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

[dancer75088]

Hey Pemb, thanks for your thoughts from the other thread. I am wondering if I can really change my app in 3 months. I'm really trying to scramble now and do something about this situation.

FDH: I was in the same boat as you last year. I was also worried about how to improve my app in 3 months. I was able to add more clinical experience, and I simply lined things up for the summer and fall and talked about them as planned things and what I hope to accomplish/learn from them. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! (PS I did not retake the MCAT, not did I improve my GPA by the time the application was due and interviews were completed!)

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[baylormed]

When I say "participate" I mean make any match acceptances, which they did not. "Did UT Southwestern participate in the February Match?
UT Southwestern sent a list of applicants to the TDMAS for the Match with instruction to replace any currently accepted applicants who matched to a school they ranked higher than Southwestern. None of our currently accepted applicants matched to a school they preferred over Southwestern. So, no new offers were made in the Match." Giving all of your spots pre-match, or making "no new offers," is akin to not participating to me.

No new offers were made because there were no spots left free during the match to make them. In other words, people w/ a pre-match SW acceptance either ranked it #1 or didn't match any higher, therefore not freeing any spots. Southwestern couldn't have known that, that is known once TMDSAS goes through the match system after we rank the schools.

 

[pitupitu]

No new offers were made because there were no spots left free during the match to make them. In other words, people w/ a pre-match SW acceptance either ranked it #1 or didn't match any higher, therefore not freeing any spots. Southwestern couldn't have known that, that is known once TMDSAS goes through the match system after we rank the schools.

But the thing is, weren't they supposed to send out offers just for a *small* % of spots? I mean, pre-match was supposed to be for a *very select* group of applicants, right?

 

[Falco2525]

But the thing is, weren't they supposed to send out offers just for a *small* % of spots? I mean, pre-match was supposed to be for a *very select* group of applicants, right?

in theory

 

[baylormed]

But the thing is, weren't they supposed to send out offers just for a *small* % of spots? I mean, pre-match was supposed to be for a *very select* group of applicants, right?

There was nothing set in stone, no law about only 10% getting in or anything similar. At the end, pretty much every TX school filled up most of their class pre-match, so why are we blaming only one of the schools for that?

 

[NCF145]

But the thing is, weren't they supposed to send out offers just for a *small* % of spots? I mean, pre-match was supposed to be for a *very select* group of applicants, right?

That is what Dr. Kellaway said at UT Houston.

 

[pitupitu]

There was nothing set in stone, no law about only 10% getting in or anything similar. At the end, pretty much every TX school filled up most of their class pre-match, so why are we blaming only one of the schools for that?

I'm not blaming one school. I was the one who mentioned UTH earlier in this thread, when UTSW was being blamed for everything.

 

[Falco2525]

That is what Dr. Kellaway said at UT Houston.

i heard that from all the schools i interviewed at

 

[pitupitu]

That is what Dr. Kellaway said at UT Houston.

Exactly my beef!

 

[meddstudd]

Should I be thinking good or bad news from UTSW

Okay so I just called UTSW to ask about my status since i did not get a waitlist email...they took a while to look things over and then said i should hear something in about 2 weeks...i then asked straight up if that meant bad news and for her to just be honest with me...she then said honestly that does not necessarily mean bad news.

i dont know what to make of it...i am thinking rejection but why would she not just tell me...any thoughts

yeah falco, i just had the same conversation. poor latrelle. i am not thinking rejection, but i'm basing that on the same gut feeling i had when i left there in december, after my interview and certain i would receive a letter of acceptance within the week. so my gut's not that reliable. obviously, of course, our odds are slim whether we're on the waitlist or not, but she asked me if i interviewed with them before saying, definitively, (I asked twice) that not receiving an email yet does not mean rejection. yet.
wish i had more to tell you.

 

[TexMED]

That is insane!!!!!

Yeah, the list was, in retrospect, really really long. Then they pulled us aside and were like, "Don't Worry! We have plenty of spots left! You will be equally considered like the other candidates before you! Don't listen to the rumors you hear on SDN (regarding Step 1 info)" and then to further reiterate their point with that lovely sentence from the email which reads: "If you have not yet received an offer from us, please do not be disouraged; we have been sparing with our offers and have confidence in the match on February 15, 2006, so please do not give up on us!"

Then again, maybe I don't want to hear about waitlists from them. It probably won't be accurate anyway.

 

[pitupitu]

Yeah, the list was, in retrospect, really really long. Then they pulled us aside and were like, "Don't Worry! We have plenty of spots left! You will be equally considered like the other candidates before you! Don't listen to the rumors you hear on SDN (regarding Step 1 info)" and then to further reiterate their point with that lovely sentence from the email which reads: "If you have not yet received an offer from us, please do not be disouraged; we have been sparing with our offers and have confidence in the match on February 15, 2006, so please do not give up on us!"

Then again, maybe I don't want to hear about from them. It probably won't be accurate anyway.

LOL That's like seeing a 75-ft-high tsunami and saying, "Don't worry, I have this little raft!"

 

[sunnyjohn]

But the thing is, weren't they supposed to send out offers just for a *small* % of spots? I mean, pre-match was supposed to be for a *very select* group of applicants, right?

Thank You!

Even though more people would have been turned down since more people applied, at least you wouldn't have felt shafted if they hadn't given out 80%+ of the spot before the match.

 

[Falco2525]

yeah falco, i just had the same conversation. poor latrelle. i am not thinking rejection, but i'm basing that on the same gut feeling i had when i left there in december, after my interview and certain i would receive a letter of acceptance within the week. so my gut's not that reliable. obviously, of course, our odds are slim whether we're on the waitlist or not, but she asked me if i interviewed with them before saying, definitively, (I asked twice) that not receiving an email yet does not mean rejection. yet.
wish i had more to tell you.

hey maybe they already decided who the next group will be to get accepted and we are in it and they plan on sending them soon! wishful thinking of course but it is the only thing i could come up with

 

[interstellar]

hey maybe they already decided who the next group will be to get accepted and we are in it and they plan on sending them soon! wishful thinking of course but it is the only thing i could come up with

positive thinking is good yeah!

 

[Gobble Town]

No new offers were made because there were no spots left free during the match to make them. In other words, people w/ a pre-match SW acceptance either ranked it #1 or didn't match any higher, therefore not freeing any spots. Southwestern couldn't have known that, that is known once TMDSAS goes through the match system after we rank the schools.

Exactly! I am confused about what the argument is here. They did not make any new offers (i.e. no match) bc they had offered them all pre-match. The fact that none of their pre-matchers did not match higher, giving an opportunity to offer "new" spots, was a mere afterthought (and a ridiculous expectation on their part, as others have noted).

I was under the impression that schools actually offered "new" spots in the match, though few in number due to the advent of the pre-match system (the cause of much angst in these threads), to people other than those receiving pre-match offers. It seems that every other school used the match as it has historically been purported to be used, as a method to fill spots (or now to fill spots set aside after pre-match offers have been made). I guess the problem is that UTSW had no intention of offering any new match offers because no spots were set aside (as was rumored a month ago) and therefore, by my apparently narrow definition of what "participating in the match" means, they did not participate. This is completely understandable, but it would have been nice to know.

(I apologize for all of the parentheticals and appositives, it seems easy enough to follow though)

 

[DrVanNostran]

Yeah, the list was, in retrospect, really really long. Then they pulled us aside and were like, "Don't Worry! We have plenty of spots left! You will be equally considered like the other candidates before you! Don't listen to the rumors you hear on SDN (regarding Step 1 info)" and then to further reiterate their point with that lovely sentence from the email which reads: "If you have not yet received an offer from us, please do not be disouraged; we have been sparing with our offers and have confidence in the match on February 15, 2006, so please do not give up on us!"
Then again, maybe I don't want to hear about waitlists from them. It probably won't be accurate anyway.

That line hurts so much right now

 

[pitupitu]

That line hurts so much right now

Yep, especially since, like you said, we could've been focusing our energies on other schools!

 

[TexMED]

no kidding...

 

[Doctor Bagel]

No new offers were made because there were no spots left free during the match to make them. In other words, people w/ a pre-match SW acceptance either ranked it #1 or didn't match any higher, therefore not freeing any spots. Southwestern couldn't have known that, that is known once TMDSAS goes through the match system after we rank the schools.

But wasn't that predictable to them since almost everyone ranks UTSW first anyway? Yeah, I know some people don't, but I would guess that percentage is pretty low.

 

[pitupitu]

You know, expecting the med schools to SPARINGLY choose amongst great applicants is akin to asking a 6-year-old to eat only ONE M&M of an entire 1-lb bag...they're gonna gobble up as many as they can, as long as there's no consequence (for them, anyway).

 

[Falco2525]

You know, expecting the med schools to SPARINGLY choose amongst great applicants is akin to asking a 6-year-old to eat only ONE M&M of an entire 1-lb bag...they're gonna gobble up as many as they can, as long as there's no consequence (for them, anyway).

nice metaphor

 

[DrVanNostran]

From where I stand, the match this year only compared students who interviewed well before Nov. 15; those who interviewed after were interviewing for non-existant spots; however, were under the impression that those spots were still there as they were in the past years.

DAMN, that sounds like verbal passage.

 

[pitupitu]

nice metaphor

Merci...I try.

 

[DrVanNostran]

You know, expecting the med schools to SPARINGLY choose amongst great applicants is akin to asking a 6-year-old to eat only ONE M&M of an entire 1-lb bag...they're gonna gobble up as many as they can, as long as there's no consequence (for them, anyway).

Thats how I am with Doritos.

 

[baylormed]

You know, expecting the med schools to SPARINGLY choose amongst great applicants is akin to asking a 6-year-old to eat only ONE M&M of an entire 1-lb bag...they're gonna gobble up as many as they can, as long as there's no consequence (for them, anyway).

True, and I was going to say that as well but I know feelings are very sensitive right now. Out of 4000 something applications, there are many, many greatly qualified applicants. Schools seemed to have sized them up mostly before the match, and those great applicants who happened to apply later got shafted. It's the way it's done in the rest of the country. I don't know if it's the best way, but that's the way it is.

 

[baylormed]

Thats how I am with Doritos.

I like my Doritos w/lemon juice and tabasco sauce. Sooo good.

 

[pitupitu]

Thats how I am with Doritos.

I thinnk that's all of us. It's called human nature...which makes me more forgiving of the adcoms in this situation. They're prolly gonna be more careful next time. It's just too bad that we had to be their guinea piglets this year!

 

[WestTexasRambler]

Yep, especially since, like you said, we could've been focusing our energies on other schools!

There is a lesson to be learned, though a painful one.

 

[pitupitu]

I like my Doritos w/lemon juice and tabasco sauce. Sooo good.

Damn...you are a true Texan!

 

[Gobble Town]

There was nothing set in stone, no law about only 10% getting in or anything similar. At the end, pretty much every TX school filled up most of their class pre-match, so why are we blaming only one of the schools for that?

This all stemmed from a backhanded compliment I made about UTSW on their honesty post- not pre-, and that pre- would have been nice too. UTH is where the brunt of my beef lies because in November they said the exact opposite of what UTSW said yesterday. Instead of saying, “You guys have very little chance, but this IS what you can expect” they/SHE said, “PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE COMPLETELY FULL PRE-MATCH LIST BEHIND THE CURTAIN (in the admissions office), I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ!” or “You are getting verrrrrry sleepy, this is all a dream, you WILL match, we are NOT full, 1-2-3 *snap* deep sleep, deep sleep, deep sleep”.

 

[baylormed]

Damn...you are a true Texan!

Indeed. A true Texican!

 

[baylormed]

This all stemmed from a backhanded compliment I made about UTSW on their honesty post- not pre-, and that pre- would have been nice too. UTH is where the brunt of my beef lies because in November they said the exact opposite of what UTSW said yesterday. Instead of saying, “You guys have very little chance, but this IS what you can expect” they/SHE said, “PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE COMPLETELY FULL PRE-MATCH LIST BEHIND THE CURTAIN (in the admissions office), I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ!” or “You are getting verrrrrry sleepy, this is all a dream, you WILL match, we are NOT full, 1-2-3 *snap* deep sleep, deep sleep, deep sleep”.

I understand that argument, it's completely ridiculous to tell you they have plenty of spaces when they have 300 (or whatever) names posted on the wall already. I wasn't refuting that, just the fact that nothing was really set in stone regarding the % of pre-match acceptances.

 

[pitupitu]

This all stemmed from a backhanded compliment I made about UTSW on their honesty post- not pre-, and that pre- would have been nice too. UTH is where the brunt of my beef lies because in November they said the exact opposite of what UTSW said yesterday. Instead of saying, "You guys have very little chance, but this IS what you can expect" they/SHE said, "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE COMPLETELY FULL PRE-MATCH LIST BEHIND THE CURTAIN (in the admissions office), I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ!" or "You are getting verrrrrry sleepy, this is all a dream, you WILL match, we are NOT full, 1-2-3 *snap* deep sleep, deep sleep, deep sleep".

Hilarious!

 

[NCF145]

Not including UTSW, I'm sure the other Texas schools took some, albeit not many, people through the match. Even though we haven't seen it on SDN, doesn't mean that it hasn't happened.

 

[chaeymaey]

Well aren't you the resident psychic.

As a matter of fact I was in the first graduating class out of Plano West.

OH MY GOD!!! I was in the second graduating class from Plano West. I went to high school with Eternal Rage!! This is blowing my mind!!!

 

[pitupitu]

Not including UTSW, I'm sure the other Texas schools took some, albeit not many, people through the match. Even though we haven't seen it on SDN, doesn't mean that it hasn't happened.

And I'll bet some monkeys flew outta some people's butts too! Just kidding. You're prolly right.

 

[NCF145]

Found this in my email.



Dear Applicants to UT Medical School at Houston:

We want to update you on the new matching process as seen from our perspective at University of Texas Medical School at Houston. There have been so many inquiries here in our office that we thought we would send a note to all of you.

Through the new matching system we have sent out some preliminary offers, and received acceptances. This in no way means that we have filled our class, or that we are finished with the interview season or matching process. There are MANY highly qualified applicants whom we have already interviewed and who will matriculate into our Medical School. There are MANY highly qualified applicants whom we have yet to interview, who will also find a place in our School.

Like the offers you receive from any out-of-state school, you should accept all of your offers from TMDSAS schools. It is not until January 15 that you have to release the offers from all but one school. If you have not yet received an offer from us, please do not be discouraged; we have been sparing with our offers and have confidence in the Match on February 15, 2006, so please do not give up on us!

Our advice, in short:

Make a "Wish Rank List" of schools where you have interviewed
Accept any offer you receive within the deadline requested by the school (You may hold MULTIPLE offers until 1/15!)
By January 15, decide which one of the TMDSAS schools to keep
If that is not your first choice, you STILL may match higher on your rank list via the Feb 15 match.
If you have had no early offers, DON'T FRET! You still go online and make a "WISH RANK LIST" for all schools where you interviewed.
Be sure to go online to TMDSAS to fill out your preferences by the Jan. 15 dealine AND the Feb. Match deadline.

 

[pitupitu]

"Don't fret," my a$$!

 

[Gobble Town]

"WISH RANK LIST"-ummm

Isn't there a saying, "Wish in one hand, **** in the other, and see which one fills up first."

Let's see if its the hand with the wishes.

*Poop*

 

[chaeymaey]

OK, when I first read the UTH email post, I thought it was an email sent today so when it said that they were still interviewing I freaked out.

 

[Gobble Town]

DON'T TRY! It's not the wish hand! IT'S NOT THE WISH HANNNND!

 

[DrVanNostran]

OH MY GOD!!! I was in the second graduating class from Plano West. I went to high school with Eternal Rage!! This is blowing my mind!!!

Did Eternal have Crazy spiked up hair and a hot korean GF?

Grats on TCOM

 

[interstellar]

you know that's right. Everyone was upset when UTSW hinted they wouldn't use the match, so I'm not surprised all the other schools were scared ****less to be real with us. was it right? no. did i personally get screwed with false hope? yes.

2222 ppl got interviews (and many of them had multiple ones) for 1062 spots. 47.79% is pretty good. oh god, i think i just made myself feel worse..haha

 

[interstellar]

Did Eternal have Crazy spiked up hair and a hot korean GF?

lol. of course not! he was the guy in the superman suit.

 

[TexasFool]

Man a lot of people got screwed. I give up on texas.

 

[HOLDENc]

Yep, especially since, like you said, we could've been focusing our energies on other schools!

Guys, it is time to emerge from the sour-grapes, self-pity party. Start working on a backup plan for next year and think of ways to improve your app if you don't get off a waitlist.

It is clear that some schools miscalculated how many slots/offers/acceptances were given but that WILL NOT change the end descision of whether or not YOU get into med school. There are still the same number of seats in TX med schools, they were just distributed differently. Schools make mistakes all the time ("Dear 'Insert Applicants Name' ", Rush sending out fake interview invite e-mails, etc.), these things happen when you are dealing with the large volume of ppl and information med schools deal with.

Your frustrations are misguided.

Reminds me of the TV show Cheaters. Who is the chick always pissed at? Her man? Noooooooooo. She is mad at the other woman who often times has no idea the guy had a gf/wife in the first place.

The problem is, in highly-emotional situations ppl fail to look rationally at the topic at hand.

Take a step back, take a deep breath and move on. Worry about the things you can control (start taking steps now to improve a possible app for next year, meet with your advisers to plan your next step, draft LOI's, etc.).

Good luck...

 

[drbublu]

I realize its in Lubbock guys, but has anyone heard anything from Texas Tech about their wait list process? Their online application status page is pretty vague...

 

[future_dr_house]

Guys, it is time to emerge from the sour-grapes, self-pity party. Start working on a backup plan for next year and think of ways to improve your app if you don't get off a waitlist.

It is clear that some schools miscalculated how many slots/offers/acceptances were given but that WILL NOT change the end descision of whether or not YOU get into med school. There are still the same number of seats in TX med schools, they were just distributed differently. Schools make mistakes all the time ("Dear 'Insert Applicants Name' ", Rush sending out fake interview invite e-mails, etc.), these things happen when you are dealing with the large volume of ppl and information med schools deal with.

Your frustrations are misguided.

Reminds me of the TV show Cheaters. Who is the chick always pissed at? Her man? Noooooooooo. She is mad at the other woman who often times has no idea the guy had a gf/wife in the first place.

The problem is, in highly-emotional situations ppl fail to look rationally at the topic at hand.

Take a step back, take a deep breath and move on. Worry about the things you can control (start taking steps now to improve a possible app for next year, meet with your advisers to plan your next step, draft LOI's, etc.).

Good luck...

shhh, this will make my chances worse on the WL.

j/k

Solid advice and it's currently what I'm trying to do.

 

[TexMED]

deep breath.

I just don't know if we're at that point yet. We just spent the better part of a year on this and heard the news yesterday.