<p>Super news, pinkstuffz! Sometimes it really pays to go big.</p>
<p>UG–great news for you son. I’m sure he’ll kill the interview and have more good news very soon.</p>
<p>Pinkstuffz,</p>
<p>Congratulations!</p>
<p>UrbanGardener,</p>
<p>Congrats to your son. I am guessing it is UCLA. Several years ago, my brother’s son, a high stats kid from UC Berkeley, applied to UCLA and got total silence. After a lot of goading from my brother, one fine day he gave them a call. Unbelievably, they misplaced his (paper) secondary. They immediately called him for an interview. His interviewers couldn’t understand why he was interviewing so late in the cycle with that kind of stats. Within a few weeks he was admitted.</p>
<p>JC - why in two months? I thought Texas gives you time to decide?</p>
<p>I am also under the impression narrowing it down to one in Texas does not limit you on AAMC interviews/choices.</p>
<p>Way to Go Pinkstuffz. Congrats!</p>
<p>Match preferences must be turned in 1/21. Match day is 2/3.</p>
<p>What actually does one do after they rank the schools? When do they start losing admissions other than number 1?</p>
<p>Isn’t TMDSAS match process outside of AAMC, i.e, one can maintain separate statuses?</p>
<p>So nice to see your dreams come true, Pinkstuffz. Much continued success!</p>
<p>jc40–your daughter has an interesting multiple choice problem with no wrong answers. Will her head (pros and cons sheet) or her heart prevail?</p>
<p>
Great question, UG. She was the kid whose high school classmates questioned her final decision for her undergraduate school. Although she attends a very reputable school, it wasn’t the highest ranked but rather the one she felt was the best fit. I believe it was the best choice. She’s been so very happy and has enjoyed one-of-a-kind opportunities I’m not sure she would have had at another school. Who knows which med school she’ll choose? Each has its advantages and disadvantages. I suppose my question, posed to anyone who wants to chime in, does it really matter? Did any of you veterans’ kids choose med schools based on fit or cost as opposed to prestige? Any regrets?</p>
<p>The condensed version of my application cycle a few years ago is:
- Had stats consistent with my state school, which I genuinely loved
- Planned to apply to some big schools just for fun
- Got talked into applying to a bunch of other random schools that I ended up withdrawing from before I heard back (since I’d be accepted to the school I wanted to attend)
- Had 3 top-20 interviews, an interview at my state school, and was accepted to my state school. I withdrew from 2 wait lists. </p>
<p>So I would sort of say that I ended up going with my gut and fit which happened to also be the cheapest option and also happened to be the one that accepted me earliest.</p>
<p>Obviously I can only go to one school. So I can’t compare it to other schools really, even though I have lots of friends who go to schools I might’ve gone to, and they’re having a great time.</p>
<p>What I can say is that med school has been more than I ever imagined in a lot of ways. From the not-so-fun drinking-from-the-firehose volume of information, to the really fun finding best friends and a great relationship, to the professionally exciting figuring out what I want to do “when I grow up,” to the unexpected serendipity that my advisor happens to be a national leader in the research field I didn’t know I was interested in, to everything in between. Even though I knew a good amount about my school (certainly more than I knew about any of the runners up), looking back, I really had no idea. It’s like I didn’t even know how much I didn’t actually know about what I was getting myself into in terms of the culture and community of the school and hospital etc etc. I don’t think those things are very learn-able from websites and interviews and second looks. I think you just have to go with your gut and figure that since it’s worked out for you before, it’ll keep working out, and you’ll be just fine no matter where you go. </p>
<p>Because I think once you get to this level, you’re a great student and a promising young adult and able to adapt to a variety of challenges, so you’re going to succeed no matter where you go.</p>
<p>One little advice for those who happen to have choices at the end. I am surprized that it has never been brought up. D. has friends at different Med. Schools. She has compared her Med. School program with others and see a great advantage of system based blocks vs traditional as: first year - “normal”, second year - “abnormal”.<br>
So, if you have a choice at the end, it might be worth considering the difference in approach and your personal preference for one or another.
“System” blocks advantages (evaluated by my D.):
-earlier finish of second year. D. was done by March of second year. She took Step 1 in May. Traditional programs finish second year in May (usually?)
-evenly spread difficulty level. D’s friend has hard time adjusting to a higher level of difficulty in her second year. There is no difference in difficulty level in “system” based blocks approach.</p>
<p>Has any study been done on the Step 1 scores of schools with the traditional system versus the system based or problem based approach?</p>
<p>Texas. </p>
<p>As of 2/3 you are “matched” to your highest ranked Texas acceptance (either match or pre-match). IIRC, you can stay on the wait list at all your higher ranked Texas schools. All others fall off. And yes, the process has nothing to do with non-TMDSAS schools. There is still a lot of Texas movement after the match day. </p>
<p>My D had a pre-match from SW. Ranked them 1. Decided to go to Yale. That opens SW spot for somebody who let’s say had an acceptance to any other Texas school. They take SW spot. That opens a spot at “any other Texas school”. </p>
<p>Like I said. Still lots of movement.</p>
<p>TatinG</p>
<p>Nothing published to my knowledge. My school does claim to have seen data to support lower Step 1 scores for a condensed curriculum vs 2 years.</p>
<p>Miami’s points are all valid regarding systems, although I personally actually prefer the traditional model because it has some built in repetition. In a pure systems based model, you have material from one organ system that you see in the 1st year and then never gets touched again until Step 1.</p>
<p>My guess is a study would most likely yield no difference because I think this element (unlike 2 years vs. 1.5 years) is going to affect people with greater variability based on personal learning preferences.</p>
<p>With regard to PBL, my only comment on that subject is that you have to make sure everyone in the group buys into the system and prepares appropriately otherwise it’s 100% a waste of time. You would assume a school that focuses on its PBL system would attract students who would do that but I can say that at my school, where we had a mix of PBL and lecture style learning, that the PBL experience was greatly dependent on who was in my group (which varied with each class). If the group came fully prepared, they were incredible and I can see how they could surpass lecture based learning but if people weren’t prepared it was without a doubt vastly inferior to a lecture.</p>
<p>Why would people come unprepared? Well if you have a curriculum with multiple courses going on at the same time and an exam in one course coming up, people often neglect the PBLs in the other courses for that week (or more). In the 2nd half of 2nd year, people start shifting into step 1 mode at various points and again, PBL prep takes a backseat.</p>
<p>I prefer traditional curriculum as well. Learning pathophys right now, you get to refresh on the anatomy and physio from first year. I will finish 2nd yr and take step around the same time as miami’s D, so systems or traditionally doesn’t really affect when you finish classes</p>
<p>Pinkstuffz, Congrats!</p>
<p>texaspg, Only TMDSAS schools have the match. AMCAS schools do not. So, I think BCM does not need to be included in an applicant’s match list (UTSW would love to know whether you rank BCM above or below their school though, LOL.)</p>
<p>TatinG, If the med school teaches to the STEP test, or gives the student more time to prepare for the test, it helps. But the greatest differentiator seems to be in each individual’s efforts. If more students in a school gun for competitive specialties, more students in that school tend to pour more time and efforts into test preparation, IMHO. Also, naturally, those schools which matriculate more high stats students have a higher STEP-1 score on average. I also think maybe STEP-1 scores correlate better with one’s GPA (and how competitive the student’s UG is) rather than MCAT, as the latter is not an achievement test. (As an analogy, it is more like ACT than SAT-1.)</p>
<p>“And yes, the process has nothing to do with non-TMDSAS schools.”</p>
<p>Thanks. This is what I have been saying. You get to keep one from Texas but that should not stop JC’s D from watching out for AAMC schools that she is following/waiting on. This is really a good deal for Texans since they can keep two separate choices while waiting on waitlists.</p>
<p>When does AMCAS require people to narrow down to one school?</p>
<p>TatinG,
I do not know any studies. However, when they are done by March 1, obviously there is much more time to prepare for Step 1. They do not need to go thru new material while preparing.
Also, I believe that any test like this would have a higher correclation with the amount of individual effort in preparation for the test. Another point is that Step 1 seems to be much more in line with general personal academic achievement than all previous tests (including MCAT) - thanks to NO VERBAL, (finally!!). All those slightly slower readers (like my D. who always had her scores somewhat lower than her GPA because of darn Reading/Verbal section), you will finally see your Step1 score more in line with your general academic success (if you prepare as hard as usual).</p>
<p>…in regard to iwbb comments of not remembering certain system…well, they have to remember for the rest of their career, they take tests for the rest of their lives and no matter what specialty, holistic approach to any desease is helpful, I mean that treatments usually affect entire body that any doc. better keep in mind when treating any condition.<br>
Again, as I have mentioned, it is a good idea to consider differences in programs as one may like one over another, as usual it is a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>texaspg, can not remember the details, but it appears the student can keep at most one AMCAS school after May 1 (?). But if that student got into another school, he could release the school originally kept and keeps the new school instead. So a lot of shuffling around May or June time.</p>
<p>For MD-only programs, May 15 is the date by which students must have only one AMCAS school (although a student may remain on waitlists); for MD/PhD programs, the date is Apri 30.</p>