2019-2020 UT Medical Branch

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We still have an exam scheduled in the morning, and the majority of rain is supposed to subside tonight. Likely that you will have interviews tomorrow but not positive. If anyone has any questions about UTMB feel free to ask. We had our Anatomy exam today lol, killer. ALSO if you feel unsafe/unable to make it, please call/email them.
 
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Is anyone stuck in Houston like me and do you want to team up to try to get to Galveston tonight?
 
Here's an answer I just got on Facebook from UTMB director of admissions: (4:30 Thursday)
"as of right now, the interviews have not been cancelled. We ask that you use your best judgement when making your way to the island. If you are unable to make it through, please email us as soon as possible."
 
acstylin said:
Is anyone stuck in Houston like me and do you want to team up to try to get to Galveston tonight?
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If it stops raining, things start receding over a few hours. It would be easy to get there in the morning if there is no rain.
 
texasvandy said:
have you tried taking the bus?
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you mean this bus, @texasvandy ?
70575690_10157264435264342_292584729960513536_n.jpg
70575690_10157264435264342_292584729960513536_n.jpg
 
The worst part is that I reserved a rental car under my wife’s name since she was going to get here before me. Our flights got scrambled and her flight was canceled. they won’t release the car to me
 
acstylin said:
The worst part is that I reserved a rental car under my wife’s name since she was going to get here before me. Our flights got scrambled and her flight was canceled. they won’t release the car to me
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Are you stuck at Hobby?
 
acstylin said:
No. It’s a long story but I’m about 5 miles away. I think we finally got a resolution. If anyone needs a ride to Galveston from Houston let me know within the next hour.
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You may want to give your hotel a call before heading down if you’re staying on the island. I called mine to check on conditions and they said it was largely inaccessible unless you have a large vehicle.
 
In north Houston and going to (try to) drive around 5:30 AM. Kinda disappointed they didn’t cancel bec driving conditions are just plain scary right now (but also I understand the disappointment out of towners would face traveling here - it’s just so much $) If I hit a flood area and need to turn around I’ll have to call them and email I suppose. Not sure what else to do 🙁
 
wysdoc said:
Yes that’s at IAH!
On the other hand ,my son is an MS4 at UTMB and he just saw people kayaking down the street !
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Yeah, people were doing it in knee deep water during Harvey.
 
healergirl30 said:
In north Houston and going to (try to) drive around 5:30 AM. Kinda disappointed they didn’t cancel bec driving conditions are just plain scary right now (but also I understand the disappointment out of towners would face traveling here - it’s just so much $) If I hit a flood area and need to turn around I’ll have to call them and email I suppose. Not sure what else to do 🙁
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how far away are you?
 
healergirl30 said:
Usually not too far (1 hour 30~) but I’m gonna leave early to anticipate closures :/
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Good luck! You got this. Most roads I was on tonight weren't too bad. Just spooky with all the stalled cars everywhere.
 
UTMB's morning announcement is that current med students are expected to come to class and that clinics are open.
Anyone traveling by road this morning, stay on the high roads and don't go under any underpasses!
I hope those of you who were stranded last night are safe, and if you are still unable to travel to an interview safely just email admissions and let them know ASAP. They will reschedule you. Canceled Houston flights and Houston road flooding will no doubt keep many from getting to today's interviews in both Houston and Galveston.
 
No II as of today. LM 75. MCAT 516. GPA 3.99. IS. Hispanic female. Unusual? Any suggestions?
 
They interview through to January, they have not even made it through half of their interview dates yet.
 
Wooglin said:
No II as of today. LM 75. MCAT 516. GPA 3.99. IS. Hispanic female. Unusual? Any suggestions?
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when did you submit? Is your CASPer turned in? Your stats are quite good and should be sufficient for all schools in Texas for URM recruitment.
 
texasvandy said:
when did you submit? Is your CASPer turned in? Your stats are quite good and should be sufficient for all schools in Texas for URM recruitment.
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Submitted 6/10. Casper in. 4 interviews so far. No response from UTMB or TT Lubbock.
 
Wooglin said:
No II as of today. LM 75. MCAT 516. GPA 3.99. IS. Hispanic female. Unusual? Any suggestions?
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Probably late app, bad letters of rec, or bad essays if I had to guess. Or your "theme" didn't match the school's mission/culture. Pretty much everyone here has a stellar GPA and I don't think they weight MCAT as much. That doesn't mean you won't get an interview, maybe just later.
 
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It is much more than just the stats. I interviewed here and I do not have the best stats. Application timing, ECs, CA$Per, etc are all important as well.
 
jarednogeek said:
Probably late app, bad letters of rec, or bad essays if I had to guess. Or your "theme" didn't match the school's mission/culture. Pretty much everyone here has a stellar GPA and I don't think they weight MCAT as much. That doesn't mean you won't get an interview, maybe just later.
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Application 6/10. Thought gpa of 3.99 was pretty stellar. Already interviewed at 4 schools but no invitation to UTMB. Concerned.
 
Wooglin said:
Application 6/10. Thought gpa of 3.99 was pretty stellar. Already interviewed at 4 schools but no invitation to UTMB. Concerned.
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I believe most of our class had a 3.9-4.0. But everyone in med school has the numbers, it's about more than that. If you have 4 interviews don't be concerned. There's tons of good schools.
 
Wooglin said:
Submitted 6/10. Casper in. 4 interviews so far. No response from UTMB or TT Lubbock.
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Lubbock has their own requirements. If you got any emails from UTMB about completion of your app, you can ask them. You were early enough and people who applied much later have received invitations already.
 
I am also a current MS1 at UTMB and those who have not had an II yet, no worries!! I didn't interview until late November and got a pre-match a couple weeks later. They save some of the great applicants for last 😉. Regarding Imelda and any future storms, they are incredibly understanding. Also, Galveston tends to drain a lot better than Houston does and the flooding was only really bad for an afternoon.
To those of you who are already thinking about your ranks lists I would really want to stress the culture of UTMB. It is an incredibly diverse school that has lots of nontrads, underprivledged persons, and URMs. It is about as collaborative as a med school can be. I would feel comfortable just walking up and asking anyone a question. Any questions be sure to ask me, @jarednogeek or @wysdoc !
 
~bleepbloop~ said:
I am also a current MS1 at UTMB and those who have not had an II yet, no worries!! I didn't interview until late November and got a pre-match a couple weeks later. They save some of the great applicants for last 😉. Regarding Imelda and any future storms, they are incredibly understanding. Also, Galveston tends to drain a lot better than Houston does and the flooding was only really bad for an afternoon.
To those of you who are already thinking about your ranks lists I would really want to stress the culture of UTMB. It is an incredibly diverse school that has lots of nontrads, underprivledged persons, and URMs. It is about as collaborative as a med school can be. I would feel comfortable just walking up and asking anyone a question. Any questions be sure to ask me
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Are the exams only NBME or both (inhouse and NBME)? What resources are you guys provided to study for USMLE specifically and medical school in general?
Also, I read somewhere that UTMB does not do true P/F. It's more like (Pass/Competent/Fail) for the first 2 years. I am not sure if this was true or not. Would you be able to confirm/clarify this?
What is weekly schedule like? Do you particularly like PBL?
How likely for one to be selected to rotate in Houston Medical Center in 3rd and 4th years? I live in Houston, so having an opportunity to save rent would be huge.
UTMB website mentions PREP (Pre-Matriculation Reinforcement Enrichment Program) period before MS1 but I dont see it on the academic calendar. Did you participate in one?

I am sorry for asking so many questions 🙂 UTMB is my top choice currently, so I really want to get clarified on certain things before my interview.
 
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I'm an MS1 so I'll answer what I can.

Are the exams only NBME or both (inhouse and NBME)? What resources are you guys provided to study for USMLE specifically and medical school in general?
Usually just NBME, our lab practicals are in house. Not sure about resources yet.
Also, I read somewhere that UTMB does not do true P/F. It's more like (Pass/Competent/Fail) for the first 2 years. I am not sure if this was true or not. Would you be able to confirm/clarify this?
It's true P/F years 1/2.
What is weekly schedule like? Do you particularly like PBL?
Usually class 8-12 that is optional except for Anatomy where you have 2 hours of lab. 2 days a week you may have 1-2 hours of afternoon class.

UTMB website mentions PREP (Pre-Matriculation Reinforcement Enrichment Program) period before MS1 but I dont see it on the academic calendar. Did you participate in one?
My roommate did it because he was forced to as part of JAMP. Don't do it. We all have to take META now, which basically replaces PREP.
 
I haven't been in school that long so bear with me... 🙂. I will update anything I am incorrect about.

Are the exams only NBME or both (inhouse and NBME)?
We currently are in Gross Anatomy and Radiology (GAR) and we have a midterm NBME exam and lab practical (we just got done with) and a final NBME exam and lab practical in 4 weeks. I don't have access to future classes schedules yet, but I'm fairly confident they are all NBME, with the exception of the 2 lab practicals in GAR.

What resources are you guys provided to study for USMLE specifically and medical school in general?
We receive everything for free, essentially. There are pdfs of any books that you will need, BRS, Netters, ECA, FA... you name it, you got it. Through alumni donations we voted if we would want pathoma or boards and beyond for free for future classes (our class voted for pathoma since we get the pdfs for board and beyond I believe). Step is still a ways away for me so I'm not exactly sure about other resources for step, I will have to ask an upper!

Also, I read somewhere that UTMB does not do true P/F. It's more like (Pass/Competent/Fail) for the first 2 years. I am not sure if this was true or not. Would you be able to confirm/clarify this?
It is P/F. There technically is a "Partially Competent" (PC) which, per syllabus, states "(PC): Failed to achieve a passing performance level on one of the course component, but passed the other component". Which is essentially talking about PBL (since its the only other component). PBL is graded out of 12, and everyone in my PBL got 12/12, even the people who only spoke once a week. Only two people failed GAR last year (out of a class of 230).

What is weekly schedule like? Do you particularly like PBL?
During MS1 your classes are mostly in the morning. 1-2 lectures a day, PBL 3 times a week, lab 4 times a week, with practice of medicine (POM) in the afternoon 1-2 times a week. Nothing except a couple of lectures the week of a test though (which I LOVE). I love PBL. As my PBL facilitator stated, "it's when you get to think like doctors". Me and my PBL are very close knit and hang out twice a week at least.

How likely for one to be selected to rotate in Houston Medical Center in 3rd and 4th years?
No idea, unfortunately. I don't think its particularly too competitive. You can certainly do elective rotations wherever you please though.

UTMB website mentions PREP (Pre-Matriculation Reinforcement Enrichment Program) period before MS1 but I dont see it on the academic calendar. Did you participate in one?
I didn't 🙁. You probably don't have to either. I've been out of school for a year and half, never took anatomy and am doing fine.

KEEP EM COMING!
 
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~bleepbloop~ said:
I am also a current MS1 at UTMB and those who have not had an II yet, no worries!! I didn't interview until late November and got a pre-match a couple weeks later. They save some of the great applicants for last 😉. Regarding Imelda and any future storms, they are incredibly understanding. Also, Galveston tends to drain a lot better than Houston does and the flooding was only really bad for an afternoon.
To those of you who are already thinking about your ranks lists I would really want to stress the culture of UTMB. It is an incredibly diverse school that has lots of nontrads, underprivledged persons, and URMs. It is about as collaborative as a med school can be. I would feel comfortable just walking up and asking anyone a question. Any questions be sure to ask me, @jarednogeek or @wysdoc !
Click to expand...

How much should you weigh an interview when deciding how to rank a school. I’m completely in love with UTMB and all the aspects of it. However, I felt the only downside to the whole interview day was 1 of my interviewers. It kind of dampened my emotions but I’m trying to figure out if I should factor in my interviewer on my ranking decision?
 
spookymulder26 said:
How much should you weigh an interview when deciding how to rank a school. I’m completely in love with UTMB and all the aspects of it. However, I felt the only downside to the whole interview day was 1 of my interviewers. It kind of dampened my emotions but I’m trying to figure out if I should factor in my interviewer on my ranking decision?
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Nah, don’t make that a factor but focus on the rest of the day. I see about 25% of people commenting on a stressful or unreadable interview and the rest say it’s so chill. Luck or hard luck of the draw.
 
spookymulder26 said:
How much should you weigh an interview when deciding how to rank a school. I’m completely in love with UTMB and all the aspects of it. However, I felt the only downside to the whole interview day was 1 of my interviewers. It kind of dampened my emotions but I’m trying to figure out if I should factor in my interviewer on my ranking decision?
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I'm sorry to hear that 🙁.That's not cool. I would report it and state that the interviewer is potentially influencing your decision. But honestly, I can almost guarantee you that you will probably never see that person. UTMB is a large school with lots of faculty. I have yet to see the people who have interviewed me. As @wysdoc said, focus on the rest of the day as much as you can!

Also... x-files... YES! @spookymulder26
 
wysdoc said:
Nah, don’t make that a factor but focus on the rest of the day. I see about 25% of people commenting on a stressful or unreadable interview and the rest say it’s so chill. Luck or hard luck of the draw.
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I’ll be sure to do that then, thank you!
 
~bleepbloop~ said:
I'm sorry to hear that 🙁.That's not cool. I would report it and state that the interviewer is potentially influencing your decision. But honestly, I can almost guarantee you that you will probably never see that person. UTMB is a large school with lots of faculty. I have yet to see the people who have interviewed me. As @wysdoc said, focus on the rest of the day as much as you can!

Also... x-files... YES! @spookymulder26
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I didn’t feel it was worth reporting because nothing was inappropriate. Just felt like they didn’t prep to interview me and were reading my app to me and jumping around my experiences. It was more of that and 1 interviewer grilling me to get a certain reaction so that whole interview was off putting. However, I’m very familiar with UTMB and loved the rest of the day so I will try to shrug off the interview part. Hahaha yes you just reminded me to jump back into watching it!
 
spookymulder26 said:
I didn’t feel it was worth reporting because nothing was inappropriate. Just felt like they didn’t prep to interview me and were reading my app to me and jumping around my experiences. It was more of that and 1 interviewer grilling me to get a certain reaction so that whole interview was off putting. However, I’m very familiar with UTMB and loved the rest of the day so I will try to shrug off the interview part. Hahaha yes you just reminded me to jump back into watching it!
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Very mature attitude, @spookymulder26 . Some interviewers don’t come across friendly or perhaps are intentionally seeing how you might react to a difficult interview.
 
wysdoc said:
Very mature attitude, @spookymulder26 . Some interviewers don’t come across friendly or perhaps are intentionally seeing how you might react to a difficult interview.
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It was hard to gauge why the interviewer was being like that but it was definitely a good learning experience. I feel more at ease now knowing I can set this apart from my decision since it’s been bugging me.
 
texas2020 said:
Is UTMB prematch heavy/ do they have a certain mcat or gpa threshold for prematch? If anyone knows or has any idea
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\
UTMB is in the top 3 for prematch offers. They have a class size of 230 so there will be room for acceptances with or without a prematch offer. Some applicants get multiple prematch offers but in the end they can only go to one school and will rank their preferences in January to prepare for Match Day.
 
wysdoc said:
\
UTMB is in the top 3 for prematch offers. They have a class size of 230 so there will be room for acceptances with or without a prematch offer. Some applicants get multiple prematch offers but in the end they can only go to one school and will rank their preferences in January to prepare for Match Day.
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Which schools are considered the top 3 for prematch offers?
 
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