University of Maryland - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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AvoidUMDMed

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Dear Pre-Medical students,

I am writing this on the blog because I would like to share my experience with all of you about the University of Maryland Medical School. I would like to stay anonymous, but I assure you I have intimate knowledge of the medical school, the teachers, the hospital, etc...

If you read nothing else on my post, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do your research on this school Try to talk to as many people as you can who are actually IN the school.

First, the positives. UMD is a highly ranked state school = low tuition. Second, we are constantly told from our preceptors that we are very strong clinically. Third, we have a very easy class schedule the first two years, only 4 hours of class per day. THAT IS ALL.

The BAD:

1) You get absolutely no support from faculty, including deans, teachers, etc...
2) UMD will absolutely not treat you as an individual, they will turn their back on you if you find yourself in a situation that is not "the average". No such thing as working with you to solve your individual problem.
3) EXTREMELY incompitant deans and staff. As a matter of fact, our dean took a vacation during a crucial time for 4th year medical students, and boasted about it... saying how something you need to take time away from work and think about your family. As a result many students were left without advice from our most experienced dean during a CRUCIAL moment during your 4th year.
4) YOU LIVE IN BALTIMORE.... please do not go to Baltimore unless you are going to HOPKINS.... DO NOT GO TO BALTIMORE FOR UMD, you WILL regret it. Many of my friends have been robbed, beaten up, cars broken into, assaulted by homeless people, etc etc etc
5) During your clinical rotations you will find that medical students are not treated with respect. And when problems arise, nobody will ever take your side. EXAMPLE: one of the rotations requires that every morning you print out a list of patients, from a computer you don't have access to, from a room you don't have access to. This is very typical of our hospital rotations.
EXAMPLE: during a certain surgery a male scrub nurse was making inappropriate statements towards me (I am also male)... he did everything but challenge me to a fight (which i could have won anyday)... he cursed at me, he called me stupid, he made sexist remarks to a female resident, etc... I was not allowed to leave as the attending grading me was in the room.... at no point did the surgeon stand up for me, or the female resident.... when I wrote a letter of concern to the surgery dept I was told... "sorry, stuff like this happens, can't help you" -- the srub nurse was never disciplined and continues to work there.
6) Many schools offer tutoring, individual help from teachers outside of class time, lectures to introduce you to specialties in the medical field, etc.... NOT AT MD, YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO THE SCHOOL, nothing like this will ever happen here.


OK folks, that's just a start, i can keep going. Feel free to PM me, I can answer questions, and write a few more examples of why you should not come to UMD. I am not a bitter student, I got what I needed out of medical school... but I wanted to pass this information to all of you, because when i was making this important decision, I was unaware....

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!! It's a tough 4 years, but you'll be amazed how quickly it will fly by.
 
I am a 2nd year at Maryland. I have had no experience with the clinical rotations yet so I can't refute what this person is saying regarding those years (though I have not heard these types of complaints from those in the classes above me with whom I am familiar), but with regard to the items that apply to MSI and MSII I will say that I disagree vehementlywith everything this person has written. I see no need to refute this point by point here but if anyone has specific concerns or would like to hear personal stories of how I have been treated as an individual, received assistance outside of class, what kind of tutoring is available, etc. Feel free to PM me. Visit the Maryland class threads and look for the current students who post there, as I am sure any of them would be happy to answer questions as well. Best of luck to everyone.
 
Interesting since your already there. Did you not find anything
"good" about your experience over the past 4 years? Other than the fact that in a month you'll be a doctor
 
LucidSplash--

I wont argue with you, because I hope that what you say is true. If you were able to find all those resources my hat is off to you. This is my opinion, and a synopsis of what I found to be true over my MD career. And likewise I am ready to back up my statements point by point.

You have one person that seems to be happy with their education, and another person who is not. There should not be such a difference in opnions, although I am sure we are both telling the truth about our experience... decision is yours folks... be sure to do your research. And i HOPE you are lucky like the previous UMD poster. Medical School will be a miserable time unless you are happy.
 
AvoidUMDMed said:
LucidSplash--

I wont argue with you, because I hope that what you say is true. If you were able to find all those resources my hat is off to you. This is my opinion, and a synopsis of what I found to be true over my MD career. And likewise I am ready to back up my statements point by point.

You have one person that seems to be happy with their education, and another person who is not. There should not be such a difference in opnions, although I am sure we are both telling the truth about our experience... decision is yours folks... be sure to do your research. And i HOPE you are lucky like the previous UMD poster. Medical School will be a miserable time unless you are happy.
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I know these are your opinions and you have experience on the wards which I do not have, which is why I did not even attempt to address these issues. I also assumed that you could provide pertinent examples for each of your complaints.

I agree that people should do their research. Again, there are a number of Maryland posters on this board (many of whom can be found posting in the class threads) and you should certainly contact any of them if you have specific concerns and would like to hear personal experiences. I am more than willing to share mine and do not do so here simply because the OP probably has one "negative" story to match each of my positive experiences and I think Internet pissing matches of that sort are inane.

However, to clarify, I do not, at this juncture, consider myself "lucky." I am fortunate to go to UMD which has been extremely supportive in my classroom years and this is not by luck as I am certain that many of the other Maryland posters here as well as my other classmates will agree that my experience has not been atypically "lucky" - it has been fairly typical of the Maryland experience. I have accessed these resources simply by making an appointment in the Office of Student Affairs, Office of Student Research, and Office of Medical Education and speaking with the Deans there or contacting individual professors via e-mail or catching them after class. There was no luck involved. Again, I do not address the clinical years because I have no first-hand knowledge but I say unequivocally that I believe that the OP's experience as it pertains to the classroom years is the atypical experience, not mine.

Again, best of luck to everyone.
 
I am also a second-year student at Maryland, and one of LucidSplash's classmates. I also disagree with the OP. My experience here has been mostly positive. Because I have not yet experienced clinical rotations, I have no opinion on that particular subject. But I will comment on the OP's other grievances.

First of all, I am certain that, at any medical school, you will find a handful of people who are unsatisfied with their educational experience. Especially given the amount of tuition that med students are expected to pay in order to receive their education, I will be the first to concede that many of these claims are legitimate - we should expect a higher standard, because we are paying for it (note however that this is NOT UNIQUE to U of Maryland - there is not a single medical school in the country that "couldn't do better" when it comes to educational standards, resources for students, personalized attention, etc.). However, medical school (and all graduate education in general, for that matter) demands a certain level of independence and a proactive attitude. Nobody is going to take you by the hand and guide you through your 4 years - for the most part, you are expected to navigate the waters yourself. If you incapable of/uncomfortable with doing this, DO NOT GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL. This includes medical school.

(Disclaimer: My analyses below apply ONLY to years 1 and 2. As a student at the end of her 2nd year, I have no experience in year 3 an 4).

OP's claim #1 "You get absolutely no support from faculty, including deans, teachers, etc..."

This is completely, totally, 100% untrue. While nobody will tuck you into a high-chair and spoon-feed you pureed pathophys and pharmacology while making airplane noises and singing "you are my sunshine," most faculty members here take their positions very seriously, and make themselves available to medical students on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, most professors have an "open door" policy, and are available at their offices, by email, phone, and online forum - information that is READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU. I have taken advantage of both office visits and email correspondence with course directors and professors, and usually get timely, thorough responses. There are, of course, exceptions. Not every faculty member is always "on top" of things, and I can think of a particular instance in which LucidSplash herself was unhappy with a certain professor's rather cavalier, dismissive response to an email question that had to do with what we were learning in class. However, there are ways to be proactive, even in these situations - ask a different professor, go to classmates or a reference book for help, etc. I can assure you that, in my experience, cases like these have been very much the exception. The general rule is that the faculty is very involved with students. They like getting questions and generating discussion.
Regarding the administration: I, as well as many other students, have had significant contact with several of the Deans of different offices at Maryland SOM. I currently sit on the Student Council (which meets monthly with the Dean of the medical school, as well as the Deans of Academic Affairs and Office of Student Affairs), I interview for the admissions committee (thus I interact frequently with the Dean and Office of Admissions), and I am involved in a tutoring program for first-year students (Office of Medical Education). I have plenty of opportunity to interact with the Deans and to give them feedback, and they are very interested in what we have to say. They make themselves available to us, and take student matters very seriously. While there are times when their availability is less than optimal (for example, while renewing LCME accreditation, something that must be done every 8 years, I believe(?), the admin and faculty were a little pre-occupied. But that was understandable, as LCME accreditation is something crucially important that affects every single medical student at this school), for the most part, admin and faculty is always around, and ready and willing to hear what we have to say - IF YOU CARE ENOUGH TO SAY SOMETHING. That's my main point - if you don't take advantage of the resources available, nobody is going to do it for you. And you don't have the right to complain, because you didn't try. The squeaky wheel truly gets the grease - but this is no different from any graduate school. That's also what real life is like.


OP's claim #2: "UMD will absolutely not treat you as an individual, they will turn their back on you if you find yourself in a situation that is not "the average". No such thing as working with you to solve your individual problem."

I am not sure what, exactly, the OP's circumstances were; however, from my own experience, as well as those of my classmates and the upperclassmen that I know, the admin and faculty are willing to work with you to solve problems of all sorts, ranging from academic difficulties (including extra help and tutoring for those struggling with coursework), to planning weddings/families, taking leaves of absence for health/personal reasons, etc. There have been many medical students who were "not the average," for whom the school has made special arrangements. While you are expected to maintain certain standards (which the school makes very clear to you, even before you "sign up" - and these standards are going to be pretty much the same at any LCME-accredited school), there is a great deal of flexibility and personalized planning that goes on. However, as with grievance #1, YOU must be the one to seek out assistance, and be involved in planning and implementation of these accommodations. Nobody is going to do it for you.


OP's claim #3: "EXTREMELY incompitant deans and staff. As a matter of fact, our dean took a vacation during a crucial time for 4th year medical students, and boasted about it... saying how something you need to take time away from work and think about your family. As a result many students were left without advice from our most experienced dean during a CRUCIAL moment during your 4th year."

Now, come on. This is just bitter name-calling. Incompetent Deans don't run medical schools, because they either don't get appointed in the first place, or they get replaced by someone who can do the job. Furthermore, even if the Dean takes time off to go on vacation, there are other admin and faculty members available to help you out. Because the school's reputation rides on the future successes of its former students, I find it hard to believe that so many 4th years were left in the lurch. One of UMD SOM's first and foremost priorities is graduating competent, well-trained, well-prepared physicians.


OP's claim #4: "YOU LIVE IN BALTIMORE.... please do not go to Baltimore unless you are going to HOPKINS.... DO NOT GO TO BALTIMORE FOR UMD, you WILL regret it. Many of my friends have been robbed, beaten up, cars broken into, assaulted by homeless people, etc etc etc"

This anti-Baltimore argument is so tired. Cities have crime. Do people's cars get broken into? Sure. But my car has been broken into in Ann Arbor, Seattle, and Montgomery County. Should we stay away from those places as well? Aggressive homeless people aren't unique to Baltimore. While I do not particularly like living in cities (for exactly these reasons), it is unavoidable in many circumstances, as most medical schools are situated in cities. I feel the same way about downtown NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, LA, etc. as I feel about downtown Baltimore. If you are stupid/take risks, bad things will happen to you. I think that this is just a matter of common sense. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen, even if you are being cautious. This is just bad luck. Campus security is very tight here, and there is a police force that is constantly evolving in its attempts to combat crime near campus. This makes me feel much more safe.


I cannot respond to OP's claim #5, as I have no personal experience with rotations.


OP's claim #6: "Many schools offer tutoring, individual help from teachers outside of class time, lectures to introduce you to specialties in the medical field, etc.... NOT AT MD, YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO THE SCHOOL, nothing like this will ever happen here."

I find this hard to believe, as I, personally, am a member of a team of second-year work-study students that tutor first-year students. We make ourselves available to first-year students on a regular basis. As I stated before, I have also gone to professors for help with lectures and concepts (both in person, and via email/forum). During every block, we certainly have lectures that introduce us to specialties. For example, during Structure & Development (our anatomy/histo/embryo block), we recieve introduction to radiology, which is then continued throughout first and second year. As a matter of fact, our small groups during second-year (mostly PBL-type sessions) are, for the most part, attempts made by the individual departments to recruit fledgling physicians by showcasing why their particular specialty is so great. In our Pathophysiology & Therapeutics block, we have been exposed to Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Hematology, Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Radiology, Nephrology, Surgery subspecialties, Neurology, Psychiatry...the list goes on and on, and I'll spare you, for the sake of time.


My main point is that I don't understand where the OP's claims are coming from. Perhaps the curriculum has been modified between his/her preclinical years and mine. Perhaps he/she was not very proactive about seeking help and resources. But my experiences have been completely different. I don't understand how he/she can claim that we are not important to the school - we ARE the school. Students have the opportunity to sit on most committees and councils (curriculum, admissions, professionalism, SOM council, etc.), and student involvement in their own governance is ENCOURAGED. However, if you want something done here, you need to be proactive about it! You can't sit back and expect things to change if you don't get involved or make yourself heard.

I am very proud of my medical school, and I have been actively involved in both my education and in my future career planning, as well as being rather involved in the School itself. As such, I have had an overall very positive experience to date. Perhaps my POV will change once I complete 3rd/4th year and the Match. Only time will tell - no point in speculating.
Bottom line: The opportunities are there - it is up to you whether or not you want to take advantage of them. But you can't sit back and let opportunities pass you up, and then complain when you get the short end of the stick. I'm sorry, but that's how life works - not just medical school. Do I have gripes and complaints about the school? About my own treatment as an individual? Are there things that could be improved upon? OF COURSE. This would be true anywhere. The point is that, here, people will listen and things WILL change, if you care enough to make yourself heard.
 
yikes. i don't know what to think. I'm not really concerned at all about the first 2 years, b/c academically I can handle about anything on my own. I am most concerned with the posters comments regarding the clinical years. Can anyone who is currently a 3rd of 4th year offer their experiences? I'm heavily leaning going to UPENN next year, but i want to at least give maryland a chance before making a final decision.
 
Didn't get a chance to read the other MD student's comments as I'm in a hurry this morning.... I have to drive to a clinical rotation UMD put me in, it's a 60 mile round trip drive... I told UMD my 1995 car, and the record gas prices might dictate I stay a little closer to home base (I live within 5 mile radius of the university hospital)...

However, my reply from UMD is that "things like this happen, and other students have done this during the year, therefore you should too"...

Poster who is deciding to go to UPENN vs UMD... I vote UPENN! Great school, and you'll be in a better position come residency time.

-I'll read the other posts and reply as necessary after I get home tonight
 
I am sorry that you have not enjoyed your experience at UMD. I was/ still am planning on attending UMD in Fall 2008. I have heard nothing but great things from people that are attending/ have attended. I am from the DC area, and while I am not incredibly familiar with Baltimore, I know that location can be a downside. I am glad that you shared your experiences, but think that you have you done an incredible disservice to those planning on attending/ thinking about attending. The in-state tuition is an incredible perk, and the school is a highly ranked state school. I know MANY people who have been thrilled with their experiences. I am sorry you were not, but try not to ruin if for those who are planning to attend.

Also, when I interviewed, they mentioned nothing about 3rd and 4th year sites that were not in Baltimore. Where is it that you are going? I interviewed at numerous schools who have clinic sites in other states, so I do not think that it is unusual to require some travel.
 
cugymnast06 said:
Also, when I interviewed, they mentioned nothing about 3rd and 4th year sites that were not in Baltimore. Where is it that you are going? I interviewed at numerous schools who have clinic sites in other states, so I do not think that it is unusual to require some travel.
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If I recall correctly they actually did mention this briefly. Something about doing rotations in rural areas, the eastern shore, whatever. One of my interviewers talked a little more about this so maybe that's why it sticks in my mind. I believe you and I both interviewed on Halloween (going off of what I remember from a previous thread).
 
I think you're either making this up, or you just didn't get your way a lot, and are sour about it. Did you research UMD first?

As to Baltimore... seriously, dude, do a little prevention and you have no trouble, unless you're a dumb@$$ who goes wandering the Block or the southeastern by yourself at 2 AM.

As to the scrub nurse, there's a little thing I learnt in grade school: I-G-N-O-R-E.

I'll turn on pm if you want to discuss this further.
 
Regarding 3rd and 4th year rotation sites:

This is something that has been a hot topic of discussion amongst many of us soon-to-be 3rd years. Maryland is a state school. As such, there are sites all over the state where we may be expected to serve. While they make accommodations for people who need it (for example, those with small children who need to be close to home), it is expected that most students will spend at least some time in a hospital or clinic setting outside of the Baltimore area. There is some flexibility if you contact the clerkship directors (if you are from Annapolis, for instance, and would like to rotate in a hospital site there, they will try to accommodate you).

During 3rd year: There are certain rotations that MIGHT require you to drive outside of Baltimore. I don't see how this is any different from any other state school. UMMS and U of MD affiliated hospitals comprise a HUGE network. There are many, many sites with competent and enthusiastic faculty who are passionate about teaching. Yes, for 4 weeks of family medicine, I may have to drive to Annapolis, or Towson, or Frederick. Is that inconvenient? Sure. Will I suck it up and go? I will. Will I make sure that the clerkship directors are aware that I had this rotation so far away, and that my subsequent rotations are closer to home? You bet. They made it clear to us during our junior planning session that they are not trying to punish those with cars by assigning them all of the distant rotations, because many people in my class were concerned about this issue. However, fair and balanced planning requires adequate communication and constant feedback.
The vast majority of the "big" clerkships (12 weeks med, 12 weeks surg) are done at local locations - UMMS, the VA, Union Memorial, Mercy. Occasionally, someone has to go to Franklin Square, a whopping 20 or so minutes away.

During 4th year: It should be NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE going to school here that you will be expected to do at least 1 month of AHEC. During this clerkship, you are specifically sent to Northern/Eastern/Western Maryland to work in rural/underserved areas. This is the difference between a State and a Private school. Don't go to UMD if you don't want to do AHEC. You are made aware of this requirement before coming here. There are very few exceptions made for this requirement (I believe that, if you have small children or similar tight circumstances, they will accommodate you by letting you do AHEC in downtown Baltimore).

I have classmates that have spouses and/or families, and many who DON'T HAVE CARS. These students will still be expected to participate in these remote rotations. They knew what was expected of them before they started medical school, and they aren't griping about it. Very few are exempt. Keep in mind that this is one of the tradeoffs when attending your state school. Lower tuition, yes. But also more requirements when it comes to serving the state.

To those considering UMD, this is definitely something to take into account. If you don't like the prospect of having to travel for a small minority of your rotations, you might want to attend a school that doesn't have such requirements.
 
Blegh, I wouldn't want to go to Fedik for anything. 😛 Annapolis, however, I am totally down with.

As to AHEC, that's one of the cons on my UMD list... kind of. Rural yes, downtown crackheads not so much.
 
cugymnast06 said:
I am glad that you shared your experiences, but think that you have you done an incredible disservice to those planning on attending/ thinking about attending. The in-state tuition is an incredible perk, and the school is a highly ranked state school. I know MANY people who have been thrilled with their experiences. I am sorry you were not, but try not to ruin if for those who are planning to attend.
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I think it's good to hear the bad as well as the good. As I stated above, there will be disgruntled students at any medical school (I remember receiving unsolicited emails from a 4th year at a california school when I was deciding which medical school to attend - his intention was to dissuade me from going there based on his own personal experience. The OP's original post reflects many of the same arguments/cons presented to me by that student. So I guess I feel like I've heard all these complaints before).

I don't think that the OP has done anybody a disservice by expressing his/her opinion. Everyone's experience is unique, and it's unrealistic to expect 100% of people to be completely happy. But, I also believe that you should keep it all in perspective. You need to get an overall impression - you can't make a decision or conclusion based on one positive or negative post. Keep in mind also that those who post negative reflections often have a very specific reason for doing so - and, for some reason, they use SDN for axe-grinding.
Those of us who are students here are able to refute the OP's broad, sweeping generalizations (e.g. "You get absolutely no support..."; "UMD will absolutely not treat you as an individual..."; the claim that UMB doesn't offer tutoring or introduction to medical specialties) with evidence and specific examples to the contrary. It's important to get the facts straight before drawing conclusions.
 
nonesuchgirl said:
Rural yes, downtown crackheads not so much.
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Nonesuch, if you don't like "downtown crackheads," I strongly suggest not going to medical school in any urban setting. At UMD, you are expected to interact with patients starting your first year. If you don't want to take histories from and learn physical exam skills on these types of patients, you are going to be sorely disappointed, as they will make up a significant proportion of what you will see, day-in and day-out, in any urban medical center.

In many cases, AHEC will be a chance to see a different type of patient base.
 
LadyWolverine said:
Nonesuch, if you don't like "downtown crackheads," I strongly suggest not going to medical school in any urban setting. [ ... ]In many cases, AHEC will be a chance to see a different type of patient base.
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😀 I'm kind of hacked off at the moment, so take it with a grain of salt, pls. I think I'd rather do urban/rural underserved than the upper-middles who won't quit doing stupid ****, actually. Or who want to take their severely milk-and-peanut allergic 4yo to Dairy Queen.

Anyway, I suspect I'm going to spending a lot of time with the urban group, so I suppose it might be nice to be exposed to the rural on AHEC.

ETA: Also... I can't do anything for the crackheads. Their lives are set, y'know? For the most part at least. The underserved/non-crackheads downtown, are another story. And the underserved/rural. I like thinking that there's a point to what I do. Sense/no sense?
 
rogerwilco said:
If I recall correctly they actually did mention this briefly. Something about doing rotations in rural areas, the eastern shore, whatever. One of my interviewers talked a little more about this so maybe that's why it sticks in my mind. I believe you and I both interviewed on Halloween (going off of what I remember from a previous thread).
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I did interview on Halloween, and my interviewers did not know too much about about the clinical sites (with the exception of the University Hospital and the VA). I am actually looking forward to going to the diverse sites. I am from a very urban area of Maryland, but know there are MANY other regions as well.

I know that there are always disgruntled people at schools, and certainly take everything with a grain of salt. It just the first thing I looked at this am, and it made me upset.
 
cugymnast06 said:
I know that there are always disgruntled people at schools, and certainly take everything with a grain of salt. It just the first thing I looked at this am, and it made me upset.
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I know you how you feel, cu. It made me upset and reactive as well. I'm glad to see a fellow Marylander who is so excited about what UMD has to offer. You are likely to be one of those students who enjoys their experience here.

If you interviewed on Halloween, I believe I was present at your luncheon. Or perhaps that was the day that I switched with another second-year because of a scheduling conflict. Now I can't remember.
 
nonesuchgirl said:
ETA: Also... I can't do anything for the crackheads. Their lives are set, y'know? For the most part at least. The underserved/non-crackheads downtown, are another story. And the underserved/rural. I like thinking that there's a point to what I do. Sense/no sense?
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Absolutely, you make sense. However, the world of medical treatment and priorities does not. Also note that your categories are not mutually exclusive. Many of the crackheads are technically underserved, despite your personal disdain/judgments.

I'm assuming that you share my views regarding personal accountability. In that case, great. The state of Maryland needs more people like us. But get ready for some massive disappointment when you see first-hand the way that medical resources are squandered in this country. There will most certainly not be a point to a lot of what you do. Make peace with that, now. Also, make peace with the fact that our system rewards and even encourages certain behaviors.

OK, I will stop now. Lest I open the floodgates for yet another liberal vs. conservative stance-on-healthcare argument. fyi, the state of Maryland is very, very, VERY blue. UMD is somewhat representative. (Sometimes I feel as though Lucid and I are the last bastions of moderate-bordering-on-red in that arena.)
 
LadyWolverine said:
I know you how you feel, cu. It made me upset and reactive as well. I'm glad to see a fellow Marylander who is so excited about what UMD has to offer. You are likely to be one of those students who enjoys their experience here.

If you interviewed on Halloween, I believe I was present at your luncheon. Or perhaps that was the day that I switched with another second-year because of a scheduling conflict. Now I can't remember.
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Two UMD students that were at lunch stand out in my memory. An M4 guy (who you are clearly not) and then an M2 (I think?) girl who mentioned she had had her car broken into recently (but stressed it was an isolated incident). Are you her?

Anyway, I'm a big fan of UMD (I'm still debating between my state school and UMD) and I don't want one person's negative experiences to dominate my decision, especially when you guys on here and someone else I've talked with who just matched into EM from there all have great things to say.
 
LW you weren't at lunch on Halloween; I took your spot because you had another commitment. Also, I'm moderate with a slight liberal lean. We just appear conservative leaning relative to those around us.

nonesuchgirl said:
As to Baltimore... seriously, dude, do a little prevention and you have no trouble, unless you're a dumb@$$ who goes wandering the Block or the southeastern by yourself at 2 AM.
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I will say that this statement is not entirely true. Given that my house is in the southeastern and I have no trouble near my house (the drug dealers call me ma'am) but I did have a nasty experience back in October at 1 pm while parked just 2 blocks off campus in a decent neighborhood, I can't really validate the statement that "you have no trouble."

It is true that an ounce of prevention is worth pound of cure. You should certainly take precautions and keep yourself as safe as possible of course and always always use common sense. But the reality of the world is that bad things sometimes happen no matter how many precautions you take, especially in a city where societal ills are most openly observed. The good news is that these things are infrequent when it comes the average medical student and should not dissuade you from attending school here or in any other city.

If you are living in the city you are going to see and experience things that may not have been common for you before and this is especially true as a medical professional. But please do not move here expecting that it will be like the suburbs or that you can insulate yourself from everything you find distasteful or uncomfortable or dangerous (I am not saying that anyone on this thread IS saying that - I am just putting it out there). In a place with as much poverty and addiction as Baltimore, the ugly side of life is often more evident than the kittens and sunshine part. You will need to confront this both as a resident of Baltimore and as a healthcare professional working here. An enormous portion of your patients are going to be drug addicted, and whether or not you feel you can help their addiction, you will be called on to treat them regardless - for both addiction and any other illness they might have. It is not going to be pretty. Even the "non-crackheads" who are underserved are going to try your patience. But it is the way it is.

I 2nd everything LW said regarding AHEC and away rotations. There are 160 students in each class and it is simply not possible at this time for everyone to do their rotations at University Hospital or other hospitals within the city limits and still maintain high quality teaching. But those who control scheduling have made it clear that they do their best to make sure that it is not the same people traveling for every rotation. They do not control the gas prices and the system has been set up this way for a significant period of time.

I love this school and I am glad I chose to come here. But part of my satisfaction is that I did not come here expecting this city to be anything other than what it is. If you are honest and real about the fact that you are going to be uncomfortable at times and feel out of your element a lot, you will be happier than if you think you have the world by the rear, no matter who you are and where you come from. Medical education is a lot of learning how much you don't know, over and over again, and that extends beyond the classroom and the wards.
 
rogerwilco said:
Two UMD students that were at lunch stand out in my memory. An M4 guy (who you are clearly not) and then an M2 (I think?) girl who mentioned she had had her car broken into recently (but stressed it was an isolated incident). Are you her?
Click to expand...

No that was me. Cars do get broken into sometimes. The moral is don't leave anything in your car, ever, even an empty bag. You don't want to leave anything tempting in view. This is a rule you should follow in ANY city and has nothing to do with Baltimore. My car wasn't broken into, it was stolen, which I don't believe has happened to anyone else (in terms of students or people I know) to the best of my knowledge. But hey, now I have a newer car with less mileage, paid for by my insurance company. 👍
 
Hey guys,

I see there are a lot of heated responses from other UMD students. Clearly they think they've been treatd fairly and like our school... awesome! If they are fixing the problems they had several years ago, GREAT! Maybe our school will go up in the rankings, and people will think I went to a good med school when I'm an old crusty doctor. So again, no hate for you guys, I'm glad you're enjoying your experience.

However, I stress that nothing I have said is a lie. Yes I drive 30+ miles each way, and NO I'm not on AHEC (AHEC I only drove 25 miles each way). Again, this is just my experience. I posted this because I was under the opinion if it happened to me... it could happen to you. You don't have to listen to what I say, or take it to heart.

As for Bmore... PLEASE! Last year they had among the highest per capita murder rates in the country, a dental student was killed near the med school about 6-8 years ago, people from MD graduate schools have been robbed in daylight near the hospital, students have had their patients steal their cell phone in the ER, and ofcourse the car break ins. However, I'm sure this happens in all big cities... and a previous poster put it best: be very careful, don't be alone at night, and stick to safe neighberhoods... plus we're not longer the Syphilis capital of the country - thank you Indianapolis.

Again, no hate for the my fellow UMD'ers --- glad you all enjoy your experience so far.
Everyone who is applying/deciding, be weary, if it happened to me it could happen to you. And no, I did NOT do my research when I accepted.
 
LucidSplash said:
No that was me. Cars do get broken into sometimes. The moral is don't leave anything in your car, ever, even an empty bag. You don't want to leave anything tempting in view. This is a rule you should follow in ANY city and has nothing to do with Baltimore. My car wasn't broken into, it was stolen, which I don't believe has happened to anyone else (in terms of students or people I know) to the best of my knowledge. But hey, now I have a newer car with less mileage, paid for by my insurance company. 👍
Click to expand...



Ah yeah, that was you then. I had my car broken into in Pittsburgh, so ever since then I've avoided leaving anything in plain site in my car. Glad to hear you have a newer one though.

I'm a guy and I've never really worried for my safety all that much. Sure, anyone can be a target, especially in a crime as anonymous as car stealing, but in general the threat of physical violence/harm hasn't really been an issue for me in cities.

Also, LS, hopefully it's not ridiculously creepy of me to say that I recall thinking you were very attractive. Of course, I had a billion things running through my mind that day, but I generally trust my memory. [/stalker]

Anyway, back to the original intent of this thread: making negative blanket statements about an awesome school.
 
LucidSplash said:
LW you weren't at lunch on Halloween; I took your spot because you had another commitment. Also, I'm moderate with a slight liberal lean. We just appear conservative leaning relative to those around us.

I will say that this statement is not entirely true. Given that my house is in the southeastern and I have no trouble near my house (the drug dealers call me ma'am) but I did have a nasty experience back in October at 1 pm while parked just 2 blocks off campus in a decent neighborhood, I can't really validate the statement that "you have no trouble."
Click to expand...

I think you just described my political leanings 🙄

Maybe it's not the SE anymore... my geography skills, they are not so great. The thing about the area where UM is, is that until very recently, it was ****. The south/west/whatever around Lexington and Lombard has been upgrading for the past couple of years. It can happen anywhere, I know. At Hopkins med, I'll walk anywhere but the Madison street side by myself. Madison? Give me an escort, please.
 
AvoidUMDMed said:
However, I stress that nothing I have said is a lie. Yes I drive 30+ miles each way, and NO I'm not on AHEC (AHEC I only drove 25 miles each way). Again, this is just my experience. I posted this because I was under the opinion if it happened to me... it could happen to you. You don't have to listen to what I say, or take it to heart. .
Click to expand...

where do you have to go?
 
nonesuchgirl said:
I think you just described my political leanings 🙄

Maybe it's not the SE anymore... my geography skills, they are not so great. The thing about the area where UM is, is that until very recently, it was ****. The south/west/whatever around Lexington and Lombard has been upgrading for the past couple of years. It can happen anywhere, I know. At Hopkins med, I'll walk anywhere but the Madison street side by myself. Madison? Give me an escort, please.
Click to expand...

You know, you wrote southeast and I wrote southeast and my house is southwest. Which is definitely the ghetto, though not quite as ghettoliscious as the western. I have no idea why I read southwest when you wrote southeast. But my point was only that while it is important to use common sense, sometimes even common sense will not protect you. But all of life has risk and I think UMD is worth the risk that comes from living and working in a city. The crux is not to be caught off guard assuming you are invincible. 😎
 
LucidSplash said:
You know, you wrote southeast and I wrote southeast and my house is southwest. Which is definitely the ghetto, though not quite as ghettoliscious as the western. I have no idea why I read southwest when you wrote southeast. But my point was only that while it is important to use common sense, sometimes even common sense will not protect you. But all of life has risk and I think UMD is worth the risk that comes from living and working in a city. The crux is not to be caught off guard assuming you are invincible. 😎
Click to expand...

qft!

😎
 
Sounds like someone is on the waitlist at Maryland.....😀
 
AvoidUMDMed said:
However, I stress that nothing I have said is a lie. Yes I drive 30+ miles each way, and NO I'm not on AHEC (AHEC I only drove 25 miles each way). Again, this is just my experience. I posted this because I was under the opinion if it happened to me... it could happen to you. You don't have to listen to what I say, or take it to heart.

As for Bmore... PLEASE! Last year they had among the highest per capita murder rates in the country, a dental student was killed near the med school about 6-8 years ago, people from MD graduate schools have been robbed in daylight near the hospital, students have had their patients steal their cell phone in the ER, and ofcourse the car break ins. However, I'm sure this happens in all big cities... and a previous poster put it best: be very careful, don't be alone at night, and stick to safe neighberhoods... plus we're not longer the Syphilis capital of the country - thank you Indianapolis.

Again, no hate for the my fellow UMD'ers --- glad you all enjoy your experience so far.
Click to expand...

And too be clear, I don't think anyone here is calling you a liar. We completely endorsed what you have said about driving up to 60 miles roundtrip for a non-AHEC rotation. There is the possibility that this can happen. We simply pointed out that this is not an issue unique to Maryland, you will find similar logistical issues in other state schools around the country, based purely on the way the health system is structured.

The same goes the safety of Baltimore. Yes the murder rate is high. But the sad but true fact is that the majority of individuals dying in Baltimore are young black men in the drug trade. That is not a judgment but simply a fact about the makeup of this city. Its not like people are out targeting medical students. Random acts of violence do happen, like in any city. But your risk of being the target of violence in Baltimore is not greater than in another city just because the murder rate here is higher.

So I appreciate the reassurances that you are not "hating on us." I am certainly not disparaging you. My point is simply that I think your issues with Maryland have less to do with Maryland as an institution than they do with the nature of medical education at a public state medical school and the pros and cons of living and learning in an urban environment.
 
rogerwilco said:
Also, LS, hopefully it's not ridiculously creepy of me to say that I recall thinking you were very attractive. Of course, I had a billion things running through my mind that day, but I generally trust my memory. [/stalker]
Click to expand...

Well not ridiculously creepy, only mildly creepy. 😉 But I'll take the compliment and thank you for it and leave it at that. 🙂
 
AvoidUMDMed said:
Dear Pre-Medical students,

I am writing this on the blog because I would like to share my experience with all of you about the University of Maryland Medical School. I would like to stay anonymous, but I assure you I have intimate knowledge of the medical school, the teachers, the hospital, etc...

If you read nothing else on my post, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do your research on this school Try to talk to as many people as you can who are actually IN the school.

First, the positives. UMD is a highly ranked state school = low tuition. Second, we are constantly told from our preceptors that we are very strong clinically. Third, we have a very easy class schedule the first two years, only 4 hours of class per day. THAT IS ALL.

The BAD:

1) You get absolutely no support from faculty, including deans, teachers, etc...
2) UMD will absolutely not treat you as an individual, they will turn their back on you if you find yourself in a situation that is not "the average". No such thing as working with you to solve your individual problem.
3) EXTREMELY incompitant deans and staff. As a matter of fact, our dean took a vacation during a crucial time for 4th year medical students, and boasted about it... saying how something you need to take time away from work and think about your family. As a result many students were left without advice from our most experienced dean during a CRUCIAL moment during your 4th year.
4) YOU LIVE IN BALTIMORE.... please do not go to Baltimore unless you are going to HOPKINS.... DO NOT GO TO BALTIMORE FOR UMD, you WILL regret it. Many of my friends have been robbed, beaten up, cars broken into, assaulted by homeless people, etc etc etc
5) During your clinical rotations you will find that medical students are not treated with respect. And when problems arise, nobody will ever take your side. EXAMPLE: one of the rotations requires that every morning you print out a list of patients, from a computer you don't have access to, from a room you don't have access to. This is very typical of our hospital rotations.
EXAMPLE: during a certain surgery a male scrub nurse was making inappropriate statements towards me (I am also male)... he did everything but challenge me to a fight (which i could have won anyday)... he cursed at me, he called me stupid, he made sexist remarks to a female resident, etc... I was not allowed to leave as the attending grading me was in the room.... at no point did the surgeon stand up for me, or the female resident.... when I wrote a letter of concern to the surgery dept I was told... "sorry, stuff like this happens, can't help you" -- the srub nurse was never disciplined and continues to work there.
6) Many schools offer tutoring, individual help from teachers outside of class time, lectures to introduce you to specialties in the medical field, etc.... NOT AT MD, YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO THE SCHOOL, nothing like this will ever happen here.


OK folks, that's just a start, i can keep going. Feel free to PM me, I can answer questions, and write a few more examples of why you should not come to UMD. I am not a bitter student, I got what I needed out of medical school... but I wanted to pass this information to all of you, because when i was making this important decision, I was unaware....

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!! It's a tough 4 years, but you'll be amazed how quickly it will fly by.
Click to expand...

It's weird, I have this incredible urge to attend UMD.
 
Considering that this is the internet and threads like this usually degenerate pretty quickly, I think it speaks pretty well of UMB students that you're all staying civil while making your points.

I'm glad that y'all are talking about rotations throughout Maryland too, since I forgot that my interviewer mentioned that possibility until now.
 
Gut Shot said:
It's weird, I have this incredible urge to attend UMD.
Click to expand...

Damn skippy.


AvoidUMD: My intent was not to call you a liar, but only to shed some light on your claims by providing evidence to the contrary. I truly appreciate that you were willing to share your experiences with us - I think it's important to hear many different perspectives, no matter how unpalatable they may be. It seems evident that some changes have been enacted since you were in your preclinical years - hopefully, the same is true for clinical years as well. I'm sorry that your medical school education was not what you dreamed it would be. I can only hope that Maryland prepared you well enough to be a damn good doctor. Graduation is only a few short weeks away - congrats and best of luck to you, wherever you are headed.
 
Yea, I haven't really dealt with the deans/faculty involved with preclinical years in a while. But I know there were gross mistakes made repeatedly....

For one, at some point the list on students expecting loan refund checks was posted online... with students names, social security numbers, and loan amount... (this is the list available on the sims website, to all the umd students i'm sure you know the list i'm referring to). I had to call a few departments, get transferred a few times, before I got to someone who told me it was an error, and took it down several hours later... so all our SSN's were out on the web for several hours. ( I still have all the emails sent back and forth between the dept and me)

Second, I have to admit, ONE good move they made was letting go of one of the deans, probably 1-2 years before you guys came along. His name started with a G, as I don't want to post his name on here. He was particularly useless in that office. Hopefully this is why you guys are seeing some changes being implemented. The two new deans are very new at their job, and so far I have not found them helpful... although to my face they have been somewhat nice people. And of course as I mentioned, the most experienced dean in our office... leaves a lot to be desired. Everyone can agree that there are good times and bad times to take vacation from work... and perhaps once or twice a year you refrain from taking a vacation if it means doing your job better...

Finally, a note about Bmore. I myself have only been assaulted once, which was my own fault. I may have made it seem like these things happened to ME all the time, but in fact it was not... it was close friends. In fact my car has never been broken into, since I always parked in a gated lot (highly recommend to everyone).

Good luck to you guy starting to study for the boards soon... FYI I was told GW offers all their students STEP 1 courses... is this true?
 
I just want to throw something into the fray here. Although having to travel far out to do a month of rural med may suck for many, quite a few schools have this requirement actually. From what I know, its not all that uncommon...I have friends in several other medical schools who have to do this also.

I'm not really mad about it. Actually if I can get my hands on western MD and make it only 1.5hrs away or so, I may just commute. Then again, I'll have to revisit this thought in a little over a year after seeing the trend of gas prices :scared:

UMDMed, I'm sorry you had a bad experience here. Most students in our class do tend to enjoy their time here (as much as a med student would enjoy med school i suppose...) and do feel they are treated fairly. Most things I have heard from 3rd and 4th years too have been mostly positive. I know my girls said everything I could hope to touch on so I wont drag it out, just one dude's opinion
 
I have no direct experience with UMD's undergraduate medical education, but I will say that I'm very wary of the "lone bitter person" phenomenon. I knew a couple at my med school (one got kicked out as an MS4 - ouch!), and frankly, they brought most of their pain on themselves. Their vehement tirades against the school were little more than projection of their own flaws on a canvas of entitlement.
 
I'm also a 4th year student at Md and I disagree entirely with the OP. I think the "lone bitter person" statement is likely right on the mark here.

I never had any problem accessing support from deans/teachers/etc. I found faculty to be very helpful on the whole. Never did I feel that the deans or faculty were incompetent. As far as one of the deans taking vacation during match week, I don't see this as leaving anyone high and dry. I'm sure the remaining deans were available for those who had to scramble.

As far as Baltimore, yes, it's a city, with the typical crime and problems that cities have. That said, I was never a victim of any crime and neither were the majority of people in my class. But if you can't handle living in an urban environment then by all means don't come here. It's funny the OP says only come to Baltimore for Hopkins - the area around Hopkins is far worse and far more unsafe than the area around Md.

Re: rotations, I had only one rotation where I felt I wasn't treated well. I was pleasantly surprised not to encounter the kinds of situations the OP describes. On most of my rotations, if I had a good attitude and worked hard, I was treated very professionally and with respect.
 
bjolly said:
As far as Baltimore, yes, it's a city, with the typical crime and problems that cities have. That said, I was never a victim of any crime and neither were the majority of people in my class. But if you can't handle living in an urban environment then by all means don't come here. It's funny the OP says only come to Baltimore for Hopkins - the area around Hopkins is far worse and far more unsafe than the area around Md.
Click to expand...

Actually thats one thing I forgot to bring up...thats completely 110% true. East Baltimore (where Hopkins is) is far worse. I used to research there (Hopkins) during undergrad and I never would dream of walking around after sundown there. If work was still to be done, I just brought it home. At least here I can go to my car at night--while of course being street smart while i do it.
 
I'm glad we are turning this into a civilized convo now. Beth... I assure you I have not been kicked out of school, or anything of the sort. Again, those of you deciding where to go... I'm not bitter. I'm going into residency, I did OK despite all the problems with our school, I will be an MD just like the rest of you will be one day. I'm offering up my opinion of this school.

I have many friends in medical schools, frankly I am jealous. Their faculty are more involved, their upperclassmen are more involved, their deans are mentors. Our deans are nice people, but are not helpful if you want career help/advice. One was an ER attending, one is Psych, the other 2 I have no clue.

Again, I'm not bitter at my school... i am in residency and I'll be OK. I'm happy to hear that some students think they are getting better treatment, cause this means we are trying to get better. Just letting you all know that
you should think long and hard before jumping into UMD. I did, and i regret it.

good luck all, probably my last post unless you guys have questions specific to me. go umd.
 
AvoidUMDMed said:
I'm glad we are turning this into a civilized convo now. Beth... I assure you I have not been kicked out of school, or anything of the sort. Again, those of you deciding where to go... I'm not bitter. I'm going into residency, I did OK despite all the problems with our school, I will be an MD just like the rest of you will be one day. I'm offering up my opinion of this school.

I have many friends in medical schools, frankly I am jealous. Their faculty are more involved, their upperclassmen are more involved, their deans are mentors. Our deans are nice people, but are not helpful if you want career help/advice. One was an ER attending, one is Psych, the other 2 I have no clue.

Again, I'm not bitter at my school... i am in residency and I'll be OK. I'm happy to hear that some students think they are getting better treatment, cause this means we are trying to get better. Just letting you all know that
you should think long and hard before jumping into UMD. I did, and i regret it.

good luck all, probably my last post unless you guys have questions specific to me. go umd.
Click to expand...



I was just wondering, what is your opinion with the amount of class time (less than normal) at UMD?
 
rogerwilco said:
I was just wondering, what is your opinion with the amount of class time (less than normal) at UMD?
Click to expand...

I don't think this question was directed at anyone besides the OP, but I'll throw in my $0.02. In his original post, the OP listed the class schedule for MSI and MSII as a "pro." In this we certainly agree. I have never regretted having only 2 hours of lecture with 2 hours of small group a day. This is one of the best parts of the school and one of the reasons I chose UMD in the first place. I would lose my mind if I had 8 hours of lecture a day. Add that to the fact that the lectures are recorded and uploaded online with hours every day and this is the best possible option available, IMHO.
 
LucidSplash said:
I don't think this question was directed at anyone besides the OP, but I'll throw in my $0.02. In his original post, the OP listed the class schedule for MSI and MSII as a "pro." In this we certainly agree. I have never regretted having only 2 hours of lecture with 2 hours of small group a day. This is one of the best parts of the school and one of the reasons I chose UMD in the first place. I would lose my mind if I had 8 hours of lecture a day. Add that to the fact that the lectures are recorded and uploaded online with hours every day and this is the best possible option available, IMHO.
Click to expand...
This definitely stands out as an amazing benefit to UMB. I was looking at Georgetown's SMP course schedule and I shuddered when comparing the courseload the med students would deal with to the load at UMB students have.

Congrats on nearly being done with MSII, BTW!
 
Just a question, do you get special preference if your parents live in a state like Delaware that's adjacent to Maryland and doesn't have a med school? (I lived in CA all my life, but they moved to Delaware 2-3 years ago and have been paying taxes there ever since)
 
handy388, as far as I know there is no such preference.

AvoidUMDMed - feels a little weird since you know who I am and I don't know who you are - but whatever. I never thought you got kicked out or anything - was that implied somewhere? Anyway, I'm sorry you disliked your med school experience so much and I hope you will be happier wherever you're going for residency. Good luck and enjoy.

and just speaking for myself, I loved the limited hours of lecture in the first 2 years and I felt like everything was covered with lots of time remaining for self-study. I remember thinking that I can't imagine what other schools do to fill up all that lecture time.
 
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