Texas Tech Class of 2014

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DocMcCoy said:
Haha! I know its a little bit of a relief. However, I did have someone else's name turn up on my social security number trace section! :scared:
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Me too. I think it might just be showing a close match. The person on mine had the same last four digits and was from my birth state (Louisiana), but a different parish.
 
interviewd there this past friday...hoping to God i get accepted coz tech is my first choice. i live here in lubbock and owned a home here. we built our hse in 2007 near a brand new state of the art elementary school. i would love to meet my future classmates mate except i need an ACCEPTANCE so bad from tech. 😍
 
Received a letter in the mail today about scholarship information. States that I was awarded the Dean's Scholarship, a $2,000 dollar award split between first and second semester. Aggie/Maggie (sorry one of you mentioned it and I can't remember who), is this what you were talking about earlier that most people receive?
 
DocMcCoy said:
Received a letter in the mail today about scholarship information. States that I was awarded the Dean's Scholarship, a $2,000 dollar award split between first and second semester. Aggie/Maggie (sorry one of you mentioned it and I can't remember who), is this what you were talking about earlier that most people receive?
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I got something similar (but didn't know about it until like....November? wth) and a lot of our class received something similar. I haven't talked to a lot of people about their scholarships, but it seems a good portion of our class got one about that size.
 
Hey,

Ive been reading this blog for a while and decided to post. I recieved my acceptance letter the first day of pre match!!!!!!!!!

So, what do you wear in anatomy lab? Do you have to but specific scrubs or can you wear whatever kind?
 
Pompeii said:
Hey,

Ive been reading this blog for a while and decided to post. I recieved my acceptance letter the first day of pre match!!!!!!!!!

So, what do you wear in anatomy lab? Do you have to but specific scrubs or can you wear whatever kind?
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CONGRATS!!!!

You can wear whatever you want (doesn't even necessarily have to be scrubs). Just definitely know you're going to want to trash 'em / burn 'em after anatomy is over.
 
Congratulations Pompeii! Look forward to meeting you at spring training (if you choose to come here of course).

A local physician couple actually donates a pair of scrubs to every new medical student for the past few years so I assume they'll do it again. Most people wear that and alternate it with another pair or so. Most weeks you are only in lab 4 days a week (mon, tue and thur, fri) So I made it through the semester with 2 pairs of scrubs, washing them on wednesdays. Of course if you have your own personal stylish scrubs you are more than welcome to wear them, but they do get kind of gross like maggie implied. Hope that helps!
 
Hi Aggie, Maggie, AgShan, and all current students! I was wondering if you would all comment on the schools curriculum. How do you feel about the block style? Is the material manageable? How often do you have exams? What is your typical day like? These are all questions I should have an answer to by now but I am torn between Tech and one other school and would like to hear what some current students have to say before I make a decision. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
 
Guess I'll get the first stab at these questions.

1. I've survived thus far with the block setup- wasn't too hot about anatomy (but then I was totally clueless to begin with), but BCT (biochem, cell bio, genetics, intro to histo) went a little better. There is also ECE (clinical stuff), but that is spread out throughout the year and you learn to deal with it (only two tests this semester for it).

2. I also found that I personally didn't like to spend time going through our textbooks (especially 'Big' Moore's textbook for anatomy), because I apparently don't take good notes. Well, to be fair, I took notes from BRS Anatomy at first but never looked back at them... instead, I relied more on some notes provided through our scribe CD provided from the class above us, as well as the 'Baby' Moore's textbook for anatomy. For BCT, you pretty much have lectures to study from (until the 3rd and last unit, which also includes histology lab). I used the textbooks for BCT even less, except to look up stuff that was not readily apparent from lecture notes.

3. I want to say we had 3 weeks between tests for anatomy and also for our first BCT test, but 2 weeks each for the last two BCT tests. Something like 2 months for each of the two ECE tests (overstudied for those, but I guess that's better than not studying enough). You can look at the dates yourself at this link: http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/curriculum/exams0910.aspx

4. Mmm, I dunno if I have the typical schedule for a student, especially since they started audio recording (most) of our lectures for BCT... 😴 Anatomy was blech since you pretty much have to be up from 8am-noon for pre-lab/lecture, and then lab. After that, it's pretty much whatever you feel like doing unless you have ECE clinic schedules (once every month or so, Tu or Th), ECE lecture (~once a month), STS (preparing cadaver in anatomy to teach your tankmates, 2x a unit for three units = 6x during anatomy), or stuff you choose to volunteer at.

Hope that was all understandable. :laugh: Congrats to those in so far and good luck to those who are waiting!
 
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Besides Las Colinas and Quail Creek, are there any other places that are worth looking at?

Springfield Apartments on Milwaukee seem new and nice, good reviews, though pricier.

More suggestions?
 
luckyduck33 said:
Besides Las Colinas and Quail Creek, are there any other places that are worth looking at?

Springfield Apartments on Milwaukee seem new and nice, good reviews, though pricier.

More suggestions?
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I remember people at Springfield being happy with it also.

A few of my friends lived at the Dominion. It is very nice, but more pricey.

The Centre was VERY popular with my class. It is close to campus, the nicest when it came to aesthetics, and probably the priciest in town. Downsides: full of undergrads and prepare for fire-alarm pulling at odd hours.

I honestly don't think anything is better than Las Colinas. I would look into it quick because it will fill. In my opinion, it is an absolute steal at the price.
 
DocMcCoy said:
Hi Aggie, Maggie, AgShan, and all current students! I was wondering if you would all comment on the schools curriculum. How do you feel about the block style? Is the material manageable? How often do you have exams? What is your typical day like? These are all questions I should have an answer to by now but I am torn between Tech and one other school and would like to hear what some current students have to say before I make a decision. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
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Block scheduling is AMAZING! Having done it at TTUHSC, I wouldn't want a curriculum any other way. Recent Step scores have been amazing compared to the prior curriculum. You actually feel like you know the subject well by the end of each block. At other schools, you have to juggle multiple grades and sometimes you will neglect studying certain subjects to bring up another grade. Every subject gets your full attention at TTUHSC.

Material is very manageable. I agree that Anatomy is the hardest merely because you don't know what is expected of you yet. After that, I just did what I knew I had to do.

Class is normally half-days. Tests every few weeks.

I was rarely ever really stressed out at Tech, and that surprised me because it is medical school afterall. They run the curriculum really well, and you get into the groove of things really quickly. You don't juggle multiple classes, no hell week of tests, and you have time to concentrate on every subject you learn.
 
Hi Doc

i'll speak up a bit about the block schedule. Of course i haven't actually been in med school anywhere else, but I personally love it here! I hate being stuck in lecture all of the time so while some people didn't like anatomy i loved that it was heavily self-taught (about one and a half hrs lecture/prelab followed by a short lab) I was done almost every day by noon and then could nap and study or run errands, workout, whatever on my own schedule.

I also like that I don't have to worry about balancing multiple subjects at one time. I have no doubt i would neglect the easier subjects and over-study the hard ones. With our schedule i know that i'm utilizing my time the best because all of my effort goes toward one subject without any guilt about neglecting others.
 
TexasPhysician said:
Block scheduling is AMAZING! Having done it at TTUHSC, I wouldn't want a curriculum any other way. Recent Step scores have been amazing compared to the prior curriculum. You actually feel like you know the subject well by the end of each block. At other schools, you have to juggle multiple grades and sometimes you will neglect studying certain subjects to bring up another grade. Every subject gets your full attention at TTUHSC.

Material is very manageable. I agree that Anatomy is the hardest merely because you don't know what is expected of you yet. After that, I just did what I knew I had to do.

Class is normally half-days. Tests every few weeks.

I was rarely ever really stressed out at Tech, and that surprised me because it is medical school afterall. They run the curriculum really well, and you get into the groove of things really quickly. You don't juggle multiple classes, no hell week of tests, and you have time to concentrate on every subject you learn.
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AgShan08 said:
I was done almost every day by noon and then could nap and study or run errands, workout, whatever on my own schedule.

I also like that I don't have to worry about balancing multiple subjects at one time. I have no doubt i would neglect the easier subjects and over-study the hard ones. With our schedule i know that i'm utilizing my time the best because all of my effort goes toward one subject without any guilt about neglecting others.
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X10

in a nutshell: it's awesome.
 
DocMcCoy said:
How do you feel about the block style? Is the material manageable? How often do you have exams? What is your typical day like?
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I will chime in- I love the block schedule! Anatomy was a tough but manageable. BCT (Biology of Cells and Tissues- Block 2) was also good... for me the biochem section was challenging because I had no exposure to any pathways and we covered them all in less than 2 weeks. It was doable but that was the most stessful time for me and judging from facebook statuses from our class I think it was think I wasn't the only one.

Exams are usually every 2-3 weeks. Test are on Fridays during anatomy with a lecture exam in the morning and lab practical in afternoon. Then BCT had a Friday test, 1 the day before Thanksgiving, and then the last week it was a Tuesday lecture/lab practical and then a Thursday afternoon final.

A typical day is lecture 8-12ish (some lectures don't start til 9 or end at 11) then usually afternoons off- you have 1 clinical day a month, 1 small group meeting, and usually 1 group lecture. I don't study too well at home so usually I go to the library or coffee shop in the afternoon and study for 4-6 hours then I can do whatever I want in the evenings (gym, social, intramurals, TV, etc)

Also someone mentioned apartments- I am in Las Colinas and love it... Other apartments that have been popular are Quail Creek, Springfield, Ashton Point, The Grove, the Centre, and Lynwood Townhomes.
 
Does anyone have experience with the MD/MBA program or any opinions from classmates who are in it?
 
MS1 here. I can attest that what TexasPhysician says above about the curriculum and low-stress lifestyle is accurate. I would bet that Tech offers the least stressful curriculum in Tx. I am happy with the classmates and the location (I'll be the first to admit, coming from Austin I DESPISED the idea of coming up here, but it really isn't as horrible as I thought it'd be. Plus, they give you tons of money--like double the amt the other schools in Tx give you--for travel expenses cuz they know everyone will be flying out on free weekends to see friends and family.) And I have been getting great amounts of sleep and free time. There simply is no comparison to block scheduling; I can't imagine learning this stuff any other way. No hell weeks here!

As for apartments, I live at Ashton Pointe, which is nice, and it seems like almost everyone in the class lives here (except for those who live in houses). I have had 2 maintenance requests so far, and the maintenance staff are great; they get the job done quick. Plus you get a free month's rent if you sign for at least 10 months, I think. Not a bad deal.

I personally thought Las Colinas and Quail Creek were a dump when I was looking, but they are cheap. They are kinda far from campus too--if I remember, they're on the opposite side of town from campus. Granted, this town ain't Houston or DFW....I suggest finding a roommate at spring training and split the cost of a 2/2 at a nicer place like AP; I do and my rent is a decent 450. The Edge is also popular (a little pricey, but it's new and a good option I think if you have a roommate). I don't know anyone who lives at Springfield....it looks nice but pricey. Whatever you do, don't stay in those new Mcdougal apartments by the stadium. Way overpriced and full of rowdy undergrads.

tmac11 said:
Does anyone have experience with the MD/MBA program or any opinions from classmates who are in it?
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I have a good friend in the program; he's an MS2. He said not having the summers before med school and after MS1 year off kinda sucks, and the night classes once a week during the year are a drag, but otherwise he likes it. He says it isn't too difficult and doesn't really take a lot of attention away from studying the important MD stuff. Basically, you can't do the things other students might be doing with their summer (research/preceptorship/goofing off0, so keep that in mind.
 
kingofthehill said:
I personally thought Las Colinas and Quail Creek were a dump when I was looking, but they are cheap. They are kinda far from campus too--if I remember, they're on the opposite side of town from campus.
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Ahahaha. So I live in a dump huh king? 😉 I suppose i should have mentioned a disclaimer that your views of apartments will probably be tied to what you are used to. So if you are used to granite countertops and manicured lawns, well then sure maybe QC and LC are dumps. But in my mind my apartment is nearly as big as the house i grew up in, and in a nice neighborhood with brick houses and manicured lawns. I feel totally safe living alone as a female and walking my dog late at night.

And distance from school really doesn't need to be considered. With the loop and marsha sharp freeway it never takes more than 10 minutes for me to get to school or home. No such thing as traffic in Lubbock 🙂
 
AgShan08 said:
Ahahaha. So I live in a dump huh king? 😉 I suppose i should have mentioned a disclaimer that your views of apartments will probably be tied to what you are used to. So if you are used to granite countertops and manicured lawns, well then sure maybe QC and LC are dumps. But in my mind my apartment is nearly as big as the house i grew up in, and in a nice neighborhood with brick houses and manicured lawns. I feel totally safe living alone as a female and walking my dog late at night.

And distance from school really doesn't need to be considered. With the loop and marsha sharp freeway it never takes more than 10 minutes for me to get to school or home. No such thing as traffic in Lubbock 🙂
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Haha no you don't; I just thought they were a little on the ratty side, but yes, I'm used to luxury I guess. And, no, my apt does not have granite countertops or stainless appliances. That's what you get The Edge....
 
kingofthehill said:
I personally thought Las Colinas and Quail Creek were a dump
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kingofthehill said:
I just thought they were a little on the ratty side
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i guess you've not been to my appartment at las colinas, because it's pretty chic, if i do say so myself. 😎


For 2014ers: if you don't want to have roommates (ie, you're footing the bill alone), i personally think it's the way to go. If any of y'all are here over spring break, etc., and go appartment hunting, i'd be more than happy to show you my place if you're concerned how they look, and I'm sure AgShan would do the same. (and if anyone ends up living at las colinas, pretty, pretty please use my name as a referral!!!)

also, when youre looking, be sure to note where the hot water heater/pipes are located. It is COLD here. If the pipes are outside THEY WILL FREEZE. At las colinas, ours are imbedded in the center of each appartment, so we don't have anything to worry about, but I know of several classmates/upperclassmen at various other places around town who have recently/suddenly had to deal with this nightmare. just something to keep in mind.
 
I just finished reading Christine Montross' Body of Work, and I am really excited about starting school!

For current students, what was your experience in anatomy lab at Tech like? Did you enjoy it/hate it? Is there a locker room/showers to use after lab?

Thanks 🙂
 
Ftr Tx Md said:
I just finished reading Christine Montross' Body of Work, and I am really excited about starting school!

For current students, what was your experience in anatomy lab at Tech like? Did you enjoy it/hate it? Is there a locker room/showers to use after lab?

Thanks 🙂
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i loved anatomy, but i think different people's experience is more likely to be person-dependent rather than school-dependent. (ie some people like the kinesthetic learning / spatial-orientated material, and some people dont)


Yes:
all the students get an anatomy locker that is right by the lab for the duration of the block. there are also restrooms right by the lab that have showers in them, but because of the block scheduling, it's not really necessary: you usually go to lab and then go home. that's all we're doing that day.

occasionally (once-a-month-ish) you'll have clinic on the same day, but there's still usually ample time (1-2 hours) to go home and shower if you wish. (or you can use the ones by the lab.)

Also, in the student lounge (called the "synergistic center") there's a fitness room, with adjacent restooms with additional showers and a small locker room.

finally, we have another locker room, near the academic classrooms that we get to use for the whole first two years, (ie not "anatomy-dependent", we have it the whole time)

so to answer your question, YES, there are ample resources. Our school is SO SO SO SO sensitive to making sure all of the practicalities of med student life are made as easy as possible. I think this is one of Tech's most undersold benefits... what I mean by that is that we are sooooooo taken care of as medical students. THe faculty realize the difficulty of med school, and they want us to only have to worry about the material--not daily inconveniences.

I can just name example after example of how we are 'psychologically cared for'--yet this isn't something that is easy to tangibly explain during interview as a selling point
 
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I guess staying clean isn't an issue 🙂

What did you guys do/are planning to do between MS1 and MS2?
 
Hi Ftr Tx Doc

While I may not share the same opinion as the majority of the class, I personally LOVED LOVED LOVED anatomy! It is breathtaking and incredible and gross and awkward and wonderful all wrapped up into one. Maggie pretty much explained all of the important stuff, but I will just emphasize that while you might not smell great, normally we didn't really get "messy." I often just wore a t-shirt under my scrub top and would remove the scrub top after lab in case it was icky, scrub my hands really well and i felt clean enough to grab lunch etc.

Also, i don't know if the other schools do this, but at Tech you rotate cadavers and groups, so you won't ever get stuck with a "bad" cadaver. Plus you get to see a wider range of human anatomy. There are 3 units and you are paired up with 4 other people at a tank. For each unit you get a new cadaver/group. This became super helpful with meeting people/making friends since you end up working side by side with 12 people.

Also, this semester they are offering an elective to 1st years that will start next week called "surgical anatomy" it is pass/fail based only on attendance. Surgeons will come in and do/teach surgical "procedures" on the cadavers. I'm super excited about it!

Enjoy these last few months and hope to see you here next year or at spring training! 😉
 
Oh, and I still don't know what i'm doing this summer yet. 🙄 I want to stay in lubbock and ideally do something interesting/fun/beneficial. I just haven't found it yet. Have any good suggestions?
 
Thanks for the information kingofthehill. I'm happy to say that I will be a part of TTUHSC School of Medicine Class of 2014 😀
 
Thanks for the replies! I'm so excited about starting school in the Fall...I know we should be enjoying the time before school starts, but I'm ready for it to get here already!
 
im hearing a lot about this "spring training" what is that, is it some sort of prematriculation program in march or something?
 
I also loved anatomy; the only bad part was that I am not a morning person, so getting to class every morning at 8 sucked....after anatomy's over mornings start at 9 for the most part, so it's not that bad. Plus, after the novelty and coolness wore off after the first few weeks, it sort of became routine and almost chore-like, but I still enjoyed it.

My advice is to be ready for anatomy. I'm not saying study or anything before the semester begins; that would be insane. What I mean is come ready to work. I still remember very clearly what it was like before our first test: everyone was freaking out cuz they had no idea what to expect, and there really isn't much outside lecture-type instruction other than they tell you to read the relevant chapters in Moore; so there's a whole lotta unfamiliarity going in. Just be prepared to work hard...of course that goes w/o saying.

But those of y'all who will be coming next year, you'll get a ton of advice at spring training, which the first-years put on in March. Y'all will be getting letters in the mail about it if you haven't already. It's nothing more than a meet-n-greet and a reason to go out and drink. From what I can tell, our class, myself included, is fond of that..haha
 
Ftr Tx Md said:
What did you guys do/are planning to do between MS1 and MS2?
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I will be going to Atlanta (my hometown) to work on a research project with some of the Pediatric Hematologist at Emory. My research will also consist of clinical experiences through hospital clinic days and working at a special needs camp for kids with bleeding disorders so they are keeping my summer pretty busy but fun too. Las Colinas has a summer storage program where as long as I renew my lease for the next year I can turn in my keys and while I am out of town for summer only pay 1/2 of my rent each month- I thought it was pretty cool!

I personally wasn't the world's biggest fan of anatomy but I didn't hate it either. I thought the worst part was smelling like "cadaver juice" but it wasn't too bad since I could come home from lab each day, take a shower, then study again. Also, Tech puts up all the images for the anatomy lab that you need to know online (Cross Sections, CTs, X-Rays, MRI's) so I loved being able to study those from my apartment and they had a key online as well as in the lab with the originals.
 
Hey wasn't match today? Where are all the new Tech people? Actually going to class I suppose!
 
Why are the only people posting in here MSIs?? WHERE ARE OUR NEW MATCHEES?? 🙂
 
aggie08 said:
Why are the only people posting in here MSIs?? WHERE ARE OUR NEW MATCHEES?? 🙂
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Agree. Where is everyone? However, if you are out celebrating and having too much fun to be a dork on SDN like me than I totally understand! 👍
 
I pre-matched in November -- but yay for all the matched classmates! I can't wait to meet you all. I'm making a trip this month to Lubbock to hopefully set up an apartment, meet with financial aid, etc. Any suggestions for things to take care of/see while I'm there? Looking forward to starting school in the fall!
 
KLF, do you live far away from Lubbock? I'm an MS1 officer and we're planning spring training for the weekend of April 10th. It's a GREAT experience and you get to meet all of your classmates, see housing options, learn about school etc. Some people can't make it because of school/work/etc, but if you are flexible I would recommend visiting Lubbock then to take care of housing etc. We offer free housing with a student too! PM me if you have any questions.
 
AgShan08 said:
KLF, do you live far away from Lubbock? I'm an MS1 officer and we're planning spring training for the weekend of April 10th. It's a GREAT experience and you get to meet all of your classmates, see housing options, learn about school etc. Some people can't make it because of school/work/etc, but if you are flexible I would recommend visiting Lubbock then to take care of housing etc. We offer free housing with a student too! PM me if you have any questions.
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Yes -- I'm about 7-8 hours away from Lubbock in College Station. (I assume from your username you're familiar with the drive!) I only get about 2 weekends off from work in College Station ALL semester so I figured I had better get out there as soon as I can to take care of a few items. I'd love to come on the weekend of April 10th if I can get someone to cover my shifts -- but my parents really want to make a trip out there as well and see the campus, etc. so we'll be coming in February! If I can't find a place to live this time another trip may be inevitable 😉

Thanks for the heads up! I'll be looking for ways to get out of work that weekend and hopefully head that way to meet all of y'all and my new classmates!
 
braek12 said:
MATCHED TO TTUHSC-Lubbock!!!!

I wont believe it until I get a paper letter in the mail though. This is the first time I have felt free in two years haha!
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Congratulations!! I'm looking forward to meeting you all. Hopefully at spring training, but if not there's always orientation 🙂

Thanks for the heads up on spring training AgShan.
 
Got the match. Ill see yall in the fall. The real funny thing (not at the time of course) was when I first got the TMDSAS website and checked matched results (after needing to refresh b/c of the overloaded bandwith) it said sorry you didn't match anywhere. Of course at the time I was like WHAT? and then I refreshed and it said I matched Tech.
What a cruel joke you play, TMDSAS! *shakes fist in air*


...Dont judge the name... new to this forum and Im not all that big into avatars hehe.
 
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