University of North Texas (UNTHSC/TCOM) Discussion Thread 2014 - 2015

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Can anyone comment on the curriculum and how long they have class? I don't remember too much from the interview day....opps....haha
Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Dr Granger said:
Thank you! Class is everyday till like 5pm
Click to expand...

The calendar makes it look worse than it really is. The first month or so was really rough, but now things have become much more manageable. I'm one of those people who doesn't go to class, and only steps foot on campus a couple days out of the week for labs. My grades actually improved pretty significantly when I stopped going. Everything on that calendar that says "DSA" in front of it is really a self study assignment. Lectures are optional and MLM's are technically required, but I never go and there aren't any repercussions. People that try to go to all the classes do seem pretty stressed but they put that on themselves. The professors here are all really good, and there's a couple years worth of recorded material that you can follow along with at your own pace. I've actually really enjoyed my time at TCOM. Don't let that calendar scare you.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
radkat101 said:
The calendar makes it look worse than it really is. The first month or so was really rough, but now things have become much more manageable. I'm one of those people who don't go to class, and only step foot on campus a couple days out of the week for labs. My grades actually improved pretty significantly when I stopped going. Everything on that calendar that says "DSA" in front of it is really a self study assignment. Lectures are optional and MLM's are technically required, but I never go and there aren't any repercussions. People that try to go to all the classes do seem pretty stressed but they put that on themselves. The professors here are all really good, and there's a couple years worth of recorded material that you can follow along with at your own pace. I've actually really enjoyed my time at TCOM. Don't let that calendar scare you.
Click to expand...
That makes me feel a lot better! So if you don't go to class, are the lectures recorded? Or you get the notes from classmates?

Also, how is the curriculum structured? Is it systems based?

Sorry for the questions, I know these are things I should've asked :/ thank you so so much for your response!
 
Dr Granger said:
That makes me feel a lot better! So if you don't go to class, are the lectures recorded? Or you get the notes from classmates?

Also, how is the curriculum structured? Is it systems based?

Sorry for the questions, I know these are things I should've asked :/ thank you so so much for your response!
Click to expand...

It's a systems based curriculum which is pretty nice because you don't get hammered with anatomy all at once. It also allows you to work with board review books, as they are written in a systems based format as well. The lectures are semi-recorded. There is an old data-base that contains a whole archive of recorded lectures from 2012 and 2013 that are pretty much the same as this year. Up until a month or so ago, all of the lectures for this year were recorded by the tech guy but this stopped being as consistent because I think he gets tired of doing it on his own. Our class hasn't really formed a recording team for some reason, but the school provides all the tech. Someone just has to turn it on when they go in the room. There's really no notes to be taken. I've even heard professors tell students to close their laptops and just pay attention to the lecture because "it's all in the ppt/handouts". This is true. There's nothing that has come up on a test that wasn't right there in the power-points. If you feel the need to make notes, you can just get them from the recordings, which is easier than going to class of course because you can pause a recording to do this...or google something. Don't let me discourage you completely from going to class though. My advice would be to glance at the material the night before and see if it's something a lecture might clarify, or maybe you have questions over some of it. I'm not a morning person and will show up every so often to some of the afternoon lectures just because it forces me to focus on the material and little better.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 6 users
radkat101 said:
It's a systems based curriculum which is pretty nice because you don't get hammered with anatomy all at once. It also allows you to work with board review books, as they are written in a systems based format as well. The lectures are semi-recorded. There is an old data-base that contains a whole archive of recorded lectures from 2012 and 2013 that are pretty much the same as this year. Up until a month or so ago, all of the lectures for this year were recorded by the tech guy but this stopped because I think he got tired of doing it on his own. Our class hasn't really formed a recording team for some reason, but the school provides all the tech. Someone just has to turn it on when they go in the room. There's really no notes to be taken. I've even heard professors tell students to close their laptops and just pay attention to the lecture because "it's all in the ppt/handouts". This is true. There's nothing that has come up on a test that wasn't right there in the power-points. If you feel the need to make notes, you can just get them from the recordings, which is easier than going to class of course because you can pause a recording to do this...or google something. Don't let me discourage you completely from going to class though. My advice would be to glance at the material the night before and see if it's something a lecture might clarify, or maybe you have questions over some of it. I'm not a morning person and will show up every so often to some of the afternoon lectures just because it forces me to focus on the material and little better.
Click to expand...
Thank you so so much :) I was getting a little nervous just looking at the calendar! I'm not a morning person either, so that makes me feel a WHOLE lot better

Thank you again! If I have anymore questions I know who I'm going to ask ;)
 
Dr Granger said:
Thank you so so much :) I was getting a little nervous just looking at the calendar! I'm not a morning person either, so that makes me feel a WHOLE lot better

Thank you again! If I have anymore questions I know who I'm going to ask ;)
Click to expand...

No problem. Hopefully other people can chime in with their perspectives as well.
 
radkat101 said:
No problem. Hopefully other people can chime in with their perspectives as well.
Click to expand...
Hi radkat101, from your response, it seems like students mostly study from handouts and ppts. So is it necessary to buy textbooks?
 
Allium cepa said:
Hi radkat101, from your response, it seems like students mostly study from handouts and ppts. So is it necessary to buy textbooks?
Click to expand...

Definitely not necessary. I PM'd you more info.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Allium cepa said:
Hi radkat101, from your response, it seems like students mostly study from handouts and ppts. So is it necessary to buy textbooks?
Click to expand...
There are a few useful books that you can get, but make sure to ask some students before springing on textbooks, because some are absolutely unnecessary or on reserve at the library

I bought all the req'd texts for Cell and Molecular Biology, and tbh, didn't use any of the six besides the main cell book (mostly because Dr. Google could find the answer faster than I can flip through an index)

But I do recommend Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy, Berne and Levy's Physiology, Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy, and Nicholas' Atlas of Osteopathic Techniques (maybe Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease, although not until later, and definitely as a keep-at-home due to the bulk)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
When do they send out rejection letters? My application is still "under review" so I guess they haven't made a decision yet?
 
live4him247 said:
When do they send out rejection letters? My application is still "under review" so I guess they haven't made a decision yet?
Click to expand...
Mine was "under review" up until I received my pre-match offer!

If it was under-review you're good, if it says "has been reviewED" then that's probably not the best
 
Members don't see this ad :)
All I see is "This application is complete". I'm OOS. Do I just have to wait or is that not a good sign?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
accepted 6 days ago and haven't received the letter...should I call them and ask?
 
It's called snail mail for a reason lol. Mine took a week or two so I wouldn't worry about it yet
 
dlqo0oplb said:
accepted 6 days ago and haven't received the letter...should I call them and ask?
Click to expand...
We were accepted on the same day and I haven't received the letter either. I think it is still too early to worry though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Has anyone gotten......dare I say it.........rejected, yet?
 
noleknight16 said:
Weird. I don't see anything related to my status in the table?
Click to expand...

Above the table, it will say "Your application has been received." or "Your application has been reviewed." Then it will have the table under it with Academic Institution, Term, Academic Career, etc. Under the table is where it says "This application is complete."
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
MDabc said:
Above the table, it will say "Your application has been received." or "Your application has been reviewed." Then it will have the table under it with Academic Institution, Term, Academic Career, etc. Under the table is where it says "This application is complete."
Click to expand...

VR fail. hahaha thank you! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Has anyone received their acceptance letter and agreement form in the mail yet?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Also, did anyone get any scholarship offers?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
dlqo0oplb said:
Accepted! OOS!
Now my question is...they said in the email there is a 2 week window to accept. Can I accept and hold the spot? still waiting to hear back from other schools.
Click to expand...
This was a point of confusion for me and others that I interviewed with so, I wanted to clear it up. You can accept a pre-match offer from a school and still participate in the match. If you are accepted during the match by a school that you rank higher than the school from which you received your pre-match offer then you will go to your preferred school. Accepting a pre-match offer does not disqualify you in any way from participating in the match.
 
Has anyone received the letter yet? We weren't suppose to reply to the email? Just wait, right?
 
In regards to the letter - I emailed them yesterday and they told me that they mailed them yesterday so they wont be coming for a few more days.. Probably Monday/Tuesday.. Which makes me wonder about the 2 week "acceptance" window..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
GIpremed said:
Tuesdays and Fridays usually
Click to expand...

Thank you! My portal changed to "invited to interview" but I missed the call from caroline yesterday so I have to wait until monday to figure out my day!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Hipaapotamus said:
In regards to the letter - I emailed them yesterday and they told me that they mailed them yesterday so they wont be coming for a few more days.. Probably Monday/Tuesday.. Which makes me wonder about the 2 week "acceptance" window..
Click to expand...

I received my letter yesterday; it said it must be postmarked by December 12th.
 
ZX10R said:
I received my letter yesterday; it said it must be postmarked by December 12th.
Click to expand...
I received mine today. Did anyone receive any scholarship offers?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Are there interviews going on for the 24th, 25th, or 26th of November?
 
lovelyrwwr said:
Hey guys, I was accepted on prematch day 11/15 :) However, I'm still a little confused on the next step I should take. I still have two interviews lined up. One of these interviews is my #1 choice medical school. So, my question is: If I sign and send in the letter saying I "accept", is this binding? Could someone please clear up my confusion?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It is not binding. I was confused about this too, but I called the other school I was interested in and then I called TMDSAS to make sure. See my last post about 10 posts back on this forum. I am really excited about the idea of going to TCOM, and I was very impressed with the school and everything about it on interview day. However, it is not my first choice so, I wanted to clear this up.
 
We don't have to send them a deposit with our acceptance form right? We just mail back that 1 piece of paper?
 
TCOM doesn't require a deposit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Any OOSer's that interviewed October 31st (or sometime around there) have an idea of when we'll hear back? Getting awfully close to the first deposit date for other schools...

Also, was it confirmed at all that all of the OOS spots are already filled for this year's class? That would suck, but also render my post (and anyone's responses) unnecessary.
 
Although I love this school and really believe that it makes wonderful physicians, I have declined my spot in the class of 2019.

Whoever gets the spot, I wish you the best! Good luck everyone!
 
radkat101 said:
It's a systems based curriculum which is pretty nice because you don't get hammered with anatomy all at once. It also allows you to work with board review books, as they are written in a systems based format as well. The lectures are semi-recorded. There is an old data-base that contains a whole archive of recorded lectures from 2012 and 2013 that are pretty much the same as this year. Up until a month or so ago, all of the lectures for this year were recorded by the tech guy but this stopped being as consistent because I think he gets tired of doing it on his own. Our class hasn't really formed a recording team for some reason, but the school provides all the tech. Someone just has to turn it on when they go in the room. There's really no notes to be taken. I've even heard professors tell students to close their laptops and just pay attention to the lecture because "it's all in the ppt/handouts". This is true. There's nothing that has come up on a test that wasn't right there in the power-points. If you feel the need to make notes, you can just get them from the recordings, which is easier than going to class of course because you can pause a recording to do this...or google something. Don't let me discourage you completely from going to class though. My advice would be to glance at the material the night before and see if it's something a lecture might clarify, or maybe you have questions over some of it. I'm not a morning person and will show up every so often to some of the afternoon lectures just because it forces me to focus on the material and little better.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised how many of us actually go to class! Seems like the only classes worth going to are for histology/anatomy type lectures where it benefits the professor pointing things out to us.

I hear in second year class is mandatory, however..
 
Ya, I hear the same thing
For those future TCOMers, a nice protip: read the material before class, else you will be all "huh?" throughout lecture flipping through your slides
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Has anyone interviewed early to mid November and not had this school show up on your rankings yet? I interviewed Nov 14 and still hasn't changed.
 
Sooooooo like another round of acceptances sometime soon would be pretty neat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
frodohobo said:
I'm surprised how many of us actually go to class! Seems like the only classes worth going to are for histology/anatomy type lectures where it benefits the professor pointing things out to us.

I hear in second year class is mandatory, however..
Click to expand...

"Mandatory" is a strong word. You can skip a ton and do fine, but you'll lose a point for every class you miss after the first two per course. That being said, for the most part class is more worth your time second year than it is first year generally speaking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'm kind of confused about the status updates. What does "Your application has been received" mean? It's been like this for a while now. Also, does anyone know when they stop having interviews?
 
Eleventhirteen said:
"Mandatory" is a strong word. You can skip a ton and do fine, but you'll lose a point for every class you miss after the first two per course. That being said, for the most part class is more worth your time second year than it is first year generally speaking.
Click to expand...

For years there was a perception, based on that nasty looking calendar and which I myself believed, that attendance at TCOM was mandatory and everyone had to be on campus 8-5. Well, it turned out to be not quite true. Still, many people showed up religiously either out of habit or to study with friends.

2nd year classes are more interesting - there is more interactivity, people tend to ask good questions and it's hard to participate if you're not there. In my experience, attendance was left to the discretion of the individual professors and course directors, and there was plenty of time at the end of the year for boards. (FWIW Board scores >>>> preclinical grades, although there seems to be a correlation in the sense that you need to know the class material in order to do well on boards.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

PapaGuava
2022-2023 University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM)
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
510
Views
91K
imtiredofthisgrandpa
I
PapaGuava
2021-2022 University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM)
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
380
Views
125K
nxm3
nxm3
PapaGuava
2020-2021 University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM)
8 9 10 11 12
Replies
572
Views
161K
Wdl2020
W
PapaGuava
  • Locked
2022-2023 Alphabetic Index of Osteopathic School-Specific Discussion Threads
Replies
0
Views
62K
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
2019-2020 University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM)
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
546
Views
159K
MRKHAN06
MRKHAN06
Top