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Please help! Southwestern v. Baylor?!?
- Thread starter MikiKatie
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ChiefToma said:
dry your eyes toma...
MikiKatie: is there not a big price difference between these 2 schools? not that cash is the only determining factor, but both are great schools...
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It depends on your concerns. Personally I like Baylor's schedule of finishing classes in a year and a half. Houston isn't too bad to live in either. Both are great schools, so there isn't a "wrong" choice to make that way. Best of luck in your choice.MikiKatie said:
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Easy, Baylor.... Dallas vs. Houston... Dallas vs. Houston. The naysayers on Houston can say whatever they please about the city, but Dallas is a total hell hole. Next question.
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Yup UTSW!!!utlake said:
And Dallas is no hellhole!!! GO COWBOYS!!
(sidebar: but that a/b/c/d/f grade system does suck... whem they gonna retire that???)
MikiKatie said:
I went through the same decision four years ago. I chose UTSW, even though I'm from Houston originally. They're both top 20 med schools, so you'll be fine either way.
Baylor does finish basic science courses sooner, but at least when I started and for the last several years, UTSW actually outperformed Baylor on step I scores, so finishing those courses earlier was actually harmful. I don't know what jjmack is talking about, his comment is not true at all. When it comes down to the actually important matter, which is matching into a residency, I don't think you can tell a difference...a UTSW or BCM grad is HIGHLY respected nationally. BTW, the cost is virtually the same at either, even though BCM is private...they made a point to let us know that. They and the other texas med schools are the best deals in America as far as cost go!
One thing that helped sway me was the general feel I got from the administration. I sensed a lot of arrogance at BCM from their administration and deans, but at UTSW they showed us their senior film on interview day, were more layed back and casual, actually made jokes about the whole process...much more my style. I just wasn't into the whole patch adams thing, "we're going to make doctors out of you" rant. The other thing that helped me decide was that BCM would not offer me a deferrment if I had asked for one, where as UTSW said they most likely would. That was good, since I ended up asking for one and took a year off before medschool to study abroad. I HIGHLY recommend doing something between college and med school if you have the opportunity...when else in your life will you be able to? Just a thought.
As far as Dallas vs. Houston... they're very similar. I will say that Houston has more to offer over-all (I'm from there, afterall), but it is so enormous that it's a pain to get around. I like Dallas a lot, but if they'd move UTSW or BCM to Austin I would have gone there in a hearbeat.
Hope this helps. I'd love to hear where you end up choosing! 🙂
sunnyjohn said:
The grade system makes no difference, whatsoever. I promise. Call it A, B+, B, C, F, or Honors, high pass, pass, fail...it's all for the same purpose...to determine your class rank. When the Dean sends out the Dean's letter that describes your grades with respect to your class, they will translate the A/B+/B etc into honors/high pass, etc...it's just semantics. I will tell you though that you should be glad you attend a school that provides a class rank...there are a few that don't and their students get seriously hurt by that when competing for residencies. The programs want to be able to compare you to others.
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I would choose Baylor. I think Houston is a better city than Dallas. It's more diverse, has better attractions, and overall, lacks the snobbery of Dallas. This is coming from a girl who was raised in the Dallas area and currently lives in Houston.
As far as med schools go, I think Baylor has more academic options to broaden your medical school experience. All the tracks (international, underserved, ethics, etc.) seem like terrific opportunities!
Man, I wish I were in your shoes...if only baylor would accept me....
As far as med schools go, I think Baylor has more academic options to broaden your medical school experience. All the tracks (international, underserved, ethics, etc.) seem like terrific opportunities!
Man, I wish I were in your shoes...if only baylor would accept me....
I would choose UTSW over Baylor (go figure!) for the same reason txguy listed...I found the administration (and some of the students) to be very arrogant and cocky, which made me feel very uncomfortable and irritated. When I went to interview (and now work at) UTSW, it was more laid back, friendly, and much less stifling and hostile. I also agree, however, that Dallas does suck...but I was raised there, so I've learned how to deal with it. No matter what your decision, best of luck to you! 
TypeSH07 said:
Because they are Yale, UChicago, and Stanford....a name will carry you a long way. And, programs know how competitive these schools are to get into. Also, I think the students at these schools often prepare a thesis or portfolio or something, which is something the residency programs can look at. But these are exceptions. If you go to a non top-20 medschool without a class rank, you depend heavily on your step I...that puts a lot of pressure on one test, don't you think?
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Another thought...
I got the impression that the Baylor administration is more open to address the student's concerns about various things. I feel that a school that lets students sit and make decisions on various administrative committees is willing to respond to their suggestions.
It seemed that southwestern operates under the mentality of "we're going to do things this way b/c that's the way they've always been done," or at least that's the feeling I got.
I got the impression that the Baylor administration is more open to address the student's concerns about various things. I feel that a school that lets students sit and make decisions on various administrative committees is willing to respond to their suggestions.
It seemed that southwestern operates under the mentality of "we're going to do things this way b/c that's the way they've always been done," or at least that's the feeling I got.
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MikiKatie said:
Baylor is only 1 1/2 semesters of class.
Why would you go to an extra semester of class?
Texas Medical Center is way better than the Parkland/Children's complex.
accepted to both, not going to either = no bias/ulterior motive:
baylor all the way. even now i am still wondering if i made the right decision to turn it down. crap! i loved everything about baylor: (to mention only a few) its location, affiliated hospitals (tx children's, ben taub, st lukes, etc), more laid back students and administration, academic opportunities (tracks), and flexibility of the curriculum. utsw felt so wrong for me in many ways. students seemed (to me!!!) to be nerdy and competitive without any outside interests besides academics and research (read: not social or close with one another). granted all this is observation from my interviews/revisits, so this is just how i felt.
as everyone says, you can't go wrong with either choice. congrats and good luck!
baylor all the way. even now i am still wondering if i made the right decision to turn it down. crap! i loved everything about baylor: (to mention only a few) its location, affiliated hospitals (tx children's, ben taub, st lukes, etc), more laid back students and administration, academic opportunities (tracks), and flexibility of the curriculum. utsw felt so wrong for me in many ways. students seemed (to me!!!) to be nerdy and competitive without any outside interests besides academics and research (read: not social or close with one another). granted all this is observation from my interviews/revisits, so this is just how i felt.
as everyone says, you can't go wrong with either choice. congrats and good luck!
I have to echo what everyone else here said. I actually didn't apply to UTSW (even though I'm from Texas) because it has such a malignant reputation. I also really liked Baylor when I went, and their class seems a lot more tight-knit. I think it's a pretty clear choice, and unless you like Dallas a lot, I can't see any advantages of going to UTSW over Baylor. I actually don't know anyone who got into both and chose UTSW, but several who got into both and chose Baylor.
Now you do...chose UTSW over Baylor...I definitely don't regret it. 😛 Like I think we've all been saying, as long as you are at the school you feel most comfortable at.kikkoman said:
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I'm biased, but I'll say BCM over UTSW.
The curriculum at BCM is purdy sweet and the TMC is amazing. The people at BCM struck me as the best mix of social/studiousness out of all the TX schools. There are just far to many opportunities at BCM to turn it down.
The city thing isnt that big of a deal. I personally don't like either cities. It's more of a 'best of the worst' situation.
The curriculum at BCM is purdy sweet and the TMC is amazing. The people at BCM struck me as the best mix of social/studiousness out of all the TX schools. There are just far to many opportunities at BCM to turn it down.
The city thing isnt that big of a deal. I personally don't like either cities. It's more of a 'best of the worst' situation.
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Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate the advice. I just want to talk to as many people as possible from both places to make the most well-informed decision. It's really tough to judge just from interviews and visits.
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It was a tough decision for me too--the way I see it, you can't go wrong with either school.
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I don't know where the earlier poster got his information, but for the last couple of years, Baylor and UPenn have (supposedly) had the 2nd highest or highest average boards scores in the country (235-6). They also have the 1.5-year curriculum and don't require you to take the boards before your 3rd year. Coincidence? I think not. As far as I know, UTSW's board scores, while also excellent, have averaged in the 220s - this is what I remember from their MS0 day, but I could be wrong on this, as it was several months ago.
As for match lists, I don't know what they've looked like before, but I'd put our last 2 years' match lists against any other school's any day. When almost 10% of the class is going into ophthalmology, anaesthesiology, and radiology apiece (nearly 33% of this year's 4th years are following the so-called) ROADS to happiness, I'd at least argue it's not a terrible match list as far as these things go.
As for match lists, I don't know what they've looked like before, but I'd put our last 2 years' match lists against any other school's any day. When almost 10% of the class is going into ophthalmology, anaesthesiology, and radiology apiece (nearly 33% of this year's 4th years are following the so-called) ROADS to happiness, I'd at least argue it's not a terrible match list as far as these things go.
