UNTHSC MS Med Sci Program 2013-2014

[PhysToMed]

Thread for those of us applying to the M.S. MedSci Program at UNTHSC for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year!

Let's all start planning for this. We can start helping each other apply and maybe in the future we'll see each other in the program haha

Good luck to everyone!

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[JuxGiant]

Subbing! My application was 100% finished on 11/11. Submitted the app 10/21, and relevant documents arrived and registered 11/11. Emailed a person in charge, Jessica, about just how many apps were 100% done. Answer? About 10. And she also said that it takes 30 apps to go to review, so I would be among the first.

tl;dr? Do this app early, folks! Don't wait until February / really near the deadline!

I would suggest people double, then triple (THEN quadruple, if you're paranoid like me) check their short answer responses for misspellings and the like.

 

[collegenow]

Not sure if anyone else has this problem, but the program begins May 27th, 2014 and I'm on the quarter system so I wouldn't end til June 7th. Do they accommodate this somehow? (assuming I get in)

 

[katna]

My application is submitted and complete as well as supporting materials! I guess it's just the waiting game now.

 

[PhysToMed]

About how long was y'alls short answer responses? I don't know how much to write.

 

[katna]

Some of mine were lengthier than others, but none more than a few paragraphs. In the application tips, they said that they aren't looking for long essay answers, and that 2-3 paragraphs should be sufficient.

 

[JuxGiant]

Not sure if anyone else has this problem, but the program begins May 27th, 2014 and I'm on the quarter system so I wouldn't end til June 7th. Do they accommodate this somehow? (assuming I get in)

You should e-mail their program and ask.

 

[JuxGiant]

My application is submitted and complete as well as supporting materials! I guess it's just the waiting game now.

Games are supposed to be fun, lol! I'm right there with you. I'm sure we'll be among the first to be reviewed, since we finished so early.

 

[texasgirl2014]

Question for those who have started/finished the application: Do you guys know if we have to write our responses to the essay questions in paragraph format? Can we bullet the answers to our clinical experience/research question and the volunteer experiences question?

 

[PhysToMed]

Did anyone post anything for the prompt:
"If you have research experience, please tell us why you enjoy research."
I have research experience but definitely did not enjoy it...
And I know that we are applying for the medical science program....
So should we write that we enjoy or do not enjoy research?

 

[PhysToMed]

Question for those who have started/finished the application: Do you guys know if we have to write our responses to the essay questions in paragraph format? Can we bullet the answers to our clinical experience/research question and the volunteer experiences question?

I wrote two of my major experiences as a paragraph. And then another paragraph stating my other experiences. Like a list in paragraph format.

 

[katna]

Did anyone post anything for the prompt:
"If you have research experience, please tell us why you enjoy research."
I have research experience but definitely did not enjoy it...
And I know that we are applying for the medical science program....
So should we write that we enjoy or do not enjoy research?

I was kind of in the same boat. I just focused in on specific aspects that I enjoyed about carrying out my research. But if there's nothing at all you enjoyed about it, just find a way to put a positive spin on it.. Maybe talk about the things that it taught you, valuable techniques learned, stuff like that. I would think that would be better than just flat out putting that you don't enjoy research!

 

[katna]

Games are supposed to be fun, lol! I'm right there with you. I'm sure we'll be among the first to be reviewed, since we finished so early.

I really hope so! Just sitting at home over the break waiting is gonna suck haha.

 

[ObaaHemaa]

How easy is it for non Texas residents to matriculate into a Texas medical school after completion of this program? Do you become a resident at the end of the year?

 

[texasgirl2014]

I wrote two of my major experiences as a paragraph. And then another paragraph stating my other experiences. Like a list in paragraph format.

Thank you! Regarding the research question, I think if you outline why you think research is important in general that might help. Although you might have not enjoyed the particular kind of research you were a part of, you might be able to get away with speaking about it for few lines briefly outlining what you did and then adding to why you think research is important in the context of medicine and other fields as well.

 

[texasgirl2014]

How easy is it for non Texas residents to matriculate into a Texas medical school after completion of this program? Do you become a resident at the end of the year?

I think you do become a resident at the end of one year and until you have resident status it should not be a problem to matriculate into a Texas medical school.

 

[ObaaHemaa]

I think you do become a resident at the end of one year and until you have resident status it should not be a problem to matriculate into a Texas medical school.

Thanks a lot!

 

[JuxGiant]

Did anyone post anything for the prompt:
"If you have research experience, please tell us why you enjoy research."
I have research experience but definitely did not enjoy it...
And I know that we are applying for the medical science program....
So should we write that we enjoy or do not enjoy research?

I'm pretty late in replying to this, but I don't think you (or anyone, really) should post anything negative - even something as harmless as "I didn't enjoy research."

Like another poster said, try to put a positive spin on everything - it'll make you look like a better candidate. Being even slightly negative might plant a seed - "this student didn't like research. What if the student doesn't like a particular part of the program if he/she is accepted? Will it be a waste of a spot?" etc etc. That little seed might snowball into a bad impression.

 

[Starry]

Does anyone know how we submit our MCAT scores? I can't find UNTHSC on my MCAT THx score release thing.

 

[brew]

Does anyone know how we submit our MCAT scores? I can't find UNTHSC on my MCAT THx score release thing.

You can probably just screen shot the scores and e-mail it to them? I thought I did that last year.

 

[texasgirl2014]

Does anyone know how we submit our MCAT scores? I can't find UNTHSC on my MCAT THx score release thing.

I think they want a verification code for the mcat score report. I think the best way you can send it in is to go to mcatthx, click the option that says "create and print my own official score report", then send it to to [email protected]. I hope that helps!

 

[srsbiz]

Anyone here going to be attending their open house in February?

 

[texasgirl2014]

what is the earliest we can expect to hear back? I know they said they have rolling admissions but I think the earliest acceptance was in march....?!

 

[Starry]

what is the earliest we can expect to hear back? I know they said they have rolling admissions but I think the earliest acceptance was in march....?!

My guess is late January? Just a guess though.

 

[texasgirl2014]

My guess is late January? Just a guess though.

ahh! I hope so! Thank you! I was scrolling through like past threads and i saw people who applied in like nov/December and didn't hear back till march. I hope it isn't that way this year!

 

[PhysToMed]

Is anyone able to check their application status on the portal?

 

[Starry]

Is anyone able to check their application status on the portal?

I am. It says complete.

 

[GIpremed]

Me too!

 

[Gsurg2bia]

Complete! Now the waiting begins.....

 

[UTsksk]

If it helps, I was accepted last March and was considered one of the earlier ones accepted since I was complete by late December

 

[JuxGiant]

If it helps, I was accepted last March and was considered one of the earlier ones accepted since I was complete by late December

How are you doing in this year's school cycle? Have you gotten any interview invites / acceptances?

 

[JuxGiant]

what is the earliest we can expect to hear back? I know they said they have rolling admissions but I think the earliest acceptance was in march....?!

Ms. Brewer said that they would start reviewing applications whenever they hit 30 complete applications, which usually happens in late January. She said she'll send out an e-mail when they start reviewing.

Take it for what it's worth, but I finished mid-November and this is what she replied in a return e-mail, then.

 

[PhysToMed]

That means the first review should be happening soon hopefully!

 

[JuxGiant]

Yeah, I really hope so. I just got rejected from UT Dallas's certificate program. Out of the three programs in TX I applied to, it was my third choice, but it's still a bummer lol.

 

[texasgirl2014]

Ms. Brewer said that they would start reviewing applications whenever they hit 30 complete applications, which usually happens in late January. She said she'll send out an e-mail when they start reviewing.

Take it for what it's worth, but I finished mid-November and this is what she replied in a return e-mail, then.

Thank you so much! yikes, then they should be starting to review...

 

[GIpremed]

Ms. Brewer said that they would start reviewing applications whenever they hit 30 complete applications, which usually happens in late January. She said she'll send out an e-mail when they start reviewing.

Take it for what it's worth, but I finished mid-November and this is what she replied in a return e-mail, then.

Just waiting on that email...

 

[JuxGiant]

Just waiting on that email...

No kidding, right? No e-mail should mean they haven't received enough applications to start reviewing. At least, I'm hoping that's why (and not that they're so busy with a gazillion apps that they forgot to send the e-mail. )

And we're almost halfway into February, with the app deadline being 3/15? That's a good thing, for all us applicants. The "not getting enough apps" thing, not the "gazillion apps" thing, lol.

Judging from what I've read from prior UNT Med Sci threads, there are a ton of spots for this program. Hopefully that's still the case for this year.

 

[aprilmayjunejuly]

It's quite the opposite. I called last week. Turns out the committee's not meeting until a couple of more weeks, so I'm guessing early March? I asked about the matriculants, and it turns out this year, there's a bunch of applicants. They usually accept about 50%, but this year, it's looking to be more about 35% or even less.

 

[JuxGiant]

It's quite the opposite. I called last week. Turns out the committee's not meeting until a couple of more weeks, so I'm guessing early March? I asked about the matriculants, and it turns out this year, there's a bunch of applicants. They usually accept about 50%, but this year, it's looking to be more about 35% or even less.

Oh, poo. Did they say why they aren't meeting for a while? And did they also say why they are accepting so few people?

 

[aprilmayjunejuly]

No they didn't say why the committee was meeting later. But as for the applicants, it's because they're getting a greater amount of applicants than they usually get. My guess is that there was a lot of people (more than usual) who applied to medical schools this year and now the rejected applicants are applying to programs like this to make use of their gap year. It's not that they're accepting fewer people. It's just more competition we all have to face to get into UNT's MS program.


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[GIpremed]

Oh, poo. Did they say why they aren't meeting for a while? And did they also say why they are accepting so few people?

What were the recent numbers of enrollees? 150? So if they accepted half of the pool and got 150, then they had 300 applicants right?

So if they're only taking 35% of applicants, then it means more people have applied but the number of seats could have remained the same.

Anyway, hopefully they'll meet on the sooner side of 'a couple of weeks'

 

[Texas09]

^^I think this class has around 200?

 

[PhysToMed]

Did anyone go to the open house?

 

[srsbiz]

Did anyone go to the open house?

I did, need anything?

 

[PhysToMed]

I did, need anything?

how was it? was it helpful? and did they say anything about the application process then?

 

[srsbiz]

how was it? was it helpful? and did they say anything about the application process then?

Most of the information they covered can be found if you did your research. It was helpful because you got to speak to the faculty, current students, and alumni that are currently in their first year at TCOM. As far as application process... they did mention it was more competitive this year and they are pushing back reviews because there was a huge influx of applications and they are still sorting it out. Hope I helped.

 

[JuxGiant]

Through e-mail correspondence, there's been about 100 completed applications so far, and reviews haven't started because the members of the adcom have teaching schedules that haven't freed them up thus far. But reviews are set to begin soon.

I've heard that class sizes in the past were 180-200, give or take 30 or so. So I'm not sure if they're expecting more than 180-200 applications as March 15th nears.

@srsbiz: Did you get to see any of the facilities? If so, where did they take you, and did you like (most of) them? Do you know if classes are taken with 1st year med students, or just the students that get into the Med Sci program?

 

[srsbiz]

@srsbiz: Did you get to see any of the facilities? If so, where did they take you, and did you like (most of) them? Do you know if classes are taken with 1st year med students, or just the students that get into the Med Sci program?

I got to see the rec center, library, anatomy lab and I suppose one of the buildings and their lecture hall. Overall the campus appeared to be fairly small and tight knitted. The rec center was a small one, but it has everything you would need. Library looks nice with plenty of quiet areas to study. Anatomy lab was just like any other lab. Lecture hall was big enough to fit 200 or so students.

I don't recall them mentioning anything about taking classes with 1st year students, I just know that some of them will be taught by the same professors and what not.

 

[Twizzlers09]

Does anyone know what the class schedule is like for each semester? I've seen the course list for each on their website but wondering how many days a week you're in class and for what time.

 

[srsbiz]

Does anyone know what the class schedule is like for each semester? I've seen the course list for each on their website but wondering how many days a week you're in class and for what time.

Don't quote me on this, but I believe it'll be Mon-Fri and you'll be in class by 8AM till about 3PM or 5PM. I cannot recall what the current MedSci student told us at this moment.

What I do remember is that sometimes classes will vary...
Example: Just because Class A was on Monday and Tuesday this week, it does not mean it will be on Monday and Tuesday next week.