2017-2018 Texas Tech University - El Paso

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I have an interview at BCOM in a couple of weeks, I've submitted my secondary already but haven't heard back anything regarding IIs. Do you think they would be receptive if I called and ask about an interview because I'll be in the area?
 
reetiksun said:
I have an interview at BCOM in a couple of weeks, I've submitted my secondary already but haven't heard back anything regarding IIs. Do you think they would be receptive if I called and ask about an interview because I'll be in the area?
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No it doesn't work that way for med school interviews. You wait until you are invited.
 
wysdoc said:
My thoughts are I hate it when people copy/paste stuff from reddit over here because I consider SDN to be more classy.
That "I'm in the area" ploy can be used when you are at the stage of looking at residency spots, but not for med school interviews.
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I'll keep that in mind.
 
current MS1 here if you have any questions feel free to ask 😉 I remember checking this thread from last year quite a bit lol..

love this school so far.. it was my first choice and I was able to match here on match day and I interviewed in early november of 2016..
 
BombsAway said:
you think it's ok to show up to the night-before social late? The only flight I can make lands at 730, social ends at 830.
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yeah I think you are fine... when I was interviewing I was pretty paranoid about the meet and greet being another way they were evaluating you in some way but I have seen the other side of it and its just people from the school (mostly MS1's) signing up to hang out with people who are interviewing and give them a better idea about the school and el paso and answer any questions they might have.. it is not for evaluation purposes and the people who have signed up are all really chill people.
 
StudentofHealth435 said:
current MS1 here if you have any questions feel free to ask 😉 I remember checking this thread from last year quite a bit lol..

love this school so far.. it was my first choice and I was able to match here on match day and I interviewed in early november of 2016..
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What made you pick this school? What are some special things about the Foster School of Medicine? What are the clinical opportunities like? Thank you and sorry for all these questions!
 
elsenor said:
What made you pick this school? What are some special things about the Foster School of Medicine? What are the clinical opportunities like? Thank you and sorry for all these questions!
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This school's curriculum is quite innovating in that it is very clinically centered right off the bat.. each week starts with one different clinical presentation for example "child with dehydration, abdominal pain, chest pain, sore throat etc.." and then everything we focus on in the different scientific disciplines that week is related in some way to that clinical presentation. and at the end of the week we go through ER cases with clinicians and run through the whole process of intake and history and physical exam and how to think about the results and get to a diagnosis.. these sessions are awesome.

we also have the ATACS center which is like a whole floor of simulated patient rooms and they have a lot of interesting tech like VR simulations and mannequins that have pretty complex simulation potential and others for practicing procedures like placing IV lines and others. the medical skills course is my favorite part so far as its quite in depth and we start seeing SP's the 3rd week of class in MS1

the faculty is awesome and I have not encountered any jaded or unkind people at all. many very passionate people who are always willing to help you and really want you to succeed. I did not expect that especially with my previous undergrad experiences.

there are many clinical opportunities here in el paso and the school even has a few student-run clinics and associations with other clinics like the baptist clinic.. there very very many ways to shadow or volunteer here.

It is just a great environment for medical education.. if you have any other specific questions feel free to ask
 
Do we just show up to the social or are we supposed to RSVP? I never received an email to RSVP.
 
I looked up the place for the social on August 9, and it's 10 miles from the school. Can anyone confirm this?
 
StudentofHealth435 said:
This school's curriculum is quite innovating in that it is very clinically centered right off the bat.. each week starts with one different clinical presentation for example "child with dehydration, abdominal pain, chest pain, sore throat etc.." and then everything we focus on in the different scientific disciplines that week is related in some way to that clinical presentation. and at the end of the week we go through ER cases with clinicians and run through the whole process of intake and history and physical exam and how to think about the results and get to a diagnosis.. these sessions are awesome.

we also have the ATACS center which is like a whole floor of simulated patient rooms and they have a lot of interesting tech like VR simulations and mannequins that have pretty complex simulation potential and others for practicing procedures like placing IV lines and others. the medical skills course is my favorite part so far as its quite in depth and we start seeing SP's the 3rd week of class in MS1

the faculty is awesome and I have not encountered any jaded or unkind people at all. many very passionate people who are always willing to help you and really want you to succeed. I did not expect that especially with my previous undergrad experiences.

there are many clinical opportunities here in el paso and the school even has a few student-run clinics and associations with other clinics like the baptist clinic.. there very very many ways to shadow or volunteer here.

It is just a great environment for medical education.. if you have any other specific questions feel free to ask
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Thank you very much! I've been trying to look for research opportunities available at this school, but haven't been able to find a faculty page on the website.
 
Ok so, if you dont really have a mentor or family member that influenced you to go into medicine, is it bad to put not applicable? Or just say a couple sentences on how medicine was a decision discovered on your own without a lot of outside influence. Also, for the last prompt, are people just saying any personal experience and how it influenced you, or is that prompt meant for more of a hardship type experience?
 
Hopeful Future Doc said:
Ok so, if you dont really have a mentor or family member that influenced you to go into medicine, is it bad to put not applicable? Or just say a couple sentences on how medicine was a decision discovered on your own without a lot of outside influence. Also, for the last prompt, are people just saying any personal experience and how it influenced you, or is that prompt meant for more of a hardship type experience?
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I think it might be better if you talk about influences in your life rather than just saying not applicable. You can say medicine was based on self-discovery, but mention people in your life who have supported/influence you as a person.

For the last question, it can be a personal experience but make sure you relate that to how it influenced you to get a medical degree.
 
For those who received II's what was the time span between submitting your secondary and getting the email?
 
Hopeful Future Doc said:
Ok so, if you dont really have a mentor or family member that influenced you to go into medicine, is it bad to put not applicable? Or just say a couple sentences on how medicine was a decision discovered on your own without a lot of outside influence. Also, for the last prompt, are people just saying any personal experience and how it influenced you, or is that prompt meant for more of a hardship type experience?
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I agree with elsenor. You can come at it by talking about an influential person in your life who may have helped you develop work ethic, compassion, etc., i.e. a specific skill that you think is integral in becoming a doctor!
 
elsenor said:
Do they serve breakfast at interviews?
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Water, OJ, cookies, bowl of mints for after lunch and before your interviews, etc., but not traditional continental breakfast. Might be a good idea to eat breakfast before getting there.
 
@StudentofHealth435 or whoever else. How does the Spanish curriculum cater to those of different spanish speaking levels? I understand its sort of integrated with what you're learning each week. Obviously Foster prefers students who have experience with the hispanic community, but is speaking spanish a requirement for admission?
 
Smelt said:
@StudentofHealth435 or whoever else. How does the Spanish curriculum cater to those of different spanish speaking levels? I understand its sort of integrated with what you're learning each week. Obviously Foster prefers students who have experience with the hispanic community, but is speaking spanish a requirement for admission?
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heh, Spanish is something I have always been pretty damn bad at it.. I am still very bad at it..

they have different levels of spanish depending on your own skill level and exposure to spanish.. 1.1 is for those who have no experience and theres also 1.2( some exposure but forgot it all etc.. where I am), 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1(more advanced speakers) so dont worry if you arent good at it or arent experienced at all in spanish.. no harsh grading or anything like that.. you just have to have a good attitude and try your best to improve it as far as I can tell
 
I am trying to log in to my account to submit my secondary and it gives me a '500 error'. I emailed the school already. Is anybody else getting this error?
 
raidermed10 said:
I am trying to log in to my account to submit my secondary and it gives me a '500 error'. I emailed the school already. Is anybody else getting this error?
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This was happening to me, but then I realized I was putting in my tmdsas username instead of the id number for the Secondary website login username. If that isn't the problem, then the website could be down since I heard that had happened before. If all else fails give them a call and I'm sure they can help you out!
 
Hey where are we supposed to meet for the interviews? I forgot to ask them and I can't find much details for on campus....

Edit: JK found it, MEB
 
To those who have already interviewed, does EL Paso appear on your TMDSAS School Preference Rank listing?
 
DV-T said:
To those who have already interviewed, does EL Paso appear on your TMDSAS School Preference Rank listing?
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Nope, it's not there. The school I interviewed at afterwards is though.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Just bought flights to El Paso and damn.. can't even bring myself to see my current credit card debt from this cycle. Hopefully it's all worth it in the end.
 
BombsAway said:
save your money for your harvard/columbia/etc interviews bruh
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Nahh. There's no guarantee I get those (don't bring up URM) and no need to look a gift horse in the mouth by turning my nose up at IIs
 
BlackOrthoSurg said:
Nahh. There's no guarantee I get those (don't bring up URM) and no need to look a gift horse in the mouth by turning my nose up at IIs
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ngl i drove there with the same thought that unless its OOS, I'm not gonna buy an airplane ticket...buy an airplane ticket. It was fun driving there but I'm never gonna drive a 20 hr round trip from houston to el paso again
 
Shadowsontherun said:
Just attended the 8/3 interview here. It had an amazing campus, faculty and students. I'd recommend staying with a medical student host if you can! El paso was also much prettier then i expected with the mountains! My interviewers were super nice and relaxed too. Let me know if you have any questions!

*sorry i had written 9/3 instead of 8/3. My bad.
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How long were the interviews? Just 2 interviews by faculty right? Where they open file?

There aren't many interview dates, so are there a lot of people that interview during each day?
 
Smelt said:
How long were the interviews? Just 2 interviews by faculty right? Where they open file?

There aren't many interview dates, so are there a lot of people that interview during each day?
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I interviewed a few weeks ago, and I believe that during the presentation they mentioned the interviews were open file. One of my interviewers definitely read my application...not so sure about the other one. And they interview about 20-25 people each day.
 
Do they email you about the meet and greet ahead of time? My interview is coming up, and I couldn't find any info about that.
 
Smelt said:
How long were the interviews? Just 2 interviews by faculty right? Where they open file?

There aren't many interview dates, so are there a lot of people that interview during each day?
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Hi all. Current MSI here. Feel free to ask questions and I'll respond whenever I get the chance.

Interviews are allotted about 30 minutes, but depends on how long you take. Some interviews go over time, some interviews run short. Two faculty and open file, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your interviewer has to read your file.

For the class of 2021 (so last application cycle), there were 21 interview dates with an average of 25 interviewees per day. A total of 535 interviewed and 103 matriculated. More stats can be found here: Office of Admissions PLFSOM Statistics.
 
fouracle said:
Do they email you about the meet and greet ahead of time? My interview is coming up, and I couldn't find any info about that.
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They generally email you ahead of time. They are hosted depending on how many current students sign up to attend and entertain, but there should be some happening for the next couple of interview sessions. Try double checking some of the previous emails they have sent you. They're usually at Gufo di Milano, 6:30pm the night before. Definitely double check on that though.
 
Doc.Do said:
Hi all. Current MSI here. Feel free to ask questions and I'll respond whenever I get the chance.

Interviews are allotted about 30 minutes, but depends on how long you take. Some interviews go over time, some interviews run short. Two faculty and open file, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your interviewer has to read your file.

For the class of 2021 (so last application cycle), there were 21 interview dates with an average of 25 interviewees per day. A total of 535 interviewed and 103 matriculated. More stats can be found here: Office of Admissions PLFSOM Statistics.
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I was wondering if interview slots are stagnated? For example, does everyone interview at the same time (e.g from 2-3 pm) or do some people have 1-1:30 interviews while others have 2-2:30 ones?
 
fouracle said:
I was wondering if interview slots are stagnated? For example, does everyone interview at the same time (e.g from 2-3 pm) or do some people have 1-1:30 interviews while others have 2-2:30 ones?
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When I interviewed, the interviews were staggered and I did have a break between my interviews, so not everyone interviews at the same time. All of the interviews are in the afternoon after lunch though, so it's not like some people interview in the morning and some in the afternoon. I'm not sure about what it is now, but I imagine it'd be the same.

Sorry I don't have specifics for your interview cycle. Current students play a pretty minimal role in the interview day itself aside from the student panel held after the interviews. The student panel is off-the-books, though, so come ready to ask whatever questions you may have.
 
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fouracle said:
Does anyone know if this school accepts a large portion of people during pre-match?
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I wouldn't say a large portion, but I do know a decent handful prematch. What the actual numbers are, no one really knows aside from the admissions office. But PLFSOM does prematch more than other schools like UTSA. You can lurk on previous years' threads and get a rough idea, but it is with the caveat that it's self-reported and SDN self-selected.
 
My friend received an II here last week. I thought they were silent until I found that out.
 
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