UNTHSC/TCOM M.S. in Medical Sciences (Texas)-SMP 2017-2018

[Aurarice]

Just out of curiosity, what is everyone doing leading up to the start of classes? I'm not working and won't be in school until classes start and don't really know what to do with my time besides applying to medical school on the 1st. I feel unproductive and frankly kind of bored.. are y'all taking this time to relax and be lazy or trying to be productive somehow?

I'm not gonna apply until I get to talk with the advisory committee, so I'm definitely getting a little bit antsy!

I have a super light semester before I graduate, so I'm just working and spending time with the SO. Done with finals after I finish an annoying 15-page paper and two finals, so I'm excited to just veg out.
Does anyone happen to know if, for the MCAT course, they provide all the material? (iirc, all the Kaplan stuff is pretty sufficient material-wise with the exception of P/S)
@hotlikesause @haPyc00kie I'm probably going to start going to Khan Academy for P/S a touch before the semester starts.

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[rufflev]

I'm not gonna apply until I get to talk with the advisory committee, so I'm definitely getting a little bit antsy!

I have a super light semester before I graduate, so I'm just working and spending time with the SO. Done with finals after I finish an annoying 15-page paper and two finals, so I'm excited to just veg out.
Does anyone happen to know if, for the MCAT course, they provide all the material? (iirc, all the Kaplan stuff is pretty sufficient material-wise with the exception of P/S)
@hotlikesause @haPyc00kie I'm probably going to start going to Khan Academy for P/S a touch before the semester starts.

They should be providing all the material since it's a full MCAT prep course - and it says on the calendar that on the third day of orientation, we'll be picking up all MCAT prep materials. Khan Academy is good, but I also noticed that TPR P/S is solid too.

 

[hotlikesause]

I'm not gonna apply until I get to talk with the advisory committee, so I'm definitely getting a little bit antsy!

I have a super light semester before I graduate, so I'm just working and spending time with the SO. Done with finals after I finish an annoying 15-page paper and two finals, so I'm excited to just veg out.
Does anyone happen to know if, for the MCAT course, they provide all the material? (iirc, all the Kaplan stuff is pretty sufficient material-wise with the exception of P/S)
@hotlikesause @haPyc00kie I'm probably going to start going to Khan Academy for P/S a touch before the semester starts.

I am a reapplicant so I feel like I know what I need to do at this point. I've been working on a new personal statement for weeks so I am ready to get it submitted on Monday!!

Yeah I'm trying to embrace the opportunity to be lazy and veg out, I'm going to try to remind myself that this may be my last opportunity to be lazy and binge watch netflix lol

I actually will not be doing the MCAT prep course or retaking it now that the cutoff is 505! I dont even think they would let me opt into it if I wanted to, in the email they said anyone above 505 just wont be enrolled.

 

[Aurarice]

I am a reapplicant so I feel like I know what I need to do at this point. I've been working on a new personal statement for weeks so I am ready to get it submitted on Monday!!

Yeah I'm trying to embrace the opportunity to be lazy and veg out, I'm going to try to remind myself that this may be my last opportunity to be lazy and binge watch netflix lol

I actually will not be doing the MCAT prep course or retaking it now that the cutoff is 505! I dont even think they would let me opt into it if I wanted to, in the email they said anyone above 505 just wont be enrolled.

This is my first time around so I'd hope I don't need to go through this again.
Best of luck to you! I'm going to see if I can try to enroll in it anyway (I scored above the cutoff but I'd optimally like a 512+) or what their advising team recommends before I apply.

 

[hotlikesause]

This is my first time around so I'd hope I don't need to go through this again.
Best of luck to you! I'm going to see if I can try to enroll in it anyway (I scored above the cutoff but I'd optimally like a 512+) or what their advising team recommends before I apply.

Thank you!! yeah getting new LOR's was not fun especially since I already graduated! My app wasn't complete until July last year because I took the MCAT in June so I am hoping that applying earlier and more broadly this time will help. I wanted at least a 510 but I am content with my 506 since I didn't have any section below 126 and especially since I am aiming for DO schools!

 

[Aurarice]

Thank you!! yeah getting new LOR's was not fun especially since I already graduated! My app wasn't complete until July last year because I took the MCAT in June so I am hoping that applying earlier and more broadly this time will help. I wanted at least a 510 but I am content with my 506 since I didn't have any section below 126 and especially since I am aiming for DO schools!

If all goes well with the M.S. I'd definitely be interested in sticking around UNT for TCOM.
I'm planning on just re-using a few letters (2 science profs I did research with and a physician) and hopefully getting one or two more from medsci.
I ended up with a 509, same goal as you, though. But it's still technically a 30 or 31 on the old exam, so we'll see what advisors say.

 

[hotlikesause]

If all goes well with the M.S. I'd definitely be interested in sticking around UNT for TCOM.
I'm planning on just re-using a few letters (2 science profs I did research with and a physician) and hopefully getting one or two more from medsci.
I ended up with a 509, same goal as you, though. But it's still technically a 30 or 31 on the old exam, so we'll see what advisors say.

I honestly don't see why you wouldn't get into a bunch of both MD and DO schools with success in the MS and with a 509 MCAT!

 

[Aurarice]

I honestly don't see why you wouldn't get into a bunch of both MD and DO schools with success in the MS and with a 509 MCAT!

Thanks! I'm really, really hoping I can stay in-state though. I'm sure you'll do great, too!

 

[starkness17]

Thanks! I'm really, really hoping I can stay in-state though. I'm sure you'll do great, too!

Make a 3.7 or higher in the program and you will get into an in state school no problem.

 

[leinenkugel]

I got waitlisted, what are my chances I get off the list?

 

[slowthai]

Make a 3.7 or higher in the program and you will get into an in state school no problem.

Is this statement still true if you're applying M.D. only?

 

[rufflev]

Is this statement still true if you're applying M.D. only?

There's no guarantee that you'll get accepted (in either DO/MD) since there are a lot of factors that come into play, but I think if you strive to do your best then at the end of the day you'll be a step closer in becoming a doctor.

 

[AggieFalcon22]

I got waitlisted, what are my chances I get off the list?

How were you notified of being waitlisted? I still haven't heard anything but have had 2 friends rejected.

 

[leinenkugel]

How were you notified of being waitlisted? I still haven't heard anything but have had 2 friends rejected.

They emailed me last week telling me I was put on a waitlist.

 

[swaggydoc13]

How were you notified of being waitlisted? I still haven't heard anything but have had 2 friends rejected.

Take no news as good news

 

[Aurarice]

Financial aid just got posted for me. If you already submitted your FAFSA go check!

 

[AggieFalcon22]

Take no news as good news

I'm hoping!

Does anyone know if they are still sending out acceptances? Or just taking people off the waitlist?

 

[rufflev]

Does anyone know if they are still sending out acceptances? Or just taking people off the waitlist?

My assumption was that if people are being taken off the waitlist, then they've already sent out all their intended acceptances or are waiting to hear back from some people before they send out more. Keep note that the FaceBook book group has 187 members with <10 members being administrative/orientation leaders. Furthermore, the current class's FaceBook group has 258 members, so they might still be sending out acceptances!

 

[starkness17]

They are taking people off of the waitlist once spots open up.

 

[AggieFalcon22]

They are taking people off of the waitlist once spots open up.

I could be wrong, but I think there is still one round of acceptances left. I think they are just waiting to hear back from the last round before they sent out the next.

 

[voteformaritza]

I called them yesterday because my application status is still "submitted", but the person that picked up the phone said that my application was already reviewed and they were going to send out more decisions this week!

 

[hotlikesause]

Good luck y'all! Hoping to see some happy "Accepted" posts from y'all this week!

 

[AggieFalcon22]

Has anyone heard anything today? Acceptances, rejections, waitlists?

 

[voteformaritza]

I got waitlisted. Notified via email at 4pm!

 

[AggieFalcon22]

Officially denied. Good luck everyone!

 

[AggieFalcon22]

Does UNT give you a file with feedback after a rejection?

 

[hotlikesause]

Does UNT give you a file with feedback after a rejection?

I would contact them. I was able to get a very detailed feedback when I was rejected from TCOM, I would bet that the GSBS does something similar.

from the website: "Any Questions should be directed to [email protected], please use the subject “Medical Sciences Applicant” for a quicker response time."

 

[Aurarice]

Does UNT give you a file with feedback after a rejection?

What @hotlikesause said. They do File Reviews which can help both for the M.S. as well as medschool applications!

 

[belanova]

Officially denied! Good luck to everyone else!

 

[RustAg17]

Accepted today off of the Waitlist, can't wait to meet all of you beautiful people! For those still on the waitlist, don't give up hope just yet!

 

[TXhopeful]

Does anyone know for sure what MCAT prep we'll be using in the program? I feel like I've heard Princeton Review and Kaplan being thrown around together. A few other questions:

What is your expected registration date? We have the Biostatistics final on Wednesday, August 2. The possible exam dates for that month are August 3 (Thurs), 11, 18, 19, 24 and a few others in September. Our break is scheduled from August 3 through August 13. I want to avoid spending our entire break studying for the MCAT, especially since we have a crazy heavy fall semester. It seems that the 3rd is the best option, even if it is the day after a final. I'm not sure how intense that class will be either, so maybe a former student can comment on that. Let me know what your opinions are on that!
U.S. MCAT Testing Calendar and Score Release Dates
What is your "outside class" study schedule going to look like? The current summer schedule has 40 3-hour classes for MCAT prep, along with 4 full-length practice tests on Saturdays. I'm expecting to have about 3-4 hours every weekday morning (from 8 or 9 AM to 12 PM) for studying. Maybe this is something that will be answered when we start the prep program, but just wanted to get a general consensus.

 

[rufflev]

Does anyone know for sure what MCAT prep we'll be using in the program? I feel like I've heard Princeton Review and Kaplan being thrown around together. A few other questions:

What is your expected registration date? We have the Biostatistics final on Wednesday, August 2. The possible exam dates for that month are August 3 (Thurs), 11, 18, 19, 24 and a few others in September. Our break is scheduled from August 3 through August 13. I want to avoid spending our entire break studying for the MCAT, especially since we have a crazy heavy fall semester. It seems that the 3rd is the best option, even if it is the day after a final. I'm not sure how intense that class will be either, so maybe a former student can comment on that. Let me know what your opinions are on that!
U.S. MCAT Testing Calendar and Score Release Dates
What is your "outside class" study schedule going to look like? The current summer schedule has 40 3-hour classes for MCAT prep, along with 4 full-length practice tests on Saturdays. I'm expecting to have about 3-4 hours every weekday morning (from 8 or 9 AM to 12 PM) for studying. Maybe this is something that will be answered when we start the prep program, but just wanted to get a general consensus.

The MCAT prep will either be Princeton Review or Kaplan - they have yet to decide/form a contract, but they will update us once it is official.

In regards to the MCAT, I know our prep course finishes in August (or so I recall), but I was planning on taking it the last week of July - either the 27th or 28th, so that I don't have two tests (MCAT and the Biostatistics final) looming over my shoulders. The 3rd of August was also an option since you shouldn't really be doing much prep the day or two before the MCAT, but I prefer the former option.

In regards to my studying schedule, I think I'll try to throw in 2-3 more practice exams during the weeks to further gauge myself (these will include the AAMC ones to better predict what my actual score range will be) . Additionally, I will do the 3 hour classes - spend 1-2 hours that evening reviewing content and do about an hour's worth of practice questions (using the AAMC question packet).

 

[Aurarice]

Does anyone know for sure what MCAT prep we'll be using in the program? I feel like I've heard Princeton Review and Kaplan being thrown around together. A few other questions:

What is your expected registration date? We have the Biostatistics final on Wednesday, August 2. The possible exam dates for that month are August 3 (Thurs), 11, 18, 19, 24 and a few others in September. Our break is scheduled from August 3 through August 13. I want to avoid spending our entire break studying for the MCAT, especially since we have a crazy heavy fall semester. It seems that the 3rd is the best option, even if it is the day after a final. I'm not sure how intense that class will be either, so maybe a former student can comment on that. Let me know what your opinions are on that!
U.S. MCAT Testing Calendar and Score Release Dates
What is your "outside class" study schedule going to look like? The current summer schedule has 40 3-hour classes for MCAT prep, along with 4 full-length practice tests on Saturdays. I'm expecting to have about 3-4 hours every weekday morning (from 8 or 9 AM to 12 PM) for studying. Maybe this is something that will be answered when we start the prep program, but just wanted to get a general consensus.

I'm hearing more on the side of Kaplan.
Regarding exam date: I think I'd optimally like at least a week off prior to starting up again, so chances are I'm going to aim for the 3rd. I've heard biostatistics is a little bit of work but I'm not going to worry too much about it.

For my outside study schedule, I'm probably going to treat it like a full time job with breaks.
As I'm opting out of Biochemistry, I'll have a lot more free time.
Biostats looks like it's a basically every weekday, and MCAT prep is 2 hrs basically 5d/week.

My daily weekday schedule is probably going to be:
0800-0930: Wake up, clean up, eat up.
0930-1300: Start studying.
1300-1400: Lunch/relax.
1400-1700: MCAT Course
1700-1800: Biostatistics online course
1800-1930: Work out
1930-2030: Shower, eat dinner
2030-????: Review the day's biostats (I need to rewrite notes)/MCAT; try to get 7-9 hours of sleep.
Sleep time based on what's scheduled for the next day. If we have anything with mandatory attendance and it's at 0800, I'll probably wake up at 0630-0700 to get ready and adjust as needed.
Saturdays are going to be "full-time job" MCAT (And Biostats if I missed a day or two); nothing but studying with breaks for eating/lifting.
Sundays are going to be me being a vegetable and doing something relatively fun unless I'm behind on something.

I just need to plan a couple of weekends to take off and go back home to see family/SO - probably after an FL so I can relax.

Edit: Sundays would probably be better served as meal prep days to save time and let me relax more for food breaks...

 

[TXhopeful]

The MCAT prep will either be Princeton Review or Kaplan - they have yet to decide/form a contract, but they will update us once it is official.
In regards to the MCAT, I know our prep course finishes in August (or so I recall), but I was planning on taking it the last week of July - either the 27th or 28th, so that I don't have two tests (MCAT and the Biostatistics final) looming over my shoulders. The 3rd of August was also an option since you shouldn't really be doing much prep the day or two before the MCAT, but I prefer the former option.
In regards to my studying schedule, I think I'll try to throw in 2-3 more practice exams during the weeks to further gauge myself (these will include the AAMC ones to better predict what my actual score range will be) . Additionally, I will do the 3 hour classes - spend 1-2 hours that evening reviewing content and do about an hour's worth of practice questions (using the AAMC question packet).

Really rooting for Princeton! I've used Kaplan's stuff in the past and wasn't impressed. I'm definitely going to be adding some of the AAMC practice tests in there as well.

I'm hearing more on the side of Kaplan.
Regarding exam date: I think I'd optimally like at least a week off prior to starting up again, so chances are I'm going to aim for the 3rd. I've heard biostatistics is a little bit of work but I'm not going to worry too much about it.
For my outside study schedule, I'm probably going to treat it like a full time job with breaks.
As I'm opting out of Biochemistry, I'll have a lot more free time.
Biostats looks like it's a basically every weekday, and MCAT prep is 2 hrs basically 5d/week.
My daily weekday schedule is probably going to be:
0800-0930: Wake up, clean up, eat up.
0930-1300: Start studying.
1300-1400: Lunch/relax.
1400-1700: MCAT Course
1700-1800: Biostatistics online course
1800-1930: Work out
1930-2030: Shower, eat dinner
2030-????: Review the day's biostats (I need to rewrite notes)/MCAT; try to get 7-9 hours of sleep.

I'm hoping I can have Biostats completed locked down so that the final isn't some huge thing looming over my head. I've also decided to opt out of Biochem and feel like it's more conducive to MCAT studying. Last summer, I spend Monday-Friday from 8:30-6 every day (with breaks), but I really looked forward to having my weekends. My schedule will be similar to yours except morning workout before 8.

 

[Aurarice]

Really rooting for Princeton! I've used Kaplan's stuff in the past and wasn't impressed. I'm definitely going to be adding some of the AAMC practice tests in there as well.



I'm hoping I can have Biostats completed locked down so that the final isn't some huge thing looming over my head. I've also decided to opt out of Biochem and feel like it's more conducive to MCAT studying. Last summer, I spend Monday-Friday from 8:30-6 every day (with breaks), but I really looked forward to having my weekends. My schedule will be similar to yours except morning workout before 8.

Oof I can't handle morning workouts. I need some carbs in me otherwise I fail all my sets!
All my scheduling and whatnot is dependent on whether or not I actually end up taking the thing, though. We'll see what the advisors recommend, since I might as well fill my time. I feel like we should also be thinking about EC's while we're there, though.

 

[TXhopeful]

Oof I can't handle morning workouts. I need some carbs in me otherwise I fail all my sets!
All my scheduling and whatnot is dependent on whether or not I actually end up taking the thing, though. We'll see what the advisors recommend, since I might as well fill my time. I feel like we should also be thinking about EC's while we're there, though.

Agreed. This MCAT is definitely #1 priority for me. No way I'm going to take that thing a 4th time I think the level of effort and difficulty required for Biostats is going to determine extra time spent on a lot of things.

 

[coiker]

I just finished the program, 16' - 17', with 4.0 gpa. Here are things I would like to say:

1. Macbook pro and pad are a required purchase. All exams and quizzes are going to be taken on them.
2. The bible, although helpful, is not necessary for getting the 4.0 gpa. ALL exam questions come from the lecture material - the lecture ppt will have all the answers, not the bible. When you feel overwhelmed, DO NOT WASTE TIME WITH THE BIBLE - JUST STUDY THE LECTURE PPT.
3. For those who have a history of good academic performance, or have a real-life evidence of academic success at any point in their life, work very hard. If you don't have such evidence, it may be next to impossible to get the 4.0 unless you utilize memorization tricks.
4. here are the classes that require the most studying time and force the most gpa to drop below 4.0 in order of increasing value of (Probability of getting A)
Summer: non (you got plenty time and biostat is not hard)
Fall: Immunology/mcrobiology <<< histology < biochem
Spring: Pharmacology << anatomy << physiology
5. For those of you who have good science foundation - forget trying to understand things - just memorize the lecture material ASAP.
For those of you who have bad memorization skills - get silly with the mneumonic and other memorization techniques ASAP, I MEAN ASAP.

The person who can memorize the most the fastest and the best will win the game of "let's get the 4.0". Thank god that there are ways to improve your memorization.

if ya'll need a real and no-bs answers about the program, pm me. I won't sugar coat things.

 

[Aurarice]

I've just finished the program, 16' - 17', with 4.0 gpa. Here are things I would like to say:

1. Macbook pro and pad are a required purchase. All exams and quizzes are going to be taken on them.
2. The bible, although helpful, is not necessary for getting the 4.0 gpa. ALL exam questions come from the lecture material - the lecture ppt will have all the answers, not the bible. When you feel overwhelmed, DO NOT WASTE TIME WITH THE BIBLE - JUST STUDY THE LECTURE PPT.
3. For those who have a history of good academic performance, or have a real-life evidence of academic success at any point in their life, work very hard. If you don't have such evidence, it may be next to impossible to get the 4.0 unless you utilize memorization tricks.
4. here are the classes that require the most studying time and force the most gpa to drop below 4.0 in order of increasing value of (Probability of getting A)
Summer: non (you got plenty time and biostat is not hard)
Fall: Immunology/mcrobiology <<< histology < biochem
Spring: Pharmacology << anatomy << physiology
5. For those of you who have good science foundation - forget trying to understand things - just memorize the lecture material ASAP.
For those of you who have bad memorization skills - get silly with the mneumonic and other memorization techniques ASAP, I MEAN ASAP.

The person who can memorize the most the fastest and the best will win the game of "let's get the 4.0". Thank god that there are ways to improve your memorization.

if ya'll need a real and no-bs answers about the program, pm me. I won't sugar coat things.

Opinions on having a life outside of the curriculum? (I'd personally like to lift 6d/week, and try to be as involved as I can in at least a handful of orgs)

 

[swaggydoc13]

Opinions on having a life outside of the curriculum? (I'd personally like to lift 6d/week, and try to be as involved as I can in at least a handful of orgs)

Ditto, I need my downtime. I'm the type of person that treats school like an 8-5 job and after that I need my personal time. Is it normal to be involved with other things? I personally love sports so I plan on going to a few events. How's the nightlife, I've heard from alumni of this program that people tend to go out whenever possible to blow off steam.

 

[ObturatorForamen]

Just ran into this thread and wanted to throw my own thoughts. The person who made the comment about memorization is likely the fabled person who only missed 3 questions in the whole program!

Responding to the other person (Aurarice), continue to still work hard and make your application as strong as possible. My goal was to stay in Texas as well, but my performance in the program was a deciding factor (for this cycle according to my file review). 3.6 undergrad, 31 mcat. Approximately a 3.7 in the program so I would say definitely try your hardest for a 4.0.

 

[coiker]

Just ran into this thread and wanted to throw my own thoughts. The person who made the comment about memorization is likely the fabled person who only missed 3 questions in the whole program!

Responding to the other person (Aurarice), continue to still work hard and make your application as strong as possible. My goal was to stay in Texas as well, but my performance in the program was a deciding factor (for this cycle according to my file review). 3.6 undergrad, 31 mcat. Approximately a 3.7 in the program so I would say definitely try your hardest for a 4.0.

Hey ObturatorForamen. Haha. I like your ID name. I enjoyed our anatomy class.
I am by no means an extraordinary person - certainly not "fabled"- why else would I have registered for this program if I was? I was in it for a reason.

Yes, each person will study differently - you know how the story goes. But given the 200+ and sometime 300+ ppt slides in each class we had to "know" in 1-2 weeks period, we absolutely needed to be able to hold the info in our head fast.

I missed way more than 3 questions, haha. Came very close to losing the 4.0 many times - but training myself to memorize quickly using mnemonics saved me. I am simply giving a no bs advice to those who want to do well in the program - expect to digest alot of ppt slides.

By no means would I ever again attempt to make a 4.0. I simply do not value gpa or academic achievement as much as being out in the world and doing my thing. It's a number that holds no real-life value to me. But I did it out of necessity as did everyone else in the program.

I personally know the fabled person who missed only 3 or so questions in histology. Not the kind of person you want to cross path with in your life - his priorities do not include nothing but himself, which scares me what kind of doctor he will turn out to be. But it's a big world, there are all kinds of ppl out there, so he will find his place surely.

 

[coiker]

Opinions on having a life outside of the curriculum? (I'd personally like to lift 6d/week, and try to be as involved as I can in at least a handful of orgs)

It really depends on what you want out of the program.
is it 4.0? is it friends? is it LOR? is it volunteering?

if you want a 4.0, just hang with your study buddies and briefly socialize after each exam.
there are plenty volunteering opp, but I would advise you to limit your volunteering to summer and spring.
you have limited amount of time. You will have to sacrifice other things in order to make time for lifting 6d/wk. But I dont see why you should not be able to aim for both 4.0 and lifting/working out frequently.

 

[Lumbosacral Trunk]

Ditto, I need my downtime. I'm the type of person that treats school like an 8-5 job and after that I need my personal time. Is it normal to be involved with other things? I personally love sports so I plan on going to a few events. How's the nightlife, I've heard from alumni of this program that people tend to go out whenever possible to blow off steam.

I would be careful with this mindset. I know others who lost their 4.0 because they weren't devoting enough time to studying with similar 8-5 schedules (this schedule is totally doable during the summer and parts of the Fall though). Instead of giving yourself a specified time-limit on studying, I would make a list of objectives for the day and make sure to complete those before being done with studying for the day. Sometimes, the workload may be too heavy (during the spring semester especially), where you might not be able to take nights off or weekends off. With that being said, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with sports/being social (the med sci soccer team, flag football, volunteering, 7th street, etc.). I don't want to discourage you from the 8-5 schedule; I just want to warn you to keep an open mind to staying later than 5 pm on busy weeks.

Also, side note to everyone applying this cycle, go all out to make all A's for summer (Biostats) and Fall semesters (especially Biochem and Cell Bio - the first 2 classes). Schools will send you invites for interviews based on your performance in Biostats and early Fall courses. TCOM is one school in particular that wants to see early success in the program. Some of my peers got interviews right after grades were official for Biochem and Cell Bio.

 

[coiker]

I would be careful with this mindset. I know others who lost their 4.0 because they weren't devoting enough time to studying with similar 8-5 schedules (this schedule is totally doable during the summer and parts of the Fall though). Instead of giving yourself a specified time-limit on studying, I would make a list of objectives for the day and make sure to complete those before being done with studying for the day. Sometimes, the workload may be too heavy (during the spring semester especially), where you might not be able to take nights off or weekends off. With that being said, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with sports/being social (the med sci soccer team, flag football, volunteering, 7th street, etc.). I don't want to discourage you from the 8-5 schedule; I just want to warn you to keep an open mind to staying later than 5 pm on busy weeks.

Also, side note to everyone applying this cycle, go all out to make all A's for summer (Biostats) and Fall semesters (especially Biochem and Cell Bio - the first 2 classes). Schools will send you invites for interviews based on your performance in Biostats and early Fall courses. TCOM is one school in particular that wants to see early success in the program. Some of my peers got interviews right after grades were official for Biochem and Cell Bio.

Good advice. and yet another great anatomy ID.
I love how medscis are giving advices right after the program ended last week. I remember not finding much when I was looking up info about the program. It's neat.

 

[Aurarice]

I would be careful with this mindset. I know others who lost their 4.0 because they weren't devoting enough time to studying with similar 8-5 schedules (this schedule is totally doable during the summer and parts of the Fall though). Instead of giving yourself a specified time-limit on studying, I would make a list of objectives for the day and make sure to complete those before being done with studying for the day. Sometimes, the workload may be too heavy (during the spring semester especially), where you might not be able to take nights off or weekends off. With that being said, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with sports/being social (the med sci soccer team, flag football, volunteering, 7th street, etc.). I don't want to discourage you from the 8-5 schedule; I just want to warn you to keep an open mind to staying later than 5 pm on busy weeks.

Also, side note to everyone applying this cycle, go all out to make all A's for summer (Biostats) and Fall semesters (especially Biochem and Cell Bio - the first 2 classes). Schools will send you invites for interviews based on your performance in Biostats and early Fall courses. TCOM is one school in particular that wants to see early success in the program. Some of my peers got interviews right after grades were official for Biochem and Cell Bio.

Sorry, what do you mean by parts of the Fall? Wouldn't all the aforementioned hard-work classes be throughout the semester? (i.e. immunology/microbiology)
Or do you mean there will be moments of downtime from exam to exam?

Thanks for all your responses, though! Super helpful

 

[starkness17]

Opinions on having a life outside of the curriculum? (I'd personally like to lift 6d/week, and try to be as involved as I can in at least a handful of orgs)

you will get a better idea about how life will be like as a MedSci at orientation. The OLs will be able to give you guidance.

 

[starkness17]

Sorry, what do you mean by parts of the Fall? Wouldn't all the aforementioned hard-work classes be throughout the semester? (i.e. immunology/microbiology)
Or do you mean there will be moments of downtime from exam to exam?

Thanks for all your responses, though! Super helpful

Immuno and Micro is a 4 wk course at the end of the fall. The only full semester courses are Histology and Epidemiology. You can have an 8-5 schedule during the first half of the fall but around late october things start to get more difficult and you will have to adjust your schedule.

 

[Aurarice]

Immuno and Micro is a 4 wk course at the end of the fall. The only full semester courses are Histology and Epidemiology. You can have an 8-5 schedule during the first half of the fall but around late october things start to get more difficult and you will have to adjust your schedule.

Regarding the powerpoints for all courses, when people mention 300ish slides do they mean per individual lecture or on a weekly basis?

 

[starkness17]

Regarding the powerpoints for all courses, when people mention 300ish slides do they mean per individual lecture or on a weekly basis?

I can see how you were confused. They mean 300 slides for a whole exam block. Lecture slides per lecture ranges from 30 - 60 with 8 - 12 lectures per exam block.

 

[Aurarice]

I can see how you were confused. They mean 300 slides for a whole exam block. Lecture slides per lecture ranges from 30 - 60 with 8 - 12 lectures per exam block.

Oh awesome. That's pretty similar to a class I've had this semester. Loads of fun
I'm assuming the exams draw on previous lecture material and the final is comprehensive?