TX Med Schools (Part II), Hooray!

This started as a short post about TMDSAS and kind of turned into a long update on where I am in the 2007 application process… so read on only if you think you have the stamina for it.


Well, I have to say, even as an out-of-state applicant to TX schools, I think TMDSAS has their sh*t together really well. Their website is pretty awful, but they are SO responsive, and they did something that really helped me out, for which I am very grateful. They rock, in my book.


I applied to TMDSAS, AMCAS, and AACOMAS as early as possible… basically as SOON as my MCAT scores came out, like the night of June 19th. My transcripts had already been up for weeks, and showed being received by all three organizations. So every aspect of my application was completely finished and polished, and just waiting on the MCAT scores. So, I wait and wait and wait along with the other post-April MCAT herd in this giant cattle-call. Almost 3 weeks later, I get an email from AMCAS that one of my sets of transcripts was missing!! Yikes! WTF?!?


Knowing it would take over a week of listening to two really horrible new-age songs over and over again on hold on the phone with AMCAS (I’m guessing Ottmar Libert and Yanni… or “Yawny” as I prefer to spell it) to finally get to the bottom of it, I just emailed TMDSAS, who had always responded literally in less than an hour to every question from me, and sure enough they not only emailed, but called me directly in about 30 minutes. Since I knew this same mistake made by one of my schools would have been repeated to all 3 organizations, I resent everything that same day.


Anyway, long story I know, but TX was then willing to send on my transcripts to all their schools, trusting that the missing set would soon be arriving as I had informed them on the phone. Because of this, I am at least early in TX, even though I am just now done being verified with AMCAS and AACOMAS, and probably will (finally) go out to those schools early this next week.


The result of this so far? I just got a call from the osteopathic school in Ft. Worth, and am now in the very first batch of interviews, the very first day they do their interviews. I am so psyched!


Ft. Worth is actually my first choice of schools, out of all the schools I have applied to (and that’s not a short list).


I’m heading down there in a little over a week. I almost wish I had an interview or two at a school I don’t care about as much first… but I’m going to be well prepared anyway.


Maybe this 2 and a half years of hell I have put myself through is actually going to pay off, and I will even get into one of the schools near or at the top of my list. It really gave me a great sense of hope to get an interview call already. Wish me luck, if you’re the wishing type, or bad luck if you’re the competitive type.


The funny thing was, I was so depressed the night before they called. I was really bummed at how far behind I was in the whole process after I worked so hard to make sure I wouldn’t be, and spent the evening feeling sorry for myself to my wife.


So the next day, I get that call, plus 2 calls from small company CEO’s trying to hire me. Oh, I quit my job (senior software engineer) about 2 weeks ago because it was the only way I was going to get through the last few weeks of a summer class of Orgo 2. I ended up with a “B” in that, at least, instead of a “C” or “D” which is what it would have been if I’d kept putting up with their BS at work of trying to take away my weekends. It was high time to quit anyway though, and now I can make a lot better money contracting until (knock on wood) we head out for wherever I make it in.


Talk about a great day though. That day goes down as probably the best day I have ever had in my life (so far). I should have gone out and bought a lottery ticket to go ahead and take care of the financing of this whole endeavor while I was at it!

Congrats on the interview, SamMed! And - don’t beat yourself up over not being an “early” applicant - your application will still not be a “late” application, even though it is not as early as you had hoped.

Wow, that’s awesome, SamMed. An interview already! I was a couple of weeks behind you and I’m still waiting for AACOMAS to verify my grades and so forth. Good luck in Fort Worth!

Congrats, SamMed!! I’m a TX resident (born and raised), and TCOM is also my first choice. I’m still in the process of finishing my TMDSAS, and I will be retaking the MCAT next month. Due to the timing of the adoption my wife and I are in the process of (baby girl from China - will be traveling around this time next year!!), I will be a 2008 beginning student if accepted, but I am proceeding as though I intend to enroll in 07. Keep me posted on the progress. We may meet some day!!

Yes, I have to say after interviewing at TCOM, that I really love that school. It is at this point number one on my list (it always was, and the interview just solidified the position). I definitely like what they are doing, politically, to get rid of the gap between DO and MD. It’s about time, imo.


I also got an interview with San Antonio (in a few weeks)…which totally floored me. Didn’t expect to even get one TX interview, let alone two! That motivated me so much I went ahead and finished a secondary to Baylor… yeah, like I have a chance in hell of making it in there with my GPA, MCAT and age. I’d probably make it into Harvard more easily, lol.


Flying out to Pomona, CA tomorrow, and Des Moines in 3 weeks.


The kicker is, though, that I have now been accepted into WVSOM (WV), as I guess they do the early acceptance thing for people over a certain set of score/GPA cutoffs, without needing an interview. I was a little baffled and suspicious, but WVSOM actually looks lik a good school after checking it out more online at least. They have a strong rural medicine component, which is the direction I will be going (regardless of what I specialize in).


I really think I’d prefer to be a D.O., but the San Antonio vs. Ft. Worth thing would be tough, if I am fortunate enough to get to make a choice like that. My wife is from SA, and it would make it even easier on the family to move there than Ft. Worth. However, I just keep coming back to the fact that I would rather be a D.O., and Ft. Worth also has a GREAT rural track program.


Maybe I’ll see you there in a year, Cop2Doc. Good luck on your applications this year and/or next.


I still have a whole stack of secondaries to get through, but I keep hoping maybe Ft. Worth will change their policy and tell me one way or the other right now, so that I can save all that effort and money flying around the country if I AM accepted.