2016-2017 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Application Thread

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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CastleWolfenstein said:
First II! Only open interview spot I see is 3 days from now, same day as my first biochem exam...
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Same, unfortunately I will not be able to attend the date offered so I am hoping they will be open to rescheduling me. If they can't, I hope I can work something out and go!
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CastleWolfenstein said:
First II! Only open interview spot I see is 3 days from now, same day as my first biochem exam...
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Same! I was just about to post about how the only interview date available is within 3 days of their sending the invite. I will be calling tomorrow to see if I can reschedule.
 
Hey guys! Just wanted to say don't give up hope, and don't worry about interviewing super early either. For instance, I got my II invite here at the end of October last year, interviewed after pre-match day, and still was matched in February. If you have any questions about the school or how first year is going so far or the application process in general, feel free to message me anytime!
 
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For me, they were very understanding about rescheduling! I was able to get mine pushed back a week. It seems to be that they mainly interview on Fridays, though.
 
Maybe this is not worth $60 but I know they give waivers for secondary appl fee for FAP qualified applicants.

I already paid the fee although I had known beforehand that they do this. Although the fee is nonrefundable I'm a bit bummed at the $60 cost. I will try to ask them to give me a waiver and then see if anything can be done. :rolleyes::oops::phantom::phantom::phantom:
 
I selected "Border health " but then somehow forgot to add the bulleted list for border health in the INTEREST in MEDICINE section.

Should I send an update to the school or let it be?
 
Anyone on here who have already interviewed been asked a political question? I know nothing about politics.
 
O.T.I. said:
Nope. I don't even think it wold be right to ask that....
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My A&M interview was fantastic, but someone posted here about getting asked political questions at A&M when they interviewed
 
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Why do the Techs hate me? lol

Got some love from the UT system but not the Techs
 
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orangeblue said:
I selected "Border health " but then somehow forgot to add the bulleted list for border health in the INTEREST in MEDICINE section.

Should I send an update to the school or let it be?
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Nah you should be fine.
 
ItsTimeToRanchItUp said:
Hey guys! Just wanted to say don't give up hope, and don't worry about interviewing super early either. For instance, I got my II invite here at the end of October last year, interviewed after pre-match day, and still was matched in February. If you have any questions about the school or how first year is going so far or the application process in general, feel free to message me anytime!
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You have given me hope!

Submitted secondary in July. GPA is low (ugrad 3.2, sgpa 3.7) mcat is okay (513).

Haven't heard a peep! Status is "application received" on the portal.

Sent from my SM-G360T using SDN mobile
 
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jtr0024 said:
You have given me hope!

Submitted secondary in July. GPA is low (ugrad 3.2, sgpa 3.7) mcat is okay (513).

Haven't heard a peep! Status is "application received" on the portal.

Sent from my SM-G360T using SDN mobile
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That's great to hear! And that's not an okay MCAT, it's way higher than mine!
 
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II today! LizzyM=69
complete mid july-ish
ORM (blazin asian)
 
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I was complete end of July with my secondary, and still no II :( I wonder if I did anything to offend the Techs. Please forgive me! :p
 
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GinnyWeasley said:
I was complete end of July with my secondary, and still no II :( I wonder if I did anything to offend the Techs. Please forgive me! :p
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Ditto, complete last week of July but secondary submitted mid July. No II. LizzyM ~67. I just reread my PS while getting rdy for an interview and I hate it. I wish I could re-write it. It's way too whiny.
 
GinnyWeasley said:
I was complete end of July with my secondary, and still no II :( I wonder if I did anything to offend the Techs. Please forgive me! :p
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CastleG8 said:
Ditto, complete last week of July but secondary submitted mid July. No II. LizzyM ~67. I just reread my PS while getting rdy for an interview and I hate it. I wish I could re-write it. It's way too whiny.
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I remember I was feeling the same way! I was complete early-June and had received interviews from a lot of the other Texas schools without hearing anything from here or Foster, losing hope on the Techs. Then like 2-3 weeks ago, I finally got both of them. I would just keep your chin-up, unfortunately this whole process is a crappy waiting game, I'm sure you will both do great this cycle.
 
II this evening. I wonder if it's a glitch in the system getting sent out so late at night.
 
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I'm not sure if anyone already asked this earlier in the thread, but does anyone know why they sent out an initial email stating the secondary deadline was Sept. 30 and then another email stating the secondary deadline is Nov. 30???
 
II invite this morning. Complete on 6/22. So for any of y'all that think they overlooked you, be patient! I definitely thought they overlooked me.
 
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I messed up and delayed sending in my secondary for this school. Should I still bother sending it in for the chance of getting a II, or are they just gathering secondary fees at this point?

3.4/3.1/501/Texas Res/Great ECs
 
SkyHighMig25 said:
I messed up and delayed sending in my secondary for this school. Should I still bother sending it in for the chance of getting a II, or are they just gathering secondary fees at this point?

3.4/3.1/501/Texas Res/Great ECs
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I think it's going to be an uphill battle for you. Your gpa and MCAT are way below average, unless your are URM. When your stats are low, you want to submit the secondary ASAP. I'm sure you have great ECs, but the problem is everyone has great ECs. Schools also need to see good stats as well.
 
SkyHighMig25 said:
I messed up and delayed sending in my secondary for this school. Should I still bother sending it in for the chance of getting a II, or are they just gathering secondary fees at this point?

3.4/3.1/501/Texas Res/Great ECs
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I think you should go for it. Yes, your stats aren't amazing, but theres always a chance you catch their eye with your ECs if theyre unique enough and you have a good story. It doesn't hurt to try!
 
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TTU2017 said:
I think you should go for it. Yes, your stats aren't amazing, but theres always a chance you catch their eye with your ECs if theyre unique enough and you have a good story. It doesn't hurt to try!
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ECs are great but there needs to be stats to back them up. Frankly a 3.4 and a 25 (Old Mcat) is just not competitive. Sure some people like combat vets and URMs have a chance, but otherwise it's very slim, when you have thousands of other people with better stats and equally good ECs. I recall that you had lower stats and asked people how you would do. Most people said your mcat was too low, but I guess you were saying that schools will look past the MCAT score and see the whole person or something. That's great in theory, but schools look at MCAT because the Boards are also standardized exams that med students need to well on. OP needs to raise the MCAT and gpa .

I know SDN can be harsh when someone has like a 3.6/30 and they'll say "oh that's below average" which is ridiculous. I also think it's important to be realistic as well.
 
GinnyWeasley said:
ECs are great but there needs to be stats to back them up. Frankly a 3.4 and a 25 (Old Mcat) is just not competitive. Sure some people like combat vets and URMs have a chance, but otherwise it's very slim, when you have thousands of other people with better stats and equally good ECs. I recall that you had lower stats and asked people how you would do. Most people said your mcat was too low, but I guess you were saying that schools will look past the MCAT score and see the whole person or something. That's great in theory, but schools look at MCAT because the Boards are also standardized exams that med students need to well on. OP needs to raise the MCAT and gpa .

I know SDN can be harsh when someone has like a 3.6/30 and they'll say "oh that's below average" which is ridiculous. I also think it's important to be realistic as well.
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@SkyHighMig25 I must agree with @GinnyWeasley on this one, you do indeed have an uphill battle ahead of you. However, you miss all shots you don't take, so get that secondary in ASAP and hope for the best!

Also, the MCAT averages at TX schools aren't as high as in years past, so although a 501 is very low for MD schools, it might not hold you back as much as you might think. Attached I have links that show the average MCAT scores at a few TX schools that have released them.

http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/plfsom_stats_ey_2009.aspx
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/medical-school/admissions/our-students.html
https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/faqs

Look at the average MCAT 2015 score vs. the old MCAT score. There's quite a difference in the matriculant scores. You can verify the percentiles yourself using efle's conversion tables.

EDIT: TTUHSC also seems to be a very mission focused school, so if your EC's are in line with their mission you have an even better shot!
 
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GinnyWeasley said:
ECs are great but there needs to be stats to back them up. Frankly a 3.4 and a 25 (Old Mcat) is just not competitive. Sure some people like combat vets and URMs have a chance, but otherwise it's very slim, when you have thousands of other people with better stats and equally good ECs. I recall that you had lower stats and asked people how you would do. Most people said your mcat was too low, but I guess you were saying that schools will look past the MCAT score and see the whole person or something. That's great in theory, but schools look at MCAT because the Boards are also standardized exams that med students need to well on. OP needs to raise the MCAT and gpa .

I know SDN can be harsh when someone has like a 3.6/30 and they'll say "oh that's below average" which is ridiculous. I also think it's important to be realistic as well.
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OP has already applied. What would it hurt to send in a secondary? As applicants, there is no way to know what exactly individuals on admissions boards see on an application as "we should talk more to this person". We know what we are supposed to have, but medical schools are constantly saying that stats are not the whole picture, contrary to the majority of the conversations that occur here. There are so many things that could warrant an interview and acceptance. Everything you just listed, I am extremely aware of. I am not naive. I am not trying to give false hope. The fact the you have consistently told people on this site that they shouldn't even try or that their chances are shot based on their stats makes you the part of SDN that people outside of this site say not to listen to. I understand completely that a GPA and MCAT score are important, but you have no idea what his ECs are. And no, you don't have to be a combat vet or URM. I know plenty of people who have received interviews at Tech in years past that have had low stats and were accepted with no extremely unique ECs. It's not just great in theory.
 
Lord Kek said:
@SkyHighMig25 I must agree with @GinnyWeasley on this one, you do indeed have an uphill battle ahead of you. However, you miss all shots you don't take, so get that secondary in ASAP and hope for the best!

Also, the MCAT averages at TX schools aren't as high as in years past, so although a 501 is very low for MD schools, it might not hold you back as much as you might think. Attached I have links that show the average MCAT scores at a few TX schools that have released them.

http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/plfsom_stats_ey_2009.aspx
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/medical-school/admissions/our-students.html
https://www.bcm.edu/education/schools/medical-school/admissions/faqs

Look at the average MCAT 2015 score vs. the old MCAT score. There's quite a difference in the matriculant scores. You can verify the percentiles yourself using efle's conversion tables.

EDIT: TTUHSC also seems to be a very mission focused school, so if your EC's are in line with their mission you have an even better shot!
Click to expand...

I was wondering about this earlier. I wonder if schools' MCAT 2015 average will rise, now that they have more experience in interpreting them. Or maybe the MCAT will be less emphasized?
 
Skittsie13 said:
I was wondering about this earlier. I wonder if schools' MCAT 2015 average will rise, now that they have more experience in interpreting them. Or maybe the MCAT will be less emphasized?
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I've been wondering about this myself. It would make sense that the average MCAT 2015 score will rise to the average percentile of the old exam, however, schools as a whole are less focused than they were a few years ago on mere stats alone.
 
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Lord Kek said:
I've been wondering about this myself. It would make sense that the average MCAT 2015 score will rise to the average percentile of the old exam, however, schools as a whole are less focused than they were a few years ago on mere stats alone. If historical trends continue, the MCAT will not be emphasized heavily in TX MD school admission, and GPA will remain the differentiator between applicants.
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I feel like MCAT is already not that emphasised in TX compared to other states. I wonder how much less emphasis they can give it.

For purely selfish reasons as someone with the old MCAT applying this cycle, I hope that the average old and new MCAT percentiles for accepted students are comparable. Seems unfair to have a discrepancy.
 
TTU2017 said:
OP has already applied. What would it hurt to send in a secondary? As applicants, there is no way to know what exactly individuals on admissions boards see on an application as "we should talk more to this person". We know what we are supposed to have, but medical schools are constantly saying that stats are not the whole picture, contrary to the majority of the conversations that occur here. There are so many things that could warrant an interview and acceptance. Everything you just listed, I am extremely aware of. I am not naive. I am not trying to give false hope. The fact the you have consistently told people on this site that they shouldn't even try or that their chances are shot based on their stats makes you the part of SDN that people outside of this site say not to listen to. I understand completely that a GPA and MCAT score are important, but you have no idea what his ECs are. And no, you don't have to be a combat vet or URM. I know plenty of people who have received interviews at Tech in years past that have had low stats and were accepted with no extremely unique ECs. It's not just great in theory.
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Which is why I never said that he/she shouldn't apply. I said it will be an uphill struggle. Of course we never know what admissions will think, there will always be people we know who got into Harvard with a 30, or Yale with a 3.0. When you said I have consistently told people they shouldn't even try or that their chances are shot, would you mind telling me all the people I have said this to? I don't recall saying this to a lot of people.

You came and asked how you thought your chances were with your stats a while back. I gave you my honest opinion that was backed by several others. Should I have lied and said you had amazing chances? I don't understand why being realistic is a bad thing. I never said it was impossible for anyone to get in, but the problem I have with SDN is people thinking average applicant stats are too low, not low stats being too low. When it comes to ECs, I have to defer to the schools I have interviewed at, a few of which have said that the majority of what gets an applicant to the interview stage is their academics. Not saying other factors don't come into play. If I had a lower mcat/gpa (heck I'm flat average, so I'm nothing great haha) I would hope that if I asked my chances I would be evaluated honestly and frankly.
 
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Lord Kek said:
I've been wondering about this myself. It would make sense that the average MCAT 2015 score will rise to the average percentile of the old exam, however, schools as a whole are less focused than they were a few years ago on mere stats alone. If historical trends continue, the MCAT will not be emphasized heavily in TX MD school admission, and GPA will remain the differentiator between applicants.
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Why is the gpa so heavy as opposed to the mcat? I would think they equally tell about different academic aspects of the student?
 
Skittsie13 said:
I feel like MCAT is already not that emphasised in TX compared to other states. I wonder how much less emphasis they can give it.

For purely selfish reasons as someone with the old MCAT applying this cycle, I hope that the average old and new MCAT percentiles for accepted students are comparable. Seems unfair to have a discrepancy.
Click to expand...

TX may be leaning towards the intended use of the new MCAT actually. AAMC suggested that individuals who scored >500 would be viable MD candidates. If they are indeed heading this route I will be disgruntled to say the least.

I completely agree with you in this regard. The new MCAT and old MCAT accepted percentiles should be roughly the same, even with the addition of the new section.
 
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GinnyWeasley said:
Why is the gpa so heavy as opposed to the mcat? I would think they equally tell about different academic aspects of the student?
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This is the question whose answer I and many others seek. It is true that GPA and MCAT show different academic aspects of the student, and both are important when evaluating applicants, but the MCAT shows an applicants ability to think and analyze new data under pressure. I would also argue that the MCAT can give insight into the raw academic potential of a student more so than GPA due to the obvious differences in difficulty of coursework and inflation/deflation of grades.
 
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Lord Kek said:
TX may be leaning towards the intended use of the new MCAT actually. AAMC suggested that individuals who scored >500 would be viable MD candidates. If they are indeed heading this route I will be disgruntled to say the least.

I completely agree with you in this regard. The new MCAT and old MCAT accepted percentiles should be roughly the same, even with the addition of the new section. It still boggles my mind that the only standardizable metric between different applicants isn't emphasized highly in TX. Its also upsetting to see applicants with different majors being treated the same due to pure GPA metrics, while MCAT scores are standardized and not emphasized.
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I know UTSW values metrics pretty strongly- both mcat and gpa.
 
Thanks for your help and conversation on the subject, lol. If you are wondering, I had a meaningful experience while interning at a hospice home for HIV/AIDS patients, along with 100+ shadowing across a few specialties, and epidemiological research. The TTUHSC mission seems to be geared towards 1) Primary Care and 2) West Texas. I can't really relate to the latter, but I can to the former. Hmm...
 
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SkyHighMig25 said:
Thanks for your help and conversation on the subject, lol. If you are wondering, I had a meaningful experience while interning at a hospice home for HIV/AIDS patients, along with 100+ shadowing across a few specialties, and epidemiological research. The TTUHSC mission seems to be geared towards 1) Primary Care and 2) West Texas. I can't really relate to the latter, but I can to the former. Hmm...
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Those are decent ECs, but they're not something like pro athlete/military/etc. that could mitigate your stats.
 
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shardkeisha said:
II just now! First one. LizzyM 58, ORM. Decent ECs. Complete 9/23.
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Got to admit, I am really impressed by that turnaround date. A mere two weeks. You have something special that just clicked with adcom! Congrats! Have been waiting since June here and losing hope haha.

And yeah the first is always the best one!
 
yellowbottlesippin said:
Got to admit, I am really impressed by that turnaround date. A mere two weeks. You have something special that just clicked with adcom! Congrats! Have been waiting since June here and losing hope haha.

And yeah the first is always the best one!
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Thank you! I do have STRONG ties to West Texas.
 
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Skittsie13 said:
Those are decent ECs, but they're not something like pro athlete
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I would hope medical schools would value meaningful clinical experiences over sports. If not, they need to take a look at their priorities. But that's off topic.
 
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