarship and give absolutely nothing to most everybody else, and then tell me on the phone that they have very little money to give out.
it doesn't seem like maryland has enough funds to be doing stuff like that. i am beginning to doubt the veracity of that mdapplicants profile.

 

[BlueMagpie]

Tom Gordon (the med school's financial aid counselor) told me that the computer randomly selects who gets the University grant...
he said if we attend maryland for four years, we should expect to get it 2 out of 4 as long as you file before March 15.

Uh. Not cool. I thought the state was doing well...I guess they spent it all re-paving 95.

 

[LucidSplash]

To all of you who are still "under active review" and waiting patiently (or impatiently, as I am) for some sort of answer from UMD- I called again today and the woman in the admissions office said that the last adcom meeting was tonight and that all letters would be mailed out by the end of the month. She wasnt too helpful otherwise, but at least we know news is on the way soon....

Good luck to you all!

Hey Boobah - one question: when you said "last" did you mean "final" or "most recent?"

 

[boobah16]

Hey Boobah - one question: when you said "last" did you mean "final" or "most recent?"

I was under the impression that she meant "final", but I'm not totally convinced that she knew what she was talking about. I was considering calling again today in hopes of someone else answering the phone, but I would hate to get rejected for being the annoying applicant ...
I'll post again if I get any more information!

 

[tinkerbelle]

i definitely don't think its fair to give one kid a 120,000 scholarship and give absolutely nothing to most everybody else, and then tell me on the phone that they have very little money to give out.

since this guy is so smart, maybe he'll get a great scholarsip at a private school.... opening up some funds for the rest of us....

 

[shawty ya'head]

hi tinky --


penn state is actually one of the worst med schools in terms of 'state tuition.' really doesn't help PA residents that much (i am a PA resident however). the 2004 tuition + fees amount came out to a little over 31 G's a year. i'm sure this will go up (as it does for every school) this year. i'd rather throw in a little more dough and go somewhere i want to.....not to say penn state is bad, just the location sucks for what i think i want to get involved in (EM)....

 

[cytoskelement]

Sorry - just to be clear, did you guys receive the 3K grant or not? I was under the impression that most of us would get it if we turned in the FAFSA by the priority deadline..

its about 50/50 before the priority deadline!

 

[cytoskelement]

I am in the same boat regarding insurance. I am assuming that we can elect for our own coverage. It doesn't make any sense that they would require us to choose their coverage. However, I haven't verified this.

you can opt to cancel the hospital health insurance if you are already covered or want to go with another plan.

 

[cytoskelement]

since this guy is so smart, maybe he'll get a great scholarsip at a private school.... opening up some funds for the rest of us....

the funds for that scholarship come from a different office, not FA.

 

[tinkerbelle]

hi tinky --


penn state is actually one of the worst med schools in terms of 'state tuition.' really doesn't help PA residents that much (i am a PA resident however). the 2004 tuition + fees amount came out to a little over 31 G's a year. i'm sure this will go up (as it does for every school) this year. i'd rather throw in a little more dough and go somewhere i want to.....not to say penn state is bad, just the location sucks for what i think i want to get involved in (EM)....

oh ok. Yeah, UMD seems like it will be an awsome place for EM. I hope we all get to rotate through the Shock Trauma Center.

 

[tinkerbelle]

the funds for that scholarship come from a different office, not FA.

Darn it.

 

[waitman192]

I'm seriously reconsidering whether or not it's even worth it to go to Maryland for financial reasons anymore...

Excellent, my plan is working [think Mr. Burns here]

If you all decide to not go to Maryland that gives me a better shot of actually getting in!! SWEET!!

I'm OBVIOUSLY kidding here (tink knows I'm about as sarcastic as they come)... just thought I'd throw in a laugh.

I've been reading this line probably since the day i got my interview (We're talking January here) in hopes that one day they will get back to me about my interview 6 weeks and 1 day ago (not that I am counting)

Good luck to you guys figuring all this money stuff out. Hopefully one day I will be in your shoes -- that's sounds pretty depressing actually ("I hope one day I am dealing with $40K in loans")

-waitman

 

[tinkerbelle]

Excellent, my plan is working [think Mr. Burns here]

how are you doing, Wait? I hope you hear back from UMD soon!

 

[cytoskelement]

yesterday (4/18) was the last regular ADCOM meeting. Everyone who has been interviewed has been reviewed at least once and either been accepted, held, or rarely rejected. the next meetings will be to rank the waitlist... those students that were put on hold will be ranked and put into the waitlist. then may 15th will get here and people will start to get in off of the waitlist.

apparently, the ADCOM has accepted a little over 200 people already. that means that there will likely NOT be any movement until after the commit date b/c UMB does not want to oversubscribe the class. a few years ago, they did this and asked students to take defferals until the following year.

good luck to those that are waiting.

 

[LucidSplash]

yesterday (4/18) was the last regular ADCOM meeting. Everyone who has been interviewed has been reviewed at least once and either been accepted, held, or rarely rejected. the next meetings will be to rank the waitlist... those students that were put on hold will be ranked and put into the waitlist. then may 15th will get here and people will start to get in off of the waitlist.

apparently, the ADCOM has accepted a little over 200 people already. that means that there will likely NOT be any movement until after the commit date b/c UMB does not want to oversubscribe the class. a few years ago, they did this and asked students to take defferals until the following year.

good luck to those that are waiting.

Hmm.. well since I WANT to defer a year... Sigh. Well anyways, I will wait for the letter... good luck everyone else in the same boat!

 

[taiz22]

I called them today...
It sounds like they gave out these initial packages and are waiting to see if people accept them or not. Think about all the people that received a package (and possibly some grant money), but are going to decide against Maryland. If you think about it, people that qualified for grant money from Maryland are going to get really nice financial aid packages from private schools with bigger endowments that can offer them better deals. So I'm hoping that a lot of these kids will decide to go elsewhere and then the financial aid office will be able to redistribute that money to some of us!
She just made it sound like all the money ran out before they got to me, but I thought I got my stuff in early, I don't understand!

I had the same problem. I received no grant money or perkins loan only stafford and an alternative loan. And I definitely submitted my FAFSA early. I submitted it on Jan 1, 2005 at 2:00 pm EST and my EFC is 0. We should have received something. I called the financial aid office and talked to Tom Gordon who handles the awards for the medical school and he said they started awarding with the upper classmans. So I think they have all the money. Not to mention they awarded the law school and the dental schools before the medical school.

 

[nervouspremed]

Booooooo, I got the "can't make a decision" letter too. More waiting for me.

 

[BlueMagpie]

Booooooo, I got the "can't make a decision" letter too. More waiting for me.

I'm sorry to hear that, nervous.

 

[nervouspremed]

I'm sorry to hear that, nervous.

Thanks blueMagpie, not giving up yet, haha, one more month of waiting is nothing consider how much I have waited for this one. Just hope it's good news at the end. Good luck with your fin package,

 

[adog]

Thanks blueMagpie, not giving up yet, haha, one more month of waiting is nothing consider how much I have waited for this one. Just hope it's good news at the end. Good luck with your fin package,

Don't worry. With the crappy financial aid that is coming out of Maryland, I have a feeling a lot of people will be opting for private schools. I know I will most likely withdraw from maryland by the end of the month.

 

[KiKat37]

So... it didn't come as a surprise, but I finally got my rejection letter today. I thought I was prepared and that it wouldn't really hurt, but it did. It is a huge disappointment and does make me feel really sad. Of course, I knew it was coming. But, I guess it's different when you actually hold the letter in your hands and read the words... Well, it wasn't meant to be. <sigh>

Sorry about the hold, nervous. Don't give up! I'm crossing my fingers for you!

Congrats to all of you def. going to UMD, and I hope you get nice financial packages!!

 

[nervouspremed]

So... it didn't come as a surprise, but I finally got my rejection letter today. I thought I was prepared and that it wouldn't really hurt, but it did. It is a huge disappointment and does make me feel really sad. Of course, I knew it was coming. But, I guess it's different when you actually hold the letter in your hands and read the words... Well, it wasn't meant to be. <sigh>

Sorry about the hold, nervous. Don't give up! I'm crossing my fingers for you!

Congrats to all of you def. going to UMD, and I hope you get nice financial packages!!

Hey, sorry to hear that, but I am sure you will get in somewhere that you like. Good luck to you too

 

[waitman192]

Booooooo, I got the "can't make a decision" letter too. More waiting for me.

i'm jumping on this boat. hopefully it's not sinking! good luck nervous -- i'm hoping to hear good good things in a month!!! (hopefully i can write an amazing letter to them and tell them how much i love them, and would become mormon so that i could marry everyone in the admissions office if they decided to let me )

-waitman

 

[BlueMagpie]

(hopefully i can write an amazing letter to them and tell them how much i love them, and would become mormon so that i could marry everyone in the admissions office if they decided to let me )

Kikat- sorry to hear about that, but you're still going to be a doctor!

 

[starfruit]

Sorry, kikat. But, I'm glad Penn State came through for you! Sounds like a great school.

To nervous and others - I hope you all hear something definitive soon.

 

[boobah16]

Has anyone on the "to be re-reviewed" list heard anything new? I'm still (im)patiently waiting...

 

[naach83]

No, nothing yet... I called the admissions office a couple weeks ago and the lady said that all of us on this "hold" list are going to be re-reviewed at the end of April after all of the interviews are finished. So I'm guessing it's probably happening around now... hopefully we'll hear something definite soon, I can't take the waiting anymore!

 

[nervouspremed]

No, nothing yet... I called the admissions office a couple weeks ago and the lady said that all of us on this "hold" list are going to be re-reviewed at the end of April after all of the interviews are finished. So I'm guessing it's probably happening around now... hopefully we'll hear something definite soon, I can't take the waiting anymore!

So, for us that are in the "hold" category, are we waiting to see where we rank among the waitlist ppl, or are we still waiting to see if we are accepted, waitlisted, or rejected (as stated in the letter that I got)? Thx

 

[naach83]

From what I was told, we'll be reviewed again and some of us will be accepted, while the rest will be added onto the current waitlist, and ranked along with them. She didn't mention rejecting anyone on the "hold" category, so I'm not sure how that's going to work. It wouldn't hurt if one of us called again to make sure this information is correct; what I'm saying is from a couple weeks ago so maybe something has changed? I just hope I wasn't being lied to...I'm already sick of this waiting as it is.