UTMB vs. UTHSA in 2017

[TexasSurgeon]

For you guys, which school do you think is better?

I was accepted to UTMB recently and now I've been wondering what to do. When I interviewed, I didn't like UTMB much and felt a lot more comfortable with everything at UTHSA. That being said, I don't know what to think now that I have the option to choose. Would really appreciate your feedback! Both schools have come quite far in 2017, especially UTHSA.

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[jesie]

Sounds like you know what you want, but are nervous about making that call because of its irreversibility.

Unless that sweet, sweet Galveston beach life is something you just can't walk away from haha

 

[Lord Kek]

For you guys, which school do you think is better?

I was accepted to UTMB recently and now I've been wondering what to do. When I interviewed, I didn't like UTMB much and felt a lot more comfortable with everything at UTHSA. That being said, I don't know what to think now that I have the option to choose. Would really appreciate your feedback! Both schools have come quite far in 2017, especially UTHSA.

In terms of objective statistics:

UTHSCSA has a little less NIH funding than UTMB ($66.8 vs $67.2 million)
UTHSCSA is ranked higher in both primary care and research than UTMB (according to USNews)
UTHSCSA is directly connected to a major medical center, and although UTMB rotations go through TMC it's still an hour drive on a good day
UTMB has a higher STEP1 average than UTHSCSA, although this could be attributed to them having the highest matriculant GPA in the country (3.91 vs 3.73)
UTHSCSA has letter grading (ABCDF) whereas UTMB has P/F on a curve, meaning that your grade is dependent on how other students do
UTHSCSA has ~4 months of free time to study for STEP1
UTHSCSA and UTMB have fairly low costs of living
UTMB has more students entering primary care than UTHSCSA (40% vs ~35%)
UTMB has more students match in Texas than UTHSCSA (55% vs 50%)
Both UTMB and UTHSCSA have great match lists
UTMB has a lower average graduate indebtedness than UTHSCSA (~$130k vs ~$97k)

In terms of subjective traits:
San Antonio is a nicer city than Galveston
The beach at Galveston isn't exactly nice compared to other beaches in Texas
The food is better in San Antonio than Galveston (seafood is a draw between the two)
Galveston has the beach when you're not studying, San Antonio has the city and surrounding hill country AND has Sea World and Fiesta Texas

My opinion:

I'd stay at San Antonio. I got a wonderful vibe from interview day, and looking at their match list it's possible to match to basically anywhere from San Antonio. I'd also rather have ABCDF grading than being forced to compete with other students for percentile grades. Corpus is only a few hours away from San Antonio too, so if you're really wanting to go to the beach it isn't that far away.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

In terms of objective statistics:

UTHSCSA has a little less NIH funding than UTMB ($66.8 vs $67.2 million)
UTHSCSA is ranked higher in both primary care and research than UTMB (according to USNews)
UTHSCSA is directly connected to a major medical center, and although UTMB rotations go through TMC it's still an hour drive on a good day
UTMB has a higher STEP1 average than UTHSCSA, although this could be attributed to them having the highest matriculant GPA in the country (3.91 vs 3.73)
UTHSCSA has letter grading (ABCDF) whereas UTMB has P/F on a curve, meaning that your grade is dependent on how other students do
UTHSCSA has ~4 months of free time to study for STEP1
UTHSCSA and UTMB have fairly low costs of living
UTMB has more students entering primary care than UTHSCSA (40% vs ~35%)
UTMB has more students match in Texas than UTHSCSA (55% vs 50%)
Both UTMB and UTHSCSA have great match lists
UTMB has a lower average graduate indebtedness than UTHSCSA (~$130k vs ~$97k)

In terms of subjective traits:
San Antonio is a nicer city than Galveston
The beach at Galveston isn't exactly nice compared to other beaches in Texas
The food is better in San Antonio than Galveston (seafood is a draw between the two)
Galveston has the beach when you're not studying, San Antonio has the city and surrounding hill country AND has Sea World and Fiesta Texas

My opinion:

I'd stay at San Antonio. I got a wonderful vibe from interview day, and looking at their match list it's possible to match to basically anywhere from San Antonio. I'd also rather have ABCDF grading than being forced to compete with other students for percentile grades. Corpus is only a few hours away from San Antonio too, so if you're really wanting to go to the beach it isn't that far away.

Wow, yeah this is a treasure trove of information. I'll keep considering but I've been leaning towards UTHSA for a while and I think I might stick with it. I have to respond by 6/5 but just trying to think objectively.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I say UTHSA. My friends there absolutely love it (it may help one of them is killing it and is at the top of class)

 

[esob]

San Antonio as a city offers much more than Galveston. I love Galveston but living there would get old I think. After a week at the beach house I'm ready to go home.

 

[2010houston]

Can't go wrong with either of those great choices, so go with your gut! Congrats.

 

[zaztong]

It sounds like you want UTSA more than UTMB. In terms of tiers, they're much pretty equivalent in the middle. It's likely you won't have significant difference in your career going one over the other. Frankly, if you really think you're happier in SA, then you should go there.

However, for the record, some information is inaccurate:

"UTHSCSA is directly connected to a major medical center, and although UTMB rotations go through TMC it's still an hour drive on a good day"
If you choose to go to Houston for rotations, you won't be driving from Galveston, and it'll likely be <15 minutes away if you rent close. If you choose Galveston, you'll be in Galveston.

"UTMB has a higher STEP1 average than UTHSCSA, although this could be attributed to them having the highest matriculant GPA in the country (3.91 vs 3.73)"
It's mostly the change in curriculum towards boards focused classes that is attributed to the 241 average Step 1 Score for class of 2019. UTMB used to have similar GPA matriculants but significantly lower step scores.

"UTHSCSA has a little less NIH funding than UTMB ($66.8 vs $67.2 million)"
UTMB has significantly higher NIH awards in 2016: $73 million vs $53 million

"UTMB has a lower average graduate indebtedness than UTHSCSA (~$130k vs ~$97k)"
UTMB average graduate indebtedness is 80k.

"UTHSCSA is ranked higher in both primary care and research than UTMB (according to USNews)"
UTMB is unranked because it did not submit a survey to US News. It's not a fair comparison. According to StartClass (http://medical-schools.startclass.com/), UTMB is ranked 50, while UTSA is ranked 58, based solely on comparable data on medical schools from official third party sources, including admissions data, GPA/MCAT, and NIH funding.

 

[USERX]

I think you are happy right now more than ever that you chose San Antonio over Galveston...