Thank you again!
UNTHSC M.S. in Medical Sciences (Texas)-SMP 2019-2020
- Thread starter pathway2doc
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It’s a laptop basically. There was some talk of including an ipad this year and giving us macbook airs instead of macbook pros but no one knows for sure yet.
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Got my acceptance yesterday at 10 am. Stats: 3.14, 510. Submitted 2/20, completed 2/24.
I did a DIY post bacc with 3.90 GPA. I recommend those without Med Sci acceptance to consider a post bacc at your undergrad. I spoke with TCOM's admissions and they said matriculants with under 3.5 GPA either completed post-bacc or Med Sci.
I did a DIY post bacc with 3.90 GPA. I recommend those without Med Sci acceptance to consider a post bacc at your undergrad. I spoke with TCOM's admissions and they said matriculants with under 3.5 GPA either completed post-bacc or Med Sci.
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Question for the current/past med sci students. Did any of you use Sketchy to supplement classes like Pharm and Micro? I know it's more useful for step 1 but wondered if anyone did it for the med sci classes in particular to kill two birds with one stone.
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Been following this thread for a while and i'm so anxious with everyone getting accepted. I'm hoping to get a letter within the next couple of weeks. Applied 2/28 but they didn't finish processing my last letter of rec until 3/7. uGPA 3.56 and MCAT 501. I feel like i'm borderline with my stats and it's killing me not knowing if they think I'll be good enough.
RedRaider97
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Got denied from the Texas Tech program this morning at 8:30. Still waiting to hear back from UNT
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Same. At this point I’m so tired of checking my email and wondering if my application was even submitted correctly? I’m becoming neurotic lol
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To people that have been accepted: has anyone received their acceptance letter in the mail yet? If so, does the letter give more info than the email?
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deleted968358
I haven't received anything in the mail. Just the original email.
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Did you apply to the lubbock one or el paso?
RedRaider97
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I applied to the one in Lubbock. I’m graduating this May from Texas Tech so is thought I’d give it a shot
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Darn, I would have applied for both. But you know it really sucks;
The reality is many students with really high stats saturate the the SMP and Post-Bacc programs and makes it that much more difficult to land a spot, especially for those that need reinvention.
Me too - I keep checking every few minutes - I'm so exhausted from it lol. At least the weekend is coming and we can take a break knowing there's no news on weekends lol.
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@Heyheyhey_itsa & @crangel
I thought emails go out only 1x during whatever week they send them out ?
I thought emails go out only 1x during whatever week they send them out ?
this week they went out on Monday and Wednesday so it's not as predictable...
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8
803984
You won't get a paper letter in the mail, unless that's a new thing this year.
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803984
Some people use Sketchy but I don't believe it's widespread. In terms of supplemental materials I suggest getting the Board Review Series books for the relevant topics and drilling questions from those. UMich's anatomy resources are also excellent.
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So first off, none of the classes have mandatory attendance, just FYI. Some professors will be very butthurt if people don't go to their lectures, but most are fine with it. The one professor who retaliated against students if he thought attendance was too low won't be teaching next year, I'm told. Anyway -
Most of our classes are in the morning, and afternoon classes are less common. A typical day almost always has a 2 or 3 hour lecture block starting at 8 or 9. Then what happens in the afternoon is variable. In the fall we have histology once or twice a week, and each lecture is 3 hours, so those days are like: lecture 8-11, lunch break, histology 1-4. In the spring afternoon classes are pretty uncommon, but we do have afternoon anatomy lab once or twice a week. You'll be in there for an hour. We also average about one exam a week, so those will be plugged into a gap in the calendar somewhere. In the summer nothing is in-person unless you do MCAT or intro biochem. I didn't do either of those so I'm not sure what that's like.
With Mediasite capturing our lectures this semester I almost never go to class in person and I'm still doing really well. I do suggest you go to histology lecture because of how it's taught and so you can see the professors point out images, and then definitely go to anatomy lab, because without some guidance you really can't see what's what in the cadavers. Most classes have one TBL for every exam, and that's a required class visit. So your typical day, assuming you go to all of the classes, is lecture 8-11, lunch, then either study for a few hours or go to your afternoon class/lab. If you don't go to classes, then definitely keep up with the lecture videos and touch the material almost every day. Don't get sucked into a vortex of not thinking about any material for several days just because you know the videos are there. Learning is still the same - you still learn best by taking measured bites of material day by day as opposed to cramming.
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I know this is easier said than done but try not to do this - try to distract yourself with something. There is literally no pattern to when they announce, and some people hear back after a couple of days and others hear back after a couple of months. As people get into med schools off of waitlists their acceptances shift as well, so some people find out kinda late.
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I wouldn't really call you marginal, tbh. That's a higher GPA than most people in the program have and close to the average MCAT. (I think the average was a 502 for our class?) I think you have a good shot. I will say though that they love to see strong LORs and a compelling essay (like any school does, lol) so those have the power to push an applicant up or down.
Try to remember too that an SMP has a slightly different goal in admissions than a medical school does. A medical school wants a student who won't fail out, will do well on step, get a good residency placement, and then not embarrass them - maybe even do something that they can show off and brag about. An SMP wants a student who will benefit from the program while also surviving it. An SMP doesn't have as much of an impetus to take the very best as it does to take the students that are really close to being accepted and need a shove to get there.
Try to distract yourself with studying or work or Netflix or whatever - I know it's hard!
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pathway2doc
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I personally used sketchy for micro bio. I found it to be helpful for SOME of the microorganisms, mainly the bacteria. The virus part of sketchy was too detailed. I used the "picture" part of sketchy and tried to make associations with the class material. It helped me to visualize and memorize the material quickly. I had never taken micro bio prior to the program and we covered microbio in 2 weeks. I ended up doing well, so it's definitely doable.
We're just about to start pharm, so I can't give a sketchy review yet.
Sketchy Pharm was overkill for my class.
Most of the major classes of drugs were pretty easy to memorize via the slides. (Pharmacokinetics had small details like the ethnic distribution of slow acetyltransferases or CYP2D6 variants, but everything else was easily made into flash cards. [Metabolized by/Therapeutic effects/Adverse effects/Mechanism of Action)
Yall's experience is very likely to vary due to the passing of Dr. Schetz, who previously taught the first couple (Pharmacokinetics) and the last lecture (Chemotherapeutics).
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Nope Nothing Yet.
Apparently I'm suppose to hear back from another program today. Sighs
Nope Nothing Yet.
Apparently I'm suppose to hear back from another program today. Sighs
Which program? If you don’t mind me asking
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Which program? If you don’t mind me asking
No worries, I'm pretty open. I applied to Heritage University's MAMS program
Good Luck - you got this! I can’t really afford to move too far for an SMP so I just applied to the UNT one hoping for the best.
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You know to be honest. I can't afford it either, but several doctors told me that the biggest risk you take while trying to achieve your Dr. status is the $$$ investment. It's costly, but it pays off.
@crangel Thank You I needed to hear that.
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Some courses (our physiology course was recorded this semester) are recorded. There is no dress code standard.
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It is still being voted on by the Technology Package committee. 2020 Med Scis will learn more confirmed information closer to orientation.
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In case this wasn't answered, the optional biochemistry course is P/F or Pass/Fail. It will not be graded. The format is the same as any other course in Med Sci (Team-based Learning quizzes and exams). I came from engineering in undergraduate and did not take Biochemistry 2. Though I enjoyed the summer course, I did not ultimately find it helpful in preparing for the real Biochemistry course in the fall.
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I personally took out the loan package for tuition, rent, and applications. Other people used their savings. No one recommends you to work during the fall or spring semester. A fair amount of us kept our scribe/EMT/other jobs part-time during the summer, especially those who were only enrolled in the Biostatistics course.
For those enrolled in the MCAT course, I highly recommend you focusing on preparing for that exam rather than working.
Scholarship applications unfortunately closed in February. Medical Sciences students often don't earn scholarships regardless due to our masters status (PhDs tend to receive scholarship funds).
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Is there no grants from FAFSA for masters students, or just loans?
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I received a grant for my Texas resident status, but that was FAFSA-awarded and no one can predict how aid (loans or grants) will be dispersed for the '19-20 year.
Did the topics for the summer and fall biochem courses coincide or were they completely different topics of biochemistry? If that question makes sense...
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It does make sense! The topics coincided (carbohydrate, protein, lipid, nucleotide synthesis/degradation), but after taking the Fall course, I feel like I could have equally done as well without the Summer course.
Ooooh, okay! That's interesting to note. I'm debating on whether or not to boost my app with extra curriculars during the Summer or take the biochem course
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Personal opinion: Put the tuition money towards applications, and do as much extracurricular stuff you can!
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Wait so if you don’t take the biochem class in the summer, you don’t have to pay for it?
I believe the earliest we'll hear back again is tomorrow. One of the members commented that their deadline to confirm the acceptance is today
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Anyone heard anything today? I keep checking my email to hear for something, even I would be happy with waitlist at this point.
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I know right??? But no nothing today. I think they might hold out until next week or something.
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The facebook page only has 109 people so far..so I'm not sure if it's because not everyone has joined the group, or they're just delaying acceptances/rejections?
That's a lot of acceptances. lol At this point my patience is as thin as public tissue paper. 