2010-2011 University of Texas Medical Branch Application Thread

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Guys, I have applied this cycle and my application was transmitted 09/28. My mcat and gpa is 32 and 3.57. My question is, do I have still a shot at a interview or it is over for this school and most other schools in texas.:mad:
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sch said:
Guys, I have applied this cycle and my application was transmitted 09/28. My mcat and gpa is 32 and 3.57. My question is, do I have still a shot at a interview or it is over for this school and most other schools in texas.:mad:
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I'm sorry, that really stinks. It looks like the only thing that was holding you back was late transmission, as your GPA is ~average and your MCAT is above average for Texas. I don't know about the rest of your application or if there is a potential something that was lacking or mediocre there that dragged your application down, but if you have to reapply again, have someone look over your application with you just in case. But really, I think it's just the late transmission :(

I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I think the majority of the schools, if not all of the Texas schools, are done extending interview invites at this point. I think the last interview dates are in very early January, and it seems like most of those have been given out, judging on what others on this forum have said. If you haven't interviewed yet or gotten an email yet, it probably is over for this cycle in Texas. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, friend.

Out of state, you may still have a shot, but I never applied out of state so I'm really not familiar with the protocol there.
 
does anyone know if there will be any more prematch offers? or are we all just waiting for the match now
 
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DrHiner said:
I'm sorry, that really stinks. It looks like the only thing that was holding you back was late transmission, as your GPA is ~average and your MCAT is above average for Texas. I don't know about the rest of your application or if there is a potential something that was lacking or mediocre there that dragged your application down, but if you have to reapply again, have someone look over your application with you just in case. But really, I think it's just the late transmission :(

I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I think the majority of the schools, if not all of the Texas schools, are done extending interview invites at this point. I think the last interview dates are in very early January, and it seems like most of those have been given out, judging on what others on this forum have said. If you haven't interviewed yet or gotten an email yet, it probably is over for this cycle in Texas. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, friend.

Out of state, you may still have a shot, but I never applied out of state so I'm really not familiar with the protocol there.
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Thanks, Dr. Hiner, I appreciate your honesty. It give me some peace of mind, since it stops the waiting. I do have one interview at el paso on january 13. So it is the only hope, I have so far. I guess, I should prepare for next cycle.
 
sch said:
I do have one interview at el paso on january 13. So it is the only hope, I have so far. I guess, I should prepare for next cycle.
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I'm in the same boat as you. I transmitted a October 25th though. I did get one interview to UTMB, but it looks like it was too late for the prematch since I have yet to see anyone who interviewed after Thanksgiving get a prematch.

The killer question I received at both my interviews was, "were you asked to interview at any other school?" I hated saying "no" so I danced around the question a little. You might be prepared for that question at your interview. I feel that is a big reason I never received a prematch if they indeed sent out prematches for my interview date.

If we aren't matched, at least we get 5 months to put together a better application for next year. Texas A&M told me if you call the admissions early Feb. they will give a short review on why you weren't selected for an interview. I will chalk this one up as a nice trial run and fix what needs fixin'.
 
Can someone who currently attends UTMB shed some light on the curriculum?

I know at UTMB ya'll take 2 classes at a time and take an exam each month and are only in classes half a day. Since you have less time in class, is it true that there is more info you have to learn on your own? Also, someone on SDN stated that although its only 2 classes, its 5 classes worth of material.

I'm trying to compare UTMB and UTH (who takes 5 classes at time)

Thanks!
 
MsBlessed2011 said:
On to another subject..has anyone began to think about living arrangements? Anyone know where most med students live? I'm going to start looking for apartments soon, really don't want to stay in the dorms...
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Just so you know we started a disscusion on this topic on the facebook group. Not sure if you are a member ;)
 
TexasBelle87 said:
Can someone who currently attends UTMB shed some light on the curriculum?

I know at UTMB ya'll take 2 classes at a time and take an exam each month and are only in classes half a day. Since you have less time in class, is it true that there is more info you have to learn on your own? Also, someone on SDN stated that although its only 2 classes, its 5 classes worth of material.

I'm trying to compare UTMB and UTH (who takes 5 classes at time)

Thanks!
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Sure. Our curriculum is based on 8 week blocks. The first year classes are Gross Anatomy & Radiology (GAR), Molecules, Cells & Tissues (MCT), Pathobiology & Host Defense (PHD), Neuroscience & Human Behavior (NHB), and Practice of Medicine (POM). POM lasts the entire year, so you'll be taking one basic science class and POM all year. So this past semester, we did GAR for 8 weeks, MCT for 8 weeks, and POM the whole semester.

The 8-12 thing is true except during anatomy - We had a lot of Radiology lectures 1-2. A typical week has PBL three days a week, some lectures, and lab time.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
 
Anyone know if UTMB sent out pre-matches on Christmas eve last year? Doesn't look like anyone has gotten one yet but one of these is at the top of my Christmas list. :xf:

C'mon UTMB!

Gonna need that free child care..
 
At the beginning of December i got an interview to UTMB in 1/7/11 which is amazing. I have no idea why. i had a 3.6 gpa science and overall and a 26 on the mcat. I find that absurd that even such a thing exists. Any advice on interviews and the questions i should expect. Any advice will be appreciated first time using these forums.

thank you
 
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

Buff I PM'ed you
 
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fiat said:
Sure. Our curriculum is based on 8 week blocks. The first year classes are Gross Anatomy & Radiology (GAR), Molecules, Cells & Tissues (MCT), Pathobiology & Host Defense (PHD), Neuroscience & Human Behavior (NHB), and Practice of Medicine (POM). POM lasts the entire year, so you'll be taking one basic science class and POM all year. So this past semester, we did GAR for 8 weeks, MCT for 8 weeks, and POM the whole semester.

The 8-12 thing is true except during anatomy - We had a lot of Radiology lectures 1-2. A typical week has PBL three days a week, some lectures, and lab time.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
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I was asking is the curriculum "easier" per se bc u only take 2 classes Instead of 5?? I read online that although u take 2 classes it's really 5 classes worth of material packed into shorter class time, and that you have to learn more on your own. Is this true?
 
TexasBelle87 said:
I was asking is the curriculum "easier" per se bc u only take 2 classes Instead of 5?? I read online that although u take 2 classes it's really 5 classes worth of material packed into shorter class time, and that you have to learn more on your own. Is this true?
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You can't really go into med school looking for an "easier" curriculum....if you think about it every school has to teach the same amount of information before Step 1 (end of 2nd year). Schools may pace it different (5 classes at a time @ UTH vs. 2 classes at a time @ UTSW), but if you think about it, those 2 classes are going to be much heavier and roughly equivalent in material vs the 5 classes at UTH. Especially at UTMB, because they only have class 8-12, I would expect there to be much more self-learning involved.
 
mrfuumanchu206 said:
You can't really go into med school looking for an "easier" curriculum....if you think about it every school has to teach the same amount of information before Step 1 (end of 2nd year). Schools may pace it different (5 classes at a time @ UTH vs. 2 classes at a time @ UTSW), but if you think about it, those 2 classes are going to be much heavier and roughly equivalent in material vs the 5 classes at UTH. Especially at UTMB, because they only have class 8-12, I would expect there to be much more self-learning involved.
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My appologizies for using the word "easier", that wasn't the right word. I was just curious if the curriculum organized with only 2 classes at a time would allow you to master that material better thatn juggling 5 classes at a time. In my opinion, it looks like it would be more manageable to handle just Gross Anatomy and Radiology at one time vs taking Gross, dev anatomy, biochem, histology and a clinical skills course at once. I've been accepted to both and I'm still trying to figure out which is the best school for me
 
biceps brachii said:
If Galveston was not prone to hurricanes, I'd definitely attend UTMB. I just don't want to take a chance like that with my medical education...
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I think your judgement is flawed due to the availability heuristic. People tend to overestimate the frequency of an event based on how easily the event comes to mind. UTMB has only experienced 2 major hurricanes which has interfered with school function, each of which has happened in different centuries.

Even though that last hurricane affected UTMB, it was by no means debilitating. In fact, arguably, UTMB has actually recovered and is rebuilding to be better than it once was. Before this last hurricane, UTMB facilities were not built with hurricanes in mind (lol, i know :laugh:), so they had crucial components such as sterilization facilities on the first floor. So when the hurricane hit, with most of the damage being flood damage, the first floor was rendered unusable. With the new FEMA requirements, they are now not allowed to have any critical things on the first (I think they have a dining area on the first floor now).

Basically, if another hurricane hits, they will have things cleared up within days:thumbup:.
 
TexasBelle87 said:
My appologizies for using the word "easier", that wasn't the right word. I was just curious if the curriculum organized with only 2 classes at a time would allow you to master that material better thatn juggling 5 classes at a time. In my opinion, it looks like it would be more manageable to handle just Gross Anatomy and Radiology at one time vs taking Gross, dev anatomy, biochem, histology and a clinical skills course at once. I've been accepted to both and I'm still trying to figure out which is the best school for me
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Studying for one test is definitely better than studying for 5 tests. Granted, as a consequence our tests are very high stakes.

We're pretty into PBL here, so you'll be doing a lot of self learning for that. However, each of our classes contains elements of all of them. MCT, the class we just finished, contained elements of histology, biochemistry, physiology, and genetics. GAR includes anatomy, radiology, and some development. The nice thing is finishing up our time in gross lab after 8 weeks. Since you're dismissed at 12 pretty much every day they expect you to be studying a lot on your own, since they're giving you time for it.

Personally, I think our way of doing it makes a ton of sense. I definitely think it makes for a less stressful experience to be able to focus on one test at a time. We test every 4 weeks, basically. POM has a clinical skills test (OSCE) and a written test at the end of the semester. The PA's have a more traditional 5 class at a time curriculum and they always seem way more stressed out than us.

Hope this helps.
 
TexasBelle87 said:
My appologizies for using the word "easier", that wasn't the right word. I was just curious if the curriculum organized with only 2 classes at a time would allow you to master that material better thatn juggling 5 classes at a time. In my opinion, it looks like it would be more manageable to handle just Gross Anatomy and Radiology at one time vs taking Gross, dev anatomy, biochem, histology and a clinical skills course at once. I've been accepted to both and I'm still trying to figure out which is the best school for me
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Lol, sorry, didn't mean to come off as offended or anything. I've just given the matter quite a bit of thought as well. So, I'm currently an MS1 at UTSW, and I've found that the curriculum there is very suited for my learning style. We usually take about 2 classes at a time, and we have our tests spaced out 2-3 weeks usually. It's nice because it allows me to focus on a couple classes and I feel like I am able to learn more deeply on the one topic rather than having to spread myself thin across 5 different classes.
 
biceps brachii said:
If Galveston was not prone to hurricanes, I'd definitely attend UTMB. I just don't want to take a chance like that with my medical education...
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No one who was here during the hurricane has experienced any delays in promotion or graduation due to it. All first years became second years on time, all seniors graduated on time and so on. In the unlikely event there's another major hurricane in the next 4 or 5 years, I think they'll be able to handle it.
 
biceps brachii said:
You are right about the availability heuristic. Now that you mention it, I agree that it is not likely that during the next 4 years a hurricane would hit UTMB.

I had a great interview experience at the school and I was very excited about ranking UTMB as #1 for the Feb 1 Match Day. But after reading comments about the school's financial problems before and after Hurricane Ike, I am contemplating whether to rank a different school higher than UTMB. Other schools seem more stable versus UTMB is laying off faculty/staff and still in the process of post-hurricane reparation. Could somebody please elaborate on the status of rotations experiences? For example: right after the hurricane in 2008, 3rd and 4th year UTMB students were sent to hospitals affiliated with other Texas med schools for their clinical rotations since the hospitals on Galveston island were not functional. John Sealy hospital was back to business in early 2009. The ER reopened in Aug 2009 (~1 year after the hurricane). Since then, the trauma center is fully operational and will regain its Level 1 Trauma center status in April 2011 (per UTMB's website). To me, it seems that some clinical experiences may still not be available. (But then again, I'm still an MS-0 so I do not know much about this.) Could a UTMB student address this and also anything else that may not be back since Hurricane Ike?
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I haven't noticed any deficits in my experience. I don't know any specifics but I know we had a UTMB surplus this year --> we're making money! So I don't imagine we're doing badly! :)

Personally, I put a lot of stake in where I thought I would enjoy myself most when ranking schools. And so far, I've been loving medical school even with the anticipated (and unanticipated) stresses. I rarely follow my heart (I follow my head more often), but this was one opportunity where I'm truly glad I did. :love:
 
fiat said:
... Since you're dismissed at 12 pretty much every day they expect you to be studying a lot on your own, since they're giving you time for it.

Personally, I think our way of doing it makes a ton of sense. I definitely think it makes for a less stressful experience to be able to focus on one test at a time. We test every 4 weeks, basically. POM has a clinical skills test (OSCE) and a written test at the end of the semester. The PA's have a more traditional 5 class at a time curriculum and they always seem way more stressed out than us.

Hope this helps.
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Agreed. :thumbup:
 
TexasBelle87 said:
I was asking is the curriculum "easier" per se bc u only take 2 classes Instead of 5?? I read online that although u take 2 classes it's really 5 classes worth of material packed into shorter class time, and that you have to learn more on your own. Is this true?
Click to expand...

Depends on your learning style, but I find it's "easier" to focus on 1-2 classes than 5. You submerge yourself for 8 weeks in something (literally eat, breathe and sleep it) and it really sticks even if you don't think it is. I'm surprised at how well I'm doing in medical school. It's like intense undergrad but with more awesome classmates and interesting experiences.
 
Still interviewing in January, right? Crossing my fingers and hoping -- I'm hoping my transcript from my master's program will influence them to offer an interview -- I'm doing great in post-bacc
 
DrHiner said:
Depends on your learning style, but I find it's "easier" to focus on 1-2 classes than 5. You submerge yourself for 8 weeks in something (literally eat, breathe and sleep it) and it really sticks even if you don't think it is. I'm surprised at how well I'm doing in medical school. It's like intense undergrad but with more awesome classmates and interesting experiences.
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I have to agree with Julia, learning styles are important to asses in the decision. I have found it to be perfect for mine. I actually like the idea of just really studying for one course at a time. It is integrated which makes sense to me, I loved learning the radiology while learning the anatomy....just made sense. Same with embryology of the heart while studying anatomy of the heart, etc etc etc.

Also, I find I have more time than I thought I would. I can study from 12 to 5...thats 5 hours in one day and still stop, eat supper with my wife, play COD, go work out and still study that night if I really want to. If I'm honest though, I dont even put in that much time on a normal basis, only around tests, material I feel I need more understanding. They have great tutor classes you can attend (been meaning to go) and our course director for PHD is actually spending her Saturdays holding informal review sessions for us.

I couldn't have picked a better school for me. The faculty is just amazing, really are. There are of course those bad lecturers that are at every school, but for the most part its been great.

I'm biased of course, but UTMB is the best school for me. The hurricane thing is moot. I hope I'm not here in 100 years for the next one. I grew up here though and have been through countless hurricanes, even the bad ones dont stop things. And as other have pointed out, improvements are made each time a catastrophic one hits (both times).

If you are considering UTMB come back and visit outside the "official" tours. Let us show you around and answer your questions. Best school in CONUS!!
 
readdoc said:
Still interviewing in January, right? Crossing my fingers and hoping -- I'm hoping my transcript from my master's program will influence them to offer an interview -- I'm doing great in post-bacc
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I saw some interviewees just yesterday, so I guess they are. Not sure how much longer though.
 
7starmantis said:
I saw some interviewees just yesterday, so I guess they are. Not sure how much longer though.
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Unless the matching process has changed from last year, I remember I had to list my prefs on the TMDSAS website no later than Jan 15.. and it always took a while for each school to be loaded up after the interview (read: it's unlikely that there will be Jan 14th interviews). So for better or worse, I think UTMB is done for this round. And I wouldn't be surprised if other Tx schools are too, save maybe nonTMDSAS Baylor.

Good luck you guys, the match is soon and I'm sure many of you will be pleasantly surprised at what unfolds :D You're almost there!!

Feel free to PM as always if you have questions.
 
DrHiner said:
Unless the matching process has changed from last year, I remember I had to list my prefs on the TMDSAS website no later than Jan 15.. and it always took a while for each school to be loaded up after the interview (read: it's unlikely that there will be Jan 14th interviews). So for better or worse, I think UTMB is done for this round. And I wouldn't be surprised if other Tx schools are too, save maybe nonTMDSAS Baylor.

Good luck you guys, the match is soon and I'm sure many of you will be pleasantly surprised at what unfolds :D You're almost there!!

Feel free to PM as always if you have questions.
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I concur
:)
 
Does anyone happen to know what happend to the comments between the ending of the 2009-2010 thread and this thread? there is a span of about two months (5/16/10-7/14/10) and i know there had to be comments between those times.
 
BooRadley85 said:
Does anyone happen to know what happend to the comments between the ending of the 2009-2010 thread and this thread? there is a span of about two months (5/16/10-7/14/10) and i know there had to be comments between those times.
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A lot of last year's applicants (once accepted) moved over to the UTMB c/o 2014 page, here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=681857

But probably the majority of convo died down after most of the potential waitlist movement stopped.

We also talked a lot on our facebook page for our class. Much less on SDN at that point.

Hope that helps/answers your question!
 
UTMB just disappeared from my rank list? Is this an error or what? Anyone else having the same thing happen?
 
Same here, it's back up. Made for a crappy night though, no fun watching your favorite school disappear from your rank list the night it was due. Also got a message from TMDSAS saying it was an error so I feel much better now.
 
For current MD/PhD students or those already accepted, I checked on the website but could not find this info. Do you receive a stipend andtuition waiver? How much is it? Also, for the interview day, since there are 3 interviewers, how can I know which one would best answer my questions? Are they all equally informed about the program, USMLE pass rates and other information I may have?
 
has anyone heard if anymore OOS acceptances will go out before the match date?
 
Will be joining you everyone at UTMB next year! cant wait. Anyone else in the Austin area now?
 
hitsugaaya said:
For current MD/PhD students or those already accepted, I checked on the website but could not find this info. Do you receive a stipend andtuition waiver? How much is it? Also, for the interview day, since there are 3 interviewers, how can I know which one would best answer my questions? Are they all equally informed about the program, USMLE pass rates and other information I may have?
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Hi again.
According to their letter, "As a Combined Degree student, you will receive an annual stipend of $27,000 as long as you remain in the Program. In addition, the Program will assume responsibility for your Medical School and Graduate School tuition."

All my interviewers were all really qualified, but more researchers than anything else. Not sure if this is universally the case, but all the interviewers seemed really down to Earth. The discussion was less an interview and more of "here is how you would fit into my lab group." I was shocked. It was awesome, but really shocking. Beginning of the day you will be with all the other regular MD interviewees and they will have a big talk where they run down all the stats you are worried about. Truthfully, you probably won't even have to ask those questions of your interviewers. To answer your USMLE question, they said their students record a 96% pass rate on Step I and pass rates comparable to the National average on Step II.
 
realpolitik said:
Hi again.
According to their letter, "As a Combined Degree student, you will receive an annual stipend of $27,000 as long as you remain in the Program. In addition, the Program will assume responsibility for your Medical School and Graduate School tuition."

All my interviewers were all really qualified, but more researchers than anything else. Not sure if this is universally the case, but all the interviewers seemed really down to Earth. The discussion was less an interview and more of "here is how you would fit into my lab group." I was shocked. It was awesome, but really shocking. Beginning of the day you will be with all the other regular MD interviewees and they will have a big talk where they run down all the stats you are worried about. Truthfully, you probably won't even have to ask those questions of your interviewers. To answer your USMLE question, they said their students record a 96% pass rate on Step I and pass rates comparable to the National average on Step II.
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Thanks. I had my interview. It went well I think and they provided so much information in the sessions before the interview, I found I didn't need to ask alot of my former questions. Just left to cross my fingers and pray. Ha.
 
does anyone know if there will be another round of OOS acceptances or will the next OOS acceptances just come from the waitlist when it is eventually generated? Last year's thread didn't have anything about it...
 
biceps brachii said:
This question is directed to any current UTMB students. What book do y'all use for physiology? Which book would you recommend?

I just started a physiology course and would like to buy a text that I could use now and when I start med school. Thanks!
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We don't have a specific physio course here... for anatomy we use Essential Clinical Anatomy and Netter's Atlas of Anatomy mostly. Grant's Atlas and Rohen's Atlas are also good but students tend to use Netter's (though an old version of Rohen's is helpful for lab cuz it's actual cadavers and not illustrations). But we cover most of the physio in 2nd year in each organ system class, I believe.

Maybe there's an MS2 out there that knows more? Us first yrs just have gross anatomy&radiology, molecules cells and tissues, pathobio and host defense, neuroscience and human behavior first yr... so no real physio until neuro, but we have a distinct book for neuro (by Nolte, dont remember the name).
 
biceps brachii said:
This question is directed to any current UTMB students. What book do y'all use for physiology? Which book would you recommend?

I just started a physiology course and would like to buy a text that I could use now and when I start med school. Thanks!
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When people start studying for Step 1, a lot of people use BRS physiology. I'm not sure it would be detailed enough for a whole class dedicated to physiology though.

I've used it on occasion in my MS1 classes already. It's pretty easy reading. :love:
 
Can't wait to see this thread explode tomorrow with all the good news!! I know I was about to die of nervousness this time last year haha...

Good luck to everyone tomorrow -- and to everyone accepted previously or tomorrow or later, welcome to the UTMB family! :D

Look forward to having ALL of you as my classmates and colleagues.
 
CaptainSSO said:
Sorry I wasn't going to post about this but given that their are 3 god-praising posts I couldn't help myself--would it have been god's doing if you didn't pre-match somewhere? Also, why is it that you are so important that god apparently micromanages your acceptance into med school, but appears to care so little about some other people that they receive fatal illnesses and starvation instead of graduate school offers?

(Not trying to start a religious debate, especially in a completely unrelated thread like this one, but I am genuinely curious how your mind can make this connection while ignoring other ones).
Click to expand...

I messaged you :) it's too long for here haaaha
Anyone curious to hear my respone can PM me
 
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