2016-2017 University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley Application Thread

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Calbant said:
Congrats! Were you accepted from the wait list or outright? Also did you get accepted anywhere else?
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I actually never got a rejection or waitlist from them. I was getting worried to not hear anything. I wasn't accepted to any TMDSAS schools, but I did get one from UIW, new DO school in SATX.
 
sehnsuchtsermedico said:
I actually never got a rejection or waitlist from them. I was getting worried to not hear anything. I wasn't accepted to any TMDSAS schools, but I did get one from UIW, new DO school in SATX.
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That's awesome! Which one would you prefer to go to?
 
Calbant said:
That's awesome! Which one would you prefer to go to?
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Here definitely. I did my Master in the area and loved the RGV! Plus, I was waiting out to hear about somewhere else in TX. UIW had a $1000 deposit I had to give by Dec 15 to save a seat, which I did not have!
 
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sehnsuchtsermedico said:
Here definitely. I did my Master in the area and loved the RGV! Plus, I was waiting out to hear about somewhere else in TX. UIW had a $1000 deposit I had to give by Dec 15 to save a seat, which I did not have!
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Rio would be the logical choice out of the two for too many reasons.
 
zurc2014 said:
Fixed lol
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I actually originally had "always" instead of "almost always", but I changed it because sometimes in rare cases, people would choose the new DO. If they have a spouse and kids, and are fine with doing primary care and not too fussy about specializing, they would stay close to the area and choose the DO in some cases.
 
GinnyWeasley said:
I actually originally had "always" instead of "almost always", but I changed it because sometimes in rare cases, people would choose the new DO. If they have a spouse and kids, and are fine with doing primary care and not too fussy about specializing, they would stay close to the area and choose the DO in some cases.
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Nice to see you around these parts... did your friend end up getting in?
 
GinnyWeasley said:
I actually originally had "always" instead of "almost always", but I changed it because sometimes in rare cases, people would choose the new DO. If they have a spouse and kids, and are fine with doing primary care and not too fussy about specializing, they would stay close to the area and choose the DO in some cases.
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Yeah I know lol. Just wanted to put emphasis. If it was Rio or TCOM, I can see but out of those choices ;)
 
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GinnyWeasley said:
I actually originally had "always" instead of "almost always", but I changed it because sometimes in rare cases, people would choose the new DO. If they have a spouse and kids, and are fine with doing primary care and not too fussy about specializing, they would stay close to the area and choose the DO in some cases.
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Hahaha yeah. I loved the area and the school. I did my undergrad in San Antonio and miss it every day, though I don't live far. I am really interested primary care, so I was fine with both choices :) UIW seemed to be really on top of their stuff. Many admin people were also people were part of establishing other DO schools in the country. If it wasn't for the expense, with the choices I had, it was definitely a contender to me.
 
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Kgizzle said:
Nice to see you around these parts... did your friend end up getting in?
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Hey there! I get notifications from here still (yet I don't sometimes on schools I interviewed at lmao) so glad to be back haha. And no he didn't! But he was kind of expecting the waitlist, since they have such a small class size.
 
sehnsuchtsermedico said:
Hahaha yeah. I loved the area and the school. I did my undergrad in San Antonio and miss it every day, though I don't live far. I am really interested primary care, so I was fine with both choices :) UIW seemed to be really on top of their stuff. Many admin people were also people were part of establishing other DO schools in the country. If it wasn't for the expense, with the choices I had, it was definitely a contender to me.
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I got you. That deposit crap killed a lot of schools for me as well. I just simply couldn't afford to pay that much up front. You made the right choice. Save that 1k and chillax until Fall :D Congrats OP!!!!!
 
GinnyWeasley said:
Hey there! I get notifications from here still (yet I don't sometimes on schools I interviewed at lmao) so glad to be back haha. And no he didn't! But he was kind of expecting the waitlist, since they have such a small class size.
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Oh that sucks, hope he ends up getting in
 
Kgizzle said:
Oh that sucks, hope he ends up getting in
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Congrats on your acceptance!! And he pre-matched to his top choice, so no worries there! Me on the other hand...give me an acceptance TX.
 
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GinnyWeasley said:
I actually originally had "always" instead of "almost always", but I changed it because sometimes in rare cases, people would choose the new DO. If they have a spouse and kids, and are fine with doing primary care and not too fussy about specializing, they would stay close to the area and choose the DO in some cases.
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Why are DO schools considered to be lesser than MD schools? Just curious because I always hear you end up doing the same thing
 
Calbant said:
Why are DO schools considered to be lesser than MD schools? Just curious because I always hear you end up doing the same thing
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They're not necessarily "lesser" it is just more difficult to specialize and obtain ACGME residency spots. If you want something super competitive, the door is virtually closed .
 
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Kgizzle said:
They're not necessarily "lesser" it is just more difficult to specialize and obtain ACGME residency spots. If you want something super competitive, the door is virtually closed .
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Oh ok I didn't know that. Thanks! What residency programs are competitive? I know dermatology is but what about pediatrics? I'm hoping to become a pediatric oncologist.
 
All DO and MD residencies are merging by 2020. I'm not sure (maybe) if the competitiveness will be an issue. I would read up on the merger though.
 
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Calbant said:
Oh ok I didn't know that. Thanks! What residency programs are competitive? I know dermatology is but what about pediatrics? I'm hoping to become a pediatric oncologist.
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Pediatrics is generally not a competitive specialty unless you want a top program/top academic program (though that could be said for any specialty). ROAD specialties were/are considered the competitive ones along with certain surgical specialties but it varies based on trends.
 
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Calbant said:
Why are DO schools considered to be lesser than MD schools? Just curious because I always hear you end up doing the same thing
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I'll guess this has to do with DO applicants having lesser stats than MD applicants and DO is generally a backup alternative to MD.

MD schools are also more established so their students have more clinical opportunities.
 
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Calbant said:
Oh ok I didn't know that. Thanks! What residency programs are competitive? I know dermatology is but what about pediatrics? I'm hoping to become a pediatric oncologist.
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If you want to be a baby cancer doctor, you do a pediatric residency (relatively easy to get,) and a heme/onc fellowship(harder to get). So when you look at pediatric residencies you will have to look for ones that have had a lot of residents subspecialize
 
nousername4444 said:
I'll guess this has to do with DO applicants having lesser stats than MD applicants and DO is generally a backup alternative to MD.

MD schools are also more established so their students have more clinical opportunities.
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It also has to do with a bias against DO programs by residencies.
 
Does anyone know if they are done giving IIs or when their last interview dates are?
 
CastleG8 said:
Does anyone know if they are done giving IIs or when their last interview dates are?
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I'm not sure if they're done giving II, but I recall in my interview that they may not be going into January interviews. I did interview in early October, so I don't know if anything changed since then.
 
sehnsuchtsermedico said:
I'm not sure if they're done giving II, but I recall in my interview that they may not be going into January interviews. I did interview in early October, so I don't know if anything changed since then.
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I interviewed here on Friday (Dec.2) and I believe the last interview date will be Jan. 16, if I recall that PP slide correctly...


Also, I LOVED my interview here! They said that we should recieve and admission decision (accept or waitlist) by Dec. 8 or 9th. I was really impressed by all the things they've done so far (only 5 months into their first class!).
 
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CognitiveSci said:
I interviewed here on Friday (Dec.2) and I believe the last interview date will be Jan. 16, if I recall that PP slide correctly...


Also, I LOVED my interview here! They said that we should recieve and admission decision (accept or waitlist) by Dec. 8 or 9th. I was really impressed by all the things they've done so far (only 5 months into their first class!).
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Yes, I believe that's their last interview day. I have a friend who was scheduled that day!

And they told us that also! I interviewed 11/28 :) That's like... THIS WEEK SOON! lol good luck to everyone hoping to hear back!
 
Hey I didn't realize UTRGV was P/F...just thought I would share that.
 
what does it mean if we haven't received anything from them?
 
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Kgizzle said:
Doesn't sound like it's anything too serious and it doesn't affect the medical school which are run by different people I guess... ??? Hopefully more info comes out
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The article stated it shouldn't change the medical school's accreditation. Don't quote me on this, but from what I've seen SO FAR, it seems more like administrative issues. Recently, UTRGV went through a merger and like any marriage, past problems are going to be brought up and have to be dealt with (those belonging to the schools being combined).
 
southtexas_hopeful said:
The article stated it shouldn't change the medical school's accreditation. Don't quote me on this, but from what I've seen SO FAR, it seems more like administrative issues. Recently, UTRGV went through a merger and like any marriage, past problems are going to be brought up and have to be dealt with (those belonging to the schools being combined).
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Yes and I've dealt with many regulatory committees and obviously probation means that whatever is wrong is fixable. I'm sure the administration will do what they need to to fix any deficiencies that they have to .
 
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I think this news just increased my chances of being pulled in off the waitlist!

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from the comment section
Untitled.png
 
Looks like it has nothing to do with the new medical school. But its an anonymous comment, so take that with a grain of salt.
 
jchan10 said:
what does it mean if we haven't received anything from them?
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Unless you have a glaring red flag on your application you are probably in good shape. It seems like all the waitlisted students already heard back so no news is good news at this point. We were told that they rarely reject students post interview, you are either accepted or waitlisted. A more recent interviewee can correct me on this but in September it seems like they intend on accepting or waitlisting students then pulling students of the waitlist as necessary.

Here is a summary of what I was told when i called two weeks ago....
They are working through a list of accepted students during the prematch period, many people on the list won't hear back till the match. Movement off the waitlist will be highly dependent on their yield and how well they do in the match.
 
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Looks like the southern accreditation agency has a list of 10 grievances with UTRGV.

From what I deciphered, looks like ethics, money, and class credits for transfers are some of the issues.

Dang, I don't know guys, this doesn't look like a complication of "timing."

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jtr0024 said:
Looks like the southern accreditation agency has a list of 10 grievances with UTRGV.

From what I deciphered, looks like ethics, money, and class credits for transfers are some of the issues.

Dang, I don't know guys, this doesn't look like a complication of "timing."

Sent from my SM-G360T using SDN mobile
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Disclaimer: I am speaking as a RGV community member here, so the following is tinged with opinion. I really try to be an objective voice here on SDN. Keep reading to the end though.

The issues with UTRGV undergrad campuses are indeed concerning. The process of taking two separate colleges which are 60 miles apart (the former UTPA and the former UTB) and creating the Frankenstein UTRGV has not been working well. The impetus for the creation of UTRGV was to get access to state funds so they could A) call their new entity a major research university and B) create a medical school. The process has brought in new administrators who don't understand the needs of the local students (fact) and who have treated existing faculty rather dismissively (my opinion). Some great teachers have decided to leave, have been demoted, or have been replaced with temporary lecturers. Students who have chosen to stay in Brownsville for college because they can live at home and afford to go, have not appreciated being told that their class is only available at the "other campus" or online. They need in-person teaching and support to make the transition to college. But back to the topic...

Fortunately, the accrediting body for medical schools (LCME) is separate from the accrediting body for colleges. UTRGV School of Medicine holds a Preliminary Accreditation status from the LCME, as do the other new schools UT Austin (Dell), UNLV, CUNY School of Medicine, Washington State University College of Medicine, and California Northstate. The next survey/site visit to determine progress toward Provisional Accreditation status will be in 2017-2018. So, the UTRGV School of Medicine is NOT ON PROBATION along with the undergrad college.

Unfortunately, the funding of the two institutions is intertwined. The probation of the undergrad component will be a major source of distraction, uncertainty, and extra work for the deans and provosts. The president of the undergrad school, Guy Bailey, has said that the specifics of the reason for probation will not be made public until mid-January. Hey! What else is happening in mid-January? You have to turn in your ranked list of medical schools to TMSDAS. Oh.

I hate that you, the applicants, are being thrown this curve ball right now as you are trying to make important decisions. The best you can do is keep abreast of the news. It also puts those of you with upcoming interviews in an awkward position because, well, when they say "Do you have any questions for me?" you will want to know about this issue but you won't want to be seen as challenging them or putting them on the spot. Maybe if they have a group orientation/meeting before the individual interviews would be the best time to ask, not in your 1:1 time. Be prepared to hear the non-answer of, "We just don't know".

I will keep posting any news updates (from reputable sources) here as I find them.
 
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