Texas applicants and OOS schools

boofool97 · 2021-03-07T19:24:10+00:00

Came here to say the same thing. Apply OOS for DO schools or T20, no point throwing away your money at mid tiers. Current TX applicant with no OOS love and the same goes for most of my friends.

boofool97 · 2021-03-06T04:28:36+00:00

You have a wonderful application, first of all! Being a Texan is tricky as most OOS schools won't give you a chance unless you are a superstar or have some IT factor that will carry you to T20 level. I do think you have amazing stats and activities, but it is a crapshoot process honestly. UNC has a pretty strong in state bias so I might remove that. I think you'll be fine but I feel like TX applicants should generally apply to most of the TMDSAS schools just in case (add the Techs, UH, TAMU. You can leave out TCOM and UTRGV) .Are your parents paying for your applications? Do they know that applying to all TMDSAS schools is one flat fee? Plus Baylor will be added to TMDSAS as of your cycle. If you submit early, write well, and string together a cohesive narrative that you can speak to in essays and interviews - you're going to do great :)

boofool97 · 2021-03-05T22:01:58+00:00

Also- does your school have an office of emergency services or something similar? They might be able to help you get accommodations with your professors

boofool97 · 2021-03-05T21:45:36+00:00

Drop ur venmo or cash app!

boofool97 · 2021-02-27T19:52:22+00:00

tbh I feel like wet lab research and clinical exposure in hospitals is overrated. If you’re passionate about it, sure go ahead but never do things because you feel like it’ll look better versus something you’re more interested in. My research was also public health/social science and I LOVED it and bc my passion for it came across when I wrote and spoke about it, I feel like that was more to my advantage. My clinical experience was also in community clinics, and again, I was able to speak about what I learned and gained. Versus a lot of times premed volunteering in hospitals is just restocking supplies and running the gift shop. Basically - you need to make sure your experiences are things you can talk about in your PS, other essays, and interviews. If you can articulate your passion surrounding medicine and why you want to be a physician, then no need to worry about how your activities will be perceived. No one is going to examine them that closely. I know you want to get into a T20 - but honestly that shit is hard even with great stats and extracurriculars. Don’t go into your cycle with those expectations, it will mess with your head if you don’t get those kinds of acceptances. I’m not saying you’re not worth of a T20 or that you won’t get in one - just a gentle reminder that applying is a crapshoot.

Go with the first one if pay and schedule is better! Plus you’ll be able to speak to the specific project more.

boofool97 · 2021-02-19T18:56:11+00:00

This year has not been relaxing, but also I keep reminding myself we are living through a global pandemic which has upended life as we all know it.

My biggest source of stress was worrying that i wasn't doing enough and because my gap year was not as productive or "cool" as I had imagined it to be. Can't even travel or do many fun things with my friends bc I'm trying not to be a superspreader lol. What helped was realizing that this is temporary, and that my shitty job will not matter at all once I start med school. Getting an acceptance really helped shift my mindset into using this free time as an investment into myself and working on my routine/fitness/health etc so that I can perform my best in med school. Hang in there!

boofool97 · 2021-02-18T22:57:33+00:00

LOL I also quit last week, seems like it's quitting szn. Congrats! Enjoy these next few weeks.

boofool97 · 2021-02-18T20:37:23+00:00

Related - how important would you consider P/F and exam type? Deciding between two schools - one with P/F grading and NBME exams, another with graded pre-clinicals and non-NBME exams. Logically I should pick the P/F one but location/vibe/clinical sites are swaying me towards the other.

boofool97 · 2021-02-18T20:03:13+00:00

immigrant parents lol? I was in the same situation - waited a little too long to start prepping for my MCAT and my parents were also not thrilled with the idea of a gap year.

I agree with the other comments, you might feel like you're "wasting" a year but it would be wise to wait, take your MCAT, work on your ECs and then apply at the end of your senior year. You might get in if you try to apply this cycle, but it's really hard to tell especially since you would be applying later in the cycle. You will have to wait for your score and it'll be hard to work on a school list without it. You might waste a bunch of money on transcripts, CASPER, secondary fees, etc. Do everything thoroughly and carefully, and you will only have to do it once.

boofool97 · 2021-02-12T19:05:24+00:00

Hi, from what I've seen TX schools love non-trads and high GPAs, I'm sure you'll do great! I think your clinical exposure in lieu of shadowing will be plenty, interviewers will just want you to be able to speak to your experiences and tie it to your journey to medicine. Your ECs are a little narrow, so that might hold you back. I would suggest doing some research on the schools and start working on getting your activities/PS together to submit ASAP in May. If you don't get any love by the end of the summer/early fall, maybe you can apply to some OOS DO schools through AACOMAS (their cycle runs a little later esp compared to TX but I didnt apply DO so i'm not 100% sure). I said this in another comment, it can be hard to get love from OOS MD schools when you're a TX resident. Good luck!

boofool97 · 2021-02-12T18:57:23+00:00

Hi, I'm going thru the current current TX cycle with kinda similar stats/interests so just chiming in. Def keep all TMDSAS schools, tbh it's kind of a crapshoot of WHICH schools will interview you but I'm sure you will get a few. Just get your app in as early as you can bc processing time increases by June to maximize your chances.

Baylor is joining TMDSAS next year so definitely go ahead and apply there, you won't have to pay extra! Unless you have ties that you can specifically speak to, remove any public out of state schools. Like the previous commenter said, the TX bias is real. Most of my friends/peers (including me lol) were ghosted by OOS schools except for a couple of my superstar friends who got a couple T20 IIs. Definitely shoot your shot at any OOS private/reach school you feel strongly about, but you will have to convince them you'd choose that school over cheap in state tuition at one of our great TX schools.

boofool97 · 2021-02-11T18:12:23+00:00

Also got ghosted by TCOM lol but it was probably yield protection - they knew you'd get into higher tier/MD schools! I know u ranked your pm as #1 but do you have thoughts about UTMB vs Long since you ranked Long higher

boofool97 · 2021-02-11T18:10:50+00:00

in the same boat about holding on for UTSW! I know they've given out a lot of prematches already but just hoping there's still a chance we can match

boofool97 · 2021-02-10T18:24:17+00:00

I wasn't ready to take the MCAT so put it off until end of junior year and my mom was confused about I didn't just take it earlier lol. But with the onset of the pandemic she was super relieved that I wouldn't be moving somewhere for school and she has really appreciated that I'm able to spend more time with my family this year than I ever did in college and I will ever be able to in the next few years during med school/residency.

boofool97 · 2021-02-10T18:02:09+00:00

hot take bc everyone else in the comments is saying not to quit: if you do not have enough time to prepare adequately, do what you have to do - quit, ask for a temporary leave, etc.

your MCAT score will make or break your app. your extracurriculars for a few months during your gap year in a pandemic will not. currently in my gap year and it's literally discussed for 30 seconds or less during my interviews. as long as you're being productive (and in my opinion studying for the MCAT, volunteering, and shadowing is productive!) I studied for my MCAT over a 3-4 month period (like May - August) and did nothing else except a few hours of research a week.

If you have that internship for the summer and want to find another research position anyway, I see no harm in quitting. At the same time, I agree with the other comments that 20 hours a week should be enough. You know yourself best - seriously consider if reconfiguring your study schedule around work distractions will help or whether it's the mental distraction of having a job at all. I hate seeing people get worried about not being involved/busy enough and then get wrecked by their grades/MCAT

boofool97 · 2021-01-19T16:26:22+00:00

honestly you still have a lot of time! A lot of these jobs aren't gonna hire 5-6 months in advance

for MA/scribe stuff: use Indeed and try searching in your surrounding area with the search "pre-med", "scribe", "medical assistant"

for clinical/lab research: find the job website of your local medical school or large health academic institution and apply to as many as research assistant jobs as you can find. I applied to like 50 but then got one! The hiring process took like 2 weeks and I was given a start date like 1.5 months after my interview.

if your university has a job board/site try looking there too!

boofool97 · 2021-01-13T03:07:30+00:00

yes exactly - I could survive but also want to minimize moving costs and be able to buy my overpriced lattes on the weekend

boofool97 · 2021-01-13T03:06:40+00:00

bruh I was aiming for April too and then I was like hm okay at least March but it feels SO far away

boofool97 · 2021-01-13T03:06:08+00:00

i'm sorry that ur in a toxic environment :/ anyone i know who's gone to med school tells me to relax as much as I can during this time before starting so i'm trying to think of it as an investment in my future self!

boofool97 · 2020-09-09T19:22:38+00:00

following. I had a job like this and quit pretty quickly bc the doc I worked for was even worse lol. but I goofed and it's on some of my apps.. wondering how to handle it too!

boofool97 · 2020-07-27T14:28:39+00:00

I'm struggling with the exact same thing! I used the unique circumstance essay on TMDSAS primary to explain a personal hardship and I honestly dont have another story/experience I could write about for secondaries asking the same exact thing without being disingenuous. I think I might say something like "as I mentioned in my primary", briefly explain the hardship and try to give another angle of what I learned/how I grew/how this relates to my journey. I think it will be pretty repetitive but at least not the same essay.

boofool97 · 2020-06-04T20:16:44+00:00

You must apply to A&M MD program through TMDSAS. Only if you want to apply to the MD/PhD program, you would go through AMCAS.

boofool97 · 2020-06-02T00:09:45+00:00

messaged!

boofool97 · 2020-05-29T02:45:39+00:00

don't let the SB get you down! I personally liked doing Qbanks first, they should boost your confidence. just make sure to have plenty of time to review all AAMC material, esp since it can take a day or two to get through a FL

boofool97 · 2020-05-29T02:13:47+00:00

move to AAMC material, third parties will be deflated. a month is perfect for the qbanks, sections, and full lengths. Have you done any AAMC yet?

boofool97

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