2024-2025 UT Southwestern (UTSW)

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How much free time do would you say you get per week? Been hitting the gym a lot more this year and I’d like to be able to have some leisure time
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Avatararrow said:
How much free time do would you say you get per week? Been hitting the gym a lot more this year and I’d like to be able to have some leisure time
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Mornings before 9 am are usually my own, and I rarely start working before then—it's my leisure or workout time, part one. Last semester, I set a hard cutoff for studying around 8-8:30 pm and rarely budged on it—that's leisure time, part two.

Medical school will take as much from you as you let it. The key is finding a balance between your undergrad mindset of chasing top scores (which isn’t necessary anymore, especially during PC1 here) and maintaining a good quality of life. Everyone I’ve met took at least a few weeks to figure this out at the start, but most found their rhythm by November.
 
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stere0psis said:
The atmosphere at UTSW is serious, but (clearing the air here again) it's definitely not cutthroat. People here are excited to be part of this community and are very supportive. While we know how to enjoy ourselves, if you're looking for a laid-back, "chill" medical school vibe, UTSW probably isn't the best fit.

That said, being part of a community of hardworking individuals is incredibly motivating—you naturally rise to that level of commitment. It's a place where you’re pushed, but it's all for the benefit of your development and your future patients.

I can’t personally speak to the experiences at Long or McGovern, as I don’t attend those schools. If you’re considering them, I’d suggest reaching out to current students there to get their perspectives and then comparing that to what you hear from us at UTSW.
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I'd agree with all of this. I came in wanting a "chill" medical school experience (and still do want a pretty "chill" specialty), but having been through one semester and half an organ block, I am very glad I chose UTSW.

The first semester is admittedly hellish, but all of my friends and classmates that I've spoken to agree that it was probably better to be thrown in the deep end (with lots of support from upper classmen) than start slow and take more time to get to the heaviest load. Plus, we now know we can handle anything that gets thrown our way - even if some of it wasn't really necessary in hindsight (but that's life and medicine, right?).

So while the atmosphere for the first half of the first semester was pretty neurotic, everyone did and continues to support each other. I've personally experienced 0 gunner activity, but as @stere0psis said, I think we've really pushed and helped each other to achieve more (in our courses, extracurriculars, research, hobbies, etc.) which from the outside looking in may seem "gunner-y." And of course we joke that anyone interested in ortho, derm, plastics, etc. are all gunners, because most of us aren't that driven.

And we actually do have several extremely chill folks who are just more emotionally stable and less worried about every little thing lol, so it's also possible to thrive here if that is your personality.

I'd definitely still recommend UTSW to those poeple, as the clinical training is (imo) second to none in Texas, and as we are reminded almost every day, eventually we will be the sole person ultimately responsible for taking care of our patients. When your patients come to you desperate, looking for relief, comfort, answers, and hope, do you want to be a "chill" physician or do you want to be a great physician? Training at UTSW, you can definitely be both, but the great is expected.

Long and McGovern are both great schools, I'd recommend reaching out to their students as well.
 
PolarIceLongLastingFlavor said:
Would it be for the whole day or just for like a few hours? Because at that point when would you even find time to study lol.
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.... it can be... difficult...

I'll be honest, this was a major pain point for me first semester. There's a lot going on with your classes, but what makes it truly brutal is all the other stuff. Mandatory mental health sessions right when you get a chance to get some anki done, colleges physical exam stuff that means practically nothing to you since you haven't learned the medicine behind it, which includes both small group meetings and SIM center days, PBLs/CBLs/TBLs where the majority of the class hasn't gotten the content a first time, or certainly reviewed it, making it an inefficient (but still mandatory) waste of time.

This semester things are better as it's easier to keep up with the content and be prepared, in order to get something out of the active learning sessions (and they're more and more taught by clinicians which, in my experience, always correlates with more useful and to-the-point presentation of information). Even the Colleges stuff (site visits, clinician presentations) feel more valuable. In general, I think these activities still sap a ton of time and energy that could be better directed towards learning the information on our own before applying it together. But not everyone feels this way, I'm sure.

Regardless, we make do and figure it out. Which, as I referenced in my last post, seems like a useful skill to learn for medicine and life in general. Tbh a lot of them are attendance based, and I will say it can be nice to have an excuse to come onto campus and connect with classmates (other times it makes you want to scream because you feel like you're drowning in content and can't keep up). But yeah, some people study (like doing anki) in the sessions, some use them as study breaks and yap or check their phones, respond to emails, etc., some people are prepared and use it as an opportunity to learn more.

They can definitely be a pain though.
 
A little soapbox moment from wysdoc:

"PBLs/CBLs/TBLs where the majority of the class hasn't gotten the content a first time, or certainly reviewed it, making it an inefficient (but still mandatory) waste of time."

For this teaching style to work, students need to read the prep material before the meeting. Then it makes sense to everyone and you can have a good session. It would then not be a waste of time.
As many of you discovered in "group projects" in college, it is common for many to ride the coattails of the one student who did the prep work and try to get the main points for themselves passively.

Whether you believe what you have been told or not, that the amount of material to learn in med school is on another level compared to college, it is the truth.
Fully engaging in the activity you are attending to reach understanding is the way to go here. It will increase your comprehension in the long run.
Ignoring the ongoing PBL session to do your Anki cards, then asking people "what did I miss?" and expecting them to summarize or capsulize the main points for you, is not the best way to learn or build trust with your classmates. Anki is a solitary study modality, so do it when solitary, you know?

@IJUSTWANTOPARTYDOC has made some good points here that you should take to heart: Sometimes what you are learning to do (like physical exam skills) don't make a lot of sense UNTIL they are put into perspective for you by clinicians. Seeing the skills in various contexts reinforces your understanding of them. It all builds your medical expertise.
 
waterglass said:
how many people match here with no prematch?
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I did my best to answer this question one page back on this thread.

The short answer is we don't know for sure but I'd wager about 50/50 (match or off wait-list)/prematch for the finalized class from conversations I've had alone (so purely anecdotal).
 
waterglass said:
how many people match here with no prematch?
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According to previous statistics on prematches, the highest number given out by a school is 170, so with UTSW’s class size of about 240, at least 70. This would be assuming that all 170 prematches were indeed UTSW and all of those did end up attending the school.

At least ~30% but definitely more.
 
etxapplicant36 said:
According to previous statistics on prematches, the highest number given out by a school is 170, so with UTSW’s class size of about 240, at least 70. This would be assuming that all 170 prematches were indeed UTSW and all of those did end up attending the school.

At least ~30% but definitely more.
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There is a very real possibility the stat you're referencing is UTMB though.

Having said that, I'd imagine UTSW is not very far behind that number if it is in fact not them.
 
okay so youre telling me i have a shot?! interviewed 12/7 and looks like no one here heard anything from that date. pleaseeeee ill be so happy if i can prematch here bro
 
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wysdoc said:
A little soapbox moment from wysdoc:

"PBLs/CBLs/TBLs where the majority of the class hasn't gotten the content a first time, or certainly reviewed it, making it an inefficient (but still mandatory) waste of time."

For this teaching style to work, students need to read the prep material before the meeting. Then it makes sense to everyone and you can have a good session. It would then not be a waste of time.
As many of you discovered in "group projects" in college, it is common for many to ride the coattails of the one student who did the prep work and try to get the main points for themselves passively.

Whether you believe what you have been told or not, that the amount of material to learn in med school is on another level compared to college, it is the truth.
Fully engaging in the activity you are attending to reach understanding is the way to go here. It will increase your comprehension in the long run.
Ignoring the ongoing PBL session to do your Anki cards, then asking people "what did I miss?" and expecting them to summarize or capsulize the main points for you, is not the best way to learn or build trust with your classmates. Anki is a solitary study modality, so do it when solitary, you know?

@IJUSTWANTOPARTYDOC has made some good points here that you should take to heart: Sometimes what you are learning to do (like physical exam skills) don't make a lot of sense UNTIL they are put into perspective for you by clinicians. Seeing the skills in various contexts reinforces your understanding of them. It all builds your medical expertise.
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I agree with this, at least somewhat, and personally I always try to engage with the learning sessions. But the fact is we are only human and can only take in so much, and compared to previous years (and decades) we are absolutely killing it as far as the amount we have consumed and how we have applied it.

In my opinion, when the majority of the class (who are all very smart and hard working) haven't been able to see the content before the session, let alone actually memorize or begin to understand it, it's a scheduling issue. This wouldn't be a problem if our schedule wasn't also crammed with other random mandatory stuff.

Of course, issues are expected as the school continues its transition from the classic 2 year, book-heavy pre-clinical that was used for decades, but even our course directors and professors are not surprised when most of the class says "No, we have no clue what you're talking about" in these sessions, and faculty I've spoken to personally (both those involved with the courses and otherwise) agree that our first semester is simply too much.

Coupled with the fact that, as a class, we've done extremely well on assessements (in general, but also compared to recent classes) despite the fact that we haven't had the most success with active learning sessions, we've all come to terms with the fact that these sessions are, at least sometimes, a waste of time -- and I believe most, if not all schools have similar issues with their required activities, just look on here or Reddit. Medical schools have been slow to adapt to a newer era of medicine, for various resasons, and UTSW is not immune, even if they do a decent job in some areas. Regardless I love it here.

Collaboration is critical to medicine I agree! But here the time/scheduling constraints/requirements are the problem, not the students (in general). My classmates are free to disagree of course, but I think this is an accurate assessment as someone who has lived it.
 
Does anyone have any insights on if OOS acceptances are ever sent out on match day? Or do we think most/all OOS acceptances have been given out already and now it’s a matter of waitlist movement after April?
 
jrl123 said:
Does anyone have any insights on if OOS acceptances are ever sent out on match day? Or do we think most/all OOS acceptances have been given out already and now it’s a matter of waitlist movement after April?
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yes they sometimes are. Good luck as you wait!
 
Does anyone know what the South Campus Tour or Dallas Arts District (DMA) Tour are? Trying to decide what to sign up for on MS0
 
jihyostantwice said:
+1 IS A 1/22/25 LM 74.2

Does anyone have insight on when financial aid information will be released to IS students pre-matched? I submitted FAFSA in December, and based on the offer letter they'll get back to me "a few weeks from FAFSA submission." TIA!!
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Reply to the financial aid office email to see if they have any update.
Frankly they will likely wait to do all the paperwork until they see who matches and commits to UTSW
 
Anyone has any insights into the MSTP waitlist movement? Also how much difference would a letter of interest make? TIA
 
Does anyone know if there might be another wave coming or was yesterday the last chance to get a pre-match? cause on the UTSW timeline website, late January is the time pre-match ends.
 
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greatmorning11 said:
Does anyone know if there might be another wave coming or was yesterday the last chance to get a pre-match? cause on the UTSW timeline website, late January is the time pre-match ends.
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I wouldn't count on anymore prematches beyond this week
 
Yes, there are. Don’t forget that they still have to wait for the match. Plenty OOS students will opt to go to other schools,leaving spaces open. And on top of this there will be a waitlist, which is a way a large portion of med students get in. Getting into med school isn’t a race. I know people that have gotten in just weeks before class, so don’t stress until you have to
 
a63.gif

Me opening the email from UTSW admissions just now
 
Nah you just FEAR THE BROW

Anthony Davis is definitely gonna do good for the Mavs
 
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Serious question: are there any good food places to try both on campus or off campus? Never been to Dallas but will be devastated if there’s no pizza places nearby
 
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Avatararrow said:
Serious question: are there any good food places to try both on campus or off campus? Never been to Dallas but will be devastated if there’s no pizza places nearby
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No shortage of pizza places here lol.

Not pizza but Mike's Chicken and Katy Trail Ice House are a couple must-go-to's that come to mind
 
Any chance there’ll be movement for OOS applicants tomorrow since it’s TMDSAS match day? Interviewed back in October and haven’t heard anything.
 
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