2011-2012 Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Application Thread

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Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me when the secondary is available and I will update this.

Best of luck with your application :luck::luck::luck:!

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Good luck to everyone applying this year!

I'm a 2nd year (soon to be 3rd year) at BCM. Feel free to ask me or any of my other classmates who frequent this thread anything about our school :)
 
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Good luck to everyone applying this year!

I'm a 2nd year (soon to be 3rd year) at BCM. Feel free to ask me or any of my other classmates who frequent this thread anything about our school :)

Hello!
How is the class schedule the first year? Is it pretty much all day 8 to 5 or is there some block of time available to study during the day?
 
I have a heard a lot of speculation and rumors concerning Baylor's financial situation (some issues concerning being unable to pay for certain hospital projects, losing clinical rotation sites, etc.).

Have those issues been resolved, or is it still ongoing?
 
Hello!
How is the class schedule the first year? Is it pretty much all day 8 to 5 or is there some block of time available to study during the day?
It's actually more 8-12 every day. Then two days out of the week you have a small group session from 1-3 for either the problem-based learning part of the curriculum and "Patient, Physician and Society," which is essentially where we learn parts of the physical exam and then go practice those parts of the exam with our preceptors on real patients. But essentially, yes, Baylor gives us plenty of time to study on our own during the day; the entire afternoon most days :)
I have a heard a lot of speculation and rumors concerning Baylor's financial situation (some issues concerning being unable to pay for certain hospital projects, losing clinical rotation sites, etc.).

Have those issues been resolved, or is it still ongoing?
I've written extensively about these issues in last year's application thread and elsewhere about this, and I encourage anyone interested to go see what has been said elsewhere.

Briefly, I honestly don't know what the current status of BCM's finances is. While there have been lots of rumors, I haven't seen the hospital or financial situation directly affect our education; for example, despite the supposed difficult financial situation, we are in the process of completely renovating the anatomy lab for the new first year class, which tells me that the administration is still committed to providing a top-notch medical education. I do know that all signals out of the president's office point toward a strong financial recovery, but again I really haven't been following the specifics. If it is something that truly concerns you, I encourage you to ask the deans on your interview day, as they would probably be able to give you more information than I can.

I have not heard any rumors of Baylor losing clinical rotation sites. My classmates and I continue to rotate through Ben Taub, the VA, St. Luke's, Texas Children's, Methodist, MD Anderson, and many other private hospitals and clinics.
 
Hey 2011-2012 Applicants! I'll be starting as an MS1 in August and I'm here to answer questions about the application process to the best of my ability.

Best of Luck to Everyone! Baylor is a phenomenal place :cool:
 
we are in the process of completely renovating the anatomy lab for the new first year class

YvwK9.jpg


Best news ever. I'm also an incoming MS1, I'll trawl this thread through the summer and school year.
 
well im very interested in this school..i will be applying next cycle(2012) and would like to see the stats of people already admitted. if you could that would be greatly appreciated.

also, how is it living in a big city like houston and managing having to study for school and not being tempted to go out and party/have a good time????


last question, what is the class dynamics....how well do the students get along? you hear that most classes form a tight bond throughout medical school..would you say thats true at BCM too???
 
also, how is it living in a big city like houston and managing having to study for school and not being tempted to go out and party/have a good time????
I mean, it's basically personal responsibility and deciding how much studying is "enough" for you. I see it as a good thing, that once we get to the point that we were hoping to get to for the day, there are all kinds of things to go our and do and get your mind off of medical school :)

boko said:
last question, what is the class dynamics....how well do the students get along? you hear that most classes form a tight bond throughout medical school..would you say thats true at BCM too???
I would definitely say so. For example, in my class people were offering up their study materials that they made for the whole class to use. Basically, while there are always a couple of "gunners" in every class, I would say by and large that most of my classmates where happy to try and help everyone succeed.
 
Anyone applying early decision?

I talked to my pre-med adviser about that and this is what she said:

"I would not do it just because you cannot apply anywhere else, only there. Then they do not let you know until Oct 1st, typically, so you cannot apply anywhere else. So, I only recommend to do it if that is the only school you can attend."

Also, they require you to have at least a 33 average MCAT and over 3.6 GPA
 
Hello!
I have been verified through AMCAS and my application was sent to Baylor yesterday. Does anyone know when secondaries will be emailed?. I have not yet taken the MCAT though, not until July 16th.
 
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I talked to my pre-med adviser about that and this is what she said:

"I would not do it just because you cannot apply anywhere else, only there. Then they do not let you know until Oct 1st, typically, so you cannot apply anywhere else. So, I only recommend to do it if that is the only school you can attend."

Also, they require you to have at least a 33 average MCAT and over 3.6 GPA
I agree with your adviser. Applying early decision really puts you in a hard spot if you don't get in, as then you are way behind on applying anywhere else. If you're good enough to get in early decision, I would imagine you could get in on regular decision as well.
 
According to the Baylor Supplemental website the supplemental will be available at the end of June. Expect it to come out sometime next week!
 
According to the Baylor Supplemental website the supplemental will be available at the end of June. Expect it to come out sometime next week!

Yes I've been checking daily to see when it opens up...can't wait:)
 
Looks like the supplementary application website is up!!
 
Is this something one can start filling out before the primary application is verified, or do I have to way to be "invited" to fill it out? I am kind of lost as to how the secondary application process works!
 
Is this something one can start filling out before the primary application is verified, or do I have to way to be "invited" to fill it out? I am kind of lost as to how the secondary application process works!

From last year's thread, it seems like we can just go ahead and fill it out.
 
Here's the prompt - Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat AMCAS application information. 2000 character limit.

Question for SDNers: If we choose to talk about prevailing over adversity, can it be something from high school? Or do they only want information about college experiences?
 
Im using my immigration story( When I was 10), so I think any hardship or experience is free grabs
 
Maybe a stupid question...

Baylor Secondary App

Please indicate whether or not you are the first person in your immediate family to graduate from college.

My farther has his associates degree from community college. Do I put yes or no?

Thanks!
 
BTW I dont think BCOM has gotten or checked AMCAS apps yet. So you cant check application status(at least i cant), after submission of the secondary
 
BTW I dont think BCOM has gotten or checked AMCAS apps yet. So you cant check application status(at least i cant), after submission of the secondary

yeah, I asked them and they said thry haven't downloaded it yet so we can't check yet.
 
Ive lived in Houston all my life. Well I have lived in suburbia on the outskirts of Houston all my life...but I do spend a lot of time inside the loop. Houston is a melting pot of all types of people....when your downtown one second your driving by huge mansions and the next your in a ghetto...thats just the way it is. I have done a lot of volunteering at ben taub county hospital in the med center. I have meet a handful of baylor medical students...they were all super nice and were encouraging me to ask them questions. ben taub is actually connected to baylor medical school. its a great place to volunteer. you see a lot! but back to houston....lots to do for people that like sports events, bars, live music....but not friendly for bike riders or people who like to do outdoorsy type stuff. I say this comparing it to other places i have been like california and colorado...I dont know...does anyone else have anything to add about houston? I can tell you that the Texas Medical Center is gigantic. When I am down there just walking around I feel like I am part of something bigger than myself...there is this energy about being in the medical center that I cant describe...I love it.
 
Ive lived in Houston all my life. Well I have lived in suburbia on the outskirts of Houston all my life...but I do spend a lot of time inside the loop. Houston is a melting pot of all types of people....when your downtown one second your driving by huge mansions and the next your in a ghetto...thats just the way it is. I have done a lot of volunteering at ben taub county hospital in the med center. I have meet a handful of baylor medical students...they were all super nice and were encouraging me to ask them questions. ben taub is actually connected to baylor medical school. its a great place to volunteer. you see a lot! but back to houston....lots to do for people that like sports events, bars, live music....but not friendly for bike riders or people who like to do outdoorsy type stuff. I say this comparing it to other places i have been like california and colorado...I dont know...does anyone else have anything to add about houston? I can tell you that the Texas Medical Center is gigantic. When I am down there just walking around I feel like I am part of something bigger than myself...there is this energy about being in the medical center that I cant describe...I love it.

Thanks for the info! I happen to be quite the outdoorsy type, but if there are any good outdoor activities within reasonable driving distance (within 1.5 hours), it could work.
 
Thanks for the info! I happen to be quite the outdoorsy type, but if there are any good outdoor activities within reasonable driving distance (within 1.5 hours), it could work.


Yes, you just have to hunt for them....I think Houston was voted one of the least friendly cities as far as pedestrians and public transportation...which sucks...but austin is not far away and galveston is not too far either....although galveston beaches are kind of gross...there are some places you can go to surf...and austin area you can go floating down the river....all i am saying is Houston needs some work on promoting an outdoor lifestyle. I live in North Houston by the Woodlands and they have lots of bike trails which is nice. It is about a 30-45 min commute to the med center depending on traffic.
 
i was verified very early on and still no secondary :(
 
It seems in the really nice parts of the greater Houston area there are tons to do outside and is very pedestrian friendly(Im looking at you Fort-Bend part of Katy and Suglarland). Just the 45mins-1.5hr commute is deadly. Hermann park near the med center is awesome though.
 
Just got this one:

Indicate any special experiences, unusual factors or other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating you, including, but not limited to, education, employment, extracurricular activities, prevailing over adversity. You may expand upon but not repeat AMCAS application information. 2000 character limit.
 
Received and submitted this secondary. Asked some questions about high school information that I thought was a little strange but whatever. Looking forward to hearing back from them!
 
Anyone else get the email of a received primary?


My status says its missing one letter of rec now but mine was a committee packet with 3 letters not including health care advisers'. oh well itll be fixed soon
 
Anyone else get the email of a received primary?


My status says its missing one letter of rec now but mine was a committee packet with 3 letters not including health care advisers'. oh well itll be fixed soon

Yeah, mine says the exact same thing. I also have a committee packet, but it says one or more letters. It said in the email that it may take 3-5 days after the initial status post.
 
Yeah, mine says the exact same thing. I also have a committee packet, but it says one or more letters. It said in the email that it may take 3-5 days after the initial status post.

I read that as well. Their email said if after 5 days it doesnt show to call or email them
 
I'm stuck on what to write for this essay. I've volunteered in rural areas in developing countries but didn't talk too much about it in my PS because I talked about experiences that lasted longer than 2 weeks. I'm itching to write about this experience but I feel it'd be just another PS that doesn't say much.
I'm thinking of probably writing about music/performance groups I did in college and my experiences through that, but they're not academic at all, although they are pretty unique.

Can any accepted student say what kind of essay they're looking for?
 
I'm stuck on what to write for this essay. I've volunteered in rural areas in developing countries but didn't talk too much about it in my PS because I talked about experiences that lasted longer than 2 weeks. I'm itching to write about this experience but I feel it'd be just another PS that doesn't say much.
I'm thinking of probably writing about music/performance groups I did in college and my experiences through that, but they're not academic at all, although they are pretty unique.

Can any accepted student say what kind of essay they're looking for?

I too would be interested in this.
 
BTW if you have had some sort of application information to add since the submission of AMCAS Baylor COM is very prompt to respond to you to tell you how to deal with the situation.
 
Anyone else get the email of a received primary?


My status says its missing one letter of rec now but mine was a committee packet with 3 letters not including health care advisers'. oh well itll be fixed soon

Mine says the same thing and I also sent a committee letter. Oh and I got the email that they received my primary.
 
any thoughts on applying OOS? I know they only take about 20% but are these usually people with a strong tie to TX, or just strong applicants?? really love Baylor, but as an Ohio girl, not sure it's worth it... :confused:
 
any thoughts on applying OOS? I know they only take about 20% but are these usually people with a strong tie to TX, or just strong applicants?? really love Baylor, but as an Ohio girl, not sure it's worth it... :confused:
We take closer to ~30% OOS, and I do not believe that ties to the state are necessary--they are strong applicants, though :)
 
Does anyone know when BCM historically notifies applicants of interviews?? I am anxiously waiting :)!!
 
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