2019-2020 University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM)

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Premedman19 said:
Do you know the time frame of when WL individuals will be contacted if an spot becomes available?
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WL offers and action come much later in the cycle (March to June/July). It happens when someone who has been offered an acceptance later drops it for a school they prefer, opening a spot in the class.
 
Just received II, complete 7/20. Pretty excited for the chance to interview here and to visit San Antonio! Only dates offered were in January.
 
Interviewed this week and I definitely thought one of the MMI stations was pretty challenging but all I can do now is wait now...:whistle:
 
MomentoMori1995 said:
Sorry to hear that. When did you interview and what makes you thing you did so bad? MMI is hard to gauge.
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I interviewed 9/16. I was rambling pretty bad in 1 of my stations, in another I had to straight up tell her I did not know the answer, and in the role playing one I danced around the answer so much the student interviewer finally just volunteered information. It was lousy. But it is motivation to make the next interview count.
 
CaramelBrulee said:
:O ahhh I'm sorry! Hopefully it surprises you, but otherwise all you can do is learn from it and move on!! What do you think went bad about it?
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Definitely using it as a learning experience and as motivation to prepare better for my next one. I rambled pretty badly, skirted around the topic of my role playing scenario, and straight up didn't know the answer to a question. The traditional format works much better for me because I can get all my nerves out and be a normal person. In MMI the nerves start all over again in the next station.
 
Premednurse123 said:
I interviewed 9/16. I was rambling pretty bad in 1 of my stations, in another I had to straight up tell her I did not know the answer, and in the role playing one I danced around the answer so much the student interviewer finally just volunteered information. It was lousy. But it is motivation to make the next interview count.
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I am sorry to hear that. I also interviewed 9/16, I definitely understand what you mean. The MMI format is pretty intense. Everything is so unexpected. So you’re not alone in that. As you mentioned, just move forward and get ready for your next one. Wish you all the luck.
 
livingtheDOlife said:
Hey guys.
Stats: MCAT sub500, uGPA 3.65

I interviewed here and the MMI was not my favorite format. I felt like the interviewers didn’t get an actual chance to know you as a candidate. Unlike other MMI’s, if you finished early here they made you sit outside and not get a chance to talk to the interviewer.

Overall, I made a pros/ cons list of the school IMHO.

Pros: location in San Antonio near a big airport, clinical rotation sites in San Antonio, community service ingrained in curriculum, campus is beautiful, “on campus” housing, faculty/ students were very friendly

Cons: tuition, 650 interviews and 450 accepted for 160 spots (red flag meaning a lot of people don’t choose here), no COMLEX scores, and upon talking with many of the students I found out was that this school wasn’t their first choice- it was their only choice.

So I guess current students and people who just accepted for class of 2024, did y'all choose UIWSOM over another school? If so, why? It'd be helpful for me because I'm having to decide myself. Thanks,

Also, feel free to add to my pros/cons!! 🙂
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Accepted into class of 2024 here, and sharing my thoughts as well!

I agree with some of the points you made! The MMI structure was not my favorite, and was actually more stressful than other MMI's I've experienced. I think a traditional interview should be incorporated into the interview process so that they can exam the "multi-faceted" aspects of the students but also give a chance for dialogue.

Pros for me: I think what's understated here are rotations. Most (if not all) DO schools don't have a "home" hospital and for most students to be able to rotate in SA is a huge plus for me! I don't have to worry about moving cities or traveling for year 3-4, etc. The campus is in a gentrified area so take that how you will, but I think this allows room for you to study while having access to other parts of SA in your free time.

BIG Pro: TIGMER. I think for a new school, this a big plus in my opinion. Texas has a Senate Bill that requires all state-funded medical schools to start or have in place enough residency positions for their graduating class to keep a 1.1:1 residency positions to students. UIWSOM is private so they don't have to follow this bill. But TIGMER is their startup consortium to establish residencies and they already opened up 4 new residencies with 2 more on the way. I don't think they'll open enough to cover their entire class size of 160 but this is already much better than some of these other newer schools that don't mention anything at all about GME. There's already a decreasing number of residencies and for them to establish their own residencies shows they care about the school instead of tossing their graduates to depend on other institution's GME.

TLDR: UIWSOM opening new residencies in South Texas which is more than what I can say for other DO schools.

Cons for me: Yes tuition is expensive, especially for a new school. But it's pretty much on par with other schools. Compared to other Texas schools it's insane, but compared to OOS schools, it's pretty even. As for COMLEX, I heard from a student they pretty much study for boards on their own. Hopefully they'll let us know how this first class did on STEP 1/Level 1 soon. Considering that 75% of the class were from Texas, I'm willing to bet most applied TMDSAS and here and only got in here. Yeah it doesn't look hot when students say they only got in here so they'll go here, but hey, IIRC 40% of all matriculants only got one acceptance. TCOM interviews like 700 for a class size of >200 and accepts >400. But I agree and wish they post board scores.

Overall, I got accepted other established DO schools and still debating, but I want to practice in Texas and this school is worth a look in my opinion.
 
GodLovesBagels said:
Future interviewees, I interviewed here on 8/23 and I got accepted with average stats. If you have any questions about the format of the interview or other miscellaneous questions, let me know!
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That's awesome. congrats!! How did you prepare for the interview?
 
Rosathesloth25 said:
That's awesome. congrats!! How did you prepare for the interview?
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Thank you! I have a couple general pointers/helpful tips:

1. So I was pretty nervous going in at the sheer variety of questions that the MMI can potentially introduce, so I thought it would be beneficial to have a process in which I could use to answer nearly any ethical dilemma presented. If you go to Youtube and search "Coarse Grinder MMI", there are about 16 videos that break down the various stations that you could be presented with. I found it super helpful to watch through all of these videos, twice. Afterwards, I felt that I could apply the same principles from the video to logically reason through nearly any question presented. It likely goes without saying, but it is always good to have some kind of answer guideline prepared for any traditional question you could be asked (Why do you want to be a doctor, why should we pick you, strengths/weakness about you, why this school etc)

2. Second big tip is the most redundant/cliche advice, but what I believe to be the most important, which is to relax and be confident! Go into the medical school interview knowing that they want you to be there and simply want to get to know you better. You are more than qualified enough if you are getting interview invites, so don't let any doubt resurface as you go through the stations. Non-verbals are just as important as the words that leave your mouth, so make sure you smile genuinely right when you walk in, have a firm handshake and try to be conscientious about any underlying subconscious idiosyncrasies. With that being said, you will be just fine. Everyone at this school in particular is soooooo incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's just conversation and being YOU at that point!

Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any additional questions.
 
GodLovesBagels said:
Thank you! I have a couple general pointers/helpful tips:

1. So I was pretty nervous going in at the sheer variety of questions that the MMI can potentially introduce, so I thought it would be beneficial to have a process in which I could use to answer nearly any ethical dilemma presented. If you go to Youtube and search "Coarse Grinder MMI", there are about 16 videos that break down the various stations that you could be presented with. I found it super helpful to watch through all of these videos, twice. Afterwards, I felt that I could apply the same principles from the video to logically reason through nearly any question presented. It likely goes without saying, but it is always good to have some kind of answer guideline prepared for any traditional question you could be asked (Why do you want to be a doctor, why should we pick you, strengths/weakness about you, why this school etc)

2. Second big tip is the most redundant/cliche advice, but what I believe to be the most important, which is to relax and be confident! Go into the medical school interview knowing that they want you to be there and simply want to get to know you better. You are more than qualified enough if you are getting interview invites, so don't let any doubt resurface as you go through the stations. Non-verbals are just as important as the words that leave your mouth, so make sure you smile genuinely right when you walk in, have a firm handshake and try to be conscientious about any underlying subconscious idiosyncrasies. With that being said, you will be just fine. Everyone at this school in particular is soooooo incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's just conversation and being YOU at that point!

Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any additional questions.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! This was amazing advice, and I've watched a good amount of the videos already, they've been incredibly helpful! I have my interview in 2 weeks, so I am trying as much as possible to just become aware of what to expect in my first MMI so that I don't get flustered by the distinct format.
 
livingtheDOlife said:
Hey guys.
Stats: MCAT sub500, uGPA 3.65

I interviewed here and the MMI was not my favorite format. I felt like the interviewers didn’t get an actual chance to know you as a candidate. Unlike other MMI’s, if you finished early here they made you sit outside and not get a chance to talk to the interviewer.

Overall, I made a pros/ cons list of the school IMHO.

Pros: location in San Antonio near a big airport, clinical rotation sites in San Antonio, community service ingrained in curriculum, campus is beautiful, “on campus” housing, faculty/ students were very friendly

Cons: tuition, 650 interviews and 450 accepted for 160 spots (red flag meaning a lot of people don’t choose here), no COMLEX scores, and upon talking with many of the students I found out was that this school wasn’t their first choice- it was their only choice.

So I guess current students and people who just accepted for class of 2024, did y'all choose UIWSOM over another school? If so, why? It'd be helpful for me because I'm having to decide myself. Thanks,

Also, feel free to add to my pros/cons!! 🙂
Click to expand...


Hey there, First Year UIWSOM student chiming in.

For some of my classmates this was the only program that they got in to. This is not because we are full of "uncompetitive" students, but because many of them only applied to Texas schools which are tough to get in to. I am an OOS student and did have multiple acceptances. There are lots of Pros to this school. As someone previously mentioned, Texas as a whole has more residency slots than it does medical students, which is huge. UIWSOM itself has something like 5 in-house residency programs, with 3 or 4 more on the way, plus a few fellowships. Having a true Pass/Fail preclinical curriculum is also a big deal. I just wrapped up my first unit of testing and it was so cool to see how everyone came together to help one another prepare for the exams. We really do have a good sense of comradery among my class and I think the pass/fail aspect contributes to that. Last, being in a big city has been important for my mental health. School is tough, and having options to unwind has been super helpful. There are tons of bars, sporting events to go to, concerts, all the amenities of a big city. My fiancee moved here with me and definitely appreciated that I did not pick a rural school.

Obviously there is nothing I can say about board scores, but if you read enough threads on this page you know that the general consensus is that your board scores are mostly reflective of the work of the individual. Since we only have class from 8-12 every day, you have all afternoon to use whatever type of resources you'd like.

I hope this helps a little. If any of y'all have questions feel free to hit me up. Good luck with the rest of your application cycle!
 
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Also, do we receive an email with further details about interview day? If so how close to the interview do we get it?
 
Cheese Machine said:
Hey there, First Year UIWSOM student chiming in.

For some of my classmates this was the only program that they got in to. This is not because we are full of "uncompetitive" students, but because many of them only applied to Texas schools which are tough to get in to. I am an OOS student and did have multiple acceptances. There are lots of Pros to this school. As someone previously mentioned, Texas as a whole has more residency slots than it does medical students, which is huge. UIWSOM itself has something like 5 in-house residency programs, with 3 or 4 more on the way, plus a few fellowships. Having a true Pass/Fail preclinical curriculum is also a big deal. I just wrapped up my first unit of testing and it was so cool to see how everyone came together to help one another prepare for the exams. We really do have a good sense of comradery among my class and I think the pass/fail aspect contributes to that. Last, being in a big city has been important for my mental health. School is tough, and having options to unwind has been super helpful. There are tons of bars, sporting events to go to, concerts, all the amenities of a big city. My fiancee moved here with me and definitely appreciated that I did not pick a rural school.

Obviously there is nothing I can say about board scores, but if you read enough threads on this page you know that the general consensus is that your board scores are mostly reflective of the work of the individual. Since we only have class from 8-12 every day, you have all afternoon to use whatever type of resources you'd like.

I hope this helps a little. If any of y'all have questions feel free to hit me up. Good luck with the rest of your application cycle!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight! I was curious why you as an OOS student chose this school?
 
happydo1 said:
rejected post interview sigh
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you will get one, keep your head up. Just try to figure out what went wrong and make the corrective measures. This is easier said than done, but for example it could be something as simple as saying you have an interest in surgery at a school whose focus is in primary care. Just be very keen to things like this.
 
Premednurse123 said:
Me too! 9/16 Interview, acceptance email this afternoon 😀 My understanding from the email is that we don't have to commit until December, rather than the 30 days from acceptance that some schools do. Is that what you understand as well?
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yes thats what I understood, we need to decide by December 14
 
Due to the limited number of space at each interview session we are currently unable to extend an invitation to participate. However, if space permits, an offer may be extended for a future interview date. Interviews are held throughout the fall and spring.

does that mean that their interview slots are full?!
 
II yesterday. The only date available was in February, so their interview slots are probably pretty full. Probably going to give it up to someone else. Hope it goes to one of you still waiting.
 
Had II on the 28th and was amazing! Anyone know if it usually takes the full three weeks to hear back or sometimes sooner?
 
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