Pre-Med? DO NOT COME HERE! Thinking of going to Grad school? Reconsider!

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Maryland - College Park
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<p>If you are thinking about going into medicine, College Park is perhaps the WORST place to attend for your undergraduate years. I would recommend the neighboring UMBC instead. Why? Hear me out:</p>

<p>1) The Chemistry and Biochemistry departments are absolutely horrendous. I can guarantee you that you will not learn ANYTHING from the professors here who teach Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry (I-III) and General Chemistry. There are exceptions, and I can name them off the top of my head. For Organic Chemistry, Dixon, Montague Smith, and Falvey are the only worthwhile teachers. And Montague Smith is the Department Chair. As far as the Biochemistry department, Montague Smith and George Lorimer come to mind. But Lorimer is about to retire, and Montague only teaches once in a while. The other teachers are a JOKE and and leave it up to you to study; the exams are recycled every year, and in EVERY course, there will always be a handful of cheaters/gunners who manage to get their hands on these exams, and do incomparably better than the rest of the class, screwing up the curve. The exams themselves are not hard, but if a group of people knows every question, word for word, then you are basically screwed as far as the curve is concerned. Did I mention that the professors are absolutely horrible and dont know how to teach? Your Organic Chemistry class will have >200 students and thus office hours are almost non-existent.</p>

<p>Oh, and dont even get me started about the lab- its a game of copy and paste. Once again, you will learn nothing, but the art of avoiding academic dishonesty. There is a "TA help room" where all the people in labs congregate to copy answers off of each other (when they are not doing so in the library, or dorm room, etc) The lab reports are graded arbitrarily, and depending on the luck of the draw, you get a "good" or "bad" TA- a.k.a- gives you full points, or no points at all. These TAs are WORTHLESS! The Chemistry department hires graduate students who are very bitter about having to manage a group of undergrads and grade lab reports. I have personally seen the same TA, give more points to a friend of mine, for the exact same answer. There is nothing you can do about it. The only way to get an A in the labs, is to reuse old reports and to get answers from the TAs. Are you seeing a pattern here? The midterms, and especially the final for the lab is HORRENDOUSLY hard and contains questions that there is no way to study for- it contains questions that you are never taught in the labs. </p>

<p>If you don't believe the whole "recycling" exams thing, contact me- I will personally email you examples of a Biochemistry exam reused over and over again- for the past three years- not even the numbers were changed. Some people in this class were walking in with the answer key in their hand, writing down the answers and walking out with an A+. I can even give you the name of the teacher, if you so inquire- V. Tugarinov. It was pure madness and made me lose all faith in the UMD Biochemistry department/degree. I am almost positive that he will reuse them AGAIN in the fall. </p>

<p>2) The Biology department is HIT/MISS. IT all depends on the professors you have. There is a lot of rumor on good/bad professors, and most of it is true. Its not even funny how different the grading standards/what you learn is for the SAME class, and a different professor. This also goes for the Math department. To give you an example: My cell bio professor was incredibly challenging (supposedly- I thought my high school teacher was harder in AP Biology) and gave out 30 As, 45 Bs, 97 Cs, 28 Ds, and a couple Fs. For the same class, Spring semester, the exams were MUCH easier (think 10th grade Bio) and the professor gave out EXTRA credit. Grade breakdown? 69 As, 87 Bs, 20 Cs, and no Ds. HUGE difference. I can guarantee you that I learned more with my professor, and that a B in my professors class is more than equal to an A in the other guy's class- but Medical schools dont know that. Out of all the courses I have taken so far- and I have taken a few- almost all had content that we completely covered in high school. You learn nothing new in the 100 and 200 level courses here at UMD- this goes only for the Bio department, btw. These courses are a joke, and by cramming for them the night before the exam, you can easily secure an A in the class. </p>

<p>3)The student body is a mix of good/horrible students- and the latter will do anything it takes to get an A in the class. I personally know a group of such students who barely made it into UMD- they scored below 1200/2400 on their SAT and got in through freshman connection- who have a 3.9+ GPA- I was curious as to how this was possibly, especially since they cant form a coherent sentence in conversation. It turns out that they choose classes that they have the exams for beforehand, and even while in the class, they cheat off of different sections- for instance, if they have the exact same exam later in the day- they cheat using materials from the exam earlier in the day- one of these individuals was bold enough to record his question/answer from a fellow student who took it earlier in the morning. Absolutely amazing. </p>

<p>4) The buildings and infrastructure are very poor and the faculty are more interested in their research, not teaching. </p>

<p>5) The prehealth professions office is just horrible and the pre-med support system on campus is non-existent. </p>

<p>6) You can forget about getting into a good medical school, unless you have amazing off-campus EC's, an MCAT above 37R, and an almost perfect G.P.A. Every year, only people who have a 4.0/40 MCAT and amazing extracurriculars, (and I'm talking publications, Musical talent/performances, and leadership) have a shot at getting into Hopkins- even then, there is a preference for URMs- or minorities. Also, I should mention that people who are in Gemstone or Honors have a higher chance right off the bat, as the committee letter writers give them a higher/better evaluation letter. You can check these statistics for your self at the Reed Yorke Advising office website. What they dont show in their statistics, is that the people who get into the top programs any given year, are repeated (i.e The same person who got into Duke, got into Hopkins, Yale, etc) The only school that has the most success (if any) is Hopkins, and even then, most people who go to Hopkins are URM, and/or post-bacc students with degrees from Ivy league colleges. I personally know all of the people who got into Johns Hopkins last year- and out of 6 or so who actually went- 4 were non trads/post baccs. </p>

<p>Just avoid UMD. I regret turning down an Ivy to come here.</p>

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<p>It’s too bad that you’ve had such a negative experience. I would caution others that this is by no means an across-the-board experience. I agree that the professors can make a big difference and that checking “ourumd” for past grade distributions, etc. is certainly worthwhile.</p>

<p>However, to get into any good grad schools (including Med and others), your GPA and test scores (GRE or MCAT or ??) are extremely important. The letters of recommendation are solely based on the effort you put in, whether it is an internship, research, or class experience, and that just being in Gemstone or Honors has nothing to do with it.</p>

<p>If you are going to UMD waiting for everything to be handed to you (and when it’s not, blaming the experience on URMs or minorities), I agree, you’ll be in for a very sad experience.</p>

<p>Again, to the OP, I’m sorry that you feel you’ve drawn the short straw at UMD. Unless you change your perspective, I’m afraid you’ll always be one of those people in life who feels like the world owes them something. I assure you that an Ivy league school would not have made everything all easy for you either.</p>

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<p>Astrophysicsmom, I would not be taking the time to post on this forum if I felt like my experience was not “across-the-board”- the information that I have posted on here is a FACT- and just that, nothing less, nothing more. I know that GPA and test scores are very important to get into a grad school/professional school- I acknowledged this fact in my original post itself- however, to understate the importance of being in a program like Honors or Gemstone would be dangerous, to say the least. Honors and Gemstone students get a wealth of opportunities not available to other students- in fact, I would go as far as saying that other students are almost treated like second class citizens- honors students have the option of having smaller classes, with better professors, and as a result get to know their professor better, and gemstone students have a four year research experience/project handed to them- why create divisions among the student body- especially in the same major- when everyone is paying more or less the same amount? </p>

<p>And to set the slate clear, I want to let you know that in no way am I blaming URM or minorities for anything- facts are facts, and I presume that you are not familiar with the medical school admissions process- URM and minorities have more than a leg up from the onset- this is a very touchy issue, but the data on the AAMC website more than corroborates this. Regardless of the school you choose to attend, you will always find that there are opportunities meant solely for minorities, and that minorities have a much easier time getting into any professional school/grad school. </p>

<p>As far as feeling like the world owes me anything- you are wrong to think so. On the contrary, I feel like I need to do something for the world for all that it has given me- however I have a right to be angry about issues pertinent to my college education- after all, I am paying for it. Also, I am not some bitter, failed student posting this on here- I was a part of the honors humanities program and graduated with a 3.98, with many other honors, and a degree in Biochemistry. I am currently slated to attend a top five medical program in the fall- but to get to this point, I had to do many, many things, that the typical UMD student WILL NOT do- in order to gain acceptance to a top program.</p>

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<p>Why are you posting this now? If you were trying to persuade people to not go to UMD, don’t you think you should have got the word out a little earlier than three weeks before school starts? Even if you succeed in terrifying some new freshman, it’s not like they have any other option but to attend UMD. All you are trying to do is create doubts for other students, which isn’t cool. If you were really trying to help students about saying how terrible UMD is, then you would have mentioned it in the Spring when people were deciding what school to attend.</p>

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<p>This is not fact at all. I am a premed student at Maryland and it actually leaves me speechless how much you dislike this program at Maryland. I don’t know what you were expecting or what you have experienced at Maryland, but this is NOTHING what the actual classes are like. I currently have a 3.9, but I earned this. I was in College Park Scholars Life Sciences and with that, we were all in the same classes. I met a lot of people with the same major as me and I would definitely not say that old tests were being passed around and everyone cheating; this simply makes it seem like you think that you are better than your fellow students. It is completely obnoxious of you to try to categorize students like this, into “cheaters” who are just trying to get an A. Yes, people can get competitive but to tell incoming freshmen to not come to this school because everyone cheats is ridiculous!</p>

<p>I have learned a lot from all my sciences teachers. Granted there are some that are better than others, I still learn from the bad ones because I studied. This is college, I did not expect the teacher to tell me everything, I expected to have some independent studying just me and the textbook because I wanted to get ahead. If you wanted a cake walk through college where the teacher tells you everything you need to know, I’m unsure if you were ready for that ivy league college you turned down.</p>

<p>It is completely outrageous that you would come onto this site and write “DO NOT COME HERE” to scare off freshmen. If you truly think there is a major problem with the department have you tried talking to teachers? I will stand by this statement that almost every teacher in this department is willing to talk to you during office hours to help you through class, I am just wondering if you ever took these opportunities. </p>

<p>To say that coming to Maryland means that you won’t get into a good medical school is demeaning and flawed. YOU HAVE TO WORK. Medical school is a big deal, and if you work your butt off at Maryland, you will get into a good medical school where you will have to work even harder. So yes, unless you have good extra curriculars and good test scores you won’t get into a good medical school…but what did you expect? A terrible MCAT score and no extra activities to get you in simply because you went to undergrad at an ivy? No.</p>

<p>Please, if you hated Maryland this much, why did you not transfer to somewhere you found more fit instead of dealing with these horrible classes and cheating student body?</p>

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<p>All I got out of reading your posts is that your teachers didn’t coddle you and you had to study. Oh, dear, you poor, poor person.</p>

<p>Also, you claim that Maryland failed to educate you yet you graduated from Honors Humanities with a 3.98 and are entering a top 5 med program. How exactly did Maryland mess up?</p>

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<p>Such a flawed post. There is no correlation between having a 3.98 and being “educated”- you could easily have a 4.00 from UMD and not have been educated in the least. </p>

<p>As far as getting into a top 5 med program- Maryland was only a part of the equation- as I mentioned before, if I hadn’t sought out of campus opportunities to find killer ecs, I would never have made it this far. </p>

<p>Plus, it is kind of ridiculous to think that only those with a near perfect GPA have a shot at the top schools- while at other schools, including all ivies, people in the 3.7 range have just as good a shot as people with a 4.0 at UMD- goes to show the perception of a UMD undergraduae degree.</p>

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<p>Oh please. Are you implying that you DID not cheat? You didn’t even look, even once, at your friend’s lab report in Organic? You never once questioned why there is so much discrepancy between professors and their grading policies for the SAME class? Never once felt like you were being forced to jump through hoops to get an A, rather than working for it? I highly doubt it. </p>

<p>As far as the Life Sciences program, or other Scholars programs- those are great in theory, but in reality, all they do is make you take seminar (2/1 credit) courses where you simply do busy work and dont actually learn anything. As far as finding a family by living in the same dorm and taking the same classes- give me a break- I had a friend in the program, and he clearly mentioned that there were multiple cliques and that everyone was in their own little world. </p>

<p>You might have a 3.9 now, and you might have earned it, but post back on here when you get your MCAT score back. Then, we’ll talk. With the kind of education you get at UMD, you could have a 4.0 and still not break 30 on the MCAT. I can almost guarantee it. That will truly show you your depth of knowledge and what you “learned” at UMD. </p>

<p>Its no surprise that colleges where people actually learn things have higher average MCAT scores. </p>

<p>One more thing: While having a 3.9 now is certainly nice, graduating with a 3.9 is quite hard. Once you get into the 400 levels, the cheating is very low, although still there- post back on here when you are closing to graduating, and have taken the tougher courses in your major. Until then,
facts will remain facts.</p>

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<p>

Apparently the OP has already graduated.</p>

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<p>^ I think he already stated that…</p>

<p>This is an interesting post, and it definitely does corroborate with what my friends have told me: UMCP is a large school, therefore some programs are so inundated, that they are ineffectual. Case in point: the Pre-health program. Though, just to point out the inevitable: UMBC is also fast becoming like UMCP, esp. with the pre-med issue. Really, the only thing UMCP has for it is prestige and the research oppt. factor(s).</p>

<p>One question to the OP: Is it not possible for a prospective med school student to bypass the Reed-Yourke office and just take the required classes? The situation w/ professors may be difficult to resolve, but such a problem is inherent in a large, state-run University. Also, can you link to us the page/file that contains the med schools where UMCP students went to?</p>

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<p>Someone must have had a lot of time on their hands today. whatEVER.</p>

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<p>It is INDEED possible to circumvent the Reed-Yorke Health Professions advising office (which btw, was supremely underfunded until earlier this year, and consisted of an office as big as your typical dorm room) and apply that way, but then your application would be at a severe disadvantage. This is due to the fact that if medical schools know that your school has a committee letter available, they will want to see it- and if you don’t submit one- you stand at a disadvantage. </p>

<p>Again, I am warning you- if you choose to attend UMD, not only will you have a very poor foundation for your MCAT- your degree will be looked at with much doubt by medical schools in the top tier- unless you are an all-star student who graduates Magna Cum Laude and is a part of a “premier” program at UMD. Out of the two people who have gotten into Harvard Medical School in recent decades, both were Banneker Key/Jack Kent Cooke Scholars and had multiple publications in research at the NIH. That kind of thing cant be earned- it has to be found through connections and performance outside of school, before entering the University. If you are not one of these all star students, chances are almost 100% you will end up at a subpar medical school.</p>

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<p>Astrophysics mom, I am not sure why you insist on posting pointless things when I am simply stating the facts. You clearly have not been a pre-medical student at the University of Maryland, College Park- and thus you have no authority/personal experience to corroborate any of your statements. As far as the link to the Reed Yorke Advising Office’ webpage, here it is:</p>

<p>[Allopathic</a> (MD) Admissions Data | The Reed-Yorke Health Professions Advising Office](<a href=“http://www.prehealth.umd.edu/aboutus/factsandfigures/allopathicmedicineadmissionsdata]Allopathic”>http://www.prehealth.umd.edu/aboutus/factsandfigures/allopathicmedicineadmissionsdata)</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>By attempting to force me to admit to cheating are you saying that you yourself have cheated as well? Also, are you saying that at other institutions, there is absolutely no cheating at all whatsoever? I am so confused why you live in a bubble where everything is laid out for you perfectly.</p></li>
<li><p>The scholars program is what you make out of it, like many experiences at Maryland. Once again, yes you HAVE TO WORK. I don’t get why you came into college expecting to not have to look for those “killer ec’s.” If you want the reward, you have to put in the work and I am sure that you have to work to find extracurriculars at other schools as well. Once you get past the fact that you have to do some work to make yourself seem better on an application, most of your argument on this point goes away.</p></li>
<li><p>Can we get over this assumption you’re making that everyone at Maryland is dumb? That even the smartest students at Maryland with 3.7+ GPA will in no way get a good grade at Maryland. I don’t know where your elitist attitude comes from, but stop. Respect your fellow students and their intellect. </p></li>
<li><p>I am well aware of how difficult it is to maintain this GPA, hence the reason why I will continue to WORK and FIND these extracurriculars and study while still maintaining a solid social life. I am preparing to continue working after I graduate, and all this working that I am doing in college will certainly help. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I am not trying to have an argument, I just want you to respect the students at Maryland and look back and take away the negative attitude and see how great of a school Maryland actually is.</p>

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<p>^ I don’t totally agree. UMCP is by definition a large, state university. Not only that, cheating is quite rampant in certain majors, most definitely in competitive majors where the only option is to go on to grad school for a successful shot @ a career (med, dental, law). I think the OP is justified in his remarks that it is unfair that many students cheat and get ahead, thereby hurting those who legitimately study & do the work assigned. </p>

<p>Though, reading over this thread again, I see that the OP distinguishes between med school acceptances. looking over the placement data, there were 247 successful med school admissions. If there were 330 students that year participating in the med school admissions cycle, then that is a normal number acceptances. Does anyone (incl. OP) agree?</p>

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<p>I am just shocked at what a blind sycophant climb88 is- you clearly will not stop defending what is a failed science program at UMD. I do not have enough time to keep debating with you- so I won’t bother. I posted here because I didn’t want other bright and motivated students like me to go through the four years of hell that I did-and if you don’t like that- well there isn’t much I can do. Take what you want away from my post- I could care less about arguing with you.</p>

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<p>amaryland17, you have some good questions. As I stated before- that number is a bit misleading, as it includes not only the same people accepted at multiple schools, but repeat applicants, post-bacc applicants and applicants who have deferred for the next cycle. And for the record- that acceptance rate is lower than the acceptance rate at higher ranked institutions- by a lot. Again, keep in mind that while at other institutions a 3.7 will get you in to a top 10, at UMD a 3.9 will barely make you competitive for the Maryland medical school. I know this from hearing horror stories from my friends, and I have seen them go through the process. </p>

<p>I guess my ultimate message is: UMDCP is not what it could and should be. The whole idea of creating a school within a school and treating students like second class citizens is appalling. Not to mention that the sub-par science program and on campus opportunities compound the absolutely horrible quality of education at UMDCP. </p>

<p>This is probably my last post on this forum. I want to close this painful chapter in my life and move on. I am just thankful that I was able to get myself out of this mess of a school in time and that I am in a much better place now. Its just that I know NOT everyone will be able to do that in time, not even theclimb88, as you will painfully realize when you start submitting secondaries and not getting a peep from schools. </p>

<p>Bye for now.</p>

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<p>

Ignoring all the other tedious arguing, I would like to point out this is an absurd statement! When I visited UMDCP, the tour guide said that the Biology building (because it was combined with the Psychology building) was designed in a very unique way back in the day as a part of a psychological experiment. Room numbers were all over the place, and some doors even led straight into a brick wall! I thought it was really interesting…</p>

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<p>The OP may be long gone and I am just logging on to this forum after some time. DS is a full Banneker/Key Honors student, a leader, involved in EC’s (fraternity officer), works in the medical field when he is not in school and works very, very hard at being well-rounded in addition to obtaining the desired and necessary GPA to be successful in applying to medical schools. </p>

<p>One thing that the OP did not make clear was how he was able to obtain acceptance to a top tier medical school given the poor science background he received at UMD. Yes, there are MCAT prep courses, but one must have the background in the sciences from somewhere to be successful on the MCAT. Does the OP mean to say that high school AP science courses were the equivalent to the education he received at UMD and this got him in to a top tier med school? </p>

<p>Also, perhaps no one told the OP, but one does not NEED to major in a science to gain admittance to medical school, regardless of the tier.</p>

<p>Oh, and btw…regardless of the medical school, guess what one is called upon completion…DOCTOR!!!</p>

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<p>This is the only thread the OP has posted on.
Just saying.</p>