UTH vs UTHSCSA

[texmed12]

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With ranks due in a week I was wondering what everyones opinions on this was. UT Houston is implementing a new curriculum and I don't know how I feel about being a guinea pig but the TMC is awesome while San Antonio has had theirs in place for four years and their medical center isn't bad.

 

[sliceofbread136]

UTH is the better school by far, also with better location. Clear favorite IMO

 

[Chlorini]

It depends on what matters to you. I'll be attending UTHSCSA over UTH solely because I don't want to pay $10 a day for parking or deal with the hassle of commuting to the TMC. Houston traffic is a horror story. However, to someone else that may not be a big deal.

Overall I think I'll be more successful and happier at UTHSCSA based on how I learn, where I want to live, and how much I want to spend.

UTH is "more prestigious" I guess, but it's not a UTSW. Go with the school that you feel the most "at peace" about. Both schools are great--if living in the city and being in TMC is something you want then UTH would be a great opportunity!

 

[DokterMom]

Will UTH also be revamping their testing practices? Didn't they have "Hell Weeks" with multiple tests in the same week? That would be something some students don't have a problem with, but others find intolerable.

While there's no doubt the TMC is an amazing resource, I'd think that would be a far more important consideration for residency selection than for clinical years.

 

[WedgeDawg]

moving to SSD

 

[DominusAnulorum]

UTH is the better school by far, also with better location. Clear favorite IMO

I wouldn't say it's better by far. San Antonio has had a fantastic anatomy curriculum for years, just finished a new building, and is in a very rapidly expanding med center. It doesn't have the Houston Medical Center, but it's still a really good school. I'd definitely put them on the same level, or at least pretty close.

 

[Efflorescence]

Another consideration -- the area in around the TMC can be a bit claustrophobic, especially with Houston traffic. UTHSCSA, while still in a large city, is in a more suburban area of San Antonio. There's plentiful, cheap parking and more "breathing room", so to speak. Rent is quite a bit cheaper too.

You definitely cannot go wrong with either school. It's all personal preference.

 

[texmed12]

Do y'all think being the first through a new curriculum will be an issue?

 

[sliceofbread136]

I wouldn't say it's better by far. San Antonio has had a fantastic anatomy curriculum for years, just finished a new building, and is in a very rapidly expanding med center. It doesn't have the Houston Medical Center, but it's still a really good school. I'd definitely put them on the same level, or at least pretty close.

I was never very impressed with San Antonio at all, but maybe they've turned it around in the 3 years since I've been there. I still think you would get better teachers, fellow students, research and clinical opportunities at Houston. Also San Antonio just isn't a great city.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Do y'all think being the first through a new curriculum will be an issue?

IMO the curriculum matters very little when comparing schools unless they have something strange like stand alone TBL. How you do on your boards is very much dependent on your own individual efforts, not the curriculum.

 

[DominusAnulorum]

I was never very impressed with San Antonio at all, but maybe they've turned it around in the 3 years since I've been there. I still think you would get better teachers, fellow students, research and clinical opportunities at Houston. Also San Antonio just isn't a great city.

I'd personally rather live in San Antonio than Houston, but to each his own. Having interviewed all over Texas, I've personally come to the conclusion that most of our med schools are pretty equivalent in quality and opportunities. All the students loved their environment and all the schools had some pretty cool opportunities. None of them really stood out to me as objectively better. I think it all depends on what city and school will be the best fit.

 

[sliceofbread136]

I'd personally rather live in San Antonio than Houston, but to each his own. Having interviewed all over Texas, I've personally come to the conclusion that most of our med schools are pretty equivalent in quality and opportunities. All the students loved their environment and all the schools had some pretty cool opportunities. None of them really stood out to me as objectively better. I think it all depends on what city and school will be the best fit.

Disagree, baylor Utsw and uth stood out to me over the other texas schools especially with clinical opportunities. To each his own.

 

[texmed12]

I did not get an interview at UTSW but I did at Baylor and UTH. I had always been sold on the TMC but now I'm questioning whether or not San Antonio would be a better place to live and if I would get more exposure since there is only one med school in the med center.

 

[grilledcheese03]

Do y'all think being the first through a new curriculum will be an issue?

To answer this, I have a friend who is a MS2 at UTH, she told me that she absolutely loves the school and her fellow students but advised me to not go there simply because the faculty and administration have experienced a lot of tension and conflict over the new curriculum. Although, I'm sure at the end of the day they will still work to make sure their students will still be as successful as in the past. Personally, I have the same dilemma as you and I am choosing UTHSCSA mostly because the experiences I had with the faculty and students both on interview day and also the second look. Following the second look, the dean of student affairs took the time to personally email me saying he enjoyed his conversations with my mother and I and really hoped I would choose to attend their school. IMO both schools are excellent I just found my "fit" with UTHSCSA even though in the past I always thought I would go to UTH.