Does UT Houston have a secondary?

[saffron]

I emailed UT Houston, but they sent me a generic reply. Does anyone know if they even have a secondary? If they do, how do we get a hold of it? Thanks guys.

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[spacecadet]

I submitted my TMDSAS application to UTMB and UT Houston. After I submitted, I got a list of schools and where to get secondaries.
Neither UT Houston or UTMB requires a secondary. Isn't that nice?

I didn't pay attention to the others since I didn't apply.

Pam

 

[saffron]

I know, UT Galveston cancelled their secondary just this year, I think. It's good- less paperwork for us. Did you get the email saying where to get secondaries right after you submitted? I sent in my fee and verification page like 2 weeks ago, and I don't think they've processed my application yet. I didn't get an email either- do you get it right after you submit the web app., or after they process it? Thanks!

 

[spacecadet]

I haven't gotten an email from them. After I submitted, the page popped up with the secondaries.

I'll probably call them next week to be sure they got my application and transcripts. I haven't heard anything yet.

Pam

 

[praying4MD]

I haven't received and email from them either. The good thing is that I sent my money and photos via certified mail, so I know for sure that they received them. I know that UTMB isn't requiring secondaries this year, but if you look on your 1st page of your application printout entitled, "Biographical Data," where you designate the schools you want to apply to, it indicates which school require secondaries. The only one that they indicate that definitely does NOT require a secondary is UT-Houston. However, right next to UTMB, it DOES say, "secondary application required. Anyone know why? Are they just trying to confuse us here?

 

[praying4MD]

One more question: Does TMDSAS start sending your application to med schools BEFORE you turn in your letters of rec to them? Or do they wait for the entire file to be complete before they even start sending them out? For instance, if I sent in my primary in June, but don't send in letters of rec until mid-July, does that mean that my appl. won't be sent to med schools until AFTER TMDSAS gets the letters of rec?

 

[Hopkins2010]

What the heck???

I checked the secondary application section on the TMDSAS website about 3 weeks ago and it DID have a link to a secondary for UTMB.

I filled it out and sent it in already and now they declared they are not using them for 2002??? Would've been nice if they could've updated their website sooner.

Oh well, there were no essays and no secondary fee so I guess I cant complain that much.

The TMDSAS has my MCATs, transcript, and the submitted application. They dont have my premed committee recs yet, but I just checked on their website and it states that my application has an "initial processing date" of 7/06.

I'm not sure exactly what that means. Perhaps it just means they are verifying my transcript. I always thought that they would not submit the apps to the schools until the rec letters arrive at the TMDSAS, but maybe I'm wrong.

I'm going to email them to both ask what 'initial processing' means and about the rec letters issue.

 

[praying4MD]

baylor: Has your undergrad already done your official evaluation yet, or if you don't have a committee at your undergrad, have you gotten all your letters of rec yet? I am ready to be evaluated, but I am just waiting on those lazy profs to their act together and get my last 2 letters of rec in! Oh yeah, anyone know how many letters of rec is TOO many? (for the health advisory committee that gives you your evaluation).

 

[Hopkins2010]

I didnt get any kind of email stating that my TMDSAS applicatin had been received. I think I submitted it on June 10th or something. Of course they have long since deposited my check.

Were we supposed to get an email? They have all my documents except for recommendations and it has an initial processing date marked. It also has all the schools that I applied to marked with an X so I'm hoping thats good enough verification that they have everything.

I'm assuming that I dont need to do anything else except have my premed committee send the recommendations to the service.

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by praying4MD:
•baylor: Has your undergrad already done your official evaluation yet, or if you don't have a committee at your undergrad, have you gotten all your letters of rec yet? I am ready to be evaluated, but I am just waiting on those lazy profs to their act together and get my last 2 letters of rec in! Oh yeah, anyone know how many letters of rec is TOO many? (for the health advisory committee that gives you your evaluation).•

I've had the official premed committee interview, but they havent completed the composite recommendatinon yet.

I know that all my profs have already submitted their evaluations, so I'm just waiting for the lazy committee to get its act together and meet.

I used the following profs for the premed committee: 1 bio, 1 chem, 1 english, 1 engineering, and 1 research advisor.

My school requires 3 and lets you designate up to 8 recs.

 

[SocialistMD]

I think that in general, it depends on your undergrad school. I had six (the max allowed by my undergrad institution); two science profs, one non-science, my boss, his boss and a physician with whom I did some clinical research. I also sent all of my letters into TMDSAS as well as my pre-med committee letter because at my undergrad institution they are notorious for screwing their students on the letters.

 

[praying4MD]

Thanks for the info baylor & socialist. Good luck on your upcoming evaluation baylor. I'm not sure what the initial processing date means either, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. I believe I have 7 letters right now (2 of which are positively glowing), but I'm positive that 2 are "noncommital" letters. They even said, "although you were an excellent student in my class, you did not work in my lab with me. Therefore, I will only write a 'noncommittal' letter, at best." Too bad I needed those two for paperwork purposes in the advising offices. Ugh. That explains why I'm waiting on my *star* letters now. Well, at least I know beforehand which ones to send out, and which ones to let rot in the office!

If anyone else has any definite info regarding whether TMDSAS will send our applications to med schools without letters of rec, please let us know. Thanks.

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by praying4MD:
•Thanks for the info baylor & socialist. Good luck on your upcoming evaluation baylor. I'm not sure what the initial processing date means either, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. I believe I have 7 letters right now (2 of which are positively glowing), but I'm positive that 2 are "noncommital" letters. They even said, "although you were an excellent student in my class, you did not work in my lab with me. Therefore, I will only write a 'noncommittal' letter, at best." Too bad I needed those two for paperwork purposes in the advising offices. Ugh. That explains why I'm waiting on my *star* letters now. Well, at least I know beforehand which ones to send out, and which ones to let rot in the office!

If anyone else has any definite info regarding whether TMDSAS will send our applications to med schools without letters of rec, please let us know. Thanks.•

praying4MD,

I got an email back from TMDSAS today. I asked them specifically what "initial processing date" means and if the TMDSAS transmits to the med schools without having the recommendations yet.

He told me that initial processing date means that the application HAS been submitted to the schools. He also stated that they DO NOT wait for the recs to arrive before they transmit to the med schools.

Hope this helps.

 

[praying4MD]

That's FANTASTIC news baylor21! Thank you very much for the info! While I'm at it, I may as well tell you thanks for the secondaries questions you posted as well. You've been a big help in all this mess.

 

[praying4MD]

oh yeah, one more question. Sorry to nag you with these! How long did it take from when you submitted your photos to when your intial processing date showed up? It's been about 2-3 weeks for me and still no date. Should I be worried?

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by praying4MD:
•oh yeah, one more question. Sorry to nag you with these! How long did it take from when you submitted your photos to when your intial processing date showed up? It's been about 2-3 weeks for me and still no date. Should I be worried?•

Hmm....I will give you the dates when my info was received.

Initial electronic submission: June 6th
Application fee (with pics)received by TMDSAS: June 8th
Official transcripts received by TMDSAS: June 7th
MCAT received by TMDSAS: July 2nd

Initial Processing Date: July 6th

It took awhile for the AAMC people to process my ASR request for the MCAT so the TMDSAS didnt get it immediately. I'm not sure if that delayed the processing on my app or not.

So, from the time I submitted electronically to the time my app was submitted to the schools was exactly one month.

The TMDSAS is MUCH easier to deal with than AMCAS. You can email them and they will respond the very next day. I've never tried to call them but its probably a much shorter wait time than AMCAS.

So you can contact them and ask if you want. I wouldnt worry too much about it until after a month or so has passed.

Dont worry about asking me about info, I'm happy to help anyone that I can. Its a long, drawn out process so its better if we help each other out.

Good luck

 

[praying4MD]

Thanks for the encouraging info TweetyPie and Baylor. It's good to know that I should not panic right now. I'll wait about a month before I start hyperventilating. Good luck to both of you in this grueling process and let us know how things are progessing.

 

[saffron]

I also send in my fee/photos approx. 2 weeks ago and do not have an initial processing date yet. I sent in my ASR request to AAMC the day after I got my MCAT scores back and Texas has still not received my scores...should I be worried that AAMC screwed up the request?

 

[saffron]

Oh, one more question about Tx. secondaries...did you guys use a typewriter to fill out the San Antonio app? You can't enter the info straight into the computer, so I had to print it out. The questions on the printout were all running together with no spaces in between words. Did anyone else encounter this problem? It sucks that we have to go find typewriters...

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by saffron:
•I also send in my fee/photos approx. 2 weeks ago and do not have an initial processing date yet. I sent in my ASR request to AAMC the day after I got my MCAT scores back and Texas has still not received my scores...should I be worried that AAMC screwed up the request? •

Saffron,

See the thread labeled "texas vs AMCAS schools" in this forum. A couple of good ideas were suggested.

Someone stated that the AAMC is holding off on processing ASR requests temporarily while the application processing/transmittal is underway.

So, you could ask the TMDSAS if you can photocopy a student score report to them while waiting for the ASR, or contact the ACT (people who administer the MCAT) and see if you can go through them instead.

Good luck with your ASR, it was very frustrating for me as well.

 

[saffron]

thanks, baylor, i will definitely get on aamc's case and email TDMSAS. i don't think you can contact the MCAT people directly- the phone # on my MCAT scores was the number for AMCAS/AAMC in dc.

do you (or anyone) know about the san antonio app? (see my last post above). good luck to everyone- we'll hopefully be getting texas interviews soon!

 

[Hopkins2010]

Originally posted by saffron:
•thanks, baylor, i will definitely get on aamc's case and email TDMSAS. i don't think you can contact the MCAT people directly- the phone # on my MCAT scores was the number for AMCAS/AAMC in dc.

do you (or anyone) know about the san antonio app? (see my last post above). good luck to everyone- we'll hopefully be getting texas interviews soon!•

On the San Antonio app, I didnt have any problems printing it out and I used a typewriter.

You might want to check to make sure you have an up to date version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. That might cause the printing problems.

You can buy the full version of Acrobat if you want. It allows you to save the read-only PDF files in writable format so you can fill out the responses on the computer and print it out.

I cant remember how much it costs, but you can check their website. Otherwise you'll have to use a typewriter or write in the responses by hand.

Good luck.