*~*~*~*Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2012-2013*~*~*~*

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vlk2008 said:
definitely do them! having only your personal statement as an essay does not really tell the school a whole lot about you. For the first, try think of something that makes you diverse/unique. This doesn't have to mean diversity in a typical sense, maybe you have some experience/attribute that would help you bring something unique to your med school class.
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Does anyone have examples/a guide to writing these essays?
 
Sorry for the multi-posts. I know, I need to figure out how to reply to more than I person at a time, but at the moment, I am too busy with applications!

I have a few questions also:

1. GRE: I took this many moons ago (1997), and it says it's not valid/considerable if not in the last 10 years. Do I still have to enter my date (which isn't correct as I had to make up the day; only month/year is on the report)? I don't want a sin of omission!

2. Exchange Programs: I did a year in National Student Exchange. I was still in the US, just at a different university. Do I list the course type for all of those classes as "Study Abroad?" It doesn't seem very "abroad," but it wasn't at home.

3. I know it's been asked, but I am still so unclear on this. Do schools really only want 2 letters? While it says you can submit a third, the implication is that it's frowned upon. Why is the option even there then?

4. Do you list audited courses? I am a non-trad and audited several of my old courses in preparation for my MCAT. I wasn't planning to list those, but I notices Audit as a course-type selection when I was entering other classes. I don't think they are on my transcript.

Thanks for any help you can provide!
 
craftyconqueror:
1) I wouldn't put it at all, but contact TMDSAS for safety measure.
2) Are the classes on your home institutions transcript or the other university's? If the latter, you need to add these courses separately from your home institution as regular classes. If the former, I'd maybe put it as abroad but really not sure...
3) 2 is sufficient. the implication of the third is that you are wasting the adcom's time, unless it tells a highly different story from the other two, but is not able to take the place of one of the other two.
4) Officially audited courses should be on a transcript, to my knowledge. If not on the transcript, I wouldn't add them since they can't be verified anyways.
 
DCSB6 said:
craftyconqueror:
2) Are the classes on your home institutions transcript or the other university's? If the latter, you need to add these courses separately from your home institution as regular classes. If the former, I'd maybe put it as abroad but really not sure...
3) 2 is sufficient. the implication of the third is that you are wasting the adcom's time, unless it tells a highly different story from the other two, but is not able to take the place of one of the other two.
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Thank you for the quick response and the helpful info! I will need to get a recent unofficial transcript and check on those audited courses then.
2. They are on my home university. I was thinking the same...It's just that the term abroad typically makes you think overseas.
3. That make sense!

The auditing made me think of another question: I have taken a few adult/continuing ed classes (photography, etc) at a local community college. Do those need to be listed also? Should I check to see if they're on a transcript? I know they are listed under a student ID #.

It's kind of goofy for us to have to figure all of this stuff out when it seems we could just send the transcripts....
 
Have any previous applicants requested the TMDSAS office completely wipe their previous application clean? I am making some major changes to mine and want to start over.
 
Jamrock said:
Have any previous applicants requested the TMDSAS office completely wipe their previous application clean? I am making some major changes to mine and want to start over.
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Have you tried contacting TMDSAS yet? Just curious, why are you unhappy with just editing what is already there? You should be able to delete/edit anything you like. From browsing the app it seems like it shouldn't take more than an hour to manually erase everything.
 
I just though it might be easier to just do everything from the a fresh start, but yeah, its definitley easier just to update. I'm having toubble updating/ changing my colleges attended and previous coursework sections from last year. I'm not able to access any of the previous colleges/ coursework. Can we modify the previous information in these sections?
 
RiceOwl85 said:
Have you tried contacting TMDSAS yet? Just curious, why are you unhappy with just editing what is already there? You should be able to delete/edit anything you like. From browsing the app it seems like it shouldn't take more than an hour to manually erase everything.
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I just though it might be easier to just do everything from the a fresh start, but yeah, its definitley easier just to update. I'm having toubble updating/ changing my colleges attended and previous coursework sections from last year. I'm not able to access any of the previous colleges/ coursework. Can we modify the previous information in these sections?
 
Jamrock said:
I just though it might be easier to just do everything from the a fresh start, but yeah, its definitley easier just to update. I'm having toubble updating/ changing my colleges attended and previous coursework sections from last year. I'm not able to access any of the previous colleges/ coursework. Can we modify the previous information in these sections?
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You can modify this. (I have already done it a few times.)

Try again today because the system must have been busy last night. I was trying to edit the same section, and it was painfully slow...so slow that at first I thought it wasn't working and kept refreshing.
 
craftyconqueror said:
You can modify this. (I have already done it a few times.)

Try again today because the system must have been busy last night. I was trying to edit the same section, and it was painfully slow...so slow that at first I thought it wasn't working and kept refreshing.
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I've been trying for the past week, but its not working. I'm trying to remove one of the colleges attended that I have listed (I accadentally listed the same school twice). When I press the red remove button, it wont let me remove the college, it says: college cannot be removed becasue terms assocated with college. Then when I go to the terms section, I am unable to remove the term. How do I remove a previously listed college?
 
Jamrock said:
I've been trying for the past week, but its not working. I'm trying to remove one of the colleges attended that I have listed (I accadentally listed the same school twice). When I press the red remove button, it wont let me remove the college, it says: college cannot be removed becasue terms assocated with college. Then when I go to the terms section, I am unable to remove the term. How do I remove a previously listed college?
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Have you tried going backwards? If the college won't delete with terms in it, and I assume the term won't delete with classes in it, I would try deleting all the classes first, then terms, then finally the college.

If all else fails, call TMDSAS. They answer quickly and have helped me.
 
This might be a stupid question but for the employment section do they really want me to input the same job for every term I was employed there? Just want to make sure I'm doing this right..... it seems a bit unnecessary. Thanks in advance!
 
Should planned activities be left out of the other areas? For example, I Locked up a significant clinical experience starting this month and carrying on through the year. Should this only be in the planned section, or the healthcare activities too?
 
I won't be applying for a few years, but here're two questions:

1] Is there a section where I can tactfully make the adcom aware that a contributing factor to my "meh" GPA is due to the degree being completed in three years without seeming to make an excuse (although I totally am)? How about for my M.A. (7 months/3.3gpa)?

2] Can anyone tell me how residency is verified? I'm active duty, so I move a lot. Currently a transplant TX resident, but probably won't live in the state again until I (hopefully) matriculate. Wondering if TMDSAS will count me as a resident based on a drivers license/tax returns...
 
xUSMCx said:
I won't be applying for a few years, but here're two questions:

1] Is there a section where I can tactfully make the adcom aware that a contributing factor to my "meh" GPA is due to the degree being completed in three years without seeming to make an excuse (although I totally am)? How about for my M.A. (7 months/3.3gpa)?
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The ideal place to explain yourself would probably be in either your PS or the optional essay: Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application.

You are right it that it would be best not to make it sound like an excuse. Own up to your mistakes/oversight/whatever and focus more on what you have learned.
 
crazedpiggy said:
Yo, great thread - hoping to get some questions answered since I just started filling it out today.

1. When filling out the list of non-TMDSAS schools, does it have to be accurate?

2. How are quarter and semester credits converted to credit hours? My transcript does not detail how to make this conversion.

3. I am currently enrolled in a one year masters program that is on a quarter system. Thus I've had my first two quarters from August - December and my final two quarters from January - May. However, how do I indicate four quarters when adding this school? It only gives me the options of Fall, Spring, Winter, Summer, Summer 1, and Summer 2. Which of my quarters should be labelled which?

4. I'm re-taking the MCAT in June. Although TMDSAS reviews apps earlier than AMCAS, will taking the June 21st MCAT (July 24th score report) impact my chances at all?

Thanks!!!
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This. I won't really know what schools I'm applying to until I get my MCAT score in June. Can I just ballpark it for the moment and continue with my application? My spring semester grades should be coming in soon, and I just want everything to be verified and set to go so that as soon as MCAT scores come in the application goes through ASAP.
 
RiceOwl85 said:
The ideal place to explain yourself would probably be in either your PS or the optional essay: Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application.

You are right it that it would be best not to make it sound like an excuse. Own up to your mistakes/oversight/whatever and focus more on what you have learned.
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Thanks. I wasn't sure if these essays get the 1.5 minute once over that undergrad applications do, or if they actually dig into what you tell them.


craftyconqueror said:
http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/frwqAskedQ/13-TexasResidency.html
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Seen that. It doesn't address Texans who leave the state on orders/military in general.

For anyone else in this position that is interested, I've been emailing back and forth with someone at TMDSAS, and apparently it's pretty complicated. will update when I know more.
 
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xUSMCx said:
Seen that. It doesn't address Texans who leave the state on orders/military in general.

For anyone else in this position that is interested, I've been emailing back and forth with someone at TMDSAS, and apparently it's pretty complicated. will update when I know more.
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Weird. It doesn't seem that would be an especially unusual situation, so I'm surprised there's no system in place.
 
craftyconqueror said:
Weird. It doesn't seem that would be an especially unusual situation, so I'm surprised there's no system in place.
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The military kind of has two residences in a serviceman's file. Home of Record (where you lived when you joined) and Legal Residence (where you call home now/pay taxes). If your Home of Record is TX, then they accept you as a true Texan, no questions asked. If you are a legal resident, that's where it gets more complicated. I'm still waiting on the hows, whys, wheres, etc... but it looks like just tax returns won't cut it.
 
If we send a Letter Packet via Interfolio are we supposed to send the TMDSAS Evaluation Forms also or is the Evaulation form just intenteded for individual letters?
 
Since they strongly recommend cross listing. Do you guys just copy and paste everything? For example if I work in a clinic i can list it as employment and under health care activities. I just copy and pasted the description. Is that ok?
 
Louis88 said:
When entering information in the "Planned Activities" section, I have a question:

In the previous sections, I put things like employment as ending at July 2013 (that is when I would stop if accepted). I also put some leisure activities as ending as December 2020 and made a note that I was going to continue them as long as possible.

On the planned activities section, it only lets you put something if the start date is in 2012. So is the planned activities section only for things that I'm going to START in 2012 or 2013? The wording makes it sound like I'm supposed to include any activities that I'm planning on doing between now and August 2013 (which would technically include my ongoing employment and leisure activities, etc.)

Any ideas?
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I have the exact same question. If I plan on continuing all my extracurricular activities until i get into med school then does that mean i have to list all 13-15 activities again under planned activities again. Do these planned activities have to be different from current activities. for example "taking mcat"

EDIT: it only lets you enter the start year of 2012 so I guess its any EC that you're intending to start over the summer.
 
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Whiteshoes said:
Do these planned activities have to be different from current activities. for example "taking mcat"
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Activities can overlap. If you have a volunteer gig now that you will continue this summer and into next year, list it in both current and planned sections.

Jamrock said:
If we send a Letter Packet via Interfolio are we supposed to send the TMDSAS Evaluation Forms also or is the Evaulation form just intenteded for individual letters?
Click to expand...

I skipped the TMDSAS evaluation form all together because my school has its own. (I'm using individual letters, not HPAC, but my school is still collecting for me.) I checked this with students who are currently in med school in TX, and they didn't use it either. Either way, you should be okay.
 
Yeah I'm probably gonna skip the Eval forms too. I'm also using a packet. Thanks for the reply Crafty 🙂.
 
on the pre health committee lor evaluation form that we have to print out, when it says "entering class of" are they asking for the entering class of the university you attend or the entering class we are applying for acceptance (2013)?
 
Sorry if these have been posted in some other thread, but I just had a couple of quick questions

1) In terms of AP Credit, how are you guys incorporating it into your coursework? Are you guys adding a semester prior to entering your institution, or is it somewhere else that you can add in all that info?

2) For the planned activities, if we've already stated an end date in the future (i.e. 2014 or something in the future), do we need to restate it in this part or is it going to be automatically assumed?

Thanks for any help 🙂
 
1) Add to freshman year semester.

2) Can't hurt to duplicate.
 
Having trouble qualifying job time periods.

Could someone explain where to use "since graduating college" and "other?"

It appears that all time periods before and during college, as well as during grad school, are covered. Consequently I have been listing all jobs I held post-graduation (which is a lot since I'm a non-trad) as "since graduation." I am now starting to wonder if they should be "other," and if "since graduation" means from when I graduated on through today. Otherwise, I have no idea as to the distinction.
 
If you were a re-applicant who did not apply through TMDSAS in prior cycles, how would that affect the chances?

FYI I am not a re-app, but I do go to college in Texas and do not qualify for residency (which some of you know from my prior threads about state residencies🙁). My advisers told me to go for it, but I just do not feel like it's worth trying (I do not have stellar numbers as an OOS applicant...maybe I have a shot at UNT). I would rather work for a year in Texas then qualify for the residency.

Thanks in advance!
 
Whiteshoes said:
I have the exact same question. If I plan on continuing all my extracurricular activities until i get into med school then does that mean i have to list all 13-15 activities again under planned activities again. Do these planned activities have to be different from current activities. for example "taking mcat"

EDIT: it only lets you enter the start year of 2012 so I guess its any EC that you're intending to start over the summer.
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I asked TMDSAS about this and they said the planned activities section should be a place that the school can refer back to and see everything that you'll be doing between now and the application submitted. She said to list everything that you will be doing, even if you started it before 2012. Just list 2012 as the start date.
 
How much does having both optional essays actually help? I can definitely come up with something for the characteristics one, but the unique experience one is proving to be a challenge.
 
jp6285 said:
How much does having both optional essays actually help? I can definitely come up with something for the characteristics one, but the unique experience one is proving to be a challenge.
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I am still working on this too.

IMO, I think pushing to hard to find something will just look lame. On the other hand, if you can answer both without seeming forced, I think it would be highly beneficial. Most TX schools don't have secondaries, so this is all the information they are getting when deciding whether or not to invite you for an interview. Definitely try to sell yourself!
 
For future planned coursework, do you just add the classes you plan to take next year under spring 2012 and put in "grade not yet reported"?
 
Submitted last night! Now just waiting for my check to clear.

I thought I would feel better once it was over, but I don't. Still stressed about whether or not it's good enough.

On to secondaries...then AMCAS...then secondaries again....
 
I'm slightly confused on where to put my EC's since they kind of blend into leadership, healthcare related, community service. Is it ok to put activities that overlap in multiple sections or just leave it in one?
 
Does an honor society fall under "Academic Recognition?" It is a branch of a national pre-health honor society that does community service. Or would it be under community service? Or both? I know they suggest cross-listing.

editing to add another activities question. This summer I'll be a guide on our medical campus for patients suffering from Wolfram Syndrome. They'll be there for 4 days to get medical testing for research. I'll be leading them and their family members around the campus to each of their testing locations/appointments. Under planned activities, I don't know if this is considered a "healthcare activity" since I'm working directly with patients or if it's "community service."
 
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UTsksk said:
I'm slightly confused on where to put my EC's since they kind of blend into leadership, healthcare related, community service. Is it ok to put activities that overlap in multiple sections or just leave it in one?
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TMDSAS says: "If you have activities that fit into more than one category, you should list the activity in each section. We strongly recommend that you list activities in multiple sections if they meet the criteria in more than one category."

So if they overlap you can list them in multiple categories on the TMDSAS.
 
I got an email today that said:

.This is to inform you that your application has been sent to the following schools on 5/21/2012:
.

2 of my 4 transcripts are not in, so how has TMDSAS submitted my app without checking grades?

I must be misunderstanding the process.
 
BUMP

Is it really neccessary to put in every school we plan to apply to or have applied to in the past that is a non-TMDSAS school? It's bad enough I had to hunt down the individual breakdown of my ACT scores. Also, they require us to know exact dates for activities and awards and stuff. Can we guesstimate because I didn't try to keep up with dates I received awards? I'm not that sentimental.
 
aspiringdoc09 said:
BUMP

Is it really neccessary to put in every school we plan to apply to or have applied to in the past that is a non-TMDSAS school? It's bad enough I had to hunt down the individual breakdown of my ACT scores. Also, I don't recall seeing a tab for our PS essays. Where does the PS go or do they not require one?
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no, it's not necessary.
 
On my transcript i have an English Proficiency Exam listed under Fall of Freshman year and it is listed as Pass with 0.0 credits and no course number. However, it will not let me list an item with 0 credits on the TMDSAS application.

How do i include this or do i even need to?
 
craftyconqueror said:
I got an email today that said:

.This is to inform you that your application has been sent to the following schools on 5/21/2012:
.

2 of my 4 transcripts are not in, so how has TMDSAS submitted my app without checking grades?

I must be misunderstanding the process.
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Ya, I had the same thing come up the other day as well. I think what TAMDSAS does is they forward your app as soon as they receive the check and then will forward your grades once they come in. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding of it
 
DirkFor3 said:
Ya, I had the same thing come up the other day as well. I think what TAMDSAS does is they forward your app as soon as they receive the check and then will forward your grades once they come in. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding of it
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Ah, you're explanation must be correct. I thought it all went together. Thanks!
 
Hi, I have a quick question!
I am writing down academic recognition section right now.
I am wondering if I am allowed to write down being a member of honors college in this section.
If so, would it be right to write down all the academic terms that I was in honors college as a seperate list? (i.e. honors college Fall 2008, honors college Spring 2009,...)
Thanks in advance 🙂
 
Louis88 said:
When entering information in the "Planned Activities" section, I have a question:

In the previous sections, I put things like employment as ending at July 2013 (that is when I would stop if accepted). I also put some leisure activities as ending as December 2020 and made a note that I was going to continue them as long as possible.

On the planned activities section, it only lets you put something if the start date is in 2012. So is the planned activities section only for things that I'm going to START in 2012 or 2013? The wording makes it sound like I'm supposed to include any activities that I'm planning on doing between now and August 2013 (which would technically include my ongoing employment and leisure activities, etc.)

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I emailed TMDSAS about this question because I had the same question. Here was their response:

"For the planned activity your should enter the start date as today and it should be up to matriculation."


So, I listed my employment (as an example) as continuing until matriculation. I also listed it under planned activities as starting that day and ending when I matriculate (I put July, 2013 to be safe). Hope this helps.
 
yangpa said:
Hi, I have a quick question!
I am writing down academic recognition section right now.
I am wondering if I am allowed to write down being a member of honors college in this section.
If so, would it be right to write down all the academic terms that I was in honors college as a seperate list? (i.e. honors college Fall 2008, honors college Spring 2009,...)
Thanks in advance 🙂
Click to expand...


I went ahead and put it down in academic recognition, but I didn't re-list it every time. I just put down the date I was invited as for the date and then I wrote in the description that I've been in it for the past 3 years.
 
Does anyone else find it difficult to describe each activity in less than 300 characters...? I consider myself a concise/straight and to the point type of writer but geeze...
 
SarahBellum1 said:
Does anyone else find it difficult to describe each activity in less than 300 characters...? I consider myself a concise/straight and to the point type of writer but geeze...
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Yes! I feel like the app in general doesn't paint a great picture. I found AMCAS harder to fill out, but I think it's a better representation.
 
Yeah! It sort of worries me a little bit, because it just feels like I'm only listing everything, which doesn't really give anyone an idea of who I am or what I've experienced. I wish I had more room to describe things like what I learned from each one or something like that. I guess that's what the PS is for, but you can't talk about everything in detail in your essay...
 
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