2016-2017 University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley Application Thread

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My friend, who used to live in the valley, just forwarded me this: https://www.roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-places-in-texas/
3 out of top 5 cities that is considered most dangerous cities in Texas is close proximity to UTRGV. :eek:

I love the school and it's mission but this does spark some worries..
Is anyone else from the area and can provide a better/realistic prospective than those gloomy stats?
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Oh sweet, thanks for the advice you two! Yeah, I am working on my A&M secondary today and hope to do the whole RGV one tomorrow (read a couple of posts on here saying that the essay prompts were pretty short and straightforward). I like the part about looking at things "holistically!" I feel as if I have the best shot at El Paso, A&M, and RGV so I'll try to finish them ASAP!

I'm definitely interested in helping out the underserved population. Part of my PS was dedicated a week-long public health brigade that I went on to Honduras and how we helped a family by building stuff like concrete floors, clean water receptacles, ventilated ovens, etc.

I'm also super interested in setting up a mental health clinic in South Texas...like that would be my ideal practice. I should probably emphasize that somewhere in the secondaries.
 
docinthefam said:
My friend, who used to live in the valley, just forwarded me this: https://www.roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-places-in-texas/
3 out of top 5 cities that is considered most dangerous cities in Texas is close proximity to UTRGV. :eek:

I love the school and it's mission but this does spark some worries..
Is anyone else from the area and can provide a better/realistic prospective than those gloomy stats?
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Meh..this doesn't deter me much. The fact that I can accidentally prick myself with an infected needle scares me more.
 
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@bearonionlol that is scary too! lol
Yeah I just don't know if my friend is particularly pessimistic about this area or if I should really be concerned. I never had the pleasure of visiting that area myself.
 
@breadNbutter
hopefully breadNbutter can answer more on that since he is a south Texas resident. Keep in mind that crime is everywhere and you're just as likely to be targeted in a big city as in a small city. Always need to be proactive no matter where you are.
 
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I am currently going through a bunch of appeals to reclassify many of my courses so that they count in my BCPM GPA. TMDSAS hasn't responded to the appeals yet, so my BCPM GPA is significantly lower than what it could potentially be. Should I hold off submitting the secondary until my GPA is potentially fixed?
 
queenoftheclouds said:
I am currently going through a bunch of appeals to reclassify many of my courses so that they count in my BCPM GPA. TMDSAS hasn't responded to the appeals yet, so my BCPM GPA is significantly lower than what it could potentially be. Should I hold off submitting the secondary until my GPA is potentially fixed?
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What classes did they dispute? I put classes that technically weren't BCPM but had a lot of science based content and they counted for me.
 
MI2015 said:
What classes did they dispute? I put classes that technically weren't BCPM but had a lot of science based content and they counted for me.
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I had some research independent studies in the neuro department that they didn't count, as well as one of my neuro courses. I called TMDSAS and they said they classified them to be more psychology than biology. The head of my neuroscience department at my school is writing a letter to TMDSAS to appeal, so hopefully they'll end up counting them.
 
queenoftheclouds said:
I had some research independent studies in the neuro department that they didn't count, as well as one of my neuro courses. I called TMDSAS and they said they classified them to be more psychology than biology. The head of my neuroscience department at my school is writing a letter to TMDSAS to appeal, so hopefully they'll end up counting them.
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Oh wow that's weird. I put 3 of my psych classes down that were heavy science based as bio and they counted them. It just depends on who reviews your app I think!
 
parrotlet2016 said:
Don't sit too long on the secondary. The sooner you complete your entire application, the better. Keep in mind that stats matter (to an extent), but this school does focus more holistically (as cliche as med schools make that seem now). Therefore if you are truly passionate about something, make sure to convey it.
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I think most schools are 'holistic.' I haven't heard of any school that auto accepts based on stats alone. For the most part, your academics help you get an interview, your entire 'holistic' file gets you accepted.

iforget2 said:
I feel like this school looks more at fit (i.e. dedicated to serve Hispanic or underserved populations) as opposed to your GPA or mcat scores
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I think people are overemphasizing this school's location and making a lot of assumptions. Yes it is important, but they are not looking for a 'particular' student that is, specifically, Hispanic or any other ethnicity/race/etc. Serving underserved populations is important here as it is at many public state schools. Also, I personally do not feel there is some type of bias toward serving the Hispanic population per se, and they would never make you imply as such. If anything, they are more focused on your exposure to diversity as a whole.

Based on our first class composition, I would say it is as diverse as other schools. Of course, it may give you an advantage if you have a compelling background that ties into the overall mission. However, I wouldn't look too much into it. Be honest and true to what your application reflects of you. GPA/MCAT/research importance here is on par with other public/state schools. I say this because of the diverse backgrounds of the applicants in our first class.

docinthefam said:
My friend, who used to live in the valley, just forwarded me this: https://www.roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-places-in-texas/
3 out of top 5 cities that is considered most dangerous cities in Texas is close proximity to UTRGV. :eek:

I love the school and it's mission but this does spark some worries..
Is anyone else from the area and can provide a better/realistic prospective than those gloomy stats?
Click to expand...

I have been living in the RGV for several years and I would say that it is just like any other big city (the RGV as a whole): if you don't look for trouble, it usually won't look for you. I have not had any personal issues or complaints and I do feel safe.

bearonionlol said:
Oh sweet, thanks for the advice you two! Yeah, I am working on my A&M secondary today and hope to do the whole RGV one tomorrow (read a couple of posts on here saying that the essay prompts were pretty short and straightforward). I like the part about looking at things "holistically!" I feel as if I have the best shot at El Paso, A&M, and RGV so I'll try to finish them ASAP!

I'm definitely interested in helping out the underserved population. Part of my PS was dedicated a week-long public health brigade that I went on to Honduras and how we helped a family by building stuff like concrete floors, clean water receptacles, ventilated ovens, etc.

I'm also super interested in setting up a mental health clinic in South Texas...like that would be my ideal practice. I should probably emphasize that somewhere in the secondaries.
Click to expand...

Apply to the schools you think you might have a good overall fit at and like, within reason of course, rather than the ones you think you have a good 'chance' of getting accepted to because adcoms have a keen BS radar.
 
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I submitted my secondary a few days ago and never received any sort of confirmation email. Did anyone else receive one?
 
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njain546 said:
I submitted my secondary a few days ago and never received any sort of confirmation email. Did anyone else receive one?
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I submitted the secondary 6/15 and haven't received any confirmation emails yet.
 
Timmy248 said:
I submitted the secondary 6/15 and haven't received any confirmation emails yet.
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I gave them a call and they said that they received my secondary. Not everyone gets confirmation emails, but it still goes through.
 
Did anyone see a pre-filled date when submitting their secondary app? I was too eager to submit the app and then realized that this was the date of submission. I turned in my secondary on 6/18, but I had submitted my TMDSAS app on 5/17. The date listed was 6/11 (neither of the dates I submitted anything). I did START my app on 6/11 though. Was this date preset or was I supposed to change it?

Thanks in advance.
 
rgrahul1234 said:
Did anyone see a pre-filled date when submitting their secondary app? I was too eager to submit the app and then realized that this was the date of submission. I turned in my secondary on 6/18, but I had submitted my TMDSAS app on 5/17. The date listed was 6/11 (neither of the dates I submitted anything). I did START my app on 6/11 though. Was this date preset or was I supposed to change it?

Thanks in advance.
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I think it's just preset, cause mine said like 6/9 or something and it wouldn't let me change it even though I hadn't submitted yet
 
kegar99 said:
I think it's just preset, cause mine said like 6/9 or something and it wouldn't let me change it even though I hadn't submitted yet
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Alright that is a relief. Thank you for confirming.
 
rgrahul1234 said:
Maybe they really want you? haha. I haven't even gotten one confirmation email yet. :(
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It may be the precursor to a hyped-up silent rejection. Who can tell, but I'm certainly tired of waiting haha
 
SmilingTooth said:
It may be the precursor to a hyped-up silent rejection. Who can tell, but I'm certainly tired of waiting haha
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rgrahul1234 said:
Maybe they really want you? haha. I haven't even gotten one confirmation email yet. :(
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Don't worry too much about the redundant emails. This happened last cycle also at some points. Not sure why, but most likely an email system glitch of some type.
 
Just submitted the secondary and received a confirmation email immediately. Best of luck to everyone!! :)
 
Guys... my secondary has no essay questions...

Edit: nvm...
 
Probably not going to do the secondaries for this school-can't see myself going to school here. Hopefully this won't negatively impact the rest of my application
 
iforget2 said:
Probably not going to do the secondaries for this school-can't see myself going to school here. Hopefully this won't negatively impact the rest of my application
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You mean negatively impact your tmdsas application to the rest of the texas schools? why would it do that?
 
mdhopeful545 said:
You mean negatively impact your tmdsas application to the rest of the texas schools? why would it do that?
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I don't think it will, just being paranoid. I've heard if you get an interview invite and fail to inform them that you don't plan on attending the interview then that school will notify the other schools and this will be seen as a red flag. Obviously this isn't as serious, but just unsure since it's more or less the same concept.
 
iforget2 said:
I don't think it will, just being paranoid. I've heard if you get an interview invite and fail to inform them that you don't plan on attending the interview then that school will notify the other schools and this will be seen as a red flag. Obviously this isn't as serious, but just unsure since it's more or less the same concept.
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oh ok! i feel you on the whole paranoid thing...feel like interviews were coming out a lot faster last cycle
 
iforget2 said:
Probably not going to do the secondaries for this school-can't see myself going to school here. Hopefully this won't negatively impact the rest of my application
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I did the same thing. I don't want to go there so i didn't do the app.
 
wysdoc said:
Some relevant news for those on this thread - got to say this was very surprising to me and there are no details beyond what is in this article so far. No details on whether it was his decision or a decision from board of regents, etc. In either case I feel sorry for the dean who won't even get to see his first class of med students through their first year. http://riograndeguardian.com/breaking-news-utrgv-school-of-medicine-founding-dean-to-step-down/
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Ha! You beat me to it. I just read that on a different website: http://www.themonitor.com/news/loca...cle_2983ef58-3e26-11e6-9b2a-0f447bd35d5f.html
 
wysdoc said:
Some relevant news for those on this thread - got to say this was very surprising to me and there are no details beyond what is in this article so far. No details on whether it was his decision or a decision from board of regents, etc. In either case I feel sorry for the dean who won't even get to see his first class of med students through their first year. http://riograndeguardian.com/breaking-news-utrgv-school-of-medicine-founding-dean-to-step-down/
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My guess would be that the stats of the first year class are dead last in the state and Dr. Fernandez was held responsible. This article suggests that your race and where you were born in the State was a major factor in deciding admission http://www.themonitor.com/news/educ...cle_cba57030-3cc9-11e6-9313-13ac7e5909ab.html However, I would not make any judgments until the stats of the first class are made public.

In any event this is the new Dean https://www.utmb.edu/internalmedicine/divisions/endocrinology/faculty/lieberman.asp
 
texasmedicalstudent231 said:
My guess would be that the stats of the first year class are dead last in the state and Dr. Fernandez was held responsible. This article suggests that your race and where you were born in the State was a major factor in deciding admission http://www.themonitor.com/news/educ...cle_cba57030-3cc9-11e6-9313-13ac7e5909ab.html However, I would not make any judgments until the stats of the first class are made public.

In any event this is the new Dean https://www.utmb.edu/internalmedicine/divisions/endocrinology/faculty/lieberman.asp
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Dr. Lieberman is appointed the interim dean until the search for the new dean is completed and installed.
 
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texasmedicalstudent231 said:
My guess would be that the stats of the first year class are dead last in the state and Dr. Fernandez was held responsible. This article suggests that your race and where you were born in the State was a major factor in deciding admission http://www.themonitor.com/news/educ...cle_cba57030-3cc9-11e6-9313-13ac7e5909ab.html However, I would not make any judgments until the stats of the first class are made public.

In any event this is the new Dean https://www.utmb.edu/internalmedicine/divisions/endocrinology/faculty/lieberman.asp
Click to expand...
Look at the UTRGV School of medicine Facebook page to see all the colleges the first incoming class attended. Even the ones who are Valley natives may have attended college elsewhere. You are right that they tried to choose students who were likely to remain in the area to practice.
 
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As far as the first class stats go, a lady from admissions at UTRGV came and visited A&M last semester. She told us that the entering class had an average cumulative GPA around 3.4 and an average MCAT around 27. She made it pretty clear that they were focused on other factors (such as ECs and essays) to make their decisions. Also, area of residence played a pretty big role; I believe around 50% came from the Rio Grande Valley area.
 
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Rovar0 said:
As far as the first class stats go, a lady from admissions at UTRGV came and visited A&M last semester. She told us that the entering class had an average cumulative GPA around 3.4 and an average MCAT around 27. She made it pretty clear that they were focused on other factors (such as ECs and essays) to make their decisions. Also, area of residence played a pretty big role; I believe around 50% came from the Rio Grande Valley area.
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see the chart I added above. 36% from RGV. I don't know anything about grades and scores as you quoted.
 
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wysdoc said:
see the chart I added above. 36% from RGV. I don't know anything about grades and scores as you quoted.
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Okay, yeah. 36% seems about right. I'm pulling this info from a presentation I attended a few months ago. I'm not 100% sure that I remember the exact stats, but I remember they definitely weren't over a 3.5 GPA and 28 MCAT average.
 
docinthefam said:
My friend, who used to live in the valley, just forwarded me this: https://www.roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-places-in-texas/
3 out of top 5 cities that is considered most dangerous cities in Texas is close proximity to UTRGV. :eek:

I love the school and it's mission but this does spark some worries..
Is anyone else from the area and can provide a better/realistic prospective than those gloomy stats?
Click to expand...

Edinburg, the city of the medical school with about 80,000 people, is 40th on this list. McAllen, the city bordering Edinburg with about 140,000 people, is 113th. While Houston (7), Lubbock (11), San Antonio (13) are much higher. Also, you would have to go farther from UTRGV than the med schools in those big cities to get to the troubled areas. It's safe (and very friendly).
 
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I can confirm Rovar0’s post that the phrase “other factors” was used frequently by UTRGV in their presentations to potential students. Rovar0 has a kind heart and generous sprit (Someone you would want to be your doctor) and interprets the phrase “other factors” to mean ECs and amazing essays; others are waiting for the demographics and qualifications of the 2020 class to be posted to discern the meaning of “other factors”.

I can also confirm wysdoc post that UTRGV judged the class of 2020 based upon their street address and that there is conflict on the Schools attended (verified) and the local addresses given (not verified) for the current class as wysdoc points out.

For last year class, it was made clear that your street address could be a deciding factor in your admission to UTRGV. Do not use a “Winter-Texan” mailing address or a P.O. Box. If you live in a million dollar home, you should consider the implications of using that address. You should only use an address that you can use in good conscience that connects you to the Rio Grande Valley. If you’re struggling with this question seek out a consultant that helps with medical school applications. If your college has a law school they likely have a free legal clinic that can help. If your college does not have a law school, call your alumni association and ask if they can help you find an attorney who graduated from your school and is willing to help you for free.

UTRGV is the only medical school currently using your street address to determine your fitness to practice medicine and your desire to serve each and every area of the state. (Hopefully, the other medical schools don’t start applying a similar standard)

Did UTRGV get “played” in the address game? we won’t know until the first class heads “home” for the Thanksgiving break.
 
texasmedicalstudent231 said:
I can confirm Rovar0’s post that the phrase “other factors” was used frequently by UTRGV in their presentations to potential students. Rovar0 has a kind heart and generous sprit (Someone you would want to be your doctor) and interprets the phrase “other factors” to mean ECs and amazing essays; others are waiting for the demographics and qualifications of the 2020 class to be posted to discern the meaning of “other factors”.

I can also confirm wysdoc post that UTRGV judged the class of 2020 based upon their street address and that there is conflict on the Schools attended (verified) and the local addresses given (not verified) for the current class as wysdoc points out.

For last year class, it was made clear that your street address could be a deciding factor in your admission to UTRGV. Do not use a “Winter-Texan” mailing address or a P.O. Box. If you live in a million dollar home, you should consider the implications of using that address. You should only use an address that you can use in good conscience that connects you to the Rio Grande Valley. If you’re struggling with this question seek out a consultant that helps with medical school applications. If your college has a law school they likely have a free legal clinic that can help. If your college does not have a law school, call your alumni association and ask if they can help you find an attorney who graduated from your school and is willing to help you for free.

UTRGV is the only medical school currently using your street address to determine your fitness to practice medicine and your desire to serve each and every area of the state. (Hopefully, the other medical schools don’t start applying a similar standard)

Did UTRGV get “played” in the address game? we won’t know until the first class heads “home” for the Thanksgiving break.
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Very interesting about the mailing address, @texasmedicalstudent231
 
texasmedicalstudent231 said:
My guess would be that the stats of the first year class are dead last in the state and Dr. Fernandez was held responsible. This article suggests that your race and where you were born in the State was a major factor in deciding admission http://www.themonitor.com/news/educ...cle_cba57030-3cc9-11e6-9313-13ac7e5909ab.html However, I would not make any judgments until the stats of the first class are made public.

In any event this is the new Dean https://www.utmb.edu/internalmedicine/divisions/endocrinology/faculty/lieberman.asp
Click to expand...

First and foremost, the news of the dean stepping down was unexpected and unfortunate to everyone involved, including the current students, faculty, and administration. The dean spoke candidly with the class and expressed his personal decision to remain with the school in another capacity. Your assertion about the stats is a ridiculous one at best.

As with many state schools, there is always some bias toward local residents, especially natives. This is not unique to UTRGV SOM. But to say it was a major factor is completely wrong. That is made evident from the publicly available demographics.

Rovar0 said:
As far as the first class stats go, a lady from admissions at UTRGV came and visited A&M last semester. She told us that the entering class had an average cumulative GPA around 3.4 and an average MCAT around 27. She made it pretty clear that they were focused on other factors (such as ECs and essays) to make their decisions. Also, area of residence played a pretty big role; I believe around 50% came from the Rio Grande Valley area.
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Public stats have yet to be revealed. Regarding ECs, essays, and state of residence/location, again, this is nothing new for state schools, especially those that are community and underserved focused. From a holistic approach, an applicant's ECs, essays, experiences, etc. ought to reflect the school's mission. A 36% RGV class representation in Texas where schools are already mandated to accept 90% in-state applicants is not outrageous.
 
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texasmedicalstudent231 said:
I can confirm Rovar0’s post that the phrase “other factors” was used frequently by UTRGV in their presentations to potential students. Rovar0 has a kind heart and generous sprit (Someone you would want to be your doctor) and interprets the phrase “other factors” to mean ECs and amazing essays; others are waiting for the demographics and qualifications of the 2020 class to be posted to discern the meaning of “other factors”.

I can also confirm wysdoc post that UTRGV judged the class of 2020 based upon their street address and that there is conflict on the Schools attended (verified) and the local addresses given (not verified) for the current class as wysdoc points out.

For last year class, it was made clear that your street address could be a deciding factor in your admission to UTRGV. Do not use a “Winter-Texan” mailing address or a P.O. Box. If you live in a million dollar home, you should consider the implications of using that address. You should only use an address that you can use in good conscience that connects you to the Rio Grande Valley. If you’re struggling with this question seek out a consultant that helps with medical school applications. If your college has a law school they likely have a free legal clinic that can help. If your college does not have a law school, call your alumni association and ask if they can help you find an attorney who graduated from your school and is willing to help you for free.

UTRGV is the only medical school currently using your street address to determine your fitness to practice medicine and your desire to serve each and every area of the state. (Hopefully, the other medical schools don’t start applying a similar standard)

Did UTRGV get “played” in the address game? we won’t know until the first class heads “home” for the Thanksgiving break.
Click to expand...

There is no reason why anyone is to believe your outlandish statements about 'street addresses' as being some sort of criteria for admission or that any such statements were made by an ADCOM from UTRGV.

Regarding schools attended and local addresses provided: I personally know of several current students who attended undergraduate and/or graduate schools in other states but have lived in the RGV for several years currently or in the past (some are natives). In the eyes of a state, community-based school, this matters, as it should and does elsewhere in the country.

If anything, the school is utilizing residency information to see if an applicant is a good fit for the school and the community it serves (and vice versa), not medicine per se. Again, this type of admissions paradigm is not at all unique to UTRGV as you claim.
 
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breadNbutter said:
There is no reason why anyone is to believe your outlandish statements about 'street addresses' as being some sort of criteria for admission or that any such statements were made by an ADCOM from UTRGV.

Regarding schools attended and local addresses provided: I personally know of several current students who attended undergraduate and/or graduate schools in other states but have lived in the RGV for several years currently or in the past (some are natives). In the eyes of a state, community-based school, this matters, as it should and does elsewhere in the country.

If anything, the school is utilizing residency information to see if an applicant is a good fit for the school and the community it serves (and vice versa), not medicine per se. Again, this type of admissions paradigm is not at all unique to UTRGV as you claim.
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I agree with you, @breadNbutter, I don't think there were any shenanigans involved in RGV natives going outside the Valley for college. In fact, my point was the opposite. Someone was trying to say that the stats of the class were low. I was trying to point out that the local students went to some impressive colleges and still desired to come home to do their medical training.
 
At this point, to restore integrity to the process, Dean Lieberman should review the applications of the 2020 class and dismiss anyone who falsely claimed roots to the community or their ability to speak Spanish.

BreadNbutter as a Rio Grande Valley native, fluent in Spanish, hopefully you will help in this effort.
 
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