*~*~*~*Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2020-2021*~*~*~*

[deleted1038378]

@Airvino47 does it then ask you to list all the schools, or just to say whether you are applying via those apps?
I'm not an applicant so I can't see exactly how the app looks to you guys.

Hi! @wysdoc, it just says whether you are applying through those apps or not. There was no option to list specific schools.

Yes, I see that too. It's just Yes or No are you applying to AMCAS schools. Also, as a reapplicant, it asks me to list schools I previously applied to. However, it does not ask me which schools I'm going to apply to. However, past SDN threads seem to indicate they do?

Declaring AMCAS schools on TMDSAS

Hey everyone, So I was finishing up my TMDSAS application, and I wanted to know a bit about declaring AMCAS schools.. 1. Is there an upside or downside to declaring that I will be applying to multiple OOS schools? 2. Right now there are only 5 schools that I plan on using for AMCAS...

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Listing AMCAS Schools on TMDSAS

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[wysdoc]

Yes, I see that too. It's just Yes or No are you applying to AMCAS schools. Also, as a reapplicant, it asks me to list schools I previously applied to. However, it does not ask me which schools I'm going to apply to. However, past SDN threads seem to indicate they do?

Declaring AMCAS schools on TMDSAS

Hey everyone, So I was finishing up my TMDSAS application, and I wanted to know a bit about declaring AMCAS schools.. 1. Is there an upside or downside to declaring that I will be applying to multiple OOS schools? 2. Right now there are only 5 schools that I plan on using for AMCAS...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Listing AMCAS Schools on TMDSAS

.

forums.studentdoctor.net

@erenyeager that first post you linked is from 2013. Perhaps they used to ask for a list back then.

 

[stormking]

I ran into another problem with TMDSAS. They keep rejecting my statistic class, claiming that the class syllabus is missing a topic on Anova test..... That is obsurb. I cant find a class that fits every single specific topic that they listed in tmdsas.... I do have another class called research method that deals with statistics and include that particular topic. However, it doesn't include some other topics listed in tmdsas.... I'm very frustrated as what to do next. I am only applying to TCOM through tmdsas. Should I just contact TCOM with the syllabus and see what happens?
PS :that's for the prescribed course works

Anyone has insight on my question?? @wysdoc

 

[wysdoc]

Anyone has insight on my question?? @wysdoc

sorry, don't know anything more.

 

[deleted999752]

I kind of delayed my app a bit because some things came up and I ended up submitting 7/3 (probs be transmitted by 8/12). I am kind of having second thoughts because I am a reapplicant and my LizzyM is not that stellar ~71 ORM. Do ya'll think I should withdrawal and apply next cycle since it is a bit late? Because I kind of want to maximize my chances. Thanks.

 

[wysdoc]

I kind of delayed my app a bit because some things came up and I ended up submitting 7/3 (probs be transmitted by 8/12). I am kind of having second thoughts because I am a reapplicant and my LizzyM is not that stellar ~71 ORM. Do ya'll think I should withdrawal and apply next cycle since it is a bit late? Because I kind of want to maximize my chances. Thanks.

It is not late - this cycle, even August submission will be ok

 

[k_med]

The TMDSAS handbook just says to include publications 'if research culminated in any publications, abstracts, etc...', but if I am not listed as an author or in the acknowledgments of the publication should I not list this publication? Or should I mention it differently just in the activity description?

 

[wysdoc]

The TMDSAS handbook just says to include publications 'if research culminated in any publications, abstracts, etc...', but if I am not listed as an author or in the acknowledgments of the publication should I not list this publication? Or should I mention it differently just in the activity description?

included it in your research heading and talk about what you did as part of research and maybe what skills/procedures you learned how to do.
Don't worry, not that many undergrads get named as a pub author.
They ask if it resulted in a publication & then give you a drop-down space for title, etc.

 

[k_med]

included it in your research heading and talk about what you did as part of research and maybe what skills/procedures you learned how to do.
Don't worry, not that many undergrads get named as a pub author.
They ask if it resulted in a publication & then give you a drop-down space for title, etc.

Thank you for your help! By research heading do you mean include the publication in the drop-down description (saying 'Yes' to it resulting in a publication) and in that additional space, talk about what I learned from the research?

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you for your help! By research heading do you mean include the publication in the drop-down description (saying 'Yes' to it resulting in a publication) and in that additional space, talk about what I learned from the research?

No, sorry I meant to talk about the role you had as you did the research. If you’re not an author you don’t get to count it as a publication

 

[k_med]

No, sorry I meant to talk about the role you had as you did the research. If you’re not an author you don’t get to count it as a publication

No worries, thank you for clarifying-that makes sense I'm glad I confirmed!

 

[premedtomedstudentjourney]

Does tmdsas have like an "hours of operation"? Just wondering what the latest time would be that I can contact them by phone.

 

[dptemo]

Does tmdsas have like an "hours of operation"? Just wondering what the latest time would be that I can contact them by phone.

9 am - 5 pm. And I will say they pick up in a reasonable time.

 

[wysdoc]

Does tmdsas have like an "hours of operation"? Just wondering what the latest time would be that I can contact them by phone.

Yes, their hours are 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.
You could also send them a message on the app portal and they will get back to you.

 

[wysdoc]

Where do we put the contacts for our activities/ experiences? Would it be in the description areas?

Yes, & I know the space is limited. Choose the best way of contacting them, these days with people working from home that might be an email address.

 

[k_med]

Since em dashes are considered special characters and I can't insert them in my PS, would using 2 dashes as an em dash look unprofessional? Are there other good substitutions for this?

 

[wysdoc]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean?

Sorry, I meant when you enter contact info for the supervisor for your activity, probably email is best.
Who uses this information?
The med schools considering your application might communicate with a supervisor you listed, in the same way a prospective employer might contact any references you list.

 

[stormking]

Sad....TMDSAS is very diffculty to communicate and deal with.... I finally figured out the Statistic issue and now under my Bio Sci section i still have 3 Hr def in Lec, which doesn't make sense.... They put Bio 101, 102, intro to genetic (3 credits each for Lec and 1 for lab) and plus a biochemistry lab (2 credits), so in total they only counted 9 credits for lec and TCOM needs 12 credits....

I just checked, they also don't count graduate level courses to be part of the requirement. PERFECT!

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you for the response, but the issue is TMDSAS is not asking for them like AMCAS is. Should i put the contact information in the description box?

Yes.

 

[yeehaw97]

Yes.

I'm going to say, I think the consensus is that TMDSAS does NOT require contact information for activities. I can find a source but this has been reiterated multiple times by TMDSAS staff. Do not worry about trying to fit it in, the activities box already has such a small character count. If you want, you can pose this question in the TMDSAS Hub Facebook Page and they'll probably confirm there.

 

[k_med]

If we held multiple leadership positions in one organization (even if they were all pretty different), the TMDSAS guide is essentially saying to combine them all under one entry, correct? Would I just choose one of the titles to list or should I include a general '[Organization] Positions' as the activity title? And include a total hours that encompasses my entire time involved?

 

[BlueScar]

Hi, thanks. I couldn't find any of the information which is what got me thinking. I guess I should make a Facebook now (I don't remember my account info from years back)

 

[wysdoc]

Hi, thanks. I couldn't find any of the information which is what got me thinking. I guess I should make a Facebook now (I don't remember my account info from years back)

@BlueScar and all the rest of y'all still working on your apps:

I know Facebook isn't as popular with your generation, but if you want to make an account just to follow things like TMDSAS, Texas Health Education Service, AMCAS, and all the med schools you are applying to, there is a lot of useful & interesting information to enjoy. You don't even have to post things on your Facebook page.
Here are some examples:
1. On a group you can join called TMDSAS hub, you can post a question & the TMDSAS people check it every few days and answer questions.
2. Texas Health Education Services has been doing interviews with the admissions deans called "Courage Sessions". If you tune in to one of these live, you can even type in a question for that dean and the moderator for the interview will ask it to the dean. You will also learn useful things about how each school runs its application review, interviews, etc.
3. Every Tuesday at 2:30 two staff members from TMDSAS have been holding "online office hours" (actually, it has been "office half-hours" because not enough people have been tuning in and asking questions). These are some of the same staff who verify and review your apps, so if you want a question answered from those who know the definitive answer, log in and ask away! They are very friendly and helpful.

4. Not a Facebooker? You can watch any of the Courage Sessions, which are recorded and saved, on the Texas Health Education Service's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/TexasHealthEducationService

Hope this helps all y'all. You don't have to guess on things, there really is help available.
Wysdoc

 

[muzamil1]

hey so I was wondering about your opinion on this. Would I still be in the early/on time zone if I submit secondaries, mcat scores, and LORs by end of august? My MCAT is August 8th but I don't know if this puts me at a disadvantage this cycle?

 

[wysdoc]

hey so I was wondering about your opinion on this. Would I still be in the early/on time zone if I submit secondaries, mcat scores, and LORs by end of august? My MCAT is August 8th but I don't know if this puts me at a disadvantage this cycle?

You should be safe with that date (but not early) for this messed-up cycle. I DO hope you have submitted your TMDSAS primary though so they can be working on verifying it? You do not need the letters or scores in for them to work on your primary.

 

[muzamil1]

You should be safe with that date (but not early) for this messed-up cycle. I DO hope you have submitted your TMDSAS primary though so they can be working on verifying it? You do not need the letters or scores in for them to work on your primary.

I have submitted my primary on June 22th but the way it is looking rn, I won't be verified and transmitted until early august.

 

[frogbait]

If I am truly interested in TCOM but do not have a letter from a DO, am I completely out of luck? I completed their secondary, but I never shadowed a DO, and do not have any ties to any DO doctors. Will they consider my application incomplete?

 

[wysdoc]

If I am truly interested in TCOM but do not have a letter from a DO, am I completely out of luck? I completed their secondary, but I never shadowed a DO, and do not have any ties to any DO doctors. Will they consider my application incomplete?

@frogbait TCOM words it that they "encourage" a letter from a DO but do not absolutely require it.

They like pre-health committee letters too, but many TX colleges don't have those, so separate letters are fine. Here is the wording from their web page:

"TMDSAS requires that an applicant’s premedical/health professions advisory committee submit a written evaluation directly to the service. Letters from three (3) people who are familiar with an applicant may satisfy this requirement if no advisory committee is available. The letters should be from faculty members and/or an advisor who can assess the applicant’s suitability for medical school. Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation from an osteopathic physician familiar with the applicant; the physician may submit this recommendation directly to TCOM."

 

[LoopyKazoo]

Hi @wysdoc! I submitted my application in early July and I just made an update to one of the sections on the app. I know that making such a change on AMCAS requires one to completely re-submit the application. Is this the case for TMDSAS, or do pre-approved changes to the app get updated without a full re-submission of the application itself? I couldn't find anything about it in the TMDSAS applicant guide (but I could've missed it). Thank you in advance!

 

[wysdoc]

Hi @wysdoc! I submitted my application in early July and I just made an update to one of the sections on the app. I know that making such a change on AMCAS requires one to completely re-submit the application. Is this the case for TMDSAS, or do pre-approved changes to the app get updated without a full re-submission of the application itself? I couldn't find anything about it in the TMDSAS applicant guide (but I could've missed it). Thank you in advance!

Did you get help updating something from your admissions liaison by sending a message on your TMDSAS app? Doing this or updating something yourself like an email address or mailing address will not kick you back to the end of the line.

 

[LoopyKazoo]

Did you get help updating something from your admissions liaison by sending a message on your TMDSAS app? Doing this or updating something yourself like an email address or mailing address will not kick you back to the end of the line.

It wasn't through a liaison, rather, I made the change in the app myself. I was updating an upcoming MCAT date. My question is less about if I will get kicked back to the end of the line (although that's good to know that it sounds like I won't, so thank you for that), and more about if the change is saved without me having to do more than click "save" on the MCAT page. The reason I ask is that on AMCAS one not only has to click "save," but also has to resubmit the entire app (although it doesn't cause one to lose their spot in the verification queue).

 

[wysdoc]

It wasn't through a liaison, rather, I made the change in the app myself. I was updating an upcoming MCAT date. My question is less about if I will get kicked back to the end of the line (although that's good to know that it sounds like I won't, so thank you for that), and more about if the change is saved without me having to do more than click "save" on the MCAT page. The reason I ask is that on AMCAS one not only has to click "save," but also has to resubmit the entire app (although it doesn't cause one to lose their spot in the verification queue).

I think all you need to do is click save. Try logging in again or printing a pdf of your app and see if the change went through

 

[LoopyKazoo]

I think all you need to do is click save. Try logging in again or printing a pdf of your app and see if the change went through

Great idea with printing the app! The updated date shows up on the pdf, so I'll take that as a confirmation that it worked out. Thank you!

 

[BlueScar]

Will we receive II through email, or do we have to constantly check the individual portals? This goes for all TMDSAS schools.

 

[sp021]

Will we receive II through email, or do we have to constantly check the individual portals? This goes for all TMDSAS schools.

I think they'd all email you.

 

[stormking]

i received an reply from TMDSAS and just want to verify it with @wysdoc or anyone who has knowledge on it.
Will schools will still review my app even if i have deficient hrs?
"Unfortunately, we have to code courses the way they are taken. If the courses include a lab, we must code them as Lecture/Lab. You are correct, graduate level courses cannot be coded as pre-requisite courses. You should know that appearing to have a deficiency will not prevent your application from being reviewed and typically deficiencies are discussed during interviews. Additionally, if you are accepted to a medical school, they ultimately have the final say and can approve courses that we have denied. "

Thanks in advance

 

[wysdoc]

i received an reply from TMDSAS and just want to verify it with @wysdoc or anyone who has knowledge on it.
Will schools will still review my app even if i have deficient hrs?
"Unfortunately, we have to code courses the way they are taken. If the courses include a lab, we must code them as Lecture/Lab. You are correct, graduate level courses cannot be coded as pre-requisite courses. You should know that appearing to have a deficiency will not prevent your application from being reviewed and typically deficiencies are discussed during interviews. Additionally, if you are accepted to a medical school, they ultimately have the final say and can approve courses that we have denied. "

Thanks in advance

TMDSAS is the authority on the course classifications as they get sent to schools.
It is up to the applicant to check the prerequisite courses for each school they apply to, to know whether they have met them. The school itself, usually closer to matriculation, will check each accepted student to be sure they have met the requirements.
This is also true for AMCAS.
I’m sure this really seems odd or last-minute to some of you, but it would be a horrendous waste of time to verify prerequisites for each applicant.
I’m not sure what the issue is for you, @stormking, but if you took a class postbac to fill a requirement, it is easy to email a school to ask whether they would count it in your case.

I hope this answers what you wanted. And yes a school would read your app because they don’t check if you have every prerequisite at this point.

 

[stormking]

TMDSAS is the authority on the course classifications as they get sent to schools.
It is up to the applicant to check the prerequisite courses for each school they apply to, to know whether they have met them. The school itself, usually closer to matriculation, will check each accepted student to be sure they have met the requirements.
This is also true for AMCAS.
I’m sure this really seems odd or last-minute to some of you, but it would be a horrendous waste of time to verify prerequisites for each applicant.
I’m not sure what the issue is for you, @stormking, but if you took a class postbac to fill a requirement, it is easy to email a school to ask whether they would count it in your case.

I hope this answers what you wanted. And yes a school would read your app because they don’t check if you have every prerequisite at this point.

My issue is that TCOM has a pre-requisite for bio classes of 12 credits. While i do have 12 credits from bio 101, 102, and genetics. TMDSAS cut up the classes into lec credit and lab credit and they awarded 3 credits each for lab and 1 for lab. so in total i only have 9 credits for bio classes.... that was my issue... i guess i will e-mail the school and see what they think.

Thanks for answering

 

[Isaacrez]

Has anyone heard of schools, other than El Paso, sending out interview invites yet?

 

[wysdoc]

Has anyone heard of schools, other than El Paso, sending out interview invites yet?

so far just El Paso, Texas A&M (regular and EnMed), and Long.

 

[premedtomedstudentjourney]

it's so stressful waiting to figure out when the other schools will send out interviews lol since everything is now different from previous cycles

 

[HeretoSeekAdvice]

it's so stressful waiting to figure out when the other schools will send out interviews lol since everything is now different from previous cycles

Time to pack the sunscreen

 

[wysdoc]

Today's Courage Session interview is with the admissions staff at SHSU DO school. 1:00 pm Central time, or view the archived recording in a couple of days. Find it on Facebook on TMDSAS or Texas Health Education Service page.
If you join the live session, you can type in questions you may have.

In other news, TCU/UNTHSC is beginning to send out secondary invitations and aims to get all the secondaries out by the end of the week to applicants who are complete on AMCAS and who meet the minimum requirements (GPA 3.0, MCAT 497).

 

[BlueScar]

Today's Courage Session interview is with the admissions staff at SHSU DO school. 1:00 pm Central time, or view the archived recording in a couple of days. Find it on Facebook on TMDSAS or Texas Health Education Service page.
If you join the live session, you can type in questions you may have.

In other news, TCU/UNTHSC is beginning to send out secondary invitations and aims to get all the secondaries out by the end of the week to applicants who are complete on AMCAS and who meet the minimum requirements (GPA 3.0, MCAT 497).
[/QUthis

Today's Courage Session interview is with the admissions staff at SHSU DO school. 1:00 pm Central time, or view the archived recording in a couple of days. Find it on Facebook on TMDSAS or Texas Health Education Service page.
If you join the live session, you can type in questions you may have.

In other news, TCU/UNTHSC is beginning to send out secondary invitations and aims to get all the secondaries out by the end of the week to applicants who are complete on AMCAS and who meet the minimum requirements (GPA 3.0, MCAT 497).

This is solely through Facebook, or can w access it through other means? Thank you!

 

[wysdoc]

If you don't use Facebook, you can watch it in a couple of days on the Texas Health Education Service YouTube channel. All the Courage Sessions are saved there.

 

[la flame]

You should be safe with that date (but not early) for this messed-up cycle. I DO hope you have submitted your TMDSAS primary though so they can be working on verifying it? You do not need the letters or scores in for them to work on your primary.

do you need all your LOR's to be submitted before getting any secondaries/interiews? I just have 1 professor that has been taking forever

 

[Airvino47]

do you need all your LOR's to be submitted before getting any secondaries/interiews? I just have 1 professor that has been taking forever

you need your LOR's submitted before receiving an interview; however, for receiving secondaries it is not necessary.

 

[Mystique02]

Hello! I am not sure if this question was asked already, but how many activities would you all suggest to include in my application? I realize TMDSAS asks us to essentially list all we have done since beginning undergrad, however because I am considered a non-traditional student I am a little worried about having too many activities. What are your thoughts?

 

[wysdoc]

do you need all your LOR's to be submitted before getting any secondaries/interiews? I just have 1 professor that has been taking forever

No, you do not. Some schools say they don't need them until they are making decisions on admissions.
But gently remind your professor, no more than once every 2-3 weeks, and include the link again in case they lost it.

 

[wysdoc]

Hello! I am not sure if this question was asked already, but how many activities would you all suggest to include in my application? I realize TMDSAS asks us to essentially list all we have done since beginning undergrad, however because I am considered a non-traditional student I am a little worried about having too many activities. What are your thoughts?

List the ones that are important to you and that show different skills/abilities you have.