Information from previous 2 years:
Current M3 here to provide some of the important information from previous year’s threads and what a lot of applicants were curious about when applying. I will update this post as new information is released.
Note: Do NOT make the mistake of waiting for a Texas A&M secondary application invitation. Secondary applications are not by invitation only, they are available to everyone applying. Submit it ASAP, CHECK WITH THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE AFTER A FEW WEEKS (AT ALL SCHOOLS) TO ENSURE THEY HAVE YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION (some schools have glitches/never received it and applicants never knew until months after and have to re-submit late).
Secondary link: How Do I Apply?
Previous year's Secondary app deadline: September 29, 2017 (absolutely double check this for each application cycle)
Pictures of TAMHSC campuses/facilities, and student life:
Texas A&M University College of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine’s albums | Flickr
Avg MCAT: 31 / 510
Avg GPA: 3.7
First Interview Invites: begin ~June 20-July 1
2015 Interviews: 848
2015 Acceptances: 387
2015 Matriculated: 200
Tuition+Fees: $17,592 - most (all?) accepted out of state students will pay this in-state tuition – cheapest medical school in the nation
Prerequisite Courses:
How Do I Apply?
TMDSAS Medical: Education Requirements
Grading/Curriculum/Schedule:
Grading: H/P/F
- Honors: top 15% in each course receive honors
- Pass: 70-100
- Fail: 69 and below
Curriculum:
- 1.5 years pre-clinical/2.5 years clinical curriculum
- All M1’s begin in College Station for 1 year (1.5 years for Houston track) before dispersing to other rotation cities or remaining in B/CS, where they will then finish the last half year of pre-clinical curriculum on their designated campus before beginning rotations.
Schedule:
Labs, clinical correlation lectures, as well as weekly "Intro to Clinical Skills and HEAL" (all of these total ~10 hours/week) are the only classes with mandatory attendance. Usually 2-3 half days per week w/ afternoons off for self-study time (more half days after 1st semester when you finish the main labs). The non-mandatory attendance classes (which constitutes most classes) are all video/audio recorded.
Year 1 Sample Schedule:
Year II (Pre-Clinical) Sample Schedule:
Rotation Cities/Hospital Affiliations:
Campuses
You will submit your campus preferences shortly after Texas match day in February (you rank them 1-5 and justify why you want your preference). Here are some of the hospital affiliates:
~35 students to Houston: #1 hospital in Texas – Methodist Hospital
~40 students to Dallas: #2 hospital in Texas - Baylor University Medical Center & Cook Children’s
~50 students to Round Rock/Austin: two tied at #31 hospitals in Texas - St. David's Medical Center in Austin & St. David's Round Rock Medical Center
~50 students to Temple: #10 hospital in Texas/top 15 teaching hospital in the U.S. (Baylor S&W)
~25 students to B/CS: AIM rotation program - St. Joseph Hospital, College Station Medical Center
(Most get their 1st-3rd choice. If you are unhappily assigned your 2nd/3rd choice, you can request a change at two different points during M1 year - several have switched already - however you are still able to spend a large portion of clinical years in other cities besides your main 'assigned' city if you choose.)
M.D. Plus Program:
Programs of Study
Texas A&M offers the following dual degree programs: M.D., M.D./PhD, M.D./MBA, M.D./MPH, and M.D./MS in various fields.
If interested, (excluding M.D./PhD) you will apply to the dual degree programs once accepted to Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine. If accepted to a dual degree program, you will defer your M1 year, complete the master’s program, and then begin M1 year (5 years total for M.D. + Masters). You may also apply later on if you become interested during medical school. Many (all?) who choose to participate may receive a scholarship that covers the cost of the M.S. and MPH degrees completely, and most of the MBA program.
Pre-Matriculation MedCamp Program
For those interested, TAMHSC offers a free, 1 month long pre-matriculation MedCamp program that allows you to get accustomed to medical school prior to officially starting. Your housing and food are also paid for by TAMHSC completely during the program. This experience will allow participants a head-start to medical school by putting you in medical school classes, exposing you to medically relevant experiences, and pairing you with mentors that include faculty and current 2nd year medical students. This is a great program for those who have been out of school for a few years and want to get back in the swing of things before starting, or anyone else who wants to see what medical school is all about before actually starting!
MedCamp Video:
Step 1/Match Lists:
-A&M provides free Kaplan USMLE Prep Courses and question banks for both USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. We are given up to 12 weeks of time off for USMLE Step 1 studying.
2014 USMLE Step 1 average: 228/99% 1st time pass rate
You will get a detailed match list, including hospital name, on interview day.
2016 Match Results:
Text:
2015-2016 Texas A&M Health Science Center Application Thread
Download:
2015-2016 Texas A&M Health Science Center Application Thread
Texas A&M University undergraduate affiliation:
As a Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine student, you also have access to Texas A&M University’s undergraduate campus – including rec center, sporting events, intramural sports, libraries, facilities, etc.
For matriculating students, we used “Texas A&M University” federal school code for FAFSA: 003632 (double check each application cycle)
Class Environment/Global Health & Clinical Volunteer Opportunities:
I think most TX schools seem pretty supportive, and this definitely holds true for A&M as well. For example, it's just May and the our new entering class has had more class hangouts than I can count already, and set up a shared google drive well before M1 orientation/class even started haha. M1-M4’s have helped us immensely before we even started with housing, class notes, free textbooks, advice, etc. They're awesome.
Students are able to volunteer at the nonprofit, free “Health For All” Clinic in B/CS where you can take patient vitals, history, physical, present to physician, write SOAP notes, etc. Also annual international mission trips (during christmas break, spring break, summer, and a few throughout school) available through Global Health Outreach and Christian Medical Association (2015-2016 trips to Dominican Republic, Peru, Panama, Nicaragua, Houston, and McAllen), community health hullabaloo, health circus, and others. I will update with more opportunities as I learn about them!
Work/life balance? With 3+ half days every week, these videos from the class of 2014, 2016, and 2020 answer that:
Interview Process:
For MD applicants: Two 30 minute 1-on-1 interviews. May be interviewed by MD’s, PhD’s, or current upper level students I believe. (open file – they have access to your MCAT, GPA, & app)
The questions from this page and other TX school pages prepared me perfectly for interviews:
Texas A & M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine Interview Feedback
(click "questions" and then "show more responses")
A&M offers student hosts for those interviewing and need a place to stay.
Application Tips:
In addition to applying early, which is the biggest piece of advice you should follow, set yourself apart from others outside of academics/research. There are thousands of applicants who excelled academically, so what makes you different? Talk about and show HOW you are compassionate, HOW & WHY you want to help people. Outside of academics, schools want to see what makes you the caring and selfless physician your app says you will be. Continuous volunteering, shadowing, healthcare experience, involvement with EC’s, etc. can help you answer some of these qualities.
Why Texas A&M?
Additionally, feel free to ask here or PM me or other students why we chose A&M over other schools, or if you need help comparing them like I did last year (I would love to help and answer any questions)! I could write forever on why I chose A&M, I couldn’t be happier that I decided to come here and wouldn’t change my decision at all. A&M is growing rapidly and immensely, and I am excited to be apart of it. Here are a few of the many examples: within the last few years, they gained the top 2 hospitals in Texas as main rotation hospitals, and now the majority of our class will train in 3 of the top 10 hospitals in Texas. In 2015, they just built a brand new gross anatomy, teaching, and research building with offices, teaching labs, specimen rooms, prep areas, tank wash rooms, chemical and specimen storage rooms, locker rooms, etc. This building was designed so that it can be further expanded in the future.
I encourage you to ask students at any school you interview at why they chose that school, if they’re happy with their decision, and what they do outside of school – I found that most students at all the TX schools seemed pretty honest and extremely helpful. Since most TX schools are pretty similar educationally, find what else is important to you (location, opportunities outside of school, support, etc) and compare them. Finally, any other questions, feel free to ask me, other current students, or A&M admissions - they are extremely welcoming and WANT to help you (they’ll even meet with you individually should you not get accepted to help you improve for the next application cycle). Good luck everyone!
