copying pasting again cuz i posted in the old thread.
Howdy, another current Med sci here.
To everyone frustrated and anxious rn, its going to be ok. That being said, please dont only apply to 3- 4 postbacs. I personally applied to 10, and (being entirely truthful) I was admitted to all of them. I chose UNTHSC after talking to previous students, it really is a well established program. You dont want to rely on just 1-3 schools to give you a post bac acceptance, bc if you run the risk of not getting accepted… what are you going to do for an entire year???? Ofc, I completely get if that is not financially possible- but think hard about the consequences of only applying to a few and then not getting accepted, you may need to shell out even more in the future then. Here are my stats: 500 hours volunteering, 3.734 GPA, and 509 MCAT, 3 leadership positions. My friends in this program have as low as 3.2 GPA, and there are indeed some with 497 MCAT as well! So dont worry. I would say the people that need to be really careful are those that have a double whammy (aka low mcat and low gpa). Most have a really low gpa, with a strong mcat OR vice versa. My scores are pretty competitive, I just didnt apply correctly. But I am not lying to you when I am saying there are tons of students in here with lower scores than mine in gpa and mcat. Warning: be prepared to work your ass off in the summer if the MCAT is your weak point. I personally not a fan of the princeton course, but some professors are good (biology, CARS, etc). Your already paying money for it and if your below 508 you’ll be placed in there so might as well learn everything you can. Biostats and Epidemiology are the most frustrating courses. But i wouldn’t change attending here. Most of the time I study at the library and only go to my apartment to sleep. Im so glad i finally got the mcat out of the way. Fall wise its not hard material, but there is a lot of it, but just remember med school is going to be harder so you just need to stick it out. Btw unthsc library is amazing and the scenic views are to die for.
You’ll have access to housing lists, talk to previous med sci students, and the “bible” which is a compilation of resources past med sci have used to study for tests once added to the facebook group post acceptance. Best thing to do before entering this program is figuring out housing, and cultivating good stress/anxiety techniques early on. you'll need it. This program is doable- it is not overtly challenging but it will push you. This is not undergrad anymore. They'll be days your stressed out and sick of studying. But that is exactly whats going to happen in med school so this is your chance to prove you belong there. keep a positive mindset, surround yourself with positive students. Stay away from naysayers and people who put others down, and try not to get too drunk over the weekends. I love fort worth! its really nice here, and pretty.
I will say tho, there are a fair amount of us that low-key miss the first class rep but she got accepted into med school (luckyyyyy) during the summer and is probably killing it there as well. There were a couple others that got accepted during the summer, that will happen. The current one is doing a decent job, but the previous one was insanely on top of things and I feel like organization wise things would have been better if she was still here, and she cared a lot about her classmates. But thats just my opinion Im low-key her fan. But the point is make sure whoever you’re electing cares about the student body and does a really good job advocating + good at organizing/staying on top of ****. Both of ours have done well so far.
beware of this : people have been deleting **** from the bible, which is causing a headache, so dont be that person and do that. Its annoying and no one likes you if you get caught.
We have two former med sci that are attending TCOM that do a great job of hosting review sessions and creating practice tests. They are also absolutely incredible. (girl power)! I agree with all the complaints my med sci classmates have already stated on here. Epi is such a nuisance to deal with, so beware.
What I like most about the program is the supportive atmosphere. That being said there are a few obnoxious people (but they people like that everywhere) so be smart about who you spend your time with. There are indeed some big friend groups going on, and not everyone gets along. Do yourself a favor and exit out of these groups when drama goes down. You dont need that right now, and stay away from overly boastful people. aka Mr. and Mrs “i got a perfect cars score etc etc”.
Definitely stop paying attention to people who keep saying they have high mcat and gpa, it just stresses you out. They are on their own path, and you are on yours. People have subpar scores here, that is a reality. Work on yourself.
When your applying, aside from your stats, REALLY spend time on your essays and let your passion/reason why you want to attend UNTHSC med sci shine through. MD schools want proof you can handle the curriculum, and frankly if your goal is only MD your better off waiting until your done with the program (at least according to past med sci’s). Now thats not to say you won’t have any luck with MD if you apply the cycle of enrolling, but you’ll have to play the waiting game and really do well first semester. I will be waiting until the program is finished so ill apply the next cycle.
I take a day off to relax, in order to prevent burnout. Fort worth is a fun place to be, but the highways are annoying. There are a few out of state students as well.
I also agree with whoever said they take a holistic approach to accepting! it is true. I wouldn’t change my decision to come here
ok back to studying, hope this helps! sorry for the rambling-im really caffeinated
ADD ON: wait i just thought of a few advice. For those of you who are planning on applying this year. You HAVE to re-write your essays if you are a re-applicant (i know it sucks). Dont shoot yourself in the foot and submit the exact application. Re-phrasing and moving a few paragraphs isn't gonna help either. Because this will be annoying and takes a **** ton of time, start thinking about this NOW. Also prepare for the interview now (focus on ethical questions, they screw most people over due to not being prepared), invest in some really good business/business casual attire (you'll need it), and minimize volunteering/leadership (if you are not heavily lacking in this area). Priority: MCAT, then GPA, then clinical experience, then leadership, then everything else. Try not to freak about when you'll get your acceptance, it really doesn't mean anything when others get it and some dont. Call the office once in a while to see if you have everything submitted (not like every week- maybe once a month). Ok cool im done
