*~*~*~*Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2015-2016*~*~*~*

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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mlowe1 said:
So I just took the April 2015 MCAT and thus don't know my scores yet.. I wanted to be as early as possible in the applicant pool but if my score is not great I don't want to apply this cycle. Does anyone know how TMDSAS (or AMCAS for that matter since scores aren't until June 16 and submission is earlier than that) is approaching this? I would rather not pay the money if I am going to end up withdrawing. Also, does withdrawing an app mean you have to say you applied before on the next application?
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If your scores come back June 16th, I'd wait until then to submit. Do everything you can prior to that point, so all you'll have to do is press the button.
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Mavs88 said:
Started the application...first page it asks us to provide names of non-TMDSAS colleges we are applying to... are we required to do this? why do they want to know? Can I lie? lol
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Never lie! But you can change your mind.

As to OOS, if you're a Texas Resident applying TMDSAS, your OOS schools should be Baylor, plus High Reach if you're a highly competitive applicant and DO (so not even AMCAS - no need to mention) if you're not. If you're a "Fair to Good" applicant, there are few other circumstances where applying OOS even makes sense -- assuming you're a TX resident.
 
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Reposted with only minor edits from Last Year's thread, since my advice hasn't changed...

DokterMom's Generic Advice for Texas Applicants:

The questions "What other schools should I apply to?" and "What are my chances?" get asked so often, I thought I'd post my advice here in the TMDSAS thread where many Texans will see it. Some key information:
  1. The Texas public medical schools (all but Baylor) are required by law to accept 90% of their class from in-state applicants. (Baylor must accept 75%) This is a huge in-state advantage, and what that means for you is that your application will get looked at. You will be one of ~3,500, not one of 10,000 applicants as happens as many mid-tier private schools.
  2. This also means that if your numbers are good, your ECs are good, you have no red flags, a decent personal statement and good LORs, that you will probably receive interview invitations from those schools where your numbers match their student profile. Some of the Texas schools have simple numeric formulas for sending interview invitations: ex. LizzieM > 70 = II.
  3. Plan on applying to all of the TMDSAS schools. You may think you absolutely don't want to go to school in, for example, El Paso or Lubbock. But read the school-specific threads before making that decision. The students who interview there and choose to attend give those schools RAVE reviews and absolutely LOVE them. So resist the urge to be a geography snob. (If you are invited for an interview and decide you don't want to go there, you can always withdraw.)
  4. Despite the 90% in-state mandate, the percentage of Texans accepted to medical school is about the same as the percentage of students from other states. We have a lot of schools, but also a lot of applicants. So don't let your friends put a guilt trip on you.
  5. Tuition for in-state students (and generally also for accepted OOS students) is really, really low. Like $15,000 per year low. You get more 'bang for your buck' by attending a Texas medical school than anywhere else in the country. Certainly true when you factor in the quality of the schools. This is a big deal, since most medical students will end up being responsible for a big chunk of their educational expenses. And this cost differential factors into a lot of the other 'facts of life' for Texas applicants.
    1. The cost difference between a TX Public school and an OOS Private could be as high as $200,000 over four years. This translates into post-residency student loan payments of about $2,300 per month. (That's the difference folks, not the total.)
    2. Once students realize this, most will have a strong preference for in-state schools.
  6. OOS Private school admissions committees are already very well aware of this cost difference, which makes students with Texas residency a low-yield proposition. They know darned well that most Texans will turn them down for a much cheaper, just-as-good Texas school, so they save their time and resources for students who are more likely to attend.
  7. So considering #5 and #6 above, there still are valid reasons why a Texas student might choose to go elsewhere:
    1. You're a really strong applicant: Harvard, Stanford, Hopkins, etc. Because Baylor and UTSW are both ranked as top-20 schools, only a handful of US medical schools are generally considered clearly 'better than' these two. But for Texans who are that qualified, it's a legitimate preference. If your numbers are that good (3.9+, 35+, published research, serious and unique ECs) you might want to apply to some of the tippy-top med schools and see what happens. You never know.
    2. You're a weak applicant: If even the lowest-ranked Texas MD schools have significantly higher numbers than a given applicant, it might be wise to apply to some safety schools. In this case, I'd suggest going straight to DO. The US MD schools with the lowest numbers are 'on par' with the Texas schools with the lowest numbers, only with a whole lot more (like 7,000 more) applicants. Again, those schools know they're your safety, and they know you will have been 'picked over' by the Texas schools and not accepted there -- so they're likely to assume you're not the best candidate for them. Don't waste your time and money on the traditional US MD safeties.
    3. You don't care about money (Thanks Mom & Dad!) and have a strong reason for wanting to go to a certain school: Significant other, geography, religion. If this is the case, go ahead and apply there, but make it really, really clear in your secondary why you want to go to that school. Clear enough that they won't ignore you just because you're Texan.

So what to do?

First, realistically assess your chances. Look at the 'What are my chances?' chart for applicants with your stats. They're not exactly the same for Texans, but probably fairly close.
  1. Apply to ALL the TMDSAS schools.
  2. If you're a really strong applicant (>90% chance of acceptance) consider also applying to a few great OOS schools.
    1. If you're willing to pay the cost differential, aim for the very top: Harvard, Stanford, Hopkins, etc.
    2. Or aim slightly less high and hope for a scholarship. But don't hope too much -- There are lots of highly-qualified applicants, and top schools know they can attract plenty of great students without giving away the $40,000 per year in scholarship money they'd probably have to do to get you. Realize that if you go far enough down the rankings to pull in big scholarships, then you're looking at schools that are not as good as the top Texas schools.
  3. If you're a weaker applicant (<50% admission chances) consider applying to good DO schools.
    1. This is your safety strategy and it's a really good option.
    2. Acknowledge that you've got several good in-state lower-tier options that are much more likely than any other lower-tier US MD school, so consider those bases adequately covered by the TMDSAS.
  4. If you're a fair-to-excellent applicant (admission chances 50% - 90%), consider yourself fully-covered by applying to all of the TMDSAS schools plus Baylor on the AMCAS. Really. Don't even bother applying to mid-tier OOS private schools on AMCAS. Seriously. It's hard to only apply to nine schools when your friends are applying to 20, but take a deep breath and save yourself the angst and the money. You're well covered at the reach, fit and safety levels by the nine in-state options.
    1. The private mid-tiers will assume that nine Texas schools will review your application, and that if you're a good applicant, at least one of them will accept you. And that if none of them do, it probably means there's a problem with your application this year, and they wouldn't want you either.
    2. And they'll assume that if your choice is between an inexpensive mid-tier and an expensive mid-tier, you'd choose the less-expensive option.
    3. If you're really anxious about not applying more broadly, just ask yourself "Under what scenario would I be accepted by XYZ OOS private mid-tier but not by any of the seven TX low-to-mid-tier schools subject to a 90% IS rule?" (Baylor & UTSW are top-tier) If you can think of a realistic scenario, then OK - apply. Otherwise, resist.
 
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Ah! I thought tmdsas was similar to the amcas in that they received LOR's during the secondary application process, not the first? I hope I am wrong on this, because I do not have the LOR's yet ready and I want to apply early.

Thanks SDN!!!
 
DokterMom said:
Never lie! But you can change your mind.

As to OOS, if you're a Texas Resident applying TMDSAS, your OOS schools should be Baylor, plus High Reach if you're a highly competitive applicant and DO (so not even AMCAS - no need to mention) if you're not. If you're a "Fair to Good" applicant, there are few other circumstances where applying OOS even makes sense -- assuming you're a TX resident.
Click to expand...

Hi DoctorMom, I was confused on the sentence, " Plus High Reach if you're a highly competitive applicant and DO( So not even AMCAS - no need to mention) if you're not.

I am a mid to lower tier candidate, Should I just put Baylor and one maybe three? D.O. School under this category? Or should I also put some out of state schools that are lower-mid tier?

Thanks in advance!!
 
One more question: (jeebus-sorry!)
I took both the SAT and ACT twice but it seems I can only enter in one score... which do I choose?
 
Quick question: under the section minor traffic violation, I recently got a infraction for not stopping fully at a stop sign. I took the traffic school and paid the fine. I vaguely remember the instructions on the citation saying,"If you take traffic school, there will be no mark on your record." Technically, it seems that I do not have a minor traffic violation. Do I need to report this on the application form?
 
ShakaChaka said:
Hi DoctorMom, I was confused on the sentence, " Plus High Reach if you're a highly competitive applicant and DO( So not even AMCAS - no need to mention) if you're not.

I am a mid to lower tier candidate, Should I just put Baylor and one maybe three? D.O. School under this category? Or should I also put some out of state schools that are lower-mid tier?

Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...

If you're a mid-to lower-tier candidate, you're probably good with just TMDSAS. Baylor's a whole 'nuther application, so a lot of work if it's not realistic. (See my #4 point in the missive above) No need to list DO, though you may want to apply DO if you're unsure about TX MD and don't feel you can improve your app significantly with a gap year.
 
Aposteriori said:
Quick question: under the section minor traffic violation, I recently got a infraction for not stopping fully at a stop sign. I took the traffic school and paid the fine. I vaguely remember the instructions on the citation saying,"If you take traffic school, there will be no mark on your record." Technically, it seems that I do not have a minor traffic violation. Do I need to report this on the application form?
Click to expand...

SO much better safe than sorry! See the 'Background Check' thread...
 
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I'm a little confused on how the sGPA/BCPM is going to be calculated if we are asked to put math other than calculus and statistics in "other sciences." Do they go through this category manually after you submit and add math classes to your BCPM? Thanks to other helpful SDN users who called a while back, I've already confirmed that ALL math courses are added to BCPM. Now that I'm entering my coursework, I'm questioning the process. HALP PLEASE.
 
Is anyone else getting this annoying message when trying to submit their essays?

"Please remove special characters. (For example, <, >, =, @, * are some of the characters not allowed.)"

I DONT HAVE ANY!
 
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homycraz2 said:
Is anyone else getting this annoying message when trying to submit their essays?

"Please remove special characters. (For example, <, >, =, @, * are some of the characters not allowed.)"

I DONT HAVE ANY!
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Someone else had the same problem on the previous thread. Its most likely the apostrophe ' that is being the cause of this problem.
 
Are y'all planning to add deans honors list? Should we submit one for each time we were on it?
 
homycraz2 said:
Are y'all planning to add deans honors list? Should we submit one for each time we were on it?
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TMDSAS Staff is only available M-F (8 am- 5 pm).
And honestly, I am probably not going to include Dean's Honor list more than once. I'm thinking of not even including it at all because nearly every applicant I bet will have these honors, and they're probably trivial and meaningless to adcoms.
 
@Ismet do you think you can get the TX school threads for 2015-2016 rolling again?
Much appreciated.
 
Hi so I was wondering....this may sound like a stupid question but if I want to request a letter from a physician, what category would they fall under in relationship to me...I can't see to find a category that fits them...
 
Anyone have any idea what to do about Publications?
Should they go under Academic Recognition?
 
homycraz2 said:
Anyone have any idea what to do about Publications?
Should they go under Academic Recognition?
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I'm not an expert (applying this year), but that's where I put mine. Seems to make the most sense in that category.
 
Asiandoodle said:
Hi so I was wondering....this may sound like a stupid question but if I want to request a letter from a physician, what category would they fall under in relationship to me...I can't see to find a category that fits them...
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Place them under the option of 'other'.
 
Hi DoctorMom,

Thank you for answering my questions! I have another one related to the same topic:

Started the application...first page it asks us to provide names of non-TMDSAS colleges we are applying to... are we required to do this? why do they want to know? Can I lie? lol

I am not going to lie as I will be telling them not the full truth(I will only post the ones that I am interested in that will not red flag me). I was wondering how many I should put under this section, and if I should just put Texas schools to get a better chance?
 
This may be a silly question, but for the "non-healthcare" volunteering - I don't really have any that are more than single day events. I have a ton of these single events from my clubs that are dedicated to community service but not something I did consistently like weekly volunteering with habitat etc.
1. does it look bad to not have any non-healthcare volunteering?
2. if so, should i try to incorporate these things somehow? For example, I was on leadership for an environmental club (I put that in the leadership section already) and I helped organize and participate in a ton of environmental type volunteer events.
Thanks!
 
hey @mlowe1 from my understanding you can put activities into multiple categories and give different descriptions and divide the hours up accordingly.


Also, my question for the thread is, for AP credit, the first school I attended gave specific classes for the AP credit which is what is desired by the schools/application. My current and main school, however, does not follow this practice for whatever reason. Can I just put the AP credit under my first school's section? If that makes sense? Instead of submitting them with my current school's courses? I'm a little unclear on this, sorry if it's a dumb question!
 
Do you need to divide up the hours of activities if you put them into different categories? As of now, I just duplicated everything including the hours.
 
Is anyone else annoyed that we cannot use an apostrophe? It is a pretty common punctuation mark that we now have to avoid. I wonder if they are going to fix this. For those who called, did they mention it being an error vs. intentional?
 
Thoughts on listing blood donation as community service?
 
I don't want to all call Monday morning about the special characters issue.

Is someone planning on calling first thing who is willing to post their response?
 
ShakaChaka said:
Hi DoctorMom,

Thank you for answering my questions! I have another one related to the same topic:

Started the application...first page it asks us to provide names of non-TMDSAS colleges we are applying to... are we required to do this? why do they want to know? Can I lie? lol

I am not going to lie as I will be telling them not the full truth(I will only post the ones that I am interested in that will not red flag me). I was wondering how many I should put under this section, and if I should just put Texas schools to get a better chance?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why they're asking or what they do with the information. I'm also unclear about why any schools would 'red flag' you? I'd just suggest that your schools be appropriate to your stats. So not Harvard if you're 3.5/29. I'd also suggest that if your PS waxes poetic about your desire to help the underserved, that your school list support rather than contra-indicate that desire. Don't list Caribbean or naturopathic. If it says 'AMCAS', don't list DO; if it just says 'non-TMDSAS' then do.

In short, thinking through your application thoroughly and answering the question truthfully would generally work in your favor.

Curious about the 'red flag' concern though. What are your thoughts on that?
 
DokterMom said:
I'm not sure why they're asking or what they do with the information. I'm also unclear about why any schools would 'red flag' you? I'd just suggest that your schools be appropriate to your stats. So not Harvard if you're 3.5/29. I'd also suggest that if your PS waxes poetic about your desire to help the underserved, that your school list support rather than contra-indicate that desire. Don't list Caribbean or naturopathic. If it says 'AMCAS', don't list DO; if it just says 'non-TMDSAS' then do.

In short, thinking through your application thoroughly and answering the question truthfully would generally work in your favor.

Curious about the 'red flag' concern though. What are your thoughts on that?
Click to expand...

I called them yesterday asking about why they ask non tmdsas schools and they told me it was for statistical purposes? Not sure if true or not
 
SweetCaroline7 said:
Is anyone else annoyed that we cannot use an apostrophe? It is a pretty common punctuation mark that we now have to avoid. I wonder if they are going to fix this. For those who called, did they mention it being an error vs. intentional?
Click to expand...
I haven't had any problems with apostrophes if you retype it directly in the form. If you copy and paste it, you will notice that the pasted apostrophe is curved and then if you delete it and type it manually, it is just like a straight vertical dash. I don't know if you have tried this but it has allowed me to have apostrophes with no problems.
 
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What all will you guys use for your photo?
 
Asiandoodle said:
I called them yesterday asking about why they ask non tmdsas schools and they told me it was for statistical purposes? Not sure if true or not
Click to expand...

I listed 3 non-TMDSAS schools on my application (ended up applying to about 8 non TX schools, but I submitted TMDSAS before AMCAS, as everyone should) and it was never a problem. I was asked why I was applying to OOS schools at 1 TX interview though, and I was honest saying that while I would love to attend your school, I still wanted to maximize my chances of being accepted. I mentioned that I believed a large part of success in medical school is the support and fit of the medical school, and my interview was fine with that answer, no reason for us to hide anything really.

Mavs88 said:
What all will you guys use for your photo?
Click to expand...

I just had a friend take a pic of me in a suit with a white/plain background and had a lot of success this past cycle. Others had pics professionally done, or just went to the mall and had a store take a simple picture of them. I don't think you necessarily need to pay to have them done, just look professional with nothing crazy in the background or other people.
 
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mia123 said:
I wouldn't. Seems desperate. Unless you organized drives.

Is it bad not to have any non academic honors?
Click to expand...

I mean what if ive donated gallons of blood?


Also for the planned activities section. If I have listed a job that I plan to keep until I start med school if i get in... do i need to re list it in this section? Or is the planned activities only for things we plan to do that we haven't started.
 
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mlowe1 said:
I haven't had any problems with apostrophes if you retype it directly in the form. If you copy and paste it, you will notice that the pasted apostrophe is curved and then if you delete it and type it manually, it is just like a straight vertical dash. I don't know if you have tried this but it has allowed me to have apostrophes with no problems.
Click to expand...

Weird. I tried that, but it still complained. Oh well. I ended up changing the sentences. Hopefully it will work for others!
 
Mavs88 said:
What all will you guys use for your photo?
Click to expand...

I thought I'd use this one.

;) JK. Something like a passport photo. Professional dress - Suit, shirt and tie, polo shirt or plain neckline for women. Professional hair. This is NOT the time to express your personality. It's the time to look like a doctor. If your picture doesn't look professional, they won't even care about your personality...

homycraz2 said:
I mean what if ive donated gallons of blood?
Click to expand...

That's worth noting - especially iv you can be specific.
 
mlowe1 said:
I haven't had any problems with apostrophes if you retype it directly in the form. If you copy and paste it, you will notice that the pasted apostrophe is curved and then if you delete it and type it manually, it is just like a straight vertical dash. I don't know if you have tried this but it has allowed me to have apostrophes with no problems.
Click to expand...

Yes!

Thank you.

As a note it allows parentheses ( ), but I also had to delete the hyphens in my essay and retype them. The version in the application is slightly smaller and less bold than the one from my word processor.
 
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Mavs88 said:
Do you need to divide up the hours of activities if you put them into different categories? As of now, I just duplicated everything including the hours.
Click to expand...
Be careful of not double dipping. That actually becomes a red flag.
 
texan2414 said:
Be careful of not double dipping. That actually becomes a red flag.
Click to expand...
Really...why?

So let's say I put something under two categories, I have to divide my hours into two? Come to think of it, I may have duplicated but there may have been a category that didn't require hours to be mentioned. Will check later, thanks for the info.
 
Hey everyone, just wanted to say I am open to helping out with questions on here and via PM! Best of luck to everyone!
 
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Mavs88 said:
Really...why?

So let's say I put something under two categories, I have to divide my hours into two? Come to think of it, I may have duplicated but there may have been a category that didn't require hours to be mentioned. Will check later, thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

The only instances I put activities twice for the TMDSAS is if I had leadership positions (ex. for a community service organization, I put an entry under the community service activities category along with the hours, then put my leadership roles under the leadership category) or if I was doing a mix of shadowing and volunteering in a particular healthcare activity (I split my hours in this case by estimating the fraction of time spent volunteering or shadowing times the total hours).

Edit: see my comment below
 
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Well, so wait, @PantherPride my employment is in healthcare so I was going to put the same number of hours for each entry. Logically, I am pretty sure that is ok, but now my application anxiety is worried that it won't be? It is the only item I would double dip, and I also planned on adding it to planned activities under each category with the same number of hours. This is ok, correct? Ugh, now I know what everyone has always meant by application neuroticism.
this will be a fun year...
 
seabiscuit31 said:
Well, so wait, @PantherPride my employment is in healthcare so I was going to put the same number of hours for each entry. Logically, I am pretty sure that is ok, but now my application anxiety is worried that it won't be? It is the only item I would double dip, and I also planned on adding it to planned activities under each category with the same number of hours. This is ok, correct? Ugh, now I know what everyone has always meant by application neuroticism.
this will be a fun year...
Click to expand...

I see, well according to the handbook...

"If you have activities that fit into more than one of the categories below, you should list the activity in each section. We recommend that you list activities in multiple sections if they meet the criteria in more than one category."

In that case it does seem like it would be appropriate to list the same number of hours for both. As long as its clear that they are both the same activity I don't see a problem
 
Nevermind, in leadership you don't have to say any hours, so that's the only place I duplicated two things, so I put all hours when I listed those two things in volunteering or employment.
 
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