UNTHSC/TCOM Discussion Thread 2011-2012

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Congrats on all of you who received interviews :) Could someone please clear something up for me - my TMDSAS was verified three weeks ago. However, my third letter of rec will be arriving next week. So, is UNTHSC TCOM waiting on my letter to consider me for an interview or do they give out interviews before all letters have arrived to TMDSAS? How do I find out if I am complete? Also, should I have Interfolio mail a fourth letter from a DO directly to the school, or how does that work? Finally, is it too late in the cycle to be considered for an interview? BTW, I am OOS. Thanks so much!

It's not too late in the cycle! TCOM starts interviews relatively early so rest easy on that front. You should definitely have that 4th letter sent to them, I think it would give you a nice boost as an OOS applicant.

I can't comment on the 3rd letter and if it's necessary before an interview invite can be sent. I THINK the TMDSAS requires all letters before the app is even sent to schools, and don't forget the secondary as well!

Good luck!!!!

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Congrats on all of you who received interviews :) Could someone please clear something up for me - my TMDSAS was verified three weeks ago. However, my third letter of rec will be arriving next week. So, is UNTHSC TCOM waiting on my letter to consider me for an interview or do they give out interviews before all letters have arrived to TMDSAS? How do I find out if I am complete? Also, should I have Interfolio mail a fourth letter from a DO directly to the school, or how does that work? Finally, is it too late in the cycle to be considered for an interview? BTW, I am OOS. Thanks so much!
They review new apps through Sep, I believe. I would recommend calling and/or emailing the office regarding the completion of your app.:luck:
 
Anybody go to the open house this weekend? Thoughts? Was it worth it?
 
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Does anybody know how many people TCOM take from the B.S./D.O program, and the med sci program?

Just trying to figure out how many spots they have for the regular applicants. Thanks.
 
Does anybody know how many people TCOM take from the B.S./D.O program, and the med sci program?

Just trying to figure out how many spots they have for the regular applicants. Thanks.

Good question. I think MS-Med Sci Program has the stipulation that if you graduate with a 3.5 you get an automatic acceptance? Correct me if I am wrong anyone but this is what i got from talking to people there...

Not sure on the B.S/Do program. Also you have to count in the JAMP kids too.
 
I didn't do MedSci, but as far as I know, there are no automatic acceptances from MS. Regardless of how well you do, you must apply, interview, and be accepted. However, I believe if you are in MS, you compete for spots only with other MS students, not the entire application pool.

If someone knows more about this, please correct me if I'm mistaken.
 
If MS students are only competing with other MS students, sounds to me then there must be a quota for them.
 
From what I've read and heard, the MedSci program does not guarantee any acceptances. I think they guarantee interviews. It's supposed to be extremely competitive. TCOM actually encourages the students to apply to other schools. I'm not sure if they have a quota or if they compete against each other rather than the whole application pool. I have 2 co-workers who were in the MedSci program. Neither went to TCOM. I think one of them went to San Antonio.
 
Anybody go to the open house this weekend? Thoughts? Was it worth it?
I went. It was more inspiring than say, UTSW's open house. I couldn't stay for the tour as my flight left early, but i did hear the med students, staff, and admissions Q&A.

Admissions: The best part of the open house. Very honest comments on how applicants are judged. Cognitive/non cognitive abilities were mentioned to be viewed equally. Mention significant things you did in PS. They seemed to like long term / heavy commitment ECs.

MS2 panel: about 7 med students from different backgrounds answered questions. 3 were prior SMP grads? Pretty straight forward questions (finances, lifestyle)

DO/PhD seems flexible, almost as an elective choice for a DO student. Very few actually finish their PhD (that's what I got from the pres).

Rural medicine: I found this more interesting than expected. Doing specialty rotations in rural areas would be excellent experience, i'm wondering if requesting a few rotations is possible as a regular student.

If someone could comment on the tour I'd love to hear it, I had to skip out for my flight.
 
The tour was pretty good also, we went to SIM lab, anatomy lab, OMM lab, and the library. All the facilities are brand new. They even re-created a wing that resembles exactly like the Pennsylvania board testing site to help the students, and it's only been open for a month.

The two MS2 giving the tour genuinely seems to like their experience at the school, and are very forthcoming with all the questions.
 
From what I've read and heard, the MedSci program does not guarantee any acceptances. I think they guarantee interviews. It's supposed to be extremely competitive. TCOM actually encourages the students to apply to other schools. I'm not sure if they have a quota or if they compete against each other rather than the whole application pool. I have 2 co-workers who were in the MedSci program. Neither went to TCOM. I think one of them went to San Antonio.

Now that i think of it I think this was it. I know that they boast like 95% of the students who go through it with 3.5 or above get into medical school
 
Howdy. I too am an applicant. I met a 2nd yr student on campus after my interview and got to talk to her a while. She said the med sci's who got in at TCOM were those who got an interview and outranked their pool. Not many got in at TCOM, so they told everyone up front to apply to other schools for insurance, with the result that some of them ended up in M.D. schools. Most are in med school someplace. Incidentally, I'm somewhat worried because she said most TCOM 1st yr's are young freshouts from the big TX schools, many with MCATs >= high 20s and I'm what they would call a nontraditional: interruption, mil service + married. My interview went well and I'm optimistic but I know they still have a lot of applicants to go thru, interview and rank. Regarding the other comments, all I can say is it's clear TCOM is looking for emotional intelligence like social skills & manners & empathy along with book smart intelligence, which makes sense in view of their history of graduating good docs. They're a proud school.
 
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I am a 1st year student that got into TCOM through the med sci program. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions. I can say without a doubt that I am very thankful to be attending such a fine school. Good luck to everyone in the admissions process. :luck:
 
Just sent my thank you notes. A little week delay. I love this school so much.
 
I interviewed at TCOM today as well. Everyone there from the professors to the staff to the student ambassadors were incredibly helpful and nice. Over half of us were Aggies. It seems that have been the trend through the first three interview days at TCOM. Most said that their interviews were conversational but mine were much more formal. I got some hardball questions as well as some ethical and health care reform questions. Overall, the school is amazing and has some really nice facilities. If anyone has specific questions, I would be happy to answer them.
 
So along with the two above me I had my interview at TCOM today. There were definitely a large proportion of aggies, whoop! The school has a very relaxed atmosphere and everyone is extremely friendly. The interviews seemed to vary alottt among the interviewees because almost everyone had different interviewers, although 2 to 3 may have had the same person. In my case, the first interviewer was a DO internist who was very laid back and asked pretty standard questions such as why choose medicine, etc. The second interviewer was a PhD researcher who spent probably half of my interview discussing my research. I'm definitely glad this was my first interview because I now feel much more comfortable to go in to future interviews! PM me if you need anything else!
 
Like the two posters above me, I had a great experience interviewing at TCOM. Both of my interviews were conversational with no ethical questions and I was not asked about the osteopathic philosophy. That being said, topics such as healthcare reform, DO philosophy, future of medicine, etc. did come up in our talks. I would be prepared to discuss these, give opinions, and listen openly to the opinions of your interviewers. Despite the formal setting, I came away from both interviews with new insights about various aspects of healthcare.

I had one interview in the morning and one in the afternoon, but some applicants had both in the morning or both in the afternoon. After my first interview, I spent about an hour of down time with fellow applicants in the admissions office waiting room. I was extremely impressed by the other applicants. Maybe there were neurotic, awkward, pre-meds in the group ;), but if so they hid it well! Every single applicant seemed laid-back, kind, and friendly.

Mid-morning we had an orientation session. This was just a powerpoint presentation covering interesting/important facts about the school. We had lunch after orientation. Each table had a second year medical student. Ours was very friendly and informative. After lunch the students took us on a tour which lasted about an hour. Some highlights were the new Medical Education and Training facilities which are pristine and state-of-the-art and the anatomy lab.

Well, that about covers it! Good luck to those with future interviews!
 
Like the two posters above me, I had a great experience interviewing at TCOM. Both of my interviews were conversational with no ethical questions and I was not asked about the osteopathic philosophy. That being said, topics such as healthcare reform, DO philosophy, future of medicine, etc. did come up in our talks. I would be prepared to discuss these, give opinions, and listen openly to the opinions of your interviewers. Despite the formal setting, I came away from both interviews with new insights about various aspects of healthcare.

I had one interview in the morning and one in the afternoon, but some applicants had both in the morning or both in the afternoon. After my first interview, I spent about an hour of down time with fellow applicants in the admissions office waiting room. I was extremely impressed by the other applicants. Maybe there were neurotic, awkward, pre-meds in the group ;), but if so they hid it well! Every single applicant seemed laid-back, kind, and friendly.

Mid-morning we had an orientation session. This was just a powerpoint presentation covering interesting/important facts about the school. We had lunch after orientation. Each table had a second year medical student. Ours was very friendly and informative. After lunch the students took us on a tour which lasted about an hour. Some highlights were the new Medical Education and Training facilities which are pristine and state-of-the-art and the anatomy lab.

Well, that about covers it! Good luck to those with future interviews!

It sounds like we may have had one of the same interviewers :laugh:


Awesome job guys. Good luck to the future interviewees. Glad to see a lot of aggies interviewing too.
 
Just got my interview invite this morning for 8/18. Yay! :D
I'm excited to go, everyone seems to have such a great impression of TCOM.
Not looking forward to driving though, lol.
 
Just got my interview invite this morning for 8/18. Yay! :D
I'm excited to go, everyone seems to have such a great impression of TCOM.
Not looking forward to driving though, lol.

Congrats!
When were you complete?
 
Like the two posters above me, I had a great experience interviewing at TCOM. Both of my interviews were conversational with no ethical questions and I was not asked about the osteopathic philosophy. That being said, topics such as healthcare reform, DO philosophy, future of medicine, etc. did come up in our talks. I would be prepared to discuss these, give opinions, and listen openly to the opinions of your interviewers. Despite the formal setting, I came away from both interviews with new insights about various aspects of healthcare.

I had one interview in the morning and one in the afternoon, but some applicants had both in the morning or both in the afternoon. After my first interview, I spent about an hour of down time with fellow applicants in the admissions office waiting room. I was extremely impressed by the other applicants. Maybe there were neurotic, awkward, pre-meds in the group ;), but if so they hid it well! Every single applicant seemed laid-back, kind, and friendly.

Mid-morning we had an orientation session. This was just a powerpoint presentation covering interesting/important facts about the school. We had lunch after orientation. Each table had a second year medical student. Ours was very friendly and informative. After lunch the students took us on a tour which lasted about an hour. Some highlights were the new Medical Education and Training facilities which are pristine and state-of-the-art and the anatomy lab.

Well, that about covers it! Good luck to those with future interviews!

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of topics came up in the future of medicine discussion? Does anyone know a good website or source to look up current health trends?
 
Just got my interview invite this morning for 8/18. Yay! :D
I'm excited to go, everyone seems to have such a great impression of TCOM.
Not looking forward to driving though, lol.

Just curious from reading UTMB thread did you apply for do/phd here?
 
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of topics came up in the future of medicine discussion? Does anyone know a good website or source to look up current health trends?

There was actually no specific question regarding euthanasia or abortion or the health care bill...my question was just "what are some emerging trends in healthcare right now"? Check out the news in the health and tech sections, that will likely give you some good places to start.

Was nice meeting all of you yesterday.
 
There was actually no specific question regarding euthanasia or abortion or the health care bill...my question was just "what are some emerging trends in healthcare right now"? Check out the news in the health and tech sections, that will likely give you some good places to start.

Was nice meeting all of you yesterday.

I didn't really get asked a question specifically, although it seemed that several other applicants did. I kind of migrated into a talk about some trends and how the reform bill may affect these trends. We talked about things such as the necessity to practice medicine in a defensive manner and how I would feel without the complete autonomy to serve my patients 100% in the manner I see fit, but rather have my service dictated by external factors.
 
Congrats!
When were you complete?

Thanks! I was transmitted 7/8, but I think I submitted my secondary on 7/11. I can't remember exactly.

Just curious from reading UTMB thread did you apply for do/phd here?

I did. I guess I'm getting a soft rejection from the DO/PhD program since I'm only scheduled for two interviews that day. They normally schedule you for three if you're DO/PhD. I'm thinking about calling and asking to see if this is actually the case..
 
Thanks! I was transmitted 7/8, but I think I submitted my secondary on 7/11. I can't remember exactly.



I did. I guess I'm getting a soft rejection from the DO/PhD program since I'm only scheduled for two interviews that day. They normally schedule you for three if you're DO/PhD. I'm thinking about calling and asking to see if this is actually the case..

Youll find out the day of the interview. The staff is really accommodating and helpful. Which department/ who are you interested in doingresearch with?
 
Youll find out the day of the interview. The staff is really accommodating and helpful. Which department/ who are you interested in doingresearch with?

Just called to find out what happened, haha. They're really nice! Apparently I'm not listed as in the DO/PhD pool even though I'm supposed to be. So I'll find out later today or tomorrow.
Don't have a specific person yet, but I really want to do research in pharmacology or gastroenterology. I'm having the hardest time finding a nice list of departments and faculty on their website.. :confused:
 
Just called to find out what happened, haha. They're really nice! Apparently I'm not listed as in the DO/PhD pool even though I'm supposed to be. So I'll find out later today or tomorrow.
Don't have a specific person yet, but I really want to do research in pharmacology or gastroenterology. I'm having the hardest time finding a nice list of departments and faculty on their website.. :confused:
go here http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/gsbs/fieldsofstudy.cfm

then google the area.
You just kinda have to google
ex
http://www.hsc.unt.edu/sites/DepartmentofIntegrativePhysiology/

http://www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pharm/Faculty.htm

Pharmo research at UNTHSC is big. They also moved into a new building about 2 years ago which has lots of stuff. They seem to be some of the better funded departments/labs at UNTHSC. No idea who does GI research if there even is one
 
^ Fabulous! Thank you for that. Ooh, new building! That'll be exciting. Did you get to tour it?
 
^ Fabulous! Thank you for that. Ooh, new building! That'll be exciting. Did you get to tour it?

Well no. Its not the newest one. It was built like in early 2010. Big labs in the building. I saw the inside when i was working there in 2010
 
I did. I guess I'm getting a soft rejection from the DO/PhD program since I'm only scheduled for two interviews that day.


FYI. The admins highly encourge everyone to persue dual degrees (MPH etc) and during 1st yr orientation they mentioned that It is still not out of the picture to apply for the PhD programs well after first year (for those who are unsure yet about applying for the PhD right off the back). Glad to see yall enjoying interviews, although I wish there were more horns coming thru the MET.
 
FYI. The admins highly encourge everyone to persue dual degrees (MPH etc) and during 1st yr orientation they mentioned that It is still not out of the picture to apply for the PhD programs well after first year (for those who are unsure yet about applying for the PhD right off the back). Glad to see yall enjoying interviews, although I wish there were more horns coming thru the MET.

Yar they told us that too. I basically told them that if I could get my old pi on board i would do a Masters or PhD in a heart beat
 
Excellent interview day today. Any other 8/4ers out there?

Had both of my interviews in the morning, both of them male DOs. One interview was very casual, laid back, and conversational - nothing in the form of crazy. Lasted half an hour, and was very pleasant.

My second interview, though, was a different story. We started 15 minutes late, the doc got caught up in something, and it just seemed his mind wasn't there. He was rather formal in his line of questioning, but unemotional and expected quick answers - something I'd expect more from a surgeon than a family practice physician. He was grilling me on several ethical questions, mostly dealing with end-of-life care and abortion issues. He even asked me to draw and fully describe some of the particular phenotypic phenomena that have occurred through the course of my research. I felt well-prepared, but considering most people have had fairly laid back interviews, I was rather concerned what this meant for me.

Also, this second doc would NOT make eye contact with me. Just wouldn't do it. He would ask questions and gaze off in an entirely different direction. I don't know if he was watching me out of the corner of his eye or what... Any thoughts?
 
My second interview, though, was a different story. We started 15 minutes late, the doc got caught up in something, and it just seemed his mind wasn't there. He was rather formal in his line of questioning, but unemotional and expected quick answers - something I'd expect more from a surgeon than a family practice physician... Also, this second doc would NOT make eye contact with me. Just wouldn't do it. He would ask questions and gaze off in an entirely different direction. I don't know if he was watching me out of the corner of his eye or what... Any thoughts?

I wouldn't worry one bit about the second interviewer. From what I've read about job interviews, an interviewer who shows up late tends to overcompensate by giving you a better evaluation. The lack of eye contact was probably from preoccupation or absent-mindedness.
 
Excellent interview day today. Any other 8/4ers out there?

Had both of my interviews in the morning, both of them male DOs. One interview was very casual, laid back, and conversational - nothing in the form of crazy. Lasted half an hour, and was very pleasant.

My second interview, though, was a different story. We started 15 minutes late, the doc got caught up in something, and it just seemed his mind wasn't there. He was rather formal in his line of questioning, but unemotional and expected quick answers - something I'd expect more from a surgeon than a family practice physician. He was grilling me on several ethical questions, mostly dealing with end-of-life care and abortion issues. He even asked me to draw and fully describe some of the particular phenotypic phenomena that have occurred through the course of my research. I felt well-prepared, but considering most people have had fairly laid back interviews, I was rather concerned what this meant for me.

Also, this second doc would NOT make eye contact with me. Just wouldn't do it. He would ask questions and gaze off in an entirely different direction. I don't know if he was watching me out of the corner of his eye or what... Any thoughts?

I know of at least one person there on my interview day who had the same interviewer. He mentioned the exact same characteristics. I wouldn't worry about it; I think that is just his style :)
 
Excellent interview day today. Any other 8/4ers out there?

Had both of my interviews in the morning, both of them male DOs. One interview was very casual, laid back, and conversational - nothing in the form of crazy. Lasted half an hour, and was very pleasant.

My second interview, though, was a different story. We started 15 minutes late, the doc got caught up in something, and it just seemed his mind wasn't there. He was rather formal in his line of questioning, but unemotional and expected quick answers - something I'd expect more from a surgeon than a family practice physician. He was grilling me on several ethical questions, mostly dealing with end-of-life care and abortion issues. He even asked me to draw and fully describe some of the particular phenotypic phenomena that have occurred through the course of my research. I felt well-prepared, but considering most people have had fairly laid back interviews, I was rather concerned what this meant for me.

Also, this second doc would NOT make eye contact with me. Just wouldn't do it. He would ask questions and gaze off in an entirely different direction. I don't know if he was watching me out of the corner of his eye or what... Any thoughts?
I wouldnt worry. you just had a bigger chance to impress them with side of your application.

What were your thought on the school?
 
I wouldnt worry. you just had a bigger chance to impress them with side of your application.

What were your thought on the school?

Thanks to all for the reassurance. Just seems crazy to me... haha. What do you mean by "side of [my] application"?

BMEN, I thought TCOM was excellent. The fact that they encourage a second degree enrollment (including MPH!) and the amount of research they have going on there surprised me - considering my conversations with allopathic physicians implied DO schools were not as competitive or comprehensive in research.

The new MET building is also incredible. We went through the new sim labs, the OMM training area, and gross anat lab - they had cadavers out and students actively dissecting. My first time seeing this, so I was uber excited :D

What impressed me the most was how proud all of the faculty and students seemed to be of osteopathy and the DO degree. My first interviewer went so far as to say that an osteopath was an allopath and a chiropractor combined, with more common sense than either of the two :laugh: the incredible diversity of students (almost half of the incoming class was already married!) also was particularly appealing. But taking a look at their COMLEX and USMLE performances, especially when compared to some MD schools, and their rather excellent match list, I can see why they're very proud.

The first year curriculum seems to be very intense, however, and only getting more difficult. From what I understood, there were also very few breaks for a school that does ~45 hours/week of class time and is in class 46 weeks of first year. I was disappointed by not getting more of a "Q&A" with the second years, because the lunch and tour were rather short and inopportune to ask questions. Also, other than a single week-long trip per year, mainly to Latin/South America, there doesn't seem to be a lot of opportunity for international experiences. I'm willing to learn Spanish, but seeing as French is my second language, schools that have Caribbean or African trips are very appealing to me.

tl;dr:
pros: many opportunities for dual degree even after matriculation, new facilities and equipment, proven curriculum, comparable results to top MD schools with respect to USMLE performance and osteopathic, military, or allopathic residency placement.

cons: intense 8am-5pm days, 46 weeks of 5-day-a-week classes the first year, perceived a lack of international experience opportunities, numeric grading system in most classes
 
I meant "that side of your application."



Seems pretty much like what I took away. Im just awe'd by their board scores and match placement. The 4th year option of going anywhere to get familiar in the residency program is ingenious.
 
Excellent interview day today. Any other 8/4ers out there?

HERE! I felt like overall it was a fairly good day. Orientation felt a bit sporadic, and I thought it would have been nice to have a financial aid rep there to address those issues... Lunch was tasty, but it was a bit weird to have us sandwiched into that narrow walkway. The tour was good, hit the high points and showed off some great new facilities. I agree in wishing that we had a true Q&A with the students, the lunch/tour wasn't conducive to that.

I was pleased with both interviewers, although one sure liked to talk lol. It was a pretty good day overall. Most of the other interviewees were friendly and outgoing, which made the day fun.
 
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Just fyi there is an optional 4 week rotation to Malawi (East Africa) offered in fourth year and we were told the reason they didn't discuss financial aid is because the financial aid office gets just as many calls in the spring whether they discuss it or not :)
 
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HERE! I felt like overall it was a fairly good day. Orientation felt a bit sporadic, and I thought it would have been nice to have a financial aid rep there to address those issues... Lunch was tasty, but it was a bit weird to have us sandwiched into that narrow walkway. The tour was good, hit the high points and showed off some great new facilities. I agree in wishing that we had a true Q&A with the students, the lunch/tour wasn't conducive to that.

I was pleased with both interviewers, although one sure liked to talk lol. It was a pretty good day overall. Most of the other interviewees were friendly and outgoing, which made the day fun.

Hooray! 8/4 for the win! The lunch spot was a bit weird.

Just fyi there is an optional 4 week rotation to Somalia (East Africa) offered in fourth year and we were told the reason they didn't discuss financial aid is because the financial aid office gets just as many calls in the spring whether they discuss it or not :)

Good to know :thumbup:
 
... we were told the reason they didn't discuss financial aid is because the financial aid office gets just as many calls in the spring whether they discuss it or not :)

Thanks for the info, that definitely makes sense!
 
Just fyi there is an optional 4 week rotation to Somalia (East Africa) offered in fourth year and we were told the reason they didn't discuss financial aid is because the financial aid office gets just as many calls in the spring whether they discuss it or not :)

It's Malawi - not Somalia. We don't want to be kidnapped LOL.
 
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