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I got the email from them on July 30th, but it was still about another week until my advisor sent in my LOR.
2010-2011 Texas Tech (El Paso) Application Thread
Started by ksmi117
- Status
I got the email from them on July 30th, but it was still about another week until my advisor sent in my LOR.
Got an e-mail from them Friday - scheduled my interview for 10/21
3.0, 36R, boat load of leadership & service, and hard major.
So far my only other interview was Lubbock on 8/6.
3.0, 36R, boat load of leadership & service, and hard major.
So far my only other interview was Lubbock on 8/6.
I still have a wrench next to my paul l. foster status on Merlin. Was there something else I was supposed to do besides just submit my tmdsas? I know they've received that because I got a conf email. Does anyone else still have a wrench?
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Same situation.
There's something wrong with the system, but having a wrench does not mean you are incomplete. I received an interview invite on the 10th, and I still have a wrench. As long as you have gotten the complete email, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.
are you guys applying to the regular MD program? because i thought there was no secondary for el paso
There is no secondary for El Paso, but El Paso uses the same system as Lubbock. And I didn't actually submit an application to El Paso on Merlin until after I got an invitation invite.
I also have a wrench on my El Paso app on Merlin.
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Hey guys, my interview is this coming Thursday, and I need some input on something...
I am staying with a few medical students the night before the interview, and they told me that I need to get from the airport to the school on Wednesday, but after that they will drive me everywhere and I can take the shuttle back to the airport after the interview. For those of you who have already had interviews and had to do this, or for those of you who have already decided on what you are going to do, how should I get from the airport to the school, and do I need to schedule this ahead of time or can I just show up and call a random cab or something? I suck at travelling...
I am staying with a few medical students the night before the interview, and they told me that I need to get from the airport to the school on Wednesday, but after that they will drive me everywhere and I can take the shuttle back to the airport after the interview. For those of you who have already had interviews and had to do this, or for those of you who have already decided on what you are going to do, how should I get from the airport to the school, and do I need to schedule this ahead of time or can I just show up and call a random cab or something? I suck at travelling...
Hey Noshie!! This was my first interview and I had to meet my host at the school too. The airport is super tiny and as soon as you walk out there is a line of cabs waiting for someone. Just walk up to that area and a cab driver will come up to you. Just tell him you need to go to the medical school....they know exactly where it is. It cost me like 15 bucks with a tip! And then that was the only cab i had to take the whole time. Hope that helps!!!
Awesome, Thanks! That sounds like it will be easier than I thought. Guess I need to bring some cash then...
My host told me to meet her at the school before 6pm, my flight comes in at 3pm. She has two other roomates, so she said one of them would drive me back to their apartment... Getting there that early may be good for you actually! Maybe you can tag along to your student host's classes! You should ask... Or you can go talk to the admissions office, or take a self tour... Im sure your student host knows what to do with you, did you tell them you will be there that early?
What time will the interview day be over? I want to book my flight back to Dallas right after the interview but not too early that I won't make it to the airport and through security in time
Schedule says all the interviews should be over at 3. I booked my flight out of El Paso at 4:45, which i think might be pushing it, hopefully ill make it in time.
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There's a bus that leaves from the campus right at 3 and takes you directly to the airport which is about 15 min away.
is there a place to keep your suitcase or bag at the school?
The main room that you meet at in the morning has space. Everyone brings their stuff there and it's safe. The only people who have access to the room are the interviewees and people working on the staff.
I will be there too. This is my first Texas interview!
Anyone know the statistics for this school - how many students interview, how many are accepted, etc?
I know the incoming class of 2011 will only have 80 students.
I think there were only about 30 when I was there but I'm not 100% sure...
They split you up into 2 groups for the tours but everyone interviews in the afternoon between 1-3.
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Are there enough of us who've interviewed to pool our opinions? What are the plusses and minuses that you can think of for PLFSOM?
Plus: SPs every week; friendly community
Minus: no USMLE scores yet; temporary accreditation only
Anyone else?
Plus: SPs every week; friendly community
Minus: no USMLE scores yet; temporary accreditation only
Anyone else?
Plus: awesome SIM lab, early work with simulated patients
Minus: (this is just my opinion): really small, not just in class size but in facility size and stuff as well. I would get tiered of being in such a small area.
Plus: SIM center, faculty/staff genuinely care about everyone
Minus: location (so far away from everything), we won't benefit from the 50 year development plan, the border
Can be plus or minus: SPs every week. I see how it's beneficial, but at the same time I think it takes away from study time. Every one learns how to be a good doctor without that experience
May be a dumb question, but what's an SP?
Standardized Patient. Basically the school has these actors that pretend to be patients. They have symptoms and know what you should be asking or doing and they basically teach you how to properly interact with patients.
Wow, they sent out invites for Nov 11 already? 🙁
If you don't mind me pestering, when were you complete?
Congrats on your interview! 👍
Just take a taxi! They are right outside the exit for the airport waiting and know exactly where the school is. Took like 10 minutes and cost about 15 bucks with tip. A shuttle will take you back to the airport from the school
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Has anyone else been having issues with them not emailing you back to arrange student housing? I emailed the address that came with my interview invite, per their instructions, and it's been a week and a half. I sent a second follow-up email on Sunday as well. I suppose I should just call... Haha.
After I got the interview invite email and told them I'd like to stay with a student, it took them about 2 weeks to reply back with info on a host. I'm sure they have your info, but they may not email you back right away until they have stuff sorted out. Your interview date might be on an exam which could explain why it's more difficult for them to find you a place.
Was complete July 17th I believe. You actually pick the date you want to interview I had a choice between Oct 28, Nov 4, or Nov 11. November 11th is the only day I can get off work so that's why I'm going then.
So, for those of you that stayed with a med student, does that workout to be simple & easy? I mean you don't have to worry about them sleeping in or driving you to school late or anything, do you?
I'm coming from Houston, so I'm thinking I will fly in and stay with a med student if they have room. Or, possibly drive up with my dad and stay in a hotel. But the drive to Lubbock was pretty bad. I'm a little scared about a potential drive to El Paso.
Oh, and is the match up with a med student completely random?
I'm coming from Houston, so I'm thinking I will fly in and stay with a med student if they have room. Or, possibly drive up with my dad and stay in a hotel. But the drive to Lubbock was pretty bad. I'm a little scared about a potential drive to El Paso.
Oh, and is the match up with a med student completely random?
I would fly if I were you, its not too expensive and way worth it... Stay with a med student too! It was awesome! They are pretty responsible about everything... They have class at 8am anyway... The match up is random, but thats kind of why its fun. 🙂
Yea, having a student host is very exciting, they are extremely nice and come pick you up at the airport and treat you lovingly!!!
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So... I had my interview yesterday and I figured I would give you guys some information and the impression I got from the school.
The day started with an introduction by the assistant dean, a campus tour also led by the dean (which I thought was great!), talk about the curriculum, an MD/MPH option, financial aid, and then an overview of how the admissions process works. Then lunch, which was some great Mexican food… And after lunch we went to our interviews. There are two 30 min interviews with either PhDs, MDs, or one of each (I had one of each). My interviews were laid back, the first one was with a cardiologist who could have been my grandfather. Haha. He was really sweet though. His questions were rather odd, they were random questions from my file about my SAT and some ECs (like habitat for humanity and playing the violin). He also asked about all of the other places I applied (He wanted to know why I applied to 48 schools, lol, I claimed hysteria due to applying for the third time). I was kind of shocked at the questions he asked because they were so random and I felt like there were many other things in my file that were more significant. But he was great. Then my second interview was with a physiology professor/researcher. He was super nice. I think this was the best interview I have had anywhere so far. He asked only a few questions. Asked why doctor, why I wanted to come to El Paso, then he asked me how I take failure and where I think the science of medicine is going. After that he proceeded to just tell me how awesome the school and curriculum was (he was one of the curriculum directors). Then at the end he just told me that I was a great fit for the school and that he was going to tell the committee to accept me. Wow. That felt nice. But who knows what will happen in the end, right…?
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this school. I had already visited Tech in Lubbock for an interview, and I was blown away by their campus and students. I was actually not thinking that the El Paso campus/program would in any way compare to the Lubbock campus/program. It was actually pretty great. El Paso is known for being dangerous, well, everyone I know thinks that. They went out of their way (both the students and faculty) to make us realize that El Paso is actually not dangerous at all. It's the 6th safest city in the nation! That was good to know. El Paso itself is a little old looking, which I think makes me feel like it could be dangerous... But everyone there was so nice, and I would love to live there for its culture alone.
I stayed with a 3 student hosts… They were 1st year med students and roommates. Another interviewee also stayed at their apartment with me. We all went out to dinner the night before the interview and over 15 students showed up to come and meet us! It was really nice! They took us to a really nice Mexican restaurant, and it was AMAZING. The students are very laid back, they come from all over Texas, and for the most part the reason they said they chose Tech El Paso was for the opportunities this new school would give them. They have an 80% Hispanic population there, so there are many mandatory Spanish courses included in the medical curriculum. Also, their University Medical Center (used to be called Thomason Hospital) is a level one trauma center, and covers a huge part of the region, including trauma patients from Mexico! I love trauma (mainly due to my job and future interests), so I was super excited...
Their curriculum itself is kind of unique. They said it was based on the Galveston curriculum. It's very integrated and done by organ systems. They basically teach you to be a doctor from day one… They are less concerned with only teaching you biochemistry and cell biology and more concerned with teaching you how biochem and cell will allow you to understand diseases in a clinical setting. I liked that. Also, they do early patient care experiences from the first month of med school. They do require a research project that ends with a poster presentation during your second year. This could be a minus for those of you that do not want to add more work to your med school schedule…
The students were a little younger than those at Tech in Lubbock I thought. Which may not be an issue for most of you, and really I can live with it. I'm a non trad, married and a little older (well only 27!) so I would rather be in a family oriented crowd personally. But everyone seemed so cool that it didn't matter to me at all! They are a close knit bunch. The class size for the second years is only 30 people, and 60 people for the first years. The new class will be 80 people. So there are really not that many of them. The campus is small, it consists of only two buildings, but they are new. And only one building is for medical students!
The faculty were great, really nice and the students said they are very accommodating since they are still trying to figure out how things are going to work.
As a whole, I LOVED TECH EL PASO! It was an awesome interview day, and I really hope I get an acceptance because I could see myself being happy here. 🙂 The students were the best part of the whole interview experience. They are a funny bunch!
The day started with an introduction by the assistant dean, a campus tour also led by the dean (which I thought was great!), talk about the curriculum, an MD/MPH option, financial aid, and then an overview of how the admissions process works. Then lunch, which was some great Mexican food… And after lunch we went to our interviews. There are two 30 min interviews with either PhDs, MDs, or one of each (I had one of each). My interviews were laid back, the first one was with a cardiologist who could have been my grandfather. Haha. He was really sweet though. His questions were rather odd, they were random questions from my file about my SAT and some ECs (like habitat for humanity and playing the violin). He also asked about all of the other places I applied (He wanted to know why I applied to 48 schools, lol, I claimed hysteria due to applying for the third time). I was kind of shocked at the questions he asked because they were so random and I felt like there were many other things in my file that were more significant. But he was great. Then my second interview was with a physiology professor/researcher. He was super nice. I think this was the best interview I have had anywhere so far. He asked only a few questions. Asked why doctor, why I wanted to come to El Paso, then he asked me how I take failure and where I think the science of medicine is going. After that he proceeded to just tell me how awesome the school and curriculum was (he was one of the curriculum directors). Then at the end he just told me that I was a great fit for the school and that he was going to tell the committee to accept me. Wow. That felt nice. But who knows what will happen in the end, right…?
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this school. I had already visited Tech in Lubbock for an interview, and I was blown away by their campus and students. I was actually not thinking that the El Paso campus/program would in any way compare to the Lubbock campus/program. It was actually pretty great. El Paso is known for being dangerous, well, everyone I know thinks that. They went out of their way (both the students and faculty) to make us realize that El Paso is actually not dangerous at all. It's the 6th safest city in the nation! That was good to know. El Paso itself is a little old looking, which I think makes me feel like it could be dangerous... But everyone there was so nice, and I would love to live there for its culture alone.
I stayed with a 3 student hosts… They were 1st year med students and roommates. Another interviewee also stayed at their apartment with me. We all went out to dinner the night before the interview and over 15 students showed up to come and meet us! It was really nice! They took us to a really nice Mexican restaurant, and it was AMAZING. The students are very laid back, they come from all over Texas, and for the most part the reason they said they chose Tech El Paso was for the opportunities this new school would give them. They have an 80% Hispanic population there, so there are many mandatory Spanish courses included in the medical curriculum. Also, their University Medical Center (used to be called Thomason Hospital) is a level one trauma center, and covers a huge part of the region, including trauma patients from Mexico! I love trauma (mainly due to my job and future interests), so I was super excited...
Their curriculum itself is kind of unique. They said it was based on the Galveston curriculum. It's very integrated and done by organ systems. They basically teach you to be a doctor from day one… They are less concerned with only teaching you biochemistry and cell biology and more concerned with teaching you how biochem and cell will allow you to understand diseases in a clinical setting. I liked that. Also, they do early patient care experiences from the first month of med school. They do require a research project that ends with a poster presentation during your second year. This could be a minus for those of you that do not want to add more work to your med school schedule…
The students were a little younger than those at Tech in Lubbock I thought. Which may not be an issue for most of you, and really I can live with it. I'm a non trad, married and a little older (well only 27!) so I would rather be in a family oriented crowd personally. But everyone seemed so cool that it didn't matter to me at all! They are a close knit bunch. The class size for the second years is only 30 people, and 60 people for the first years. The new class will be 80 people. So there are really not that many of them. The campus is small, it consists of only two buildings, but they are new. And only one building is for medical students!
The faculty were great, really nice and the students said they are very accommodating since they are still trying to figure out how things are going to work.
As a whole, I LOVED TECH EL PASO! It was an awesome interview day, and I really hope I get an acceptance because I could see myself being happy here. 🙂 The students were the best part of the whole interview experience. They are a funny bunch!
I feel the same way, Tech at El Paso is a great school!!! I can see my wife and I living in El Paso. This is my first choice.
Hey all,
So I got an interview on 10/28!! I am really excited but wanted to know
any suggestions/tips for interviews?
My numbers are alright....27N (8V 9P 10 B), 3.88 GPA 3.79sGPA
So I need to maximize my chances as I already interviewed at TCOM
but really want to get into elpaso!!
Any tips/suggestions for interviews would be appreciated
Thanks !!!!
So I got an interview on 10/28!! I am really excited but wanted to know
any suggestions/tips for interviews?
My numbers are alright....27N (8V 9P 10 B), 3.88 GPA 3.79sGPA
So I need to maximize my chances as I already interviewed at TCOM
but really want to get into elpaso!!
Any tips/suggestions for interviews would be appreciated
Thanks !!!!
The interviewers here are very nice. The interview itself was fun and very laid back, almost like a normal conversation. Just be yourself and try to figure out how the school suits you.
Come on!!!! Send out the invite already!!!! 
The general consensus seems to be that you should send a thank you card in the mail (something simple and elegant) to be nice, but that it won't really help your chances of admission.
So I'm going to be interviewing on the 21st, and will probably end up at a hotel. I saw earlier someone mentioned that the Best Western will shuttle you to/from the airport and even to the school in the morning, is that correct?
Anyone else have any suggestions for a hotel with a shuttle to the school?
And I believe sending thank you cards is a good idea, although I'm not sure it'll affect the chances of getting in, like others said.
Anyone else have any suggestions for a hotel with a shuttle to the school?
And I believe sending thank you cards is a good idea, although I'm not sure it'll affect the chances of getting in, like others said.
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I'll be there this on Wednesday for the Thursday interview...
I don't mind getting dinner on wed. night if you want...
if anyone else want to hang out on wed. lemme know too, I'm down to meet up...
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