UTRGV vs TCOM

[navigator]

Hey all,

I have an interview coming up at UTRGV, a brand new med school in South Texas (basically Mexico), and a prematch offer from TCOM, a well-reputed DO school in the DFW area. I'll have to "rank" these schools against each other for the Texas match process, and on Feb 1st I'll find out which school I'm headed to!

My question is, which would you rank first? A great, well-reputed osteopathic medical school (TCOM) with an established residency track record, or a new allopathic medical school in a location that's arguably less exciting?

TCOM:
- 220 students
- Known around Texas; great track record
- Very little emphasis on COMLEX, teach according to USMLE
- 75% match into low- to mid-tier ACGME residencies, both inside and out of TX
- DFW area is a definite plus
- Osteopathic

UTRGV
- 50 students
- Tuition is covered up to 80% (students pay less than 4k/year)
- Not Hispanic, so I'm not sure if I'd really fit in
- 20-month preclinical curriculum adopted from UTHSC-San Antonio
- Variety of border-specific patient pathologies
- No reputation, no upperclassmen to help ease the transition/provide resources or advice
- Allopathic

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: In the past, I'd have said TCOM without a doubt, but now that I'm actually in this position I'm not so sure!

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[Cookie04]

Hi! it's me again! lol I think it honestly depends on where you can see yourself being the most successful. Is location a big factor for you? (would you be happier in Fort Worth or Brownsville/Edinburg?) Is having students ahead of you essential for you in a learning environment? How much do you value the advice of older students? Are finances a huge part in your decision? Don't get stuck into the black hole of MD vs DO, most (if not all) patients don't know or care about the difference and you will still be a doctor. TCOM is a great school and plenty of their students match into good residencies, also they may have more volume when it comes to clinical rotations. I can understand the "chip on your shoulder" and if the letters behind your name really bother you then that is also something to consider. But for you it will mainly just be about fit, so when you go to your interview at UTRGV ask yourself those questions and always go with your gut. If I were ever in that situation I would personally choose TCOM but that is only because of location. I love big cities and I am not a fan of small and rural towns. Another reason why I declined my II for UTRGV was because I didn't feel like the school would be a good fit for me, I have absolutely no background in Spanish speaking skills whatsoever and I felt like I would be at a slight disadvantage without those skills just because of the population that UTRGV serves. San Antonio also serves a large Hispanic population but the demographic is slightly different and SA is more diverse.

Either way you can't go wrong with either school and congrats on your success thus far!

 

[navigator]

Hi! it's me again! lol I think it honestly depends on where you can see yourself being the most successful. Is location a big factor for you? (would you be happier in Fort Worth or Brownsville/Edinburg?) Is having students ahead of you essential for you in a learning environment? How much do you value the advice of older students? Are finances a huge part in your decision? Don't get stuck into the black hole of MD vs DO, most (if not all) patients don't know or care about the difference and you will still be a doctor. TCOM is a great school and plenty of their students match into good residencies, also they may have more volume when it comes to clinical rotations. I can understand the "chip on your shoulder" and if the letters behind your name really bother you then that is also something to consider. But for you it will mainly just be about fit, so when you go to your interview at UTRGV ask yourself those questions and always go with your gut. If I were ever in that situation I would personally choose TCOM but that is only because of location. I love big cities and I am not a fan of small and rural towns. Another reason why I declined my II for UTRGV was because I didn't feel like the school would be a good fit for me, I have absolutely no background in Spanish speaking skills whatsoever and I felt like I would be at a slight disadvantage without those skills just because of the population that UTRGV serves. San Antonio also serves a large Hispanic population but the demographic is slightly different and SA is more diverse.

Either way you can't go wrong with either school and congrats on your success thus far!

Hey you! This is great! Thanks a bunch. I'm getting more and more excited about TCOM every day and that "chip" is slowly dissolving haha. All of these factors (location, student mentors, patient base) are all important to me and pull me in opposite directions.

I love FW and big cities but also think I'd enjoy the locale/culture of south Texas. I dislike the really lengthy academic calendar at TCOM and really appreciate the 20-month curriculum at RGV. I like that I'd be able to see a larger variety of cases in the Valley but know that I'd probably get more solid evals from experienced writers if I rotate through FW hospitals like JPS, Cook Children's, etc.

I guess I'm going to have to just wait till interview day to figure out an appropriate ranking list!

 

[Slack3r]

Go MD. The "chip" may not matter to you, but DO bias is still alive and well in many areas of the country and many competitive subspecialties.

Do your future-self a favor and go MD.

 

[w0rldw3y3d]

I agree with @Slack3r . Especially since UTRGV is so cheap. I have friends at TCOM and they are miserable because they have mandatory 9-5 class and have to study for COMLEX and STEP-1.

 

[Earl Simmons]

This is a personal decision you need to make on MD vs DO.

 

[navigator]

Thanks guys! I appreciate your feedback

 

[KingSaul]

I might be a little bit late....just a little but I would go for TCOM. Reason, I would choose a school that has done (medicine) for a long time. Im going to attend UTRGV this fall for Biomedical Science. Then for med school another school up north in Texas. Its like how they hire people, would you want the one with experience or the first timer?

By the way I live here in the RGV. Not everybody knows spanish, I have some friends in high school that dont know how to speak it. Its weird....but i did spend two half years (1 year in total) in Mexico studying.

 

[navigator]

I might be a little bit late....just a little but I would go for TCOM. Reason, I would choose a school that has done (medicine) for a long time. Im going to attend UTRGV this fall for Biomedical Science. Then for med school another school up north in Texas. Its like how they hire people, would you want the one with experience or the first timer?

By the way I live here in the RGV. Not everybody knows spanish, I have some friends in high school that dont know how to speak it. Its weird....but i did spend two half years (1 year in total) in Mexico studying.

I matched to TCOM!

 

[navigator]

1) TCOM avg step score: 214
2) DO bias is still strong going into residency and with the public (although not really that significant)
3) ~64% of DO students go into primary care vs. ~45% for MD

Don't kid yourself, if increased opportunities is your aim and philosophies aside, MD is the way to go.

It's silly talking about DO bias when we're talking about TCOM and Texas residencies. There is not a single program in Texas (in any field) that won't take a great TCOM graduate

Yes, the school does push primary care very heavily, but if you're interested in the competitive specialties you'll easily find the resources, mentors, and research (currently, about $40M more than RGV) at your disposal

Edit: I looked up the average score from 2013, and you're right that it was 214. The average score for all who sit for the USMLE Step 1 is typically 230. At first this might seem like a drawback to any school, but 95% of how you do on this exam comes from individual effort, not which school you're at. In addition, the school adopted more of a "flipped classroom" model in 2014, so my guess is that scores have increased since then.

 

[navigator]

You're right. In Texas, TCOM won't be "as" discriminated. But going out of Texas, it would be naive to assume there isn't a bias.

Also, don't forget the lower first time 'pass rate' on the USMLE step 1 (as of 2015) for DO students overall, and that score is only for those that optionally chose to take it.

As for UTRGV or other new schools (Dell), yes there will be bumps and hiccups in terms of flow and structure at first but, in reference to the experience analogy posted above, it is not like the faculty is teaching for the first time and that the students will be at a significant disadvantage. All of the biomedical and clinical faculty have taught extensively else where.

There are many reasons to go to DO school, but when keeping other factors equal (finances, location, etc.), and given the opportunity to choose between an MD and DO acceptance, MD wins every time.

A few caveats to what you just posted:

Firstly, there's no point in saying "[the program] isn't 'as' discriminated" because... it simply isn't. There are graduates from the school in every program in TX, including the competitive specialties, which you can double check.
Secondly, TCOM graduates do not represent the entirety of the DO population. There is no point in bringing up the first time pass rate for all DO students. The school achieves an annual 98-100% first time pass rate on Step 1 (along with every other school in Texas); 90% of their graduates routinely enter ACGME residencies (more than any other DO school).
Thirdly, the hiccups of a newly established med school should not be understated, no matter how well-prepared the administration is.

I'm glad you have pride for your school! It's got an amazing mission and passionate advocates. After interviewing at RGV, actually, I went out for drinks with some fellow interviewees (definitely make friends with your classmates CL, DO, and JF when you're there, they're awesome!). A random psychiatrist saw us in our RGV shirts, picked up the tab for our table, and thanked us for considering the school. It's obvious how invested the community is in the school and I know it'll make a major impact on healthcare in the Valley. But now that you're accepted there, please don't channel your pride for the school into an MD/DO discussion.