2021-2022 UTMB, Galveston

BU Medical Sciences
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marcopolo566 said:
Is it me or has it been just really quiet in terms of prematches this year .-.
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Along with match day being relatively late, the wait is palpable
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Bored_Conscious said:
Is match usually earlier?
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Match Day used to be the first week of February, but ever since TMDSAS moved the primary app deadline to November 1 instead of the former October 1 we have Match Day the first week of March.
This year it’s on Friday March 4.
Your rank preferences need to be entered on your TMDSAS portal by 5 pm Feb 18.
 
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wysdoc said:
Match Day used to be the first week of February, but ever since TMDSAS moved the primary app deadline to November 1 instead of the former October 1 we have Match Day the first week of March.
This year it’s on Friday March 4.
Your rank preferences need to be entered on your TMDSAS portal by 5 pm Feb 18.
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Does that mean the latest interview possible would be feb 18?
 
I think they would need to interview everyone before Feb 18 because that is the day you need to make your rank lists, and they school also needs to talk about people they interview as well.
The two Texas schools that will probably have interviews beyond Feb 18 are TCU and UIWSOM (neither is on TMDSAS application system, so they don't have to follow the deadlines and rules for TMDSAS).
 
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Is there a facebook group or something for accepted students?
 
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wysdoc said:
It's not mandatory, so follow your comfort level. It might be helpful for those choosing between offers who have never been to Galveston.
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^^^ my reason for wanting to go in the first place … it’s hard to rank a school in TMDSAS that I haven’t seen
 
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Honestly, I have yet to be invited to go to Galveston and someone earlier mentioned that everyone who had an interview got an invite. .-.
 
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Prematched this morning, I cannot believe it 😭
 
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Has UTMB extended any recruitment scholarships yet? I just want to have some more info before I begin ranking.
 
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Hi everyone, MS1 here. With ranking coming up I just wanted to drop by and see if you guys had any questions about UTMB, Galveston, or the app process in general. I remember how helpful (and stress provoking) SDN was when I was applying so wanted to give back!
 
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BuilderPro said:
Hi everyone, MS1 here. With ranking coming up I just wanted to drop by and see if you guys had any questions about UTMB, Galveston, or the app process in general. I remember how helpful (and stress provoking) SDN was when I was applying so wanted to give back!
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What’s the chances of match if we don’t prematch 😂😅 thank you for your kindness btw
 
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marcopolo566 said:
What’s the chances of match if we don’t prematch 😂😅 thank you for your kindness btw
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Speaking anecdotally your chance are solid! Most of the people that I am friends with were admitted either from match or from waitlist movement. Don't discount waitlist movement at any of the TX schools, the class sizes are big and there is a lot of shuffling around.
 
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EMTech said:
Yeah, when are scholarship offers extended after pre matching?
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Dr. Banks just emailed me back and said he was meeting with the Dean about scholarships this week!
 
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apriltx said:
how many weeks does utmb give step1 prepare?
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I can’t answer that, but at the campus tour the students stressed the importance of all exams in their curriculum being NBME exams, meaning they consist of retired Step questions. Not all schools do that, but UTMB students claim Step prep might be easier since they’ve had two years of practice on similar-styled questions. Seems cool to me
 
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Hey everyone! I'm a current MS1 at UTMB. If you have any questions about campus, culture, or anything about UTMB. Feel free to reach out to me :)
 
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ZeldaDoc2B said:
Hey everyone! I'm a current MS1 at UTMB. If you have any questions about campus, culture, or anything about UTMB. Feel free to reach out to me :)
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How many students live halfway between Houston and Galveston? And does it seem to be a large detriment to those students? My SO will be working in Houston and has mentioned they would want to live halfway, somewhere like Texas City.
 
fluffybagel said:
How many students live halfway between Houston and Galveston? And does it seem to be a large detriment to those students? My SO will be working in Houston and has mentioned they would want to live halfway, somewhere like Texas City.
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I actually live off the island cause I had that reasoning with my SO as well. Texas city is a comfortable distance away from campus, even at the furthest point of Texas city. I even know 1-2 students who live in Dickinson/League city, although I personally think that's pushing it. I myself live just south of League city, at the northernmost part of La Marque, and typically a drive to school for me is 25-30 mins, with it being more close to 30 mins most of the time. I think Texas city/La marque is the sweet point for off campus if you're gonna do that. The biggest con to living off campus is not being able to go to hang outs at the drop of a hat and losing 30 extra mins of sleep. The biggest pros to living off campus is access to groceries (Galveston is known to be a food desert), shorter distances to civilization (restaurants, malls, etc), and when there is bad weather like hurricanes you're much safer. Most students live on the island, but even some parts of the island are a 20-30 min drive from campus.
 
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Does anyone know if UTMB holds a second look day?
 
nxll said:
Does anyone know if UTMB holds a second look day?
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They have been doing small group campus visits by invitation to those who have interviewed. If you haven't heard about one so far, I don't think it would hurt to contact admissions and ask if you can be included in the next one.
 
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EMTech said:
Hi ZeldaDoc2B:

Some questions for you if you don't mind answering:

1) I heard UTMB gives a lot of scholarship money. Do you know what the average award typically is? Did you prematch to UTMB and get a scholarship? If so, how much did you get, and when did you get it from them?
2) How much vacation time do you get in MS1?
3) How much is the rent typically for a 1 bedroom/1 bath apartmetn off island for a say 15-20 minute commute?
4) How much board prep time do you get for Step 1?
5) How much prep time do you get for Step 2?
6) What changes are being made to the curriculum with a pass/fail USMLE?
7) I heard that year 3 is worse at UTMB than other schools because you have to keep jumping from rotation to rotationa round the Houston metro i.e. AirBnBs, hotels, etc. Does that mean you don't need a third year apartment lease?
8) Do you know people that live alone with a dog that live off-island? If so, how do they manage to take care of it with commuting, PBL time commitment, and especially third year rotations where you have to move from apartment to aparrtment?
9) How much time does PBL take per week in addition to lectures?
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Some of these questions are better suited for 3rd years, but I'll answer the ones I can.

1) I heard UTMB gives a lot of scholarship money. Do you know what the average award typically is? Did you prematch to UTMB and get a scholarship? If so, how much did you get, and when did you get it from them?

I did pre-match last year, but I really wasn't offered anything and unfortunately don't think I can provide any good info on this one.

2) How much vacation time do you get in MS1?

We get Thanksgiving week off, Winter break off, regular school holidays off (MLK Day, etc), and we get 8 weeks off during the summer after our first year (this time can be taken to do a preceptorship and/or research).

3) How much is the rent typically for a 1 bedroom/1 bath apartmetn off island for a say 15-20 minute commute?

I ended up buying a home, but rent is cheaper off the island it seems from what my classmates have told me. I think around the $900-$1000 range, depending on where you choose.

4) How much board prep time do you get for Step 1?

We get 8 weeks at the end of our second year.

6) What changes are being made to the curriculum with a pass/fail USMLE?

No changes have been made that I am aware of. UTMB does a really great job of catering class exams to USMLE style Step 1 topics. So you're always basically simultaneously studying for STEP 1 while studying for whatever class you're in year 1 and 2.

7) I heard that year 3 is worse at UTMB than other schools because you have to keep jumping from rotation to rotationa round the Houston metro i.e. AirBnBs, hotels, etc. Does that mean you don't need a third year apartment lease?

This is one of the questions better suited for a 3rd year as I'm not familiar with the process yet.

8) Do you know people that live alone with a dog that live off-island? If so, how do they manage to take care of it with commuting, PBL time commitment, and especially third year rotations where you have to move from apartment to aparrtment?

I know plenty of people who have a dog on and off the island. I dont think it makes much of a difference where you are though, unless you decide to live very far off the island pass the 20-30 min time range. It's definitely doable, but your free time will just involve dog time instead of being a potato.

9) How much time does PBL take per week in addition to lectures?

Lectures are not mandatory. PBL is mandatory. For GAR pbl is Tues/Thurs and is 2 hours at most. It depends on the pace of your pbl group how quick you finish the case for the day, but most finish earlier than the 2 hour mark. GAR is the exception though, the rest of the classes involve having pbl 3x a week on M/W/F and are also 2 hour time slots. Again, pace is decided by your pbl group dynamic.
 
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Can anyone comment with regard to plus/minus relating to UTMB vs McGovern? Any info would be appreciated, especially from those who had to weigh offers from both as well as those already in one of the programs. Feel free to send me a direct message if you want to share something private.
 
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Just pre-matched here at 5:41 PM!
 
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Pre-matched via email!! Interviewed mid-October!
 
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Pre-matched at 5:41 PM. To everyone reading this, no matter how hard, hopeless, or bleak it may seem:
Never.
Give.
Up.
 
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Also pre-matched at 5:41 PM. I interviewed on 11/3
 
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TxPreMed2022 said:
Can anyone comment with regard to plus/minus relating to UTMB vs McGovern? Any info would be appreciated, especially from those who had to weigh offers from both as well as those already in one of the programs. Feel free to send me a direct message if you want to share something private.
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I think I’m going to rank UTMB above McGovern.

1) Curriculum: UTMB has NBME retired exams geared towards helping students be ready for the USMLE. UTMB is pass/fail which is a huge quality of life improvement. McGovern does not have NBME style exams, and grading is not pass/fail. Fwiw, McGovern students say having honors is not that bad. Some like the pressure.
2) Match Lists: Honestly not that different between schools. Perceived prestige of either is similar.
3) Rotations: TMC >>. UTMB does have access to TMC, but I feel like McGovern may have priority? I heard UTMB rotations can be a lot of driving.
4) Research: Again, TMC >>, but UTMB does have the Galveston National Lab.
5) City: I think Houston > Galveston, but I heard Houston housing, parking, and traffic is a huge negative. Simple things like groceries I heard can be harder at UTMB, but I suppose Houston is only an hour away.

I think the curriculum at UTMB sounds very comfortable and will help me succeed more, and the only reason why I’d choose McGovern over UTMB is because of better access to the TMC. I’m still super torn, but I want to prioritize happiness. I’m heavily leaning towards UTMB though.
 
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TxPreMed2022 said:
Can anyone comment with regard to plus/minus relating to UTMB vs McGovern? Any info would be appreciated, especially from those who had to weigh offers from both as well as those already in one of the programs. Feel free to send me a direct message if you want to share something private.
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I also ranked UTMB above UTH for the reasons @BotPuppet mentioned and also

-scholarshly concentrations are really unique. I was particularly drawn to bilingual health and physician healer track
-theres super cheap housing if you are into frats. an example is TKY which is $450/month and you get to live with other cool UTMB students. there's also a chef that cooks during week days and this is all included in monthly cost. Houston, especially around TMC, is not as cheap as ppl think
-lectures are not mandatory
-UTMB is the oldest medical school which means it has a lot of scholarships to give due to donors and alumni
-UTMB has a student-run clinic (st Vincents). it also doesn't have to share it with anyone as opposed to UTH which has to share the HOMES clinic with Baylor
-UTMB recently built a new hospital in 2016 (Jennie sealy) which is really nice
-you can choose to do all of your rotations in Houston in which you will leave Galveston and UTMB will pay for your housing in houston
-theres a Krogers on the island but if you really crave HEB then I think the closest one is in Texas city which Is only 20 mins away
 
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