(¯`•._.•==Texas Tech University Class of 2011==•._.•´¯)

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Looks like I'll be headed up to the Hub City as well. Initially not that excited, but warming up to the idea. Everyone else that posts and is excited brings up my enthusiasm level. Can't wait to meet you guys, seriously!

On that note....soooooooooo.... who's thinking of going where third year? Anyone know advantages/disadvantages of chosing each city (specialty wise, not location wise, though those would be welcome to as I've only been to Lubbock once for my interview, driven through Amarillo, and spoken of El Paso)
 
TexMED said:
Looks like I'll be headed up to the Hub City as well. Initially not that excited, but warming up to the idea. Everyone else that posts and is excited brings up my enthusiasm level. Can't wait to meet you guys, seriously!

On that note....soooooooooo.... who's thinking of going where third year? Anyone know advantages/disadvantages of chosing each city (specialty wise, not location wise, though those would be welcome to as I've only been to Lubbock once for my interview, driven through Abilene, and spoken of El Paso)
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Congrats to all who got into Tech. I can't provide much insight into the school itself but I have/do live in Amarillo so I will comment on that. Amarillo, as noted in many of jota_jota's posts does not have a surgery residency program, therefore, if you are interested in surgery that experience could definitely give you a leg up. Also, my wife comes in contact with many of the teaching physicians in Amarillo through her job and let me tell you they are, in general, a very nice bunch of people. I doubt you would find that in some of the bigger cities....which brings me to Amarillo. It is a neat city that is very isolated, thus has developed a little bit of a different culture than say Lubbock or Abilene. For a small city (180K) there are a ton of cultural things going on. They are one of the only cities of their size to have an endowed symphony, which is damn good. The local support of the arts is unbelievable not only for a city of this size but also considering its isolated location in West Texas.

We have lived here nearly 4 years while I was completing my pre-req's at Tech and I would definitely consider coming back here to practice.


I really figured I would be at Tech but they kicked me to the curb like sweat soggy toast. Lubbock is not Dallas or Houston but there is still a pretty decent nightlife and together with the Law School, PT School, OT School and Nursing School there is not shortage of young, driven professionals. Lastly, the cost of living is ridiculously low, not quite college station low but still comparatively low.

Again, good luck and congrats on your match,


'Rambler
 
Amarillo: Surgery heaven - no residents equals more fun for med students. Overall, less clinical experience and more time to study.

Lubbock: Mainly the married and special curriculum folks. Lots of middle ground between the two locations. Surgery rotation has rumored to have problems and be a big pain. Different story though depending on who you talk to.

El Paso: most clinical experience because of no shortage of patients. Great border health, infectious disease, pathology, etc. Can't beat the experience in my opinion. Then again I am biased being partly from the area, and going there 3rd year.
 
sprinkibrio said:
I read your MDapps, are you and your brother going to end up at the same school? How awesome would that be!
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That would be awesome! Unfortunately he didn't match. We're hoping he'll get lucky with the waitlist, but I have no idea what to expect from that.
 
hey,
i also matched at tech. i'm psyched but also a little wary of those GIANT FRICKIN RABBITS. when i interviewed at tech i took a wrong turn in what i thought was downtown lubbock--next thing i new i was in a field of HEWGE RABBITS RUNNING EVERYWHERE!
anyway,
congrats guys. it's going to be great.
 
Sahmbo said:
hey,
i also matched at tech. i'm psyched but also a little wary of those GIANT FRICKIN RABBITS. when i interviewed at tech i took a wrong turn in what i thought was downtown lubbock--next thing i new i was in a field of HEWGE RABBITS RUNNING EVERYWHERE!
anyway,
congrats guys. it's going to be great.
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hahahahah. So true. Last night it snowed an inch or so, and this morning in the parking lot there were jack rabbit prints EVERYWHERE. If you cruise around campus after dark you will see tons of them.

For those that are worried about going to Lubbock, it's really not that bad, and I moved from Austin. There are certainly things I really miss (the food here sucks ass), but you are studying your ass off so much that it doesn't matter. The real joy is in making good friends with classmates. And I know no matter how much people tell you these things, you won't believe them until you experience it yourself.

The new curriculum is great, in my opinion. Lots of individual study time. And with each new class, more kinks are being ironed out.

Anyway, I look forward to meeting everyone at whatever spring training event we pull together this year.
 
Yeah the caf food isn't that good.

However, Lubbock is near the top of all cities in per capita restaurants.

It's not bad. I'm from H-town and DFW, and I actually love it. Very relaxed town with a little of everything.
 
Congrats to all of you. You are going to love it here in Tech. Ask any questions you want and I or other current students will try to answer.
 
are there any big changes for upcoming 1st year curric or is it pretty much the same as this year? was there anything you didn't like about your first year curric?
 
I'm not aware of any changes for the 1st and 2nd year as of right now. As far as curriculum concerned, it is not very integrated so I think we will struggle on USMLE. In addition to that most of the lecturers are REALLY REALLY bad. So bad in fact that even people that come to every single lecture end up walking out of class during the break to study on their own.
 
spent my freshman year at Tech and will be heading back for Medical School. 😀
 
Sahmbo said:
are there any big changes for upcoming 1st year curric or is it pretty much the same as this year? was there anything you didn't like about your first year curric?
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Should be mostly the same. The school year breaks are switched up a bit though.

Current 1st years (me - yay) are on the 2nd year of a new curriculum that is similar to UTMB's new curriculum. They showed HUGE improvements on their USMLE scores when they switched so we are hoping to do the same this summer when the 2nd years prove the new curriculum to be a good one. Cross your fingers.

Still USMLE scores are determined more by the type of student than school. Study hard and you'll be fine.

RRGirl - You love my sexy optimism don't you?

Oh and RRGirl is partly right about the lecturers. It really depends on the block though. Anatomy and Biochem has great profs. Right now we are in physiology and these profs prove to be an all-time low! Definitely in need of restructuring the quality of physio profs.
 
bad profs, eh? what flavor of bad? how do you find the grading? do you feel you have plenty of time to study for the usmle?
 
ok just to clear things up. tech's curriculum is far from UTMB's curriculum. MB's curriculum is top notch and i wish tech had adopted it instead of pullin some BS.

The funny part is that they call the new curriculum integrated when it is actually subject based.

oh well, i learnt my lesson in 1st year, and started doing things independently and i think thats wat u ll have to do if you wanna do ok on the steps.

Tech lectures SUCK.

I am a 2nd year btw.
 
Granted, its not a replica but I'd still say our program changed to resemble UTMB's more than anybody else's in TX.

I'm just glad we don't have UTSA's curriculum. They are still old school and have the most class hours of any med school (according to 2 current students). They were even required this year to reduce them, because of sheer volume. We are averaging 2-3 hours per day.

Our program is by no means perfect, but at least our school is attempting to tweek things. We'll see if it worked this year. Can't knock it until you see the statistics.

On the other hand, I love the honors, pass, fail grading scale. If you don't like the way classes are being taught, do things your own way. If you get a few extra questions wrong on the block tests while preparing for the step your way, it won't hurt you like it would if we were graded A, B, C, D, F.

Aren't the second years taking Step 1 practice tests now? That's what I hear.

With a pass/fail system to ease the stress, no hell weeks full of tests, 8 weeks between years 2 & 3 to study, and only 3 hours of class per day, if you still can't pass Step 1, its your fault.

As you can see, I enjoy Tech Med.

As far as profs go,
Anatomy: A-
Biochem: A
Physio: F
ECE: Who cares anyway?
 
well, UTMB's curriculum is based more on a problem based curriculum. basically u mostly work in a small group where you are faced with cases, you then have to come up with all the imaging studies/ lab analysis, meaning of symptoms and then a list of diagnosis (The process cultivates the thought process needed to do well on the step and real life).

wat we do at tech is not even remotely close. i agree though, the new curriculum is definitely better than the old one. But i think the curriclum leaders have a issue with adopting another successful school's curriculum (probably ego issues more than anything else).

It seems like they are throwing things at you guys at a much better pace than they did to us. But that just means you are gonna stay in school a little longer.

We never had 3 hrs of classes, lol, more like 5 minimum.

As far as the grading system is concerned, its ok. If your goal is to match primary care then a whole list of passes are not an issue. But if you wanna match smth more competitive, you might just wanna try for those honors.

As far as profs go, for our class the biochem/genetics bloc was horribly organized and poorly taught/tested.
Physio is actually not that bad, especially cardio. I know you guys are all pissed about how hard it is and all, but in the long run, it 'll do you good. the guys for resp phys are horrible (stick to the text book for that). the rest of the physio gang is good.

micro is ok, but i can still remember, we went through entire immuno in 8 days (whole friggin book) and micro in 4 weeks. i hope they dont do that to you guys since i think there is more info in that bloc than anatomy. not learnin the info first time will really bite you in the a$$. There is absolutely no time to do anything extra.
ECE is useless, agreed. They should be teaching behavioral sciences or smth in its place since it is heavily tested on the steps but tech doesnt really go into behav sciences at all. the curiculum office sucks. (make sure you learn it urself from brs or smth).

oh and we are not taking any practice tests for steps, not sure who told you guys.

gd luck
 
thanks for your frank thoughts.

so how much do grades from yrs 1,2 matter for residency matching? also, a friend who went to uthscsa said that these days doing research during med school (or breaks) can help competitive residency matching. what do you guys think? good idea or waste of time?
 
Sahmbo said:
thanks for your frank thoughts.

so how much do grades from yrs 1,2 matter for residency matching? also, a friend who went to uthscsa said that these days doing research during med school (or breaks) can help competitive residency matching. what do you guys think? good idea or waste of time?
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1st and 2nd yr grades dont matter that much, atleast not as much as step1, rec letters, etc but they do have a role to play. A program director (for a comp residency) that I talked to basically told me that it was one of the factors considered and most if not all the entering residents in that prg has good class ranking.

research during med school is a good idea, just not when the school is in session. break between 1st and 2nd year as well as 4th year are usually when most students do some research work. Again, it definitely helps to have some research work under your belt, especially a publication if ur vying for that competitive residency.
 
Still USMLE scores are determined more by the type of student than school. Study hard and you'll be fine.

RRGirl - You love my sexy optimism don't you?

You are such a dreamer.
:laugh:

Oh and RRGirl is partly right about the lecturers. It really depends on the block though. Anatomy and Biochem has great profs.

I concur. But again anatomy is mostly lab stuff. Combined with BRS and you can pass it allright. Some lecturers sucked but overall it was not too bad. Biochem was a blur for me. Especially the biochem part itself (TCA cycle ant metabolism) - waaay too much info for just 1.5 weeks of classes.

Right now we are in physiology and these profs prove to be an all-time low! Definitely in need of restructuring the quality of physio profs.[/QUOTE]

Phys is horrible! I just go to the gym every morning with my NMS and multitask. I wish more lectures were printable though.
 
Sahmbo said:
bad profs, eh? what flavor of bad? how do you find the grading? do you feel you have plenty of time to study for the usmle?
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I think we have all flavors of bad available. They do know their stuff it's just they don't know how to teach it. Some speak 300mph with very thick accent 😱 , some are completely unprepared for the lecture, some just read off their slides. And then there is Dalley and Janssen 😍 They are the best!!!! I go when they teach, otherwise I'm at the gym.
 
Ill be there next year as well. Is anyone going to the spring training event this weekend?
 
Welcome everyone and congrats for the acceptance. Hope to see you all soon 🙂

Thank you everyone to all the current students for your advices and frank suggestions, keep em coming😀.

Is the Spring Training next weekend? I have not received any followup from Tech at all after the pre-match acceptance. Anyone receive any packet or any infromation about the Spring Traning, deposit, etc etc?
 
I"m headed for the spring training in April, anyone else?
 
It's called Orientation in August. Last year Spring Training was later, I think in April.
 
There is some kind of orientation type thing where u can meet others in april, i think its the 20-22.
 
Hm. Thats strange. Although accepted in November, this Saturday I received a letter via snail mail to invite me up to Lubbock this weekend with a detailed schedule about having dinner on Friday, Apartment Browsing on Saturday, and a Social on Saturday night. No one else is going to this event?

Im pretty pumped to get started up there next year and would like to get an idea of what our class looks like. I know UT Houston has a list of names and schools, but It's looking like we're not getting one of those. Any UT folks out there?
 
hookemjmb68MD said:
Hm. Thats strange. Although accepted in November, this Saturday I received a letter via snail mail to invite me up to Lubbock this weekend with a detailed schedule about having dinner on Friday, Apartment Browsing on Saturday, and a Social on Saturday night. No one else is going to this event?

Im pretty pumped to get started up there next year and would like to get an idea of what our class looks like. I know UT Houston has a list of names and schools, but It's looking like we're not getting one of those. Any UT folks out there?
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This sounds like what we had during Spring Training. 😕 You need to call Student Affairs office and make sure they did not skew up the dates.
 
RRGirl said:
It's called Orientation in August. Last year Spring Training was later, I think in April.
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oops, my brain switched em up on me as I was typing.. editing post..
 
Wreck 'em
 
So for those of u who current med students at tech do yall buy all the books or use them alot when studying, just trying to figure out if yall do most of ur studying off class powerpoint notes or if u find the books really useful.
 
TX_Longhorn said:
1st and 2nd yr grades dont matter that much, atleast not as much as step1, rec letters, etc but they do have a role to play. A program director (for a comp residency) that I talked to basically told me that it was one of the factors considered and most if not all the entering residents in that prg has good class ranking.

research during med school is a good idea, just not when the school is in session. break between 1st and 2nd year as well as 4th year are usually when most students do some research work. Again, it definitely helps to have some research work under your belt, especially a publication if ur vying for that competitive residency.
Click to expand...


so what kinds of research opportunities are available at tech? have you done any?
 
hookemjmb68MD said:
Hm. Thats strange. Although accepted in November, this Saturday I received a letter via snail mail to invite me up to Lubbock this weekend with a detailed schedule about having dinner on Friday, Apartment Browsing on Saturday, and a Social on Saturday night. No one else is going to this event?

Im pretty pumped to get started up there next year and would like to get an idea of what our class looks like. I know UT Houston has a list of names and schools, but It's looking like we're not getting one of those. Any UT folks out there?
Click to expand...

So I called the office this morning as I have not received any information at all in the mail. According to the lady, they have no sent out any information to students at all and it will be a while before they send anything out.😕
 
hookemjmb68MD said:
Ill be there next year as well. Is anyone going to the spring training event this weekend?
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That's weird. I got something about a spring training event with my acceptance in the mail, but I'm pretty sure it's sometime in April. I plan on going whenever it is.
 
I also got one in the mail that said spring training thing was in april.
 
Most of us use BRS and NMS right now. Big books are just that - big. Not enough time to read and memorize them.
 
I think the required texts are good the first time around. When it comes to Step I, however, I will be using BRS for the various subjects.
 
So who else is planning on going up in april for the spring training?
Also, for those current students what are some things yall recommend buying before school that are essential, such as a laptop and stuff.... thanks.
 
Hi all!

Congrats on getting in!!! I am a first year here and I love it! Med school is a ton of work, but it is so fascinating! Ultimately, your experience is what you make of it. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

As far as laptops go, it really doesn’t matter what type you have. You have to have one for anatomy and biochem because you take these computer quizzes prior to examinations. I have a Toshiba, and I haven’t had any trouble yet. My friend has a mac, and it works fine with the system, and he loves to talk about his beloved mac 🙂

Spring training - I didn’t have a chance to go, and I was fine. I hear it is really good for apartment hunting and its a great way to meet people before you move out here.

Take care!
 
SupaManu said:
So who else is planning on going up in april for the spring training?
Also, for those current students what are some things yall recommend buying before school that are essential, such as a laptop and stuff.... thanks.
Click to expand...

I also plan on attending Spring Training in April.🙂
 
I second Viv's opinion. Spring training was fun, but certainly not worth the effort if you are not already in Lubbock. There are plenty of housing choices available and if you come here couple of weeks before the school starts you can find something to rent and most likely will be able to move in that same day. Just leave yourself some time to unpack, don't do it during your first week of school.
 
RRGirl said:
I second Viv's opinion. Spring training was fun, but certainly not worth the effort if you are not already in Lubbock. There are plenty of housing choices available and if you come here couple of weeks before the school starts you can find something to rent and most likely will be able to move in that same day. Just leave yourself some time to unpack, don't do it during your first week of school.
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Thanks, is there a nice selection of furnished apts near the med school b/c I don't plan on hauling furniture all the way to lubbock.
 
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