2018-2019 Texas A&M Health Science Center

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BBBallIsLife said:
Will TAMU ever update us on this info? its kinda a huge factor for anyone honestly...

I interviewed in September, so none of this was brought up. Would admissions be open to clearing anything up?
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I agree, 1 yr vs 1.5 yrs is a big difference, especially if you are leasing a house, which most people only like to do in 1-year increments. I imagine apartments are laxer on doing 6-month increments but for non-trads with families, it puts a monkey wrench in the works. In the larger context, this kind of change without notifying the applicants gives me caution about the way things are being run. They can see fit to run the program however they feel is best, but you should at least provide accurate, updated information to applicants regarding what is actually going to happen if they rank the school and then match.
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esob said:
OK, good to know for ranking. I like A & M but it seems like they have a lot of turmoil going on with their program currently.
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What kind of turmoil? I'm just curious as It is my number 1 choice, and would like to understand the situation better!
 
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Oakleysmom said:
What kind of turmoil? I'm just curious as It is my number 1 choice, and would like to understand the situation better!
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The COM has a new dean and there has been some uproar about things changing (search the forums if you want more in-depth info) but there have been tons of changes going on, from the curriculum to the cutting the class size (twice) and now changing the preclinical arrangements (something they did without notifying any of the applicants). And while we have all been told to never look at US News rankings, the fact that A&M is now listed as "unranked" (as opposed to rank not published) is enough to at least make me scratch my head (I heard an explanation that they chose not to submit to the ranking, but that doesn't jive with the listing).

Overall, A&M is still a great school, I just feel like they are going through some growing pains at the moment. One of the allures of picking an established school such as Tech or UTMB is that they have been doing what they do for long enough to have worked most of the "bugs" out of the system (as opposed to newer schools such as UTRGV or even PLFSOM, which are still trying to get things such as the curriculum and rotation sites to a polished state). A&M should be in that category as well, but the changes they are undergoing, while perhaps beneficial in the long run, seem to be coming at the expense of the stability one would expect from a long-established program.

Just my 2 cents though, so don't let my ramblings dissuade you from ranking them 1st
 
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esob said:
The COM has a new dean and there has been some uproar about things changing (search the forums if you want more in-depth info) but there have been tons of changes going on, from the curriculum to the cutting the class size (twice) and now changing the preclinical arrangements (something they did without notifying any of the applicants). And while we have all been told to never look at US News rankings, the fact that A&M is now listed as "unranked" (as opposed to rank not published) is enough to at least make me scratch my head (I heard an explanation that they chose not to submit to the ranking, but that doesn't jive with the listing).

Overall, A&M is still a great school, I just feel like they are going through some growing pains at the moment. One of the allures of picking an established school such as Tech or UTMB is that they have been doing what they do for long enough to have worked most of the "bugs" out of the system (as opposed to newer schools such as UTRGV or even PLFSOM, which are still trying to get things such as the curriculum and rotation sites to a polished state). A&M should be in that category as well, but the changes they are undergoing, while perhaps beneficial in the long run, seem to be coming at the expense of the stability one would expect from a long-established program.

Just my 2 cents though, so don't let my ramblings dissuade you from ranking them 1st
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Can you point us to the forums Ur talking abt please!

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Also, I thought EnMed was all 4 years in Houston???
 
Konkurro said:
Can you point us to the forums Ur talking abt please!

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You'll have to just search the forums for info; I've been reading the forums for a year about the changes so I have no idea where each specific thread is. I'm not making a case for or against A&M, but a simple search will turn up lots of discussion of the changes going on with the new dean.

Txpre_med said:
Yeah, that’s unchanged. It’s still 4 years in Houston
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I am almost positive they told us in the interview that enmed was 1.5 yrs in BCS then the remainder in Houston. I'm not sure if I got that wrong or if they changed it, but if it's an important consideration for someone in ranking A&M, they should probably call and get an official answer from the school.
 
esob said:
You'll have to just search the forums for info; I've been reading the forums for a year about the changes so I have no idea where each specific thread is. I'm not making a case for or against A&M, but a simple search will turn up lots of discussion of the changes going on with the new dean.



I am almost positive they told us in the interview that enmed was 1.5 yrs in BCS then the remainder in Houston. I'm not sure if I got that wrong or if they changed it, but if it's an important consideration for someone in ranking A&M, they should probably call and get an official answer from the school.
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They're talking about enmed. Not the Md pool
 
Boromir1r said:
They're talking about enmed. Not the Md pool
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So the regular MD did 1.5 BCS/2.5 Houston but ENMED did all 4 years in Houston? Is that going to change now that they've nixed all the other preclinical sites besides BCS, and if so, does that mean that ENMED has a different preclinical curriculum?
 
esob said:
So the regular MD did 1.5 BCS/2.5 Houston but ENMED did all 4 years in Houston? Is that going to change now that they've nixed all the other preclinical sites besides BCS, and if so, does that mean that ENMED has a different preclinical curriculum?
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Yes. No. Yes. Enmed has a slightly added component to the curriculum but is otherwise pretty similar.
 
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futuredoctor44 said:
I got an email saying "Although we have made a sufficient number of pre-match offers to EnMed applicants, EnMed considered you qualified for consideration via the match process". Did you get an explicit rejection or is this what you're talking about?
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I just got the "qualified for consideration via the match process." @futuredoctor44 I think that means we're still under consideration?
 
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Does this school give out rejections before the match but post interview?
 
off topic from the EnMed, but was doing a little bit of looking around, and found some articles about budget cuts. Apparently, state of Texas senate has been trying to pass a law that will severely cut higher education funding, and unfortunately, TAMU-College Station is taking the brute of it (for obvious reasons). This was about 2 years ago though, but affects clearly show now. Thought everyone should be aware of this in case you werent.

TAMU HSC Response --> Dean doesn't like it, she was put in a tough place: Texas A&M dean of medicine decries budget cuts

TAMU-College Station appears to have to pay most of it: Texas A&M's budget could be slashed by $29 million; former Sen. Ogden weighs in

Just some food for thought! I think they are doing their best to handle the situation smoothly. If anyone knows of any update on this, I would love to hear. I also don't want to this to dissuade anyone from choosing TAMU, for it is indeed a top choice of mine.
 
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If I am accepted to A&M's MD/PhD program, will the processing portal let me know first before an email is sent out?
 
BBBallIsLife said:
off topic from the EnMed, but was doing a little bit of looking around, and found some articles about budget cuts. Apparently, state of Texas senate has been trying to pass a law that will severely cut higher education funding, and unfortunately, TAMU-College Station is taking the brute of it (for obvious reasons). This was about 2 years ago though, but affects clearly show now. Thought everyone should be aware of this in case you werent.

TAMU HSC Response --> Dean doesn't like it, she was put in a tough place: Texas A&M dean of medicine decries budget cuts

TAMU-College Station appears to have to pay most of it: Texas A&M's budget could be slashed by $29 million; former Sen. Ogden weighs in

Just some food for thought! I think they are doing their best to handle the situation smoothly. If anyone knows of any update on this, I would love to hear. I also don't want to this to dissuade anyone from choosing TAMU, for it is indeed a top choice of mine.
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I am a current student who was applying during the last legislative session, where they were making budget cuts to higher education. The budget cuts proposed affected all of the medical schools nearly identically (you can easily find the proposed bill itself on the government website). In the end, the majority of the cuts weren't made and the budget remained intact. Not sure where you got the indication that TAMU-College Station was taking the brute of it. The link to the article "Texas A&M dean of medicine decries budget cuts" was largely made in order to put pressure on the legislature to not make the cuts, not because Texas A&M was being singled out. Additionally, many other medical schools were looking at cuts greater than 29 million. I think it is true that there are currently some changes being made, but by no means would I describe things as in turmoil or a reflection of any kind of financial uncertainty. I am still very happy with my choice and would be glad to answer any other questions anyone has.
 
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utfutmed said:
I am a current student who was applying during the last legislative session, where they were making budget cuts to higher education. The budget cuts proposed affected all of the medical schools nearly identically (you can easily find the proposed bill itself on the government website). In the end, the majority of the cuts weren't made and the budget remained intact. Not sure where you got the indication that TAMU-College Station was taking the brute of it. The link to the article "Texas A&M dean of medicine decries budget cuts" was largely made in order to put pressure on the legislature to not make the cuts, not because Texas A&M was being singled out. Additionally, many other medical schools were looking at cuts greater than 29 million. I think it is true that there are currently some changes being made, but by no means would I describe things as in turmoil or a reflection of any kind of financial uncertainty. I am still very happy with my choice and would be glad to answer any other questions anyone has.
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Thank you for this!! I was getting a little worried as A&M is rather high on my list.
 
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utfutmed said:
I am a current student who was applying during the last legislative session, where they were making budget cuts to higher education. The budget cuts proposed affected all of the medical schools nearly identically (you can easily find the proposed bill itself on the government website). In the end, the majority of the cuts weren't made and the budget remained intact. Not sure where you got the indication that TAMU-College Station was taking the brute of it. The link to the article "Texas A&M dean of medicine decries budget cuts" was largely made in order to put pressure on the legislature to not make the cuts, not because Texas A&M was being singled out. Additionally, many other medical schools were looking at cuts greater than 29 million. I think it is true that there are currently some changes being made, but by no means would I describe things as in turmoil or a reflection of any kind of financial uncertainty. I am still very happy with my choice and would be glad to answer any other questions anyone has.
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Can you speak about the changes in preclinical time in Bryan? For those of us with families, we definitely need solid timelines!


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candycanegal said:
Can you speak about the changes in preclinical time in Bryan? For those of us with families, we definitely need solid timelines!


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I would like to know this as well. How has the curriculum changed in terms of preclerk vs. clerkships at all the locations.
 
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Have there been recent developments on MD/PhD acceptances? Based on the MD/PhD interview calendar, A&M has its first revisit in 9 days and I haven't recieved any decision. I interviewed in September
 
Is anyone ranking EnMed first on their list? What do y’all see the long-term benefits of the program bejng?
 
Gemmaline said:
Is anyone ranking EnMed first on their list? What do y’all see the long-term benefits of the program bejng?
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I was going to rank them very high but people are talking about there being some issues at a & M about funding and about Scott Baylor white in temple that make me hesitant now. Hopefully it's just stupid rumors tho

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Does anyone have insight into which track to choose esp. if interested in surgery? What are the strengths of each track?
 
Gemmaline said:
Is anyone ranking EnMed first on their list? What do y’all see the long-term benefits of the program bejng?
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I'm fairy set on taking my offer at McGovern over EnMed. I've sent a few emails and made a call but never got any responses to either with the questions I have.

I think the benefits are great because it's a truly unique program that will enable to you do quite a bit upon completion that the average MD wouldn't be able to do. That said, the lack of communication + it being the first year for the program makes me hesitant that it prepare me for Step appropriately.
 
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KingoftheWalts said:
I'm fairy set on taking my offer at McGovern over EnMed. I've sent a few emails and made a call but never got any responses to either with the questions I have.

I think the benefits are great because it's a truly unique program that will enable to you do quite a bit upon completion that the average MD wouldn't be able to do. That said, the lack of communication + it being the first year for the program makes me hesitant that it prepare me for Step appropriately.
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I'm with you there...I also prefer McGovern > EnMed. The curriculum seems too packed, and I can't stand the thought of dressing up formally every day (I'm a t-shirts & shorts kinda person). That being said...if they somehow offered a very competitive scholarship then I might change my mind.
 
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KingoftheWalts said:
I'm fairy set on taking my offer at McGovern over EnMed. I've sent a few emails and made a call but never got any responses to either with the questions I have.

I think the benefits are great because it's a truly unique program that will enable to you do quite a bit upon completion that the average MD wouldn't be able to do. That said, the lack of communication + it being the first year for the program makes me hesitant that it prepare me for Step appropriately.
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Don't get me wrong, EnMed is very cool and there are some limited applications where having an advanced degree in engineering may be useful, but at this point in the ballgame it probably won't earn you any extra money and it definitely isn't as practical as an MD + PhD/MBA/MPH. In pretty much all of clinical medicine, it won't matter. You like won't be doing some back of the envelope calculations of fluid dynamics during your shift in the ED :D
 
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Regular MD acceptance yesterday (1/15)!!! OOS, LM 69, non-trad. Interviewed 8/16. Was definitely not expecting this...

Does anyone know if they're planning any sort of second look weekend? I interviewed in Temple and have never been to BCS and so would love the excuse to see it.
 
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MotherofPCMs said:
Regular MD acceptance yesterday (1/15)!!! OOS, LM 69, non-trad. Interviewed 8/16. Was definitely not expecting this...

Does anyone know if they're planning any sort of second look weekend? I interviewed in Temple and have never been to BCS and so would love the excuse to see it.
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The second look weekend (Prematch Celebration) was in December


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Anyone know how the waitlist works here. Does everyone who didn't get accepted get put on it, or will they form an alternate list of a couple applicants? Didn't match :((((((((((
 
rippir said:
Anyone know how the waitlist works here. Does everyone who didn't get accepted get put on it, or will they form an alternate list of a couple applicants? Didn't match :((((((((((
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I believe they put everyone on the waitlist.
 
I’m guessing people matched, but no one is posting it...makes me wonder, but I think I’m be silly.
 
Got waitlisted from here last year, but got the match today!!
 
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Choy said:
Got waitlisted from here last year, but got the match today!!
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Congratulations! I applaud your persistence! Great story to tell and give hope to others
 
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Thank you so much! Incredibly thankful. For those waitlisted, I received the alternate list email a week after match day and movements happened around late may/early june last year.

Good luck to everyone!!
 
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Is there an accepted students page somewhere?
 
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Matched here after not matching anywhere with 4 II last year. Truly is the best feeling in the world
 
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any OOS got accepted? Still waiting!
 
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