RANKING TEXAS MED SCHOOLS

[2004guy]

For those who participated in the match, and other informed students:

How will you rank Texas Medical schools, (including Baylor)? and why?

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[sph]

I ranked the schools as follows:

1. Texas A&M: The students seemed very happy there. I did my undergraduate at A&M so I'm familiar with the campus and have no problem with college station. Beats fighting traffic everyday in Houston (I grew up in houston so I know how it is =-)

I also liked the small class size and all the hands on experience the med students get in temple. Your not doing alot of grunt work.

2. UTMB-Liked the school and the facilities. The school has a great reputation. My mom works at a hospital with alot of docs that graduated from UTMB and they can't say enough good things about the school.

They all felt like they had a solid education. Some of the students giving the tour and at the luncheon were a bit cocky. But there are students like that everywhere I'm sure

3. UT-San Antonio-Liked the location. Wasn't too impressed with the school. The students didn't really have much positive to say about the school. Didn't help that the fourth year that interviewed me just kept on complaining about medicine in general.

4. Texas Tech-My interviews were kind of blah. Seemed like one of the guys tried to make me second guess all my answers. So that got annoying after awhile. The students seemed very positive about the school though. But I didn't like the location much.

I didn't interview as Southwestern or Houston. I'm a second time applicant and I know that houston doesn't generally interview repeat offenders.

Interviewed at Baylor and TCOM. Liked both schools very much. Especially like the fact that baylor finished their basic sciences in 1 year and half and is on a pass/fail system.

I was accepted at TCOM, and San Antonio, waitlisted pretty much everywhere else except for tech since I ranked them last.

 

[rufus]

Hi, 2004guy. Here's how I ranked the schools at which I interviewed:

1. Baylor- basic sciences are condensed into 1 1/2 years and clinicals start in January of 2nd year. I also like their grading system (H/P/MP/F) and that the students didn't seem to be in class quite so much as at other schools: 8am-noon every day, including lab time. Ther residency matches are impressive. I'm on the waitlist...

2. Texas A&M- loved Scott & White and the VA hospital. Small class size means less students per faculty member and greater accessibility to patients once clinicals begin. I also happen to like the location (and I'm a Longhorn

). I'm headed here in a couple of months for orientation and then classes start in August.

3. UTMB- The school has a lot of kinks to iron out in their new curriculum and the H/HP/P/F grading system has actually contributed to a more competitive environment than was present under the traditional system (at least according to students I know). All in all, it's a good school with opportunities to see a very diverse patient population, including the inmates in the TDCJ.

4. Texas Tech- I think the split campuses can be a drag, but residents I know who went there say they received lots of hands-on clincical exposure, especially in El Paso. My interviews were great and I really liked the students I talked to. No tour of the clincial facilities in Lubbock, though, which I thought was a little unusual.

5. UTHSC-SA- I grew up in San Antonio and am fairly familiar with the school. The students were all friendly and helpful but none really had very positive things to say about the school...nothing negative, but no glowing praise either (except they all lambasted the financial aid office). My interviews were also pretty horrid and I left the school feeling ambivalent about spending four years there.

Like sph, I'm a reapplicant and wasn't invited to UT-Houston this time around. I did not interview at Southwestern and I turned down an invitation to TCOM.

 

[2004guy]

Any more?

 

[austinite]

First of all, in regards to the first question...the texas application center includes the 4 UT schools, Texas Tech, A & M, and this year, TCOM! So, basically it is one application for all these schools plus the secondaries. Baylor does not participate in this application. U have to apply to Baylor separately. Once u apply and get interviews..if u get more than one interview..u rank the schools participating in the application service. Hence, Baylor is not part of the match either. The reason for the match is ...so that an applicant that interviewed at multiple schools gets into the school of his/her higher preference. So, suppose u match to ur third choice school and interviewed at six schools. Ur 4,5 and 6th choice schools are automatically withdrawn ...since u accept a position in the 3rd choice, ur application will remain active at the first 2 schools. U might or might not be wait listed at these schools.

My match:

I ranked s.western first, because of the congenial atmosphere, the friendly and outstanding faculty, the MONEY, the people..and the administrators.

I ranked UT Houston second...

Galveston 3rd

San ANtonio 4rth

Tech 5th.

I did not interview at A & M. I applied to Baylor and TCOM as well. I matched with Southwestern. Got accepted into TCOM, and am wait-listed at Baylor..but not for long. Baylor cannot accept me after June 1st..because of the rule between texas med schools that says..no school can give an acceptance to someone that already has a place in texas after june 1st.

As of now, I will be going to Dallas. Don't think that position will change in the next few days!

Hope this helped!

 

[sph]

I think the idea behind the match was good in theory...but in reality alot of students still didn't get the schools they wanted. Instead the schools got the students they wanted since they also ranked the students they interviewed.

In addition, now students can only get one acceptance from all the match schools (not including baylor and TCOM). This leads to less turnover on the waiting list so the schools pretty much lock in the students they want.

Whereas before the match, students could get an acceptance from a UT school, TAMU, Tech, Baylor and TCOM. More acceptances means more turnover on the waiting list and more choices for the student.

Did I make that confusing enough =-)?

 

[sph]

Does anyone know why the med schools won't tell you your exact position on the waiting list? That is so fustrating to me.

 

[Carp]

I have interviewed at every school in TX except TCOM (some twice) and have given this question a lot of thought and more consideration than is probably healthy. Bearing this in mind, please remember that everything i say is wrong. Dead wrong. don't even look. I warned you.

My ranking for me personally:
1. Baylor - not at all for the prestige/$ ratio.
2. UTSW - pretty much for the prestige/$ ratio
3. UTMB - Evenly great. That evenness, and i hereby declare "evenness" a word, is very important.
4. UTSA - Habla Espanol? Tienen muy buenas matches de residency.
5. UTH - Great facilities, but my least favorite personality/atmosphere. My five friends who go/went here didn't like it much, if at all.
6. A&M - only this low because, like real estate: location, location, location, and a few other reasons.
7. Tech -Go here and do well, and the worlds your oyster, but beware tumbleweeds on campus, dust storms, tornadoes whisking you away to a munchkin/witch-infested netherworld.

My "objective" list (my perception of the overall quality of the med school experience as i can best imagine irrespective of my personal taste/needs.) BOY, this is gonna make people mad!

1. Baylor - Best curric, nicest students, great clinical, blah, blah... OKAY, okay, i didn't get in either. (wait-listed)
2. A&M - Sleeper hit, look into it, learn about football, make funny noises in crowds.
3. UTSW - If you are not into research its USNWR "value" goes down quite a bit. Also, there are the stories <spooky voice> of competitive back-stabbing students with hooks for hands!!! <shrieks like a girl, runs away> Unfortunately I have reason to believe they are true though.
4. UTMB - Swim in gulf, build up immune system, antibody repertoire. Fun fact: Galv. has highest stabbing rate in US!!
5. UTSA - Great for same reason as UTMB (remember the evenness). Fewer frat keggers, somewhat less surfing.
6. UTH - It's near great restaurants.
7. TECH - Dust good for opthamology. ER sees plenty cotton, cow-related injuries (mis-tipping, udder-slippage, anthrax...)

Okay, everybody get furious!!! Now everybody lighten up, i'm just poking a little fun. I respect all schools. In fact, didn't get into ANY of these schools last year. Believe me, i learned respect. For instance, i think Tech is a GREAT school. It just has great competition. Also, i don't like small towns, I guess i'm just snobby that way, sorry.

What you should learn from this is that OBVIOUSLY you need to apply to and see for yourself EVERY school that invites you and how it fits you as an INDIVIDUAL because all the TX schools are great (Have you read those carribean med school posts? Yeesh!). Other people's generalizations aren't very useful, especially mine, because i'm a bad person who invokes terrible terrible stereotypes.

Okay, just forget you ever read this! I'm an idiot, don't listen to me!! Calmly use large tongs to put your computer in a heavy wet sack and drop it off a bridge before you read any more and get any angrier. I've seen how vicious these posts can be!! Please don't hurt me.


Regards,

Whimpering, Cowering in Fear


[This message has been edited by Carp (edited 05-28-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Carp (edited 05-28-2000).]