Interview Process
Interviews
Applicants are invited for interviews between late August and the end of December. Our interviews are a combined effort with the M.D. program of the Long School of Medicine as well as the Ph.D. program of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in an intensive 2-day setting from Thursday-Friday.
The South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) interviews about 64-70 students each year. Beginning for the matriculating class off fall 2018, we are admitting seven students a year. The application process to any M.D./Ph.D. program is extremely selective. Interviews are offered to those candidates with outstanding GPA and MCAT scores as well as significant research experience. The Admissions Committee convenes to review each applicant before extending invitations to interview. If the Admissions Committee selects you for an interview, you will be notified by email from the Program Manager (or the Program Director) who will schedule an interview date.
After interviews, the admissions committee will reconvene and recommend qualified candidates for admission into the MSTP. This process can last two weeks to several months after the interview as admission to the MSTP is rolling.
If you are selected for an interview, the MSTP Program Manager will reach out to you one week prior to your interview dates to manage your interview itinerary. The structure of a typical combined interview is as follows:
Thursday:
11:15 AM – Meet at UT Health San Antonio main campus
11:30 AM – Lunch and welcome presentations from MSTP and Long School of Medicine
1:15 PM – “Chalk Talks” – applicant presentations*
3:30 PM – Interviews
6:30 PM – Dinner with Program Director, faculty, and current students
Friday:
8:00 AM – Coffee and light breakfast
8:30 AM – Interviews
10:00 AM – Long School of Medicine campus tour
12:00 PM – Lunch with Long School of Medicine
1:00 PM – Interviews
5:00 – End of interviews
7:00 PM – Optional dinner with current students
*The “Chalk Talk” is a semi-formal presentation over a research project to the MSTP directors and student admissions representatives (note: no other applicants will be present during your chalk talk). It is a verbal, seven-minute presentation starting with your prior research and ending on broadly what field or area you want to pursue in your Ph.D. research. The intent is to gain an understanding of your synthesis and style as a scientist, as well as gauge your commitment to the career path of a physician-scientist. This is followed by 3-5 min of brief questions from your audience so as to get to know you better and understand what you did and why. Additionally, the chalk talk provides an opportunity for you to present an experiment that you can further expand upon in interviews later that day. While no PowerPoints will be utilized, you will be given a dry erase board and markers (rather than chalk) to utilize at your discretion. You can bring your notes and if necessary, one figure in a letter size print-out.
Travel and Lodging
At this time, our program does not cover travel costs for interviewees; however, we may be able to provide lodging accommodations with current students by request. If you are accepted or waitlisted, we will cover the costs for a revisit (by invitation only).
Air travel: the San Antonio airport (SAT) is about 15 minutes away from campus, and security lines often take 20 minutes or less. If staying in a hotel, we recommend utilizing the hotel shuttles to travel between the airport and hotel, as well as our campus and the hotel. Check with hotel policy for best support.
Driving: we will provide those who drive to campus with a parking validation pass to leave with which covers the visitor lot parking expenses. When we schedule your interview, we will provide you with additional information such as maps and directions.
Housing: at this time, we cannot pay for lodging during interviews. We will pay for all the meals listed in the itinerary above. That being said, if requested, we will do our best to coordinate housing with current MSTP students. Please note that this is not always available due to student availability. If invited back for a revisit in the spring, we pay for 100% of your trip back to San Antonio.
Hotels nearby UT Health San Antonio: Motel 6 | P: 210-616-0030 | 0.1 miles from UT Health San Antonio (NO Shuttle, walkable to/from campus) Holiday Inn Express & Suites Medical Center North | P: 210-561-9058 | FREE Shuttle service Spring Hill Suites | P: 210-737-6086 | FREE Shuttle Service
If you are not invited for an interview, we are unable to consider you for acceptance into the MSTP. This will not affect interviews with the M.D. program; you may still receive an interview from and be admitted to the Long School of Medicine independently. This process is entirely through the Long School of Medicine and is no longer related to your M.D./Ph.D. application. If you are still interested in pursuing a career as a physician-scientist, the Long School of Medicine offers an M.D. with distinction in research degree. This opportunity affords the student with some research experience during Medical School.