University of Maryland Class of 2010 part 01

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LucidSplash said:
Woohoo!! Officially at the new house!! LW, we tired to call you per what Greg said (that you said to call him) but the # we have is disconnected 🙂
Congrats LS!

I just got back from Colorado today....long car-ride with the parents = no fun. Todd and I are hanging out in Kansas City for a few days, then back to Columbia to pack and move! I think we're officially moving into our apartment in Baltimore on Saturday July 8, and I'm really excited. Any dates set for a BBQ?
 
Rain, rain, go away! Man, I thought I was bad off with my leaky-a$$ window and basement, until I heard they were launching cruise ships from LS's living room.

At my closing, I was told that I WASN'T in a flood zone. I'd hate to see what a flood zone actually looks like!

LS, you and greg should gather some wood and 40 days worth of provisions. I'll start collecting animals, 2 by 2.
 
LadyWolverine said:
Rain, rain, go away! Man, I thought I was bad off with my leaky-a$$ window and basement, until I heard they were launching cruise ships from LS's living room.

At my closing, I was told that I WASN'T in a flood zone. I'd hate to see what a flood zone actually looks like!

LS, you and greg should gather some wood and 40 days worth of provisions. I'll start collecting animals, 2 by 2.

I've got the cats already, male and female. Does it matter if they've been "reproductively altered?" 🙁 :laugh:
 
LucidSplash said:
I've got the cats already, male and female. Does it matter if they've been "reproductively altered?" 🙁 :laugh:

Alas, that does kinda defeat the purpose. 👎

All I could think about during the exam today was how I was going to caulk my window when I got home. Caulk is like my new best friend. I think that by the time I sell this place, the entire house will be made out of caulk.
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
Congrats LS!

I just got back from Colorado today....long car-ride with the parents = no fun. Todd and I are hanging out in Kansas City for a few days, then back to Columbia to pack and move! I think we're officially moving into our apartment in Baltimore on Saturday July 8, and I'm really excited. Any dates set for a BBQ?

LOL Be glad you aren't moving in the monsoon SQ! It's crazy here, flash flooding all over the place in Maryland, closed metro in DC, flooding in B'more. Nuts!

The water was pretty much gone in my basement when I woke up this morning. We had about 2.5 inches or so in one corner when I went to bed last night. But I bet it is back now as it is monsooning again. If it ever stops (though not looking to be anytime soon) we can probably fix it with a bunch of cement in the back yard. But it needs to be dry outside first!

BBQ is still probably going to be the 29th (of July). Possibly to be revised to a pool party if we don't dry out by then.
 
More books I'm selling if anyone is interested - these are the big text books that you will need during first year. All are in like new condition - no writing or highlighting and I am very careful with my books.

Langmans Medical Embryology 9th edition (new 57) - $30
Great book for embryo - very detailed if you find embryo difficult this is a
must have

Molecular Bio of the Cell 4th edition (alberts: new 125) - $ 90
Awesome very thourough book used for cell bio: this book is huge
(almost two thousand pages)

Lehnigers Principles of Biochem 3rd edition (Nelson/Cox: new 140) - $ 70
Another great book - used extensively for biochem

The Human Brain 5th edition (Nolte: new 63) - $35
Our neuroscience class was next to impossible and this book really helped

Please email me if you want these books: [email protected]

Will be home a few days this week (finally have a small break).
 
Direct TV told me the TV guy would be here between 1 and 5. True to form, he shows up at 4:59 on the dot, I **** you not, I looked at the clock right when he called and almost cracked up. He's still here. He's managed to drink 2 bottles of our water, used our bathroom twice, punched about 12 holes in my walls, and I STILL HAVE NO TV. 😡

I think I'm going to go buy myself a present at Sam's Club just to make me happy...Season 5 of L&O:SVU on DVD. Who cares that it costs $50? A guy just punched 12 holes in my wall.

Oh, and tomorrow is my birthday. So happy birthday to me. I'm buying myself a goddam present. 😡
 
OMG THE DIRECT TV GUY JUST TORE UP MY CARPET TRYING TO DRILL INTO MY FLOOR.

That's IT, I've had it with home ownership, I seriously can't take any more of this crap!
 
Happy Birthday!

Yes, well, the Verizon guy was supposed to come today between 8am and 5pm to give us a working landline. He showed up at 7pm.

However, no holes were punched and no carpet was torn, so I guess that's a plus. Also, my kitten just broke our spoon rest. We have been through 3 spoonrests since getting married, but usually it is Greg that breaks them.
 
Hello everybody, this is Todd, Susan's husband, I decided I would get on here to find out just how wet it is in Baltimore. Susan and I are leaving to move out there next week, and I wanted to know if I should arrange to trade in the Penske moving truck for a pontoon when we cross the Maryland border. Seriously though, the clips they keep showing on the nightly news are ugly. They remind me of the flood we had here in '93.
 
Happy Birthday LW!!!! :hardy:

So sorry to hear about your Direct TV woes...I'm surprised they even showed up at 5, since this time of year is definitely crazy, and they seem inept even when its slow. We got lucky a few years ago when we moved because an independent cable guy happened to be in the neighborhood. He set everything up and gave us an awesome rate. But, alas, that only lasted a year. My favorite is whenever you have to give the company a call because you're having a problem with your cable/internet. I seriously had them ask me if the cable modem was turned on. ??? I may be blonde, but I think I know when something is turned on.

Anyway, things are starting to get slightly hectic around here...boxes everywhere, multiple "to-do" lists. It's Baltimore or bust in a week - hopefully the roads will be dry. Maybe I should bring waist-high galoshes?
 
Thanks, guys. Birthday was awesome. Tonight is going to be insanity - two of my best friends have birthdays this week, too (June 27, 29, and 30th), and we are having a 3-way party this year. So, if anyone wants to join us, come to Dan's Cafe in Adams Morgan in DC at 9:30pm. We're starting from there, since they have $10 PINTS of alcohol. Seriously, they hand you a pint of liquor, a glass of ice, and a bottle of mixer. Wretched excess, but hell, it's cheap!

I am apologizing to my hepatocytes in advance...I'll have plenty of Mallory bodies by tomorrow morning 🙂
 
atlas1882 said:
Hello everybody, this is Todd, Susan's husband, I decided I would get on here to find out just how wet it is in Baltimore. Susan and I are leaving to move out there next week, and I wanted to know if I should arrange to trade in the Penske moving truck for a pontoon when we cross the Maryland border. Seriously though, the clips they keep showing on the nightly news are ugly. They remind me of the flood we had here in '93.

Just to give you an update Todd, we've pretty much dried out here and the inner harbor area looks pretty good already (a lot of junk washed up on the pier and whatnot because of the high water level but they've cleaned most of it up). Our basement got around 3 inches in one corner on the very first night it rained, but it was gone the next morning and didn't come back even though it kept raining, so I think it was just a fluke.

There hasn't been really any street flooding in Baltimore itself that I know of so you should be good to go with your truck. Of course, the IRS central offices in DC are closed for a month while they clean up their basement, but I guess only the policy guys are there so, it's not like they lost our tax records or anything (darn!). :laugh:

Also, I'll PM SQ with my cell #, give us a call when you get to town if you need some help unloading your truck and if Greg and I are free will come over, we're pretty close.
 
Thanks for the update, Sarah. I'm glad to hear that the entire east coast didn't up and float away. I was beginning to wonder with all the coverage its been getting on the news lately.

As far as moving in goes, we definitely appreciate your offer, and who knows, we may even take you up on it, but as of right now, my parents have decided to fly out and help us with the unpacking. I guess they found a good deal on Southwest's website, and I think my mom really wants to see where we are living. I do have one question for you though: what is the traffic like in downtown Baltimore on a Saturday morning. We're staying in Frederick Friday night and planning on driving in early the next day to try and avoid the rush. Sound like a good plan?

Anyhow, Susan and I are both really excited, and we're looking forward to seeing all of you guys again. Getting together for drinks might be more fun than hauling furniture up 11 stories anyways. Thanks again.
 
atlas1882 said:
Thanks for the update, Sarah. I'm glad to hear that the entire east coast didn't up and float away. I was beginning to wonder with all the coverage its been getting on the news lately.

As far as moving in goes, we definitely appreciate your offer, and who knows, we may even take you up on it, but as of right now, my parents have decided to fly out and help us with the unpacking. I guess they found a good deal on Southwest's website, and I think my mom really wants to see where we are living. I do have one question for you though: what is the traffic like in downtown Baltimore on a Saturday morning. We're staying in Frederick Friday night and planning on driving in early the next day to try and avoid the rush. Sound like a good plan?

Anyhow, Susan and I are both really excited, and we're looking forward to seeing all of you guys again. Getting together for drinks might be more fun than hauling furniture up 11 stories anyways. Thanks again.

No sweat Todd I'm sure everything will be fine with the parents, but definitely don't hesitate if you need to use my personal 6'5 packmule. :laugh:

As for the traffic, on a weekend we've found it pretty much depends on if the Orioles are home or away. Luckily, they are away on July 8th, so it shouldn't be too too bad. I mean, it'll still be downtown, but not like rush hour or game day.
 
I packed a few of my belongings
Left the life that I was living
Just some memories of it
Mostly the ones I can't forget

Whenever you need me I'll be here
Until then my dear
I'm going, I'm going, going there

Don't ask me to make time
To travel back and forth
Let nature take its course
Maybe I'm open from all this ocean air

And if it weren't for you I'd be without
A care setting sail to St. Elsewhere
 
LucidSplash said:
Hey guys, the 2006-2007 cost of attendance looks to be up...

http://www.fincsvc.umaryland.edu/sa/images/md.pdf
Yay for out of state tuition!! 👎

So what's been going on with everyone? Hopefully you guys are enjoying some BBQ and fireworks. We decided to stay in and pack...we've thrown out so much stuff, and still I feel like we're taking too much with us to Baltimore. Sometimes I feel like such a pack-rat.
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
...we've thrown out so much stuff, and still I feel like we're taking too much with us to Baltimore. Sometimes I feel like such a pack-rat.

Ditto! I donated close to $750 of stuff to the salvation army before we moved and we still have way to much stuff. It's nuts! Here are some pictures that Greg's dad took when he came up to help do some things around the house for a couple of days. Its hard to see the house, because there are boxes and crap everywhere, but we'll get some more up (or you can just come see it) when we're unpacked. We're getting there, slowly but surely! You don't have to sign in, just click the yellow button that says "View Slideshow."

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...e=fromshare&Ux=0&UV=684261052698_425208633107
 
LucidSplash said:
Ditto! I donated close to $750 of stuff to the salvation army before we moved and we still have way to much stuff. It's nuts! Here are some pictures that Greg's dad took when he came up to help do some things around the house for a couple of days. Its hard to see the house, because there are boxes and crap everywhere, but we'll get some more up (or you can just come see it) when we're unpacked. We're getting there, slowly but surely! You don't have to sign in, just click the yellow button that says "View Slideshow."

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLa...e=fromshare&Ux=0&UV=684261052698_425208633107
Your first floor with the brick looks really nice! What area are you two in again?
 
Hey does anyone want a George Forman countertop grill? We have one, but we never use it. I have the spatulas and the drip trays that go with it (although one has a hole melted in it). It works fine, we just never use it anymore. Free to a good home otherwise it is going to goodwill.

Oh, and also an asparagus pot.
 
So how sad is it that we've lived in our house for almost 2 weeks and our fridge is still empty. I've had so little time, I finally had to resort to ordering groceries online. But yay for coupons for free shipping. Although, shipping is as little as $8. This may be a lifesaver in med school.
 
I'll trade you a punchbowl for your Foreman grill.

😛

PSP is over! Now I'm trying to find a job for the next few weeks. I could go back to the law firm in DC to work, but I really don't want to commute. I want to stay here and settle in some more. But I need to generate some cash flow - home ownership is draining my resources.

There's a few labs hiring work-study students at UMB, and I qualified for like 3 grand of W/S from financial aid. But I don't know if I want to do bench research again. One project is really cool, though...they are characterizing a species of bacteria that preys on other gram-neg bacteria, and looking at it's enzymatic products as potential ID treatments. They need some help, so I thought, what the hell? Plus, I could put this micro masters to some use.

Or I could just sleep for 4 weeks. 😴
 
btw LS, There's a Safeway 2 blocks from your house!! And you want to ORDER groceries? :laugh:

I go to that safeway (SCarey Street UNSafeway) sometimes. Usually they have some good deals on stuff like juice, energy bars, and prepared stuff, but their produce is always terrible. I went their to get brocolli and tomatoes the other day, and the brocolli was all brown and wilted, and the tomatoes were mealy. Ugh.

Did you get your bike yet? I read in Greg's newsletter that he was getting you one...it was so cute! Since your house is really close to mine, if it's rainy/crappy outside, I can pick you up on my way to class so you don't have to ride in the rain. Although I used to ride in the snow when I lived in Ann Arbor. That was a trip. Especially when I had been drinking.
 
I bet there are some places around Baltimore that could use quality tutors for kids during the summer, you could always tutor.

I know, the grocery store is so close - that's why it is so sad we resorted to ordering them. But I'm working 10 hours days, plus my roundtrip commute is like 2.5 hours, plus we're trying to get the house together. Greg's been super busy, which is good financially, but not so much food-wise and we were starting to negate the financial boon by eating out too much because we had no food. So grocery shopping just hasn't happened, even though it is close to the house. I did the shopping online while I was at work while I ate my lunch.

Also, punchbowl for george foreman sounds like a good trade 🙂 Greg was all kerfluffled yesterday because he had forgotten about the punchbowl in his efforts to arrange things in the kitchen cabinets - apparently it put a kink in his layout. lol.

We'll definitely talk about carpooling options. My plan was to ride the bike as much as possible (I don't have it yet though) and I figured I could still drive in if it was pouring rain or something or there was just way too much snow, etc. But I'm always looking for more flexibility. 🙂
 
So I have to say I'm pretty happy with my delivered groceries, including the produce. All the produce we got was very nice looking, with no bruises or wilting. I was actually really impressed with the fresh spinach, which I ordered as a test (not that we won't eat it, but I specifically wanted to see what the spinach looked like). We'll still go to the store for a quick trip for a few things, but the time saver of not having to spend an hour and half at the store and then not have to stand in line by doing it online will probably be awesome when we need to do serious shopping. Yay!

Wow, I am lame.
 
Oklahoma is beating the pants off of us. 🙁

LS, they must have a special stash of produce that they keep in the back for their "elite" (aka delivery) customers. 🙂

I'm trying to get this work-study job, but I have to jump through all the requisite hoops, first. It's almost like OFA doesn't WANT you to get money to pay for your education. There are about 80 billion forms to provide and sign - it makes buying a house look like child's play. 🙂

Hopefully, though, in the next few days, I'll be back among the ranks of the gainfully employed.

Did anyone else see "Pirates" this weekend? I thought it was even better than the first one!!! 👍

I 😍 Johnny Depp.
 
LadyWolverine said:
Oklahoma is beating the pants off of us. 🙁

LS, they must have a special stash of produce that they keep in the back for their "elite" (aka delivery) customers. 🙂

I'm trying to get this work-study job, but I have to jump through all the requisite hoops, first. It's almost like OFA doesn't WANT you to get money to pay for your education. There are about 80 billion forms to provide and sign - it makes buying a house look like child's play. 🙂

Hopefully, though, in the next few days, I'll be back among the ranks of the gainfully employed.

Did anyone else see "Pirates" this weekend? I thought it was even better than the first one!!! 👍

I 😍 Johnny Depp.

No i didn't get a chance to see it. But word on the street is that there was an overload of captain jack sparrow in the movie. Actually makes me want to go see it even more!!!
 
So now that PSP over and we are officially less than a month away from orientation, do you think we'll start hearing something (anything) from Maryland? I kinda feel like I'm in a long-distance relationship that is going south. A few months ago, I received this wonderful letter full of love and adoration, but then SILENCE for months on end. Is there danger of becoming the obsessive significant other? What's wrong Maryland?!?! Why won't you share what's going on in your life with me? Are you too busy beginning to court new applicants? Now that you've got me, have we lost the magic?

Seriously though, I'd like to know, uh, stuff, about medical school.
 
galdoc said:
No i didn't get a chance to see it. But word on the street is that there was an overload of captain jack sparrow in the movie. Actually makes me want to go see it even more!!!

Yes!! There was LOTS of Captain Jack!!! (And lots of eyeliner!) I want to go see it again...Depp was hilarious!

LS, aside from PSP-related stuff, I haven't heard a word from UMD, either. I think UMD's gettin' a little on the side, most likely from the Wait List. It's not right, but you'll just have to learn to accept it...kinda like being married to a cop. But hey, as long as that $38,500 is in my bank account come August, I'll continue to look the other way.
 
I am not a resident of Maryland who badly wants to attend UM SOM. I know all the stats pertinent to my situation...about 3000 out of staters, 150 are accepted, only about 10 will actually choose to go. Anyone on here one of that 10 (+ or -)?

Other than the obvious (do well on the MCAT, high GPA) any other suggestions to land a spot in the class? I'll be applying for the Class of 2012. I'd really appreciate it! I spent a week in DC this summer and took a MARC up to Baltimore...the facilities were absolutly stunning!
 
SuzieQ will be someone you'll want to talk to. She just moved to Baltimore this past weekend though, so she might be MIA for a little. Try PMing her if she doesn't surface soon. Also, I think, at least for the Class of '09 (don't know about our class yet), but there were ~27 out of staters in the class. Best of luck!
 
alesdu1 said:
I am not a resident of Maryland who badly wants to attend UM SOM. I know all the stats pertinent to my situation...about 3000 out of staters, 150 are accepted, only about 10 will actually choose to go. Anyone on here one of that 10 (+ or -)?

Other than the obvious (do well on the MCAT, high GPA) any other suggestions to land a spot in the class? I'll be applying for the Class of 2012. I'd really appreciate it! I spent a week in DC this summer and took a MARC up to Baltimore...the facilities were absolutly stunning!

Ooh, me! 😉 Am I really only 1 of 10? For some reason I thought they had a higher out of state acceptance rate than that. I don't have any magical advice for you, besides the same things that might help you at any school - get your application in early, spend a lot of time on the secondary (have people proofread and make suggestions), and thoroughly prepare yourself for the interview if you are invited. I liked the Maryland interviews because they were longer, and I felt like the interviewer had more time to get to know me (In contrast to the "speed-dating" method at Wake Forest...15 minutes to evaluate an applicant?). I thought my interview went well, but not spectacular. If all else fails, you can write a letter of interest. Maryland was one of the few schools that when they asked why I wanted to go there, I could spout off 5 or 6 strong reasons. Do you have any specific questions I might be able to answer?
 
Things are finally starting to get in order here in our new apartment. Allow me to share some of what I've learned in the past few days:

1) Driving a Penske truck into downtown Baltimore sucks. Thank god my husband was the one doing the driving, because it stressed me out just being the passenger. Driving the Penske truck out of downtown Baltimore to return it was even worse! We had to get over into an exit-only right lane, and ended up cutting into a funeral procession near I-95. Needless to say the procession was not too happy, and we had this woman screaming at us and flipping us off, trying to run our vehicle off the road. Crazy ****....I mean, what did she expect us to do? Stop our truck in the middle of the freeway to wait until their procession got past? <sigh>

2) Groceries around here are expensive - I mean, really expensive. I knew they'd cost more, because we were coming from a part of the country with an extremely low cost of living, but we went from having an average bill of about $70, to one that was over $100. Still, I was also impressed with the produce at Safeway. 😉
We might have to start eating Ramen just to save money.

Anyway, that's all I have to share right now. We've explored a lot in the past few days - Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium, DC and the Natural History museum. Today we are going to the Cingular store to have our numbers changed locally. We want to get our drivers licenses, voting, and license plates changed, but since we don't have any bills yet we have no way of proving we live in Baltimore. I think this will be one of the only times in my life where I actually look forward to getting a bill.

So, has anyone received the packet from UMD yet? I remember someone saying it would be mailed in the beginning of July.
 
I called to make sure my last transcript had arrived since it had been lost the first two times it was sent. On that call, they also told me we should be getting something about orientation late this week or early next week.
 
SuzieQ3417 said:
Ooh, me! 😉 Am I really only 1 of 10? For some reason I thought they had a higher out of state acceptance rate than that. I don't have any magical advice for you, besides the same things that might help you at any school - get your application in early, spend a lot of time on the secondary (have people proofread and make suggestions), and thoroughly prepare yourself for the interview if you are invited. I liked the Maryland interviews because they were longer, and I felt like the interviewer had more time to get to know me (In contrast to the "speed-dating" method at Wake Forest...15 minutes to evaluate an applicant?). I thought my interview went well, but not spectacular. If all else fails, you can write a letter of interest. Maryland was one of the few schools that when they asked why I wanted to go there, I could spout off 5 or 6 strong reasons. Do you have any specific questions I might be able to answer?

Actually, yes I do have a few specifics.
1) Out of state tuition>>instate tuition. &#61516; You know how for college, some state schools will waive the extra out of state tuition costs for good students? Does MD SOM have a record of doing this? …any kind of fin aid earmarked to attract out of staters? Haha is there anyway to attend UM and pay in state tuition…
2) What exactly did you mean by a letter of interest? Like post interview, if you are waitlisted, to send them letters? I thought they don’t like receiving superfluous correspondence from applicants?
3) Does the UM SOM secondary appl ask questions that differ significantly from the primary? I have heard that most secondaries are a bit silly in that they ask the applicants to literally repaste info they put on their primary.

Thanks for your quick response earlier. Congrats and good luck to you all…
 
greetings from vienna everyone, dont have much time but just checking in to say hi...as awesome as europe is, i really cant wait to finally move to baltimore and start classes with all of you....i know crazy...ill probably be singing a different tune come the first week of anatomy...anyway, ill be in the area july 26th...see you all around then.

a


ps WTF how did OK take the lead in posts? have you all been slipping in my absence?
 
alesdu1 said:
Actually, yes I do have a few specifics.
1) Out of state tuition>>instate tuition. &#61516; You know how for college, some state schools will waive the extra out of state tuition costs for good students? Does MD SOM have a record of doing this? …any kind of fin aid earmarked to attract out of staters? Haha is there anyway to attend UM and pay in state tuition…
2) What exactly did you mean by a letter of interest? Like post interview, if you are waitlisted, to send them letters? I thought they don’t like receiving superfluous correspondence from applicants?
3) Does the UM SOM secondary appl ask questions that differ significantly from the primary? I have heard that most secondaries are a bit silly in that they ask the applicants to literally repaste info they put on their primary.

Thanks for your quick response earlier. Congrats and good luck to you all…
1) I only received loans from UMD and no scholarships, but obviously I only know from my own experience. It may be possible to get a scholarship as an OOS student, but I bet its hard. As for in-state tuition, they have a tuition policy listed on the website (I think its with the Office of the Registrar). Supposedly you can qualify for in-state tuition after a year or two, but you have to meet certain criteria. They also give you a printout of this document if you interview. I'm not sure how difficult it is to qualify, but considering I was told by at least 2 students on my interview day that they knew someone who successfully qualified, it hopefully isn't too hard. You might want to check back with me in a year on that one. 😉

2) Letter of interest - you can send this post-interview, or post-waitlist. Some people even send them pre-interview if they really like the school. Each school differs in how they take into account letters from applicants, and I'm not sure what MD's attitude is. I didn't have to write one, but perhaps someone else on this thread can offer advice on the subject???

3) I don't remember the questions on MD's secondary being exceptionally difficult....I think there was an essay about professionalism, an essay about what particular areas of medicine you might be interested in...where you see yourself in 10 years, and maybe one more which I can't come up with right now. I don't think I repasted anything from my primary, but I know I recycled essays between the different secondaries (for instance, a few schools asked for an elaboration of a service activity).
 
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