2019-2020 University of North Texas Health Science Center/Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM)

[PapaGuava]

Please feel free to tag a pre-medical moderator when the secondary prompt is posted.

Good luck to everyone applying!

Interview Feedback:

University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

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[PapaGuava]

Secondary Prompts:

1. What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000 character limit including spaces)

2. If you attended more than two colleges/universities, explain why. Community colleges are not needed. (1,000 character limit including spaces)

3. If applicable, please update the information contained on your TMDSAS application. Indicate any additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, additions to your extracurricular activities, name change, or anything else you feel the Admissions Committee should know.(1,000 character limit including spaces)

4. Do you consider yourself financially disadvantaged?

5. Do you consider yourself educationally disadvantaged?

6. (Optional)Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:: Leadership over a project that involved interaction with people outside your organization, Developed a plan to work through a specific situation where your ethics or moral code was challenged,Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful.

 

[High Young]

Does anybody know what the secondary application essay prompts are?

 

[Agentcross]

Does anybody know what the secondary application essay prompts are?

1. What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000 character limit including spaces)
2. If you attended more than two colleges/universities, explain why. Community colleges are not needed. (1,000 character limit including spaces)
3.f applicable, please update the information contained on your TMDSAS application. Indicate any additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, additions to your extracurricular activities, name change, or anything else you feel the Admissions Committee should know.(1,000 character limit including spaces)
4. Do you consider yourself financially disadvantaged?
5. Do you consider yourself educationally disadvantaged?
6. (Optional)Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:: Leadership over a project that involved interaction with people outside your organization, Developed a plan to work through a specific situation where your ethics or moral code was challenged,Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful

 

[High Young]

1. What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000 character limit including spaces)
2. If you attended more than two colleges/universities, explain why. Community colleges are not needed. (1,000 character limit including spaces)
3.f applicable, please update the information contained on your TMDSAS application. Indicate any additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, additions to your extracurricular activities, name change, or anything else you feel the Admissions Committee should know.(1,000 character limit including spaces)
4. Do you consider yourself financially disadvantaged?
5. Do you consider yourself educationally disadvantaged?
6. (Optional)Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:: Leadership over a project that involved interaction with people outside your organization, Developed a plan to work through a specific situation where your ethics or moral code was challenged,Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful

Thank you!

 

[Agentcross]

1. What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000 character limit including spaces)
2. If you attended more than two colleges/universities, explain why. Community colleges are not needed. (1,000 character limit including spaces)
3.f applicable, please update the information contained on your TMDSAS application. Indicate any additional grades earned, alterations in your proposed coursework or graduation date, additions to your extracurricular activities, name change, or anything else you feel the Admissions Committee should know.(1,000 character limit including spaces)
4. Do you consider yourself financially disadvantaged?
5. Do you consider yourself educationally disadvantaged?
6. (Optional)Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:: Leadership over a project that involved interaction with people outside your organization, Developed a plan to work through a specific situation where your ethics or moral code was challenged,Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful

@PapaGuava

 

[zatanna]

Is there a character limit for the optional essay?

 

[High Young]

I think it was 2,000

 

[jumpingjaguar]

I think it was 2,000

Yes, it is 2000 characters!

 

[Isoval]

Hello guys,

I'm a second year at TCOM and I look forward to meeting some of you in the future!
Feel free to tag me or quote this if you ever have any questions about the school, interviews, the campus, or TMDSAS in general!

 

[Agentcross]

Hello guys,

I'm a second year at TCOM and I look forward to meeting some of you in the future!
Feel free to tag me or quote this if you ever have any questions about the school, interviews, the campus, or TMDSAS in general!

my buddy just finished his first year there and speaks highly of it. the student body seems really engaged and involved with the community. what do you like best about the school

 

[Isoval]

my buddy just finished his first year there and speaks highly of it. the student body seems really engaged and involved with the community. what do you like best about the school

This is sort of difficult to answer in brief.

I think the best way for me to sum it up is that I feel like our class is truly crafted from a very wide variety of experiences and paths that people have chosen that all led them here. There are people who have founded nonprofits. People who worked in industry and decided it wasn’t for them. People who were nurses. People who were professors. As a result, I feel like it’s almost impossible to feel that you don’t fit in here.

I also think most of our faculty are absolutely phenomenal and among the best teachers I’ve ever had. There are some professors that are certainly exempt from that statement, but on the whole, the faculty are excellent.

 

[Agentcross]

This is sort of difficult to answer in brief.

I think the best way for me to sum it up is that I feel like our class is truly crafted from a very wide variety of experiences and paths that people have chosen that all led them here. There are people who have founded nonprofits. People who worked in industry and decided it wasn’t for them. People who were nurses. People who were professors. As a result, I feel like it’s almost impossible to feel that you don’t fit in here.

I also think most of our faculty are absolutely phenomenal and among the best teachers I’ve ever had. There are some professors that are certainly exempt from that statement, but on the whole, the faculty are excellent.

Thank you. That is incredibly refreshing to hear!

 

[Isoval]

Thank you. That is incredibly refreshing to hear!

Of course! And that’s really just scratching surface. Suffice it to say that I very much like it here and, in retrospect, it was probably the best fit for me out of everywhere that I interviewed.

 

[Belphegor]

For prompt 6, can I use my failure to match last cycle and how I planned to improve myself to be a better applicant for this cycle?

“Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following: ... Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful.”

 

[thegrind33]

When do IIs typically go out?

 

[wysdoc]

When do IIs typically go out?

Last year the first IIs started on July 9th

 

[Who_Knows]

For prompt 6, can I use my failure to match last cycle and how I planned to improve myself to be a better applicant for this cycle?

“Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following: ... Ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful.”

Might not be a great idea. The optional secondary prompt says "TCOM seeks applicants who also have exceptional skills outside of academic performance. Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:" I feel like that still falls under academics. Just something to consider.

 

[Belphegor]

Might not be a great idea. The optional secondary prompt says "TCOM seeks applicants who also have exceptional skills outside of academic performance. Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:" I feel like that still falls under academics. Just something to consider.

I ended up using something else that I thought fit better. Appreciate the reply tho!

 

[jwj]

Hey guys, what do y’all think my chances are at a TCOM interview based on stats?

cGPA: 3.53
BCPM: 3.45 (bad first few semesters, upward trend)
MCAT: 508

In state re-applicant!
Improved my MCAT from 499-508 this cycle!

 

[Isoval]

Hey guys, what do y’all think my chances are at a TCOM interview based on stats?

cGPA: 3.53
BCPM: 3.45 (bad first few semesters, upward trend)
MCAT: 508

In state re-applicant!
Improved my MCAT from 499-508 this cycle!

I think your chances are reasonable based on your stats. What kind of ECs are you sporting?

 

[jwj]

I think your chances are reasonable based on your stats. What kind of ECs are you sporting?

I’ve held a scribing job full time over the gap year, previous employment in agriculture research and caregiver. Currently a big brother/mentor locally! I have a few other leadership, shadowing, medical volunteering and community service experiences.

 

[Isoval]

I’ve held a scribing job full time over the gap year, previous employment in agriculture research and caregiver. Currently a big brother/mentor locally! I have a few other leadership, shadowing, medical volunteering and community service experiences.

Your chances are solid for an interview, I think. Hopefully we’ll meet some time in the upcoming year

 

[PinPointed]

Knowing that Texas schools tend to place a preference for in-state applicants, is there a chance that I would be able to get an interview at least? Here are some of my stats:

cGPA: 3.71, sGPA: 3.69, MCAT 502, >300 hours shadowing both MD and DO, lots and lots of volunteering and extracurriculars, including working as a med tech in transfusion, underserved clinics, etc. Strong LORs as well. Only issue: I'm from Utah, not Texas hehe.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Isoval]

Knowing that Texas schools tend to place a preference for in-state applicants, is there a chance that I would be able to get an interview at least? Here are some of my stats:

cGPA: 3.71, sGPA: 3.69, MCAT 502, >300 hours shadowing both MD and DO, lots and lots of volunteering and extracurriculars, including working as a med tech in transfusion, underserved clinics, etc. Strong LORs as well. Only issue: I'm from Utah, not Texas hehe.

Thanks for your help!

My honest opinion is low. Not zero, but low.

I am told that, currently, our out-of-state matriculant with the lowest MCAT score has a score of 506 and the OOS matriculant average is 512 (for CO2023).

The ECs are solid, but that’s a pretty big barrier to overcome.

 

[PinPointed]

My honest opinion is low. Not zero, but low.

I am told that, currently, our out-of-state matriculant with the lowest MCAT score has a score of 506 and the OOS matriculant average is 512 (for CO2023).

The ECs are solid, but that’s a pretty big barrier to overcome.

Thanks for your honesty! It really means a lot. I'm just trying to get a gauge on which schools would be best for me to apply, lol. But again, thank you! I'll think about whether or not I'll do it.

 

[Isoval]

Thanks for your honesty! It really means a lot. I'm just trying to get a gauge on which schools would be best for me to apply, lol. But again, thank you! I'll think about whether or not I'll do it.

Of course! I would recommend taking a hard look at your application and determine if you think your ECs are just “strong” or “stellar”. Stellar ECs can, in fact, overcome minor academic deficits or, in some very rare cases, even major academic deficits.

It certainly inspires confidence to see that you have significant service to the underserved on your list of achievements and that may very possibly be an “in” for you if your commitment was significant enough.

 

[nvuss]

Might not be a great idea. The optional secondary prompt says "TCOM seeks applicants who also have exceptional skills outside of academic performance. Please provide an example where you may have demonstrated one of the following:" I feel like that still falls under academics. Just something to consider.

I was thinking of doing organizing a health fair with multiple organizations through an internship I had as an answer to this question, but since it was a part of my graduate degree, do you think this is considered academic performance? My alternative option is something related to an extracurricular/leisure activity.

 

[Who_Knows]

I was thinking of doing organizing a health fair with multiple organizations through an internship I had as an answer to this question, but since it was a part of my graduate degree, do you think this is considered academic performance? My alternative option is something related to an extracurricular/leisure activity.

I think that'd be fine as long as you're focusing on your organizational and leadership skills rather than your degree program.

 

[LizardBoy]

For the "ability to improve by developing and executing a plan to succeed in an endeavor after previously being unsuccessful," would an independent research project be appropriate? The prompt states that "TCOM seeks applicants who also have exceptional skills outside of academic performance" so I was wondering if independent research would be considered "academic performance."

 

[JustAUser]

Probably a dumb question, but for TCOM's secondary, you have to start a new application. And then create your own ID and pin.

Is the pin visible to adcoms? I made it the same password that I use for quite a few things and every single page of the app shows my application password (aka pin). Should I start another secondary application since it doesn't seem like I can change my password

 

[LALAlandDOC]

Top Choice from Dfw
- Here goes nothing y’all

 

[RagingAzalea]

Hey, 2 questions.

Does anyone know anything about the early decision program for TCOM? I know this is THE school I want to be at, but it says for exceptional applicants and mine are only a little above average for the school.

Also, is it important that 2 of my LORs are from professors? It looks like that was the old TMDSAS rule and now it doesn't specify so I was wondering what y'all thought. Thank you for any input!

 

[D0uc124]

What experiences and/or relationships have motivated you toward a career in osteopathic medicine? (2,000 character limit including spaces)

Did they increase the character limit for this question this year? I prewrote this but used only 1000 characters as I remembered looking it up before.

 

[D0uc124]

Is there any character limit for the education and financial disadvantage essays?

 

[timsam]

Hey, guys. I'm trying to apply to TCOM but this school isn't showing up on AACOMAS when I attempt to add it. Anyone else having that same problem?

 

[ljdkfhans]

Hey, guys. I'm trying to apply to TCOM but this school isn't showing up on AACOMAS when I attempt to add it. Anyone else having that same problem?

You apply to TCOM through TMDSAS!

 

[jwj]

Anybody receive any portal II's yet?

 

[High Young]

Anybody receive any portal II's yet?

Anxiously waiting for my status to change

 

[sundevilnontrad]

Anxiously waiting for my status to change

What status / where in the portal are yall looking?

 

[jwj]

What status / where in the portal are yall looking?

Once you login into "my hsc", you click on "student center" on the sidebar, then you scroll down under the admissions tab, then you can click on the current application year. Once you click on "check your status" it will pull up and will be located above the chart!

Per the previous year thread, it appears that if you receive a "your application has been reviewed" in this location, it is equivalent to rejection. Whereas, if your app still says "your application has been received" then it is still under review. I believe that this status will change to an interview invite once/if received. Hope this helps!

 

[zatanna]

Does anyone else have "You have been invited for an interview" as their status? That's whats written above my chart but I haven't gotten any emails or phone calls about interviews so I'm kind of confused???

 

[Agentcross]

Does anyone else have "You have been invited for an interview" as their status? That's whats written above my chart but I haven't gotten any emails or phone calls about interviews so I'm kind of confused???View attachment 270933

i think they only update you through the portal

 

[JustAUser]

For anyone interested/going to be in the area

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine will host an open house for prospective students on Saturday, July 20, 2019. A link to the website is available here:
https://www.unthsc.edu/texas-college-of-osteopathic-medicine/admissions-and-outreach/admissions-open-house/

 

[Etopn23]

II - the dates are filling quick, check your emails.

 

[Agentcross]

OOS with real strong ties(graduated HS a couple miles away). hope i get a II

 

[wrd1205]

Does anyone else have "You have been invited for an interview" as their status? That's whats written above my chart but I haven't gotten any emails or phone calls about interviews so I'm kind of confused???View attachment 270933

The same thing is happening to me. Did you receive an e-mail today?

 

[saj96]

For all that are getting interviews, can you please let me know when you all completed your secondary application?

 

[zatanna]

The same thing is happening to me. Did you receive an e-mail today?

yup!

 

[spookymulder26]

So they update your status and email, correct?