The Republic of Texas XXXII: Everything is better in the Lonestar State

[mnmike]

I got into A&M but I'm confused about something - am I automatically on the waitlist for SA (my #1)? The last thing I want to do is make friends and look for apartments and then get an email from TMDSAS saying "lol jk you're going to SA"

Also, can I withdraw my application from SA? One week after my rankings were due, I realized I should have placed A&M at 1 since I know so many people there.

And quantumJ, as your classmate and a fellow longhorn, let's wear our burnt orange around A&M proudly!

You might not last long like that in these parts...


j.k.... I kid, I kid, there are actually a lot of horns at the medical school, iirc. And congrats! That said, hopefully Aggieland is not too overbearing for those of you who don't bleed maroon.

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[Darcy Austen]

I am just trying to find out how long after today will they send out information to an applicant on whether or not they were rejected or are on the waitlist for those who did not match at all today

It varies from school to school. Some will send out alternate list information/forms around 2 weeks later, some take closer to a month.

 

[frodohobo]

So now that match day is over...what now?

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

So now that match day is over...what now?

Night gathers, and now our watch begins.

For waitlist movement, if you want that, or start making plans for your current acceptance. Or keep celebrating!

 

[rainbow girl]

So now that match day is over...what now?

If you get in, acceptance documents, forms, fafsa, account setup, apartment hunting and anxiety for the next and awesome chapter of your life
If not, there's still waitlist. Believe that the best will come

 

[Command]

Should we send FAFSA to schools we are on the waitlist for? Seems like May is the season for waitlist movement, but that may be too late for any finaid

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

Should we send FAFSA to schools we are on the waitlist for? Seems like May is the season for waitlist movement, but that may be too late for any finaid

It's one click to add the school.
What do you have to lose?

 

[eggman2013]

It's one click to add the school.
What do you have to lose?

Agreed

 

[WhiteCoatFuture]

Should we send FAFSA to schools we are on the waitlist for? Seems like May is the season for waitlist movement, but that may be too late for any finaid

Yes, you definitely should send it to schools at which you are wait listed. That way once you're accepted, there's no additional delay in the school being able to process your info.

 

[Amygdarya]

What do you have to lose?

Nothing. Some people just don't like to release their financial information to more people than absolutely necessary.

 

[CabriniGreen]

Does anyone know if any of the TX schools drug-test during/before the first year (like at orientation or soon after)? I was invited to go snowboarding in Colorado soon, and I wanted to know if I need to be concerned about second-hand smoke.

 

[Dallasmavs]

Does anyone know if any of the TX schools drug-test during/before the first year (like at orientation or soon after)? I was invited to go snowboarding in Colorado soon, and I wanted to know if I need to be concerned about second-hand smoke.

Unless someone is blowing the smoke from their mouth to yours, don't worry about failing a drug test from second hand smoke.

 

[histidine]

dat "second-hand" smoke.

 

[QuantumJ]

Second hand

 

[Amygdarya]

Unless someone is blowing the smoke from their mouth to yours, don't worry about failing a drug test from second hand smoke.

I'm afraid it's not the answer that was sought

 

[mattrmcg]

I don't think schools drug test (else 75% would be expelled), but could be wrong.
But the OP does raise an interesting point: is it ok to test positive for a drug if the drug in question was consumed legally? I know that can apply for some people taking prescription medication and tripping the tests that way, but I am completely drawing a blank for things like marijuana

 

[eggman2013]

even then...marijuana should be out of your system in about 2 weeks if i'm not mistaken. either way...second hand smoke should be okay

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

I don't think schools drug test (else 75% would be expelled), but could be wrong.
But the OP does raise an interesting point: is it ok to test positive for a drug if the drug in question was consumed legally? I know that can apply for some people taking prescription medication and tripping the tests that way, but I am completely drawing a blank for things like marijuana

many if not all schools have a mandatory drug test. Usually its a urinalysis that checks for the common drugs (marijuana/amphetamines/barbituates/opiates)
Since this is Texas, marijuana in any form is illegal. Thus if you test positive for it, then you might get in trouble.
Now, if you test positive for amphetamines but have a prescription use for them, then its alright.

even then...marijuana should be out of your system in about 2 weeks if i'm not mistaken. either way...second hand smoke should be okay

It can stay in your system for 30 days. It usually varies based on metabolism and the amount consumed. Hair analysis can test positive for marijuana for upto 90 days.

Personally I think the tests are pointless since someone can just take stay clean for the month or two prior to the test, but whatever.

 

[CabriniGreen]

dat "second-hand" smoke.

Haha, yea..."second-hand"...probably should have put it in quotes to clarify

many if not all schools have a mandatory drug test. Usually its a urinalysis that checks for the common drugs (marijuana/amphetamines/barbituates/opiates)
Since this is Texas, marijuana in any form is illegal. Thus if you test positive for it, then you might get in trouble.
Now, if you test positive for amphetamines but have a prescription use for them, then its alright.



It can stay in your system for 30 days. It usually varies based on metabolism and the amount consumed. Hair analysis can test positive for marijuana for upto 90 days.

Personally I think the tests are pointless since someone can just take stay clean for the month or two prior to the test, but whatever.

I think the point is to make sure you don't have an abuse problem that you can't cover up by not partaking for a month or two. I know UTMB tests before 3rd year and tells everyone long in advance of the testing date. I was curious about the other schools' policies, and I was specifically interested in schools that test at the start of the first year.

 

[JJArms22]

Does anyone know if any of the TX schools drug-test during/before the first year (like at orientation or soon after)? I was invited to go snowboarding in Colorado soon, and I wanted to know if I need to be concerned about second-hand smoke.

"Second-hand smoke"...riiiight

 

[bunionberry]

Just to be completely sure, if we pre-matched at more than one school and didn't withdraw from any before the match, we do not have to manually withdraw if we match at our first choice correct?

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

Just to be completely sure, if we pre-matched at more than one school and didn't withdraw from any before the match, we do not have to manually withdraw if we match at our first choice correct?

Nope. You match to your highest prematch or a school that matched you which is higher than your current pre-match.

 

[frodohobo]

If I'm depending on my student aid to pay for living costs, will $1200-1500 be out of a med students price range?

 

[Sassafrass23]

If I'm depending on my student aid to pay for living costs, will $1200-1500 be out of a med students price range?

Are you talking about rent per month or combined living expenses?

I'm also curious about how much in loans will be offered...I'm starting at TTL in May and need to figure out living arrangements here pretty soon.

 

[frodohobo]

Are you talking about rent per month or combined living expenses?

I'm also curious about how much in loans will be offered...I'm starting at TTL in May and need to figure out living arrangements here pretty soon.

I meant rent per month alone.

 

[DokterMom]

If I'm depending on my student aid to pay for living costs, will $1200-1500 be out of a med students price range?

For rent only, it's far more than you should have to spend.

 

[Sassafrass23]

For rent only, it's far more than you should have to spend.

Ya, I agree, that sounds a little high. I found an apartment in Lubbock that I like for $599/month (living alone) but it's not the greatest. I want to see how much financial aid I'll get before I up rent, though. I'm trying not to get myself in a situation where I have a nice place but can't afford to ever go out or do anything that costs money...

 

[eggman2013]

If i remember correctly, UTH's max student loan is 20k. I wonder if other school's in texas can share this info with you all. Yeah, who knows if you'll get the max loan, but it helps with planning i think...

 

[lovemango]

If I'm depending on my student aid to pay for living costs, will $1200-1500 be out of a med students price range?

That's pretty high. What school are you going to in Texas? I'm at UTMB and they offered me federal unsubsidized student loans equal to the full COA ($38276 this year). Fortunately, I got a scholarship so I didn't have to take much of that.

I live with a roommate at a nice condo and we split rent (I pay $550 and she pays $500 since I got the bigger bedroom). Definitely think about getting a roommate if you find someone you like, it'll help with costs. Don't forget to think about pet deposits (if you have one), utility bills, internet, food, etc. It all adds up pretty quickly.

 

[frodohobo]

That's pretty high. What school are you going to in Texas? I'm at UTMB and they offered me federal unsubsidized student loans equal to the full COA ($38276 this year). Fortunately, I got a scholarship so I didn't have to take much of that.

I live with a roommate at a nice condo and we split rent (I pay $550 and she pays $500 since I got the bigger bedroom). Definitely think about getting a roommate if you find someone you like, it'll help with costs. Don't forget to think about pet deposits (if you have one), utility bills, internet, food, etc. It all adds up pretty quickly.

Going to TCOM. I might be able to get some help since I'll be living with my fiancé but she will also start school and work part time as an RN so I'm not sure if she can contribute much.

 

[Amygdarya]

Going to TCOM. I might be able to get some help since I'll be living with my fiancé but she will also start school and work part time as an RN so I'm not sure if she can contribute much.

I'm renting a nice one bedroom apartment that is spacious enough for 2 people for $800 a month in one of the better Dallas neighborhoods. You should be able to find something much cheaper than $1200 a month for a two people dwelling around FW.

 

[QuantumJ]

I've been wondering the same since I'm hoping to rent a small house/duplex for school. Thanks for the #s @xiwang

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

I'm renting a nice one bedroom apartment that is spacious enough for 2 people for $800 a month in one of the better Dallas neighborhoods. You should be able to find something much cheaper than $1200 a month for a two people dwelling around FW.

But how close is it to UTSW though?

 

[Amygdarya]

But how close is it to UTSW though?

A 25 minute direct DART train ride or more or less the same by car, depending on traffic.
I don't like the area immediately surrounding UTSW; it's neither pretty nor particularly safe. If I stay at UTSW for medical school, I'll definitely stay in my current apartment for preclinical years; considering the crazy hours, I may move to one of the apartment complexes right next to the new Parkland building for clinical years... or start driving

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

A 25 minute direct DART train ride or more or less the same by car, depending on traffic.
I don't like the area immediately surrounding UTSW; it's neither pretty nor particularly safe. If I stay at UTSW for medical school, I'll definitely stay in my current apartment for preclinical years; considering the crazy hours, I may move to one of the apartment complexes right next to the new Parkland building for clinical years... or start driving

PM me the apartment complex name and I'll check it out during MSO weekend.

 

[mattrmcg]

Going to TCOM. I might be able to get some help since I'll be living with my fiancé but she will also start school and work part time as an RN so I'm not sure if she can contribute much.

Can check out the apartments over near Bryant-Irving...they should be reasonably priced and pretty safe (I think GtW stayed in this area...its not super fancy, but still nice, and has about a 7-10 minute commute to school)

 

[ChEMD]

The apartments around the UTSW campus are actually very nice, many of them are brand new and more are under construction. The area may not be the best, but it is definitely being built up. And as far as safety goes, the apartment complexes themselves are very safe. I probably wouldn't suggest walking outside of your complex by yourself late at night, but that's not the smartest idea regardless of where you are. The apartments are definitely more expensive than those that you'll find in the suberbs, but I think it's worth living within just a few minutes from school. It makes it much easier to go to and from class/lab or meet up with a group of people on campus to study. I'd say the majority of people live in the medical school area/uptown, so it's nice to be so close to everyone else as well.

 

[nvantage]

So, I had a quick question for everyone on this thread. I'm an out-of-state applicant to Texas and was fortunate enough to accepted to a few of the Texas med schools. I've been able to narrow it down to Texas Tech Lubbock and UT Houston, but am having a tough time deciding between the two. I just see a lot of positive about both schools (along with a few negatives, of course). I'm leaning toward Lubbock (liked the town/students there when I visited, like the curriculum, and also received a scholarship there that gets me in-state tuition), but I'm having a tough time letting go of the TMC that comes with UT-Houston. As of right now, I am not planning on going into an extremely competitive residency, but that could change based on my med school experience.

I'm not one to be concerned about 'prestige' of school, but I am wondering if students from UT Houston or Texas Tech Lubbock have an easier time landing residencies, etc because of their school name. I understand that that is simplifying the situation a lot (STEP scores, research, extracurricular activities, etc all count too), but since a lot of you are from Texas and are more familiar with the schools there, are one of those two schools (Texas Tech Lubbock & UT Houston) generally considered better than the other? I'd appreciate any knowledge you guys have to share! Thanks!

Also, does anyone know what the STEP 1 averages are for those two schools? I get different things from every source I go to.

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Even with being on the waitlist at UTH and having an active app at Baylor, I've committed to TTL, so if any of y'all are going there, we're gonna be classmates!

So, I had a quick question for everyone on this thread. I'm an out-of-state applicant to Texas and was fortunate enough to accepted to a few of the Texas med schools. I've been able to narrow it down to Texas Tech Lubbock and UT Houston, but am having a tough time deciding between the two. I just see a lot of positive about both schools (along with a few negatives, of course). I'm leaning toward Lubbock (liked the town/students there when I visited, like the curriculum, and also received a scholarship there that gets me in-state tuition), but I'm having a tough time letting go of the TMC that comes with UT-Houston. As of right now, I am not planning on going into an extremely competitive residency, but that could change based on my med school experience.

I'm not one to be concerned about 'prestige' of school, but I am wondering if students from UT Houston or Texas Tech Lubbock have an easier time landing residencies, etc because of their school name. I understand that that is simplifying the situation a lot (STEP scores, research, extracurricular activities, etc all count too), but since a lot of you are from Texas and are more familiar with the schools there, are one of those two schools (Texas Tech Lubbock & UT Houston) generally considered better than the other? I'd appreciate any knowledge you guys have to share! Thanks!

Also, does anyone know what the STEP 1 averages are for those two schools? I get different things from every source I go to.

I had basically this same dilemma. Yes, UTH is higher ranked, but I don't think it has the name recognition in the rest of the US as Baylor or UTSW. In Texas, though, everyone knows all the schools, so if you're interested in doing residency in Texas, don't let that bother you.

I'm interested in pediatric surgery (which is super competetive), so, even though I liked TT better than UTH based off of my interview days, I was thinking that it would be better for me to go to UTH for residency/fellowship connections/TMC research opportunities.

However, I talked with one of the surgery residents here on SDN, and he told me that in terms of research, a lot of times what you can do as a med student isn't enough for tougher residencies (which I know you said you aren't currently interested in, but...), and so it's not uncommon for residents to have dedicated research years to get enough pubs.

In terms of connections, he said that away rotations are perfectly adequate for helping getting a residency spot.

What he said the biggest thing is, though, is having good grades and kick-ass board scores, so go somewhere where you'll be happy, because that will keep you motivated to become a candidate that residency directors will want.

 

[eggman2013]

So, I had a quick question for everyone on this thread. I'm an out-of-state applicant to Texas and was fortunate enough to accepted to a few of the Texas med schools. I've been able to narrow it down to Texas Tech Lubbock and UT Houston, but am having a tough time deciding between the two. I just see a lot of positive about both schools (along with a few negatives, of course). I'm leaning toward Lubbock (liked the town/students there when I visited, like the curriculum, and also received a scholarship there that gets me in-state tuition), but I'm having a tough time letting go of the TMC that comes with UT-Houston. As of right now, I am not planning on going into an extremely competitive residency, but that could change based on my med school experience.

I'm not one to be concerned about 'prestige' of school, but I am wondering if students from UT Houston or Texas Tech Lubbock have an easier time landing residencies, etc because of their school name. I understand that that is simplifying the situation a lot (STEP scores, research, extracurricular activities, etc all count too), but since a lot of you are from Texas and are more familiar with the schools there, are one of those two schools (Texas Tech Lubbock & UT Houston) generally considered better than the other? I'd appreciate any knowledge you guys have to share! Thanks!

FYI...UT Houston has a scholarship application due March 17th. If you're still considering UT Houston, I'd submit that immediately. I'd also call to see if they offer scholarships for OOS students that would get you in-state tuition.

 

[nvantage]

Even with being on the waitlist at UTH and having an active app at Baylor, I've committed to TTL, so if any of y'all are going there, we're gonna be classmates!


I had basically this same dilemma. Yes, UTH is higher ranked, but I don't think it has the name recognition in the rest of the US as Baylor or UTSW. In Texas, though, everyone knows all the schools, so if you're interested in doing residency in Texas, don't let that bother you.

I'm interested in pediatric surgery (which is super competetive), so, even though I liked TT better than UTH based off of my interview days, I was thinking that it would be better for me to go to UTH for residency/fellowship connections/TMC research opportunities.

However, I talked with one of the surgery residents here on SDN, and he told me that in terms of research, a lot of times what you can do as a med student isn't enough for tougher residencies (which I know you said you aren't currently interested in, but...), and so it's not uncommon for residents to have dedicated research years to get enough pubs.

In terms of connections, he said that away rotations are perfectly adequate for helping getting a residency spot.

What he said the biggest thing is, though, is having good grades and kick-ass board scores, so go somewhere where you'll be happy, because that will keep you motivated to become a candidate that residency directors will want.

Thanks for the info - that is really helpful. I went and visited Lubbock this weekend and was impressed (again) by what I saw. We very well might be classmates in the future! Do you have any idea what TTU's board averages have been recently? I hear like 228ish from a 4th year while I was visiting there, but he wasn't too sure.

 

[nvantage]

FYI...UT Houston has a scholarship application due March 17th. If you're still considering UT Houston, I'd submit that immediately. I'd also call to see if they offer scholarships for OOS students that would get you in-state tuition.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Thanks for the info - that is really helpful. I went and visited Lubbock this weekend and was impressed (again) by what I saw. We very well might be classmates in the future! Do you have any idea what TTU's board averages have been recently? I hear like 228ish from a 4th year while I was visiting there, but he wasn't too sure.

Yeah, something close to 230.

 

[itssofluffy]

I was accepted to UT Houston off of the waitlist a few days ago. I haven't seen/heard anything about waitlist movement yet, so I'm pretty surprised!

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

I was accepted to UT Houston off of the waitlist a few days ago. I haven't seen/heard anything about waitlist movement yet, so I'm pretty surprised!

Congrats, yo!

 

[Telekinesis]

Anyone excited about the new Texas schools opening in the next 2 yrs?

 

[itssofluffy]

Congrats, yo!

Thank you!!

 

[eggman2013]

Anyone excited about the new Texas schools opening in the next 2 yrs?

I'm from the valley, and from what i've seen, the community here is excited about the new school. However, i think, amongst the medical community, it will be very low in rank when compared to the other schools here in texas. I guess thats expected of any new school, but the mentality of medical professionals here is very different than many other places. With all that said, i think there will be a lot of growing pains, but I hope it'll turn into a decent school that will not only benefit students, but also the community here.

 

[Command]

.

 

[Telekinesis]

In terms of avg. GPA, here is a list of stats from people at my undergrad http://opsa.tamu.edu/downloads/documents/Medchart12.pdf

TCOM every yr seems to be really forgiving to those with low gpas. It's one it's one of my first choices next yr. Along with UT-San Antonio and the new school in Austin.