2013-2014 Texas Tech - El Paso Application Thread

[miss chievous]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Fine.

Stats and date of submission? 🙄

Better

 

[FSOG]

I wonder if Foster gives brownie points to bilingual applicants.

 

[SCX1]

I wonder if Foster gives brownie points to bilingual applicants.

I'm bilingual, but not in Spanish though 🙁

 

[Catherine81]

John from the admissions office said they sent out interview invites today for the first two interview dates and that they will be sending more every week.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

John from the admissions office said they sent out interview invites today for the first two interview dates and that they will be sending more every week.

Do you know how many interview invites/ people fill up each date?

I'm bilingual, but not in Spanish though 🙁

Same here, I am tri-lingual but not spanish.

 

[Vans42]

Do you know how many interview invites/ people fill up each date?



Same here, I am tri-lingual but not spanish.

I thought when I looked at their website they interview 30 people for each date (someone please correct me if I am wrong!). So my guess is that 60 people heard today if they filled the first two dates?

 

[PediDoc12]

Submitted June 1. Transmitted to schools June 6.

28 MCAT 4.0 gpa

 

[Catherine81]

When did yours get transmitted to el paso?

 

[PediDoc12]

When did yours get transmitted to el paso?

Mine was transmitted to El Paso June 20 so they must be showing June applicants love!

 

[Catherine81]

Mine was transmitted to El Paso June 20 so they must be showing June applicants love!

Congratulations! That's awesome news!

 

[LaughingMan]

I should be verified this week--but I saw that out of my 3 letters, my required and extra one were in. My other required one wasn't received.

I just sent off the request to send it to Interfolio.

Now I gotta wait for that letter to processed. Think it'll slow me down a bunch?

 

[Status Sciaticus]

Submitted June 1. Transmitted to schools June 6.

28 MCAT 4.0 gpa

Mine was transmitted to El Paso June 20 so they must be showing June applicants love!

I dont think its june applicants. Rather its the high GPA applicants.
So far the three invites went to 4.0/4.0/3.9

At least thats the pattern I saw.

 

[miss chievous]

Anyone else notice that high GPAs are being heavily favored for this first round? Damn you 3.9+ people

 

[miss chievous]

I dont think its june applicants. Rather its the high GPA applicants.
So far the three invites went to 4.0/4.0/3.9

At least thats the pattern I saw.

You beat me to it

 

[Gooby]

For what it's worth, I had a 3.6 / 30 and submitted 6/1. I interviewed mid-September and prematched. I heard nothing from TX schools in June and July. Got Tech El Paso invite in August, then got invites from UTMB, TCOM, SA, and Houston in a span of two weeks around November! It was pretty demoralizing not receiving a lot of news for so long, but you just have to stay patient!

 

[SCX1]

For what it's worth, I had a 3.6 / 30 and submitted 6/1. I interviewed mid-September and prematched. I heard nothing from TX schools in June and July. Got Tech El Paso invite in August, then got invites from UTMB, TCOM, SA, and Houston in a span of two weeks around November! It was pretty demoralizing not receiving a lot of news for so long, but you just have to stay patient!

Yep I needed to hear this...thank you and congrats!

 

[mnmike]

For what it's worth, I had a 3.6 / 30 and submitted 6/1. I interviewed mid-September and prematched. I heard nothing from TX schools in June and July. Got Tech El Paso invite in August, then got invites from UTMB, TCOM, SA, and Houston in a span of two weeks around November! It was pretty demoralizing not receiving a lot of news for so long, but you just have to stay patient!

Thanks! Helps those of us probably over-panicking about this.

 

[HomerWells]

For what it's worth, I had a 3.6 / 30 and submitted 6/1. I interviewed mid-September and prematched. I heard nothing from TX schools in June and July. Got Tech El Paso invite in August, then got invites from UTMB, TCOM, SA, and Houston in a span of two weeks around November! It was pretty demoralizing not receiving a lot of news for so long, but you just have to stay patient!

Thanks for the reassurance! Did you get acceptances from any of the other schools? If so, what do you like about El Paso that made you choose it over another school?

 

[miss chievous]

For what it's worth, I had a 3.6 / 30 and submitted 6/1. I interviewed mid-September and prematched. I heard nothing from TX schools in June and July. Got Tech El Paso invite in August, then got invites from UTMB, TCOM, SA, and Houston in a span of two weeks around November! It was pretty demoralizing not receiving a lot of news for so long, but you just have to stay patient!

Haha thanks, I needed to hear that as well.

As soon as I submit AMCAS this week, I'll be off SDN for the remainder of the cycle. Too much unnecessary stress!

 

[Status Sciaticus]

Haha thanks, I needed to hear that as well.

As soon as I submit AMCAS this week, I'll be off SDN for the remainder of the cycle. Too much unnecessary stress!

Until September?! wow the anxiety is going to suuuuckk... 🙁🙁

 

[Pseudonymity]

I dont think its june applicants. Rather its the high GPA applicants.
So far the three invites went to 4.0/4.0/3.9

At least thats the pattern I saw.

It could have to do with letters and mcat scores. I'm 3.9 & 30+ and I've got nothing. Transmitted mid june

 

[Gooby]

Thanks for the reassurance! Did you get acceptances from any of the other schools? If so, what do you like about El Paso that made you choose it over another school?

I ranked the schools as followed: 1. Houston 2. El Paso 3. UTMB 4. San Antonio 5. TCOM

I did not match into Houston. I chose El Paso over San Antonio because I applied during the year in which the LCME was cracking down on their curriculum and their accreditation was placed on probation. I wasn't crazy about UTMB either. I placed Houston above El Paso simply because Texas Medical Center was freaking amazing, and Houston is a great place to make connections for possible future residency. However, to be totally honest, I always knew that El Paso probably offered the best curriculum and had the best 'feel' for me. The fact that it is true unranked pass/fail the first two years is a severely under-rated benefit that a medical school can offer. It allows you to focus on learning and trying your best rather than trying to prove yourself and one-up your classmates.

What I like to tell the interviewees here is that El Paso might not be the place you want to live the rest of your life... everyone already knows that. However, it is a GREAT place to study medicine. The patient population here allow their disease to progress to stages you never see in other parts of the country. It's like studying third-world medicine in a first-world country.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

To the students that were given an II, when were your LORs/MCAT scores received by TMDSAS?

 

[Sassafrass23]

Anyone else notice that high GPAs are being heavily favored for this first round? Damn you 3.9+ people

...why we were asking for stats. It's about looking for trends.

Also, there's no such thing as too much GOT. Revel in its awesomeness 👍

 

[Vans42]

To the students that were given an II, when were your LORs/MCAT scores received by TMDSAS?

My MCAT scores were received on 5/1 (I took the March 23 MCAT), my LOR were received on 5/30, and my TMDSAS was received on 5/6

 

[HomerWells]

I ranked the schools as followed: 1. Houston 2. El Paso 3. UTMB 4. San Antonio 5. TCOM

I did not match into Houston. I chose El Paso over San Antonio because I applied during the year in which the LCME was cracking down on their curriculum and their accreditation was placed on probation. I wasn't crazy about UTMB either. I placed Houston above El Paso simply because Texas Medical Center was freaking amazing, and Houston is a great place to make connections for possible future residency. However, to be totally honest, I always knew that El Paso probably offered the best curriculum and had the best 'feel' for me. The fact that it is true unranked pass/fail the first two years is a severely under-rated benefit that a medical school can offer. It allows you to focus on learning and trying your best rather than trying to prove yourself and one-up your classmates.

What I like to tell the interviewees here is that El Paso might not be the place you want to live the rest of your life... everyone already knows that. However, it is a GREAT place to study medicine. The patient population here allow their disease to progress to stages you never see in other parts of the country. It's like studying third-world medicine in a first-world country.

That's really interesting. I'd always thought that the patient demographics in a large population center with inner city areas would offer better opportunities for encountering advanced "third-world-like" pathology, but I can see the case for El Paso. As a newer medical school are you at all concerned that El Paso will lack those opportunities to make residency connections that you saw at Houston?

And what did you not like about UTMB?

Thanks for the info!

 

[Status Sciaticus]

My MCAT scores were received on 5/1 (I took the March 23 MCAT), my LOR were received on 5/30, and my TMDSAS was received on 5/6

Ah, my MCAT was 5/30, LOR was 6/20, and TMDSAS was 5/1.

I guess I was technically complete on 6/20 then..

 

[NCKSD]

Ah, my MCAT was 5/30, LOR was 6/20, and TMDSAS was 5/1.

I guess I was technically complete on 6/20 then..

No offense Gandalf, you're a really nice guy and many of us wish the best for you, but please find something to fill your time with! You're overthinking all these updates 😛 I'm sure your time and invites will come!

 

[Status Sciaticus]

No offense Gandalf, you're a really nice guy and many of us wish the best for you, but please find something to fill your time with! You're overthinking all these updates 😛 I'm sure your time and invites will come!

LOL I know. Im just waiting on a lot of job apps.. so once that happens, I will be frequenting SDN a lot less.

 

[Gooby]

That's really interesting. I'd always thought that the patient demographics in a large population center with inner city areas would offer better opportunities for encountering advanced "third-world-like" pathology, but I can see the case for El Paso. As a newer medical school are you at all concerned that El Paso will lack those opportunities to make residency connections that you saw at Houston?

And what did you not like about UTMB?

Thanks for the info!

The opportunity to make those connections is still possible through away rotations during 4th year. We just had our first graduating class and everyone matched. 5 people matched into Radiology, which is a lot considering the first class was 40 students! Saw some pretty impressive names on there too like Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Baylor, Cleveland Clinic, Beth-Isreal, UCLA, etc.

I also prefer the smaller class size of El Paso (~100 students per class) to the larger schools like UTMB.

 

[Gooby]

LOL I know. Im just waiting on a lot of job apps.. so once that happens, I will be frequenting SDN a lot less.

I was just like you when I was applying. It was a miserable time!

 

[Vans42]

.

 

[miss chievous]

Do you guys think El Paso and UTMB will send out some more invites next week, or do you think it would be in 2 weeks since they filled up the first 2 interview dates already?

 

[Status Sciaticus]

Do you guys think El Paso and UTMB will send out some more invites next week, or do you think it would be in 2 weeks since they filled up the first 2 interview dates already?

Idk but I don't see why not... They can always extend interview invites for dates beyond the first two weeks.

Remember that TX interviews all the way into December.

 

[miss chievous]

Idk but I don't see why not... They can always extend interview invites for dates beyond the first two weeks.

Remember that TX interviews all the way into December.

Yeah I guess you're right. Guess we'll just have to wait and see 😀

 

[SCX1]

Yall... uthscsa, a&m, and lubbock are about to send out their invitations, along with another round of IIs from utmb, elpaso, and tcom. Plenty of opportunities to get more IIs before August 🙂

 

[asanch]

What are my chances here as a CA resident? 3.33 gpa, 34 MCAT, Hispanic, good EC s

 

[Vans42]

In case anyone ever needs to do this - I was able to change my interview date to the second option after having selected a date on the Merlin portal. The admissions staff were great about it and very pleasant!

 

[Resolutepremed]

Just checked Merlin and BOOM! II!!! So excited to go to this interview!!

 

[mnmike]

Congrats!

I just checked and found I could schedule a date too. So weird considering I have not yet gotten an e-mail about it.

Does anyone think that it would be a huge problem to call and ask to see if I could interview on a date after August 9th? Are scheduling changes like that usually frowned upon if I am working a full time internship?

 

[mnmike]

*Sorry, double post*

 

[Resolutepremed]

Congrats!

I just checked and found I could schedule a date too. So weird considering I have not yet gotten an e-mail about it.

Does anyone think that it would be a huge problem to call and ask to see if I could interview on a date after August 9th? Are scheduling changes like that usually frowned upon if I am working a full time internship?

Congrats!! I have not received an email yet either. I have no idea about rescheduling.

 

[Vans42]

Congrats!! I have not received an email yet either. I have no idea about rescheduling.

I don't think it could hurt to ask.

 

[asanch]

So do interview invites come on any given day? How long after they receive your secondary and all your necessary documents?

 

[carlosm16]

Another reason I swayed away from those two is that its the general consensus that you shouldnt reiterate your PS and I spoke of both those things in my PS. But if you havent done that, then I think its reasonable to use those essay blocks.

Do you think the same goes for the optional essay of TMDSAS? I mentioned two life experiences/disadvantages and I'm not sure whether or not to reiterate in Question 4:
Please describe any personal experiences or disadvantage (educational, financial or otherwise) and their significance to you in your pursuit of a medical degree. If not applicable, please so indicate. (300 words or less)

 

[carlosm16]

Another reason I swayed away from those two is that its the general consensus that you shouldnt reiterate your PS and I spoke of both those things in my PS. But if you havent done that, then I think its reasonable to use those essay blocks.

What if I talked about experiences/disadvantages in my optional essay? Should I reiterate in Question 4?

 

[Status Sciaticus]

Do you think the same goes for the optional essay of TMDSAS? I mentioned two life experiences/disadvantages and I'm not sure whether or not to reiterate in Question 4:
Please describe any personal experiences or disadvantage (educational, financial or otherwise) and their significance to you in your pursuit of a medical degree. If not applicable, please so indicate. (300 words or less)

What if I talked about experiences/disadvantages in my optional essay? Should I reiterate in Question 4?

You could if you wanted to. Or you could just mention in the secondary essay that you have listed it in your TMDSAS essay and they can refer to that.

I left the TMDSAS blank. I mentioned that I was a first generation college student in the secondary since that can be disadvantageous and is harder to complete college and move for a professional degree.

I am one of those people that do not like to be handed things because of my disadvantages, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[YNWA777]

cheers to that! This will be my last Texas secondary as well, hopefully submitting it by tomorrow max. does any one know when they start inviting people for interviews?

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

cheers to that! This will be my last Texas secondary as well, hopefully submitting it by tomorrow max. does any one know when they start inviting people for interviews?

They've already sent out the first wave of IIs, lol. Look at the top posts on this page.

 

[Pseudonymity]

If someone who has received an II wouldn't mind clarifying, did you receive any other notification that your file was complete besides the email from foster with the subject line "Application Received"?