I cannot really give you a ranking because I only interviewed at 4 of the schools in Texas, but I will tell you what I think of each.
Baylor- My roommate can better describe this one, but I will still give it a shot. Good school, in the midst of a curriculum overhaul this year so it is creating a little confusion for the students. Appears to be a pretty cut-throat environment, which is why I withdrew my application after my interview. My roommate complains of the youth of her class (I think it is because she is so old
), but a majority of the class does seem to be rather young and institutionalized (i.e. no real world experience in anything; mommy and daddy pay for everything). Still, tuition beats that of any other school in Texas and you have the world famous TMC. You also get patient exposure in the first month of school.
UT-Houston- This is my school. Much more relaxed atmosphere than at Baylor. More of a nurturing, familial environment. Still have the TMC, but everyone pretty much has the P=MD philosophy. Classes are a little more traditional in structure (i.e. Biochem, Gross, Devo and Histo first semester) and we don't get to see patients until second semester of first year if not first semester of second year. The biggest problem so far is the damn flood that wiped out the entire ground floor and the anatomy labs. It just makes it a pain to get around in the building because certain staircases are blocked and certain doors are locked.
The rivalry with Baylor to which Starflyr referred is only in the heads of those insecure with themselves and in the outside world. Those of us at UT poke just as much fun at Baylor as they do of us (instigated mostly by former Baylor faculty). To go to my school, you have to understand that the school does not make you good. If you are convinced that you have to go to a top tier school to be a good doctor then don't even apply to UT-H because you won't be happy.
UTMB (Galveston)- Another good school. Interesting curriculum with more of a systems approach (kind of like what Baylor is trying to do). The only problems I had with it were location and facility structure. I wanted a lot of clinical exposure and I didn't think I would get as much at UTMB as at UT-H. I also did not like the relative "oldness" of the campus. Maybe it was because it was raining the day I visited, but I just didn't feel comfortable there. Still, the way they do the family practice rotation where they send you all over the state for part of it is really cool.
UT-SW (Dallas)- This school is pretty cool, too, but it also seemed too competitive for my taste (like Baylor). If research is your bag, they certainly have a lot of it from which to choose. I worked at Parkland, the main teaching hospital, for a year and I loved it. I also liked how at UT-SW you got your own desk in which to keep your stuff. I like having a "home base" from which I operate. I also like Dallas, but I do not think it is in any way like eastern cities; it is just as spread out as the rest of the cities in Texas and there is no good system of mass transportation (DART is a joke).
When all was said and done, I had a tough time deciding between UT-H and UT-SW, so I did not send in my match form. BAD IDEA!!! The way the match works is, you rank your schools and the schools pick those they accept from the list in order of ranking (i.e., if you were accepted and ranked UT-SW #1 you would get in over me if I ranked them #2). Problem is, if you don't rank them, you default to the last number. I found out I was accepted at both schools but did not get in my first time around. I tell all of you this so you can learn from my mistake. Send in the ranking form after each interview you have. You may not know which one you like more, but at least you will be going and won't have to reapply.
