TEXAS Med Schools Entering Class 2004 Applicant Thread

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p.s. trauma, w/your record you're bound to get an interview. can you elaborate on the guy who wants to interview you really badly @ utsa? doesn' t he have any influence? when i went to utsa the dean said they interview ppl w/low mcats/gpas who show promise/potential...and you don't even have such a low gpa anymore. so it's worth hounding them some more, as you seem truly dedicated. good luck!
 
Wow, great conversation!

Trauma_Junky, hang in there, we're all pulling for you!
Spumoni, I'm a little reassured to know that you haven't heard from UTSW either. You're a terrific applicant. They must be losing their minds. Should we call and tell them??? (ha ha)

Good luck to everyone at Baylor tomorrow! Feel free to say hi to me, i'm the crazy one who uses her real name. :laugh:

T
 
Originally posted by Giving My .02
I have class so sorry this is short.
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I should be studying too..... suposedly taking some tough ones this semester.

What did you think of Tech. You seemed very confident, composed and attentive but I didn't hear you say much. Tech isn't for everyone. As a whole package, Tech/Lubbock work out best for me though.

Now you've made me feel guilty.... I'm off to study, but first I need to get my boy down for a nap and make the little princess some lunch🙄
 
Ladies and Gents,

What is the schedule like for the 1st and 2nd year medical students at UT-Houston? I have heard from speaking to the medical students that it is an 8-5pm deal even though many will tell you it is not so b/c they skip class and watch lecture videos... I am a little confused on this topic.

Also, the schedule for the freshman and sophomore class posted on the SOM website seems to confirm my hunch that you are pretty much expected to be in class from 8-5pm.

Boy if this is true, when do the students find time to study for boards and block exams?? I would be exhausted from a long day in class.

The UTMB curriculum seems to be a little more flexible in that the 1stYear students go to class from 8-12 and 2ndYear from 12-5.
 
Is it weird that I've heard from pretty much every texas school but NOT san antonio?! I though UTSA was along the lines of Houston in that they interviewed a lot of applicants. i tried searching their website for interview schedules but i couldnt find any. do they not interview a lot of people at one time?
 
Hey $0.02, sorry to hear about the folks. I hope their situation improves. Having ill or disabled loved ones definitely changes/complicates matters that are already challenging.

I guess now I hope not to see you TTech next year. That will mean your parents are well and you have less motivation to be within driving distance. Good luck with everything.
 
Thackl

Tech is a great school & I would not mind going there even if my parents are in full health. Sorry if it sounded like that would be my only reason to go there. No, I really do like it a lot. One of my dad's good friends went there and she has really encouraged for me to go there for the past year. So, I can see why you applied there for EDP. I could be your future classmate!!! That would be cool. I actually got the question why did you apply to out of state school's there at my interview. I actually told the guy the truth even if he didn't think so. I said my pre-med advisor suggested that I should. Which is really basically the truth and the whole truth. I really like the Texas schools. Luckily I have been able to hear from all of them except for Baylor, and I really have been impressed. Texas is a great state, and I think sometimes Texan's take that for granted. However, I think you are originally from the great north east (NY) if I remember correctly, and have been working in Texas for awhile. I told you I had a great memory! My fiance doesn't know how I do it, but I do remember people and their associations 90% of the time.
 
Originally posted by Giving My .02
I think you are originally from the great north east (NY) if I remember correctly, and have been working in Texas for awhile.
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There goes that photograghic thing again. Did you remember the name of the undergrad I attended? I could only remember that yours had a religous affiliation😀 I think my biggest issue with remembering names/associations is that I simply don't pay attention. You seemed confident, cute and a bit mysterious, so I gave some attention (darn, that sounds terrible; I'm turning into a dirty old married guy). I do have a wierd thing with #'s though. I don't forget them???? For instance; I ran into a girl once I had been on two dates with 5yrs earlier and I couldn't for the life of me remember her name. She remebered mine and picked on me a little....... then I rambled off her phone #:laugh:

I should really try to pay attention (place value) when meeting people (gee, that sounded bad too). i think I'll stop now😱
 
Just got back from Texas A&M today. I was impressed with the facilities in Temple. They pretty much rival the Med Center (considering its a clinic) especially the new state of the art facility they are building that is paperless. The drive was exhausting considering I was about an hour and 1/2 away from home when I was in College Station, then the drive turning intio a three hour drive from Temple.

Off to UTSA on Monday and waiting to hear from the other schools soon... hopefully.
 
Originally posted by spumoni620


and jay-zee--don't fret about utsw--i haven't heard anything from them either 🙁 . think i'm going to call them to make sure nothing's lost in the mail?? houston rocked anyway!

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You're so sweet spumoni 🙂, I hope I get to meet you!

...maybe at UTSW :clap:
 
aw shucks 😳 just being me good ol' sensitive self. 😀

anyway......i called utsw today and turns out they have me incorrectly listed as an mstp candidate...which is why my file wasn't complete there...so now it's all corrected, but the moral of the story for anyone who's feelin' no love from utsw is: call them!! it can't hurt.

aight jay-zee, here's to meeting at utsw soon! 😀
 
Thackl

No I don't remember what school you went to. I just remember it dealt with engineering. I remember that because there were like four of ya'll all sitting in a row that were married (two girls & two guys) & the girl with the long straight brown hair asked whether there were job opportunities in Lubbock for her husband who was an engineer. I just know how to associate common stuff with each other. That's it. I don't remember things about everyone though. Usually if you come across to me as being really full of yourself I usually only remember that and nothing else. Like I didn't like the people asking about board numbers and stats for the students that go to Tech. I figured they could have learned that on their own & it makes you look really full of yourself. I just dismiss people like that. Bad carma!!!!
 
Originally posted by Giving My .02
I remember that because there were like four of ya'll all sitting in a row that were married
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:laugh: Remeber when I asked Tamara Lane a question about students w/famailies? She was soooo quick and almost defensive in pointing out that "Tech is NOT a married campus". I think they have gotten a reputation. Honestly, it's something that attracted me. I want a good support system for my wife/kids. The MD means nothing if my family breaks up while doing it. Anyway, I emailed one of the married students I met and asked the % of married students in the 1st and 4th yrs. Ans: about 15-20% 1st, 40-50% 4th and lots of kiddos poppin out all over😍

About my school; I was just messing around to see just how photographic that memory is. I don't think I asked any self-serving stats questions??? I wouldn't want to come off like one of those gunners😱
 
If you havent heard from UTSW... i would seriously think about giving them a call. They were super nice and it turns out that it was a good thing i called. They had sent me an invite on Aug 19th that still hasnt gotten to me. But she gave me the info and i interview on the 20th. Whew! SO Call 'em
 
Hey Dustin, good luck at UTSW. Glad I got to meet you at Tech.
 
i just got an interview from Texas A&M for the 18th of september 🙂 any of you going to be there??
 
How long did it take you guys to get verified and processed through TMSDSAS? I just turned in everything today.
 
Three to Four Weeks. It also depends on not when the peak season is. Is better than the AMCAS system though.
 
So how'd it go, you lucky, lucky Baylor kids? 🙂
 
Originally posted by TheresaW
😍 Baylor 😍

I'd be happy to trade PM's with anyone wanting specifics. :laugh:

T
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Congrats TheresaW =) Sounds like you aced your interview.
 
Thanks Gleevec! I don't know if I aced my interviews, but I do know I loved the school. They were very friendly and it was a low stress interview.

I answered all the PM's so far and posted on feedback.

Anybody got new interviews?

I'm curious, what do people who interview out of state think about those schools compared to the TX ones? (I've applied out of state, but no interviews so far.) Do any of them seem worth the extra $$$ to be a nonresident or at a private school? How do the TX schools compare to the others?

Theresa
 
Originally posted by TheresaW
Thanks Gleevec! I don't know if I aced my interviews, but I do know I loved the school. They were very friendly and it was a low stress interview.

I answered all the PM's so far and posted on feedback.

Anybody got new interviews?

I'm curious, what do people who interview out of state think about those schools compared to the TX ones? (I've applied out of state, but no interviews so far.) Do any of them seem worth the extra $$$ to be a nonresident or at a private school? How do the TX schools compare to the others?

Theresa
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Hi TheresaW,
Ill be able to answer your last couple questions in 2 weeks =). But I think spumoni has had Vandy and some Texas schools so she might be good to talk to. I have Vandy tomorrow, had Michigan already, and will be doing my 2 remaining Texas schools over the next 2 weeks, so I should be able to answer your ?s then. Alright, Im off!

Cya later,
Gleevec
 
Originally posted by TheresaW

I'm curious, what do people who interview out of state think about those schools compared to the TX ones? (I've applied out of state, but no interviews so far.) Do any of them seem worth the extra $$$ to be a nonresident or at a private school? How do the TX schools compare to the others?

Theresa
Click to expand...

Hey Theresa,

I can give you my $.02 on this, even though it's subject to change...and others may feel free to disagree.

I did think there was something special about Vandy in the quality of professors and perhaps atmosphere of the school. I went to a private liberal arts university for my undergrad, and at Vandy I felt that same sense of, oh, I guess you can call it "dignity" or "respect for tradition"...just an aura about the school, hard to put my finger on. The professor I interviewed with really reminded me of some of my better undergrad professors, and I warmed to the friendly, collegial atmosphere. I did not get this same feeling at some of the public TX schools I interviewed at...some professors seemed more harried, less professional, perhaps less empathetic and personable. I think the fact that Vandy also has an undergrad impacts on this as well, however.

Curriculm wise, I did see a difference, although I don't know if this is b/c Vandy is private and can hence experiment more. I *loved* Vandy's creative emphasis on medical electives, joint degrees, preceptorships, not to mention the Med Scholars program which essentially funds any project (and I mean any--some ppl were talking about training for marathons, volunteering in Guam, etc. amazing!) b/t your 2nd and 3rd year. Their rate (over 90%) of students matching to their top 3 residency choices, not to mention the highest board scores in the nation, also are very impressive (I did not get this same feeling/academic emphasis at other TX schools)


Now I don't think this is exclusive to private schools...and I'm sure there are sub-par professors at Vandy as well. But it's funny you asked this question b/c I did leave Vandy feeling as though I'd had a different experience overall from my visits to public TX schools.

But then, I came back and went to UTH, which totally blew my mind. The talk by Dean Gunn was amazing, and again rivaled anything I'd heard at Vandy. The facilities at Houston were beyond fabulous. The professors I interviewed with were a mixed bag, but overall I left with an ismpression of the school that matched my perceptions about Vandy. It's something about the way both schools "carried" and "presented" themselves, which sounds kind of wacko but I hope you're getting the gist of what I'm saying.

And I also have to say that at this point that each school I've interviewed at carries a different "plus" in my mind. For example--#1 students so far in my mind is San Antonio--super awesome, and easily the friendliest I've encountered. #1 curriculm/atmosphere/prestige = Vandy, for reasons above. #1 for clinical exposure/experience = UTH. Great financial aid assistance = A&M. etc. etc.--you get the picture.

Now do I think that it's worth the extra $? Hmm...I'm torn at this point. I don't know that I'd choose Vandy over Baylor b/c regardless of what ppl say about doctors' ability to pay off loans, I really don't want to be saddled w/$160K in debt and loans. I was fortunate to get a free ride to undergrad and personally, I'd like to gain financial stability as soon as possible. IMO it's better to attend med school cheaply ($7000-$9000 a year is a STEAL!!) and then land a stellar residency. One of my friends at UTSA just aced her boards (98%+!!!! 😱 ) and is now an easy shoo-in for a competitive derm residency. It can be done wherever you are, as the match lists of the TX public schools show.

Ok, I'm sure this is more than you wanted to know, but it's a lazy Sunday afternoon, I have an o-chem test to prep for, and this is a great way to procrastinate!! 😀
 
Spumoni, that was a fantastic reply! Those were exactly the kind of things I was wondering about. I think you might notice a difference in the applicants at Baylor vs. other TX schools as well. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that about half of them were from out-of-state, ugrad schools like Stanford, Yale, etc.

Gleevec, I look forward to your thoughts as well!

😉 T
 
Originally posted by spumoni620
One of my friends at UTSA just aced her boards (98%+!!!! 😱 ) and is now an easy shoo-in for a competitive derm residency. It can be done wherever you are, as the match lists of the TX public schools show.
Click to expand...

I was really surprised by this too. Tech gave us a list of last yrs match results and I was floored. They were great! Some dirtbag on here posted a few months ago saying the TT matches were terrible and that Tech didn't even like to take their own students for Tech residencies😡 What a crock. It looks like UTSA and UTH have had great success as well. This is great news for me since I refuse to put my family (and myself) through the rigors of a top 20 program........ I am a bit jealous of the ones who are though🙁 Sacrifices.........
 
Originally posted by TheresaW
I think you might notice a difference in the applicants at Baylor vs. other TX schools as well. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that about half of them were from out-of-state, ugrad schools like Stanford, Yale, etc.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with you. Baylor and other places like Wash U (I was there the night before their first test and 50 of them were watching a baseball game instead of studying, it was crazy!) will have applicants from all over who have gone to top notch schools and have done a lot of amazing things. A lot of those people applying in Texas stayed in state for school and had a completely different experience than I did. One of the hardest things I'm having such a hard time adjusting too is the high number of those engaged/married. I know UTSW had 60% engaged or married this year and I feel like my class must have 50%. cmz who is a 3rd year at baylor says a lot in his class are engaged too.

what happened with me though is as time went on, your impressions fade of the school and I felt more practical considerations setting in ($$$$$, I too didn't have debt previously and want to keep mine to a minimum). each of you will probably change your mind at least once about what the best place for you is along the way. like thackl said, all the schools match students into great programs. thackl, I probably would have ranked TT 2nd if it hadn't been in Lubbock, they seem to have a great program going on there, good luck! 🙂

I personally went with Houston because I'm thinking about ortho and in 2002 they matched 2 girls in and one in 2003 (9 total for 2003). none of the other schools I applied to had matched any females recently that I could tell, so it seems like Houston has a good setup going that will work for me if I decide to pursue that specialty.

Good luck to you all 🙂
 
Any Texas folks willing to review a PS? As an August MCATer, I am just about to hit enter on TMDSAS and would really appreciate an objective opinion. The brief statements are in response to #45 & #46, "Why medicine?" and "Other significant stuff."

Please PM me. Thanks.
 
Ortho, Email me off my profile link. I can take a look at it tomorrow.
 
Ortho-fixation,
I am currently a 4th year at San Antonio and I would be willing to review your statement if you want. I'm helping with the admissions committee here and will try to give you an objective evaluation.
 
So far on the interview season, I've seen Vandy and Baylor. I agree with Spumoni -- Vandy has an amazing level of both academic rigor and student/freetime balance. Both places are also exceptional in their training for USMLEs, their flexibility with program of study (Baylor a little more flexible) and the quality of their match to residency.

One thing that less warms me about Baylor is that it is 1500 miles from my home. On the other hand, Vandy has much fewer financial resources to help the student than does Baylor.

I have to say that the 60 or so interviewees at Baylor were unbelievably talented. Some knew languages like Arabic and Mandarin, some rowed the Mississippi, and some did majors ranging from Computer Science to philosophy. Many many people were from places like Yale, Stanford and Berkeley, as well as many Texas students. There were 10 or so marathon runners and maybe the same number of people who had done multiple international trips related to health care. Nearly all the people were there were great to talk to and converse with.

At this point, it's pure speculation to say which school is the best for me right now. But both programs are first rate for any medical student.

PM me if you want for any other Q&As about either school. I'll try my best to answer.

D.
 
whassap guys

i am a first year med student at Texas Tech. I just wanted to tell ya'll a little bit about my experience. Tech was my last choice cuz lubbock is far away from home (houston).

Baylor and southwestern wre my first choices, i got waitlisted at both and ended up here. so initially i was kinda bummed out, but I really love it here in lubbock.

I guess i can give u the pros and cons for lubbock if u want to come here:

Pros

- no traffic, I live faraway in a really nice neighborhood, where there is the mall, all types of restaurants and places to hang out. I get to school in 10 minutes , no problems.

- really relaxed, I went to UT-austin for undergrad, the traffic was a mess, in med school, i am so busy, i really like being in a relaxed easy-going setting.

- my students/faculty are really cool. they are so friendly and love to teach, the students here are really cool too; so we have a lot of fun.

- really good spot for learning, me and a second year went to the OR one saturday and got to participate in 3 operations, it was really easy to do, and the doctors were teaching us all this stuff, one anethesiologist was down to let me intubate some dude, thats some really cool stuff.

-lubbock is a really nice city. When i came for my interview, i wasnt impressed cuz the medical center is in a crappy area, but where i live, the area reminds me alot of First Colony (sugarland in houston) so lubbok is kinda like a suburb of houston, atlesat thas how it is where i live.

- there is alot to do here, this is a collge town with alot of undergrads, so it can be alot of fun here.

- i am learnign alot, the students in my class are really smart, so i feel like i'll be alright in terms of a solid med education.


Cons-

TT only gives 5 weeks for u to take step 1, so u kinda need to do ur own prep early if u wanna get a high score, however, alot of people here are getting high step1 scores and prolly mathc into good residencies.

its in lubbock, man i gotta drive 5 hrs to austin after my block one exams!

its not southwestern or baylor.




well guys, i hope this helped. goodluck with interviews, i guess all i can say is that i think Baylor/southwestern is #1 and then the rest of the schools ; just choose them based on location ; i think that s wat it comes down to.


if anybody has any questions about TTU or any other med schools ( i interviewed at all of them) just holler at me

[email protected]

g'luck
 
Heard from Southwestern today! :clap: I'm interviewing on Nov. 1st. I don't recall seeing anyone with date so far. With any luck we'll add some more SDN'ers with theis next batch of invites.

T
 
Originally posted by TheresaW
Heard from Southwestern today! :clap: I'm interviewing on Nov. 1st. I don't recall seeing anyone with date so far. With any luck we'll add some more SDN'ers with theis next batch of invites.

T
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When did you turn in all your stuff?
 
Pepe and thackl:

Thanks for taking a look. I will PM you when I get home from work.
 
OrthoFIX:

I am a philosophy and English major. Let me know if you need my help. I just finished interviewing at most of the Texas schools except UT-Southwestern. I have an interview at Vandy and Harvard this month.

Good Luck
 
ok guys starting to get a bit nervous... any tips on what you guys did about 2-3 days before your interview???
 
Originally posted by echostation
ok guys starting to get a bit nervous... any tips on what you guys did about 2-3 days before your interview???
Click to expand...

Look at app, look at secondary, look at pr0n, look at interview feedback, look at pr0n, look at school website, look at news websites. 😉
 
Originally posted by OrthoFixation
Pepe and thackl:

Thanks for taking a look. I will PM you when I get home from work.
Click to expand...

I didn't get it.
 
I have spoken those same words before....oh you meant the PM. It should be OK now.
 
Originally posted by OrthoFixation
I have spoken those same words before....oh you meant the PM. It should be OK now.
Click to expand...

Got it , made some changes, sent it back.
 
Okay, TT finally emailed me for an interview.................

:clap: :clap: :clap:
 
Hello Guys,
My application was sent on 8/6/03 and I haven't recieved an interview invite yet. I was wondering has anyone recently gotten an interview that was sent out on or after 8/6/03. It appears to me, from reading some of the post, that the ADCOM's have taken a break from some of the first rounds invites and hopefully are working on second round. Would you guys agree that this is a fair assessment. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Anxiously awaiting,
Keith 🙁
 
I received notification that my application was complete on 8/29 (I had submitted far before that, but had to wait on my premed committee letter) and got an interview invite from UT Houston last Thursday. That's the only one I've heard from, though I only applied to Houston and UTMB, so I wouldn't be much help for any other Texas school.

Hang in there!
 
In New York! I just finished an interview at Columbia. Sat at the airport for a 5-hour delay while t-storms raged over texas. gotta love tx weather...anyway, congrats on your UTSW invite, Theresa!! I'm still frantically searching for mine in the mail....

any other news?
 
Did anyone write "thank you" letters to interviewers? I'm thinking about writing one for UTH, but I don't know where to mail it to. By the way, UTH is awsome! The students there are so lucky.
 
Texas1111, I wrote thank you notes to each interviewer. (There's some debate about handwriteen vs typed... I dunno.) I believe UTH says to mail them c/o the Admissions office and they will make sure the notes get delivered.

Spumoni, thanks! I'll bet your invite is on the way. Yours was the one that got misfiled under MD/PhD, right? My interview isn't until 11/1. Maybe I'll see you there!

Now I'm just waiting for out-of-state possibilities (long reaches), October (Baylor?), and Feb 1st! I need a hobby! (besides reading SDN :laugh: )

T
 
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