2017-2018 University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley

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gyngyn

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1. List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency (100 word max)

3. In the event you are accepted into two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: patient advocacy, community-focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, lifelong problem solving.
4. Choose TWO of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education (300 word max)

Part 2:

Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine:
Part 1: required
part 2: select 2 out of the 4
briefly describe the experience
state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)
what you learned about yourself through that experience
experiences may be used more than once to address each category.

Part 1 (required)
A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you (150 word max)

Part 2 (select 2/4)
A community service experience (150 word max)
an employment experience (150 word max)
a position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction (150 word max)
a creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc) (150 word max)

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Secondary invite received today, 6/1

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency (100 word max)

3. In the event you are accepted into two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: patient advocacy, community-focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, lifelong problem solving.
4. Choose TWO of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education (300 word max) @gyngyn
 
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Part 2:

Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine:
Part 1: required
part 2: select 2 out of the 4
briefly describe the experience
state the circumstances of the experience (why you participated)
what you learned about yourself through that experience
experiences may be used more than once to address each category.

Part 1 (required)
A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you (150 word max)

Part 2 (select 2/4)
A community service experience (150 word max)
an employment experience (150 word max)
a position of responsibility/authority in which others depended on you for direction (150 word max)
a creative endeavor (anything that required you to be creative in your approach, such as fine arts, computer programming, web design, writing, etc) (150 word max)

@gyngyn
 
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Got it too. It mentions a screen and being selected, but I wonder if that's actually the case. Did anyone who's transmitted not get it?
 
I just got my secondary today (6/1) as well! This secondary, despite being long, is straightforward and asks really good questions!
 
Good luck to those applying! I interviewed at UTRGV this past cycle and was very impressed with the faculty, facilities, and especially the students
 
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Good luck to those applying! I interviewed at UTRGV this past cycle and was very impressed with the faculty, facilities, and especially the students
What was your opinion of the virtual anatomy lab? I've always been in the boat of valuing cadaver lab because of the things you get to experience such as tissue depth, being able to distinguish between arteries and nerves, etc.
 
What was your opinion of the virtual anatomy lab? I've always been in the boat of valuing cadaver lab because of the things you get to experience such as tissue depth, being able to distinguish between arteries and nerves, etc.

I haven't been through anatomy lab yet, so I can't really speak with any authority on the subject- but like you, I value a "real" cadaver for a few reasons. That being said, my impression from interviewing at URTGV was that they've made every effort to eliminate the pitfalls of a virtual lab. It seemed like they were really using all aspects of the software. I walked away with the impression that the anatomy curriculum there was strong enough to where it wouldn't hold you back at all. I'm sure some current UTRGV students could chime in with more detail.
 
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What was your opinion of the virtual anatomy lab? I've always been in the boat of valuing cadaver lab because of the things you get to experience such as tissue depth, being able to distinguish between arteries and nerves, etc.

We do have a plastinate lab where there are a few full bodied individuals along with other specimens so you will have the opportunity to see such details first hand. Our anatomy professor is extremely passionate about the subject and values the ability for students to see such relationships in real life vs on a computer.
 
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What made you guys choose RGV over other schools?
When I interviewed here and came for Welcome Back weekend, one thing that struck me was the dedication and passion the faculty had for this school and the community. At other schools, I felt like I was just another number, but not here. Even community members were excited to have us. This school is very community focused and that's the experience I wanted to have. Also, I had a feeling that this place was my best fit personality-wise.

The other major reason is that this is a new school. Your ability to influence the trajectory of a school greatly diminishes for an established one vs. a new one. Our student body has made so much progress working with the faculty to create this school together. Here you'll be able to make a noticeable impact on the school or community.
 
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I TA'd for a statistics class. Do you think it would be okay to discuss this under the employment essay? It's not directly science-related, but it WAS TAing for a STEM class.
 
I TA'd for a statistics class. Do you think it would be okay to discuss this under the employment essay? It's not directly science-related, but it WAS TAing for a STEM class.
I also TA'd for Intro Chem and was wondering if this is still applicable to talk about?
 
I avoided talking about science-related employment, just in case.
Edit: including my 2 years of TAing for STEM classes.
 
For the last two questions, where they ask us "Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine", I'm struggling with the first question: "A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you". I can think of plenty of impactful experiences I have had where I interacted with those that were different from me, but they were all related in some way to science or medicine. For example, tutoring physics to college students who didn't have the same high school science or math background with me. Science related. Another example would be talking to patients at the hospital who had a very different upbringing than me. Medicine related. Would it be fine if I talked about these experiences anyway, or should I try my best to come up with a different (but much weaker/significant) experience for this question?
 
For the last two questions, where they ask us "Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine", I'm struggling with the first question: "A situation in which you interacted with individuals who were different from you". I can think of plenty of impactful experiences I have had where I interacted with those that were different from me, but they were all related in some way to science or medicine. For example, tutoring physics to college students who didn't have the same high school science or math background with me. Science related. Another example would be talking to patients at the hospital who had a very different upbringing than me. Medicine related. Would it be fine if I talked about these experiences anyway, or should I try my best to come up with a different (but much weaker/significant) experience for this question?
You should follow the directions and use examples unrelated to medicine
 
Transmitted on 5/31, haven't received it. :(
 
Got it too. It mentions a screen and being selected, but I wonder if that's actually the case. Did anyone who's transmitted not get it?

I wondered that too, since I got mine only a day after my primary was transmitted.
 
OMG I didn't realize until now that I completely missed the part in the secondary that said "Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine". One of my experiences was about an internship I had in a lab :( I think I totally ruined my chances of getting in. I don't know what to do :( I'm so upset :(
 
OMG I didn't realize until now that I completely missed the part in the secondary that said "Describe experiences you have had UNRELATED to science or medicine". One of my experiences was about an internship I had in a lab :( I think I totally ruined my chances of getting in. I don't know what to do :( I'm so upset :(
Don't kick yourself too much, I am sure others have made the same mistake. Your grades and tests got you the invitation to submit a secondary application. If invited for an interview later you can TALK about experiences outside of science, but don't APOLOGIZE for the error at the interview.
 
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Don't kick yourself too much, I am sure others have made the same mistake. Your grades and tests got you the invitation to submit a secondary application. If invited for an interview later you can TALK about experiences outside of science, but don't APOLOGIZE for the error at the interview.

Ohhh interesting, thank you! I'll be sure to not apologize for it haha (that is if I get an interview *sigh*). I panicked last night and sent an email to the admissions office asking if I could edit my application. Hopefully they'll let me do that
 
Ohhh interesting, thank you! I'll be sure to not apologize for it haha (that is if I get an interview *sigh*). I panicked last night and sent an email to the admissions office asking if I could edit my application. Hopefully they'll let me do that
Generally you can't re-do essays after submitted, though you can often add letters of recommendation or more test scores. You will be checking the instructions word by word for future secondary apps, right?;)
 
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Generally you can't re-do essays after submitted, though you can often add letters of recommendation or more test scores. You will be checking the instructions word by word for future secondary apps, right?;)

Oh yes, ofcourse. I definitely learned my lesson :( This is what I get for copying all the prompts into a word doc and working from there and not reading the instructions correctly smh :(
 
perhaps there was a mix-up, or the screen isn't very selective?
I was kinda joking, but the residents in Brownsville for example are >80% Hispanic. To get a peek at the make-up of the incoming med school class check the 2016-2017 UTRGV thread where I posted a photo.
 
Still quiet, any II's yet? they had already out a week and a half at this time last year.
 
Also received a secondary as a white male with a generally privileged background. Got the email last night, and it said "The preliminary screening process for the class entering in 2018 is in full swing and our interview season is scheduled to start in early September." Perhaps this is why no one on SDN has mentioned receiving an II yet? More than a month until the interviews even begin.
 
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Also received a secondary as a white male with a generally privileged background. Got the email last night, and it said "The preliminary screening process for the class entering in 2018 is in full swing and our interview season is scheduled to start in early September." Perhaps this is why no one on SDN has mentioned receiving an II yet? More than a month until the interviews even begin.

Good to know. In my email for the secondary it said it was late August so I guess its been pushed back.
 
Secondary invite received today, 6/1

1. List three adjectives that characterize the community you grew up in

2. Briefly describe the community you anticipate practicing medicine in post-residency (100 word max)

3. In the event you are accepted into two or more medical schools, what factors would be most important in determining which school would be the "best fit" for you (150 word max)

The UTRGV SOM educates future physicians with the following values in mind: patient advocacy, community-focus, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership style, lifelong problem solving.
4. Choose TWO of these values and explain their importance to you, as well as how they integrate with each other. Finish by indicating how this integration will impact your medical school education (300 word max) @gyngyn
What were u stats? URM?
 
Tell me more about this. Whats AA?
Secondaries go out automatically probably based on LizzyM. I mean it's possible but unlikely

Not holding my breath

Also Texas has several suits going on regarding the very mild AA preference at the UTs, they're going to secondary everyone - we rejected him because we didn't like his essay
 
Why are you singling out the 9th person in the conversation? The nature of conversation is such that it takes twists and turns, deal with it.

Not singling out anyone; just happened to quote the 9th person in the convo. I was simply asking generally because I didn't personally find the relationship to AA in this thread.

But yes - currently dealing with it, as we all are.
 
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Lol. I started this by asking what AA was... I totally forgot about the whole affirmative action thingies. Back on topic guys - neurotic obsessing over IIs and stats
 
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Lol. I started this by asking what AA was... I totally forgot about the whole affirmative action thingies. Back on topic guys - neurotic obsessing over IIs and stats
lol that's what we do best!
 
Anyone else transmit 7/7 or before and still have not received a secondary?
 
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