Friday, Feb. 16, was a crucial day for TCU pre-health students hoping to attend a public medical school in Texas.

Texas sent out match letters offering students a spot in medical or dental schools.

Thien-ly Nguyen, a senior biology major, said she is honored that McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston accepted her.

“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life and although I’ve gotten wrapped up in the stress of it, it’s a rewarding feeling,” she said.

Nguyen said her dad was an inspiration to stay on track.

“I look up to him so much. If he could do it and become a doctor, so could I,” she said. “My dream is to work in endocrinology because I really love nutrition and how connected those are.”

The process, unique to Texas, expedites the admission process. When compared to other Texas undergraduate programs, TCU stands out. The overall acceptance rate into medical school is about 40%. SInce 2014, TCU’s long term rate is 89%,  said Dr. Matt Chumchal, a professor and the director of TCU’s Pre-Health Professions Institute.

“TCU has one-on-one personal advising starting at first-year orientation to help students build their medical school applications,” said Chumchal.  “That’s why our university has a higher acceptance rate for students going to Texas medical schools.”

Private medical schools will have over 6,000 applicants and usually around 200 seats open per match cycle, making the process competitive, according to Chumchal.Chumchal said the most successful pre-health majors have a heart for service and make time to shadow physicians.

McGovern Medical School also accepted Kate Moorman-Wolfe, a senior combined science major.

“I would love to work in pediatrics or being a primary care physician,” Moorman-Wolfe said. “I think going down the pre-health track it’s easy to compare yourself and I believe everyone has their own journey getting into medical school. My advice for those wanting to carve their own path on the pursuit of medicine is to focus on leadership and ways to make your initial application stand out.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the long-term acceptance rate for TCU students.