texas schools: houston, galveston, san antonio

Started by dookbloo
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dookbloo

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hi guys, im having a hard time deciding between which of these 3 schools would be my favorite. if any of you go to any of these 3 schools, can you comment on the amount of class, amount of work, quality of teaching, your student body, social lives, facilities, and anything else you think i might want to know. also, which of the 3 has the best reputation in terms of getting residency. thanks for your help
ravi
 
I got to UTMB.

Class: Class time isnt all that long - no 8-5 in lecture. The longest class is Gross, which is 8-2, all the rest of the blocks are 4 hours/day in class/lab and the rest of the day is free to study.

We have PBL and traditional lectures, it works out pretty well, usually. Occasionally you get a rude person in your group, but that's ok. We also start clinical stuff early - homevisits and days in outpatient clinics start in first year.

Social life: I think it's pretty good. Im married, so I wasnt into most of the pubbing stuff, or the trips to Houston. the island itself isnt all that exciting, but the frats and such do put on some interesting parties.

Curriculum: the one thing that we MAJORLY lack is pharmacology. They try to get it into the other blocks, but they fail pretty miserably. The rest of the curriculum is ok - our class got pretty good scores on Step 1 - average of 225 - thats ~10 points above last year's average - and only 2 people failed.

People here are very friendly - moreso than at other medical schools that Ive visited. its not a facade- the friendliness stays around. Very few malignant "gunners" around, though there are plenty of people who strive for excellence and achieve it consistently - somewhat to the dismay of those of us who dont score in the top 10% all the time.

Ummmm..its getting late (for me LOL) so if there's anything else you want to know, feel free to email me.

Star
 
I'm a MS I at UT Houston

Class:
You have a lot of class 1st semester. Usually have lecture/small group learning 8 or 9 - 12 M-F. MWF you have gross lab from 1:30-4:30; TTH you have Histo lab from 1-2:30ish. However, the lectures are videotaped and posted online, so you can stay home and watch the videos any time of day if you learn better that way. Things are supposed to be better next semester when we're done with gross lab - pretty much 8-12 each day. From what I understand, 2nd year schedule is largely 8-12, sometimes doing clinical stuff in the afternoon.

Social life:
SW Houston (by the medical center) is a nice area. There are plenty of great restaurants, and, with Rice U nearby, a respectable bar scene. Many students from my class get together and go out most weekends (except before tests...duh) and there is always a massive "block party" after a week of tests. If bars aren't your thing there are many other ways (service, student organizations, etc.) to get to know your classmates outside of school.

amount of work/teaching
The quality of teaching here is good. I've had some really amazing lectures thusfar, and, like any school, some marginal ones that put me to sleep. The amount of work kinda depends on how well you want to do. I'm doing well and doing 3-4 hours/day during the week with review on the weekends. I know some who get away with less. With so much class, it can be difficult to have enough energy to study at the end of the day.

Prestige/Residencies
If you make good grades and have good board scores, you can get a competitive residency at any of these schools. If you know specifically what residency you want, get a hold of the matchlists of the schools and see how many of each school's grads get into rads, ortho, derm, etc. Some sources I read when I was ranking said that UTMB and UTSA were more prestigious, but it didn't seem to matter when you looked at the match lists. I think it's just that those two are older w/ bigger alumni networks, etc.

Facilities
You probably know UTH got flooded badly when tropical storm allison came through Houston. As a result the first floor is undergoing major construction right now. It should be done by next year. The school will end up looking better than it did before the flood. IMHO, UTH has an advantage over the others in terms of the hospitals it is associated with. St. Luke's, Hermann, MD Anderson are all major hospitals. The variety of pathology that you will see in the Texas Medical Center would be very hard to match.

Overall, I'm really glad I matched here (though initially sad that I couldn't get off SWestern's waitlist.) The atmosphere is so supportive. The school definitely has it's own personality - Classes are taken seriously, but no one takes themselves too seriously. Med school is tough work...but UTH does a good job of making sure the experience is bearable and maybe even fun.

whew! that's long. Hope it helps. PM me if you have more Q's.
 
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UTMB grad here. I can't comment on the specific curriculum as it's changed considerably since I was there (we had a good pharm class when I went there).

The atmosphere is the thing that really distinguishes UTMB. Since the previous poster was married, he didn't really highlight the social life of the school. The school really is a close community, with practically all the students of all the medical, nursing, PA, and PT schools living within either walking or short driving distance from the medical campus.

Most of the students end up joining one of the medical fraternities (which are really just social societies that put on parties at various points throughout the year). Going to school at UTMB was a lot of fun really, and this coming from a guy that really doesn't like small towns or small cities. I've always been a large metro city kind of guy (lived in Dallas, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and next Los Angeles), but my time in Galveston was pretty damned enjoyable.

I got the impression that some of the other Texas schools were kind of commuter schools where the students saw each other at class and lab, and that was pretty much it. In Galveston, you saw your classmates constantly. At the frathouses, at the amazingly frequent parties they held (which are all open to all students, usually open to all health professions students), at the local bars, clubs, the beach, the school gym, etc. It was much like an extension of college life, but in medical school. Though I was more than ready to leave Galveston by graduation time, I missed that sense of community when I went to residency, and certainly now in private practice.
 
thanks for the thorough replies, you guys. its nice to hear someones opinion whos actually there. anyone else have aything to offer? san antonio? it sounds like you are all pretty happy with your decisions.
 
Hey, I'll represent for UTHSC-San Antonio. I'm an MS1 there so maybe I can do an o.k. job of answering your questions.
As far as class-time goes....we have a lot of it, but the Dean mentioned the other day in one of his speeches that they'd gotten "dinged" a little bit in the accreditation site visit/report thing about the number of class hours we have, and said that they were currently evaluating that to see how it could be modified. I think we're unique, as far as Texas schools go, in that we actually begin school around the first of July. That first month is taken up solely by going to a class entitled Clinical Integration Course which basically means that we learn physical exam skills, how to conduct a medical interview without looking like a complete idiot, how to "be a good doctor" (interpret that however you wish) and such-like. There's a wide variety of opinions on how well-liked that particular class is, but a lot of the real M.D.'s we're in contact with think that early exposure to that sort of thing proves to be really valuable by the time we get to third year and have REAL patient contact. As far as the other curriculum goes, we start off with three courses, adding a fourth after the first round of tests. A typical week is something like this: lecture from pretty much 9 till noon or one, then a lab lasting for a couple of hours. We currently do anatomy lab two days a week and histology lab two days. The other afternoon is taken up by some other activity (Community Physician visits, MS3 Coach Visit, Geriatric Professor Visit, Humanities, etc....) We started out having anatomy lab 3 days a week, but thankfully they slack off on that after the first round of tests. The actual schedule is on-line so you can check it out if you want.
Social life is comparable to any other major city, I think. Others may disagree, but for the most part you can pretty much find whatever scene you're into without much problem.
Most people do have to drive to get to campus, although there are some places to live where you could walk I suppose. Definitely not like it is at UTMB where most people are concentrated within a few blocks of the campus and can ride bikes or walk.
Hope this little bit helps. I gotta go learn the Carboxylic Acid Cycle forwards, backwards and upside-down before I go to sleep. Feel free to contact me by e-mail if I can answer any other questions for you.

Good luck with your decision!
Kevin.
[email protected]
 
I'm an MS-III at UTMB. If you're interested in any kind of primary care, this is the place. If you want to go into surgery (like I do), stay away. The surgeons aren't particularly prolific, and the surgery dept takes a back seat to medicine across the board.

On the good side, we have a prison attached to the hospital and are the main hospital the Mexico and the Caribbean refer to, so you do see some really interesting pathology.

Weaknesses: Pharm, jurisprudence and the incredibly overdone emphasis on ethics. They bury you with ethics garbage all 4 years of medskool, with lots of debate but no legal issues. It's incredibly frustating. For the most part, if you weren't an ethical person coming into med school, no class is going to make you ethical. Plus they tend to promote their own idealogy and biases in all the classes.

If I had to choose again, I wouldn't go here. But again, I'm surgery biased. UTSA and A&M are good schools I would've probably chosen instead.

Hope this helps.
 
Tom- are you talking about that POM thingy that we had in block 5??? that was pretty stupid, even if they brought lawyers in to lead the small groups. I think, though that the ethics stuff is pretty much going to be anywhere - even though it is the stupid basic stuff like "dont sleep with your patients".

Also, have you been through surgery yet? There's plenty going on, too much, from my non-wannabesurgeon viewpoint. Just stay off the General teams. Try Pedi as your general, or Burns and wow, you'll be in surgery all day every day.

Star
 
Originally posted by tomplatz

On the good side, we have a prison attached to the hospital and are the main hospital the Mexico....
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Obviously, you've never been to Thomason Hospital in El Paso, Texas. 🙂
 
MS3-UTMB here. Can't compare Surgery to Medicine, but UTMB surgery is actually very respectable. Faculty cranks out a lot of publications and the chairman of the department, the #2, and #3 are all one of the most respected surgeons in the country (Townsend, Nealon, Evers). Additionally, there's plenty of research to go around to med students (if you're interested, of course... not too many people are here, so you don't have to worry about "competing" for research positions).

Surgery, medicine, and pediatrics run the Emergency Room here (which is an anomaly). While this may suck for those wanting a EM letter, it's a great experience for those who don't. Surgery covers trauma, which at other institutions would be covered by the EM department. Additionally, Surgery students/residents get a chance to do Shriners Burns for kids, which is incredibly awesome (and heart wrenching) experience. The staff and faculty there are great.

For those wanting to do EM: while the downside is that UTMB does NOT have a EM department (where you can get a letter), the good news is that our EM course requirement can be fulfilled anywhere in the country. So for those wanting to do EM, this would be your opportunity to do an "audition" while fulfilling a requirement.

In the first 2 years, it does seems like UTMB emphasizes on cranking out primary care physicians. One faculty member once said that a great specialist is first a great generalist. One of the reasons for this is because it IS a state hospital/med school that draws a lot of students from underserved areas in hopes that they will go back there to practice. That said, UTMB is moving away from overemphasizing primary care specialties as seen with the dissolution of the Multiambulatory Clerkship in favor for an Elective month during the 3rd year and the decrease in residency spots offered for Family Med.

Don't get me wrong, UTMB is not Hopkins and the vast majority of people who choose to go to UTMB don't aspire to be the Chair of Surgery at Mass Gen, but if you really wanted to do something and achieve here, you can... if you seek it out (hehehe... sometimes this "self-directed" learning gets out of control).

The best measure of the strength of the program is to see how many people got their first choice match. But that crap isn't really published much. Good programs can match people into derm, rad, ortho, ent, etc... but just because a program doesn't match kids into those programs doesn't mean it's a bad program (triple negative?). Not everyone wants to be a dermatologist.
 
Anymore about UTSA? I am trying to decide on ranking UTH or UTSA first. I am interested in surgery and community programs for the underprivileged. Thanks!
 
Originally posted by Texagg2003
Anymore about UTSA? I am trying to decide on ranking UTH or UTSA first. I am interested in surgery and community programs for the underprivileged. Thanks!
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Umm, I'll put my vote in for Houston. 😉

But seriously, I think the surgery is great here so far. I've met several surgical residents and they are all happy to have me tag along when I want despite their busy schedules and I go in once a week to watch surgery with the director of the general surgery residency program. He thinks its great that I show up and when I get tired of watching him he has offered to introduce me around so I can get in on a lot of different stuff.

As for the community programs I don't know so much about that side. I know you can spend a lot of time at LBJ doing rotations your third year if you want and you'll see an underpriviledged crowd at that hospital.
 
Actually....

UTMB is trying to start an EM residency program in the next few years. To further this end, we now have THREE WHOLE EM board certified docs. The Internists etc are being phased out.

Although, I doubt the trauma team will ever be anything but surgery....I just cant see them letting that happen.

Star
 
Originally posted by Starflyr
Actually....

UTMB is trying to start an EM residency program in the next few years. To further this end, we now have THREE WHOLE EM board certified docs. The Internists etc are being phased out.

Although, I doubt the trauma team will ever be anything but surgery....I just cant see them letting that happen.

Star
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Wow! That's like 200% more than they had when I went to school there! Amazing progress. I don't think they'll ever get an EM program there. No infrastructure, they'll never get out from under surgery's thumb.
 
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UTSA here
first year:
there was a lot of class time but our syllabus is so well written that you really don't have to go to class in order to do well. If oyu need the lecures, they are there for you and I would say that the majority of the professors are really enthuastic about teaching. Excellent anatomy faculty. In my opinion probably the best you are going to get. The 4th yrs do the prosections (examlpe cadaver) while I heard at houston they assign a first year to do it. I was not too big of a fan of CIC but it definetely helped easy us into med school and gave us an opportunity to get to know our classmates in a fairly stress free environment. You will know how to do a full history and physical by August and with the new board exam coming, I expect our school to have no trouble with it at all.
Exams are in blocks, every 6 weeks.

No PBL at all.

second year is organ system based with exams about every 4 weeks. there is pretty much one exam every 4 weeks that has all the subjects combined. It's not as bad as it sounds and it keeps the pain of exam week to a minimum. with the organ system that we are learning we also learn the specific physical exam that pertains.

SA starts early, both MS1 and MS2 but we have 3 weeks for winter break, 1 week spring break, and the ms2s get out early april so that you can stuy for boards before 3rd year starts in mid june.

A lot of the people are married and have kids. But there are a fair amount of single people as well and it does seem to look as if the admissions comittee takes a long hard look at those pictures before they accept someone.

You have your standard bars and clubs.. not to mention that it is an hour away from Austin in case you need a 6th street fix.
 
Originally posted by firecracker
The 4th yrs do the prosections (examlpe cadaver) while I heard at houston they assign a first year to do it.
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well, you take turns coming in early and prosecting once every 7 labs with the help of your 2nd year pedagog. you are responsible for learning the lab and all the clinical correlates before the lab to teach and help the other six tanks in your area and to give presentations while everyone is doing the lab. you also have the opportunity every lab to walk around and look at other prosections to get a couple different views and hear the presentation more than once.

we also have a master dissection by the surgeon who is in charge of the lab and maybe 8 other faculty walking around helping plus the one second year who honored the class last year per every 7 tanks.
 
oops, I hope my post didn't come across as if I were trying to say that our program is better than Houston. It's just different. I think every school is good in their own way and it's not like if something sucks that the school will keep it that way. As far as I know, most schools are always refining their programs, continuously trying to improve them.

The fourth years here can take anatomy as an elective. They do the prosections and circulate around during MS1 anatomy and help with the disections and who are available for tutoring. We also have faculty circulating as well. The 4th years like it because it is a light elective and it really helps to rehash anatomy, especially if you are going into surgery. They also get to make good money tutoring! It helps when they do the prosection b/c they know exactly how to do them (most of them got As in anatomy) and they come out looking perfect.

Every group is responsible for every disection and there are little quizzes on them which are fairly easy... I think they are just to make sure that the disection is done.

Our clinical correlations are presented to us during lecture. We also have to learn X-rays and cross section that pertain to the area of the body that we are studying.

That's about all that I remember from anatomy. But of course, there is more to med school than just anatomy. All 3 of the med schools mentioned all good and they all have something different to offer. If you like PBL, galveston is the way to go. Houston and San Antonio are two fairly different cities with pretty similar programs as far as I know so if your environment is something that is important to you then you may want to check out these cities more carefully.

(sorry for all the typos previously)
 
Originally posted by firecracker
oops, I hope my post didn't come across as if I were trying to say that our program is better than Houston. It's just different. I think every school is good in their own way and it's not like if something sucks that the school will keep it that way. As far as I know, most schools are always refining their programs, continuously trying to improve them.
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I know. 🙂
 
In chossing between UTSA and UTH, I am having a problem as well. For med stuents at both schools, was it your first choice and why, and are you glad you made that choice?. is there anything you know now that reinforced your decision or visaversa? My interview to both seemed similar, so i was hoping for some insight-thanks so much.
 
Originally posted by Sessamoid
Wow! That's like 200% more than they had when I went to school there! Amazing progress. I don't think they'll ever get an EM program there. No infrastructure, they'll never get out from under surgery's thumb.
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ROFL it seems like so little...but at least it's SOME progress - Dr English is no longer the ONLY one there.....and yanno, he never actually did an EM residency, he was "grandfathered in" b/c he had so much experience and you used to be able to get credit for a residency based on just experience in EM>...

Star
 
I know a guy (Dr. Vincent, young guy) that is working as an ER doc at UTMB. I think he's one of the guys that is starting the program. He was my dad's med student during 3rd year IM office rotations (at UTMB).

He's a nice guy and apparently a great ER doc.
 
Hi I am also having a hard time deciding which to rank #1 between Houston and San Antonio, is there anyone else with some insight into making this decision? I would greatly appreciate it thanks!
 
I'm a first-year at UTHSCSA and can give you a little insight into how I made my choice. And believe me, it was a hard one:

For me, it was mostly atmosphere. The medical school in SA is located at the Health Science Center in northwest San Antonio. It is a suburban-type area with plenty of bars, clubs, and restaurants within 1-2 miles of the medical center. This has alot to do with the fact that our school also teaches dentists, nurses, and allied health students, not to mention UTSA (which is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT undergraduate school), which is just down the road, and St. Mary's undergrad and law schools.

I cannot speak much for Houston, since I have only visited the campus a few times, but the med school there is located in the heart of downtown. I chose San Antonio over Houston because medical school is stressful enough without the added distractions of traffic and crime. That's not to say we don't have plenty of both in San Antonio, but I just felt it was more of a problem in Houston.

Another huge factor for me was Austin. Austin is only an hour away from northwest San Antonio. I love live music and need an escape every now and then, and Austin has always been just that for me. Though, granted, I did drive to Houston to see Radiohead play... ;-)

When it comes down to numbers, UTHSCSA and the TMC are both really good schools. The medical centers in both towns are unbelievable. The TMC in Houston really is phenomenal. Make your choice based on where you'll be comfortable for four years of your life.
 
Pickle Salt!!!!!!

goodness, haven't seen you around in a while... 🙂

With regard to the choice, do you think that your quality of life is better in SA vs. Houston? I'm talking in terms of life outside of school..
 
Originally posted by EvoDevo
With regard to the choice, do you think that your quality of life is better in SA vs. Houston? I'm talking in terms of life outside of school..
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both cities blow, and I'm speaking from experience here mister 😛
 
Originally posted by Sessamoid
Yeah, but at least San Antonio is (a little) closer to Austin.
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Houston is much closer to New Orleans which is all I'm concerned about 😉
 
new orleans ain't got nothin on austin, honey.

"quality of life" is a very subjective thing. for me, life's quality depends upon meeting new people, having an easy escape when med school life gets a bit rough, access to plenty of markets, restaurants, bars, clubs, parks, movie theaters, etc. nearby, and avoiding things like traffic, crime, smog, and rude people. Houston and San Antonio both have their share of each, but San Antonio's medical school is located in its northwest region. The hill country begins about a mile north of the school and while there's plenty of trees (and deer) around, I-10 is a quarter mile away. It's a beautiful suburb in arguably one of the nicest parts of town, and while there's plenty of traffic near the medical center (which is expected with 8+ hospitals in the area), it's mostly a quiet place.

Living near the TMC in Houston gives you many opportunities, however, to be close to all sorts of the same commodities. I'm not the best person to describe these things, so I'll leave that for someone who attends that school.

Keep in mind that I'm a single girl with a thirst for live music and nothing to lose. If you're married and/or have kids, there are alot of things that San Antonio has to offer (as does commuting in Houston). Pick the place that fits you best.
 
Originally posted by seaworthc
both cities blow, and I'm speaking from experience here mister 😛
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Seabass, everything blows in comparison to NO.....I think you're ruined for life. 😉
 
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Originally posted by Pickle Salt
new orleans ain't got nothin on austin, honey.
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I'm not talking about the french quarter, but unless you live there its not a side you'll most likely see. So I beg to differ. 😉


Originally posted by EvoDevo
Seabass, everything blows in comparison to NO.....I think you're ruined for life. 😉
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I know 🙁 however I think my problem lies with Texas in general, spent too much time with a bunch of northerners I think.

maybe Boston next? that surely should be able to compete.
 
How is the cost of living between the two places (Houston and SA)? Also, what was your most important factor in deciding which school that you attended? Thanks so much for you help everyone so far!
 
living in SA is pretty reasonable. my roommate and I pay $860 on a 1000-ft 2/2 apartment. And that was the high end of prices we were willing to pay.

since houston's med school is located in downtown houston, i would suspect cost of living is a little higher, if not much higher.

beer is about $2.50 a bottle. heh.

i've given you kids alot of general characteristics about SA/Houston. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.
 
Originally posted by Pickle Salt
living in SA is pretty reasonable. my roommate and I pay $860 on a 1000-ft 2/2 apartment. And that was the high end of prices we were willing to pay.

since houston's med school is located in downtown houston, i would suspect cost of living is a little higher, if not much higher.
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Just to clarify...the medical school is NOT in downtown Houston. Downtown is about 4 miles north of the TMC.

I paid ~$600/month rent my first year and now I pay $1200/month...I tell you this just to emphasize that Houston has a wide variety of housing options around the TMC.

As far as nightlife in Texas...Austin>Dallas>Houston>San Antonio

As far as the schools themselves...both will give you a great education. You will never impress anyone with saying you graduated from either school and neither school has an advantage over the other in terms of matching their graduates into great residencies.

The major objective difference between the two schools is the TMC itself, SA's med center doesn't have the prestigious hospitals.

Go with your gut on this one.
 
I am having a difficult time selecting between TCOM and UTHSCSA in which to rank ahead of the other. I really liked TCOM and my interview in SA didn't go so hot. I appreciate everyones feedback on this thread! It is tough trying to rank the schools!!!
 
Originally posted by STAC
I am having a difficult time selecting between TCOM and UTHSCSA in which to rank ahead of the other. I really liked TCOM and my interview in SA didn't go so hot. I appreciate everyones feedback on this thread! It is tough trying to rank the schools!!!
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I thought you really wanted to go to UTHSCSA. Even if you aren't sure about your interview if you really want to go to UTHSCSA rank it #1 and then rank TCOM # 2. If you don't get into UTHSCSA and you do get into TCOM then that's where you'll be going. But if you do get into UTHSCSA and into TCOM but ranked TCOM #1 then you won't be going to UTHSCSA. Sorry that may sound really confussing.
 
I know...I'm all confused.

I don't know what I'm freaking out about...I just had a really really really good interview at TCOM. That's all.

They are trying to play with my heart strings on certain things is all.

Thanks for keeping me in check...I'm probably just hungry. LOL
 
Originally posted by STAC
I know...I'm all confused.

I don't know what I'm freaking out about...I just had a really really really good interview at TCOM. That's all.

They are trying to play with my heart strings on certain things is all.

Thanks for keeping me in check...I'm probably just hungry. LOL
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If it helps your decision *I* would be MUCH happier if fewer people ranked UTHSCSA as #1 as I only applied to TCOM and UTSHSCSA and only got interviewed at UTHSCSA.

So... Go for it rank TCOM as #1. 😉
 
Originally posted by Megalofyia
If it helps your decision *I* would be MUCH happier if fewer people ranked UTHSCSA as #1 as I only applied to TCOM and UTSHSCSA and only got interviewed at UTHSCSA.

So... Go for it rank TCOM as #1. 😉
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Ditto. What she said.
 
Originally posted by STAC
I am having a difficult time selecting between TCOM and UTHSCSA in which to rank ahead of the other. I really liked TCOM and my interview in SA didn't go so hot. I appreciate everyones feedback on this thread! It is tough trying to rank the schools!!!
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As much as I complain about SA (a lot of people who grow up there do) they still have yummy Mexican.

+1 point for being in the same town as Rosario's and Paloma Blanca

-1 point for the UTHSCSA for being out in the boonies of SA

but seriously, everyone I know who has moved to San Antonio has generally really liked it 🙂
 
Originally posted by EvoDevo
Ditto. What she said.
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WOW!!! What a good night sleep will do for you!!!

Here's to us being classmates in SA!!!

By the way, you can get anywhere in SA from anywhere in SA in ~20 minutes. I live 5 minutes from downtown SA and it takes me only 11 minutes to get to work at the school.
Now the international airport in HOUSTON is what I call being in the boondocks!!!!(SP?)
 
Originally posted by STAC
By the way, you can get anywhere in SA from anywhere in SA in ~20 minutes. I live 5 minutes from downtown SA and it takes me only 11 minutes to get to work at the school.
Now the international airport in HOUSTON is what I call being in the boondocks!!!!(SP?)
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hey now, I just paid a compliment to SA, but the school is kind of out in the boonies in locals opinion.

if I went to SA I would choose to live in Alamo Height-ish area (and I don't even like the whole o-Niners thing) and it is a good 20 minutes without traffic to get to the school. The 410 I-10 interchange right by the school is not nice.


UT Houston is no where near the Houston Intercontinental 😉
 
I live in Monte Vista and yeah an 09er can add at least 5 minutes to getting to the school and if I went to Houston, I would do the Rice university area thing. But locals considering it the boonies isn't true. The I-10/ 410 interchange is working very well and when finished will be the largest of its kind in the nation! The construction there is going super fast and the commute is has only become faster with time.
 
I grew up in SA and yes, people who live on the NE and N side of town consider 410 past the I-10 interchange kind of out there and a bit ghetto. Clark is the only real high school out there that is comparable to the NE School District Schools (and yes, some NE schools are going in the gutter too, my parents yanked all my siblings out and they now go to Keystone.) I'm just saying all the cool stuff is generally thought to be more NE, I don't know anyone who goes over to the NW 'ghetto' side to do stuff.

The most important part of my original message was that everyone I know who has moved to SA has loved it. I was just saying this cause I usually don't say the greatest stuff about SA and was trying to give YOU a positive to rank it first. Didn't realize you are already there.

I love my school (ranked it first, don't wish to be at any other school, yada yada) and live in the Rice area, but I'll be honest, I'm pretty apathetic to Houston, but do like it better than SA which probably has a lot to do with the fact that I grew up there.

I was never ragging on UTHSC-SA. In fact, I ranked it second after my school, I just didn't think it was the place for me and after talking to current first years, I know I made the right choice.
 
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Actually there are a few highschools in the medical center area. Health Careers and Winston come to mind. I've lived in San Antonio most of my life and I think that the medical center is far from being in the boonies. Maybe 20 years ago it was but it is a pretty built up area with plenty to do now. Alamo Heights is overrated. It is expensive and snooby. All they have is central market.
Certainly with Elm Creek (just 7 min from UTHSCSA) Whispering Oaks, etc being on the north side of town the Medical center area is far from ghetto.
 
Originally posted by STAC
Do you live here?! Get out!!!
Click to expand...

🙁 😱 Did I not try to give you good honest advice about ranking schools? And now your trying to get rid of me?
 
Originally posted by Megalofyia
🙁 😱 Did I not try to give you good honest advice about ranking schools? And now your trying to get rid of me?
Click to expand...
😛

Right!!! That's what I meant?! NOT!!!

How tough do y'all think the clinical integration course is that first month in SA? Are you freaking out studying for it during the summer? Is the class competitive? Is there a transition phase that takes place or does one just take off like a navy jet?
How are you graded in that CIC?
 
Originally posted by STAC
😛

Right!!! That's what I meant?! NOT!!!

How tough do y'all think the clinical integration course is that first month in SA? Are you freaking out studying for it during the summer? Is the class competitive? Is there a transition phase that takes place or does one just take off like a navy jet?
How are you graded in that CIC?
Click to expand...

From what I've heard the CIC class is easy. I don't know how it's graded but I'm not worried about that class. My only objection is that it's mandatory because I have some other things I'd like to do at the same time that would actually cover the same information. The CIC class is like a transition phase.
Generally speaking I get the feeling that the students are not competative but that there are, of course, some gunners.

Any current UTHSCSA students that can answer this questions with their opinion?
 
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