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sicem07

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Not sure if a thread like this has been posted, I looked and couldn't come up with anything.

What are everyone's impressions of the different Texas Schools? I know the most important opinion is my own blah blah blah......I want gossip, stereotypes, general impressions, people that go there, etc. etc. just curious, might be fun and informative, so any info would be great. Thanks!
 
sicem07 said:
Not sure if a thread like this has been posted, I looked and couldn't come up with anything.

What are everyone's impressions of the different Texas Schools? I know the most important opinion is my own blah blah blah......I want gossip, stereotypes, general impressions, people that go there, etc. etc. just curious, might be fun and informative, so any info would be great. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Ok, first of all, these are my opinions based on interviews, so (a) don't take too much stock in them and (b) if I piss anyone off, I'm sorry and feel free to correct me. Also, I really wanted to get out of Texas.

1. UTSW: The impression I got was that it's an excellent school, but it's not a very happy place. Students are extremely stressed. There's a lot of class time. All day long, everyone felt that they had to deny that it's "cutthroat," which made them seem very defensive about the whole competition issue. I still ranked it first in the match, but it felt a little too gloomy for me. They had a Saturday interview, which was really nice. Parkland hospital is huge, HUGE, and although it would be hellish, you'd get good training there. I matched here.

2. UTMB: Seemed like nobody ever worked. The students all tried to downplay the class aspect, playing up the beach (it's nasty, I'm from the area) and how laid-back everyone was. This will sound snobby (and it is I guess) but when the dean described the school as "second-tier" it kind of turned me off. Also, I hate Galveston and would never want to live there. Ranked it last.

3. UT-H: It was ok. I actually don't remember my interviews at all, but the day itself was much less organized than most of the others I had gone to. Biggest plus is the Texas Medical Center. Other than that, nothing really left much of an impression at all.

4. UTHSC-SA: Everyone else loved it, and I could see why, but I just wasn't feeling it and I'm not exactly sure what put me off. My friends all really liked San Antonio because it's friendly and looks past numbers. Also, the school really does value diversity, especially with non-traditional students. I didn't like how removed the campus was from the city, but other than that it was good.

5. Baylor: I was pleasantly surprised by Baylor. I've known lots of people who have either gone to school there or done research/summer programs there, and their response has been very mixed. I really liked it. The hospitals are great, and although it is a tough school it had a good atmosphere. I was a little put off by their lack of communication about transcripts (you can't submit them through AMCAS but it wasn't very clear; about half of us didn't have them in at the interview). One cool thing is that if you're "outstanding" at the interview, the dean will call you and let you know you're accepted that night.

(I didn't apply to A&M, Tech, or TCOM).

So there you go. I know I'm negative a lot of the time, but I'm just calling it like I saw it.

Good luck!
 
browniegirl86 said:
Ok, first of all, these are my opinions based on interviews, so (a) don't take too much stock in them and (b) if I piss anyone off, I'm sorry and feel free to correct me. Also, I really wanted to get out of Texas.

1. UTSW: The impression I got was that it's an excellent school, but it's not a very happy place. Students are extremely stressed. There's a lot of class time. All day long, everyone felt that they had to deny that it's "cutthroat," which made them seem very defensive about the whole competition issue. I still ranked it first in the match, but it felt a little too gloomy for me. They had a Saturday interview, which was really nice. Parkland hospital is huge, HUGE, and although it would be hellish, you'd get good training there. I matched here.

2. UTMB: Seemed like nobody ever worked. The students all tried to downplay the class aspect, playing up the beach (it's nasty, I'm from the area) and how laid-back everyone was. This will sound snobby (and it is I guess) but when the dean described the school as "second-tier" it kind of turned me off. Also, I hate Galveston and would never want to live there. Ranked it last.

3. UT-H: It was ok. I actually don't remember my interviews at all, but the day itself was much less organized than most of the others I had gone to. Biggest plus is the Texas Medical Center. Other than that, nothing really left much of an impression at all.

4. UTHSC-SA: Everyone else loved it, and I could see why, but I just wasn't feeling it and I'm not exactly sure what put me off. My friends all really liked San Antonio because it's friendly and looks past numbers. Also, the school really does value diversity, especially with non-traditional students. I didn't like how removed the campus was from the city, but other than that it was good.

5. Baylor: I was pleasantly surprised by Baylor. I've known lots of people who have either gone to school there or done research/summer programs there, and their response has been very mixed. I really liked it. The hospitals are great, and although it is a tough school it had a good atmosphere. I was a little put off by their lack of communication about transcripts (you can't submit them through AMCAS but it wasn't very clear; about half of us didn't have them in at the interview). One cool thing is that if you're "outstanding" at the interview, the dean will call you and let you know you're accepted that night.

(I didn't apply to A&M, Tech, or TCOM).

So there you go. I know I'm negative a lot of the time, but I'm just calling it like I saw it.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
I think browniegirl is right on for all those schools. let me add a little of other things I noticed. UTSW seems to be really fighting the cutthroat competitive image which I think draws more attention to it than if they didn't try to defend it so much. The students were friendly and despite seeming really stressed seems to help each other out. I'm not sure what it was but I could tell it was a step up from the other TX schools. (maybe the caliber of students they accept? I'm not sure...) UTHSCSA seems to be really family oriented and tend to accept more nontraditional students compared to other TX schools (which is why I personally think they overlook numbers). I thought the facilities were a bit outdated but that's really minor. Also, they seem to be lacking in research, but that's not a big deal if that's not your thing. I loved it there because they seem to care about their students. Very responsive faculty. 🙂

I did interview at TT and A&M

TT- Surprisingly pleasant experience. I didn't interview at Lubbock where you will spend your first two years. I interviewed in El Paso, and they seem to have quite alot of clinical experience as a third/fourth year because of its location near the border. See alot of neat things. Med students there were awesome. People you would really hang out with and study with. I guess the down side is potentially having to move (i think you can stay in lubbock) . Also, lubbock can be a downside.

A&M- The interview day was exhausting. My experience there was unpleasant , so my comments might be affected by that. I think the thing that bothered me about this place is first, the move to Temple. Scott & White is awesome though. Also, the student body seems to be very homogenous, but that was just an impression I got. They were really similar in personality, race, where they went to school (in tx). That bothers me..I like diversity...

Again, the above was only my impression based on a few hours of contact with the student during interview day, so it should only be taken with a grain of salt. 🙂

P.S. I also hated Galveston and ranked it last. Students there were excited about Chili's opening down there, and I come from a place where there are abundants of restaurants. That was a big no for me...
 
nice thread, ttt.

The above 2 posters pretty much reiterated everything I have heard.
 
Hey guys.

I need insights from people with similar experiences

PS 11
VR 7
BS 10
Total 28 "L"

GPA 3.96(major EE)
State of residence: Texas
EC's: 2 years hospital volunteering. 2 years with the american cancer society, shadowed a cardiologist, worked as a student instructor for different subjects..some honors...and a bunch of other EC's...plus had to work 20+ hours/week all over my school years.

Apply or retake? I hope Texas will give me an advantage. If someone has similar experience please share..

Thanks to yall
 
At Tcom you have a great shot. At the other schools, I'm not really sure. To be honest, the EE and the 7 in VR might hurt you, but I'm sure you've already thought of that. A few Texas schools (Baylor and UT-H) have said they aren't too interested in engineers. UTSA loves non-trads, which I'm not really sure if you are one or not (age?).

I've heard that it's a crapshoot, really. Best of luck.
 
Actually, TCOM's admissions for numbers are just as competitive if not more competitive then some of the Texas schools. Your scores look good. A friend of mine had you exact MCAT score and a lower GPA. He got interview everywhere and got into his first choice, Houston. So do not listen to the 12thmd. You are applying to Texas schools as a Texas resident. If you do not get into medical school, it will not be because of your MCAT score.
 
Ok, fine, don't listen to me.

TCOM's numbers are not as good as the other schools...that doesn't mean it's a bad school.

http://honors.tamu.edu/opsa/pdf_files/medchart.pdf

Those numbers ARE just for Aggies, but until I see something that suggests the contrary, it APPEARS as if TCOM has lower numbers.



[Sorry, but someone saying "don't listen to him..." really pisses me off.] 👎
 
the12thmd said:
To be honest, the EE and the 7 in VR might hurt you, but I'm sure you've already thought of that. A few Texas schools (Baylor and UT-H) have said they aren't too interested in engineers.
Click to expand...


Where did you hear this...

I have never heard of a med school publicly claiming to prefer one major over another. Especially a hard one like EE.
 
the12thmd said:
Ok, fine, don't listen to me.

TCOM's numbers are not as good as the other schools...that doesn't mean it's a bad school.

http://honors.tamu.edu/opsa/pdf_files/medchart.pdf

Those numbers ARE just for Aggies, but until I see something that suggests the contrary, it APPEARS as if TCOM has lower numbers.



[Sorry, but someone saying "don't listen to him..." really pisses me off.] 👎
Click to expand...
Wow - those numbers are kind of old. :laugh: That was my graduating class from TAMU.
 
wow spursss... you definitely could've handled the12thmd's statement a little better...

*pulling out the popcorn (as well)*
 
Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.
 
hermit said:
Here ya go...

http://med.uth.tmc.edu/administration/admissions/admissions-requirements.html

Quote from link:

"Technological, vocational, engineering or business courses of study are not viewed as favorably as those providing a broad educational background."
Click to expand...

I remember reading this a while ago, which is one reason why I'm not sure how things will go for me WRT UT-H (I'm an EE.) It boggles my mind that any school would publicly say something like that, especially since medicine has been increasingly dominated by technology for a long time, and the progress of medicine is essentially limited by the progress of medical technology. Anyways, I'll stop rambling about that now....

The other poster made that claim that this was the case at Baylor, as well. Is there any reference for that claim? I'd never heard that before.....
 
To the OP: Your GPA is above average for TX (TMDSAS) matriculants (Avg. = 3.65)
Your MCAT is average for TX (TMDSAS) matriculants (Avg. = 28)

Your ECs seem good.

My opinion is that you will get in somewhere.
 
Anastasis said:
Wow - those numbers are kind of old. :laugh: That was my graduating class from TAMU.
Click to expand...
They're not old. That's the class of 2005 from A&M. The class of 2006 is just about to enter med school, and their numbers aren't up yet. The class of 2007 is applying..etc.
 
jota_jota said:
I remember reading this a while ago, which is one reason why I'm not sure how things will go for me WRT UT-H (I'm an EE.) It boggles my mind that any school would publicly say something like that, especially since medicine has been increasingly dominated by technology for a long time, and the progress of medicine is essentially limited by the progress of medical technology. Anyways, I'll stop rambling about that now....

The other poster made that claim that this was the case at Baylor, as well. Is there any reference for that claim? I'd never heard that before.....
Click to expand...
A friend of mine is a BME major at UT, and she attended a lecture from a former director of admissions at a medical school in TX. Apparently, the admissions fellow said that being a BME major will only hurt her.

As a biology major, my job is pretty much to memorize information, and supposedly that is better for medical school than the problem solving engineers do. Again, these aren't my words.

But both of you EE guys here have solid numbers. You will get into medical school. Of course, I recommend you include something in your PS about why you are pursuing medicine instead of engineering... 👍
 
the12thmd said:
A friend of mine is a BME major at UT, and she attended a lecture from a former director of admissions at a medical school in TX. Apparently, the admissions fellow said that being a BME major will only hurt her.

As a biology major, my job is pretty much to memorize information, and supposedly that is better for medical school than the problem solving engineers do. Again, these aren't my words.

But both of you EE guys here have solid numbers. You will get into medical school. Of course, I recommend you include something in your PS about why you are pursuing medicine instead of engineering... 👍
Click to expand...

We seem to be hearing different things. One of the TX schools was pointing out that they're looking for people who can do more than just memorize. They want problem solvers. Not just spit back stuff from memory but take the problem (case) at hand leverage the info they have gained and then spit out a solution after careful analysis.

Has anyone called UT-H and talked about the whole Engg. class & Business class issue. Seems very odd to me.
 
the12thmd said:
They're not old. That's the class of 2005 from A&M. The class of 2006 is just about to enter med school, and their numbers aren't up yet. The class of 2007 is applying..etc.
Click to expand...
Oh my bad! When I looked awhile ago (last spring maybe?) that sheet was still for my class c/o 04 so I just didn't read closely enough! Sorry 🙁

Explains why I couldn't find my friend's stats on the Baylor section :laugh:
 
jota_jota said:
To the OP: Your GPA is above average for TX (TMDSAS) matriculants (Avg. = 3.65)
Your MCAT is average for TX (TMDSAS) matriculants (Avg. = 28)

Your ECs seem good.

My opinion is that you will get in somewhere.
Click to expand...


I'll save you a seat next to me at Baylor 😉
 
jota_jota said:
I remember reading this a while ago, which is one reason why I'm not sure how things will go for me WRT UT-H (I'm an EE.) It boggles my mind that any school would publicly say something like that, especially since medicine has been increasingly dominated by technology for a long time, and the progress of medicine is essentially limited by the progress of medical technology. Anyways, I'll stop rambling about that now....

The other poster made that claim that this was the case at Baylor, as well. Is there any reference for that claim? I'd never heard that before.....
Click to expand...

That is truly mind-boggling. You would think that med schools get tired of the same bio/biochem major with the exact same undergrad experiences applying to med school. I think UT-H is just an exception...I know that engineering is NOT looked down upon at most med schools, and is usually looked favorably if anything else due to the academic rigor of the major. And even if there is no preference, they wouldn't outright state that engineers are viewed unfavorably.


Medicine is not about regurgitating information. Patients won't exhibit the exact symptoms shown in your textbooks, it takes a problem solver to excel in medicine and it disturbs me greatly that UT-H can't recognize that.


That statement cites an engineering major as unfavorable due to the lack of breadth in major. And yet, someone majoring in liberal arts constitutes breadth? How ignorant of a statement is that?? If that's the case, then I would argue that any single major lacks in breadth.


That's enough ranting from me. UT-H's policy just lost some respect from me.
 
the12thmd said:
A friend of mine is a BME major at UT, and she attended a lecture from a former director of admissions at a medical school in TX. Apparently, the admissions fellow said that being a BME major will only hurt her.
Click to expand...

Which school? Was it UT-H? 🙂
 
Monarch Kong said:
That statement cites an engineering major as unfavorable due to the lack of breadth in major. And yet, someone majoring in liberal arts constitutes breadth? How ignorant of a statement is that?? If that's the case, then I would argue that any single major lacks in breadth.
Click to expand...

The difference b/t a lib arts major and an engineering major is that only 30 credits in the lib arts major is required for the degree. But in engineering, fine art, and business degree, the majority of your classes are in just that one department/field. That's why they are called liberal arts: the degree plans are not as restrictive. I think if they looked at an individual transcript and saw that you minored in philosophy, were in the honors program, or took lots of different classes other than engineering it would demonstrate breadth. In my personal experience, I've seen lots of engineers go to med school, but I understand where UTH is coming from as far as the variety of disciplines they want their students to have been exposed to in college.
 
jota_jota said:
Which school? Was it UT-H? 🙂
Click to expand...

Honestly, I forgot! I think it was a UT system school.

That is truly mind-boggling. You would think that med schools get tired of the same bio/biochem major with the exact same undergrad experiences applying to med school. I think UT-H is just an exception...I know that engineering is NOT looked down upon at most med schools, and is usually looked favorably if anything else due to the academic rigor of the major. And even if there is no preference, they wouldn't outright state that engineers are viewed unfavorably.


Medicine is not about regurgitating information. Patients won't exhibit the exact symptoms shown in your textbooks, it takes a problem solver to excel in medicine and it disturbs me greatly that UT-H can't recognize that.
Click to expand...
Save it for your personal statement. 😀

However, I do agree with you.
 
chaeymaey said:
The difference b/t a lib arts major and an engineering major is that only 30 credits in the lib arts major is required for the degree. But in engineering, fine art, and business degree, the majority of your classes are in just that one department/field. That's why they are called liberal arts: the degree plans are not as restrictive. I think if they looked at an individual transcript and saw that you minored in philosophy, were in the honors program, or took lots of different classes other than engineering it would demonstrate breadth. In my personal experience, I've seen lots of engineers go to med school, but I understand where UTH is coming from as far as the variety of disciplines they want their students to have been exposed to in college.
Click to expand...
Not true at all WRT engineering at my school. Engineering majors had PLENTY of free electives (probably 5-6 courses or 15-18 credits worth.)

Besides free electives, 5 semesters of humanities, and 2 semesters of science (DIFFERENT from science required by your engineering major, i.e. Physics was required for pretty much every engineering major, Chemistry for Chem.Es, Comp.Sci. for EEs, etc,) Then there were the math requirements, etc, etc. I don't have my transcript in front of me, but the number of EE classes that I had to take was probably not THAT much more than 30 credits (= 10 classes without labs or ~8 classes with labs.)

I doubt my program was unique.

In the end, it's not that engineers don't have breadth, it's just different breadth than humanities majors.

Therefore, I remain flabbergasted by that statement from UT-H.
 
For those interested in Texas numbers, averages for the 2009 TMDSAS match:

GPA
1. UT Southwestern 3.81
2. Texas A&M HSC 3.77
3. UTMB-Galveston 3.74
4. UTHSC-Houston 3.68
5. UNTHSC-TCOM 3.60
6. Texas Tech HSC 3.59
7. UTHSC-San Antonio 3.56

MCAT
1. UT Southwestern 33.6
2. UTHSC-Houston 29.2
3. Texas Tech HSC 28.7
4. UTMB-Galveston 28.5
5. UNTHSC-TCOM 28.3
6. Texas A&M HSC 28.2
7. UTHSC-San Antonio 28.2

As you can see, all of the Texas schools fall into a pretty narrow band. So long as your MCAT is 28 or above and your GPA is 3.55 or above, you rank up there with the average student that matched. But numbers can be deceiving-- I met tons of applicants during the interview cycle who got stellar interview invitations (Harvard, Stanford, etc.), but there was always one or two Texas schools that didn't give them interviews that the numbers-obsessed would find shocking.

But, anyway, even though San Antonio has the lowest average numbers for MCAT and GPA out of the TMDSAS schools, I think it's best that Texas residents apply to all of the state schools and some out-of-state schools. These numbers keep rising (or staying about the same for some schools) every year, but the applicant pool keeps getting bigger.
 
Thanks for posting that info!

Where did you find it?
 
UserNameNeeded said:
You're welcome.
Click to expand...
That was quite presumptious, wasn't it?
...
Thanks!
 
the12thmd said:
That was quite presumptious, wasn't it?
...
Thanks!
Click to expand...

:laugh:

That was actually for the "Thanks for posting that info!", but I guess my sequence was a bit off. 😉
 
Kudos on the good work UNN...thanks for the info! 👍
 
I heart this thread. We need more people who have been through interviews to come post. Flag em down! Specifics are good too.
 
Does anyone happen to know the perspective that Med Schools have on Nutrition Majors??? Just Curious
 
UserNameNeeded said:
:laugh:

That was actually for the "Thanks for posting that info!", but I guess my sequence was a bit off. 😉
Click to expand...
Wow, I need to take a break and back away from the computer for a few days!
 
Merissa87 said:
Does anyone happen to know the perspective that Med Schools have on Nutrition Majors??? Just Curious
Click to expand...
If you'll check out the form I posted earlier on this thread, there are many NUTR majors from Texas A&M that get into medical school. So obviously they accept some.

http://honors.tamu.edu/opsa/pdf_files/medchart.pdf
 
I just checked my status page at Tech and they have the wrong information! They say I went to Arizona University (never did) and they have the wrong email address for me. They also say that I haven't paid my secondary fee (which I have). So now I'm paranoid that the other schools don't have the right info. either. I guess I'll call tomorrow to check it out. This was not a nice surprise 🙁
 
christvida said:
I just checked my status page at Tech and they have the wrong information! They say I went to Arizona University (never did) and they have the wrong email address for me.
Click to expand...
The question to ask yourself is this: Is Arizona University a better school than the one you went to?
 
hmmm...I wonder if it shows a 4.0 BCPM. I didn't think about that...

notdeadyet said:
The question to ask yourself is this: Is Arizona University a better school than the one you went to?
Click to expand...
 
notdeadyet said:
The question to ask yourself is this: Is Arizona University a better school than the one you went to?
Click to expand...
Nice. High Five.
 
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