The Republic of Texas Thread - Part IV - Don't Mess with Texas

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
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I want to also agree that interviewing is SUPER important. :) I also think a strong personal statement is good. Once you're at the interview its about you and what you can offer.

At UTH, which is a school I am IN LOVE with, the interviews are normally 30 mins, but my first interview was almost an HOUR long, which turned out to be amazing! I had a really great older lady who had amazing stories to share about becoming a PhD when women just didn't do that sort of thing (which was so cool cause I'm really into women breaking down barriers, you know being a woman myself and all), going to the opera with her husband, and about screaming in a closet to relieve stress. While I know you won't always click, really being able to steer the conversation to something you are passionate will help.

Another example, UTSA, a school I really didn't think I'd get into, I had QUITE the awkward interview with PhD, who actually said he hated doing interviews and said he was sorry he was so bad. I just thought great.......this guy could be defending me to the admissions committee. We didn't click on anything until I noticed the picture of his ADORABLE daughter on his desk, and I managed to steer the conversation to her, which was perfect because I LOVE kids!

I know I'm not great at selling myself, but I also think being able to let your passions out is so important for the interview. So because I like to hear myself talk (well... watch myself type) I agree seriously with everyone that has said the interview matters. Oh yeah.. and APPLY EARLY!!! :D

Also, I don't tout myself to be an amazing proof reader or and English whiz, but if anyone wants me to, I'd be MORE than happy to read personal statements, whether it is your one from this past application cycle (maybe we can think of something to add or tweak) or give you input on writing a new one. Our professional school advising office here at A&M is AH-mazing and I feel like I learned a lot from them about what to add and what your statement will make pop up in a readers head.

ok that's it I think :)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Apply early.

Even if the interview went really well (and were told so more or less that you are da man after by your interviewer) your still poop b/c >90% of the acceptances are out before it's your time to shine.

(you can see I am a little disheartened by my current standing)
 
I will go that inch with you guys!!! RRAARRRRR!!! Let's get 'em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p
 
Anastasis said:
I have to admit that UT-H and UTSA were the only two interviews I felt like I just NAILED afterwards.
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i felt so good about my utmb interview that i was dancing my ass off on the 5 hour drive home back to dallas.... im sure people aroudn me were thinking wtf... but i didn't give a **** i knew that if i didnt' get in after that, there was NOTHING more that i could do.
 
that's the thing. i thought i got the golden handshake after at least one of my interviews. but what like
someone was saying before, if you made it to an interview that means on paper you are med school material... you just need to prove in person.
 
oh and one more thing i've noticed..... if an interviewer gives you their business card, and tells you to keep in touch, chances are you nailed it ;)
 
FWIW I also think that the PS and interview are important. Grades and MCAT I think don't say too incredibly much about you. Maybe you're a bad test taker. Maybe you made a couple mistakes and your GPA suffered. Maybe you're not smart but you work hard and/or your school's just that easy. You can't get the whole story from a couple of numbers on a piece of paper.

I also think that the PS and interview are the hardest part of the process. The PS is just tough because it's a blank slate to write anything you want. Some of us like more direction than that ;)

I always told myself all I needed was an interview, and I'd convince them that my grades were a fluke and I would make a good doctor. I think it's true that you CAN do this in an interview, but you really need to be assertive and well-prepared.
 
djfir0 said:
oh and one more thing i've noticed..... if an interviewer gives you their business card, and tells you to keep in touch, chances are you nailed it ;)
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damn i wish that was true!!!
 
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interstellar said:
damn i wish that was true!!!
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like it was mentioned before... you have to apply early... if the interviewer gives you the highest score of all time, but they don't have space for you, you might as well have not interviewed at all.
 
armybound said:
FWIW I also think that the PS and interview are important. Grades and MCAT I think don't say too incredibly much about you. Maybe you're a bad test taker. Maybe you made a couple mistakes and your GPA suffered. Maybe you're not smart but you work hard and/or your school's just that easy. You can't get the whole story from a couple of numbers on a piece of paper.

I also think that the PS and interview are the hardest part of the process. The PS is just tough because it's a blank slate to write anything you want. Some of us like more direction than that ;)

I always told myself all I needed was an interview, and I'd convince them that my grades were a fluke and I would make a good doctor. I think it's true that you CAN do this in an interview, but you really need to be assertive and well-prepared.
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Sure, but there are people who have the grades, mcat, ec's, and are terrific interviewers. If you don't have to make excuses why your grades/mcat/whatever where a fluke, then you are that much better off.

I mean really, what's more impressive:

the student who went thru hard times, grades dipped, recovered, and wrote about it in their PS (for example)

or

the student who was in the same circumstances, made no excuses, still pulled A's in their classes and got an great MCAT score... you decide


YET, here I sit w/o any acceptances, so I'm probably wrong and bitter, so feel free to ignore me
 
djfir0 said:
like it was mentioned before... you have to apply early... if the interviewer gives you the highest score of all time, but they don't have space for you, you might as well have not interviewed at all.
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youre totally rite. that pretty much makes or breaks an application esp with rolling admissions. although i did apply in july (processed in july that is)... :oops:
 
Rocket3004 said:
Sure, but there are people who have the grades, mcat, ec's, and are terrific interviewers. If you don't have to make excuses why your grades/mcat/whatever where a fluke, then you are that much better off.

I mean really, what's more impressive:

the student who went thru hard times, grades dipped, recovered, and wrote about it in their PS (for example)

or

the student who was in the same circumstances, made no excuses, still pulled A's in their classes and got an great MCAT score... you decide


YET, here I sit w/o any acceptances, so I'm probably wrong and bitter, so feel free to ignore me
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i understand what you are saying... and you are totally right, in a perfect world thats the way it should be. however you gotta understand, people in admissions offices, are human beings, they are getting paid for a job, and they do it.... in most cases they don't go out of there way to find the greatest person, they dont' give 2 ****s man... they just want to get the job done and move on... thats why applying early is so important...
 
djfir0 said:
like it was mentioned before... you have to apply early... if the interviewer gives you the highest score of all time, but they don't have space for you, you might as well have not interviewed at all.
Click to expand...


This is why I hate this new f*ing system so much. I even managed to get an hour long interview with Kellaway at UTH and what happens in the match...nada:mad: (I'm very bitter if you couldn't tell)

Do yall think that they're going to back to the full match next year?
 
ID Doc said:
This is why I hate this new f*ing system so much. I even managed to get an hour long interview with Kellaway at UTH and what happens in the match...nada:mad: (I'm very bitter if you couldn't tell)

Do yall think that they're going to back to the full match next year?
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Get rid of the match completely I'd guess.
 
ID Doc said:
This is why I hate this new f*ing system so much. I even managed to get an hour long interview with Kellaway at UTH and what happens in the match...nada:mad: (I'm very bitter if you couldn't tell)

Do yall think that they're going to back to the full match next year?
Click to expand...

i hope you realize the full match was the same way man... they compile their lists while their interviews are going on, and don't go back and edit them near the end of the match, just like what happened this year. people get screwed over ever year by applying late... that was my case last year. this year is just a more transparent version of what they did every year before this.
 
As long as we're on the topic of interviews,

I'd like to chip in that for some people, preparation helps alot. I've had debates with others on interview threads who feel that prepping isn't necessary (Towelie is the biggest advocate of this), but it worked well for me. I'm not encouraging scripting answers or reading cookie cutter premed interview books by any means, that would definitely be counterproductive and will morph you into a boring robot.

I split the interview prep into 2 things: me, and everything that is not me. The former includes reviewing things like the PS, extracurriculars (you'd be surprised to find how hard it is to describe something you might do on a regular basis), research, publications, thesis, etc. The latter, everything that is not me, would be things like healthcare, bioethics, current events, etc. I was an engineer, so I didn't have much exposure to these things, so I read books and went to public health seminars whenever I could. This saved my ass numerous times. It is true that an honest "I don't know, that is an excellent question" is a viable answer, but having an informed opinion about a subject is much more impressive.

Mock interviews and SDN feedback thread are goldmines too.
 
ID Doc said:
This is why I hate this new f*ing system so much. I even managed to get an hour long interview with Kellaway at UTH and what happens in the match...nada:mad: (I'm very bitter if you couldn't tell)

Do yall think that they're going to back to the full match next year?
Click to expand...

I think if they do anything they will go to full rolling. I know it was UTSW apparently that wanted to change, but if you watch the UTMB video they said that they are going to push to go to full rolling for next year. I know it sucked for a lot of people but the UTMB video made it sound like they are really happing with the quality of applicants they got through rolling. I guess the other schools feel the same way, even though they clearly missed WONDERFUL people. I think you should get an SDN stamp of coolness that goes on your app so that adcoms know you're one of the best :)
 
djfir0 said:
i hope you realize the full match was the same way man... they compile their lists while their interviews are going on, and don't go back and edit them near the end of the match, just like what happened this year. people get screwed over ever year by applying late... that was my case last year. this year is just a more transparent version of what they did every year before this.
Click to expand...

Whoa whoa whoa. Is this true? Because then there wouldn't really be any difference between a late applier last year and this year... hence all our b*tching about interviewing for the waitlist is pretty much moot
 
FROM TMDSAS said:
After June 15, no medical school in Texas may offer a position to an applicant already accepted by another medical school in Texas. This is the result of an agreement between the four UT System Medical schools, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, and University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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So I have till June 15th to get off the waitlist at UTSW since I have already been accepted by UTH? If I want to continue to be considered for UTSW after this point I have to withdraw my acceptance from UTH??
 
i'm freakin bitter too. i really really thought i had a TAMU acceptance in the bag. my first interviewer and i got along well and it went over a few mins. the second one was the last interview of the day, and what was supposed to be 430-5PM, ended up going till 530PM. and it wasn't awkward at all.

that and i've addressed pretty much everything i could to make my app way more attractive. granted i screwed up big in the past, but that was 4.5 yrs ago. since then i've graduated from the same undergrad, gotten into grad school and done well. my GPA is now a 4.0 in grad after a 3.37 in undergrad (which included 2 Fs for my punishment). i have the experience, the research, the goals, the knowledge, the know-how, the brains, and the determination. what more could they want?

/rant
 
eternalrage said:
So I have till June 15th to get off the waitlist at UTSW since I have already been accepted by UTH? If I want to continue to be considered for UTSW after this point I have to withdraw my acceptance from UTH??
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I think so. i think they set that date so that even though the real list of students may change, there will be no more shuffling of students between schools. That way anyone they call off the wait list will not be accepted at any med school
 
aggiesarah2007 said:
I think so. i think they set that date so that even though the real list of students may change, there will be no more shuffling of students between schools. That way anyone they call off the wait list will not be accepted at any med school
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cmon baylor start moving

any word on when the next batch goes out?
 
eternalrage said:
cmon baylor start moving

any word on when the next batch goes out?
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Word is (from Dwigt) that Baylor still has 1/3 of their class to fill. Haven't heard when, though.
 
Guess the hype is over. This thread is moving slower than my bowels.
 
Can we start our own medical school? Would the board of regents go for it? With the combined intelligences of everyone here it shouldn't be that hard. Now I can't guarantee everyone will be admitted. It's going to be highly selective and anyone who knows how to play the kazoo will get first priority. That's just the way it's gotta be, we have a limited number of seats.

This is gonna be great. I'm already excited, I may even give up my seat at Houston.
 
got emails back from a couple interviewers...one of them said that i need some challenging realworld healthcare experiences (which kind of ticks me off saying that I know several people that haven't had clinical experience AT ALL and got accepted, while I have had some darn good experience already :mad: ) and the other's email is so grammatically wrong I can barely understand it! :laugh:
 
eternalrage said:
Guess the hype is over. This thread is moving slower than my bowels.
Click to expand...

Yeah........I miss the entertainment and comradiery. *sigh* I guess I'll have to go back to crocheting and finding other crafty things to entertain myself
 
Funny thing is that the interviews that I thought I nailed (UTMB, Baylor, UTSA) didn't result in an acceptance (though Baylor is still possible, i suppose.) One of my UTMB interviewers said, "I realy think that we need more engineers in medicine," and we spoke for like 15 minutes about my primary hobby, which he thought was really cool.

In contrast, my Tech interviewer got on my case for not shadowing a primary-care doctor, and after I answered her "Why medicine question" she kept asking me, "Why not be a teacher?" "Why not be <such and such>?" The interview was just awkward in general, so I didn't expect much, but ended up getting accepted there. One of my UTSW interviews was a stress interview, and while I didn't think I did poorly, it was one of those where you realize that you could've done better after it was all over. But, I got into UTSW too. My A&M interviews were kind of in between -- one was bizarre (quirky, squirrely woman asking me what I would do with my clone if I could clone myself) and one (with a student) went really well. No acceptance there, either.

So, it's really hard to truly gauge how well you do in interviews, and it's even harder to know how much they really count in determining whether you are accepted or not.
 
DianaUT06 said:
got emails back from a couple interviewers...one of them said that i need some challenging realworld healthcare experiences (which kind of ticks me off saying that I know several people that haven't had clinical experience AT ALL and got accepted, while I have had some darn good experience already :mad: ) and the other's email is so grammatically wrong I can barely understand it! :laugh:
Click to expand...

you emailed your interviewers???
 
yourmom25 said:
i'm freakin bitter too. i really really thought i had a TAMU acceptance in the bag. my first interviewer and i got along well and it went over a few mins. the second one was the last interview of the day, and what was supposed to be 430-5PM, ended up going till 530PM. and it wasn't awkward at all.

that and i've addressed pretty much everything i could to make my app way more attractive. granted i screwed up big in the past, but that was 4.5 yrs ago. since then i've graduated from the same undergrad, gotten into grad school and done well. my GPA is now a 4.0 in grad after a 3.37 in undergrad (which included 2 Fs for my punishment). i have the experience, the research, the goals, the knowledge, the know-how, the brains, and the determination. what more could they want?

/rant
Click to expand...
So what's your status with TCOM? When do they tell the masters kids if they're in?
 
Rocket3004 said:
you emailed your interviewers???
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Yeah, I wanted to get some advice from them about what I can do to improve my app in the next few months so I can reapply the 1st darn day it comes out!

Edit: actually i'd recommended this to anyone who didn't get in, i have gotten some good advice so far
 
DianaUT06 said:
got emails back from a couple interviewers...one of them said that i need some challenging realworld healthcare experiences (which kind of ticks me off saying that I know several people that haven't had clinical experience AT ALL and got accepted, while I have had some darn good experience already :mad: ) and the other's email is so grammatically wrong I can barely understand it! :laugh:
Click to expand...

...

You were in a surgery program for the summer and you were a hospital volunteer and they said challenging real world experience? what do they want you to do? rip electrical wire out of the wall and shock an old man who had a heart attack in a movie theater? maybe diagnose a brain tumor in a restaurant and do a biopsy using nothing but windex and a butter knife

maybe it is the way you talked about your experience - did you mention specific events or patients you might have learned something from? perhaps embellish a little more? (not bs, just make it exciting)
 
DianaUT06 said:
Yeah, I wanted to get some advice from them about what I can do to improve my app in the next few months so I can reapply the 1st darn day it comes out!

Edit: actually i'd recommended this to anyone who didn't get in, i have gotten some good advice so far
Click to expand...

Interesting... I've heard of talking to dean/director/whatever of admissions, but not the actual interviewers..

So they were cool and gave you advice? Did they give you any feedback on the actual interview?
 
jota_jota said:
So, it's really hard to truly gauge how well you do in interviews, and it's even harder to know how much they really count in determining whether you are accepted or not.
Click to expand...

Adds to the good/bad luck factor in applications.

It plays more of a part than people think. total crapshoot sometimes
 
Rocket3004 said:
Interesting... I've heard of talking to dean/director/whatever of admissions, but not the actual interviewers..

So they were cool and gave you advice? Did they give you any feedback on the actual interview?
Click to expand...

So far they have been really understanding. I've only heard from 3 so far, only one of them didn't remember me specifically. From what i'm getting, it sounds like I just need to work on selling it to them better. Go ahead and email yours too, any advice is worth asking for. :)

Oh, and to Eternalrage...yes, I even used specific examples from that surgery program...and it wasn't just about the surgery itself, more of the good that came out of it, how the patient's life changed because of it. What more do they want? Maybe I should start hanging around the movie theater...:laugh:
 
jota_jota said:
Funny thing is that the interviews that I thought I nailed (UTMB, Baylor, UTSA) didn't result in an acceptance (though Baylor is still possible, i suppose.) One of my UTMB interviewers said, "I realy think that we need more engineers in medicine," and we spoke for like 15 minutes about my primary hobby, which he thought was really cool.

In contrast, my Tech interviewer got on my case for not shadowing a primary-care doctor, and after I answered her "Why medicine question" she kept asking me, "Why not be a teacher?" "Why not be <such and such>?" The interview was just awkward in general, so I didn't expect much, but ended up getting accepted there. One of my UTSW interviews was a stress interview, and while I didn't think I did poorly, it was one of those where you realize that you could've done better after it was all over. But, I got into UTSW too. My A&M interviews were kind of in between -- one was bizarre (quirky, squirrely woman asking me what I would do with my clone if I could clone myself) and one (with a student) went really well. No acceptance there, either.

So, it's really hard to truly gauge how well you do in interviews, and it's even harder to know how much they really count in determining whether you are accepted or not.
Click to expand...

So true. I had two somewhat awkward interviews at UTMB. Both interviewers mentioned contingency plans ("I like you, but... you're interviewing so late... what if you don't get in this year?"). By contrast, at UTSW, my interviews were both full of laughing and interesting dialogue. Yet here I stand with a big scholarship to UTMB and no acceptance at SW.
 
meddstudd said:
So true. I had two somewhat awkward interviews at UTMB. Both interviewers mentioned contingency plans ("I like you, but... you're interviewing so late... what if you don't get in this year?"). By contrast, at UTSW, my interviews were both full of laughing and interesting dialogue. Yet here I stand with a big scholarship to UTMB and no acceptance at SW.
Click to expand...


When you say "big" are you referring to the 20,000$ over 4 years scholarship or to something else?
 
i think the trouble with premeds today is they don't think realistically and are being somewhat naive. if you were an adcom and you do this year after year, same **** again and again do you really think you would care about each individual application out of the 4000 people that apply... HELL NO... in the end they are human beings, they have things that they need to do... from the 8am to 5pm they are at work they are just trying to get the job done and get the **** out of there... now, that screws people over sometimes, as we have seen, but that is life man..... and this is coming from someone who was ****ed royally last year so believe me i know how it feels. dr. gunn last year said that i guarantee everyone in here will become a doctor, and he was right, it just takes time... some longer than others.
 
DianaUT06 said:
Oh, and to Eternalrage...yes, I even used specific examples from that surgery program...and it wasn't just about the surgery itself, more of the good that came out of it, how the patient's life changed because of it. What more do they want? Maybe I should start hanging around the movie theater...:laugh:
Click to expand...

Thats that bad luck again. it is GPA, MCAT, then chance, then everything else
 
djfir0 said:
i think the trouble with premeds today is they don't think realistically and are being somewhat naive. if you were an adcom and you do this year after year, same **** again and again do you really think you would care about each individual application out of the 4000 people that apply... HELL NO... in the end they are human beings, they have things that they need to do... from the 8am to 5pm they are at work they are just trying to get the job done and get the **** out of there... now, that screws people over sometimes, as we have seen, but that is life man..... and this is coming from someone who was ****ed royally last year so believe me i know how it feels. dr. gunn last year said that i guarantee everyone in here will become a doctor, and he was right, it just takes time... some longer than others.
Click to expand...

luck again.

GPA*10 + MCAT + Lucky points > threshold for interview
 
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