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

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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SarahBellum1 said:
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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Agreed. I am trying not to worry too much by remembering we are all in the same boat. Surely they are just looking at an overview and will invite us to tell them more!
 
Sooo this might be somewhat dumb to ask...but what would you put as an "end date" for an activity that you intend on continuing for as long as you possibly can...? For example, I've played tennis since I was 5...in highschool and on my college team... and I plan on playing it as long as my body will allow it haha
 
SarahBellum1 said:
Sooo this might be somewhat dumb to ask...but what would you put as an "end date" for an activity that you intend on continuing for as long as you possibly can...? For example, I've played tennis since I was 5...in highschool and on my college team... and I plan on playing it as long as my body will allow it haha
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I seriously put the date I turn 80 as an end date for stuff like that! Things I would stop doing while in school got a fall 2013 date. 🙂
 
I'm filling out TMDSAS, AMCAS, and AACOMAS! Ugh!

Quick question on behalf of all of us non-residents: Just how competitive must we non-residents be to have a shot? Last cycle I had a c3.82, s3.80, tons of research with publications, but with a fecal MCAT (23O) that I intend to retake this July and make at least a 28, preferably a 30+. That said, I busted my one and only C+ during a semester of hell (separation, death, you name it; it happened).

I'm guessing I'll go into this cycle with even more research (2 first author pubs), a c3.75, s3.68, and a 29 MCAT. Do you think that should suffice to get into a Texas school? I really want to make my way back out West.

Thanks in advance!
 
I guess I have the same question as Deutsch. OOS, 33Q, almost identical GPAs and average ECs (no pubs). I've gotten advice on all ends of the spectrum, from "TCOM is your only shot" to "you'll get at least a handful of acceptances" to "give up now".

Any insight from you wise people?
 
So do we need to list all of our non-TMDSAS schools? What is the purpose of it.. if I'm applying to 15 schools on AMCAS will that severely impact my TMDSAS app? Also, I'm waiting on my MCAT to see whether or not i'm going to apply to more AMCAS schools.. if I've submitted my TMDSAS already, do i need to add the schools if I add more to AMCAS later? I'm a non-resident and I'm really aiming for Southwestern, my wife lives in Texas and I really want to be close to her 🙁
 
ZND said:
I guess I have the same question as Deutsch. OOS, 33Q, almost identical GPAs and average ECs (no pubs). I've gotten advice on all ends of the spectrum, from "TCOM is your only shot" to "you'll get at least a handful of acceptances" to "give up now".

Any insight from you wise people?
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I didn't apply to every school, but isn't it roughly $150 to apply to all? Then maybe $100 in secondaries since only a couple charge? If I were you, I'd chance it since you're not losing much in the grand scheme.

I have 6 or 7 schools on AMCAS so far, and I owe over double what I paid to TMDSAS. 🙁 Plus of course each is going to send me a secondary and charge me $100. Now with THAT I am concerned about worth....

I do think you need to get things in quickly if you are OOS since interviews here begin much earlier. I found AMCAS and TMDSAS quite different in the activities section (took me some re-working), so you might get a start on that if you want to go for it.

I don't actually think that helped you, but my 2 cents. 🙂
 
Hi all, I was just wondering, my school is on the quarter system and I was getting confused with the conversion from quarter units to quarter hours....are those the same thing? Or is it 120 hours (4 quarter units times three hours per week for ten weeks!)

Thank you!
 
These optional essays are killing me. I feel like I should do at least one even though I just want to play my ps3...

by the way, one question.

I guess the TMDSAS wants 2 rec letters, but I only got rec letters from my professors. I was involved in a few activities, but i never got letters from them. Would it be disadvantageous to only send 2 science prof rec letters?
 
mohad said:
These optional essays are killing me. I feel like I should do at least one even though I just want to play my ps3...

by the way, one question.

I guess the TMDSAS wants 2 rec letters, but I only got rec letters from my professors. I was involved in a few activities, but i never got letters from them. Would it be disadvantageous to only send 2 science prof rec letters?
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No, professor letters are good.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
I'm filling out TMDSAS, AMCAS, and AACOMAS! Ugh!

Quick question on behalf of all of us non-residents: Just how competitive must we non-residents be to have a shot? Last cycle I had a c3.82, s3.80, tons of research with publications, but with a fecal MCAT (23O) that I intend to retake this July and make at least a 28, preferably a 30+. That said, I busted my one and only C+ during a semester of hell (separation, death, you name it; it happened).

I'm guessing I'll go into this cycle with even more research (2 first author pubs), a c3.75, s3.68, and a 29 MCAT. Do you think that should suffice to get into a Texas school? I really want to make my way back out West.

Thanks in advance!
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Probably one of the more important aspects of your competitiveness will be your ties to Texas, or your reason for wanting to come to Texas. They take that pretty seriously, and the OOSers usually used to live in Texas or have family in Texas.

It also seems that my school's OOSers also tended to go to really good schools, or had really interesting/unique experiences.
 
mohad said:
These optional essays are killing me. I feel like I should do at least one even though I just want to play my ps3...

by the way, one question.

I guess the TMDSAS wants 2 rec letters, but I only got rec letters from my professors. I was involved in a few activities, but i never got letters from them. Would it be disadvantageous to only send 2 science prof rec letters?
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Gah me too!! Would it be THAT bad if we didn't do the two optional essays?
 
armybound said:
No, professor letters are good.
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ok, and to go along with that, I don't have a research recommendation. i was involved in research for a little bit, but i never interacted with the PI seeing as the lab was overseen by another person (who happened to move after I left). Should I try and contact him to get me a letter, or should I just let it go? I am trying to dig around the websites for rec letter requirements, and I keep on seeing "3 letters, one from research" or I just can't find them on the website. I always heard 2 science and 1 nonscience and thought that was sufficient.
 
dwills said:
Gah me too!! Would it be THAT bad if we didn't do the two optional essays?
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I would strongly recommend at least answering one of them. Most applicants will, and you don't want to be one of the few who doesn't. They're not absolute requirements, but I think it would behoove you to at least try.




mohad said:
ok, and to go along with that, I don't have a research recommendation. i was involved in research for a little bit, but i never interacted with the PI seeing as the lab was overseen by another person (who happened to move after I left). Should I try and contact him to get me a letter, or should I just let it go? I am trying to dig around the websites for rec letter requirements, and I keep on seeing "3 letters, one from research" or I just can't find them on the website. I always heard 2 science and 1 nonscience and thought that was sufficient.
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Do you think the PI could actually strongly recommend you? I feel that not having a letter would be better than having a mediocre or poor letter
 
Probably a stupid question, but where do we include contact information for our activities?
 
armybound said:
I feel that not having a letter would be better than having a mediocre or poor letter
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this was my thought process, but i just wanted to know other opinions. I wouldn't want my app to be thrown out just because I didn't get one rec letter. I'd rather send in 2 good ones from my science professors instead of a good and meh one.
 
armybound said:
Probably one of the more important aspects of your competitiveness will be your ties to Texas, or your reason for wanting to come to Texas. They take that pretty seriously, and the OOSers usually used to live in Texas or have family in Texas.

It also seems that my school's OOSers also tended to go to really good schools, or had really interesting/unique experiences.
Click to expand...

I have a very, very unique PS and fit the bill for "interesting/unique" experiences, which is why I think I landed two interviews and a WL spot with a 23O last cycle. I was really surprised.

I guess my main question would be what do you all think would be the minimum MCAT I could make and have a shot to apply? I mean, according to what I've heard, the TMDSAS is far cheaper than AMCAS. Maybe it'd be a good idea to take my shot regardless... Thanks again everyone.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
I have a very, very unique PS and fit the bill for "interesting/unique" experiences, which is why I think I landed two interviews and a WL spot with a 23O last cycle. I was really surprised.

I guess my main question would be what do you all think would be the minimum MCAT I could make and have a shot to apply? I mean, according to what I've heard, the TMDSAS is far cheaper than AMCAS. Maybe it'd be a good idea to take my shot regardless... Thanks again everyone.
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I think for OOS, the average stats are a bit higher to get into TX schools. I know the in-state talk around my area is generally that 28 is about as low as you want to go.

That being said, I've talked to 3 admissions offices; out of those, only 1 has cut-offs for looking at apps. The other 2 check out the whole package before dismissing anyone.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
I have a very, very unique PS and fit the bill for "interesting/unique" experiences, which is why I think I landed two interviews and a WL spot with a 23O last cycle. I was really surprised.

I guess my main question would be what do you all think would be the minimum MCAT I could make and have a shot to apply? I mean, according to what I've heard, the TMDSAS is far cheaper than AMCAS. Maybe it'd be a good idea to take my shot regardless... Thanks again everyone.
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It's relatively cheap to apply. If you really want to go to school in Texas, is your MCAT score really going to stop you from trying?

I have no specific number that will help you. The higher the better. Above 30 is good, but not absolutely essential.
 
For the chronology of activities did you guys leave the activity descriptions truncated (since it allows only 50 characters) or is it necessary to fix it?
 
I know someone already asked this, but I didn't see a reply. Should I bother entering coursework that is 0 credit hours, such as physical education courses? I don't think the system lets you enter 0 hours.

Also, I have a 4 hour Physics course with a 0 hour lab. It's listed as two separate courses on my transcript, but should I just enter it as a single course and mark it as Physics Lab & Lec? Thanks!
 
craftyconqueror said:
I think for OOS, the average stats are a bit higher to get into TX schools. I know the in-state talk around my area is generally that 28 is about as low as you want to go.

That being said, I've talked to 3 admissions offices; out of those, only 1 has cut-offs for looking at apps. The other 2 check out the whole package before dismissing anyone.
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That really helps, thanks.

armybound said:
It's relatively cheap to apply. If you really want to go to school in Texas, is your MCAT score really going to stop you from trying?

I have no specific number that will help you. The higher the better. Above 30 is good, but not absolutely essential.
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No, I guess not. Thanks.
 
Oh sh.it, TMDSAS has their own thread? Badass. I just started a thread for no reason.

1) What are you guys putting under "Healthcare Activity Name"? Are you putting "Volunteer" or the name of the organization you volunteered for?

and

2) If you guys received dean's list for multiple semesters, are you putting it separately or all in one activity (for Academic recognition)?
 
fas376 said:
Oh sh.it, TMDSAS has their own thread? Badass. I just started a thread for no reason.

1) What are you guys putting under "Healthcare Activity Name"? Are you putting "Volunteer" or the name of the organization you volunteered for?

and

2) If you guys received dean's list for multiple semesters, are you putting it separately or all in one activity (for Academic recognition)?
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1) I put the name of what I did, e.g. "Literacy Volunteer." In the description, I put the organization if I thought it was pertinent.

2) List it once, with the first date. In the description you can add the other semesters. There will be plenty of room in this one since you don't have to use characters to explain it.
 
craftyconqueror said:
1) I put the name of what I did, e.g. "Literacy Volunteer." In the description, I put the organization if I thought it was pertinent.

2) List it once, with the first date. In the description you can add the other semesters. There will be plenty of room in this one since you don't have to use characters to explain it.
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Thanks for your response.

I agree with your first answer. However, regarding the 2nd: TMDSAS has a chronological list of activities. If I received a scholarship 3 years in a row and only wrote I received it my sophomore year, it wouldn't show up. I feel like it would be better to just write them out individually. They'll still be saying the same stuff, but it's not like they frown upon it if you put it separately, you know what I mean?
 
fas376 said:
Thanks for your response.

I agree with your first answer. However, regarding the 2nd: TMDSAS has a chronological list of activities. If I received a scholarship 3 years in a row and only wrote I received it my sophomore year, it wouldn't show up. I feel like it would be better to just write them out individually. They'll still be saying the same stuff, but it's not like they frown upon it if you put it separately, you know what I mean?
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Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm non-trad with 14 years to account for, so I grouped what I could! I guess I assumed they would read the description, but who knows? It's too late for me now. :laugh:
 
If I was in organizations that did various volunteer activities, do I list each event that I participated in? I may be here until December if that's the case...

Also, I am in Teach For America. I'm not technically employed be them (I'm employed by my school). I'm not really sure where to list it... Thoughts?

Thanks in advance 🙂
 
I would put it in both if there's any semblance of employment to it. The TMDSAS is much friendlier (even encouraging) to people that list stuff in multiple categories.

Anybody know what the significance of the "Transcript Through" boxes getting filled in is? As of this morning, they both have the "Spring XX" dates that each transcript is good for on my Status page. Does this mean they're finished processing those transcripts/checking them against my reported classwork?

Still waiting to get confirmation/acknowledgement of TMDSAS receipt from 7 of the 8 schools...
 
ZND said:
Anybody know what the significance of the "Transcript Through" boxes getting filled in is? As of this morning, they both have the "Spring XX" dates that each transcript is good for on my Status page. Does this mean they're finished processing those transcripts/checking them against my reported classwork?
Click to expand...

"Transcript Through" just means the last semester of your attendance. I don't know how long it takes to verify as that's different as time goes by, but the important part is the "Date Received." After that, they can begin chugging through if you have submitted.

ZND said:
Still waiting to get confirmation/acknowledgement of TMDSAS receipt from 7 of the 8 schools...
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How do you get acknowledgement? Do the schools contact you? I only see "Transmitted to School" on my TMDSAS Status page and have just been playing the waiting game since.
 
ZND said:
Like an email saying they got it. This is just the neurotic side of me wanting confirmation that nothing screwy happened lol.

IE: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12594918&postcount=10

They're the only one I've heard from. So I'm guessing the next we'll hear from schools won't be until interview invites go out (fingers crossed)?
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I am hoping the schools will indulge my neurotic side too!

TMDSAS transmitted my app to the schools on 5/21 (after I submitted on 5/16), so hopefully I will soon be getting emails also. :xf:
 
Mmm... submitted 6/1 and committee letter should go out by end of this week... so nervous :scared:
 
are OOSers using one of the optional essays to explain 'why texas'? it seems to be an important factor for the adcoms (according to comments on this thread), so where do we show it for the schools that don't have a secondary?
 
Hey guys,

I asked my letter writers for rec letters a while ago. I didn't know about the evaluation forms. Are you guys using those? I don't want to email them again and bug them 🙁
 
fas376 said:
Hey guys,

I asked my letter writers for rec letters a while ago. I didn't know about the evaluation forms. Are you guys using those? I don't want to email them again and bug them 🙁
Click to expand...

No - for the same reasons as you. Plus I would have to ask them to send AMCAS ones too since I'm applying through that also. Too much of a pain.
 
craftyconqueror said:
No - for the same reasons as you. Plus I would have to ask them to send AMCAS ones too since I'm applying through that also. Too much of a pain.
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I agree! Why do they make our lives so miserable? One of my rec letter writers is conducting her own research, is the head of our university's research department, is teaching 2 summer courses, and is also helping out her grad students' research. I'm lucky enough that she agreed to write me a letter. The last thing I want is for her to deal with more ****.

And the eval form is worse since the professors will have to print it out and mail it. F.uck that!
 
Has anyone gotten anymore acknowledgements? My application was transmitted on 05/17 and I still haven't received anything...
 
Does anyone know if you can submit the TMDSAS application without the LOR like AMCAS?
 
Question about AP credit. While the FAQ states that lump sum credit is not accepted, my institution has a specific page detailing which AP exams equate to which classes. However, on my transcript it still just says "x credits." Additionally, specifically to my student ID, my university generates a report that is very similar to the transcript but does list each AP exam as a course. How do I go about this on the TMDSAS?
 
Question: Should I go ahead and submit my TMDSAS primary *now* with my fecal MCAT of 23O and indicate my scheduled retake of August 4th?

In AMCAS, I was planning to submit to my definite schools about a week before my MCAT to ensure my app was verified by the time my scores came back, then add schools according to the score I made. AMCAS schools don't even glance at your app until you retake, other than the schools that send everyone a secondary.

But Texas's system is so foreign to me. I'm not sure if that'd be a good idea for Texas. Also, keep in mind that I'm still waitlisted for the class of 2016 and have until July 23rd before I know for sure whether or not I already have a spot. (And yes, even though I'm OOS, I'm going to argue in the optional essay why Texas is my top choice--love me some Texas.)

Thanks in advance.
 
Non-resident here with no ties to Texas. TMDSAS requires spring grades to be in to apply and I won't have those sent until at least mid June. With everything, I'll probably be complete around early July (waiting on the LORs).

As an OOSer with a 3.6 and a balanced 32 MCAT, is this way too late to apply to even have a shot? I just want to make sure with all the factors that it still makes sense to put time into the app. Thanks!
 
psychmdhopeful said:
Non-resident here with no ties to Texas. TMDSAS requires spring grades to be in to apply and I won't have those sent until at least mid June. With everything, I'll probably be complete around early July (waiting on the LORs).

As an OOSer with a 3.6 and a balanced 32 MCAT, is this way too late to apply to even have a shot? I just want to make sure with all the factors that it still makes sense to put time into the app. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I don't know about the stats, but I heard the schools don't start checking out apps until July, so I would imagine that timeline is fine.

As for the LORs, I've heard mixed - from they are necessary before they will look at secondaries, to people getting interviews before LORs are in. I wonder if anyone has school specific info there.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Question: Should I go ahead and submit my TMDSAS primary *now* with my fecal MCAT of 23O and indicate my scheduled retake of August 4th?

In AMCAS, I was planning to submit to my definite schools about a week before my MCAT to ensure my app was verified by the time my scores came back, then add schools according to the score I made. AMCAS schools don't even glance at your app until you retake, other than the schools that send everyone a secondary.

But Texas's system is so foreign to me. I'm not sure if that'd be a good idea for Texas. Also, keep in mind that I'm still waitlisted for the class of 2016 and have until July 23rd before I know for sure whether or not I already have a spot. (And yes, even though I'm OOS, I'm going to argue in the optional essay why Texas is my top choice--love me some Texas.)

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Submitting early can be very important. I wouldn't wait for your MCAT result.
 
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