What's UTMB-Galveston Like?

[lol.psych]

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I've got an interview at UTMB in late August - my first interview ever! Well, I've had a couple of job interviews, but those hardly count because I either knew the person interviewing me well, or it was for a non-profit that I was heavily involved with already. So, really, this is pretty much my first ever interview.

ANYWAY...
What is Galveston like? What's the school like? How are the students? I've looked through the website like it's my job, but what can you tell me about the actual experience of studying at UTMB and living in Galveston?

 

[hermit]

PBL

 

[DrDiva06]

PBL

That's one part. 🙄

I just spoke to a good friend of mine who is a current 2nd year there and she LOVES it!! They have class from 8-12 (first year, at least).. so you have the rest of the day to study/take care of business. The student population is also EXTREMELY diverse and the people are very nice (It's the great state of Texas.. what do you expect! 🙂 )

It's Texas.. so the weather is generally nice, although a bit hot. It can get humid (not as humid as Houston)..And Galveston is on the coast so storms tend to hit you alot harder (Example: I was on the phone with my friend and she kept sayin "I can't hear you.. damn you Hurricane Dolly! lol)

It's my first choice.. They have GREAT board scores & ok, PBL isn't for everyone.. but that's just one aspect of their curriculum (although a very heavy one!)

Check out their website for more info.

Good luck on your interview.. Once my MCAT scores come back, hopefully I'll get one too! 🙂

 

[lacrossefiend73]

laina, if you wanna know first hand, talk to a guy on here, myKuduSlewaZulu... he's a student there.

Or, maybe, if he's feeling generous, he will post on here 😉

 

[hermit]

...PBL isn't for everyone...

In all seriousness...if you have never actually been in a PBL class, PLEASE don't just assume that "it'll be fine" or that it "sounds interesting."

If you've never done PBL and you elect to go to a PBL school you are in for a world of pain.

 

[phoenix0610]

I believe almost every medical school has at least a small component of PBL in their curriculum. That being said UTMB is heavy on it...I don't think its any worse than drudging through didactic lecture for four (or at some schools, eight) hours at a time, and if taken seriously and done right (knowing thats a big IF) you can learn a thing or two.🙄

 

[TheLesPaul]

I think you'll get a much better idea of what the school is like at the interview. They have tours, student sessions, and all sorts of events to answer exactly those questions.

 

[plasmidgreen]

They have a BSL-4 facility there! 😍

 

[sixpence]

I'm from tx and I go to Galveston alot. All I can say is the water is pretty dirty, the weather is not that bad, except when it rains, because its always pretty breezy. It is only maybe an hour and a half from Houston which is a plus.

 

[bozz]

Great thread 👍

 

[utjsm08]

I am doing research at UTMB this summer. The campus is great and the med school seems to have a lot of students that are diverse. I have heard great things about the curriculum. I have my first interview invite from UTMB on 8/22.....good luck to everyone!

 

[myKuduSlewaZulu]

This is a couple of years old, but captures the flavor somewhat...and click on the thread link for a discussion of the city. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=3626205&postcount=41

Some of my thoughts on the pbl...http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=6306404&postcount=23

Check out their website for more info.

Well good lord don't tell 'em that....they'll run screaming in the opposite direction. That site is 😳.

It is only maybe an hour and a half from Houston which is a plus.

Don't know how fast you drive, but downtown H-town is 45-50 min from school.🙂


Anything else let me know..

 

[172858]

in two words: a mazing

in one word: totalpartyschool

in essence: the top place in tejas not named baylor or utsw 😀

 

[lilTXcatMD]

I'm a current second year so I can answer a couple questions...

PBL is no more than 6 hours per week (2 hrs on MWF) and it is not nearly as bad as most people say it is. We usually get out early from it, and it helps to put things in a clinical perspective. Because it is supposedly "PBL heavy" lectures are not necessary. It is more of a teach yourself sort of curriculum, and you have plenty of time to do so. I agree that PBL is not for everyone - but get a good laptop and play on the internet if you don't want to be there. You can get by with fairly decent grades by just chiming in with something you read on wikipedia. PBL is never more than like 10% of your grade anyways. They have a fairly easy grading system - Honors, High Pass, and Pass. The top half of the class gets Honors or High Pass so it isn't too difficult to attain (and preclinical grades don't matter in the long run anyways).

The first year schedule is 8am-12pm and second year is 1pm-4pmish most every day. You will have one day a week each year where you are there for either the morning or the afternoon depending on your class schedule. Most people do not go to lectures after the first class or two. I pretty much have Tuesdays and Thursdays off unless I have a scheduled lab on one of those afternoons. I have plenty of free time - I'm married and 6.5 months pregnant and not too concerned about "failing out" of school.

The island is different... it is not the fabulous metropolitan of Houston but you are close enough that lots of people drive to Houston for dinner or weekend outings. You get to know your classmates pretty well because most of you end up living within a couple blocks of each other (I live off the island). The upperclassmen are wonderful(!!) and are more than willing to guide you. They have a tutorial program set up where 2nd years tutor first years and give them pointers on what to study for the exams, give old notes, etc. The class-produced scribes are essential and give you pretty much everything you need to know for exams. I didn't reach much at all first year because scribes covered most of it. Second year has a lot more reading to do.

The testing schedule is fantastic! Because our curriculum is one class at a time, we have one lecture test + one lab test (not all classes have labs) every four weeks. We never have "test weeks" where we have to study for multiple subjects. It is probably one of my favorite things about the school -- that and the fact that I have so much free time.

If you have any specific questions, anyone can email me and I'll try to get back to you soon - [email protected].

 

[lol.psych]

I'm a current second year so I can answer a couple questions...

PBL is no more than 6 hours per week (2 hrs on MWF) and it is not nearly as bad as most people say it is. We usually get out early from it, and it helps to put things in a clinical perspective. Because it is supposedly "PBL heavy" lectures are not necessary. It is more of a teach yourself sort of curriculum, and you have plenty of time to do so. I agree that PBL is not for everyone - but get a good laptop and play on the internet if you don't want to be there. You can get by with fairly decent grades by just chiming in with something you read on wikipedia. PBL is never more than like 10% of your grade anyways. They have a fairly easy grading system - Honors, High Pass, and Pass. The top half of the class gets Honors or High Pass so it isn't too difficult to attain (and preclinical grades don't matter in the long run anyways).

The first year schedule is 8am-12pm and second year is 1pm-4pmish most every day. You will have one day a week each year where you are there for either the morning or the afternoon depending on your class schedule. Most people do not go to lectures after the first class or two. I pretty much have Tuesdays and Thursdays off unless I have a scheduled lab on one of those afternoons. I have plenty of free time - I'm married and 6.5 months pregnant and not too concerned about "failing out" of school.

The island is different... it is not the fabulous metropolitan of Houston but you are close enough that lots of people drive to Houston for dinner or weekend outings. You get to know your classmates pretty well because most of you end up living within a couple blocks of each other (I live off the island). The upperclassmen are wonderful(!!) and are more than willing to guide you. They have a tutorial program set up where 2nd years tutor first years and give them pointers on what to study for the exams, give old notes, etc. The class-produced scribes are essential and give you pretty much everything you need to know for exams. I didn't reach much at all first year because scribes covered most of it. Second year has a lot more reading to do.

The testing schedule is fantastic! Because our curriculum is one class at a time, we have one lecture test + one lab test (not all classes have labs) every four weeks. We never have "test weeks" where we have to study for multiple subjects. It is probably one of my favorite things about the school -- that and the fact that I have so much free time.

If you have any specific questions, anyone can email me and I'll try to get back to you soon - [email protected].

Thank you! This was so helpful and informative!

 

[Blaquestar]

Question: I just recieved an interview invitation to UTMB. I have visited the campus several times and both of my older sisters have attended UTMB so I know that it is a very friendly enviroment. What i wanted to know is how the interview process is? Is it a relaxed interview or stressed? What questions are asked? and How did people who interviewed at UTMB know who they were interviewing with ahead of time? Because I would like to do some research on my interviewers so that I can have some questions to ask them. Thank you for your answers in advance!!

 

[DoItToIt]

Question: I just recieved an interview invitation to UTMB. I have visited the campus several times and both of my older sisters have attended UTMB so I know that it is a very friendly enviroment. What i wanted to know is how the interview process is? Is it a relaxed interview or stressed? What questions are asked? and How did people who interviewed at UTMB know who they were interviewing with ahead of time? Because I would like to do some research on my interviewers so that I can have some questions to ask them. Thank you for your answers in advance!!

Check out the UTMB thread on the 2011-2012 School Specific List, and the Interview Feedback for UTMB. You won't know who your interviewers are until you check in that morning and see your agenda in the folder. One of mine was very talkative/laid-back, the other was pretty aggressive and rapid-fire- just depends on your interviewer. Just be talkative, friendly and remain composed 🙂 Good luck!