uthscsa medical school

[connie]

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hello,
i wonder if anyone who are medical student at university of texas health science at san antonio or know any information about this their medical program. Is it a good standing medical school? Compare to other medical schools in texas, where does it stand? i can't find any information on these topic any where. Thank you for any input.

 

[dthankins]

I interviewed at every school tin Texas last year. You should apply to all of them. The Texas (except Baylor which is independent) system is separate from the rest of the US schools who belong to the AMCAS system. After you interview at the 6 schools in the system you will be asked to rank them. A computer will them match you with your highest ranked school that also ranked you highly. If you already knew all this I apologize -- back to your question....Everyone feels differently after all the interviews but I will tell you my rankings and comments on all Texas schools. Before I do that let me say that you should definitely apply to Texas A&M and Texas Tech -- Some people dont, but both are great schools and since there are fewer applications you have a better shot. Here is my list:

1. UT Southwestern at Dallas
Easily the top school in the system and most would agree (unless they did not get in). I would say pretty much equal with Baylor which is not ranked because it is not in the "Texas System."

2. Texas A&M: Like I said before -- a great school that many do not give a chance because of location -- I loved it, but many would rank it lower based on location and the fact that you study yrs 1&2 in College Station before moving 2 hour away to Scott&White ( a great hospital by the way) for the 3rd and 4th yrs.

3. UT Houston: The 3rd and 4th years are in The Texas MEdical Center -- world's largest medical complex with several top ranked hospitals including MD Anderson.

4. UT Galveston: I liked the new curriculum a lot, but many would not rank Galveston this high.

5. UT San Antonio: Okay school -- Inside sources say that the Dental school gets more money and attention than the med school -- I think they are ranked VERY high in Dental so that may be the reason. The town is great, but the school just does not compare to some of the other Texas schools.

6. Texas Tech: Ranked last on my list for location reasons only -- a great school in the middle of a dessert. Only 25 yrs old so facilities are nice and new as are the ideas on medicine and education -- good interview experience and overall a good school. Another bad point is the split campus in the 3rd and 4th yrs: 1/3 of the class stays in Lubbock, 1/3 to El Paso, 1/3 to Amarillo (I think).

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[connie]

Great information,and no i didnot know about state ask applicant to rank the school.
thank you dthankins. Anyone else???

 

[DoctorK]

Everyone's ranking lists will be different...I chose not to interview at Tech or A&M because I have a husband and kiddo and could not see us living at those places. This year you'll also have to rank TCOM (Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine) in with the bunch. I was living in San Antonio for my post-bacc work, and subsequently applied while living there. I ranked Galveston first (Houston a close 2nd)and was admitted there, although it would have been much easier to stay in San Antonio. I ranked San Antonio last for a few reasons. A lot of their program is designed to satisfy the students' desire to get early clinical exposure, but I've been told by students and faculty that it's just window dressing. It doesn't really prepare them nor is it useful. Also, they seem really disorganized. I called the office to find out the status of my app, and was told I had not been selected for interview. Two days later my invitation packet arrived. I had several other people who had the same experience. My interviews there were great, and I had one of my interviewers tell me I would be admitted and he looked forward to watching my progress over the next four years, but I didn't want it. The same interviewer told me (when I asked about the school's weaknesses) that they were very far behind on technology and had no desire to catch up. Anyway, that's enough rambling by me. I'm going to TCOM this fall...let me know if you want info on that!

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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

--Willy Wonka

 

[dthankins]

DoctorK,

What did you think of UT Southwestern and Baylor?

Why will TCOM participate next yr? Will TCOM still be a part of the DO app system?

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[email protected]

 

[DoctorK]

Didn't apply to Baylor. I have a friend who's a single mom and had to give up her kids to her ex because they did not make it clear that there would be after 5 pm study sessions that were mandatory. While I have a husband, the idea did not appeal to me. My friend is miserable there, and said if she had to do it all over again, she would not choose Baylor.

Southwestern is a great school for traditional students. I don't think I would be comfortable there...I turn 30 this fall and I wanted an environment that I would fit into. It's a great campus with a lot to offer, just not to me. Name recognition was less important than other factors.

When I hear people on the other side (in medschool, residents, etc.) talk about it, it doesn't matter where you went to school. I can do elective rotations through Parkland (Southwestern) as a TCOM student, and I intend to do it. I'll get exposure to what I want throughout my med ed. Same in residency.

For me, it came down to two things: are these med students people I want to spend time with, and will my family prosper in the environment/city where we live.

I think TCOM wanted to expand their applicant base and that's a big reason for them to join the Texas system, although there might be other reasons. It's probably a good move on their part. I believe that now the only way to apply to TCOM will be through the Texas application service. If I had to rank TCOM with the rest, it would be first, but my reasons may be very different from the average applicant.

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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

--Willy Wonka

 

[sph]

Doctor K,

How do you feel about residency opportunities for TCOM graduates? I'm really not sure if I want to go into family practice but it seems like thats the most popular residency choice for most graduates from TCOM. I also talked to one of the admissions counslers and she said that a large majority of students end up applying to allopathic residencies anyways (because there are more of them). So they probably can't use their OMT skills. Other than that, I think TCOM is a great school and I was really impressed with it.

To connie:

There is no doubt that southwestern is a great school. But I have a friend there and she said that if she had the opportunity she would probably go to a pass/fail school because it fosters a less competitive environment. Southwestern has a numerical grading system with A- and A+ grades etc. This makes the environment pretty competitive and more stressful than it needs to be.

There are other schools with numerical grading systems (I think the only pass/fail schools are UT-Houston and Baylor) but I don't think they are as competitive as southwestern mainly becuase of the student demographics. The students at southwestern have an average GPA of 3.8, an average MCAT of 33 and are generally in their early 20's.

 

[Pepe]

I interviewed at four schools in Texas and I think that I would have been happy at any one of the schools I interviewed at. Each school had it's disadvantages though. My ranking is as follows.
1) UTHSCSA
2) Texas Tech
3) TCOM
4) Houston
I didn't choose Houston because of the location, although in terms of facilities it was probably the best. For example I believe that in Houston you can view class through your computer in real time. At least I remember something like that.
I was very impressed with TCOM and had a great interview there. It was dificult to turn down my acceptance but because I want to specialize the DO route might not be the best for me. Before everyone goes up in arms I know DO's can specialize but that is not the focus of DO's usually.
Quite honestly if I wasn't married I would have ranked Tech first. Approximately a third of their students go to El Paso for the last two years and I think I would have really enjoyed the experience.
There are a couple or reasons that I ranked San Antonio first. One of the main reasons is because my wife has an excellent job here. This reasons obviously doesn't mean anything to anyone else but a happy spouse will be vital in the next four years. This reason alone was good enough for me. Also the location of the school was a big plus. It is not in downtown (i.e. Houston), nor is it in the middle of nowhere (i.e. Tech). It is also in a nicer part of town which isn't always the case with med schools/teaching hospitals. In terms of academics Tech, Houston, Galveston, and UTHSCSA are comparable. Baylor, Southwestern, and A&M are in a different class, not necessarily a better class but I do think they are in a different class. The trends seems to be that Tech is getting a better reputation year by year.
As far as TCOM joining the match it seems to be an excellent idea. The reason is simply that people cannot use TCOM as a "back-up". Honestly I did use TCOM as a back-up, but before everyone goes nuts I applied to 8 schools and quess what, seven of them were back-ups. Of the four people who were accepted into TCOM at my school, only one is attending. If a student interviews at TCOM and says all the right things about the DO philosophy and says how much he want's to go to DO school, great, now prove it by ranking us first. Basically with TCOM joining the match some of the MD wannabes will be eliminated which in the long run will help TCOM. Anyway sorry this is so long but like I said at the very beginning I enjoyed all of the schools and would have been happy at anyone of them. Texas does have the advantage of eight good medical schools to choose from. You can't go wrong with any of them. Good luck to all of you.

 

[reed99]

Originally posted by connie:
hello,
i wonder if anyone who are medical student at university of texas health science at san antonio or know any information about this their medical program.

Let me begin by saying that I don''t think you will get a bad medical eduaction in this state. Over the course of two application cycles, I interviewed with all schools except Baylor and Southwestern. I didn't apply to those two because I didn't feel I could be competitive in their applicant pool. As for my rankings, I had ranked UTHCSA first because I lived in San Antonio and felt that it would be the safest bet for my family (husband, 2 kids). Like TCOM, they have lecture/lab all day, everyday. If I were a single person, my rankings would probably have gone 1) TCOM (it was love at first sight) 2) A&M for the same reason that I like TCOM so much. I also think the clinicals at Scott & White are first rate. My son's godmother is a 2nd year at A&M and feels the small class size is a plus and minus-everyone knows everything about you, including faculty. 3) UTMB- I was on their waitlist and mostly I liked the atmosphere on campus- very laid back. I think to be successful here you have to be a good self taught learner because you are expected to do a lot of work on your own. 4) UTHSCSA- the early clinical exposure is pretty innovative. I think when the kinks are worked out it will be awesome. Especially with the new optional clerkships in the valley. 5) TECH- waitlisted here too. I was impressed with the school- more than I expected, they're also really friendly in West Texas. I think doing 3rd/4th year in El Paso would give the med student ALOT of exposure. 6) Houston- I hate this school on principle, they didn't even give me the courtesy of a formal rejection. I don't know any students at Southwestern but have 2 girlfriends at Baylor. I think both are really happy with their choice and are looking forward to beginning clinicals in Jan. They do basic science in 3 semesters and do 5 semesters of clinicals. They also both like the opportunities for student involvement. Finally, they seem to have more student aid money available which can be advantageous. One of the students I know has 2 kids and is eligible for 39k per year. I have 2 kids and am eligible for about 30k. An extra 9 would be soooo nice. Good luck with the application process and if you are really interested in SA, get in touch with Dr. David Jones. He was an enormous help to me.

 

[DoctorK]

sph,

I've seen lists from TCOM for their residency matches for about three years now. Names like Johns Hopkins, Baylor, Mayo, and the like were on the list. So I'm not worried about residency...although I would be if I believed the hype that DO's can't get good residencies. I shadowed a DO who's a team doctor for the San Antonio Spurs. You become the kind of doctor you want to become.

OB/GYN is considered primary care, and that's what I intend to do...so I guess I am going into primary care, but not family practice. However, emergency medicine runs a close second, so we'll see what happens. I've heard that OMM is very useful in obstetrics.

Same as reed99, I fell in love with TCOM at first sight. I'm also married to a massage therapist, so I think I might be predisposed to osteopathy anyway. Like many premeds, I was a little wary of choosing DO over MD, but as time goes on, I'm sure I made the right choice. Just moved into my house in Fort Worth, and I am so in love with this place. Can't wait to start school!

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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

--Willy Wonka

 

[sph]

Thanks for you input Doctor K. I liked TCOM very much too. The students seemed so down to earth. And I had my friendliest interviews there.

 

[connie]

Thank you reed99,
i am currently finishing my third and fourth year of undergrad at uthsc san antonio. I live very close to the school and i would love an opportunity to shadow a doctor to experience the life after med school.
I wonder if you know any doctors,especially oriental lady doctor, work in er or surgery or even in pediatry that you can recommend.
any input are appreciative.
connie

 

[reed99]

Originally posted by connie:
Thank you reed99,
I wonder if you know any doctors,especially oriental lady doctor, work in er or surgery or even in pediatry that you can recommend.
any input are appreciative.
connie

Connie,
I have several friends who are med-students at UTHSCSA one of whom is from India.Though I don't personally know any Asian students there, my friend certainly does. As for Asian female physicians my reccomendation would be to consult the phone book and see what you can find or ask the med school about some of their clinical affiliates. Best of luck to you-
Ruth
TCOM 2004

 

[Carp]

Connie,

How do you like it there at UTSA? What do you think of the above criticisms?

 

[DoctorK]

Connie,

How are you an undergraduate at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio? Are you a nursing student? Or do you go to University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)?

 

[connie]

Originally posted by DoctorK:
Connie,

How are you an undergraduate at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio? Are you a nursing student? Or do you go to University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)?

My undergraduate major is Clinical Laboratory Science at SA health science. I tranferred there from Austin Community College. Are you med student there DoctorK??

 

[connie]

Originally posted by Carp:
Connie,

How do you like it there at UTSA? What do you think of the above criticisms?

I have only few classes at UTSA.
People there are very nice but they are too slow to process things. I practically have to bug them constantly so that my paperwork are in the system for me to register.
About the SA health science, i am not med student there yet so i cannot give you comments on the above criticisms, but for what i saw people studying in the medical library, they are serious about their studying. It's not just for med school only, i have friends in other majors and they study the same way. Beside that, i love the environment. I like the location and the place i stay here, so i hope that i can be accepted here so i will continue my education. I am a procratinator but when i am in the school, i have to stay up with my studying because everybody else took it seriously, then I tend to go along too. It's good for you!

 

[DoctorK]

connie,

See previous postings on this thread regarding my choice in med schools. I interviewed at uthscsa, but ranked it last. I did my post-bacc work at UT San Antonio (not UTHSCSA--they're not the same). I worked at the VA hospital associated with the med school and knew many med students there; I watched them on rounds, observed their techniques, asked them questions, etc. I think familiarity breeds contempt, and I became disenchanted with the school early on. I don't think it's bad, it's just not what I expected. I agree with reed99--you're not going to get a bad education anywhere you go in Texas. It all comes down to your preferences. Good luck to you!

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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

--Willy Wonka

 

[connie]

Thank you DoctorK. I'll keep that in mind when i have to choose the school. Thank you everyone for your comments.
good luck
connie