2016-2017 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (Foster) Application Thread

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matched!!! omg this was my #1 school.. I am speechless. this is one of the best moments of my life.


when do I hear from them officially?
Good question! I sent them an email bc I'm leaving the country for a month tomorrow. I'll you know if I hear back
 
YAY! When will y'all be moving there, if you don't already live there? I'm going May to get settled
 
Did anyone get a waitlist email yet??
 
Hey guys! Current MS1 at PLF here, we (all of us current Ms1s) are really looking forward to seeing you guys on campus next year! We have some great things planned between your class and our class to help you guys ease into med school and make the transition to El Paso a little easier.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I would be happy to answer them 🙂

Also, anyone who gets a waitlist email, don't give up hope! (I got off the waitlist myself June 2) Many of my classmates came from the waitlist.
If I can help in any way, let me know!
 
Hey guys! Current MS1 at PLF here, we (all of us current Ms1s) are really looking forward to seeing you guys on campus next year! We have some great things planned between your class and our class to help you guys ease into med school and make the transition to El Paso a little easier.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I would be happy to answer them 🙂

Also, anyone who gets a waitlist email, don't give up hope! (I got off the waitlist myself June 2) Many of my classmates came from the waitlist.
If I can help in any way, let me know!

Hi! What would you say is the likelihood of getting off the waitlist before May? I have to reapply if I don't get off the waitlist. So by June, I would already have to start the new application process. Thank you!
 
Hi! What would you say is the likelihood of getting off the waitlist before May? I have to reapply if I don't get off the waitlist. So by June, I would already have to start the new application process. Thank you!

Let me just say that being on the waitlist is a lot better than a rejection. Depending on movements around Texas, people on waitlists generally have a good chance of getting in that year. If you are on more waitlists, that is better. Movements on waitlists occur around April if I remember correctly, but there could be movement at any time up until a couple weeks before class starts. If I were you, I would start preparing to apply again, but also don't give up hope! If you are halfway through the application and you get off the waitlist, there's no harm done because you're in.
 
Hi! What would you say is the likelihood of getting off the waitlist before May? I have to reapply if I don't get off the waitlist. So by June, I would already have to start the new application process. Thank you!
Also maybe consider writing a letter of intent as well
 
Hey guys! Current MS1 at PLF here, we (all of us current Ms1s) are really looking forward to seeing you guys on campus next year! We have some great things planned between your class and our class to help you guys ease into med school and make the transition to El Paso a little easier.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I would be happy to answer them 🙂

Also, anyone who gets a waitlist email, don't give up hope! (I got off the waitlist myself June 2) Many of my classmates came from the waitlist.
If I can help in any way, let me know!
Hello and thanks! Is there a group FB page for our class?
 
Hey guys! Current MS1 at PLF here, we (all of us current Ms1s) are really looking forward to seeing you guys on campus next year! We have some great things planned between your class and our class to help you guys ease into med school and make the transition to El Paso a little easier.

If anyone has any questions about the school, I would be happy to answer them 🙂

Also, anyone who gets a waitlist email, don't give up hope! (I got off the waitlist myself June 2) Many of my classmates came from the waitlist.
If I can help in any way, let me know!

Hi! Can you recommend any apartment complexes for the incoming MS1 students?
 
Hi everyone!!! Can't wait to meet you all! I'm from out of state, so I sort of matched! 😀 So excited! I loved everything about the school and the atmosphere!

Yes the atmosphere seems great! they won me over on interview day. I almost skipped out on my interview bc I thought I didn't really want to make to El Paso
 
Hi! Can you recommend any apartment complexes for the incoming MS1 students?
So there are two sides to El Paso, the East and the West. PLF is right in the middle, in the central part of El Paso, so everyone basically lives everywhere. I would recommend the west side though, it's more developed with better restaurants and closer to some really nice places (Alamo drafthouse, Whole foods).

Some apartment complexes I would recommend on the westside are:

The Retreat at Mesa Hills (close to the highway, only 10-15 minute drive to school)
Montecillo (a little pricey but really close to tons of restaurants, bars, alamo draft house, one of the newer complexes in El Paso. If you went to the meet and greet at the gelato place, the apartments were directly above it)
The Tuscany at Mesa Hills (close to the highway)

These three are very close to each other, and there are other apartments complexes also Mesa Street (one of the main streets of El Paso). Many of the complexes along Mesa street are good.

I can't speak for the east side because I don't live there, most people who live on the east side live in the northeast though.
 
So there are two sides to El Paso, the East and the West. PLF is right in the middle, in the central part of El Paso, so everyone basically lives everywhere. I would recommend the west side though, it's more developed with better restaurants and closer to some really nice places (Alamo drafthouse, Whole foods).

Some apartment complexes I would recommend on the westside are:

The Retreat at Mesa Hills (close to the highway, only 10-15 minute drive to school)
Montecillo (a little pricey but really close to tons of restaurants, bars, alamo draft house, one of the newer complexes in El Paso. If you went to the meet and greet at the gelato place, the apartments were directly above it)
The Tuscany at Mesa Hills (close to the highway)

These three are very close to each other, and there are other apartments complexes also Mesa Street (one of the main streets of El Paso). Many of the complexes along Mesa street are good.

I can't speak for the east side because I don't live there, most people who live on the east side live in the northeast though.

Do you know some good neighborhoods on the west side to rent a house?
 
So there are two sides to El Paso, the East and the West. PLF is right in the middle, in the central part of El Paso, so everyone basically lives everywhere. I would recommend the west side though, it's more developed with better restaurants and closer to some really nice places (Alamo drafthouse, Whole foods).

Some apartment complexes I would recommend on the westside are:

The Retreat at Mesa Hills (close to the highway, only 10-15 minute drive to school)
Montecillo (a little pricey but really close to tons of restaurants, bars, alamo draft house, one of the newer complexes in El Paso. If you went to the meet and greet at the gelato place, the apartments were directly above it)
The Tuscany at Mesa Hills (close to the highway)

These three are very close to each other, and there are other apartments complexes also Mesa Street (one of the main streets of El Paso). Many of the complexes along Mesa street are good.

I can't speak for the east side because I don't live there, most people who live on the east side live in the northeast though.

How are the hikes in Franklin Mountains?
 
Do you know some good neighborhoods on the west side to rent a house?
A lot of people rent houses, the best places to rent are more central, near the intersection of Mesa and stanton street near UTEP. The next best place would be the northeast. You can rent houses on the west side but they tend to be more expensive. Look for neighborhoods near mesa street near the apartment complexes that I listed above. You can't go wrong on the west side though, all the neighborhoods are pretty nice. If you are looking for a lot of space and want to split the cost with some roommates (that you can find on the FB page later 🙂 ) renting a house is a great alternative to getting an apartment.
 
How are the hikes in Franklin Mountains?
The hikes in the Franklin mountains are pretty good, there are a lot of trails for hiking as well as mountain biking. A lot of the trails can be found in the Franklin mountain national park. One of the clubs on campus, the wilderness medicine club, does hikes periodically and teaches things while on the hike (like splinting). If you guys come for summer preview (which I wholly recommend, it's gonna be so fun!), they take you out on a hike up one of the mountains.
 
From their student affairs page! :clap:
 

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Do you have any experience with or knows someone who lives at The Retreat at Mesa Hills? It seems fairly affordable, but I'm reading terrible things about their management and maintenance.

So there are two sides to El Paso, the East and the West. PLF is right in the middle, in the central part of El Paso, so everyone basically lives everywhere. I would recommend the west side though, it's more developed with better restaurants and closer to some really nice places (Alamo drafthouse, Whole foods).

Some apartment complexes I would recommend on the westside are:

The Retreat at Mesa Hills (close to the highway, only 10-15 minute drive to school)
Montecillo (a little pricey but really close to tons of restaurants, bars, alamo draft house, one of the newer complexes in El Paso. If you went to the meet and greet at the gelato place, the apartments were directly above it)
The Tuscany at Mesa Hills (close to the highway)

These three are very close to each other, and there are other apartments complexes also Mesa Street (one of the main streets of El Paso). Many of the complexes along Mesa street are good.

I can't speak for the east side because I don't live there, most people who live on the east side live in the northeast though.
 
Do you have any experience with or knows someone who lives at The Retreat at Mesa Hills? It seems fairly affordable, but I'm reading terrible things about their management and maintenance.
I have a good friend that lives there, and I've been over there many times. The apartments are really nice for what you pay for, tons of square footage, nice appliances, high ceilings. The units look well maintained, but I've heard my friend talk about how there might be price hikes in the coming year. My friend had to put in a work order for a broken door and had it fixed within a couple days. The location is really nice though, close to Sprouts (sort of like a less expensive whole foods), Target, and other things like that.
 
Hi! I matched here also! I cannot wait to meet everyone! Has anyone started looking in to some of the equipment we will need for med school, such as a stethoscope, diagnostic kit, required technology etc...? I have found lists of the required equipment for some of the other med schools but not for Foster! Do any current students have any suggestions?
 
Hi! I matched here also! I cannot wait to meet everyone! Has anyone started looking in to some of the equipment we will need for med school, such as a stethoscope, diagnostic kit, required technology etc...? I have found lists of the required equipment for some of the other med schools but not for Foster! Do any current students have any suggestions?
You're way ahead of the game haha, I'm glad so many of you are excited! During orientation, they'll give you a list of required equipment which you can buy on your own or buy from the vendor the school is associated with. Since we buy in bulk, there is a pretty good discount, so I would wait until orientation before buying anything. Some of the required equipment: stethoscope, tuning fork, and reflex hammer. You are not required to buy an otolarygoscope kit or anything like that. With regards to technology, you can use whatever computer you desire. The type doesn't really matter (there's a pretty even split of Mac and PC) as we take exams on the school's computers. Some other students use tablets and surface pros to study and take notes, use whatever you like best!
 
You're way ahead of the game haha, I'm glad so many of you are excited! During orientation, they'll give you a list of required equipment which you can buy on your own or buy from the vendor the school is associated with. Since we buy in bulk, there is a pretty good discount, so I would wait until orientation before buying anything. Some of the required equipment: stethoscope, tuning fork, and reflex hammer. You are not required to buy an otolarygoscope kit or anything like that. With regards to technology, you can use whatever computer you desire. The type doesn't really matter (there's a pretty even split of Mac and PC) as we take exams on the school's computers. Some other students use tablets and surface pros to study and take notes, use whatever you like best!
Thank you! I guess I will wait until orientation then!
 
The hikes in the Franklin mountains are pretty good, there are a lot of trails for hiking as well as mountain biking. A lot of the trails can be found in the Franklin mountain national park. One of the clubs on campus, the wilderness medicine club, does hikes periodically and teaches things while on the hike (like splinting). If you guys come for summer preview (which I wholly recommend, it's gonna be so fun!), they take you out on a hike up one of the mountains.
Thanks for all the great information. I haven't heard anything about summer preview yet. What and when is it?
 
Thanks for all the great information. I haven't heard anything about summer preview yet. What and when is it?
Summer preview is this really cool weekend where you can come into El Paso and just see some of the things you can do here. It normally is a weekend in early June (last year it was June 2-4) and a lot of it is organized by the Ms2's. Some of the events from last year were hiking, going out to restaurants, a pool party at one of the faculty's houses, basically it's just a fun weekend where you can meet some of your classmates, MS2's, and faculty, and learn more about what El Paso has to offer. I would totally recommend coming to summer preview if you are able, it's gonna be a really good time.
 
Has anybody been able to set up their email account yet? I received the instruction email, but the option for "Manage your eRaider Account" isn't available for me on eRaider.

Also, can't wait to meet everyone! I'm super excited.
 
Summer preview is this really cool weekend where you can come into El Paso and just see some of the things you can do here. It normally is a weekend in early June (last year it was June 2-4) and a lot of it is organized by the Ms2's. Some of the events from last year were hiking, going out to restaurants, a pool party at one of the faculty's houses, basically it's just a fun weekend where you can meet some of your classmates, MS2's, and faculty, and learn more about what El Paso has to offer. I would totally recommend coming to summer preview if you are able, it's gonna be a really good time.
That sounds great. Looking forward to it!
 
Has anybody been able to set up their email account yet? I received the instruction email, but the option for "Manage your eRaider Account" isn't available for me on eRaider.

Also, can't wait to meet everyone! I'm super excited.
I activated my account and don't have access to that either. The original email said to expect another email detailing how to set up our ttuhsc email account. So I think, unfortunately, we just have to be patient for now.
 
Has anybody been able to set up their email account yet? I received the instruction email, but the option for "Manage your eRaider Account" isn't available for me on eRaider.

Also, can't wait to meet everyone! I'm super excited.
Try https://mail.ttuhsc.edu. I have nothing in my Inbox yet, but after setting up my eRaider account and waiting for like half an hour for my account to be populated, there was a section at the bottom with that link.
 
Has anybody been able to set up their email account yet? I received the instruction email, but the option for "Manage your eRaider Account" isn't available for me on eRaider.

Also, can't wait to meet everyone! I'm super excited.

I activated my account and don't have access to that either. The original email said to expect another email detailing how to set up our ttuhsc email account. So I think, unfortunately, we just have to be patient for now.

Were you all able to figure out how to set up your email? I received the instruction email this morning and the link still has not come up on my eRaider account. I can't find the "Manage your eRaider Account" either. Thank you guys! 🙂
 
Were you all able to figure out how to set up your email? I received the instruction email this morning and the link still has not come up on my eRaider account. I can't find the "Manage your eRaider Account" either. Thank you guys! 🙂

I haven't been able to access the link yet either. I might try calling IT on Monday to see if they can resolve this issue since I don't want to miss out on anything important!
 
I'm on the waitlist. Any idea how much of a chance I have of getting off? I'd be honored to attend here.


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I think it depends on how high you are on the alternate list. I am on the same boat and I would love to go here as well.
 
I think it depends on how high you are on the alternate list. I am on the same boat and I would love to go here as well.

Is the waiting list ranked then? Is there any way to find out what your rank is?
 
I haven't been able to access the link yet either. I might try calling IT on Monday to see if they can resolve this issue since I don't want to miss out on anything important!
So, I was having the same problem and called IT today. They said that we will not be able to set up our email until 30 days prior to classes. The person I talked to even went to ask someone else because so many people had been calling him about it today. So, now I am kind of confused! Has anyone actually been able to set up their email?
 
So, I was having the same problem and called IT today. They said that we will not be able to set up our email until 30 days prior to classes. The person I talked to even went to ask someone else because so many people had been calling him about it today. So, now I am kind of confused! Has anyone actually been able to set up their email?

They told me the same thing so I am unsure what to do. Still unable to set up my email though.

On a positive note, 2021 Orientation Packet is now available. 🙂
 
So, I was having the same problem and called IT today. They said that we will not be able to set up our email until 30 days prior to classes. The person I talked to even went to ask someone else because so many people had been calling him about it today. So, now I am kind of confused! Has anyone actually been able to set up their email?

Can't set up mine either. I emailed them as well and got the same response that our accounts would not be active until 30 days before the starting day.
 
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