Friday, Feb. 16, was a big day for TCU health students who hope to attend public medical schools in Texas.
Texas State sent students match letters offering admission to medical or dental schools.
Thien-Lee Nguyen, a senior biology major, said she was honored that the McGovern School of Medicine at the University of Houston Health accepted her.
“I've wanted to do this my whole life. I've been involved in the stress of it, but it's been rewarding,” she said.
Nguyen said her father was her inspiration to stay on track.
“I have so much respect for him. If he can do that and be a doctor, so can I,” she said. “My dream is to work in endocrinology because I love nutrition and its relationship.”
This process, unique to Texas, speeds up the admissions process. When compared to other undergraduate programs in Texas, TCU stands out. While the overall acceptance rate to medical school is around 40%, TCU's acceptance rate is between 60% and 70%.
“At TCU, we offer one-on-one personal advising to help students prepare their medical school applications, starting during first-year orientation,” said Matt, professor and director of the TCU Pre-Health Professions Institute. Dr. Chumchar said. “That's why our university has such a high acceptance rate for students entering Texas medical schools.”
According to Chumchar, private medical colleges have more than 6,000 applicants and competition is fierce, with around 200 seats usually available each competition cycle. Chumchar said the most successful pre-medical students have a spirit of service and dedicate their time to mentoring physicians.
McGovern Medical School also accepted Kate Moorman-Wolf, a senior general sciences major.
“I would like to work in pediatrics or as a primary care physician,” Moorman-Wolf said. “I think it's easy to compare yourself to others if you follow a path before becoming healthy, and I think everyone's path to medical school is different. People who want to carve their own path in the pursuit of medicine. My advice to others is to focus on leadership and how to make your first application stand out.”
