Does anyone here go to UMass med school that can tell me anything about it? Good/Bad experience?
UMass Med School
- Thread starter Kix
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Everything! 
How the admissions process was like, how the classes and students are like, cost of living and accessibility to things/safety in the area... i guess basically, what to expect as a student. People are always talking about things they wish they had known before they started school... just don't want any unpleasant surprises =P
How the admissions process was like, how the classes and students are like, cost of living and accessibility to things/safety in the area... i guess basically, what to expect as a student. People are always talking about things they wish they had known before they started school... just don't want any unpleasant surprises =P
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hey kix, sorry it's been so long...a little head and neck was keeping me busy.
so i LOVE umass, i can't think of a better place to study medicine. my favorite things so far are the anatomy profs, the clinical correlations in EVERY class, even biochem, and the tons of activities i've gotten involved in as a first year. worcester is actually turning out to be a great city to live in (and SO much cheaper than other nearby cities), and i'm discovering more of it every week. and the students here are basically very chill, so nobody gets stressed out much. and, people go to such lengths to help each other out, including typing up 10 page study guides and then emailing them out to the whole class.
if i had to give one piece of advice, i'd say to make sure you are good and ready to apply, because i was going to take another year off or defer, but umass doesn't really allow it for frivolous reasons like me wanting to travel. if you're applying, make sure you're reading to make this next step.
best of luck! anything else specific you want to know?
so i LOVE umass, i can't think of a better place to study medicine. my favorite things so far are the anatomy profs, the clinical correlations in EVERY class, even biochem, and the tons of activities i've gotten involved in as a first year. worcester is actually turning out to be a great city to live in (and SO much cheaper than other nearby cities), and i'm discovering more of it every week. and the students here are basically very chill, so nobody gets stressed out much. and, people go to such lengths to help each other out, including typing up 10 page study guides and then emailing them out to the whole class.
if i had to give one piece of advice, i'd say to make sure you are good and ready to apply, because i was going to take another year off or defer, but umass doesn't really allow it for frivolous reasons like me wanting to travel. if you're applying, make sure you're reading to make this next step.
best of luck! anything else specific you want to know?
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Did you visit the museum of plumbing yet?
The best thing about UMass is the non-competitive atmosphere, and how students help each other out with tests, studying, etc.
You will definitely find yourself well prepared for 3rd and 4th year, as well as interviews. I am in Chicago now for an residency interview (pathology).
Some people do get stressed out though. Wait until the second half of 2nd year. My advice: Stay on top of things, study as you go. Don't put it all off until the tests. You can get away with that 1st year, but it makes 2nd year tough.
UMass is undergoing a LOT of construction right now (a new parking garage, a new building with an ER) and visiting it now may be kind of off-putting. Lots of things are a bit confusing right now.
Admissions process works pretty well, most invites come in the first few months of the new year, as far as I know. Most people accept, so they don't accept many more than the actual class size of 100.
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Educational background: Everything. I had people in my class who went to small schools, got bad grades, went out into the real world, decided years later to take premed classes. There are also lots of ivy league folks, as well as every other type of college. As far as I can tell, they don't seem to discriminate based on where your college is, how highly ranked it is, public/private, etc. I don't know average MCAT/GPA. I remember MCAT being 10-11 per section on average when I applied, GPA competitive with other places. I think admission is based on many things.
Grades: First two years you get fail/low pass/pass/honors. You are only allowed a certain number of low passes. Honors are not based on a curve, but a number value (i.e. if you get over 90 in Biochem you get honors). This number changes with each class, easier classes have a higher threshold (Genetics when I took it was 95). The classes on learning to be a doctor are pass/fail. I don't know how many people get honors. Year 3 goes on a fail/below expected/expected/above expected/outstanding. Different clerkships have different rates. OB this year had 0 outstandings. Expected is the default score but it is tough to get an above expected. Grades are mostly based on clinical factors - things like tests, papers count for at most 10% (which basically means they don't count unless you do really badly on them).
In case some wonder about UMass's reputation when it comes to getting interviews, don't worry. I am applying to a lot of outside places and getting great receptions and respect.
Grades: First two years you get fail/low pass/pass/honors. You are only allowed a certain number of low passes. Honors are not based on a curve, but a number value (i.e. if you get over 90 in Biochem you get honors). This number changes with each class, easier classes have a higher threshold (Genetics when I took it was 95). The classes on learning to be a doctor are pass/fail. I don't know how many people get honors. Year 3 goes on a fail/below expected/expected/above expected/outstanding. Different clerkships have different rates. OB this year had 0 outstandings. Expected is the default score but it is tough to get an above expected. Grades are mostly based on clinical factors - things like tests, papers count for at most 10% (which basically means they don't count unless you do really badly on them).
In case some wonder about UMass's reputation when it comes to getting interviews, don't worry. I am applying to a lot of outside places and getting great receptions and respect.
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it's great to see some umass people representing with such positive vibe!
curious: does anyone commute to school from boston?
curious: does anyone commute to school from boston?
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There are always some people who commute. Gets tougher 3rd and 4th year, although if you want you can do most of your 3rd year rotations at St Elizabeth's in Brighton.
Commuting Worcester -> Boston works OK because traffic is going the other way. Still takes about 45 min though. It can be done if you have patience and a reliable cahh.
Commuting Worcester -> Boston works OK because traffic is going the other way. Still takes about 45 min though. It can be done if you have patience and a reliable cahh.
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I hate to be "that guy" who answers all the questions, but having been here 4.5 years (I had an added pathology fellowship in there) I am pretty familiar.
There are usually 1-2 who go to CA every year. Lots of people go out of state and don't have much trouble. California residencies are notoriously tough to get though for most specialties, partly because there are so many californians in med schools. It may be easier to get a CA residency from UMass than, say, Tufts because there are so many Californians at Tufts.
There is a tuition break in the form of a loan (2/3 of tuition is deferred each year until after graduation) and if you stay in Taxachusetts in a primary care field you don't have to pay it back. So that makes lots of people stay around, plus there are some nice hospitals around.
There are usually 1-2 who go to CA every year. Lots of people go out of state and don't have much trouble. California residencies are notoriously tough to get though for most specialties, partly because there are so many californians in med schools. It may be easier to get a CA residency from UMass than, say, Tufts because there are so many Californians at Tufts.
There is a tuition break in the form of a loan (2/3 of tuition is deferred each year until after graduation) and if you stay in Taxachusetts in a primary care field you don't have to pay it back. So that makes lots of people stay around, plus there are some nice hospitals around.
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Hehe, I love MA, most of my friends are here, but I definitely feel like getting away from the snow when I think of the prospect of shoveling into my thirties. I probably wouldn't have felt that way, except I saw the area where my SO lives. 😍
