Official UTHSCSA Class of 2008 Thread

[G0S2]

Who is going to be with me????


Congrats!!!!

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[LAZYGUY]

here, here!

I know some others are waiting to hear if they got into other schools they ranked higher in the match, but I ranked UTSA #1 so I am not going anywhere else, very happy about my choice!! I need to go apartment hunting....I am going to be in San Antonio Feb. 12-15 for a music convention so I guess I will do it then. I really will be looking for a place within walking distance since I hate driving in traffic.

 

[hockeygirl]

I'm in too!!!!! Yeaaaaaaaa!!! I ranked San Antonio as my #1 choice!!! I fell out of my chair when I saw that I had gotten in!

 

[G0S2]

Originally posted by hockeygirl
I'm in too!!!!! Yeaaaaaaaa!!! I ranked San Antonio as my #1 choice!!! I fell out of my chair when I saw that I had gotten in!

 

[tuesday]

It was my number one choice too!!! I'm so excited. EEEEP

 

[roja]

Any one who wants the nitty gritty of UTHSCSA just PM me. After 5 years there (I took 6 mos off my 3rd year adn 6 mos off my 4th year) Feel free!!

You guys will absolutely love going to school there...


and avoid living in the Lodge.



Congrads!

 

[STAC]

Congrats all of you guys & gals!!!

I didn't get my top choice of SA but I am so thankful that I matched! I'll be at TCOM and will be needing to lease my house out to someone, so...if anyone is looking for a really cool house or back apartment to live in get in touch with me. I am less than 15 minutes from school and I live in a great neighborhood and awesome location in the city!
Congrats again all you SA folks!!!

 

[LAZYGUY]

Originally posted by STAC
Congrats all of you guys & gals!!!

I didn't get my top choice of SA but I am so thankful that I matched! I'll be at TCOM and will be needing to lease my house out to someone, so...if anyone is looking for a really cool house or back apartment to live in get in touch with me. I am less than 15 minutes from school and I live in a great neighborhood and awesome location in the city!
Congrats again all you SA folks!!!

you sound like a cool guy stac, I really hope they accept you off the waitlist or something..you'd be a great classmate. I'll be pullin for you.

 

[STAC]

Originally posted by LAZYGUY
you sound like a cool guy stac, I really hope they accept you off the waitlist or something..you'd be a great classmate. I'll be pullin for you.

Thanks so much! I am so stoked about going to med school, I plan on totally kickin butt at TCOM! I gonna get my masters whichi is what I wanted to do also...so I am really looking at all the positives of this. I like the systems based learning and they keep you on your toes by constantly having exams which is good for me...we'll see! I am just so happy to know I'll be a doc!!!

Hopefully, I'll be able to do my residency in SA! We'll move back after school and it'll all be cool!

Good luck!!! I have some really great friends there and the faculty is first class!!!

 

[hillofbeans]

Add me to the list.

San Antonio is a dream come true.

Now it's time to get into some serious debt.

 

[jberg4]

Hi everyone! I'll be with you at San Antonio. I'm muy excited and looking forward to meeting y'all.

 

[bjackson421]

From the information you all got in your acceptance letters, did it give a date for the first day of orientation? Thanks

 

[G0S2]

No letters yet, just the match.

 

[nosaj]

I'm in too!!!!!!!!!! I found out with the letter before the match. White Coat Ceremony is on Sunday, June 27. School starts beginning July. Congrats

 

[roja]

Originally posted by nosaj
I'm in too!!!!!!!!!! I found out with the letter before the match. White Coat Ceremony is on Sunday, June 27. School starts beginning July. Congrats

'school' is a nice euphamism for the CIC month.

 

[roja]

I have gotten a number of PM's regarding questions about CIC and white coat ceremony.

CIC is fun. There is lots of 'unnecessary' stuff. I am sure some of it has changed. What I found really useful and interesting was the stuff regarding 300 point exam (aka PEST aka Physical Exam Skills... aka physical stuff) where you learn how to use all your stuff and interpret normal and abnl sounds etc (to a degree). Also, the small group stuff can be really cool because you 1- get to know a small group of your classmates and you get to practice some history taking skills. Its a little awkward but trust me, starting all this stuff in first year and practicing it first and second year will stead you will third year. You are *so* comfortable third year doing H&P stuff that you can focus on feeling stupid. And learning, which will make you look like a rock star your fourth year on away rotations where other people are still struggling with how to present and defend thier plan.

You should definately spend alot of time having fun with your class. While they (dr. lawrence, etc) will try and scare you about the PEST exam etc at the end, do NOT listen. Have fun.

The white coat ceremony is fun as well. it is not necessary. It is a little goofy, but what the hell. You busted your rump to get into medical school. You deserve a little pomp.

If you guys have other questions, feel free to PM me. There are so many things to think about once you get there... How to set up your scribe serv, faculty that its good to know, who to suck up to.

Also, get your fafsa in soon. Don't freak out about financial aid. John is the medical school guy and he rocks. Get to know him. Be nice to him. He can save your life.

 

[G0S2]

We really appreciate your help Roja!!!!

 

[jsmd]

Congratulations to all of you who got into to UTHSCSA. I am a first year there and I really enjoy being there.

Here is some info. on CIC and the first year:

CIC is broken into two parts: Introduction to patient care (IPC)and clinical tracks. The IPC is the first month of school. You learn the basics of patient care such as history taking and physical exam. You do these with standardized patients. You will learn the basics of the physical exam for the head and neck, MS system, nervous system, CV system and abdomen. At the end of the month, you will take a Physical Exam Skills Test (PEST) and a written test. The clinical tracks are done during the rest of the year. The year is composed of 6 phases (6 weeks of class and a week of exams). Every Wednesday of each phase you do one of the tracks. The tracks are Standardized patient (do H&P), MS3 (shadow a 3rd yr.), community physician (shadow a MD), Geriatric (visit a geriatric patient), and Humanities.

The other courses you take during the 1st yr. are:
Biochemistry: a lot of material in very short period of time
Gross Anatomy and Embroylogy: an awesome course; very clinically relevant; the course director, Dr. Johnson is excellent
Microscopic Anatomy: the most boring class during first year
Microbiology: not the most organized course
Physiology: my favorite class
Neuroscience: interesting, but very challenging, because it is very different from any other course in 1st yr.

Our class will be putting together a study CD for your class. Our class President will send you out info. about ordering one sometime in the next couple of months.

Again, congrats to all of you, and see you at the white coat ceremony.

 

[keekee]

Hey, fellow 2008 people!

Add one more to the list...

I only found out about these forums after I matched at UTHSCSA, my #1 choice (naturally!)...It would have been nice to have more people to chat with during all the application/interviewing insanity...I thought for sure I was the only one obsessing and worrying about the awe and wonder that is the Texas match...

You all sound like an awesome group! Anyone in Austin right now?

And Roja, your advice has been so awesome- lots of great inside info on the school. I was already excited about getting in, but now I'm a million times more so...

Congrats to all!

 

[hillofbeans]

does anyone know if the curriculum will be changing for us?

I think the school got some suggestions during the last accreditation review.

I'm hoping the curriculum doesn't change too much. Not that its perfect now, but I hate being a guinea pig. Always some hiccups the first time something new rolls out.

I'm excited about CIC. Would like some PBL, but again, not sure I want to be the first batch through at UTHSCA.

Would be grateful to axe all time spent looking at slides!

 

[catch 23]

I'm a first year! Your class will have some changes, but trust me for the better. The accreditation service cirticized the number of hours first years spend in class. Thus, next year the administration will cut out histo lab completely. You will get an awsome interactive CD with all the slides and text to go with it that will supplement the lab (we have that cd now). You will still have histo class though. Lab was a waste of time. No one knew what was going on and everyone relied on the CD anyhow before phase. Also, they will cut down the number of lecture hours in anatomy. So, the actual content in the curriculum isn't changing drastically--just number of class hours. BUY THE STUDY CD. You will get a packet of info offering you the opportunity to buy this cd. this will be your only chance to buy the cd and it is a must. It has old tests and quizes for every class from the past couple of years and it has wonderful study aids. Many of the profs use similar questions (sometimes almost the same questions) and it would be to your benefit to have the old tests. If you do nothing else before phase except take old tests you will be O.K.

good luck guys.

 

[hillofbeans]

Originally posted by catch 23
BUY THE STUDY CD.

thanks for the info!

how much will the CD cost?

 

[jsmd]

I was basically going to say the same things Catch 23 said about the 1st year curriculum. The administration recognized that there were some things (such as histo lab) that were not necessary, so they got rid of them. So your class may have a little bit more independent study time. The study CD will be $45. I agree, it is a must have. This is way down the line, but I believe we are going to sell you our used anatomy dissection tools at a very discounted price, and donate to each tank a "nasty Netter".

 

[keekee]

The whole study CD thing is a great idea! Is this the first year it's been done?

And two questions for you current UTHSCSA people:

1) Where are the good places to live?

2) How wired/tech-savvy is the school? I mean, how helpful would having a laptop be? I'd imagine if we're using CDs a lot it would be better to have one...

 

[jsmd]

The current 2nd year class sold us study CD's, but I am not sure how far back it goes from there. There are several places to live around the medical center area, such as The Lodge, Promontory point, etc. There is also an apartment complex (not sure the name) behind Methodist Hospital where a lot of people live and walk to school instead of buying a parking permit. I think there are some places that offer discounts to students.

Most of the lecturers use powerpoint presentations. The library has alot of interactive software, which I found really helpful especially for embryology. We do get a lot of CD's, such as one for histo slides, anatomy Xrays, Neuroscience and microbiology. However, the CD's are really for independent study use so I don't think its essential to have laptop.

 

[Megalofyia]

Are there students who live at Promontory point? It's such an expensive place, but it is REALLY nice.

 

[STAC]

Originally posted by JGL9802
I'm interested in living within walking distance and paying $400- 500. Is this possible? What is that place by Methodist called?

Jason

Yeah...I think so. Look for something off of Hamilton Wolf.

 

[roja]

The pointe is expensive. You can live reasonably cheaply at the Lodge. but you get whatyou pay for.

Walking is severely overrated. (I had this thought as well..... moved out to a house second year)

And its a shame to histo lab is going a way. I loved being a tutor (extra cash and really helps for step 1).

And btw, Tom King is a very good friend and his class *NOT* boring. I loved it. (except the teeth stuff... ech)

Biochem on the other hand. complete waste of time and completely useless when it comes to step one.

 

[Disenchanted 1]

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE !!! nice work...now you can relax and enjoy

 

[kevinf911]

Saddle Ridge on North Knoll is a nice place to live...i'm only about 2 miles maybe (?) from campus, and the commute USUALLY takes no more than 7 - 10 minutes. Rush hour is an exception, but even then it's still not too bad.

Anyways, hit me up with any questions y'all might have!

Kevin
MS1 UTHSCSA

 

[keekee]

Another question:

How bad is the gym REALLY?

I heard it's pretty bad, and this girl likes to stay in shape.

 

[Megalofyia]

Originally posted by keekee
Another question:

How bad is the gym REALLY?

I heard it's pretty bad, and this girl likes to stay in shape.

It's like a small apartment complex's gym. UTHSCSA students get a discount to Racket Ball and Fitness.

 

[keekee]

Thanks for the info!

Any idea how much the initiation/monthly fees are there?

 

[jberg4]

I'm looking to get a laptop for med school. I think the Mac's are really cool but I'm worried about compatability. Will the Mac support any software we need or any data ports that are available (are there any?) in the library? Any help with this would be great!

 

[jsmd]

One of my anatomy tankmates lives at Promontory Pointe. We have lab on Monday, so I will try to remember to ask how much he pays.

The gym is small. However, there are really nice rec. fields with jogging track, tennis courts, and basketball courts. Personally, I find these to be adequate for what I want to do. At least once a week, several 1st and 2nd year (and somtimes 3rd year) students meet out at the rec. fields and play ultimate frisbee.

As for as my comment about histology being boring, I intended no disrespect against Dr. King. I too really like Dr. King and think he is a great guy, however, the subject matter of histology, to me, is boring. Just like some people hate anatomy, but I really like it. As for the histology lab, I guess things are different now. The TAs did not get paid (no budget), and basically read the notes to us. Then we would sign in, spend ten minutes looking at slides and leave. Since most of the slides we needed to study were on the CD (the one distributed with the syllabus, not the study CD the first years buy), most people felt it was a waste of time being there.

 

[Megalofyia]

I heard it was like $640 for a one bedroom there. Which is kind of pricey for San Antonio.

 

[keekee]

Originally posted by Megalofyia
I heard it was like $640 for a one bedroom there. Which is kind of pricey for San Antonio.

Yeah, no kidding. I pay about $700 for a 2/2 at really nice and new place here in the ever so pricey NW Austin. And I live alone. So honestly, I think that $640 is way way too much to pay for a 1/1 in San Antone....Not worth it, IMHO.

 

[keekee]

So, these are really generic questions but someone asked them in the UTSW thread so I thought I would too!

What advice do you guys have for the first year? How to study, where to study, how to spend your free time, how not to go insane?

Which classes are great, which ones are not so great, and which ones will be the most intense?

Thanks!

 

[roja]

Originally posted by keekee
So, these are really generic questions but someone asked them in the UTSW thread so I thought I would too!

What advice do you guys have for the first year? How to study, where to study, how to spend your free time, how not to go insane?

Which classes are great, which ones are not so great, and which ones will be the most intense?

Thanks!

KeeKee-

Wow, you are brave. The advice game is the bane of being a first year.

I think the best advice I got was to not buy a ton of books, to not try and harvest 'ways to study'. Basically to ignore all advice and realize it will take you about 6 mos to find the ways that work best for you.

Don't buy tons of books and study guides. you can check them out from teh library or just go and look at them. Pick teh ones you need and that you will study from. (I was partial to Underground clinical vignettes and the first aid. They were kind of customized for the UTHSCSA exams (clinical presentations).) But again, a 'great' review book does you no good if *you* don't like the format and don't read it.

Don't become a gunner. Even if you want to be someone who studies their ass off, dont' screw people over or act superior. Our number one classmate also happened to be one of the coolest people. He was fun and always willing to help out others. (he is coincidentally a ob resident at University HOsp)

Do whatever it is *you* enjoy on your time off. You will find tat different people love/hate the same classes. Figure out which ones you like and go with it.


Med school is hard, not really because of the work but because there is alot of pressure. And a lot of advice. In the end it comes down to you figuring out how to learn a large volume of information and being comfortable with what grade you want for what amount of effort. Almost everyone in medical school is capable of getting all A's. but it depends on how much you want to sacrifice to do it.

 

[keekee]

Thanks, roja!

That's good advice, especially about not buying the books and study guides unless you know they work for ya...I'm cheap-- I mean poor!

I think you and everyone else are right in saying you just gotta wait till you get there, give it some time, and figure out what works best for you.

And gunners make me laugh.

Thanks again!

 

[Giving My .02]

Originally posted by keekee
Thanks, roja!

That's good advice, especially about not buying the books and study guides unless you know they work for ya...I'm cheap-- I mean poor!

I think you and everyone else are right in saying you just gotta wait till you get there, give it some time, and figure out what works best for you.

And gunners make me laugh.

Thanks again!

I was just wondering if KeeKee is your real name, because I knew a guy with that name in Pre-school. When is your birthday, because I remember his because was one of my relative's b-day. If that is not your name, then sorry for bugging you.

 

[keekee]

Originally posted by Giving My .02
I was just wondering if KeeKee is your real name, because I knew a guy with that name in Pre-school. When is your birthday, because I remember his because was one of my relative's b-day. If that is not your name, then sorry for bugging you.

Heh. No problem, but I don't think I can help ya. My B-Day is Aug 31st, and I'm a gal!

KeeKee is just a silly message board name I chose because I honestly couldn't think of anything better at the time..

 

[Giving My .02]

Sorry to bother you then, but I did know a little pre-school guy by that name, and he was one of my best friends back then. We are the same age, so I thought it could have been you. However, thanks for responding and take care.

 

[G0S2]

Has everyone received an official letter? I have not and UTHSCSA said they would fax it to me on Monday since the date for holding a spot is approaching. Also, did anyone receive a $1,000 scholarship like those given to some acceptees at UTSW and UTH? For out-of-state matriculants, $1,000 means in-state tuition.

 

[LAZYGUY]

yeah I received my letter, they want you to confirm BY THIS WEEK if you are accepting or not. I would contact the registrar and state your situation.

 

[keekee]

Yeah, the mail has been a little strange. I got my acceptance letter the day of the match, but I got the Harligen Regional Campus info letter the same day but it was postmarked back in December. Definitely make sure you get the letter of intent from them so you can get it in by the 14th.

As for scholarships- I wish!

 

[G0S2]

The Dean's office was shocked that I did not receive a letter yet, even for Massachusetts. Does UTHSCSA provide scholarships like UTSW and UTH? They will fax one to me tomorrow, so, no loss. I loved the school!!! I will be in SA from March 4-16 for any SDN'ers that want to meet up. I wish Roja could.

Watching those Grammy's.

 

[Ghost]

what's up everybody? me and jgl9802 both live in houston and wanted to meet up before going to san antonio. is there anyone else out there from houston who would be interested in meeting up?

 

[keekee]

I wish I lived closer to Houston!..But if anyone plans to be in Austin anytime soon and wants to meet up, let me know!

I'm pretty sure UTHSCSA doesn't have a "second look" weekend, does it? It would be nice to have a chance to meet everyone before June...

 

[nosaj]

ROJA
What advice do you have for a 1st year wanting to BUY a house (1st time buyer) near the Medical School. Is it possible to get a mortgage when your only source of income is student loans and grants? How did you do it?