UTMB or TCOM???

[NoodleHead]

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First post ever!
I was accepted to UNT/TCOM back in November. I love it there. I found a great apartment right across the street from school. Fort Worth's awesome, etc... Thursday I came off the waitlist at UTMB and I have no idea what to do. I liked Galveston, the curriculum and especially the 1/2 day schedule (TCOM's scheudle is pretty rough). What would you Texans do in my situation? Would you go to UTMB simply because it's MD and not DO? I know they're equivalent degrees but I haven't seen anyone directly compare TCOM to other Texas schools.
Thanks for any thoughts! I normally don't ask strangers questions like this but I'm torn. 😕

 

[eli20]

First off - Congrats 🙂

You're right in that the degrees are equivalent - and TCOM is an exceptional D.O. school. I really think you can't go wrong attending either school, and I would consider things like: location, cost, do philosophy/omm, how important M.D. vs D.O. is to you personally, and think about applying for residency in the future.

 

[NoodleHead]

First off - Congrats 🙂

You're right in that the degrees are equivalent - and TCOM is an exceptional D.O. school. I really think you can't go wrong attending either school, and I would consider things like: location, cost, do philosophy/omm, how important M.D. vs D.O. is to you personally, and think about applying for residency in the future.

Thanks!
That's great advice. I guess one of the reason's I'm having trouble is that while I'm interested in the D.O. philosophy/OMM, I don't know if I'm that interested in all the extra class time that goes with it! Also, I forgot to mention that the Air Force will be paying for tuition so I don't really need to think about cost. Can I ask what you mean by "think about applying for residency in the future?" I keep getting mixed messages from different people as to whether it's easier applying for residencies as an M.D.
Thanks again!

 

[ozzi22]

Thanks!
That's great advice. I guess one of the reason's I'm having trouble is that while I'm interested in the D.O. philosophy/OMM, I don't know if I'm that interested in all the extra class time that goes with it! Also, I forgot to mention that the Air Force will be paying for tuition so I don't really need to think about cost. Can I ask what you mean by "think about applying for residency in the future?" I keep getting mixed messages from different people as to whether it's easier applying for residencies as an M.D.
Thanks again!

relatively, MD'S have an advantage during residency placement, on the other hand, TCOM is really good at matching their students to MD residencies.

 

[CaptainSSO]

Utmb

 

[Encephalectomy]

Utmb

 

[stephdadancer]

Hey,
So I was also in a similar position and I chose UTMB. I also was very interested in the DO/OMM philosophy, but I was totally sold both times I went to UTMB. I really enjoyed UTMB's curriculum and half-day schedule as you said earlier, and I figured it would be easier to create balance in my life during the first 2 years if I was able to create the work schedule 8 to 5 and have my evenings somewhat free. When I went back to the campus, the staff and students were very welcoming and friendly and I felt right at home. The student I was with mentioned that with the schedule, he was able to always have his weekends/evenings mostly free even with commuting for an hour back and forth. He also mentioned that most students get some kind of scholarship which is also helpful. Not to mention that the cost of living is also cheap there along with the beach scenery to help destress. Really, it's going to come down to where you think you will be the most comfortable. I chose UTMB because I felt I would have the greatest quality of life there, and although I really love Houston where I'm at now, the location was still great and I enjoyed the options to come back to Houston or go to Austin for the last 2 years. Also, UTMB is extremely established regardless of Hurricane Ike, and I was not interested in having to take both the COMLEX and the USMLE for some of the residencies. These were just some things I considered. Pick where you think you'll fit the best and enjoy your life the most though. PM me if you have any other questions.

 

[CougarMD]

Moving to school specific discussions. Good luck!

 

[platformshoes]

Congrats OP.

UTMB 👍

 

[NoodleHead]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! Especially stephdadancer! I'm going for another look next weekend where hopefully I'll get a better idea. Thanks!

 

[patel2]

First post ever!
I was accepted to UNT/TCOM back in November. I love it there. I found a great apartment right across the street from school. Fort Worth's awesome, etc... Thursday I came off the waitlist at UTMB and I have no idea what to do. I liked Galveston, the curriculum and especially the 1/2 day schedule (TCOM's scheudle is pretty rough). What would you Texans do in my situation? Would you go to UTMB simply because it's MD and not DO? I know they're equivalent degrees but I haven't seen anyone directly compare TCOM to other Texas schools.
Thanks for any thoughts! I normally don't ask strangers questions like this but I'm torn. 😕

Personally, yes I would. Unless you have some reason to really, really hate UTMB and see yourself being miserable for 4 years. TCOM is a very good school, no doubt, but you might as well give yourself full odds for MD residencies.

if you are really interested in OMM and that type of stuff, you can always learn it on the side through continuing medical education. Plus, odds are that unless you go into FP, you won't be using it much (if at all).

 

[Legally Insane]

My advice is to compare each school's curriculum against the other. Personally, I hate the basically 8-5, M-F schedule at TCOM. I also agree with those that say, all other things being equal, go with the MD.

 

[FtrMD]

just wondering.... what is your mcat score? i am applying this year and think that i might not get into either school unless i retake the mcat..... i LOVE UTMB and am really hoping to get into school there but currently worried that i will not get an interview bc of my low mcat score

 

[NoodleHead]

Hey sorry for being late. My MCAT was 30N. Thanks again everyone! UTMB it is!