*~*~*~* Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2022-2023 *~*~*~*

[skeptastic]

I am excited to finally be learning everything that I actually need to know. Throughout undergrad and now grad school, while of course a lot of this material is necessary, everybody has to take classes that don't relate to medicine. I am just ready for everything to finally be pertinent

Agreed!!

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[beepboop39]

Hi! I have a question regarding the May 15 cutoff for getting in off a waitlist. I matched to my lowest choice TMDSAS school. I have another A at an AACOMAS school that I would rather attend than the school I matched at. But i am really hoping for a spot at one of the schools I am waitlisted at. If I withdraw my A at the school I matched at (still holding my spot at the AACOMAS school) does that mean I could get in to one of the schools I am waitlisted at later than May 15? And to follow up, will those schools know I withdrew my A and would that hurt my chances for any reason?

 

[wysdoc]

Hi! I have a question regarding the May 15 cutoff for getting in off a waitlist. I matched to my lowest choice TMDSAS school. I have another A at an AACOMAS school that I would rather attend than the school I matched at. But i am really hoping for a spot at one of the schools I am waitlisted at. If I withdraw my A at the school I matched at (still holding my spot at the AACOMAS school) does that mean I could get in to one of the schools I am waitlisted at later than May 15? And to follow up, will those schools know I withdrew my A and would that hurt my chances for any reason?

DM'd you

 

[duckdynasty1]

How long do you get to decide if you are admitted off a waitlist? Is there a usual amount of time like 2 weeks?

 

[wysdoc]

How long do you get to decide if you are admitted off a waitlist? Is there a usual amount of time like 2 weeks?

If you get an admission offer from a WL, read every word of the email to see what your deadline is. I think 10-14 days would be a ballpark estimate, in the first month or two after Match. The closer we get to the end of the cycle, your time to respond could be shorter.

 

[duckdynasty1]

If you get an admission offer from a WL, read every word of the email to see what your deadline is. I think 10-14 days would be a ballpark estimate, in the first month or two after Match. The closer we get to the end of the cycle, your time to respond could be shorter.

Sweet thanks! i’ll have to start thinking about it now

 

[FirstAidMan]

DM'd you

Hi! I have a question regarding the May 15 cutoff for getting in off a waitlist. I matched to my lowest choice TMDSAS school. I have another A at an AACOMAS school that I would rather attend than the school I matched at. But i am really hoping for a spot at one of the schools I am waitlisted at. If I withdraw my A at the school I matched at (still holding my spot at the AACOMAS school) does that mean I could get in to one of the schools I am waitlisted at later than May 15? And to follow up, will those schools know I withdrew my A and would that hurt my chances for any reason?

I also have this same exact question. should I not accept my offer of acceptance from a TMDSAS school in order to better my chances of being taken off of the waitlist of a TMDSAS school I want to go to. Or does it not make a difference?

 

[beepboop39]

I also have this same exact question. should I not accept my offer of acceptance from a TMDSAS school in order to better my chances of being taken off of the waitlist of a TMDSAS school I want to go to. Or does it not make a difference?

If you have no TMDSAS match after May 15, you could get in off a WL after May 15. But if you do have a match, you could only get in before May 15. I wouldn’t give up your match though unless you have another non TMDSAS A you’d rather take than your match. And probably keep it until early May just in case. But pretty sure accepting the offer makes no difference here.

 

[FirstAidMan]

If you have no TMDSAS match after May 15, you could get in off a WL after May 15. But if you do have a match, you could only get in before May 15. I wouldn’t give up your match though unless you have another non TMDSAS A you’d rather take than your match. And probably keep it until early May just in case. But pretty sure accepting the offer makes no difference here.

I do have a AACOMAS match I'd rather take. So, I guess I will wait until early May to respond to the school's offer and decline it. I will do that assuming it will allow me to receive an offer from a school I'm waitlisted at after May 15th. Is that correct? Did you get an answer as to whether or not the school you are waitlisted at will be able to see if you decline an offer of acceptance?

 

[beepboop39]

I do have a AACOMAS match I'd rather take. So, I guess I will wait until early May to respond to the school's offer and decline it. I will do that assuming it will allow me to receive an offer from a school I'm waitlisted at after May 15th. Is that correct? Did you get an answer as to whether or not the school you are waitlisted at will be able to see if you decline an offer of acceptance?

I did not get an answer on this. But thinking about it, my opinion is that it probably won’t matter much. You could have any number of reasons for declining and I don’t think the schools will look negatively on it… or at least if they do, the pro of being on the waitlist through July if necessary outweighs that con… at least for me

 

[wysdoc]

Learn all about WL offers:

Getting put ON a WL means just some more waiting. You're getting pretty good at that, right?

Here's what to know if you get an offer of admission, from a WL:
1. If you had no prior admissions, you're going to reply to the email, usually saying "Yes I accept."

2. If you hold an acceptance to a school already, you can consider and compare. Read the WL offer carefully to see when they want an answer from you. You do not HAVE TO accept an offer of admission from a WL. It is your choice. Now most people might move up to their WL school, but maybe you got more fond of the first school that accepted you or maybe something else has changed in your life.
After thinking it over, you can:

A) Accept your new WL offer. Wait to be sure the school confirms your reply. THEN directly contact your first school, by email or phone call, and clearly state your regrets and say that you will be attending a different school and would like to withdraw from your seat at "school the first".

B) Decline (turn down) the WL offer. Politely in an email say thank you but you have decided to stay with the school you have. You don't have to contact "school the first".

Take enough time to think and be sure, because withdrawing from a school is final.

WL offers started already this year, so far from McGovern and A&M. This probably reflects their carefulness not to overfill their class.

 

[texaspete123]

Thank you for this. I have a question about how deferrals interact with waitlist offers. Specifically, if you want to request a deferral from a school you have matched at, but you are still on a waitlist for another Texas school, when should you submit the deferral request?

 

[wysdoc]

Asking for a deferral is a specific thing to a school where you are accepted, so for now only deal with that school.
You can’t defer a spot on a WL until next year.

 

[texaspete123]

Asking for a deferral is a specific thing to a school where you are accepted, so for now only deal with that school.
You can’t defer a spot on a WL until next year.

Yeah, I understand that you can’t defer a spot on the waitlist. But if you ask a school you’ve matched at (school A) for a deferral, and they grant it and then another school (school B) accepts you off the waitlist and you matriculate to school B in fall 2023, have you violated your deferral agreement with school A?

In other words, does creating a deferral agreement with one school prevent you from accepting a spot off the waitlist of another?

I’m probably overthinking this.

 

[wysdoc]

Yeah, I understand that you can’t defer a spot on the waitlist. But if you ask a school you’ve matched at for a deferral, and they grant it and another school accepts you off the waitlist and you matriculate there in fall 2023, have you violated your deferral agreement? I’m probably overthinking this.

That’s a good question and I don’t know the answer to it.
Nonetheless, some schools are open to granting a deferral and others will not. It will be on the MSAR

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yeah, I understand that you can’t defer a spot on the waitlist. But if you ask a school you’ve matched at (school A) for a deferral, and they grant it and then another school (school B) accepts you off the waitlist and you matriculate to school B in fall 2023, have you violated your deferral agreement with school A?

In other words, does creating a deferral agreement with one school prevent you from accepting a spot off the waitlist of another?

I’m probably overthinking this.

Do you have a copy of the deferral agreement? If you are bound to school A, you cannot accept an offer from school B normally. If A never offers deferrals, this is a moot point.

 

[rainbow458]

Yeah, I understand that you can’t defer a spot on the waitlist. But if you ask a school you’ve matched at (school A) for a deferral, and they grant it and then another school (school B) accepts you off the waitlist and you matriculate to school B in fall 2023, have you violated your deferral agreement with school A?

In other words, does creating a deferral agreement with one school prevent you from accepting a spot off the waitlist of another?

I’m probably overthinking this.

Did you give a reason when you requested the deferral? I'm sure you have a valid reason but I don't really understand how you are able to start med school at school B but have to wait an extra year to be able to attend school A?
To answer your question, I think you're fine. It may raise eyebrows but you won't be in trouble or anything. When you get off the waitlist at school B just contact school A and withdraw your acceptance.

 

[texaspete123]

Did you give a reason when you requested the deferral? I'm sure you have a valid reason but I don't really understand how you are able to start med school at school B but have to wait an extra year to be able to attend school A?
To answer your question, I think you're fine. It may raise eyebrows but you won't be in trouble or anything. When you get off the waitlist at school B just contact school A and withdraw your acceptance.

Good point. It’s that I would prefer a deferral, not that I absolutely need one. But if given the chance to attend top choice school this year or never, I would prefer to attend it this year.

I have not made any deferral request yet. I was trying to figure out if it made sense to ask for deferral before or after finding out about waitlist. It’s definitely confusing. I guess asking for deferral earlier rather than later helps them know their enrollment this year. But is there any deadline for asking for a deferral?

Anyway, you are right: there is a slight inconsistency there.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Good point. It’s that I would prefer a deferral, not that I absolutely need one. But if given the chance to attend top choice school this year or never, I would prefer to attend it this year.

I have not made any deferral request yet. I was trying to figure out if it made sense to ask for deferral before or after finding out about waitlist. It’s definitely confusing. I guess asking for deferral earlier rather than later helps them know their enrollment this year. But is there any deadline for asking for a deferral?

Anyway, you are right: there is a slight inconsistency there.

Usually you ask for a deferral after you get an offer and before you put down a deposit. There's a process for that.

 

[beepboop39]

I withdrew on Thursday from the school I matched at. I received an email confirming receipt of my withdrawal but my AMP portal hasn’t changed and on the TMDSAS portal it still says “congrats, you’ve matched…” should something have changed? How long should I wait before contacting the school?

 

[wysdoc]

I withdrew on Thursday from the school I matched at. I received an email confirming receipt of my withdrawal but my AMP portal hasn’t changed and on the TMDSAS portal it still says “congrats, you’ve matched…” should something have changed? How long should I wait before contacting the school?

You have contacted them and got a confirmation, no need to do more

 

[doge2000]

Is May 15 the last date for any TMDSAS school to offer admission off the waitlist in general or only for those that are holding a Texas acceptance?

 

[wysdoc]

Is May 15 the last date for any TMDSAS school to offer admission off the waitlist in general or only for those that are holding a Texas acceptance?

Only applies to those already holding an acceptance.
After that WL activity does continue, but all the offers will then be made to people who have no Texas acceptances. These could be Texans who interviewed but got no match, or OOS applicants with no other TX offers.

 

[doge2000]

Only applies to those already holding an acceptance.
After that WL activity does continue, but all the offers will then be made to people who have no Texas acceptances. These could be Texans who interviewed but got no match, or OOS applicants with no other TX offers.

Could they offer a WL position to someone after May 15 who previously had a Texas acceptance but withdrew from it for an OOS school?

 

[wysdoc]

Could they offer a WL position to someone after May 15 who previously had a Texas acceptance but withdrew from it for an OOS school?

If they already withdrew formally then they no longer hold a current TX spot, so would be eligible for WL offers.

 

[Belphegor]

Thank you for this. I have a question about how deferrals interact with waitlist offers. Specifically, if you want to request a deferral from a school you have matched at, but you are still on a waitlist for another Texas school, when should you submit the deferral request?

I know this is super late, but I was offered a deferral a few years ago and the email said I could still accept WL offers. However, the deferral was only offered because the class was already full. This would probably be a good question for TMDSAS support.

Did you end up asking for a deferral?

 

[texaspete123]

I know this is super late, but I was offered a deferral a few years ago and the email said I could still accept WL offers. However, the deferral was only offered because the class was already full. This would probably be a good question for TMDSAS support.

Did you end up asking for a deferral?

Interesting, thank you. It’s actually about my partner. They haven’t yet asked for a deferral. I’m encouraging them to ask soon.

 

[laurel380]

Hello all,
So I’m a little confused about the grading on TMDSAS. During COVID, my school adopted a Credit/No Credit option for classes, with grades C- or lower being marked as “No Credit.” I received NC for one of my classes, and it was not factored into my gpa. However, the TMDSAS website has a link that states as follows:

A grade or symbol indicating failure (i.e.: F, WF, NC, or in a pass/fail system, FL equals F) shall count as hours undertaken, but no grade points shall be earned

I assumed this meant my “NC” grade would be factored into my TMDSAS gpa as an F. However, when I called and emailed TMDSAS about this, they said it won’t count. I am now very confused because they seem to be contradicting their website. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[wysdoc]

Hello all,
So I’m a little confused about the grading on TMDSAS. During COVID, my school adopted a Credit/No Credit option for classes, with grades C- or lower being marked as “No Credit.” I received NC for one of my classes, and it was not factored into my gpa. However, the TMDSAS website has a link that states as follows:

A grade or symbol indicating failure (i.e.: F, WF, NC, or in a pass/fail system, FL equals F) shall count as hours undertaken, but no grade points shall be earned

I assumed this meant my “NC” grade would be factored into my TMDSAS gpa as an F. However, when I called and emailed TMDSAS about this, they said it won’t count. I am now very confused because they seem to be contradicting their website. Does anyone have experience with this?

If you got a grade of C minus or lower on a prerequisite course, you would need to take it over again and score better, for it to count as meeting the prereq.
If it was some other class ( not a prereq) then it’s not an issue in that way.
TMDSAS considered this to be a P/F class, which do not have a grade point value (1,2,3,or4) and so can’t be calculated into the GPA.

 

[thematrixcitizenkane]

Hey,

I'm applying next cycle and was wondering if I could get some suggestions about ...
1) What schools you all would suggest applying to out of state given stats/experiences & what OOS schools have given fellow TX residents some love?
2) I was wondering whether I could get some advice on whether to apply I should apply to all TMDSAS schools? I know this is ultimately up to me and my preferences, but I was specifically concerned about whether it would even be worth my time applying to more rural and primary care focused schools like UT RGV if that's not where my interest lies?

Some background:
- ORM
- Clinical hrs: ~ 750 hrs (all scribing and MA work, mostly in outpatient settings and free clinics, hospice care)
- Shadowing: ~110 hrs (cardiology, surgery, gastroenterology, etc.)
- Research: ~800 hrs (about half are from a non-clinical field, the other half are either from biomedical translational research and clinical chart outcomes)
- Community Service: ~540 hrs (lot of diversity here, nursing home volunteering, soup kitchens, etc.)
- Leadership: TA, founded a fairly successful but small non-profit, and coach high school tennis

 

[wysdoc]

Hey,

I'm applying next cycle and was wondering if I could get some suggestions about ...
1) What schools you all would suggest applying to out of state given stats/experiences & what OOS schools have given fellow TX residents some love?
2) I was wondering whether I could get some advice on whether to apply I should apply to all TMDSAS schools? I know this is ultimately up to me and my preferences, but I was specifically concerned about whether it would even be worth my time applying to more rural and primary care focused schools like UT RGV if that's not where my interest lies?

Some background:
- ORM
- Clinical hrs: ~ 750 hrs (all scribing and MA work, mostly in outpatient settings and free clinics, hospice care)
- Shadowing: ~110 hrs (cardiology, surgery, gastroenterology, etc.)
- Research: ~800 hrs (about half are from a non-clinical field, the other half are either from biomedical translational research and clinical chart outcomes)
- Community Service: ~540 hrs (lot of diversity here, nursing home volunteering, soup kitchens, etc.)
- Leadership: TA, founded a fairly successful but small non-profit, and coach high school tennis

Good questions-
There’s a lot of research to do as an Applicant but in general
1. About 15 % of Texans go OOS and 85% stay in TX. The ones who get in OOS are usually MD/PhD applicants, top stat applicants, or meet some other mission or recruitment criteria.
2. Don’t apply to any schools you don’t want to go to. If this were the only acceptance you got, would you attend, or would you really think…Nah, I would rather buff up my application and try again next time.
3. Within Texas, if you absolutely don’t fit the mission (like being from East Texas for UT Tyler) then leave it off your list.

 

[laurel380]

Good questions-
There’s a lot of research to do as an Applicant but in general
1. About 15 % of Texans go OOS and 85% stay in TX. The ones who get in OOS are usually MD/PhD applicants, top stat applicants, or meet some other mission or recruitment criteria.
2. Don’t apply to any schools you don’t want to go to. If this were the only acceptance you got, would you attend, or would you really think…Nah, I would rather buff up my application and try again next time.
3. Within Texas, if you absolutely don’t fit the mission (like being from East Texas for UT Tyler) then leave it off your list.

Does the OOS bias include DO schools?

 

[wysdoc]

Does the OOS bias include DO schools?

Good question-
Yes for TCOM and SHSU which use the TMDSAS application system.
No for UIWSOM which is private and not bound to the terms of 90% in-state enrollment

Added:
I just realized @laurel380 was probably asking a different question -
Are OOS DO schools biased against Texas applicants?
Usually not, unless the school states a very specific preference for people from their immediate region.

 

[laurel380]

Good question-
Yes for TCOM and SHSU which use the TMDSAS application system.
No for UIWSOM which is private and not bound to the terms of 90% in-state enrollment

Added:
I just realized @laurel380 was probably asking a different question -
Are OOS DO schools biased against Texas applicants?
Usually not, unless the school states a very specific preference for people from their immediate region.

Thank you for the response! Yes, I am a Texas resident

 

[Hong_bing]

Does the conversation in TMDSAS on asking questions/clarifications on Application and answers from TMDSAS staff also get transmitted to Schools along with application ?

 

[wysdoc]

Does the conversation in TMDSAS on asking questions/clarifications on Application and answers from TMDSAS staff also get transmitted to Schools along with application ?

Do you mean questions you ask in the TMDSAS live sessions?
Or questions you ask by message in your TMDSAS portal?

For either situation, no, they do not become part of your file that gets transmitted to the med schools.
I think the messages and answers do get saved on the TMDSAS portal for your use and the staff's use, in case you have a followup question they can see what you were told earlier.

 

[wysdoc]

Hey all y'all
The 2022-2023 application year is wrapping up now and since we're starting to get mostly questions about the next application cycle, I'm going to close this thread to further questions / comments and ask you to put the new one on your Watch threads list *~*~*~* Official TMDSAS Questions Thread 2023-2024 *~*~*~*

You can ask questions there, or see the Republic of Texas thread The Republic of Texas XLI: You'll Never Break A Horse if You Stay Sittin' on the Fence
for questions not related to technical things about the TMDSAS app system.