UT Houston Class of 2009! part 01

[more_eschool]

Cuz Dr. Red Duke gets his dog to go pee on the Baylor sign.

whose dr. duke?

i'm curious what do u guys think tmc's gonna be like in 20yrs?

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[jdovez]

whose dr. duke?

i'm curious what do u guys think tmc's gonna be like in 20yrs?

MD Anderson will rule the medical center. No really, they are basically working on constructing a mini city in the medical center (have 3 new buildings either just opening or opening shortly). The medical center is pretty insane as it is, and continues to expand.

 

[relema]

whose dr. duke?

i'm curious what do u guys think tmc's gonna be like in 20yrs?

Dr Duke is this old hard of hearing emergency room doctor at Herman Memorial. I met him when i was shadowing an emergency radiologist there. He is quite a character and says some very un pc things( that happen to have cracked me up).

 

[::Seabass::]

Dr. 'Red' Duke is a trauma surgeon at Hermann. He also invented the concept of Lifeflight and bringing in severe trauma victims by helicopter. Some of my friends were under him as a part of their surgery rotation and said it was awesome despite having to wake up at 3am every day.

 

[::Seabass::]

hey why do UT students hate baylorites?

there's no hatin. we're too busy to think about what is across the street, it is kind of like they don't exist, lol. well, except when we're getting ready to play them in an intramural competition......


(i'll let you guys guess who normally wins )

 

[DeepCowboy]

whose dr. duke?

i'm curious what do u guys think tmc's gonna be like in 20yrs?

This is a good example of why the relationship between UT and Baylor is the way it is. This is how the students at Baylor act: They go to a "top" school, but don't know who the hell Dr. Red Duke is. Geez.

 

[Brain]

OK, I don't know if anyone will respond or will want to respond. I want to take a little informal poll to give me some more info about some of the incoming class. If you don't want to answer you obviously don't have to, but this is strictly voluntary so please do not assault other people's views or whatnot. Curious?

OK, I am trying to gauge the political sway of the class somewhat. I want to know how many of you guys who are entering or are current students would describe yourself as liberal or more than liberal. I am most definitely more than liberal and was curious if there would be some if any likeminded people at the school. Again I SINCERELY appreciate any feedback and this info may help me to make a decision on how well I might fit into the school. Thank you in advance.

I'm a flaming liberal atheist so I was a bit concerned about moving from the liberal mecca of Atlanta back to Texas. However, I found a couple of liberal individuals such as myself at welcome weekend and everyone I met was cool so my concerns were put to rest. I probably should scrape off the offensive anti-George bumper stickers off my vehicle before I move though...

 

[getunconcsious]

I'm a flaming liberal atheist so I was a bit concerned about moving from the liberal mecca of Atlanta back to Texas. However, I found a couple of liberal individuals such as myself at welcome weekend and everyone I met was cool so my concerns were put to rest. I probably should scrape off the offensive anti-George bumper stickers off my vehicle before I move though...

Yea you might want to do that...wouldn't want your car to get vandalized or anything! I was a little worried about the people in the class too, but they seem really cool so I think we liberals will be ok, even if we're not in the majority.

 

[relema]

Yea you might want to do that...wouldn't want your car to get vandalized or anything! I was a little worried about the people in the class too, but they seem really cool so I think we liberals will be ok, even if we're not in the majority.

I don't think you have to worry about removing the bumper sticker. Most of the conservative people live in the suburbs and would not mess up a car or really care that much what bumper sticker you have on your car. If I am not mistaken the actual city of Houston is somewhat liberal it is the outlying suburbia that is not( i may just think think this cause i live in conservative hell know as dallas ).

Oh and for that poll. I consider myself moderate, on some issues i swing conservative(taxes,ect.) on other issues i am liberal (social issues). I am not a fan of far far left people or uber-religious right( I have lived in areas with both extremes and both have major issues).

 

[getunconcsious]

So I have to ask...How gay-friendly is UT-Houston?

See, you can ask this question without obnoxiously starting a whole new thread dedicated to it!

 

[Keberson]

anybody have any opinions of 2111 holly hall apts? I have heard bad things but they seem so cheap and they have huge apartments for alot less. They also have that whole gym/workout center with the free aerobics/karate classes. and its close to the rail. Anybody have any idea?

 

[Stitch626]

Oh and for that poll. I consider myself moderate, on some issues i swing conservative(taxes,ect.) on other issues i am liberal (social issues). I am not a fan of far far left people or uber-religious right( I have lived in areas with both extremes and both have major issues).

Similar viewpoint here. I swing differently depending on the issue. Conservative for taxes (we all will be falling into the higher brackets soon enough), privatization of SS, harsh drug & crime penalities. Liberal for some social issues (for gay marriage, clear separation of church & state, women's right-to-choose).

I saw a man on TV yesterday who claimed that ultraconservative and ultraliberal minorities are running this country and that the moderate majority needs to stand up & take control. I would tend to agree with this statement. The current political system is ridiculously polarized.


On a side note, I went to IKEA this weekend and found some great bedrooom furniture that was relatively inexpensive.

 

[relema]

anybody have any opinions of 2111 holly hall apts? I have heard bad things but they seem so cheap and they have huge apartments for alot less. They also have that whole gym/workout center with the free aerobics/karate classes. and its close to the rail. Anybody have any idea?

This place gave me really bad vibes when i looked at it. It looked like it was not well kept, there was no lanscaping and the gate (even though they have a guard) did not seem as if it would do much to keep people out. It was very ghetto feeling. Also the rating for the complex on-line did not paint the prettiest picture.

 

[fotolilith]

So I have to ask...How gay-friendly is UT-Houston?

See, you can ask this question without obnoxiously starting a whole new thread dedicated to it!

Do you mean official GLBT clubs, how gay friendly Houston is, or whether there have been any unconstitutional issues in the past? Houston (along with probably Austin, Galveston, and to some extent San Antonio), are the most gay-friendly cities in Texas. In fact, the President of MD Anderson (which is pretty much part of UTH - they train med and GSBS students/ residents), is currently meeting with reps from the local GBLT group to discuss current equality issues in the TMC.

As for Houston, there's Montrose, the Pride Parade, "Different Strokes cycling club" (if you're into that sort of thing ), etc.

Rice University's "Graduate student association yellow pages" has a listing of med center resources (it's part of the TMC, afterall). http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~gsa/yellow-pages/index.html . The "Gay Yellow Pages" is another source, http://www.glyp.com/directory.aspx?city=Houston+* so are the magazines: "The Texas Triangle" and "OutSmart."

It really doesn't take much to find support for GLBT individuals in Houston.

 

[Brain]

Do you mean official GLBT clubs, how gay friendly Houston is, or whether there have been any unconstitutional issues in the past? Houston (along with probably Austin, Galveston, and to some extent San Antonio), are the most gay-friendly cities in Texas. In fact, the President of MD Anderson (which is pretty much part of UTH - they train med and GSBS students/ residents), is currently meeting with reps from the local GBLT group to discuss current equality issues in the TMC.

As for Houston, there's Montrose, the Pride Parade, "Different Strokes cycling club" (if you're into that sort of thing ), etc.

Rice University's "Graduate student association yellow pages" has a listing of med center resources (it's part of the TMC, afterall). http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~gsa/yellow-pages/index.html . The "Gay Yellow Pages" is another source, http://www.glyp.com/directory.aspx?city=Houston+* so are the magazines: "The Texas Triangle" and "OutSmart."

It really doesn't take much to find support for GLBT individuals in Houston.

I agree the city of Houston will be perfectly fine. However, I've heard that the UTH administration prides itself on not having a GLBT club. That's a bad move in my opinion if the school wants to develop into a nationally well known medical school since it raises diversity issues. From welcome weekend and some of the posts here however, it seems that most of our class will be accepting or at least tolerant.

 

[ajnak182]

I'm a flaming liberal atheist so I was a bit concerned about moving from the liberal mecca of Atlanta back to Texas. However, I found a couple of liberal individuals such as myself at welcome weekend and everyone I met was cool so my concerns were put to rest. I probably should scrape off the offensive anti-George bumper stickers off my vehicle before I move though...

Oh sweet jebus, I'm not alone! And by the way, Atlanta is liberal? Didn't realize the south had a liberal bone in its body, besides Austin. Cool stuff. Anybody heard of any free money showing up in mailboxes yet, a.k.a. U.T. Houston scholarship notifications? Pay me!!! Please?

AJ

 

[Stitch626]

Apparently our ranking according to 2006 US News and World Reports is fairly good.

51 MCW
51 Tulane
51 U Conn
51 Utah
55 UT-Houston
55 Jefferson
55 StonyBrook
55 U Miami
59 UMDNJ RWJ
59 UIC
59 Arizona
62 MUSC
62 SLU
62 VCU/MCV

Not that the rankings carry much significance...but we're higher than most other Texas state schools!

 

[getunconcsious]

Apparently our ranking according to 2006 US News and World Reports is fairly good.

51 MCW
51 Tulane
51 U Conn
51 Utah
55 UT-Houston
55 Jefferson
55 StonyBrook
55 U Miami
59 UMDNJ RWJ
59 UIC
59 Arizona
62 MUSC
62 SLU
62 VCU/MCV

Not that the rankings carry much significance...but we're higher than most other Texas state schools!

I'm such a rankings *****...I've known that UT-Houston was 55 since the new rankings came out!

 

[Brain]

Oh sweet jebus, I'm not alone! And by the way, Atlanta is liberal? Didn't realize the south had a liberal bone in its body, besides Austin. Cool stuff. Anybody heard of any free money showing up in mailboxes yet, a.k.a. U.T. Houston scholarship notifications? Pay me!!! Please?

AJ

Atlanta reminds me a lot of Austin: liberal city in an ultraconservative state. You should see the presidential election results map. Georgia is red except for the counties that contain Atlanta are blue.

I'm a bit anxious about the scholarship results myself. Are they all need based? If so, I know I won't be getting any because of my parents. I'd still like to know though.

 

[jdovez]

Apparently our ranking according to 2006 US News and World Reports is fairly good.

51 MCW
51 Tulane
51 U Conn
51 Utah
55 UT-Houston
55 Jefferson
55 StonyBrook
55 U Miami
59 UMDNJ RWJ
59 UIC
59 Arizona
62 MUSC
62 SLU
62 VCU/MCV

Not that the rankings carry much significance...but we're higher than most other Texas state schools!

These rankings are a bit dumb for all of the obvious methodological errors. With the power of the TMC at your fingertips, UT-H gives you the opportunities that few other medical schools have. Additionally, having a school like baylor down the block allows for greater collaborative efforts as students and/or researchers. UT-H should easily be ranked higher (without mentioning the opportunities associated with being in the 4th largest urban center in the nation). These are some of the reasons that led me to rank houston above that highly revered neighboring UT to the north.

In any event, I think I am leaning away from Houston at this time. Thanks for all the input in terms of the political leanings. I was very happy to see some others that were not as conservative as the majority in this area.

 

[jdovez]

So in case anyone is interested, UT H has sent out scholarship letters.

 

[EEEEE]

So in case anyone is interested, UT H has sent out scholarship letters.

yes, they have.

 

[getunconcsious]

I didn't bother to apply for their scholarship. It's so miniscule compared to out of state tuition! So, anyone know how serious they are about that April 25 deadline? My mom's breathing fire at me over it.

 

[Valtry]

jdovez and EEEEE, so I am assuming that you guys got scholarships?

 

[jdovez]

jdovez and EEEEE, so I am assuming that you guys got scholarships?

I didn't apply for the large one in which you had to write the additional essay, but I filled out the simpler form. Yes, I received a relatively small scholarship.

And, getunconscious, in a previous post I think I outlined my conversation with jessamyn in which she said that date is simply their preference, but you have until (she wasnt 100% sure but I have heard this date before) june 1 to decide from their end. Obviously most of us must decide by may 15, so that is what I told her. If you are unsure, call the office.

I also called to find out about financial aid (again), and was told that they process it by class start date (I guess grad school may start first? Dental? not sure). The gentleman indicated that awards should go out in june as they have a "large stack" of med apps which they will process on may 9 or may 26 (or so he indicated).

Unfortunately, this is after the D-Day (decision day for me), so the aid info will not help much. I really mainly wanted to know what the estimated tuition is for next year as well as the estimated total budget. Do any current students know this information? Thanks.

 

[MadameLULU]

I also called to find out about financial aid (again), and was told that they process it by class start date (I guess grad school may start first? Dental? not sure). The gentleman indicated that awards should go out in june as they have a "large stack" of med apps which they will process on may 9 or may 26 (or so he indicated).

Unfortunately, this is after the D-Day (decision day for me), so the aid info will not help much. I really mainly wanted to know what the estimated tuition is for next year as well as the estimated total budget. Do any current students know this information? Thanks.

I'm having this same problem with UTSW. I don't understand why the TX schools don't think they should send fin aid award letters (or at the very least, ESTIMATES) in a timely matter. This kind of tells me that they think we will go to there (regardless of aid), just b/c we matched at their school.

 

[EEEEE]

jdovez and EEEEE, so I am assuming that you guys got scholarships?

I didn't apply for the big scholoarship, just the UTMSH scholarship form. And they did give me a scholarship.

 

[::Seabass::]

I didn't apply for the large one in which you had to write the additional essay, but I filled out the simpler form. Yes, I received a relatively small scholarship.

And, getunconscious, in a previous post I think I outlined my conversation with jessamyn in which she said that date is simply their preference, but you have until (she wasnt 100% sure but I have heard this date before) june 1 to decide from their end. Obviously most of us must decide by may 15, so that is what I told her. If you are unsure, call the office.

I also called to find out about financial aid (again), and was told that they process it by class start date (I guess grad school may start first? Dental? not sure). The gentleman indicated that awards should go out in june as they have a "large stack" of med apps which they will process on may 9 or may 26 (or so he indicated).

Unfortunately, this is after the D-Day (decision day for me), so the aid info will not help much. I really mainly wanted to know what the estimated tuition is for next year as well as the estimated total budget. Do any current students know this information? Thanks.

I think part of the problem is they have to deal with 3rd and 4th years before they do the other med students since our aid begins in and of June, not mid-August (Crap I need to do FAFSA, lol!)

This past year there was a tuition increase of about 1k and it will go up again this year somewhere about $500 but that is all that has been approved for any time in the near future. The tuition increases go towards retaining better faculty, it was initially set to be higher to also fund more scholarships but the students voted that down saying one half shouldn't be paying for the other half to attend school. Tuition is only about 10k per year.

I don't have the time to look it up right this second, but I can look it up later as for my total tuition/fees. I think it was right near $10k. If you receive a need based scholarship it won't be more than half of that amount from what little I know. You will also be getting about $18k to live on for the months you are in school. I made another 5k during the summer involved in the summer research project. As for books, that cost can be as little or as large as you want to make it. You need the syllabi and that is about $100/semester. You will get books handed down and free ones from some organizations for joining. I would budget about $200/yr for review books and such. You get Qbank FREE for 6 months (which is several hundred dollars from what I understand.) Ok, that answer your FA questions? There isn't much variation.

 

[Keberson]

I didn't apply for the big scholoarship, just the UTMSH scholarship form. And they did give me a scholarship.

are these scholarships need-based? I got one too and was surprised. I thought my "need" was less than the average student because I worked this past year and couldn't put the "0" income that so many undergrads can put.

 

[jdovez]

are these scholarships need-based? I got one too and was surprised. I thought my "need" was less than the average student because I worked this past year and couldn't put the "0" income that so many undergrads can put.

Given the tone of my letter I think this was distinctly not need based (described who to thank for getting the award, etc). I think there may be some (though limited) need based scholarships when we get our FA package, though that may take awhile.

 

[Keberson]

Given the tone of my letter I think this was distinctly not need based (described who to thank for getting the award, etc). I think there may be some (though limited) need based scholarships when we get our FA package, though that may take awhile.

yeah, mine said that too, about writing a thank you letter to some guy. I guess we have to include a thank you in our acceptance of the award. So, if it was need-based they would not ask you to thank anybody?

I hope that more scholarships/grants come my way later if this is the case.

i'm poor too! haha, not really.

 

[Stitch626]

yeah, mine said that too, about writing a thank you letter to some guy. I guess we have to include a thank you in our acceptance of the award. So, if it was need-based they would not ask you to thank anybody?

I hope that more scholarships/grants come my way later if this is the case.

i'm poor too! haha, not really.

I don't think mine was need-based because I haven't released any parental info (and I've been working the past year too). Was anyone else awarded the Knobil Scholarship?

 

[Valtry]

When and how were you guys informed about the scholarships that y'all received? Congrats on them, by the way

 

[Ylime]

I'm wondering if all of the scholarships are going to be for the same amount or if it varies. Anyone know?

 

[jdovez]

When and how were you guys informed about the scholarships that y'all received? Congrats on them, by the way

Thanks.....snail mail.....not sure how much everyone elses scholarship was for.....mine was $2000 if I recall correctly. I also inquired as to whether it was a one time award and it is.

 

[Keberson]

I'm wondering if all of the scholarships are going to be for the same amount or if it varies. Anyone know?

it varies. Mine was 3,000. A friend of mine got 2,000 and another friend got 3,500. They all have different names and are donated by various people.

 

[EEEEE]

I'm wondering if all of the scholarships are going to be for the same amount or if it varies. Anyone know?

$2,500.

 

[Ylime]

it varies. Mine was 3,000. A friend of mine got 2,000 and another friend got 3,500. They all have different names and are donated by various people.

Oh ok, that's really cool. So that explains why people were talking about thank you notes. So I wonder who decides which person gets which donor's money. I'm not expecting anyone to actually know this, just kinda thinking to myself "aloud".

Emily

 

[jdovez]

Oh ok, that's really cool. So that explains why people were talking about thank you notes. So I wonder who decides which person gets which donor's money. I'm not expecting anyone to actually know this, just kinda thinking to myself "aloud".

Emily

Not really sure. I know mine was from the "organization for parents and friends" if i remember the name correctly. Pretty ironic given my situation.

 

[ccstevem]

I got a scholarship too. It is for $5000 a year and will be rewarded every year, assuming satisfactory academic progress. The award is called the Vivian L. Smith Scholarship, did anyone else get this one? I am unsure whether this is need-based or not.

 

[jdovez]

I got a scholarship too. It is for $5000 a year and will be rewarded every year, assuming satisfactory academic progress. The award is called the Vivian L. Smith Scholarship, did anyone else get this one? I am unsure whether this is need-based or not.

Congrats, thats great.

 

[Valtry]

I got a scholarship too. It is for $5000 a year and will be rewarded every year, assuming satisfactory academic progress. The award is called the Vivian L. Smith Scholarship, did anyone else get this one? I am unsure whether this is need-based or not.

Did you find out today? Congrats. That is awesome - especially the reawarded part!

 

[ccstevem]

Thanks. I got a letter in the mail yesterday. I live in Austin and it was postmarked April 18th. Does anyone know when we actually have to pay for tuition... and is it all payed at once?

 

[Keberson]

did anybody not get a scholarship. seems like everyone did. Am I wrong?

 

[getunconcsious]

did anybody not get a scholarship. seems like everyone did. Am I wrong?

Well I didn't but I didn't bother to apply for it. Besides, I may not be going there.

 

[Valtry]

I didn't get one. But that is cool....I'm just waiting for them to tell me that the only thing I qualify for are loans....

 

[Ylime]

Has anyone heard anything about a deposit to hold our spot or anything? I sent in the letter back in February, but I dunno if we're supposed to send them money or not. It seems like every other school wants a deposit, so I figured they would too!

 

[jdovez]

Has anyone heard anything about a deposit to hold our spot or anything? I sent in the letter back in February, but I dunno if we're supposed to send them money or not. It seems like every other school wants a deposit, so I figured they would too!

I'm guessing that they feel that most people only did TMDSAS and therefore they don't need to make us pay a deposit to hold a spot, since most students will only have this option (given the TMDSAS match process). Furthermore, this was one of the only schools that didn't have a secondary application fee (or am I forgetting it?) or a secondary application, so no deposit would be in line with this method.

 

[Ylime]

I'm guessing that they feel that most people only did TMDSAS and therefore they don't need to make us pay a deposit to hold a spot, since most students will only have this option (given the TMDSAS match process). Furthermore, this was one of the only schools that didn't have a secondary application fee (or am I forgetting it?) or a secondary application, so no deposit would be in line with this method.

Yeah, you're probably right. They didn't have a secondary fee, that's correct. When I opened this thread I kinda expected to see something that said "You didn't send in your deposit??! They already withdrew your spot if you didn't send it in yet!"

 

[jdovez]

Yeah, you're probably right. They didn't have a secondary fee, that's correct. When I opened this thread I kinda expected to see something that said "You didn't send in your deposit??! They already withdrew your spot if you didn't send it in yet!"

Hehe, there is no longer a need to be paranoid. We have all now been accepted to medical school. The schools do NOT want to pull our spots, instead they are now willing to work with us to make sure we get our **** taken care of. So, don't worry, be happy, and enjoy the time you have before the proverbial **** hits the proverbial fan......proverbially speaking of course.