2009-2010 University of Texas Houston Application Thread

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For people who have interviewed there, the invitation says the day will end at approximately 4:30 pm. Was that the case? I'm trying to see if I can schedule a doctor's appointment that day after the interview...

thanks!
 
Just curious... did any of you UT Houston (or UT system) applicants take your prereqs at a Texas community college?
 
roaming said:
For people who have interviewed there, the invitation says the day will end at approximately 4:30 pm. Was that the case? I'm trying to see if I can schedule a doctor's appointment that day after the interview...

thanks!
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You could probably ask for morning interviews. The after-lunch information for interviewees who interviewed in the morning is just a bus tour of TMC and some UT facilities. It's not really THAT important if you need to see a doctor.
 
utexas4runner said:
Just curious... did any of you UT Houston (or UT system) applicants take your prereqs at a Texas community college?
Click to expand...

I took statistics (and most of the typical general ed classes) at a CC. I did take the med school science prereqs at the university. The only time my CC credit has been brought up was at Texas Tech, and that interviewer had a favorable opinion of CC students. I've gotten interviews at most TX MD schools (all except UTMB and San Antonio).

I may not have answered your question exactly, since you seem to be worrying about the science prereqs...but I hope I illustrated that it seems TX med schools don't seem to worry too much about where you went to school. I think they probably look mostly to the MCAT as the indicator of your science preparation.

Good luck!
 
roaming said:
For people who have interviewed there, the invitation says the day will end at approximately 4:30 pm. Was that the case? I'm trying to see if I can schedule a doctor's appointment that day after the interview...

thanks!
Click to expand...

I was in the late group, and got into my car at 5:00 PM straight up. Traffic on I-45 northbound was very light at that time, let me tell ya'. 🙄
 
utexas4runner said:
Just curious... did any of you UT Houston (or UT system) applicants take your prereqs at a Texas community college?
Click to expand...

I took both Physics I and II at a community college over the summer because my undergrad didn't offer it over the summer.
 
does anyone know when UTH downloads new applications or updates from TMDSAS.
 
pman9691 said:
does anyone know when UTH downloads new applications or updates from TMDSAS.
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I could probably ask, but I imagine it's fairly frequent. The office doesn't have many workers, so it would take a while for them to go over new applications or updates to make any changes or send out new invitations.
 
pman9691 said:
does anyone know when UTH downloads new applications or updates from TMDSAS.
Click to expand...

I saw somewhere on the TMDSAS website that they transmit stuff to the schools every Friday. I'm sure the schools are in a constant state of processing applications, it's just that the volume probably increases as the cycle progresses.
 
pman9691 said:
does anyone know when UTH downloads new applications or updates from TMDSAS.
Click to expand...

If it's been over a week or two, I would go ahead and give them a call and make sure that they received everything.
 
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Hi guys,

I'm OOS and is interested in applying to Texas schools next cycle. I'm not understanding how the pre-match and match thing work with regards to acceptance. Please someone kindly explain it to me. Also some strategies to better my chance at an acceptance.

Does TMDSAS start reviewing applications the earliest on May 1? Does that mean I should forward my transcript before that? When is the earliest date?

Also I read that TMDSAS accepts only 2 individual letters of rec and 1 additional, with grand total of 3. Is that right? If I have more than 3 letters, can I send them to the Texas schools individually?

Thanks!
 
Hey armybound,

I have a question about the curriculum. I know that it's subject-based, but is there any coordination between the subjects? For example, is the gross anatomy, histology, and embryology for the same organ or system studied at the same time, or does each subject have its own pace?
 
It's roughly coordinated. They try to get it coordinated as well as they can.

For instance, this week in ICM we learned the head/eyes/ears/nose/throat exam, in histology we learned the ear, and in gross we're dissecting the ear.

Last block we covered muscle (including cardiac) and pulmonary tissue in histology and did development of the thoracic cavity in developmental biology while we were opening up the chest and examining the heart and lungs in gross.

It's not always that well coordinated, though. And of course biochemistry is just off doing its own thing.
 
Thanks for the information and quick response. I interviewed there a little while ago and really liked the school. How do you like it so far? Is there anything you don't like or would want to change? (I can PM instead if you prefer.)
 
I think most people tend to really latch on to the school they're at and love it, and I'm no exception. I really like UTH.

I was very concerned about the class size. I went to a smaller undergrad because I wanted more personal attention and didn't want to feel like I was lost in a crowd. UTH has a lot of faculty and make a lot of efforts to split you into smaller groups so that you can really get to know professors and get personal attention. I feel like the faculty care about me and my success.

There are a lot of good opportunities to get involved in things that interest you. I'm really big into the admissions process as a whole and I've been able to give interview tours and will soon be going to college fairs to promote my school, which I'm really excited about. Texas Medical Center obviously has a ton to offer, though I spend most of my time in class/studying, so that hasn't really meant much to me yet.

I'm a pretty easygoing guy, so I tend to take everything as it comes and just accept it for what it is. I don't really have anything to complain about as far as school goes. I think going to class can sometimes be a huge waste of time, but attendance isn't required, so it's my own fault if I feel I waste time by sitting in class.

I dunno, I don't know what else to say. I'm happy with the school. They really pay attention to personality when they select who they're going to accept and I think it really shows. My classmates (for the most part) are great. School is tough, but they have a lot of resources to help you succeed. There's a lot to get involved in if that's what you like to do.

If you have any other questions about it, feel free to ask. Some of my classmates also read SDN and may respond. I don't think anyone I've run into is disappointed in their choice to attend UTH, though.
 
Actually, I don't really like the way we do exams. We have an exam in one course per day of the week with Wednesday free. For me, it's a huge waste of time. I'd rather 2 exams per day over 2 days and have the rest of the week off. A lot of my classmates do prefer it the way it is, though.
 
Thanks for the information. I am more than willing to put up with a week of exams to attend this school. 😀
 
Hey everyone, an MS1 here. The only thing I'd change so far about school is to start a week earlier in order to get a few days off after block exams. Other than that, everything is fine. I'm not sure if it's any different at other schools, but our faculty is amazing. I've never once doubted their intentions for our success - they understand that it's a large volume of material and they make it perfectly clear that they're here for us for nearly any help we need.

Good luck to everyone!
 
tmac11 said:
Hey armybound,

I have a question about the curriculum. I know that it's subject-based, but is there any coordination between the subjects? For example, is the gross anatomy, histology, and embryology for the same organ or system studied at the same time, or does each subject have its own pace?
Click to expand...

I'd like to chime in on this. Like army said, classes start off kinda doing their own thing for the first couple weeks while you get the basics of the basics out of the way. However, once things get rolling (3 weeks in), it moves to a sort of systems based approach. So, to the best of their ability, course directors for developmental bio, histo, and gross have you looking at systems from their respective vantage points as well as ICM has you examining SPs in those systems. i.e. you'll dissect the eye and ear in gross lab, while you're learning about the development of them, while you're learning about the histological features, while you're learning how to do HEENT exams.

I know army noted on this, I just wanted to reiterate that it's as "systems based" as they can make it, without fully committing to a "systems based" curriculum. I'm very happy with it. One of my buddy's from undergrad is at a school where it is strictly systems based, and after looking at his schedule and such, it makes me appreciate UTH that much more. Just my personal preference.
 
disarticulate said:
I'd like to chime in on this. Like army said, classes start off kinda doing their own thing for the first couple weeks while you get the basics of the basics out of the way. However, once things get rolling (3 weeks in), it moves to a sort of systems based approach. So, to the best of their ability, course directors for developmental bio, histo, and gross have you looking at systems from their respective vantage points as well as ICM has you examining SPs in those systems. i.e. you'll dissect the eye and ear in gross lab, while you're learning about the development of them, while you're learning about the histological features, while you're learning how to do HEENT exams.

I know army noted on this, I just wanted to reiterate that it's as "systems based" as they can make it, without fully committing to a "systems based" curriculum. I'm very happy with it. One of my buddy's from undergrad is at a school where it is strictly systems based, and after looking at his schedule and such, it makes me appreciate UTH that much more. Just my personal preference.
Click to expand...





Just curious..how rigorous is the coursework?
Do you literally have to study 8 hours a day everyday??
is it very difficult to keep up or is it completely doable if you put in the effort?
 
The thing about how much studying is necessary in med school is that it's really based on the individual. Before you start and once you start, everyone above you will tell you "Don't listen to how much people say they're studying."

Some people are fine studying a couple of hours a day and others study for 8+ hours per day. It only matters how much it takes YOU to get the grade you want. I guarantee you if you went around, you could find people who studied 2 hours per day and did really well, and you could find people who studied 2 hours per day and nearly failed. At the same time, you can find people who studied 8 hours per day and did well, and others who nearly failed.

Consider how low the dropout or failure rate in med school is. It's absolutely doable, you just have to put in a varying amount of effort based on your efficiency and the grade you're looking to get.

Something else about UTH is that they have the alternative program, where at any time basically before the end of your first semester, you can elect to split the first year curriculum into 2 years. You take half the course load per year, giving you more time for each class. Anyone can go AP if they want, and as far as I know you just say the word, no questions asked.
 
Annabananas said:
Just curious..how rigorous is the coursework?
Do you literally have to study 8 hours a day everyday??
is it very difficult to keep up or is it completely doable if you put in the effort?
Click to expand...

As the MS2's tried to tell me, you really don't know until you've experienced it. And trust me, you won't fully understand until you're here. It's hard, but it's also a lot of fun, because you're living out your dream, right? Like army said, what I'm about to say is my own personal study habits, you may be completely different. So take this with a grain of salt, but I tend to think that I'm somewhere near the "norm" of study habits for med students, based on my impressions from my classmates.

It's definitely a lot more to swallow than undergrad. I'm sure you've heard the "drinking from a fire hydrant" analogy, but it's true. I absolutely can't cram this stuff last minute, there's just too much to remember. So routine daily studying is almost a necessity, just depends on how long it takes you. I study about 3-5 hours a day and I'm doing well with that. However, you have to throw in lectures and lab in there too... so my days are in the 9-12 hour range. But trust me it's very manageable. I obviously can't lead the same life as I did in college, but that's why they call this "professional" school, right? And it's a lot easier to transition to, because all of your classmates are doing the same thing. Hope this helps.

And please, feel free to ask any questions. And if you're not comfortable posting it to the thread, feel free to PM me.
 
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Thanks for the replies!


hopefully i can even get an interview to UTH!! i think next week is going to be the week..i can feel it! lol
 
Does anyone know UTH's policy regarding more than one MCAT score? Is the most recent score considered?
 
I sent an email to one of the adcoms who said that they review your entire application and that they are "always impressed with an upward trend."
 
tuldtd said:
just interviewed last friday. they do 2 groups - each about 50-60 people in each. two one-on-one interviews. one more about you as applicant, your grades, personality etc. another one about your reactions to specific scripted questions.

dr. kellaway is amazing. she is incredible. UTH has the nicest admissions office i have ever encountered. they want to make everything fun and comfortable. uth hardly does any pre-match offers. their policy is people who interview the first day in july and the people who interview the last day in january have the same chances of being admitted (direct quote from dr. kellaway)
Click to expand...

My interview is this friday and I'm super worried... I know I shouldn't be because everyone has basically said the interviews were very relaxed... but still... I don't know exactly how I should prepare for these "scripted" questions

Anybody that has interviewed before has any tips?

And also what do you say when they ask you if you have any answers?
 
It really is about getting to know you, so don't worry about scripting answers. Just show them who you are. They care a lot about your personality, so memorizing answers probably won't help them out much.
 
I am strongly considering doing the "second look" program. I really would love to see the school again, especially the anatomy and histology labs. I am not sure if it was just our tour that we missed this, or if we were just supposed to buzz right by them. I would also like to see everything in a little less of a whirl wind fashion.

While there is little doubt in my mind that UTH is a good fit for me I would like to go back again. Has anyone participated in this yet? If so, what exactly goes on during this day? It seems to be fairly open ended from what I can tell.

I think it would be a great way to continue to show my interest in the school and get any questions I have answered.
 
I think you didn't get to see the anatomy lab because we were peer teaching when you went on the walking tour, so all of the cadavers were up. we actually don't show the histo labs -- I think you're the first person that I've heard of wanting to see them. they're basically just classrooms with lockers that have microscopes and slides.
 
armybound said:
I think you didn't get to see the anatomy lab because we were peer teaching when you went on the walking tour, so all of the cadavers were up. we actually don't show the histo labs -- I think you're the first person that I've heard of wanting to see them. they're basically just classrooms with lockers that have microscopes and slides.
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That is what I understood about the anatomy lab. I was not sure if histo was anything special or not. Thanks for clearing up that there was really nothing missed there.
 
BranMed said:
And also what do you say when they ask you if you have any answers?
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Did you mean questions?

Anyways, it reminded me of my interview here. One of my interviewers kept asking me to ask her questions towards the end.

"You have one minute left. Ask me another question."

Haha. Good times.

I know you already had your interview, but I would say just pause and think about it for a second. It should be a question that you really want to know the answer to. ;]

On a side note, this school probably has one of the best tours! :laugh:
 
aggiedoc2010 said:
That is what I understood about the anatomy lab. I was not sure if histo was anything special or not. Thanks for clearing up that there was really nothing missed there.
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The anatomy lab is decent also. I'm sure it's comparable to anywhere else in Texas. It's well-lit, not cramped, not old and broken down... I'd say it's adequate for dissection.

It reminds me a lot of UTSW's room, if you've seen that.
 
I liked the tour because we got to see all kinds of cool stuff (helipad, heart surgery, children's hospital with Yao Ming poster to compare your height to, a famous surgeon passing by, Texas Medical Center in general, and etc.).

The admissions staff were probably the nicest I've met so far as well. After my interviews I just hung out in the admissions room, played with their little Zen toy sandbox, and chatted with other interviewees or staff. If I were a medical school student, I wouldn't mind hanging around there more often. 🙂
 
InanelyHighNut said:
I liked the tour because we got to see all kinds of cool stuff (helipad, heart surgery, children's hospital with Yao Ming poster to compare your height to, a famous surgeon passing by, Texas Medical Center in general, and etc.).

The admissions staff were probably the nicest I've met so far as well. After my interviews I just hung out in the admissions room, played with their little Zen toy sandbox, and chatted with other interviewees or staff. If I were a medical school student, I wouldn't mind hanging around there more often. 🙂
Click to expand...
They're that nice all the time, too. It's not just a show they put on for interviewees.

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit here. Good luck.
 
InanelyHighNut said:
After my interviews I just hung out in the admissions room, played with their little Zen toy sandbox
Click to expand...

HAHA! I totally did the same thing last year. I remember that silly little sand box... good times... now back to studying!😱😱
 
Does Dr. Kellaway ever do interviews herself? I'm pretty sure that I saw somebody on my interview day that had Dr. Kellaway as one of their interviewers but I'm not entirely sure.
 
[SIZE=-1]Yay! I was just invited to Interview Day at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston on November 13, 2009! Woohoo!

I am definitely going the night before. The Social ends at 9:30pm. Y'all wanna do a Student Doctor Forum meetup at 9:30pm at the same bar in Rice Village? PM me for the address and to RSVP!

🙂

FYI: My TMDSAS was verified October 1st.

I did take my post-bac classes (Organic 1 and 2, Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, and Nutrition) at a community college. (My teachers for Orgo 1 and 2, and A and P 1 and Nutrition were some of the best and most rigorous teachers I have ever had) Undergrad: UT-Austin.
[/SIZE]
 
TexasPrincess said:
[SIZE=-1]Yay! I was just invited to Interview Day at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston on November 13, 2009! Woohoo!

I am definitely going the night before. The Social ends at 9:30pm. Y'all wanna do a Student Doctor Forum meetup at 9:30pm at the same bar in Rice Village? PM me for the address and to RSVP!

🙂

FYI: My TMDSAS was verified October 1st.

I did take my post-bac classes (Organic 1 and 2, Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2, and Nutrition) at a community college. (My teachers for Orgo 1 and 2, and A and P 1 and Nutrition were some of the best and most rigorous teachers I have ever had) Undergrad: UT-Austin.
[/SIZE]
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If you don't mind me asking...what are your stats?
Congrats BTW! that is awesome!
 
Here is the highlight of my app:

MCAT: 32R (12 PS 10 V 10 BS)
Undergrad Gpa ~ 3.5
Sci GPA~3.4
BS in Physics, BA in Astronomy (in 3 years).
Recent Post-Bacc: 4.0
Non-trad: Age 28 Mother with 2 year old son.
Published in Astronomy, Lots of research experience in Astronomy/Astrophysics.
Lots of ECs, President of Physics club and a political club
A little shadowing, currently working as admin asst in Pediatrician's office (Dad is a Doctor).

I guess I should make an MDApp.
 
TexasPrincess said:
Here is the highlight of my app:

MCAT: 32R (12 PS 10 V 10 BS)
Undergrad Gpa ~ 3.5
Sci GPA~3.4
BS in Physics, BA in Astronomy (in 3 years).
Recent Post-Bacc: 4.0
Non-trad: Age 28 Mother with 2 year old son.
Published in Astronomy, Lots of research experience in Astronomy/Astrophysics.
Lots of ECs, President of Physics club and a political club
A little shadowing, currently working as admin asst in Pediatrician's office (Dad is a Doctor).

I guess I should make an MDApp.
Click to expand...

thanks for the response!
very nice/impressive application! congrats again 🙂
 
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