2019-2020 Sam Houston State College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSC-COM)

[CaramelBrulee]

Congrats! When were you complete?

9/13

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[beeks10]

Received an II today. IS, LM 65.

Not thrilled about this school because it's brand new and very expensive without any reputation. An interview is still an interview tho! For others that received an interview, what are your thoughts about this school?

Super thankful for an interview and I am sure there are many students who would be super thrilled to get an interview invite from them so kinda a bummer it went to someone who doesnt care for it due to lack of reputation. Understand your feelings on cost of tuition but it is what it is.

 

[beeks10]

I did not say that I don't care for it, but I don't imagine that this school is at the top of many applicants' lists unless it's their only interview. A school without a proven track record should be a major consideration in deciding on a medical school. There are also not established residency programs or board scores to show the quality of the education.

Before you try to put words in my mouth or think I don't care about this opportunity, you should look at it for what it is like I am doing. If I didn't care, I wouldn't accept the interview.

Sorry it came off negatively. Like I said I understood where you were coming from. But I hope you have a great interview there and plenty of choices. As I do for everyone applying the cycle!

 

[TwoHighways]

I do think the school is going to have some difficulty filling it’s mission to improve access to primary care in rural east Texas with their tuition as is.

 

[wysdoc]

Received an II today. IS, LM 65.

Not thrilled about this school because it's brand new and very expensive without any reputation. An interview is still an interview tho! For others that received an interview, what are your thoughts about this school?

There's not a lot searchable about this school yet, we will be counting on some of you early interviewers to share details!

 

[CryptoMed]

Sorry it came off negatively. Like I said I understood where you were coming from. But I hope you have a great interview there and plenty of choices. As I do for everyone applying the cycle!

I must have interpreted "bummer it went to someone who doesn't care..." incorrectly then. Don't know how I could've thought that was negative.

 

[PickMe247]

+1 for II today- it’s my first one so I’m doubly excited!

 

[wysdoc]

Does SHSU com accept 90% in state applicants (like the other Tmdsas schools)?

I would presume so, but could be wrong, given that they don’t receive a subsidy from the state, hence the higher tuition compared to other public Texas schools.

@wysdoc any input on this?

Here’s what SHSU COM admissions office had to say:
“There is no preference from in-state to out of state applicants but it will be taken into overall consideration.”
So, no percentile quota.
Their wish is to train doctors who will want to practice in east Texas. Maybe y’all from Louisiana should apply too!

 

[TwoHighways]

Does SHSU com accept 90% in state applicants (like the other Tmdsas schools)?


Here’s what SHSU COM admissions office had to say:
“There is no preference from in-state to out of state applicants but it will be taken into overall consideration.”
So, no percentile quota.
Their wish is to train doctors who will want to practice in east Texas. Maybe y’all from Louisiana should apply too!

Do you think they’ll use the AACOMS app next year? I don’t see how they fit with the other public Texas schools given the fact that they aren’t subsidized by the state and apparently don’t have to admit 90% of their incoming class to Texas residents (albeit, it seems pretty obvious that a resounding majority of the future matriculants will be from Texas).

 

[wysdoc]

Do you think they’ll use the AACOMS app next year? I don’t see how they fit with the other public Texas schools given the fact that they aren’t subsidized by the state and apparently don’t have to admit 90% of their incoming class to Texas residents (albeit, it seems pretty obvious that a resounding majority of the future matriculants will be from Texas).

I’m not sure how they decided to use the TMDSAS system, maybe easier for them and also easier for Texans to “add one more school”.

 

[Scrizzy]

II today! LM 69, secondary completed 9/14

 

[Scrizzy]

Can someone explain why the tuition cost each year is almost 3 times TCOM even for residents? (its about 55k a year). Is it because they don't have any funding because they're new?

Edit: never mind, someone just mentioned they are not a subsidy of the state which explains why.

 

[Ultimax]

The school is private, and not state subsidized like other schools, the same goes for University of Incarnate World College of Osteopathic Medicine. As it does not receive funding from the state, the tuition will have to cover the expense. There is a new University of Houston medical school (MD) that will be completed next year that will be state subsidized, and as such, will have low tuition. As Sam Houston State University COM is private, there is no requirement that 90% of matriculants are from Texas.

 

[wysdoc]

Can someone explain why the tuition cost each year is almost 3 times TCOM even for residents? (its about 55k a year). Is it because they don't have any funding because they're new?

It's because they are not subsidized by the State of Texas like public state schools. Texas property taxes go a long way towards supporting public subsidized schools. They do have funding or they would not have been approved for accepting applications this year.
Compare this to any other DO school in any state or the other private DO school in Texas, UIWSOM. Tuitions are similar.

Furthermore, quoting from their approval to establish the school:

"At its August 14, 2018, Special Called Board meeting the Coordinating Board approved and authorized the request from Sam Houston State University to create a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree with a major in Osteopathic Medicine (CIP 51.1901.00). Approval is with the understanding that the institution will not now or in the future, seek or accept if offered, formula funding for the osteopathic medical students enrolled in the courses in the DO program."

Freaking out about debt confuses me. The debt to attend a school like this, while not small, is less than any house you might consider buying, and has the added benefit of superior earning potential in years to come.

 

[pivaaat!]

How and why is this school even on TMDSAS? I thought TMDSAS schools were all public, hence lower tuition, and must take a minimum of 90 % TX residents. (Baylor, TCU and UIW are all private and are on AMCAS/AACOMAS).
SHSU COM fits neither criterion.

 

[Scrizzy]

It's because they are not subsidized by the State of Texas like public state schools. Texas property taxes go a long way towards supporting public subsidized schools. They do have funding or they would not have been approved for accepting applications this year.
Compare this to any other DO school in any state or the other private DO school in Texas, UIWSOM. Tuitions are similar.

Furthermore, quoting from their approval to establish the school:

"At its August 14, 2018, Special Called Board meeting the Coordinating Board approved and authorized the request from Sam Houston State University to create a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree with a major in Osteopathic Medicine (CIP 51.1901.00). Approval is with the understanding that the institution will not now or in the future, seek or accept if offered, formula funding for the osteopathic medical students enrolled in the courses in the DO program."

Freaking out about debt confuses me. The debt to attend a school like this, while not small, is less than any house you might consider buying, and has the added benefit of superior earning potential in years to come.

Thanks for the info! I'm more curious than freaking out. If I was scared of debt, I wouldn't have applied out of state where the tuition is pretty much the same.

 

[wysdoc]

How and why is this school even on TMDSAS? I thought TMDSAS schools were all public, hence lower tuition, and must take a minimum of 90 % TX residents. (Baylor, TCU and UIW are all private and are on AMCAS/AACOMAS).
SHSU COM fits neither criterion.

TMDSAS is just an application platform system, like the Common App for college. Some colleges use it, some don’t.

 

[TwoHighways]

It's because they are not subsidized by the State of Texas like public state schools. Texas property taxes go a long way towards supporting public subsidized schools. They do have funding or they would not have been approved for accepting applications this year.
Compare this to any other DO school in any state or the other private DO school in Texas, UIWSOM. Tuitions are similar.

Furthermore, quoting from their approval to establish the school:

"At its August 14, 2018, Special Called Board meeting the Coordinating Board approved and authorized the request from Sam Houston State University to create a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree with a major in Osteopathic Medicine (CIP 51.1901.00). Approval is with the understanding that the institution will not now or in the future, seek or accept if offered, formula funding for the osteopathic medical students enrolled in the courses in the DO program."

Freaking out about debt confuses me. The debt to attend a school like this, while not small, is less than any house you might consider buying, and has the added benefit of superior earning potential in years to come.

220k for tuition alone plus potential living expenses could easily get you over 300k. Thankfully I have immediate family in the area and wouldn’t have to borrow money to cover the living expenses (at least for the first two years, no telling where rotation sites will be). That’s 3x the money that my childhood home was valued at, could certainly get you into a very nice home in today’s market, and while yes, being a physician typically pays well, the sort of student this school needs to be targeting in my view to fulfill their mission may see that amount of debt as a major obstacle, particularly after racking up debt from an undergrad institution.

I finished high school in a rural east Texas town. I know the area and socioeconomic status of the majority of its residents well. If the goal is to increase access to primary care in rural east Texas, you need to do everything that you can in my view to recruit the sort of kids that are likely to return “home” after residency. These are kids that are typically on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum that (assuming the want to go into medicine and specifically primary care) are going to factor cost in their decision on where to attend medical school more than the sort of kids that came from more well off families. I realize I’m generalizing quite a bit, but I think the point I’m attempting to make is still valid.

All that being said, I’m certainly thankful that there’s one more option in school for me to potentially attend.

 

[Premedman19]

Interview Invite as well as of yesterday around 10am! Good luck to everyone as we trek through this process!

 

[wysdoc]

220k for tuition alone plus potential living expenses could easily get you over 300k. Thankfully I have immediate family in the area and wouldn’t have to borrow money to cover the living expenses (at least for the first two years, no telling where rotation sites will be). That’s 3x the money that my childhood home was valued at, could certainly get you into a very nice home in today’s market, and while yes, being a physician typically pays well, the sort of student this school needs to be targeting in my view to fulfill their mission may see that amount of debt as a major obstacle, particularly after racking up debt from an undergrad institution.

I finished high school in a rural east Texas town. I know the area and socioeconomic status of the majority of its residents well. If the goal is to increase access to primary care in rural east Texas, you need to do everything that you can in my view to recruit the sort of kids that are likely to return “home” after residency. These are kids that are typically on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum that (assuming the want to go into medicine and specifically primary care) are going to factor cost in their decision on where to attend medical school more than the sort of kids that came from more well off families. I realize I’m generalizing quite a bit, but I think the point I’m attempting to make is still valid.

All that being said, I’m certainly thankful that there’s one more option in school for me to potentially attend.

All good points and of course it is so great to have some really great affordable tuitions in TX state medical schools.

 

[NuNu95]

II just now! Super excited!

 

[Monster-Mormon]

Have they stated anything on clinical rotation sites?

 

[Fruitseller]

II received! Secondary completed 9/16.

 

[wysdoc]

Have they stated anything on clinical rotation sites?

Nothing I can find, so share what you learn at your interview day!

 

[Scrizzy]

Looks like class attendance is mandatory here as well. Don't think I'll be applying here... brand new school with a $55k price tag is just a little too much for me to justify attending with all the other options here in Texas.

Wait really? That's insane! Where you get that info about the mandatory attendance?

 

[newcaprican]

II just now! Super excited!

Congratulations!! When did you submit your secondary?

 

[wysdoc]

Wait really? That's insane! Where you get that info about the mandatory attendance?

SHSU Academic Standards

Gotta do your research, everyone. Lots of information is available to those who search.

 

[Ultimax]

Yes, thats why i didnt apply. High tuition with mandatory classes. With the merging of residency next year, I am concerned that students will not have adequate time to take both COMLEX and USMLE.

 

[mandyads]

I'm guessing it's too late to apply now that the TMDSAS application cycle is closed? I just found out that this school was added and it's a shame, because this would've been one of my top choices for Texas. I'm not sure if anyone else has reached out about possibly applying outside of TMDSAS.

 

[mandyads]

Hi y’all
I asked an administrator at TMDSAS today what the deadline for completing an application at this school would be.
He said it is October 1, just like all the other TMDSAS schools.
So if you have been holding off on applying, you need to decide quickly and turn in your primary before
October 1!
Supporting documents (transcripts, letters) are due October 15, and the secondary essays by November 15.

This has answered my previous question. ):

 

[wysdoc]

This has answered my previous question. ):

Yes, too late for this school but keep your eye on TMDSAS tweets/announcements in case U of Houston new MD school is approved to start accepting applications this fall. You would probably hear by the end of October/first week of November and apply via TMDSAS.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Have they stated anything on clinical rotation sites?

I'm a little concerned they haven't secured agreements with some hospitals right down their street from them that serve Montgomery County (Memorial Hermann Woodlands, CHI St. Luke's Woodlands, Texas Children's Woodlands, etc.) I definitely intend on asking them about these and if they are discussing agreements with these hospitals.

I also intend on asking them how they plan to raise funds to adhere to their mission of encouraging their grads to serve East Texas with a prohibitively high COA. I read in their proposal that rural physician salaries tend to be higher than their urban counterparts, but I feel this may be misleading since all the data I've seen runs contrary to that.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/11395.PDF

This is their submission to THECB, Appendix 9 explains their confirmed clinical partners (pictured above) and Appendix 10 talks about their potential for residency placements.

@wysdoc

 

[wysdoc]

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/11395.PDF

This is their submission to THECB, Appendix 9 explains their confirmed clinical partners (pictured above) and Appendix 10 talks about their potential for residency placements.

@wysdoc

Thanks for the link

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

Thanks for the link

No problem!

Keep in mind that this is from the time of their submission to the THECB, so they may have secured more affiliate sites, but I'm doubtful.

 

[Travelgirl3832]

I have not received an II yet, and I submitted my secondary on 9/15. LM is a 67, IS. Are they still coming in for people who submitted around that time?

 

[PickMe247]

I have not received an II yet, and I submitted my secondary on 9/15. LM is a 67, IS. Are they still coming in for people who submitted around that time?

I got my II Thursday 10/3, completed my secondary 9/17

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

I have not received an II yet, and I submitted my secondary on 9/15. LM is a 67, IS. Are they still coming in for people who submitted around that time?

They have interview dates all the way through to December. I'm sure they got an influx of applications at the very beginning with the intent of keeping each of their interview days to a small(ish) number. Their inaugural class size is going to be around 70, so they'll likely interview ~500 people, across ~16 interview dates (if not more in the Spring), means only 20-30 people per interview day, which is a small number.

I'm sure they're working through them bit by bit.

 

[humblefog22]

"SHSU Financial Aid & Scholarships is here to help!

The Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on October 1st and is available at FAFSA.gov. The priority deadline for your FAFSA submission is November 1st. Your FAFSA must be submitted to receive financial aid.

If possible, please submit your FAFSA at least 10 days prior to your scheduled interview so our office can best serve you. Need assistance? Call Financial Aid at (936) 294-2385."

Did anyone submit fasfa 10 days prior to interview like they suggested? Why would we need to do this so early as well.

 

[Darrow O'Lykos]

"SHSU Financial Aid & Scholarships is here to help!

The Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on October 1st and is available at FAFSA.gov. The priority deadline for your FAFSA submission is November 1st. Your FAFSA must be submitted to receive financial aid.

If possible, please submit your FAFSA at least 10 days prior to your scheduled interview so our office can best serve you. Need assistance? Call Financial Aid at (936) 294-2385."

Did anyone submit fasfa 10 days prior to interview like they suggested? Why would we need to do this so early as well.

Interesting, I must have missed that part.

My best guess would be they're going to push federal loans hard since FAFSA is mostly loans. That doesn't help any hope I had they'd have any meaningful scholarships to give out lol .

 

[Travelgirl3832]

They have interview dates all the way through to December. I'm sure they got an influx of applications at the very beginning with the intent of keeping each of their interview days to a small(ish) number. Their inaugural class size is going to be around 70, so they'll likely interview ~500 people, across ~16 interview dates (if not more in the Spring), means only 20-30 people per interview day, which is a small number.

I'm sure they're working through them bit by bit.

Thank you! I actually received my II today

 

[gray_under]

II today!

 

[TwoHighways]

How many of y’all have interviews from other schools in Texas? Just curious

 

[Hopeful Pre-med13]

II today!

When did you submit the secondary?

 

[gray_under]

Does anyone know what their interview style is like?

 

[Dcbears60]

Does anyone know what their interview style is like?

Two 30 minute traditional interviews (as per their website)

 

[LALAlandDOC]

How many of y’all have interviews from other schools in Texas? Just curious

I have one at UIWSOM

 

[captainreject]

How many of y’all have interviews from other schools in Texas? Just curious

I'm actually a reapplicant. I had 3 II in Texas the precious cycle but had little hours and could've done a better interview job (ttech, tcom, tamu). Now, I'm 1 II and its from this school, also applied OOS DO so I'm hopefully still waiting for some II there.

 

[ChefCurry1023]

I'm actually a reapplicant. I had 3 II in Texas the precious cycle but had little hours and could've done a better interview job (ttech, tcom, tamu). Now, I'm 1 II and its from this school, also applied OOS DO so I'm hopefully still waiting for some II there.

When did you hear back from Sam Houston? And how long after submitting your secondary did you hear back?

 

[captainreject]

When did you hear back from Sam Houston? And how long after submitting your secondary did you hear back?

Submitted Sept. 14? Heard back the 30th for an II.

I can only wish, other schools gave me similar attention this school did.