UNTHSC/TCOM M.S. in Medical Sciences (Texas)-SMP 2017-2018

[TheeFuture]

Hey! Has anyone heard of the open house date? Also, I had a meeting with a TCOM assistant director of admissions earlier this year and he said the absolute MCAT score cut-off for this program is a 496. Good luck with the application process everyone! Praying for us all!

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[kingelyk]

Hey! Has anyone heard of the open house date? Also, I had a meeting with a TCOM assistant director of admissions earlier this year and he said the absolute MCAT score cut-off for this program is a 496. Good luck with the application process everyone! Praying for us all!

The open house is December 17th. There will be a registration link on the webpage hopefully soon, this is what I got back in an email about the open house.

 

[Avocado1989]

Hey! Has anyone heard of the open house date? Also, I had a meeting with a TCOM assistant director of admissions earlier this year and he said the absolute MCAT score cut-off for this program is a 496. Good luck with the application process everyone! Praying for us all!

Can you clarify this please? So the minimum Mcat requirement for this program is a 496? Thank you


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[The Cure Is Love]

Hey all,

I am so excited to meet you guys! Applying this cycle too for this program.

Are you all planning on submitting a personal statement with your application, or not really? I called, and they said it's not mandatory anymore, and I feel like I've answered the supplementals in a lot of detail. I don't know how strong my PS is yet.

If you all have any questions, I'll try to help, but I am also applying too. Let's see how this application fares #Inthistogether.

 

[The Cure Is Love]

Also registration link for the open house just came up on the webpage:

https://www.unthsc.edu/graduate-school-of-biomedical-sciences/how-to-apply/

 

[TXhopeful]

Hey all,

I am so excited to meet you guys! Applying this cycle too for this program.

Are you all planning on submitting a personal statement with your application, or not really? I called, and they said it's not mandatory anymore, and I feel like I've answered the supplementals in a lot of detail. I don't know how strong my PS is yet.

If you all have any questions, I'll try to help, but I am also applying too. Let's see how this application fares #Inthistogether.

I'm not submitting my personal statement, but I'll be incorporating it into the essays as much as possible. I need to find the time to write those suckers this week and I can submit! Hope to see you all at the open house next weekend (incognito, of course hehe)! Do the admissions care about applicant attendance to the open house?

 

[The Cure Is Love]

I'm not submitting my personal statement, but I'll be incorporating it into the essays as much as possible. I need to find the time to write those suckers this week and I can submit! Hope to see you all at the open house next weekend (incognito, of course hehe)! Do the admissions care about applicant attendance to the open house?

Okay cool! I don't think the admissions would care, as per se, but it may be advantageous to learn about the program, and talk to the professors who work there. They may also get a chance to meet you.

Yes, I would try to submit it as early as possible (on the open house registration, it asks have you applied yet). But yes, be thorough...it does take time to complete those suckers lol. I haven't applied yet, but will do so today or tomorrow. It is early in the ballgame though, so no rush.

 

[Dr. JCR]

I won't be able to attend the open house because of work. I expect a 2 page report from each of you who will be attending


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[TheeFuture]

Can you clarify this please? So the minimum Mcat requirement for this program is a 496? Thank you


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Yep, that's what was stated to me. Of course he said you don't want to be at the minimum and there are no guarantees with that score, but supposedly that's their absolute cut-off.

 

[TheeFuture]

The open house is December 17th. There will be a registration link on the webpage hopefully soon, this is what I got back in an email about the open house.

Thank you!

 

[Avocado1989]

Yep, that's what he told me. Of course he said you don't want to be at the minimum, but supposedly that's their absolute cut-off.

I talked to someone who is applying to this program, and she said that the minimum was a 492. She talked to one of the advisors there last year. Hmm.. Maybe they raised the cutoff for this cycle.


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[TheeFuture]

I talked to someone who is applying to this program, and she said that the minimum was a 492. She talked to one of the advisors there last year. Hmm.. Maybe they raised the cutoff for this cycle.


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I doubt it. That was in April. Maybe he misquoted the score, I wrote it in my notes wrong, or that was what he wanted to see as a minimum from me? Either way, considering he's in the medical school and the person you're speaking about talked to an advisor in the actual program, I'd go with the 492.

 

[Avocado1989]

Does anyone know how long the open house will last on Saturday?


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[TXhopeful]

Does anyone know how long the open house will last on Saturday?


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The agenda is supposed to be posted soon, but I think I'll call tomorrow and see.

P.S. 500 words is about the max. limit for me on these essays. Conciseness really falls apart after that

 

[TXhopeful]

Per admissions office: the open house will last until about 11:30 AM unless you'll be taking the tour of the facilities. There will be breakfast in the morning, welcome by the dean, and several other presentations going over the curriculum, school statistics and goals.

 

[Avocado1989]

Thank you!!!!


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[dallasnights]

The agenda is supposed to be posted soon, but I think I'll call tomorrow and see.

P.S. 500 words is about the max. limit for me on these essays. Conciseness really falls apart after that

Same lol

 

[Avocado1989]

Can someone post the essay questions onto this forum please?

 

[Dr. JCR]

Anyone here attended the open house last weekend? If so, how was it? I couldn't go because of work

 

[TheeFuture]

Can someone post the essay questions onto this forum please?

*
What are your career goals related to the healthcare field?
*
Please describe one or more significant experiences(s) that contributed to the development of these goals.
*
What is the single greatest personal asset that will serve you in realizing these goals?
*
What aspect of graduate study do you expect to present the greatest challenge?
*
Please include any information that you consider important to the committee in evaluating your application, e.g. obstacles, discrepancies in timeline, or other pertinent information not included in the application.

 

[TXhopeful]

Anyone here attended the open house last weekend? If so, how was it? I couldn't go because of work

Very informative and well organized. First: I was surprised at how intense the curriculum would be. Not only that, but additional preceptorships, volunteering hours, extracurriculars, med school apps, MCAT prep. Second: it was stated multiple multiple times by the dean, admissions, professors and the student panel that this program has NO ties to TCOM and there is NO guarantee that it will get you into medical school.
The admissions committee meets for the first time to go over applications in January and they send out decisions as early as February. I was told that last year they gave out the first acceptances February 11. She did specifically mention SDN talk floating around that they start late March and that it was false, haha.

 

[Dr. JCR]

Very informative and well organized. First: I was surprised at how intense the curriculum would be. Not only that, but additional preceptorships, volunteering hours, extracurriculars, med school apps, MCAT prep. Second: it was stated multiple multiple times by the dean, admissions, professors and the student panel that this program has NO ties to TCOM and there is NO guarantee that it will get you into medical school.
The admissions committee meets for the first time to go over applications in January and they send out decisions as early as February. I was told that last year they gave out the first acceptances February 11. She did specifically mention SDN talk floating around that they start late March and that it was false, haha.

Thanks for the info! Getting an early acceptance would be nice.

 

[rxpture]

Since I didn't get an interview at TCOM this year, I'm thinking about applying to this program. When does the application officially open and when do you usually hear something back? Thanks!

 

[dallasnights]

Since I didn't get an interview at TCOM this year, I'm thinking about applying to this program. When does the application officially open and when do you usually hear something back? Thanks!

Application opened November 15th and you apparently hear back February earliest.

 

[rxpture]

Can anyone advise who is best fit for this program? Is the tuition still 12k? And do I assume that once accepted in this program you are taking basically two gap years for the program? (the second being another application cycle) I have seen people say that doing this program helped them to not only get into TCOM, but also other texas MD schools. Is this just because success in the program helps them overlook a poor GPA? Thanks!

 

[Emdawg1994]

Can anyone advise who is best fit for this program? Is the tuition still 12k? And do I assume that once accepted in this program you are taking basically two gap years for the program? (the second being another application cycle) I have seen people say that doing this program helped them to not only get into TCOM, but also other texas MD schools. Is this just because success in the program helps them overlook a poor GPA? Thanks!

What are your stats? This program states it does not guarantee admission into med school, but it has definitely helped people.

It is only one gap year because people apply again during the program. At this time, they have already completed two or three courses in the program.

I've heard this program is best for individuals who's gaps do not stack up. It shows medical schools that you can handle the rigorous courses/schedule of med school.

Hope this helps!


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[rxpture]

What are your stats? This program states it does not guarantee admission into med school, but it has definitely helped people.

It is only one gap year because people apply again during the program. At this time, they have already completed two or three courses in the program.

I've heard this program is best for individuals who's gaps do not stack up. It shows medical schools that you can handle the rigorous courses/schedule of med school.

Hope this helps!


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505, 3.2 sGPA for tmdsas with the last 30 credits of post bacc being 4.0. So when do people apply during the program if it starts during summer? I'm just curious about the students who get into MD programs after this program.. do they already have a decent GPA and lower MCAT?

 

[Avocado1989]

505, 3.2 sGPA for tmdsas with the last 30 credits of post bacc being 4.0. So when do people apply during the program if it starts during summer? I'm just curious about the students who get into MD programs after this program.. do they already have a decent GPA and lower MCAT?

I went to the open house and they encouraged the students to apply to med schools in the summer when the app cycle opens. and yeah, there was a powerpoint slide at the end where it listed all the MD/DO schools the program graduates were accepted into, and all the MD schools in texas were listed on there.

 

[rxpture]

I went to the open house and they encouraged the students to apply to med schools in the summer when the app cycle opens. and yeah, there was a powerpoint slide at the end where it listed all the MD/DO schools the program graduates were accepted into, and all the MD schools in texas were listed on there.

So you're saying students apply/get accepted to the program and also apply to all their schools then? Or are you saying they apply the summer after the program? I am still curious about the MD acceptances.. If a student has a 3.3 GPA and does the program (assuming they do well), then this makes them competitive at the MD schools?

 

[RD2DO]

So you're saying students apply/get accepted to the program and also apply to all their schools then? Or are you saying they apply the summer after the program? I am still curious about the MD acceptances.. If a student has a 3.3 GPA and does the program (assuming they do well), then this makes them competitive at the MD schools?

I'm in the MedSci master's program now, and you have two options for applications: assuming you apply and get into the master's program, you would start the program May of 2017. You can either apply for medical schools the same year you are doing the program, or you can wait until after you complete the program. If you apply during and get in, you would start medical school in july 2018 after graduating from the master's program. If you decide to apply after completing the master's, you would be starting july 2019 assuming acceptance.

We have students doing both options; most of my fellow master's students are completing applications and interviewing at schools for the next entry cycle while doing the MedSci program, so that we start medical school in 2017.

If you do well in this master's program, you are indeed competitive at MD schools. This is a graduate level program, and the classes are faster and denser than undergrad. If you do well here, it makes up for a lot of "sins," if you will, from undergrad. Most schools have told me you need to get a 3.5 or higher cGPA in this program to show you can handle medical school curriculum, so you still need to do very well (mostly As, a few Bs here and there are acceptable). Some of the MedSci classes are set up in 6-8 week blocks, so that once you finish a course and the grade posts, you can send off the updated transcript to TMDSAS/AACOMAS/AMCAS to show the schools your new scores. I know a ton of people in the program who have gotten into MD schools already.

What you decide to do as far as medical school applications go is entirely based on your own personal situation: for me, my cGPA and MCAT score were very competitive, but my sGPA was lower than most schools liked to see, so I enrolled in the MedSci program to help bolster that and applied to medical schools simultaneously. I've also been out of school for about six years, so I figured this program would be good to get used to do full-time school again.

Have you applied to medical school already? If you have and did not get any response, I would suggest doing a file review at a few schools so that you can see what the deficits were. This might help guide your decision about applying to medical school, assuming you are enrolled in the MedSci program or something similar.

Hope that helped!

 

[rxpture]

I'm in the MedSci master's program now, and you have two options for applications: assuming you apply and get into the master's program, you would start the program May of 2017. You can either apply for medical schools the same year you are doing the program, or you can wait until after you complete the program. If you apply during and get in, you would start medical school in july 2018 after graduating from the master's program. If you decide to apply after completing the master's, you would be starting july 2019 assuming acceptance.

We have students doing both options; most of my fellow master's students are completing applications and interviewing at schools for the next entry cycle while doing the MedSci program, so that we start medical school in 2017.

If you do well in this master's program, you are indeed competitive at MD schools. This is a graduate level program, and the classes are faster and denser than undergrad. If you do well here, it makes up for a lot of "sins," if you will, from undergrad. Most schools have told me you need to get a 3.5 or higher cGPA in this program to show you can handle medical school curriculum, so you still need to do very well (mostly As, a few Bs here and there are acceptable). Some of the MedSci classes are set up in 6-8 week blocks, so that once you finish a course and the grade posts, you can send off the updated transcript to TMDSAS/AACOMAS/AMCAS to show the schools your new scores. I know a ton of people in the program who have gotten into MD schools already.

What you decide to do as far as medical school applications go is entirely based on your own personal situation: for me, my cGPA and MCAT score were very competitive, but my sGPA was lower than most schools liked to see, so I enrolled in the MedSci program to help bolster that and applied to medical schools simultaneously. I've also been out of school for about six years, so I figured this program would be good to get used to do full-time school again.

Have you applied to medical school already? If you have and did not get any response, I would suggest doing a file review at a few schools so that you can see what the deficits were. This might help guide your decision about applying to medical school, assuming you are enrolled in the MedSci program or something similar.

Hope that helped!

Thank you for the help!

Just some clarification needed. When you say students become competitive for MD schools, are you saying that is the case JUST by doing well in the program? For example, if someone had a 3.0 and a 505 MCAT, but then completes this program at a 3.5 and does better on the MCAT, the old GPA is overlooked? And what is the value of applying to other schools when starting the program? Aren't these just schools you had a chance at before the program? Or are you saying, for example, that students apply to schools that are more of a reach.. that become more attainable as good grades come out?

Thanks!

 

[RD2DO]

Thank you for the help!

Just some clarification needed. When you say students become competitive for MD schools, are you saying that is the case JUST by doing well in the program? For example, if someone had a 3.0 and a 505 MCAT, but then completes this program at a 3.5 and does better on the MCAT, the old GPA is overlooked? And what is the value of applying to other schools when starting the program? Aren't these just schools you had a chance at before the program? Or are you saying, for example, that students apply to schools that are more of a reach.. that become more attainable as good grades come out?

Thanks!

What I mean by students become competitive is that if they weren't competitive beforehand due to lower grades/MCAT score and there weren't any other deficits in the application, then doing well in this program does make them more competitive. You still have to be competitive in all the other areas too, like having 100+ shadowing/volunteering hours, having a great personal statement, and being a mature and compassionate student who is going to make a great doctor. Grades are certainly not the only factor, but if this is what was holding you back from getting accepted to medical school, then this program will correct that deficit if you do well.

Now, as far as the undergrad GPA being overlooked: I am certainly not on the admissions committees at any schools, so this is mostly my opinion based on what I've heard from other admissions officers/other students/our advisors. The adcoms do not completely ignore your undergrad GPA, but doing well in a master's-level program does make it easier to support the case that you can handle the curriculum in medical school. If something happened in your undergrad to give you that low GPA, like you didn't know how to study for a science course, or you had trouble adjusting your first year, or something like that, then a good graduate school GPA shows that you basically got your s**t together and figured out how to do well in upper level science courses.

For the value of applying to other schools during the program: you get into medical school sooner haha! I know the timing of the program and medical school applications seems weird, but I promise it works. I did not want to take a gap year in between the master's program and med school, so I applied to the cycle for entry year 2017. Remember that medical schools do not only review your application once - from the time you apply in late may/early june, your application is constantly reviewed, especially if you are in the middle of the pack as far as competitiveness. For the texas schools, the apps are reviewed and evaluated from the time of submission through the end of december/january - in this master's program, you have completed about 3 grad-level courses by the end of october, and if you have a good GPA in the program and competitiveness in your other application areas, this is often times enough for a school that was a little uncertain about your academic capabilities to extend an interview. The program finishes very early in December, and you are able to send your final grades as updates to TMDSAS so that the other schools can see it. It is also possible to apply to schools that may be out of your reach if you do well in the program; it's hard to say those things for certain because every school does their application process just a bit differently. However, I will say that in this program, there are application workshops specifically designed to help you improve your app, and I found them to be very helpful in getting answers to some of the questions you posed. Really, whether you decide to apply while doing the program or after is based on your own stats and personal timeline.

 

[ttustudent]

Check out Texas Tech el paso's program: http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/gsbs/admissions/certificate.aspx
Interview guaranteed to Paul Foster, it doesn't get better than this.
Good luck.

 

[avaladez3]

Check out Texas Tech el paso's program: http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/gsbs/admissions/certificate.aspx
Interview guaranteed to Paul Foster, it doesn't get better than this.
Good luck.

That's awesome. I wonder what the acceptance rate is.


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[brew]

Check out Texas Tech el paso's program: http://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/gsbs/admissions/certificate.aspx
Interview guaranteed to Paul Foster, it doesn't get better than this.
Good luck.

Would that mean you need a gap year for sure if you get into El Paso through the program?

 

[Avocado1989]

Are there other biomedical programs offered in Texas besides unthsc, TTU El Paso, and TTU Lubbock?


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[avaladez3]

Good luck to everyone applying!

 

[Dr. JCR]

Are there other biomedical programs offered in Texas besides unthsc, TTU El Paso, and TTU Lubbock?


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University of the Incarnate Word
http://www.uiw.edu/mbs/

 

[Lettucelvr]

Is there the same in-state bias as for the med school? I think it's something like 90% of spots go to TX residents

I called and spoke to one of the people at the admissions office. She told me she does not think there is any in-state bias for admissions.

 

[Lettucelvr]

Also, I'm really hoping I get into this program. Graduated with a BS 3.3 cGPA and 3.4 sGPA with 3.5 gpa last 60 credit hours. 500 MCAT with 507 on retake. Good extracurriculars and research. Do I have a good shot? I live in Illinois but I'm hoping to move to Texas.

 

[ttustudent]

Would that mean you need a gap year for sure if you get into El Paso through the program?

I would call the school and find out.

 

[Dr. JCR]

Would that mean you need a gap year for sure if you get into El Paso through the program?

I believe it is a two year program.


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[TXhopeful]

Are there other biomedical programs offered in Texas besides unthsc, TTU El Paso, and TTU Lubbock?


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Texas A&M. I'm planning on submitting applications to A&M and Texas Tech programs as back-ups.

 

[imax2011]

Texas A&M. I'm planning on submitting applications to A&M and Texas Tech programs as back-ups.

i didn't know a&m also does it...do you have a link to the program at A&M? i think Texas Tech's is non-thesis, but is that in A&M also a thesis or nonthesis program?

 

[TXhopeful]

My HPAC advisor recommended it, but it looks like applicants need 9 hours of vet medicine? Their biomedical sciences school is combined with vet medicine. Hmm, little confusing. Need to call their admissions office to double check.
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/graduate/biomedical-sciences/ms-non-thesis-option

My application shows "Received and Complete". Is this the same for everyone else who has already submitted, including the other supporting documents?
Another word of advice for those applying, make absolutely sure your transcripts are sent with the first line "ATTN: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences". I sent 2 transcripts from different schools using the same online system and chose their automated option to UNT Health Science Center instead of free text and they were lost. This delayed my app from 3 weeks past my submission date. Free text that whole address in to make sure they get there!

 

[d0214]

Has anyone heard back from them yet? I'm still waiting on my rec letters because it was kind of a spur of the moment decision to apply, but I'm just curious as to when people start hearing back.

 

[avaladez3]

Has anyone heard back from them yet? I'm still waiting on my rec letters because it was kind of a spur of the moment decision to apply, but I'm just curious as to when people start hearing back.

April 8th is MyHSC Day for those accepted so I'm assuming we would know something by then.


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[Lettucelvr]

My HPAC advisor recommended it, but it looks like applicants need 9 hours of vet medicine? Their biomedical sciences school is combined with vet medicine. Hmm, little confusing. Need to call their admissions office to double check.
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/graduate/biomedical-sciences/ms-non-thesis-option

My application shows "Received and Complete". Is this the same for everyone else who has already submitted, including the other supporting documents?
Another word of advice for those applying, make absolutely sure your transcripts are sent with the first line "ATTN: Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences". I sent 2 transcripts from different schools using the same online system and chose their automated option to UNT Health Science Center instead of free text and they were lost. This delayed my app from 3 weeks past my submission date. Free text that whole address in to make sure they get there!

Does it show submitted or complete on the application portal for you? My application portal shows submitted but my status on the MyUNT page says completed.

 

[TXhopeful]

Does it show submitted or complete on the application portal for you? My application portal shows submitted but my status on the MyUNT page says completed.

Same. I've only been looking at the myHSC site since I submitted. Nothing on the To Do list either. Having a hard time relaxing about everything, haha

 

[MrCleanYoTeeth]

Hey guys! So I'm also interested in the program and I'm working on getting rec letters right now. I'm actually emailing a couple of my past science professors, in hopes that they would write me one, but could anyone tell me what's important to be included in the letters? Thanks!