2014-2015 University of Texas Southwestern Application Thread

[Earl Simmons]

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For the Friday clinical rounds: How do we attest to our vaccines being current? Is there a form to bring or one to fill out online?

+1, I was wondering this too.

 

[DirkN]

Anybody know when the next available interview date is?

 

[accueil]

+1, I was wondering this too.

My understanding of it was that it was strictly on the honor system. You had to initial the statement saying you were up to date on immunizations and had a recent negative TB test.

 

[DJEnzyme]

Just
interviewed. It was awesome.

 

[DirkN]

Just
interviewed. It was awesome.

Hey DJ! Did they give you guys any stats about how many people they accept, how many more interviews they have, or how far along they are in the app cycle? And congrats on your interview!

 

[whalewind]

Just
interviewed. It was awesome.

Congrats! If you went on Friday clinical rounds, can you confirm whether or not interviewers need to bring proof of immunizations?

 

[PantherPride]

Anybody know when the next available interview date is?

They have one for the first, second, and fourth friday/sat weekends Aug, Oct, and Nov, with a few more in Dec and Jan I believe. When I got my interview I was able to choose between Aug 6, 13, and 27

 

[Afford]

First II for 11/1!! So happy!! They gave me 5 date options from 9/27 to 11/1.

 

[DJEnzyme]

they said this was their first interview session for the year. They didn't say anything about how many acceptances they send out, but about 24 people each class are OOS. They are a very nice group of people and it is an amazing school. They did say prematch for oos is oct 15 and is is Nov 15

 

[DJEnzyme]

I didn't go to clinicals. Had a long drive with wife and kid to get there, but the prospective students that did dint have to produce any proof if immunizations

 

[Z K]

II for October 4th!!! Option for the 11th and 25th.

In-State
3.96 sGPA
3.88 cGPA
34 MCAT

Transmitted 8/12
Interview Invite 9/6 (today)
When I got the II e-mail today, I was actually finishing up my essay for their secondary application. I submitted my secondary a few hours after my II... lol

 

[Silverflash]

Just got my II, my first one too! I'm really excited, I submitted a bit late (8/10) so I'm relieved to see it.

One thing I'm a little confused about: my secondary hasn't even been submitted yet. I didn't think they'd send the email without the secondary, what's up with that?

 

[Matato]

Just got my II yesterday and was so excited! I didn't think I was going to even get one so I haven't even done the secondary application. Guess I should get on that now!

Just got my II, my first one too! I'm really excited, I submitted a bit late (8/10) so I'm relieved to see it.

One thing I'm a little confused about: my secondary hasn't even been submitted yet. I didn't think they'd send the email without the secondary, what's up with that?

 

[Dr Turkelton]

Just got my II, my first one too! I'm really excited, I submitted a bit late (8/10) so I'm relieved to see it.

One thing I'm a little confused about: my secondary hasn't even been submitted yet. I didn't think they'd send the email without the secondary, what's up with that?

You submitted 8/10 or it was transmitted 8/10? Congrats!

 

[Sik965]

Interviewed here on 9/6. It was great! I'd be glad to answer any questions.

 

[Afford]

Interviewed here on 9/6. It was great! I'd be glad to answer any questions.

Did you go to any of the Friday sessions? Did you think they were worth your time? I'm flying in, so I'll have to fork out for a hotel room if I want to go to the Friday sessions.

 

[Sik965]

Did you go to any of the Friday sessions? Did you think they were worth your time? I'm flying in, so I'll have to fork out for a hotel room if I want to go to the Friday sessions.

Yeah I went to the one the day before. It was great I thought. They split us up in the morning for rounds and each group saw a different hospital. I didn't get to see much of the hospital I went to because the residents chose to have rounds in a conference room instead of at the bed side. Other groups did see more of the other hospitals than I did. After that you get lunch. Then a long presentation about the school, which I thought was very helpful. Then dinner with students. The presentation they gave on the interview day was much shorter and not as informative.

Overall I thought it was worth it. Especially because this was my first interview and I was nervous, the relaxed atmosphere on friday helped ease the nerves.

 

[Afford]

Yeah I went to the one the day before. It was great I thought. They split us up in the morning for rounds and each group saw a different hospital. I didn't get to see much of the hospital I went to because the residents chose to have rounds in a conference room instead of at the bed side. Other groups did see more of the other hospitals than I did. After that you get lunch. Then a long presentation about the school, which I thought was very helpful. Then dinner with students. The presentation they gave on the interview day was much shorter and not as informative.

Overall I thought it was worth it. Especially because this was my first interview and I was nervous, the relaxed atmosphere on friday helped ease the nerves.

Thanks! Yeah I think it would be nice to spend some more time to see Southwestern as I would love to go there. Also, how were the interviews structured? Were they done by faculty or students? Is it one-on-one? Were they open file or closed file?

 

[Sik965]

Thanks! Yeah I think it would be nice to spend some more time to see Southwestern as I would love to go there. Also, how were the interviews structured? Were they done by faculty or students? Is it one-on-one? Were they open file or closed file?

Two interviews, 25 min each, both by faculty. I had a PhD and an MD. One had all my file while the other just had my essays. The PhD asked about the research I did and the rest was just a normal conversation. The MD had more "traditional" type questions but nothing tricky or weird.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Two interviews, 25 min each, both by faculty. I had a PhD and an MD. One had all my file while the other just had my essays. The PhD asked about the research I did and the rest was just a normal conversation. The MD had more "traditional" type questions but nothing tricky or weird.

I had a similar experience with 1 MD and 1 PhD. Both were exactly 25 minutes as they had their phones with them to make sure they stuck to 25 minutes. Each interviewer has 1 blind (has only essays) and 1 open file (has everything) interview. It was fairly obvious early into the interviews to figure out if it was the blind or open file one. The questions were very standard and nothing to worry about. No one I talked to had a bad experience at all.

 

[runnerrunner]

IS, LizzyM 72, 100+ each research and community service hours, 1st round interview (both went well), traditional. Chances?

 

[DirkN]

IS, LizzyM 72, 100+ each research and community service hours, 1st round interview (both went well), traditional. Chances?

are you saying you already had your interview?

 

[runnerrunner]

are you saying you already had your interview?

Yes, on Sep. 6 (the first round)

 

[accueil]

Finished up my interview here! Wow, it totally blew me away. They really sell the school and make you want to attend. LOVED it!

For those curious, the new curriculum will have more flexibility in the order of clerkships and be pass/fail (with no internal rankings) for the pre-clinical months.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Finished up my interview here! Wow, it totally blew me away. They really sell the school and make you want to attend. LOVED it!

For those curious, the new curriculum will have more flexibility in the order of clerkships and be pass/fail (with no internal rankings) for the pre-clinical months.

Did someone specifically say that there will be no internal ranking? Those at the 09/06 interview said that the logistics of the P/F system were not worked out yet to know if it was a true P/F.

 

[accueil]

Did someone specifically say that there will be no internal ranking? Those at the 09/06 interview said that the logistics of the P/F system were not worked out yet to know if it was a true P/F.

Yes, the question was specifically asked during the curriculum presentation. One of the deans said the faculty discussed it and decided on a "true" pass/fail with no internal rankings for the pre-clerkship period.

Interesting that they didn't have an answer for y'all last week. I wonder if they just now decided.

 

[Earl Simmons]

Yes, the question was specifically asked during the curriculum presentation. One of the deans said the faculty discussed it and decided on a "true" pass/fail with no internal rankings for the pre-clerkship period.

Interesting that they didn't have an answer for y'all last week. I wonder if they just now decided.

A true P/F is almost hard to even fathom! I wonder if it's a double-edged sword to have everything riding on Step 1 and clinical grades?

 

[Whatyousay]

IS, LizzyM 72, 100+ each research and community service hours, 1st round interview (both went well), traditional. Chances?

Assuming that your MCAT and GPA aren't wildly disparate (40 MCAT with 3.2 GPA or something), your numbers fall pretty much in line with the average for the incoming classes for the past few years. No one knows exactly how the adcom makes its decisions, but a 1st round interview places you in good company.

A true P/F is almost hard to even fathom! I wonder if it's a double-edged sword to have everything riding on Step 1 and clinical grades?

Clinical grades basically determine class rank here anyways (2x credit hours compared to 1st and 2nd year combined), so this won't really change anything except decrease your stress for your pre-clinical classes 🙂

 

[whalewind]

Finished up my interview here! Wow, it totally blew me away. They really sell the school and make you want to attend. LOVED it!

For those curious, the new curriculum will have more flexibility in the order of clerkships and be pass/fail (with no internal rankings) for the pre-clinical months.

Totally agree. I just interviewed as well, and considering their combination of clinical + research + price, they truly seem unparalleled. To top it all off, two new teaching hospitals are being built, with state-of-the-art facilities and an opportunity for students to gain hands on clinical skills with a diverse patient population.

 

[Silverflash]

I just got a confusing email from Southwestern. It appears to be the rote email they send everyone upon receiving their application from TMDSAS: thanks for your interest, we don't know when we'll get back to you, make sure to complete our secondary, etc.

Here's the confusing part: I was already invited to interview with them 10 days ago. I was able to confirm my date on the Southwestern website, and they had my name and a "congratulations for being invited for an interview" message. I'm a bit worried that wires are crossed somewhere on their end. I got my interview invite before completing the secondary, which seemed odd, but now I don't know what to think.

 

[DirkN]

Just casually checked my status here, and to my surprise I had an II scheduled for October!

So happy I can't even express it. LizzyM 72-75, primary submitted early June, secondary submitted early July, earliest interview date was 9/27.

 

[Afford]

Just casually checked my status here, and to my surprise I had an II scheduled for October!

So happy I can't even express it. LizzyM 72-75, primary submitted early June, secondary submitted early July, earliest interview date was 9/27.

You didn't get an email?

 

[DirkN]

You didn't get an email?

I got an email confirming my interview once I scheduled it, but that's it. I'm guessing they were going to send out the email tomorrow or the next day

 

[Whatyousay]

I just got a confusing email from Southwestern. It appears to be the rote email they send everyone upon receiving their application from TMDSAS: thanks for your interest, we don't know when we'll get back to you, make sure to complete our secondary, etc.

Here's the confusing part: I was already invited to interview with them 10 days ago. I was able to confirm my date on the Southwestern website, and they had my name and a "congratulations for being invited for an interview" message. I'm a bit worried that wires are crossed somewhere on their end. I got my interview invite before completing the secondary, which seemed odd, but now I don't know what to think.

You don't need to complete the secondary to get an interview invite. Just finish it up within a week or two after you receive an interview.

 

[howbaddoyouwantit]

Is it just me, or is the TMDSAS system very slow with reviewing apps and sending feedback (interview/rejection/hold)? I have heard beck from many other schools but not a peep from my home state. I am a non-trad with low uGPA and hi gradGPA, also 33 MCAT, lots of ECs and research at top tier institutions.

Anybody else not hear back yet?

 

[Jr MD]

Is it just me, or is the TMDSAS system very slow with reviewing apps and sending feedback (interview/rejection/hold)? I have heard beck from many other schools but not a peep from my home state. I am a non-trad with low uGPA and hi gradGPA, also 33 MCAT, lots of ECs and research at top tier institutions.

Anybody else not hear back yet?

Just heard back from UTSA and no one else. Lol I agree

 

[ces393]

Just casually checked my status here, and to my surprise I had an II scheduled for October!

So happy I can't even express it. LizzyM 72-75, primary submitted early June, secondary submitted early July, earliest interview date was 9/27.

Just made an account to ask... How did you check your status?

 

[DirkN]

Just made an account to ask... How did you check your status?

Just log into your secondary application! A MyInterview Tab should appear. I also just got the invitation email this morning, so it's official!

 

[ces393]

Thank you! I wish every school had a portal but the UT schools seem to be reluctant about it

 

[acquiescing]

Anybody who has interviewed here have any tips or impressions from their visit? Interviewing MDPhD and MD next weekend.

 

[amad01]

Just log into your secondary application! A MyInterview Tab should appear. I also just got the invitation email this morning, so it's official!

Was this under My Applications? Mine just says completed and last update early July... Guess no interview for me here 🙁

Anybody OOS with II? C'mon tejasss

 

[premed1590]

II today! 4.0/32. IS. First interview invite and its from southwestern! Super excited!!

 

[ME!]

II today! 4.0/32. IS. First interview invite and its from southwestern! Super excited!!

mind sharing when you were complete?

 

[ME!]

Just casually checked my status here, and to my surprise I had an II scheduled for October!

So happy I can't even express it. LizzyM 72-75,E succeafu primary submitted early June, secondary submitted early July, earliest interview date was 9/27.

you've successfully made us all frantically check our statuses repeatedly now... I hope your happy..🙂

 

[premed1590]

mind sharing when you were complete?

Of course. My app was transmitted 5/24, but my MCAT score wasn't sent until 8/27. They most likely received it 9/1. II on 9/16.

 

[Dr Turkelton]

Does doing the secondary increase your chances of getting an interview?

 

[accueil]

Does doing the secondary increase your chances of getting an interview?

It would appear not as many have gotten II without completing it.

However, why wouldn't you complete it? Southwestern's is probably the easiest of the four TX secondaries (and it's free!!!). The questions it asks are standard interview questions at any school, so it would be wise to thoughtfully reflect on them now. Good luck!

 

[Dr. Space Cadet]

Just got an II for 10/25. Sadly, prematch is about 3 weeks after, so I don't know if I'd prematch to them, but fingers crossed!

I had the option to interview with them Oct. 11th. Would it help my chances at all if I selected an earlier interview date, or would I come off as imposing by trying to schedule my interview earlier. Many thanks!

 

[DirkN]

Just got an II for 10/25. Sadly, prematch is about 3 weeks after, so I don't know if I'd prematch to them, but fingers crossed!

I had the option to interview with them Oct. 11th. Would it help my chances at all if I selected an earlier interview date, or would I come off as imposing by trying to schedule my interview earlier. Many thanks!

if they give you the option to change it, you can definitely change it...

 

[Earl Simmons]

Just got an II for 10/25. Sadly, prematch is about 3 weeks after, so I don't know if I'd prematch to them, but fingers crossed!

I had the option to interview with them Oct. 11th. Would it help my chances at all if I selected an earlier interview date, or would I come off as imposing by trying to schedule my interview earlier. Many thanks!

I changed my interview date. They give you the option to change it because they know that some may work better than others for interviewees.