There is a lot of awful misinformation being spread on this thread. So I am going to do my best to clear it up! Most of this is just good general information and advice for you.... and then I will respond to specific things... but my responses are still generally relevant to all.
1) The difference between Shady Grove and Baltimore
If you appreciate the suburban feel, then certainly Shady Grove may be the superior choice...
for you. There are other appeals to Shady Grove - proximity to Washington DC (its a 30-60 min metro ride to almost any location in the DC area), online learning, and some cheaper living options....
Baltimore, on the other hand, gives students a city life, which carries its own natural perils, but is not by any means a
bad experience. Urban life offers opportunities which do not exist in Shady Grove. I know of a student who asked to shadow a professor at her infectious disease clinic simply because the student felt that he did not learn and retain enough in microbiology/antibiotics class. A Shady Grove student could certainly do the same, but that would mean an hour+ commute to Baltimore to do so.
Academically, there is no difference between the students at either campus.
2) Is Baltimore safe?
If safety of living in Baltimore, home of HBO's "The Wire", is your concern, please realize that living in ANY urban setting carries these risks and Baltimore is no different. Having lived in other "notoriously dangerous" cities, I can tell you that if you act smart, think smart and refrain from making poor decisions (e.g. refraining from talking on your cell phone, swinging your clutch, walking alone at midnight on a street that doesnt have a working street light), you'll be fine. In fact, I have routinely walked all over Baltimore as late as 4 am and have never had problems.
3) Why the interview invitations are not sent at one time
PharmCAS does not deliver all the applicants the day after the deadline - information trickles in as they make it available (thus highlighting the importance of getting your information into PharmCAS as early as possible!). Furthermore, Maryland is a top school which receives applications from hundreds of competitive, qualified applicants. It takes a great deal of time to go through the applications. Simply ask yourself how long you would want a committee of say ten people to read and then discuss your application. Now multiply by 1500-2000.
Every applicant should want their future school to be discriminating (e.g. take time with the application) - you want to be at a school which admits the best students (which aren't always the best students on paper) and one which produces the best pharmacists because they will be your future colleagues. When you are a pharmacist in the future, and you call on another pharmacist for a consult, you want to be confident that the person is mature and capable of handling the responsibilities of caring for patients who may be severely ill. I can assure you that Maryland gives each application a thorough review and they take pride in the fact that they evaluate the
entire application. It takes time. I know, it might give you anxiety attacks, but relax.
And should you be denied an interview, you shouldn't give up. If you want to go to Maryland, don't settle for something less than what you want. Do what you need to accomplish between now and the January 2012 deadline to make sure you get in next year. This is a nice segue into...
4) Are you worried about some poor grades you received?
You should be worried - grades matter. But what matters more is what you do after receiving those bad grades. If you got a "C" in organic chemistry, that's bad but it isn't the end of the world. Did you do better in another organic class such as structure analysis (Does NMR, IR, Mass Spec... ring a bell?) or a class in organic reactions (Do Claisen condensation, Diels-Alder rxn, and Friedel Craft acylation mean anything?). Did you do something like join a professor's lab and do research in organic chemistry after receiving that "C"?
Or did you simply move on because a "C" in a core class is passing for undergrad and you don't want to touch Ochem with a 10 foot pole ever again? (Do I hear crickets amidst the silence?)
Pharmacy schools, nay, graduate schools, want to know your character. The best student is not always the 4.0, 99th PCAT student - and the worst is not always the 2.0, 10th PCAT student. Schools want the students who will move forward after graduation and do something great in life. That requires a resolve to better oneself constantly, a desire to identify a weakness and improve on it, an ability to seek out problems and fix them. Those are the students who will succeed in life regardless of what their GPA says or the name of the school on their diploma.... or even the degree they receive. Be that person.
5) Are you concerned about the format and procedures of the interview process?
Don't be. You cannot control what the admissions committee does, or what the school does as its process. You can only control what you do. For all you know, they can change it up after they read disclosures about their process on a website such as this one... and yes,
EVERY school knows about student-doctor network. Don't try and prepare for the process, prepare for the
objective of the process!
Among many things, an interview is an opportunity for you to a) demonstrate your character that you should have tried to convey on paper b) demonstrate your aptitude c) be candid about your strengths and weaknesses and d) demonstrate what you do to overcome your weaknesses. In other words... what do you bring to the school?
And most of all, remember, an interview is a two way street - the school is trying to determine if you are the right applicant for its incoming class... but you should be trying to determine if the school is right for you. The research you do on a school should be less about trying to game the interview process and more about trying to figure out whether Maryland is the place for you. I will tell you right now, Maryland has its strengths and weaknesses and some other schools are better for some things where Maryland isn't. A strong applicant is one who is as discriminating in their choice of school as their chosen school is discriminating in choosing their next class.
... and now onto the housekeeping duty of responding to specific posts/questions/comments...
FluffyDreams said:
Thanks!!! I actually called UMB today and found out that they didn't receive my PCAT score from PharmCAS because I didn't know you had to enter your PCAT CID # on PharmCAS.....I never knew we had to do that!!! But I figured out my CID # and entered it, so hopefuly PharmCAS posts my score asap. Do you think I would still have a chance for an interview???
You should contact PharmCAS directly, inform them of the update and request them to send the information immediately. Continue to periodically follow up with both PharmCAS and the School of Pharmacy. I do not imply that you should call every day or every other day. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. What is your contingency plan if you don't receive an invitation to interview at Maryland this year?
JennaLee said:
I do not think it is because that you have a 74 pcat composite score. I think they might still sending out the invites, and also may be because you are still a sophomore in college.
No, no and more no. The admissions committee will not distinguish between an applicant with a degree and one without. Being a sophomore doesn't matter.
Yori said:
And does the school expect us to know a lot about drugs and current issues?
No school of pharmacy is going to ask you specific things about drugs. They know you don't know much about drugs - you're applying to learn about them. But they should all expect you to minimally understand the profession and the direction in which it is headed. And I will tell you right now that if you think that 10 or 15 years from now that a community pharmacist's primary responsibility will be to dispense medication in the manner it has been done for the past 50 years, you need to do your research.
Elmar said:
when is the latest they would let us know if we would get an interview or not? I'm getting really stressed out. i applied early dec.
Still waiting for maryland but on the other hand i have to send the deposit for Notre dame that i accepted mid jan.
Unfortunately for you, there is no way to make the process at Maryland go faster. But there is nothing wrong with asking Notre Dame (or any school) to give you an extension. Be courteous, be vague if they ask why, but do not lie. Every admissions office knows why you are asking for an extension - you're holding out for a better offer elsewhere. I was in a similar situation once, and I simply asked my backup choices for an extension... some agreed, others did not. If they don't grant you an extension, then you have a tough choice to make.
Tayrenee said:
I interviewed on January 28th and am going crazy. They said we wouldn't hear anything until after all interviews are done. Does anyone know when the last date for interviews is? also, a student on the panel said that they just say that and you hear 2-3 weeks later. Is this true? I want to go to UMB SOOO bad.
The student is somewhat wrong. Being familiar with the process, Maryland does not do rolling admissions. You will hear back after the interviews are complete. Based on previous years, interviews have been conducted through the first week of March. Be patient!
Yori said:
I was wondering if I can change the interview date to a week later. Does anyone know if this is gonna look bad or hurt my chance? I don't know what to do and I really want to prepare well for the interview.
If you have a legitimate reason to change the interview, by all means, call for your request. However, if its due to something like you want more time to prepare... eh. Honestly, by this point, you are either prepared for interviewing for your future or you aren't.
hzaw said:
can anyone who finished interview share the essay topic they got? I am like an international student, been in states for 2 years. I am so worried for interview and essay portion.
Being an international student is tough. Focus on your communication abilities if English is not your first language and to prepare, read about the profession of pharmacy in the US - it may be very different from the profession in your home country. Alter your expectations accordingly.
Weetzie00 said:
Does anyone have any advice on the interview?
Be yourself. I have conducted over 300 interviews of applicants to graduate school and in the workplace. I can assure you that when I sit on the other side of the table, I can spot a phony, rehearsed answer immediately. There is a big difference between a prepared answer and a rehearsed one. In the same way that you want the school to be honest with you, the school wants you to be honest with them. So be yourself, be candid and forthcoming.
Lastly, I won't tell you who I am. Don't worry about who I am. For all you know, I might not be a Maryland-pharmacy student, past current or future. I might not even be affiliated with the school as faculty or staff. But I will say I am someone with experience that is both relevant and beneficial for all of you applying to Maryland and that I have been coaching and teaching students in various capacities for over a decade. You'll look at my screenname and laugh in its obviousness... and then after re-reading the post you will realize I only made it such to make sure you pay attention. Oh, and I create a new screenname every year and make these sorts of posts all over the website... so please don't make any assumptions about who I am and please only listen to the message.
So hopefully you learned something... and best of luck to all of you in your future endeavors.
After all, this is 
