TMDSAS Help

[aspiringdoc09]

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I plan to apply to med school this summer to matriculate 2013 and I will be applying through all the application services. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice about successfully completing the TMDSAS in a timely manner. I read their website and realize it opens earlier than AMCAS. Any other tips will be helpful. Thanks.

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

I plan to apply to med school this summer to matriculate 2013 and I will be applying through all the application services. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice about successfully completing the TMDSAS in a timely manner. I read their website and realize it opens earlier than AMCAS. Any other tips will be helpful. Thanks.

Three things...Transcripts, Letters, and MCAT. You will probably be waiting on at least one of these things while the rest of your app in finished. Try and get things sorted out as fast as you can. Good luck. 👍

 

[Whatyousay]

Three things...Transcripts, Letters, and MCAT. You will probably be waiting on at least one of these things while the rest of your app in finished. Try and get things sorted out as fast as you can. Good luck. 👍

In addition to this, have a general sense of what activities you want to include on your application, and what you want to write about when it comes time to discuss those activities.

It's also a good idea to get an early start on your personal statement so you have time to edit and revise it. If you have free time, you may also want to take a look at the "optional" essays that TMDSAS reuses every year.

 

[nmed20]

Three things...Transcripts, Letters, and MCAT. You will probably be waiting on at least one of these things while the rest of your app in finished. Try and get things sorted out as fast as you can. Good luck. 👍

In addition to this, have a general sense of what activities you want to include on your application, and what you want to write about when it comes time to discuss those activities.

It's also a good idea to get an early start on your personal statement so you have time to edit and revise it. If you have free time, you may also want to take a look at the "optional" essays that TMDSAS reuses every year.

+1 for above!

Getting your essays and descriptions done so you can submit early is good! Because it takes time for them to evaluate your transcripts, and in the mean time you can get your letters in. Early = better. Even though I have been accepted this cycle, if I had applied much earlier, I think I would have gotten earlier interviews (vs Dec/Jan ones) and perhaps interviewed at more schools. But who knows.

Also, TMDSAS letters are slightly different than AMCAS as they come with an evaluation form for your letter writer to fill out and rank you against other people.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

+1 for above!

Getting your essays and descriptions done so you can submit early is good! Because it takes time for them to evaluate your transcripts, and in the mean time you can get your letters in. Early = better. Even though I have been accepted this cycle, if I had applied much earlier, I think I would have gotten earlier interviews (vs Dec/Jan ones) and perhaps interviewed at more schools. But who knows.

Also, TMDSAS letters are slightly different than AMCAS as they come with an evaluation form for your letter writer to fill out and rank you against other people.

Thanks everyone for you advice thus far.

Nmed, I know a lot of people on here say apply as early as possible. My issue is that I have a sub-par first MCAT take and I plan to retake between April - June (can't decide) depending on what my practice tests look like. I want to know if it is better to apply early with my low score and let them know I have a retake planned or submit once I have my better score? Do I decrease my chances of being looked at favorably if I apply early with a sub-par score or applying late with a better score? My cGPA is 3.56 and sGPA 3.3 if this may be useful to answer my questions.

 

[BA11]

Have everything planned out and set to go when the application opens. Get the application and your essays done ASAP and submit everything as quickly as you can. Getting accepted in Texas is almost as much about timing as it is about GPA, MCAT and ECs because Texas schools start their interviews so early. Your chances of getting an interview will be significantly higher if you submit in May as opposed to June. This can't be stressed enough, because a lot of "average" applicants have received interviews to really good schools in Texas because they were swift about getting their app in. I had average or below average stats for 6 of the 8 TMDSAS schools but submitted in early May and got interviews to all but one.

 

[BA11]

Thanks everyone for you advice thus far.

Nmed, I know a lot of people on here say apply as early as possible. My issue is that I have a sub-par first MCAT take and I plan to retake between April - June (can't decide) depending on what my practice tests look like. I want to know if it is better to apply early with my low score and let them know I have a retake planned or submit once I have my better score? Do I decrease my chances of being looked at favorably if I apply early with a sub-par score or applying late with a better score? My cGPA is 3.56 and sGPA 3.3 if this may be useful to answer my questions.

Yes, apply early and include your future MCAT date. No shame in taking it again, but applying in June or July with a better MCAT is much worse than applying in May and awaiting your score. That way they have everything processed already when your score comes in.

If it makes you feel better, my cGPA and sGPA were only slightly higher than yours and applying early got me plenty of interviews. Get a 30+ on your retake and you have a solid shot at getting accepted somewhere in Texas.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Yes, apply early and include your future MCAT date. No shame in taking it again, but applying in June or July with a better MCAT is much worse than applying in May and awaiting your score. That way they have everything processed already when your score comes in.

If it makes you feel better, my cGPA and sGPA were only slightly higher than yours and applying early got me plenty of interviews. Get a 30+ on your retake and you have a solid shot at getting accepted somewhere in Texas.

Thanks for the encouragement BA11. Btw, I am not a Texas resident if that makes any difference. I just plan to cast my net and apply through all the application services so I can have somewhere to go in Fall 2013. I will take your advice. I will start taking practice test soon, so if I am doing well on those then I will take my MCAT by April to have in hand come May.

 

[therunner12]

I agree with the whole applying early thing. I transmitted on 5/20 and got passed over for the first round of interviews for UTMB and Southwestern. The best thing about submitting early is that they have the chance to go back through the early applicants after they make their first pass. Ended up getting interviews at both of those schools and matched at UTMB.

Also, update letters help a lot, stay busy this next year and have some stuff to update them with.

 

[SoonerFromTexas]

I agree with the whole applying early thing. I transmitted on 5/20 and got passed over for the first round of interviews for UTMB and Southwestern. The best thing about submitting early is that they have the chance to go back through the early applicants after they make their first pass. Ended up getting interviews at both of those schools and matched at UTMB.

Also, update letters help a lot, stay busy this next year and have some stuff to update them with.

+1 (if you really have good stuff to update them about)
I sent an update letter to UTMB in November and about a week later I got an interview invite. It could of been a coincidence, but I really doubt it.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Thanks everyone. Will do!