2015-2016 Texas A&M Health Science Center Application Thread

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izchief360 said:
@Cawolf how was the interview?
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It was a really nice interview day.

Good breakfast, decent lunch, friendly staff, friendlier students, new curriculum, free swag, nice facilities, and two, 30 minute, conversational interviews that were completely open-file. Expect a good time.

Edit: I noticed that in my log of interview experiences I always discuss food first. It is possible I will choose a school based on food served. 🙂
 
Cawolf said:
It was a really nice interview day.

Good breakfast, decent lunch, friendly staff, friendlier students, new curriculum, free swag, nice facilities, and two, 30 minute, conversational interviews that were completely open-file. Expect a good time.

Edit: I noticed that in my log of interview experiences I always discuss food first. It is possible I will choose a school based on food served. 🙂
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Can you elaborate more on the new curriculum? I was under the impression that TAMU already had 1.5 year clinicals.
 
I have a couple questions maybe an MSI or MSII can answer (or maybe even someone who has already interviewed there).

1) What's the "dress code" to the social the night before? Like should I wear jeans and a t-shirt or dress up? I don't want to show up way underdressed, but it seems like it would be a casual activity.

2) If the say 6:30pm and I can't make it until a little later is it better to show up late and meet everyone or not go at all because it'll look bad being late? I'm driving from Dallas and my last class ends at 3:20pm on Wednesday (although I'm not sure it will last the entire time because it'll be the first day that specific class meets, i.e. syllabus day possibly).

Thanks in advance! 🙂
 
texaspremed44 said:
1) What's the "dress code" to the social the night before? Like should I wear jeans and a t-shirt or dress up? I don't want to show up way underdressed, but it seems like it would be a casual activity.

2) If the say 6:30pm and I can't make it until a little later is it better to show up late and meet everyone or not go at all because it'll look bad being late? I'm driving from Dallas and my last class ends at 3:20pm on Wednesday (although I'm not sure it will last the entire time because it'll be the first day that specific class meets, i.e. syllabus day possibly).
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I'm pretty sure there were people in jeans the week I interviewed. I don't remember seeing any t-shirts. Most people seemed to be in business casual clothing. I don't think it really matters what you wear though. The applicants probably didn't want to show up underdressed because of neurotic fears of being reported by the current students, and the current students probably just wanted to make a good impression for their school. It's all very low key, so don't sweat it.

I would say that you should still show up. There were several latecomers the night I was there. Some of them showed up too late to order food, but still had drinks and time to chat to the current students.
 
gyrfalcon said:
I'm pretty sure there were people in jeans the week I interviewed. I don't remember seeing any t-shirts. Most people seemed to be in business casual clothing. I don't think it really matters what you wear though. The applicants probably didn't want to show up underdressed because of neurotic fears of being reported by the current students, and the current students probably just wanted to make a good impression for their school. It's all very low key, so don't sweat it.

I would say that you should still show up. There were several latecomers the night I was there. Some of them showed up too late to order food, but still had drinks and time to chat to the current students.
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Thanks for your reply! Just to gauge the situation, how late were the latecomers would you guess? And also how long did the social last? An hour and a half (6pm-7:30pm?)
 
texaspremed44 said:
Thanks for your reply! Just to gauge the situation, how late were the latecomers would you guess? And also how long did the social last? An hour and a half (6pm-7:30pm?)
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Not entirely sure on the duration, but my guess is that it lasted about an hour and a half. Some of the stragglers didn't show up until an hour or so after the start. I really don't think anyone will judge you for showing up late. It was my impression that the current students really, really wanted to do everything in their power to answer questions and calm the nerves of the interviewees.
 
texan2414 said:
Can you elaborate more on the new curriculum? I was under the impression that TAMU already had 1.5 year clinicals.
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That is starting for the class of 2019, this year.

Until now people were at their own campuses (see them here http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/degrees/md.html) and separate. Now, everyone will be in Bryan for one year together.

There is a longitudinal clerkship for people staying in Bryan all four years (see it herer http://medicine.tamhsc.edu/aim/index.html).
 
@mdhopefulstx They emphasize primary care and rural medicine, however since you have the ability to choose where you do your clinical rotations, you can move to an area depending on what you want to specialize in. You have the ability to move to Houston,Temple, Dallas, Austin/round rock, or stay in Bryan/ College station after your 1st year. Each location emphasizes a different area of medicine. For example, if you wanted to do surgery you would most likely aim for Houston where you would rotate at the TMC. Austin does a lot of psych and women's health. Bryan/ College Station is more rural medicine and primary care. Temple is a mix but they have one of the largest military VA health care centers. They will explain all the locations once you get there.
 
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mdhopefulstx said:
Were GPA or MCAT scores ever brought up in your interview?
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Since it is an open interview, they have all of your information, including GPA and MCAT. My first interviewer did not mention it at all while my second one mentioned it for like a second.
 
mdhopefulstx said:
Thanks for that! But that makes me anxious haha. I don't exactly know how to explain dips in grades or "bad semesters". Any tips? 😛
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For me, in the very beginning my interviewer just went through and mentioned my stats. Then while I was talking about research, I was asked why I didn't apply to MD/PhD to which I answered that I felt my MCAT was not high enough. I guess talking about a low MCAT score is easier since it is like a one-time thing. My tip to you regarding low grades would be to tell them why that happened (like what was going on) and then what you have done since to make it up. I feel that talking about it in this manner shows that you recognized a weakness and are working to improve it.
 
Has anybody rescheduled an interview before? If so,do you think it would be acceptable to reschedule one 2-3 weeks from the given date?
 
@almond2, did you receive an II today? If so, congrats! (Sorry that I don't have any advice about rescheduling)
 
almond2 said:
Has anybody rescheduled an interview before? If so,do you think it would be acceptable to reschedule one 2-3 weeks from the given date?
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I rescheduled my interview, they were super nice about it.
 
almond2 said:
Has anybody rescheduled an interview before? If so,do you think it would be acceptable to reschedule one 2-3 weeks from the given date?
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Yes, I just called my assigned campus and they were very nice - just like @rolyat323 said.
 
texan2414 said:
congratz!! when were you TMDSAS transmitted and when did you submit your secondary?
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TMDSAS transmitted : 7/22
Secondary submitted : 7/28
Received II : 8/31 for 9/3... I will have to reschedule it though 🙁
 
almond2 said:
TMDSAS transmitted : 7/22
Secondary submitted : 7/28
Received II : 8/31 for 9/3... I will have to reschedule it though 🙁
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Ahh wonderful they should be getting close to reviewing my app.
How far are you rescheduling your interview?
 
almond2 said:
I'm not sure.. Do you think 2-3 weeks would be pushing it when it comes to rescheduling?
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Can't really comment on that as I have no IIs myself. But I suppose I would ask the admissions office what they could do.
 
texan2414 said:
What interview date did they give you?
I was complete 8/12 so not expecting to hear from them for like almost another month 🙁
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They gave me 9/17 originally, but it was impossible for me to make that so I called and they were able to move it to 9/24. But if you were complete 8/12, don't worry!
 
llanoestacado said:
They gave me 9/17 originally, but it was impossible for me to make that so I called and they were able to move it to 9/24. But if you were complete 8/12, don't worry!
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Wow quick turnaround on interview dates as well - I was expecting them to give you like Oct dates. That's really comforting to know that they're still interviewing Sept slots.
 
mdhopefulstx said:
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview day. Everyone was so nice, from the med students to the faculty, and they really debunked a lot of myths that I held to be true about medical school. I feel like this interview has made me reconsider my top choice school, as I think A & M might now be it. I am hoping for the best, and I hope to get accepted here. I know for a fact that if I were accepted here, I would be extremely happy.
The interviews are very conversational and I was extremely happy that my statistics were never asked about, it just made me feel like they really saw me for who I was as a person as opposed to just seeing as me as a numerical value. For anyone who interviews here, you will feel right at home
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When I visited Texas A&M this past Spring on their Pre-Med Symposium day, I was literally blown away how amazing this school is (and I totally get how the school is myth-ed up). Really eager to receive II here !!
 
mdhopefulstx said:
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview day. Everyone was so nice, from the med students to the faculty, and they really debunked a lot of myths that I held to be true about medical school. I feel like this interview has made me reconsider my top choice school, as I think A & M might now be it. I am hoping for the best, and I hope to get accepted here. I know for a fact that if I were accepted here, I would be extremely happy.
The interviews are very conversational and I was extremely happy that my statistics were never asked about, it just made me feel like they really saw me for who I was as a person as opposed to just seeing as me as a numerical value. For anyone who interviews here, you will feel right at home
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Was the interview before the tour or is it the other way around?

How was the parking and the check-in process?

;D
 
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mdhopefulstx said:
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview day. Everyone was so nice, from the med students to the faculty, and they really debunked a lot of myths that I held to be true about medical school. I feel like this interview has made me reconsider my top choice school, as I think A & M might now be it
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Do you mind saying which campus you interviewed at?
 
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mdhopefulstx said:
The tours were before the interview! Parking was not a big deal, as the medical school is actually not as big as I was expecting it to be, check-in was really easy. Just show them an ID and you'll be good to go. People have their interviews scheduled at different times in the evening ex. I had mine at 2:00 and 3:30, while some other interviewees had theirs at 3:30 and 4, so for me there was a bit of down time between the 2 interviews, which was great because during those breaks, we got to chat with med students who were really nice and encouraging. You will also get escorted to your interviews by the med students which I thought was nice. The entire day was just very structured. You'll love it here



I interviewed at the Bryan/College Station campus
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Another question...
Were there a lot of girls in pant suits? Colored shirt?

Yeah, I'm just paranoid at this moment...
Thanks!
 
almond2 said:
Another question...
Were there a lot of girls in pant suits? Colored shirt?

Yeah, I'm just paranoid at this moment...
Thanks!
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It's mixed pantsuit or skirt suit. Some wear button downs, others wear a nice blouse.

I've been wearing a black skirt suit, flats, and whatever nice blouse I feel like wearing that day. I keep my hair in a ponytail, but I've seen all sorts of hairstyles. Just look nice and professional 🙂
 
So if you look on A&Ms MSAR page under "application Deadlines and Requirements" and in the "Application policies" section it says the latest MCAT considered is January 2015. Clearly this is an error right? I mean you can't just negate the thousands of applicants who only have a new MCAT score... Right?
 
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DoctorJJ3K said:
So if you look on A&Ms MSAR page under "application Deadlines and Requirements" and in the "Application policies" section it says the latest MCAT considered is January 2015. Clearly this is an error right? I mean you can't just negate the thousands of applicants who only have a new MCAT score... Right?
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From https://medicine.tamhsc.edu/admissions/apply/index.html: "Note: The MCAT must have been taken no earlier than five years before the expected date of enrollment. The COM will not accept MCAT scores that are more than five years old. (Scores from years prior to 2010 will not be considered. We will consider the 2015 MCAT scores taken through September 2015.)"

It really bothers me to see incompetency in a respectable database such as MSAR. If I become president this will change. I hope the above helps to clarify the confusion.

EDIT: I ask for all your support in the CNN debate scheduled on September 16 at 8pm ET.

Mr. Trump
 
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ItsDonaldTrumpBozos said:
From https://medicine.tamhsc.edu/admissions/apply/index.html: "Note: The MCAT must have been taken no earlier than five years before the expected date of enrollment. The COM will not accept MCAT scores that are more than five years old. (Scores from years prior to 2010 will not be considered. We will consider the 2015 MCAT scores taken through September 2015.)"

It really bothers me to see incompetency in a respectable database such as MSAR. If I become president this will change. I hope the above helps to clarify the confusion.

EDIT: I ask for all your support in the CNN debate scheduled on September 16 at 8pm ET.

Mr. Trump
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Stop your goddamned trolling and GTFO these forums.
 
Hi all,
I just received my II yesterday (rescheduled for late October). I'm sorry if this has been answered already - I have to fly in (I'm OOS) and I wanted to know if anyone had any insight as to how far the airport is from the campus / if anyone knows anything about staying with a student. I really would like to keep costs down and since it seems I will have to taxi from the airport / potentially from my hotel I would appreciate any insight from anyone who had to do the same!
 
I would contact administration. They will be able to set you up. There are students for you to stay with, and the airport is very close to campus. If you can't work something out, PM me and I'll try to find you a student to stay with.
 
mlowe1 said:
Hi all,
I just received my II yesterday (rescheduled for late October). I'm sorry if this has been answered already - I have to fly in (I'm OOS) and I wanted to know if anyone had any insight as to how far the airport is from the campus / if anyone knows anything about staying with a student. I really would like to keep costs down and since it seems I will have to taxi from the airport / potentially from my hotel I would appreciate any insight from anyone who had to do the same!
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If you are interviewing in Bryan-College Station, Easterwood Airport is almost next to campus so your best bet would be to fly there. If that is not a viable option, you can even fly to IAH in Houston and take a 1.5 hr shuttle for $30. Hope this helps!
 
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