***Official UTMB-Galveston Class of 2013 Thread***

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Hi all,
I will more than likely be joining you guys next year in Galveston! I'm really excited except for one thing. I keep hearing that a lot of the current students are going to transfer out. Can any of the current students confirm or deny this rumor? Would the school allow so many transfers? I read GlobalMD's posts from awhile back, but was curious if there are any more updates. Thanks, I guess I'm just a little leery about all the uncertainty revolving around the school.
 
tmacartest said:
Hi all,
I will more than likely be joining you guys next year in Galveston! I'm really excited except for one thing. I keep hearing that a lot of the current students are going to transfer out. Can any of the current students confirm or deny this rumor? Would the school allow so many transfers? I read GlobalMD's posts from awhile back, but was curious if there are any more updates. Thanks, I guess I'm just a little leery about all the uncertainty revolving around the school.
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I believe the unofficial word is that the school will not allow so many of its students to transfer out; besides, even if they WOULD be allowed, whether there are enough seats at all the other schools to accommodate all those transfers is another question entirely. Remember, the only slots that open up in a med school class are from those students that leave the school for whatever reason. That's <5-10 spots per school, probably, that open up in any given med school class, and not even all those spots are usually filled. It really is fairly unusual to see a student successfully transfer, even if there wasn't an unofficial policy blocking all those students leaving.
 
Any recommendations for housing in the Galveston area? Are there any apt complexes that are favorties for UTMB students?
 
Hey all,

I just recently graduated from UTMB and want to say that it is a great institution to have on your CV.

Also, the place that I lived in withstood the storm with flying colors. If anyone is interested in renting/buying please let me know.

The craigslist website is: http://galveston.craigslist.org/apa/968429054.html

Feel free to contact me regarding questions about the school, cost of living, the property etc.

AJ
 
Does anyone know if we will be contacted about joining medical fraternities? Also can you live in the medical fraternity house freshman year?
 
FutureTexasMD said:
Does anyone know if we will be contacted about joining medical fraternities? Also can you live in the medical fraternity house freshman year?
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You'll get ads from some of them in the packets UTMB sends you later on. Some have websites you can check out....I can dredge some up if you'd like. Also, UTMBMD2012 lives in a frat so he'd be a good point man on this. Don't know how all the houses fared during the 'cane. I know Phi Chi took a beating, according to their site.

Yes to your 2nd question.
 
FutureTexasMD said:
Does anyone know if we will be contacted about joining medical fraternities? Also can you live in the medical fraternity house freshman year?
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Hey Future, You will get info about fraternities during orientation as well as about a million other things. You can live in a fraternity house freshman year. I'm a first year and live at the Theta Kappa Psi medical fraternity house. Here is our website, www.thetakappapsi.com if you don't want to wait for info. Feel free to ask me if you have any specific questions. Medical fraternities are definitely the best value living around.

Oh ya, and the TKY house was the only house untouched in the hurricane 😉 I think its a sign...
 
Did any of ya'll receive any kind of confirmation that UTMB received your form saying you accept their offer? I've sent emails and called a few times, but they have never gotten back to me. I'm one of those really paranoid people...
 
reds11 said:
Did any of ya'll receive any kind of confirmation that UTMB received your form saying you accept their offer? I've sent emails and called a few times, but they have never gotten back to me. I'm one of those really paranoid people...
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No, they don't send a confirmation. I'm also one of the paranoid types so I called and she was able to confirm it for me. Just call next week when they are back if they don't email you.
 
I haven't received anything either, so I'm not gonna worry about it quite yet. They sent a powerpoint after all... seemed pretty official to me.

One question. When do yall start back school. I was wanting to plan a trip down to Galveston soon, but I didn't want to go when the place was dead. Also, do they provide guided second looks if I email them? Thanks
 
DrSno said:
No, they don't send a confirmation. I'm also one of the paranoid types so I called and she was able to confirm it for me. Just call next week when they are back if they don't email you.
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Thanks. Will do.

PreMedP said:
I haven't received anything either, so I'm not gonna worry about it quite yet. They sent a powerpoint after all... seemed pretty official to me.

One question. When do yall start back school. I was wanting to plan a trip down to Galveston soon, but I didn't want to go when the place was dead. Also, do they provide guided second looks if I email them? Thanks
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If you do end up going down there, could you tell me how it looks and what they tell you? Unfortunately I'm OOS so I can't afford to fly down again to check it out.
 
PreMedP said:
One question. When do yall start back school. I was wanting to plan a trip down to Galveston soon, but I didn't want to go when the place was dead. Also, do they provide guided second looks if I email them? Thanks
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They start back Jan 5. I'm sure they can get someone to give a tour.

reds11 said:
If you do end up going down there, could you tell me how it looks and what they tell you? Unfortunately I'm OOS so I can't afford to fly down again to check it out.
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Basically the only thing you'll notice physically different on campus that I can think of is seeing more crews working than normal. The buildings don't look damaged from outside...its the first floors inside of some of them that are being replaced.
 
Kudu, how does Galveston look overall? Does the Strand have life again yet, or is it still deserted?
 
DrSno said:
Kudu, how does Galveston look overall? Does the Strand have life again yet, or is it still deserted?
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I'd describe it as slowly but surely. It looks a lot better than it did...as of early Dec they'd hauled over 1.1 million cubic yards of debris off the island. I think all the big chain stores have been up for a long time now, but lots of smaller ones haven't come back yet/won't. Downtown is slowly coming back..they've had the bike rally and the Dickens on the Strand in the past month, though at somewhat scaled back levels. Mardi Gras is in 6 weeks. I think the Strand Theatre reopens in Jan. The one cool thing (for me at least) is that all the parking meters were destroyed...so free curbside parking downtown for now. There are tons of contractors working downtown (especially noticable when you park curbside and get a nail through your sidewall😡). Even so, lots of places still haven't reopened yet. Some are waiting on insurance to pay up. City finances are being strained by much lower hotel and sales tax revenue. They're working with FEMA, but I haven't heard much about how much Gtown is getting and when that money will come through.

The cruise ships are back. The new causeway is done except for landscaping, after which they'll raise the speed limit from 50 to 60. Yes! From info that's about a month old, I'd guesstimate the population to be at 65-70% of its pre-Ike number. A&M reopens next semester, I suppose that'll bring a few thousand students and staff back with it.

Perhaps a good way for you guys to get a feel for it is to go to galveston.com and click on cuisine, nightlife, or shopping under What to Do and click on a subcategory. They'll list most of the restaurants, stores, etc, and next to the name will say if they're open or not available.
 
Glad to hear Galveston is making progress towards getting back to the way it was. I know I'm in the minority, but I liked the feel of the town. Do you plan on staying in Galveston for awhile Kudu?
 
DrSno said:
Glad to hear Galveston is making progress towards getting back to the way it was. I know I'm in the minority, but I liked the feel of the town. Do you plan on staying in Galveston for awhile Kudu?
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Galveston is quaint or ghetto, depending on your perspective. I actually like Galvy too. It'll grow on you if you let it, or maybe I'm just a sucker these sorts of places.

Don't know. It'll depend of course on what job/career/education paths I decide to pursue and where they're available. The family was hinting over the holidays they'd like me back in dfw haha, but I've got the resources to take a little time to cogitate about it.
 
Can current students give me some idea of how much studying most students do at UTMB to be successful? In undergrad my average was probably 2 hours per week, maybe 3 hours if I had a couple exams. I fully expect that med school will require at least twice that. Would 5-10 hours of studying per week (an hour or two per weekday) most likely be enough? I know this will vary from person to person but I'd just like some idea of what to expect.

Also: One of the things I love about UTMB is the relaxed feeling. Are most of the students still relaxed around exam times? What, if any, are the stressful times of first or second year?
 
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DrSno said:
Can current students give me some idea of how much studying most students do at UTMB to be successful? In undergrad my average was probably 2 hours per week, maybe 3 hours if I had a couple exams. I fully expect that med school will require at least twice that. Would 5-10 hours of studying per week (an hour or two per weekday) most likely be enough? I know this will vary from person to person but I'd just like some idea of what to expect.

Also: One of the things I love about UTMB is the relaxed feeling. Are most of the students still relaxed around exam times? What, if any, are the stressful times of first or second year?
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You'll find most of the people fall into 2 groups. Group A keeps up with the material studying probably about 3-5 hrs a day and increases it a couple hours the week and a half or so before a test. Group B takes 2 or so weeks vacation right after a test. Then for about 2 weeks crams about 6-10 hours a day until the test and I estimate about 12 hours the day before the test. Needless to say, I think to pull off 10 hrs the week of a test would require an exceptional medical student, and I don't know of anyone trying that. No doubt, you will study more in medical school than you ever imagined you could. Last comment, I don't consider myself to be the biggest studier of my class and I definitely wasn't in college either. I feel these numbers are decent estimates at averages. UTMB definitely has a great relaxed atmosphere, but no matter where you go, as an exam creeps up, it is going to be at least slightly stressful.
 
DrSno said:
Can current students give me some idea of how much studying most students do at UTMB to be successful? In undergrad my average was probably 2 hours per week, maybe 3 hours if I had a couple exams. I fully expect that med school will require at least twice that. Would 5-10 hours of studying per week (an hour or two per weekday) most likely be enough? I know this will vary from person to person but I'd just like some idea of what to expect.

Also: One of the things I love about UTMB is the relaxed feeling. Are most of the students still relaxed around exam times? What, if any, are the stressful times of first or second year?
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I agree with the above, and would add this. How do you define success? 70 is passing. The avg test scores are near 90, so if you want HP or H (top half of the class) you're going to have to bust your butt a little. Or you could just do your own P/F thing haha. In addition, you'll have to study for PBL and POM, but it seems like that work load is as big or small as you want to make it to some extent. It's definitely doable, and UTMB is indeed a very relaxed place, but you will certainly study much more than in undergrad. I think most people use scribes as their main study source. Its not incredibly detailed but it is high-yield stuff for testing purposes. There are an avg of 5-6 pgs of scribe notes per lecture, and an avg of 6 lectures per week. The courses have a lab component as well that varies widely in punching power. In MCT the lab is a walk in the park...I think we were responsible for ~25 histo slides for the midterm. In anatomy the lab tests are a much larger portion of the grade and studying for them is correspondingly more time-comsuming.
 
ok, so I'm coming down on Tuesday the 6th to take a look around Galveston and figure out if it's the place for me...

I was looking through emails from UTMB and one said that they couldn't provide guided tours until March or April. Is there any kind soul out there that could spare some time around 2ish to show my girlfriend and me some of the facilities? Please PM me if you think this would work. Thank you so much.
 
Thanks guys for those answers. One other question I have is whether UTMB starts teaching the drugs and their effects from the beginning or is there a pharmacology class?
 
DrSno said:
Thanks guys for those answers. One other question I have is whether UTMB starts teaching the drugs and their effects from the beginning or is there a pharmacology class?
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I encountered a few drugs in the pbl sessions that were considered learning issues. Towards the end of MCT they have a few pharmacology lectures, but I don't believe there's a pharma course per se. No clue how it's integrated into the rest of the first couple of years. I noiced some people buying pharm cards during MCT. Not much help, but that's all I got.
 
You can do very well by just reviewing each lecture (read: probably 1-2 hrs per weekday at least 3-4 times a week). Then the weekend before and week of the test HIT IT HARD (as in most free time = studying). You can definitely honor/high pass doing this, and except for that last week, won't really feel stressed. Many people that study 3-5 hrs a day likely aren't getting much more out of it. Also, you rarely ever have to read. Stick to lectures and scribes and supplement what you don't know with the internet and books. UTMB is kind of like undergrad...except you only have one class at a time, and it's like you are studying for a final every 4 weeks. Again, everyone is different, but for many this method works.
 
Thanks AggieMD for posting that, makes me feel a lot better. I knew med school would be way more studying than I've ever done, but 3-5 hours per day seemed like it would cause students to burn out quickly.
 
DrSno said:
Thanks AggieMD for posting that, makes me feel a lot better. I knew med school would be way more studying than I've ever done, but 3-5 hours per day seemed like it would cause students to burn out quickly.
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Ya, that was just an average. Most people that just go over the lectures/scribes of the day (however long that takes). Considering you have pretty much from noon on off, a couple hours a day, feels like nothing.
 
Hey again. Many of you have been asking if the school is having an official second look/tour day. I just got off the phone with Theresa Silva from the admissions office. She told me that if at any point you want to visit the campus. Email Dr. Rabek and tell him you would like to visit. He will sit down with you for a few minutes and provide a map and a visitor badge. This means at this time (until March sometime) the school can only provide for a self guided tour. However, if this is not sufficient for you, I will host an unofficial tour this Saturday at 11am. If you would like to come, please PM me so that I know how many people to expect. Any family, significant others, or friends are welcome, just let me know.
 
DrSno said:
Can current students give me some idea of how much studying most students do at UTMB to be successful?

Also: One of the things I love about UTMB is the relaxed feeling. Are most of the students still relaxed around exam times? What, if any, are the stressful times of first or second year?
Click to expand...

Ive done 2 weeks off and 2 weeks on and done fine. Did 3 weeks off and 1 week on and did fine as well. Passed all my tests so far. HOWEVER, its hella stressful the last week if you wait that long. If its not required I dont go to it. I am going to try to stay a lil more on top of it though.
 
DrSno said:
Thanks guys for those answers. One other question I have is whether UTMB starts teaching the drugs and their effects from the beginning or is there a pharmacology class?
Click to expand...

UTMB does not have a pharm course. It is supposedly integrated into PBL throughout first and second years. However, I did little to no pharm except some basic principles during first year. Second year is a little more heavy on the pharm. Second year is all systems-based so they include the relevant pharm in each course by having a few lectures over it. Example - for the gastrointestinal course we had a lecture over pharm for motility disorders, one over GERD pharm, etc. I would say the biggest drawback about not having a course here is that we get very little over antibiotics and have to learn it ourselves for Step 1. Everything else, I think, is adequate.
 
Haro4130Frame said:
Ive done 2 weeks off and 2 weeks on and done fine. Did 3 weeks off and 1 week on and did fine as well. Passed all my tests so far. HOWEVER, its hella stressful the last week if you wait that long. If its not required I dont go to it. I am going to try to stay a lil more on top of it though.
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My study schedule first year was 2 weeks off, 2 weeks on -- and I was able to HP or H everything.

That doesn't work for 2nd year anymore. There is more material, its more complex, they up the amount of lectures, and they reduce the amount of time in each course (this is true even before Ike). But I still don't study 3-5hrs a day except for maybe the couple of weekends leading up to an exam. I probably take the week off after an exam and then do required readings the next week. The next 2 weeks are going over all the scribes. I do scribes a few times, do BRS physiology and pathology books, and reread if I need to do so. I also don't do all the required readings - its too much and not necessary. I pick and choose the high yield topics, and sometimes I just hate the textbook so I don't read anything out of it.

Hope that helps!
 
anyone got any scholarship offers yet? I was told that they would be coming out 'the first week in January'..
 
Something of interest -- UTMB has begun video recording our lectures and posting them on the course website. Today was the first day they have tried it, but it works great. I'm guessing this will soon be incorporated into both years and all lectures.
 
FYI, I emailed Dr. Miller (Course Director for Anatomy) to ask about the state of the lab for the class of 2013 and beyond. Here was his response.

"We plan to have a full gross anatomy lab next year. As of today, the plan is to renovate space in the upper floors of the Pharmacology Building - this space is supposed to be sufficient to handle over 70 tanks, so we're still planning on 5-6 students/tank. The Dean of Medicine has assured us that renovation of this space is a priority."

Hope this eases some fears. If you have any last minute questions before match feel free to ask.
 
has ike and its aftermath affected student organizations? obviously, in the weeks right after activity was disrupted. but overall, have they resumed? or, will they resume in the near future?
 
TXMD92 said:
has ike and its aftermath affected student organizations? obviously, in the weeks right after activity was disrupted. but overall, have they resumed? or, will they resume in the near future?
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I can't speak for every single organization, but I'm involved in a bunch of them and we're having meetings like normal. Also, I had a budget meeting this yesterday with student government and all of the yearly events run by different organizations are still going. The only club i'm involved that is soon to start up again, but hasn't is the sailing club. UTMB still has a vast amount of activities and organizations to be involved in.
 
question - my dad normally fills out my fafsa around this time of year and was asking me about it today. Do we fill out the fafsa like normal or wait until UTMB gives us special instructions?
 
Lily25 said:
question - my dad normally fills out my fafsa around this time of year and was asking me about it today. Do we fill out the fafsa like normal or wait until UTMB gives us special instructions?
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You can fill it out. Remember to include your parents info to be considered for institutional scholarships, etc. There's another form you'll need to fill out as well, it's on UTMB's FA site. Once they get your SAR, they'll walk you through it. It's not bad. Did you get to visit the campus?
 
myKuduSlewaZulu said:
You can fill it out. Remember to include your parents info to be considered for institutional scholarships, etc. There's another form you'll need to fill out as well, it's on UTMB's FA site. Once they get your SAR, they'll walk you through it. It's not bad. Did you get to visit the campus?
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okay, but another more technical question. I am getting married in June - should I fill it out now with my parents info? I think its due in February (so my dad told me), so maybe I can't put my future spouse.

I did get to visit this past weekend with my fiance, we had a great time and are really looking forward to living in Galveston and eating lots of seafood!
 
Lily25 said:
okay, but another more technical question. I am getting married in June - should I fill it out now with my parents info? I think its due in February (so my dad told me), so maybe I can't put my future spouse.

I did get to visit this past weekend with my fiance, we had a great time and are really looking forward to living in Galveston and eating lots of seafood!
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Well, you're not married yet, and you need to fill it out relatively soon so I wouldn't worry about your fiance's stuff...I'm no expert though. You can call/email enrollment servies to make sure I guess. Glad you liked it.

FYI everyone, I withdrew from med school a few weeks ago, so I may have some books/scribes available. Not quite sure what I'm going to do with all of them yet.
 
FutureTexasMD said:
Why is that?
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I don't have any real fire for it basically. I thought I'd be more curious about this stuff, at least enough to get me through studying it, but I'm not. It might also be just studying in general (especially rote mem) that I'm tired of...I have about 160 credit hrs since I had to go back to school because I wasn't a sci major. Don't be scared by that though, the workload isn't that bad. Its certainly doable if you like it. In fact, I'd say the 1st 2 years are more like a vacation if you've ever worked a FT job. I see enthusiasm in many of my classmates, but I'm just not science geeky enough. At the end of the day, after not being able to shake the funk, I decided I couldn't take the chance of being largely unhappy/trudging along at the bottom of the class (a sure sign I wasn't happy) and because of low grades limit my future options. The margin for error in medicine is too small&#8230;either you love this stuff or it's not for you. I just really began to question whether the field was worth the sacrifice to me. And from a financial and opportunity cost perspective I couldn't afford to get deeper into it and hope that the funk lifted....by that point I'd be in so much debt that quitting wouldn't be an option, and I hate feeling trapped.
 
I hope you find something that you are really passionate about and are able to pursue it. 🙂

Another question to med students - I am planning on renting a house and having a yard (hopefully) and would really like to get a dog, maybe a puppy. I really love dogs and have had one all my life. My dog currently lives with my family in Austin so I get to visit her often, but they say she can't come with me. Will I have time to train a puppy or to have a dog in general? I really want to get one, but need to be smart about it. If I won't have the time then I won't do it. Thanks for the advice!
 
Lily25 said:
I hope you find something that you are really passionate about and are able to pursue it. 🙂

Another question to med students - I am planning on renting a house and having a yard (hopefully) and would really like to get a dog, maybe a puppy. I really love dogs and have had one all my life. My dog currently lives with my family in Austin so I get to visit her often, but they say she can't come with me. Will I have time to train a puppy or to have a dog in general? I really want to get one, but need to be smart about it. If I won't have the time then I won't do it. Thanks for the advice!
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Thanks.

Haha, yes, you'll have the time. I would much more worry about 3rd year though. That could be a problem unless your fiance is down here, you have friends to depend on, or you get creative. There's actually threads on this if you search. I certainly know a few people with dogs though. Cats make great med school pets fyi, just because they're so independent.
 
Haro4130Frame said:
first two years here you will have ample time to play with and give attention to the dog.
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Does that mean that 3rd and 4th year are more time demanding? How are clinicals at UTMB stress and time wise compared to other Texas schools? They hardly ever mention the 3rd and 4th years at interview days. Hopefully med students don't have to take night call at UTMB? What can med students really do in an emergency situation anyway?

Edit: I prefer to get (and function best with) 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Would that ever become a problem during med school? I know it will be at some points in residency, but that's a long way off.
 
DrSno said:
Does that mean that 3rd and 4th year are more time demanding? How are clinicals at UTMB stress and time wise compared to other Texas schools? They hardly ever mention the 3rd and 4th years at interview days. Hopefully med students don't have to take night call at UTMB? What can med students really do in an emergency situation anyway?

Edit: I prefer to get (and function best with) 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Would that ever become a problem during med school? I know it will be at some points in residency, but that's a long way off.
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3rd year is the most time demanding of any year in med school, at any school. UTMB is probably relatively less stressful overall than some, but it's still med school. Yes, you will take overnight call on some rotations, and in addition you'll have shelf exams to study for as well. Here's a presentation they give about 3rd year...it includes hrs for some rotations and grading, etc. Its looks like they've removed it, but that ppt used to have surgery as 7-7, 6 days a week I believe. The pysch rotation site also says you'll have night call.

mhtml:http://meded.utmb.edu/orme/Year3Schedule%20Info/08-09/Y3PLANNING030308.mht!Y3PLANNING030308_files/frame.htm
 
How certain is it that you will get to go to Austin for years 3 and 4 if you want to?
 
I asked my interviewer that, and she said that students have to apply to go to Austin. I think right now though, it is a relatively new program to send students to Austin 3rd and 4th years so who knows how many or what the process will be like in a couple of years. That is just my thoughts on it though.
 
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