Hello all and congrats on your acceptance!
I am another of the finishing first years at UTMB who are apparently taking over your discussion board! Sorry about that, but I think it is important for you to know that the med students at UTMB are a close knit community and we are very willing to help you out with any of your questions. I am SO happy about making the decision to come to UTMB and have had the absolute best time of my life since I've started school here. You should be very excited about your future adventures with us in Galveston! And for those of you still on waitlists and hoping for somewhere better, I'm telling you.... UTMB is definately the school you want to go to. Trust me on this one.... we are the absolute best school in Texas. Period. And in advance, this will be a long post, but I can't let that gunner Fotolilith (aka Bridezilla) outdo me here.
😉 So I too shall write a novel........
A few words about my experience with topics brought up:
PARKING:
I received a parking application in the mail from UTMB I think in my second mailing from them (in march maybe?).... I applied for the rooftop garage waitlist and also purchased a streetside parking pass. Since I sent my application in early, I got off the waitlist early.... in September. I highly recommend rooftop parking for a number of reasons. First, you get to arrive to class 5 min ahead and know you have parking reserved. Second (and maybe more importantly), though it doesn't rain too often here.... when it does, there are certain streetside spaces that flood. I know 2 people who actually had their cars flood when a downpour hit during Anatomy early on in the year. If you have a nice car or you commute, definately get rooftop. If you get off the rooftop waiting list, you have to forfeit your street parking but you don't lose the money you paid.... it's applied toward the rooftop fees.
PHONE SERVICE:
I currently have T Mobile and I love it! I think I have 1500 min for $50 plus nights and weekends free and I get service everywhere on the island and on campus (except for John Sealy hospital.... but I'm pretty sure no phones work down there regardless of your service.) Cingular I have heard works equally as well.
HOUSING:
I live in a house on the East side of the island in Fish Village which is a very safe neighborhood with mostly families, UTMB employees, and UTMB students. It is close enough to campus to ride a bike, but I always drive anyway because I like to go to other places on the island after class usually. I love my house and I love living close to campus. I can wake up 20 min before class starts and still be on time.... this is important to me since I'm not really a morning person. If you want to find a house in Fish Village though, you have to look early and be consistant because things sell as fast as they are listed. Most sell for around $125-$180K. If renting they are usually $1000-$1200 a month.
STUDY PLACES:
If you like coffee shops, there is always Starbucks at 22nd (?) and Harborside... not really walking distance from campus. There is also a starbucks on campus at the library which I'm sure you noticed on your interview day in your black suits (he he! We all did it....no worries!) with lots of seating outside which is good sometimes when the weather is good but there is construction there now too so something to think about. The library has study rooms on the 3rd floor if you like absolute silence. And Jamail student center and Graves Buildings also have quiet study rooms on campus. If you like the quintessential artsy coffee shop with indie rock/jazz music, you need to check out MOD which is on 21st and Postoffice. Be warned, go during the day becaues the lighting there will strain your eyes at night. And there is always Denny's or IHOP for the nightowls.
BARS/RESTRAUNTS:
If you like to dance, you should probably hit up The Lounge on the Strand. It has a martini bar on the first floor and a dance bar on the second floor (mostly hip hop it seems like). Gravity which is also on the Strand has different themed nights every night (industrial/goth, 80's, dance, etc.). There are lots of pubs to choose from which are my personal favorite... Molly's/the Old Cellar on Postoffice (which are connected) is by far the most popular choice for those in my class. Buskar's is a brand new sports bar next door that is owned by the same people and I think in many ways better (more spacious, less smokey, better lit, more seating, etc.)
LOTS of awesome seafood places here, too many to name. Excellent sushi restraunt across from MOD on postoffice called the Sky Bar... with an excellent happy hour as well. Though there is no indian restraunt on the island, Sky Bar serves a few indian dishes on Tues and Sundays, and there are alot to choose from in Clear Lake as well. If you want margarita happy hour, Salsa's on the Seawall is the place to be ($2.50 for a stout but tasty treat!) Vietnamese food at Pho 20 at 38th and Broadway. Italian at Gino's, 61st and Ave S. Too many to mention. Galveston has very few chain restraunts... but we are getting a Chili's opening soon... woo hoo! Same fast food as every other city. Besides, all the chain restraunts and shops are in Clear lake which is less than 30 min away. Easy to do on the weekends.
The point is, there are plenty of places to go and hang out, plenty of restraunts to go eat, lots of places to study, etc. I was worried about moving to such a small island from Dallas but I totally love it here and can't imagine being anywhere else. In fact, all my Dallas friends are coming down this weekend for my Mardi Gras Masquerade Party... which will be way better here with the parades and live music than it would have ever been in Dallas. (I loved Dallas too, but Mardi Gras is a coast thing I think.)
By the way, I am a girl and I do live by myself and I feel completely safe here which was a concern of mine before I moved here. I haven't heard of anyone I know having people break in to their cars or houses or apartments or anything. And in general it seems like those who have gotten their bikes stolen (only 1 that I have heard) are leaving them on apartment patios or with a weak chain or what not.... not to say theft or crime never happens here, because reality is it happens everywhere.... but if you take precautions you will be safe.
😍
Good luck!
