Texas Tech vs Texas A&M vs University of Texas San Antonio

[AngelOfAvarice]

So my match list is due in two weeks, and I'm having second thoughts about which schools to list first. I got accepted to Texas Tech and A&M, and I'm hoping to match into UT San Antonio. I would list A&M first, but from what I understand, after the first year in College Station, 60 people are sent to each of the different Satellite campuses for the remaining 3 years. I don't want to have to make a bunch of friends and then not see them anymore, and having a class of 60 people offers less opportunity to make friends than a class of 200. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

However, I'm not sure whether I prefer Tech over A&M necessarily. I'm from Dallas, and so living in Lubbock would make it harder to see friends and family. I know that a strong support network is important for doing well in medical school.

They all cost about the same so cost isn't really an issue. I was hoping maybe some of you who have had to make similar decisions recently could tell me what factored into their ranking. At the moment the ranking I have is 1. UTSA 2. Tex Tech 3. A&M. This is tentative however, and I'm not certain that class size is a reasonable factor for ranking Tech higher than A&M.

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[I'm not a cat]

Do not base your decision on the class being split when deciding between Tech and those aggies. Tech's class is split between Lubbock, Amarillo, and Odessa. If you want stability, you should definitely list UTHSCSA first, then proceed from there. To choose between Tech and A&M, consider the fact that A&M has the option of spending the last two years in Dallas. Also consider the fact that Tech has higher USMLE scores and will not be implementing a change to the curriculum. In essence, the first year for a curriculum change can be quite bumpy—or at least that's what the students who experienced it at UTHSCSA said. If you have more things that compel you to either one, please discuss those.

 

[AngelOfAvarice]

Do not base your decision on the class being split when deciding between Tech and those aggies. Tech's class is split between Lubbock, Amarillo, and Odessa. If you want stability, you should definitely list UTHSCSA first, then proceed from there. To choose between Tech and A&M, consider the fact that A&M has the option of spending the last two years in Dallas. Also consider the fact that Tech has higher USMLE scores and will not be implementing a change to the curriculum. In essence, the first year for a curriculum change can be quite bumpy—or at least that's what the students who experienced it at UTHSCSA said. If you have more things that compel you to either one, please discuss those.

I do know that Tech has a higher USMLE score average. I liked the atmosphere at Tech. From the interview presentation we were given at A&M, the incoming class of 2015 will do the first year at College Station, and the remaining 3 years at one of their five satellite campuses, as apposed to their previous set up of 2 and 2.

I was told at the Tech interview that the placement of 3rd and 4th year rotation sites was not loto based, and that I wouldn't have a problem staying in Lubbock, but perhaps that might not be what you heard or other people's experience, I don't know.

I do like the fact that Texas Tech has a block system, and that does appeal to me. From what I heard at the UTHSCSA interview, they aren't implementing the curriculum change they had planned to implement for the incoming class of 2015.

The biggest issue between Tech and A&M for me is that I don't want to meet and befriend 200 people, and then go to Temple or Dallas my second year with 57 other people, and lose all the friends I had first year/be confined to such a small group of people to socialize and learn with. It's a hard decision because they were all great schools that impressed me.

Thank you for replying, I appreciate it.

 

[catman856]

did you chose texas tech?