sicem07 said:
Not sure if a thread like this has been posted, I looked and couldn't come up with anything.
What are everyone's impressions of the different Texas Schools? I know the most important opinion is my own blah blah blah......I want gossip, stereotypes, general impressions, people that go there, etc. etc. just curious, might be fun and informative, so any info would be great. Thanks!
Ok, first of all, these are my opinions based on interviews, so (a) don't take too much stock in them and (b) if I piss anyone off, I'm sorry and feel free to correct me. Also, I really wanted to get out of Texas.
1. UTSW: The impression I got was that it's an excellent school, but it's not a very happy place. Students are extremely stressed. There's a lot of class time. All day long, everyone felt that they had to deny that it's "cutthroat," which made them seem very defensive about the whole competition issue. I still ranked it first in the match, but it felt a little too gloomy for me. They had a Saturday interview, which was really nice. Parkland hospital is huge, HUGE, and although it would be hellish, you'd get good training there. I matched here.
2. UTMB: Seemed like nobody ever worked. The students all tried to downplay the class aspect, playing up the beach (it's nasty, I'm from the area) and how laid-back everyone was. This will sound snobby (and it is I guess) but when the dean described the school as "second-tier" it kind of turned me off. Also, I hate Galveston and would never want to live there. Ranked it last.
3. UT-H: It was ok. I actually don't remember my interviews at all, but the day itself was much less organized than most of the others I had gone to. Biggest plus is the Texas Medical Center. Other than that, nothing really left much of an impression at all.
4. UTHSC-SA: Everyone else loved it, and I could see why, but I just wasn't feeling it and I'm not exactly sure what put me off. My friends all really liked San Antonio because it's friendly and looks past numbers. Also, the school really does value diversity, especially with non-traditional students. I didn't like how removed the campus was from the city, but other than that it was good.
5. Baylor: I was pleasantly surprised by Baylor. I've known lots of people who have either gone to school there or done research/summer programs there, and their response has been very mixed. I really liked it. The hospitals are great, and although it is a tough school it had a good atmosphere. I was a little put off by their lack of communication about transcripts (you can't submit them through AMCAS but it wasn't very clear; about half of us didn't have them in at the interview). One cool thing is that if you're "outstanding" at the interview, the dean will call you and let you know you're accepted that night.
(I didn't apply to A&M, Tech, or TCOM).
So there you go. I know I'm negative a lot of the time, but I'm just calling it like I saw it.
Good luck!
That was my graduating class from TAMU.
