VCU/MCV Class of 2014

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GHLBC

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Welcome to the VCU/MCV class of 2014 thread! I know it's still early in the game, but I feel it's appropriate to start a thread like this for the students (like me) who already know they will attend this school in the fall.

Congratulations everyone :)

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I will be there in the Fall :) I'm looking forward to starting this crazy journey.
 
What’s going on guys and gals. I received my acceptance letter on Nov 9.

Congratulations to those who have gotten in so far, and good luck to the others still waiting. I am looking forward to meeting you all this summer.

P.S. Any other Oct. 10 interview people that have gotten in so far?
 
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What’s going on guys and gals. I received my acceptance letter on Nov 9.

Congratulations to those who have gotten in so far, and good luck to the others still waiting. I am looking forward to meeting you all this summer.

P.S. Any other Oct. 10 interview people that have gotten in so far?

I can't wait to meet everyone either. Did they actually snail mail you an acceptance? I only received my acceptance letter through the update site on Oct. 16th. It would be nice to have a hard copy of the invitation!
 
Yes it was snail mail. I didnt even know about an update site. Could you direct me to it ?
 
OH, now I know why you have these questions. I jumped in the wrong thread. Grats, on getting into the medical school. I will be entering VCU pharmacy school. HAHA, good luck to you. Maybe the two class will bump into each other now and then.
 
It would be so exciting to join all of you! I love everything about VCU and now I'm just holding my breath until dec 15! :xf::xf::xf:
 
hope I get in too! I absolutely loved the medschool, and all the people working there seemed to be really friendly. I was interviewed on October 1st and my application was apparently placed on hold. Just waiting for December 15th to roll by (keeping my fingers crossed). Good luck to any/all in this limbo.
 
Good luck to both of you:) I hope that you will be joining us in the Class of 2014!
 
ahh... I remember feeling like this when I was applying too. The reality is this school has some huge drawbacks that I wish I would have known about before deciding to come here...

The administration is awful--largely inbred (went to med school here, residency here, worked here then got promoted to be an admin) and the reality is they don't seem very bright, yet they're eager to throw their power around (bad combo), they would never be hired at another school for the same job and most are pediatricians so expect to be treated like you are 5. Most of the faculty are inbred too, so expect to only get a very myopic view of medicine. You can tell which faculty came from somewhere else, because they seem remarkably creative and interesting (but out-numbered like 10:1)

The class size is too large--because the classes are >200 now, they are cutting back time with preceptors (just not enough to go around) and clinical experiences are really watered down--expect to everyone to fight to see the interested cases/procedures. I think the clinical opportunities around here would justify 120-130 students/class, but there are way more than that.

Our tuition money seems to be in the hands of complete idiots-- I guess this kind of goes back to #1, but last year despite having budget issue, one of them decides we need a huge (like 47") flat screen TV for the computer lab to display announcements--seems like a cork board would have worked just fine. The TV is gone now--he probably took it home after all of the complaints. Then this same d-bag emailed us at one point to tell we had a surplus in fee money last year and how should the admin blow this money (not their words)? Hmmm... why not refund it to us? Who knows what they did though.

Just some food for thought when it comes down to pick where to go....

But that said, MCV does have Dr. Costanzo and Richmond is relatively fun....

You probably know better being an insider but I honestly loved this place after interviewing. I've been to other places and nowhere did they seem as hospitable as here - including my faculty interviewer and anyone that worked there, especially the dean. They have the appearance inside and out and the resources of a private/top-tier, highly funded school but the tuition even for OOS is significantly lower. Some schools have slightly bigger classes but it does not necessarily mean it's overcrowded (of course, you'd know that better than me) and it can have its advantages. Most importantly, lets not forget the crazy step 1 success students have here and very respectable matches for residencies. They have some cool and unique opportunities and programs for students that care about them. Also yes, Richmond is awesome.

I'm sure it has it's drawbacks as does everything in life but from what I've seen I'm not too worried.
 
You probably know better being an insider but I honestly loved this place after interviewing. I've been to other places and nowhere did they seem as hospitable as here - including my faculty interviewer and anyone that worked there, especially the dean. They have the appearance inside and out and the resources of a private/top-tier, highly funded school but the tuition even for OOS is significantly lower. Some schools have slightly bigger classes but it does not necessarily mean it's overcrowded (of course, you'd know that better than me) and it can have its advantages. Most importantly, lets not forget the crazy step 1 success students have here and very respectable matches for residencies. They have some cool and unique opportunities and programs for students that care about them. Also yes, Richmond is awesome.

I'm sure it has it's drawbacks as does everything in life but from what I've seen I'm not too worried.

Agreed
 
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You probably know better being an insider but I honestly loved this place after interviewing. I've been to other places and nowhere did they seem as hospitable as here - including my faculty interviewer and anyone that worked there, especially the dean. They have the appearance inside and out and the resources of a private/top-tier, highly funded school but the tuition even for OOS is significantly lower. Some schools have slightly bigger classes but it does not necessarily mean it's overcrowded (of course, you'd know that better than me) and it can have its advantages. Most importantly, lets not forget the crazy step 1 success students have here and very respectable matches for residencies. They have some cool and unique opportunities and programs for students that care about them. Also yes, Richmond is awesome.

I'm sure it has it's drawbacks as does everything in life but from what I've seen I'm not too worried.

I've run into little problems here and there but nothing major.

They have cut down the number of preceptor sessions so that people don't have to drive as far to their preceptor locations but in many ways I don't think that is a bad thing. During your first half of M1 you're too clueless to get much out of preceptor, and during your second half of M2 you're to busy prepping for Step 1 to really have time or care about preceptor. Believe me, when I get done with my 30 hour psychiatry shift (8am tomorrow to 2pm Wednesday :eek:) I will not be complaining that I didn't get enough clinical experience.

And Dr. Costanzo is sooooo awesome. Without her I probably would have gotten an average score on the Step 1. With her help I landed a score high enough to be competitive for any specialty.
 
The administration is awful--largely inbred (went to med school here, residency here, worked here then got promoted to be an admin) and the reality is they don't seem very bright, yet they're eager to throw their power around (bad combo), they would never be hired at another school for the same job and most are pediatricians so expect to be treated like you are 5. Most of the faculty are inbred too, so expect to only get a very myopic view of medicine. You can tell which faculty came from somewhere else, because they seem remarkably creative and interesting (but out-numbered like 10:1)

Could you clarify your perspective that allows you to make such a claim.

The class size is too large--because the classes are >200 now, they are cutting back time with preceptors (just not enough to go around) and clinical experiences are really watered down--expect to everyone to fight to see the interested cases/procedures. I think the clinical opportunities around here would justify 120-130 students/class, but there are way more than that.

As far as m1 and m2 go this is actually a good thing. As for M3 there appears to be ample clinical opportunities for all.

Our tuition money seems to be in the hands of complete idiots-- I guess this kind of goes back to #1, but last year despite having budget issue, one of them decides we need a huge (like 47") flat screen TV for the computer lab to display announcements--seems like a cork board would have worked just fine. The TV is gone now--he probably took it home after all of the complaints. Then this same d-bag emailed us at one point to tell we had a surplus in fee money last year and how should the admin blow this money (not their words)? Hmmm... why not refund it to us? Who knows what they did though.

Again I believe your perspective may be a bit off. Are you talking about the same school with the dean that has kept medical school tuition inflation at ~1% for its students in the past three years. Please show me another school that cares that much about your money. This issue is more important then some TV screen in cbil.
 
Could you clarify your perspective that allows you to make such a claim.
Aside from Strauss (who is external), I don't think the others have strong enough credentials to be deans -- I think other schools would have had open job searches for the people at this level.



As far as m1 and m2 go this is actually a good thing. As for M3 there appears to be ample clinical opportunities for all.
Not true, the lack of opportunity in M3 is my biggest complaint about MCV.



Again I believe your perspective may be a bit off. Are you talking about the same school with the dean that has kept medical school tuition inflation at ~1% for its students in the past three years. Please show me another school that cares that much about your money. This issue is more important then some TV screen in cbil.
Possibly, I still think they could be more efficient with their spending than they are.
 
I am a 4th year at MCV. I have had a very, very different experience than Snowflake. While I have only needed the administration in a few instances, they have been incredibly helpful when I asked for help (ie stuff for the match). I doubt other schools have people as helpful as we have. I am curious why snowflake feels this way.

I don't have any idea what snowflake is talking about with the clinical experience 3rd year. My experience was a very strong one that allowed me to get as much clinical experience as I wanted. You have to be proactive. If you think you are going to get your hand held during 3rd year you will be in for a very unpleasant surprise no matter where you go. That said, MCV has a long history of producing excellent clinicians. I can tell you from my classmates who have done away rotations at places like Emory, Hopkins, DC children's and other very well known places that their clinical skills were as good if not better than their counterparts.

As the M1 and M2 preceptorships go, I did not get a whole lot out of 3 hours every 2 weeks. Cutting that in half is not going to make an appreciable difference since the didactic course will remain the same.

Edit: I was sad to see that the preceptorships are cut to only half the year. It is nice to remember why you are in medical school during your classroom courses. That I think is the most important part of the preceptorships- you remember that it is about seeing patients. That said, I dont think it is really going to impact your education. So many schools (MCV included) made such a big deal about early clinical experience. Having gone through it, you realize that you really looked for that as a prospective applicant but that it really did very little in terms of education.
 
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I am a 4th year at MCV. I have had a very, very different experience than Snowflake. While I have only needed the administration in a few instances, they have been incredibly helpful when I asked for help (ie stuff for the match). I doubt other schools have people as helpful as we have. I am curious why snowflake feels this way.

I don't have any idea what snowflake is talking about with the clinical experience 3rd year. My experience was a very strong one that allowed me to get as much clinical experience as I wanted. You have to be proactive. If you think you are going to get your hand held during 3rd year you will be in for a very unpleasant surprise no matter where you go. That said, MCV has a long history of producing excellent clinicians. I can tell you from my classmates who have done away rotations at places like Emory, Hopkins, DC children's and other very well known places that their clinical skills were as good if not better than their counterparts.

As the M1 and M2 preceptorships go, I did not get a whole lot out of 3 hours every 2 weeks. Cutting that in half is not going to make an appreciable difference since the didactic course will remain the same.

:thumbup:

BTW Instatewaiter, I'm soooooo jealous of 4th years right now. Hope you're enjoying it!
 
I've been trying to find VCU's average USMLE scores, but can't. I read on an older SDN post it was ~225. Could any of the current med students tell me if this is correct?

Also, what kind of score is need for a general surgery residency?

Thanks for your help. Info on USMLE scores is foreign to me.
 
I've been trying to find VCU's average USMLE scores, but can't. I read on an older SDN post it was ~225. Could any of the current med students tell me if this is correct?

Also, what kind of score is need for a general surgery residency?

Thanks for your help. Info on USMLE scores is foreign to me.

Never mind, I found the info on their website. Here it is for anyone that's interested :

http://blog.vcu.edu/som_dean/2008/10/setting_new_standards_for_medi.html

I would still appreciate an explanation of what scores will get me into what specialty.

Thanks!
 
Never mind, I found the info on their website. Here it is for anyone that's interested :

http://blog.vcu.edu/som_dean/2008/10/setting_new_standards_for_medi.html

I would still appreciate an explanation of what scores will get me into what specialty.

Thanks!

I can tell you that every class in every school will have people in the low 200s (not good) to 260s (exceptional). A lot of it really has to do with your effort and your apptitude. I would not put too much stock in the USMLE averages you get on SDN. Those are rarely accurate. For years they had VCU listed at 225 when it was closer to 218-220.

In terms of your question, I think the best data comes from "charting outcomes in the match" which is a publication by the people who run the residency match.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf

Step 1 scores for each specialty (Includes median 50%)
Gas 215- 235
Derm- 232-251
Rads 230-248
EM 209-235
FM 200-228
Surgery- 211-237
Medicine 211-240
med/peds 211-241
neurosurg- 230-250
neurology- 211-238
OB/GYN 207-232
Ortho- 228-250
ENT 231-250
path- 215-240
peds- 205-232
PMR 200-225
plastics 238-255
psych 200-230
Rad onc 239- 250

200 and you're competitive really only for the least competitive specialties ( peds, psych, ob, FM, neuro, PMR)
210 and you can also get into path, maybe some medicine programs
220s and you can now also get into surgery, medicine, gas
230s- opens up ortho, ENT and maybe derm as well as high tier programs in the less competitive specialties
240s-250s can basically do what you want (provided grades match your scores)
 
I can tell you that every class in every school will have people in the low 200s (not good) to 260s (exceptional). A lot of it really has to do with your effort and your apptitude. I would not put too much stock in the USMLE averages you get on SDN. Those are rarely accurate. For years they had VCU listed at 225 when it was closer to 218-220.

In terms of your question, I think the best data comes from "charting outcomes in the match" which is a publication by the people who run the residency match.

http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf

Step 1 scores for each specialty (Includes median 50%)
Gas 215- 235
Derm- 232-251
Rads 230-248
EM 209-235
FM 200-228
Surgery- 211-237
Medicine 211-240
med/peds 211-241
neurosurg- 230-250
neurology- 211-238
OB/GYN 207-232
Ortho- 228-250
ENT 231-250
path- 215-240
peds- 205-232
PMR 200-225
plastics 238-255
psych 200-230
Rad onc 239- 250

200 and you're competitive really only for the least competitive specialties ( peds, psych, ob, FM, neuro, PMR)
210 and you can also get into path, maybe some medicine programs
220s and you can now also get into surgery, medicine, gas
230s- opens up ortho, ENT and maybe derm as well as high tier programs in the less competitive specialties
240s-250s can basically do what you want (provided grades match your scores)

Thank you so much for that information! I was also wondering if anyone could tell me how important it is to publish in order to get into a competitive residency? Also, how do you even jump on a research project given the time constraints of med school life? I know it's possible to do research b/w M1 and M2, but is this enough time to actually publish anything? And how would I go about finding someone to do research with?
 
Thank you so much for that information! I was also wondering if anyone could tell me how important it is to publish in order to get into a competitive residency? Also, how do you even jump on a research project given the time constraints of med school life? I know it's possible to do research b/w M1 and M2, but is this enough time to actually publish anything? And how would I go about finding someone to do research with?

How important it is to get published really depends on what specialty you're looking at. I was considering Derm and our Dean told me the data shows it's highly unlikely that someone can get a Derm residency without being published or having some hefty research under your belt. On the other hand, I'm now deciding between Radiology and Anesthesiology. Rads needs a high Step 1 score but research isn't very important, and Anesthesiology really doesn't require research.
 
Hello, everybody. Potential MCV 2014er here.
Random question for accepted people:

You just have to pay the fee and fill out the matriculation form within 2 weeks to have your spot, right?

All that other stuff just needs to be done later, right? And is there a certain time frame?

Thanks for the help.
 
Hello, everybody. Potential MCV 2014er here.
Random question for accepted people:

You just have to pay the fee and fill out the matriculation form within 2 weeks to have your spot, right?

All that other stuff just needs to be done later, right? And is there a certain time frame?

Thanks for the help.

yup, not sure when the deadline is but it's not that big of a deal. The deposit is refundable before may 15
 
has anyone who was accepted on dec 16 get their eid and email yet?
 
Good luck 2014'ers! I recommend you look at the old (2013 thread) for some good info on the app process and the school.

MCV is great b/c the schedule allows you to get what you want out of it. Clearly Snowflake isn't so happy, and a lot of us were a bit put out over the FCM changes for M1 and M2 (myself included), but we still get to see real patients more than M1/M2 classes do at other schools. All schools will have a certain amount of political BS -FYI, the giant flatscreens were given to the school, it didn't come out of our tuition. Many of our faculty come from other schools, though we do draw more heavily from our region than from, say, the west coast. Once again, that's pretty typical for state schools. Big 10 schools draw more big 10 academics than SEC academics.

Our board scores, I think, are notable because MCV historically has had so-so MCAT scores. So we go from just below the mean to just above the mean, and I think that speaks to our faculty, especially Linda Costanzo.

To the above post about "competitive residencies": if you're gunning for a particular specialty, I would make sure that your specialty of choice is well-represented at the schools you apply to -it will make your application process smoother years from now. Yes, you'll need to do research, get published, but most of all you need fantastic board scores and to nail M3.
 
Every year I post something to help those not from the area figure out where to live. I guess this is as good of a time as any to post it.

I am a Richmond native. I posted this a couple years ago:

350px-RichmondFanDistrict.jpg


in the above picture MCV is located right above where the purple line intersects the 2nd O of downtown

Sketch areas that you probably don't want to live in include: oregon hill, Jackson ward, Randolph, or anything with court in it (ie Gilpin court). Also, dont live right across the river from downtown (ie called manchester on the second picture). Finally dont live too far north of broad street in church hill. For those of you that went to the financial aid workshop the director lady told you that Jackson ward is a good area to live in. I pretty much crapped myself when she told you that. Jackson ward is a really sketchy, relatively dangerous part of Richmond. I'd recommend against living there.


Here is a second picture that shows things a bit further east
350px-DowntownRichmondNeighborhoods.jpg


Here MCV is located right around where it says "court end"

The Fan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_District
Note that while Wikipedia doesnt consider west of boulevard 'the fan' many in Richmond do. Others refer to west of boulevard as "the museum district." Either way it is nice to live near carytown (shopping/eating area). You will be good living pretty much anywhere in the fan area. But the further away (west) from the undergrad campus, the quieter things will be. Generally around the 2000 block or higher (of streets parallel w/ broad st) you should be in good shape. Other considerations are that there are a lot of bars on Robinson. So you might want to live around there (i think about 2500 block). The further west you go, generally the safer things get.

Church Hill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Hill
Note that you dont want to live very far north of Broad street. If you can, stay SOUTH of broad street (red line going up church hill). Really I cant stress this enough. If you go like 10 blocks north of broad around church hill you will get shot. Only half kidding about this. South of broad street has some very beautiful areas and some very nice apts. North of broad is a great place to buy crack. You see the dark black line going north of church hill, that is where the projects are and is arguably one of the most dangerous area of Richmond. So stay away from it.

Shockoe Bottom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shockoe_Bottom
Apts are spotted throughout here generally above shops or in converted industrial buildings. The apts generally have a lot of character but, it can get loud if you are near the clubs/bars. Most of my class lives in the bottom so that is a consideration, plus it is nice and close to MCV. Basically on a decent day you can walk from the bottom. Things can get pricey here but if you look you can find a cheap place.
__________________________________________________________________________

Here is my update from this past years:
I had been hearing a lot of talk about the new revitalization of the Manchester area. I was curious about how much they could have done and my girlfriend was looking for a place to live so we decided to head across the river. I am not too sure what people consider a 'revitalization' but it didnt look a whole lot different. I'd still recommend not living there (well that is unless you plan to sling crack to pay for school-which i also do not recommend- but Glenda Palmer, the financial aid lady, always encourages us to be creative to save money so she may recommend differently).

Now a bit west from manchester you get to the Westover Hills/Forrest Hill Ave area (still in the southside). It is a bit of a drive but using the Nickel Bridge (which funny enough is 35 cent toll) it takes around 10 minutes to get to school. This is a pretty safe area and you can get a pretty nice house to rent or buy for really, really cheap. Of the south-side area, this is probably one of your better options based on price and distance from school. This is right across the river from where the "fan" turns into the "museum district"

The Fan
Stretches of the fan are surrounded by kinda sketchy areas. In some stretches of broad you may feel unsafe. My GF lived on Grace a few years back and the alley behind her building was shared with the shops on broad. While I felt perfectly safe, she often felt uneasy walking alone at night. So if you are a female or would like to feel safer, if you choose to live in the fan, living either on the south side of grace (so you dont share an alley w/ broad) or just living south of grace st would be best.

The West end-
This is where I grew up so if you have any questions feel free to PM me. Unquestionably the safest and nicest area of Richmond. Can be a bit of a hike to class ranging from 15-45 minutes based on what part of the west end you live in. The apt prices vary wildly from obscenely expensive to pretty cheap.

Church Hill
I re-read what I wrote and it basically sounds like church hill is a war zone. It is not. South of broad is very very nice. Some of the nicest apts I have seen in R-Va are in Church hill. The people I know that live there feel safe. That said, stay south of broad because the projects really are about 10-15 blocks north with a nice little transition zone starting about 6 blocks north of broad. Stay south of broad and you will be fine and shouldnt feel unsafe.


I currently live in the fan/museum district and have for all of med school. There are pros and cons about each area. My class is spread mainly in Downtown and the fan. There are probably a few dozen who live in the southside or west end. If you have questions feel free to PM me. If you have a specific apt complex in mind I probably wont be able to help you since I have limited exposure to the thousands of apt complexes in Richmond. But if you are worried about an area or want some input, feel free to PM me.
 
Every year I post something to help those not from the area figure out where to live. I guess this is as good of a time as any to post it.

This is a great comprehensive review of Richmond :thumbup: I have to add a little bit of support for Church Hill. I have lived 2 blocks north of Broad Street in Church Hill for about 2 years now, and I feel very safe there. I even have 2 police officers that live on my block, and park their cop cars right in front of their houses. I would have to say that if you start looking 4 blocks North of Broad you might be pushing it. Also, I second / third / fourth the recommendation to stay out of Jackson Ward.
 
Has anyone heard stuff about the second look? I didn't even think VCU had one, but my parents received a letter talking about April 9-10 and that more info would be on its way soon.

Sounds cool to me, I was going to go back to Richmond over spring break anyway to get some more info and a better feel for the city.
 
Has anyone heard stuff about the second look? I didn't even think VCU had one, but my parents received a letter talking about April 9-10 and that more info would be on its way soon.

Sounds cool to me, I was going to go back to Richmond over spring break anyway to get some more info and a better feel for the city.

Hey i got the same letter in the mail also.. i am also positive that ill be at VCU next year and at second look.. will you be going?
 
Another current MCV student here. If any of you guys have questions about the school, feel free to PM me. I will say (referencing a post from awhile back) that I don't feel my clinical skills are rusting away. Not having preceptor the second half of second year is just leaving me more time to study for boards, which I really appreciate.
 
Congrats to everyone who has decided to join us here at MCV!

I am currently an M1 so I hope to offer you a fresh perspective on the school. Sure I have my complaints about professors but in talking to my friends at other medical schools my complaints are very similar to theirs. There are always going to be the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to classes. There's no way around it. Some professors obviously only teach because it is required of them if they wish to do research at the school but this is the case at every school and was definitely the case with my undergrad professors as well.

I absolutely love MCV. I'm from California and although I miss the beautiful weather at times I do not regret choosing MCV over the Cali school I got in to. My class is amazing. Yes it is big (204) but that just means I have ample opportunity to meet people I truly get along with. Trust me, between FCM, project heart, and the new societies you will have plenty of opportunities to work in smaller groups with people. The faculty has been nothing but friendly to me and incredibly supportive. I personally have not had much to talk to them about, thankfully, but I do know a few people who have had family emergencies and illnesses that have caused complications and the staff and faculty worked with them.

I do have some bad news though, Costanzo is retiring at the end of this year. Thus, our claim to fame will no longer be around. However, we have been reassured that her board review classes will carry on as they are (she is in the process of training someone to take the task on). Really, this shouldn't affect you all too much. If anything it is my class that will suffer seeing as how we will be the transition year. So I would not be too worried about this, although it is definitely a disappointment. Costanzo really is an incredibly professor.

Good luck to you all!
 
Hey guys,

I read all of the great info on the areas where to live. I was wondering if you guys could give me the names of the most popular apartment complexes where med students live? Ideally I would like to be a 10 minute walk from school. However, I am on a budget, and realize that not all areas in Richmond are safe, so I wouldn't mind a short drive to school.

Thank you!
 
I live in River Towers. It's a pretty good complex, and there's a bus that I can take to school. It's about a 10 minute drive from here to school.
 
Just going to give my experience about living in Richmond in the two neighborhoods I've lived in:

1.) Shockoe Bottom
Good: Some very nice renovated apartments here with lots of character. No prefabricated gated communities. Walking distance to school (though there is a huge hill). Grocery store within walking distance. You can get a 2 bedroom here for ~$1000. Close to many restaurants and bars.
Bad: The area itself really isn't that great - there's lots of clubs and drunk people wandering around and it's just not that pretty around there like other parts of Richmond. Parking on Fri and Sat night is terrible. Smells like railroad chemicals. Still has a very industrial/warehouse feel imo. I once had to call 911 because I heard shots, no joke. Then I stood at the window and watched 6 ambulances come up along with several police cars, so I can only assume someone was actually hurt. Every Friday and Saturday night 18th street is blocked by cop cars. I do not feel safe here going on a run at night.

2.) The Fan
Good: I LOVE it here. I live very close to the Monroe Park campus and can catch the campus connector bus that runs about every 10 minutes. When the weather is nice I ride my bike (about 2 miles to MCV from my place). Close to TONS of awesome restaurants, coffee shops with study space, bars, etc. The neighborhood is beautiful with rowhouses and lots of history. I go for runs at night all the time with my ipod blaring and feel perfectly safe (I do live south of Grace street as mentioned above). I just renewed my lease for next year and couldn't be happier.
Bad: The closer you get to campus the more expensive it gets. Not really feasible to walk to MCV from here. Some of the houses have ridiculous ($300+) electric/heating bills in the winter because of poor insulation. You may need to do some searching to find a good place because many are typical college kid residences (old with poor lighting etc.) Parking can be a little tight, especially when there's some sort of event going on at the Landmark Theater or Siegel Center.
 
Is anyone going? My letter got lost in the mail for some reason, and just found out about it now.

For those of you attending: Could you share the specifics?

Thanks!
 
Is anyone going? My letter got lost in the mail for some reason, and just found out about it now.

For those of you attending: Could you share the specifics?

Thanks!

I'm pretty sure I'm going - it's on April 9th and 10th. I don't have any more specifics, other than you have to RSVP by March 30th, I think.

I don't have the letter with me, so I'm not sure of what else is on it.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm going - it's on April 9th and 10th. I don't have any more specifics, other than you have to RSVP by March 30th, I think.

I don't have the letter with me, so I'm not sure of what else is on it.

Metallica, have you received a confirmation email or any other form of communication since telling Mrs. Jackson that you would be attending? I confirmed my attendance last week, but still haven't heard anything back. The letter said we would get an email with more information.
 
Metallica, have you received a confirmation email or any other form of communication since telling Mrs. Jackson that you would be attending? I confirmed my attendance last week, but still haven't heard anything back. The letter said we would get an email with more information.

No, I haven't RSVPed yet and I haven't actually seen the letter with the info. The letter is at my house and I haven't been back there in a while.
 
2.) The Fan

Some of the houses have ridiculous ($300+) electric/heating bills in the winter because of poor insulation. You may need to do some searching to find a good place because many are typical college kid residences (old with poor lighting etc.) Parking can be a little tight, especially when there's some sort of event going on at the Landmark Theater or Siegel Center.


This is a good point. I would recommend either calling dept of public utilities or asking the landlord outright what the bills are in the winter. There are a bunch of nice looking places in the fan that have 12-15 foot ceilings and are very large and are great to live in. Many have been updated but unfortunately there are a bunch that were built in the 30s and haven't had their insulation/windows changed so heating (gas or electric) costs literally hundreds. My ex-GF spent over $500 one month on gas (when it was much more expensive than it is now).

So ask.

The match is coming up for the 4th years next Thursday! I'll keep you guys updated as to the results.
 
This is a good point. I would recommend either calling dept of public utilities or asking the landlord outright what the bills are in the winter. There are a bunch of nice looking places in the fan that have 12-15 foot ceilings and are very large and are great to live in. Many have been updated but unfortunately there are a bunch that were built in the 30s and haven't had their insulation/windows changed so heating (gas or electric) costs literally hundreds. My ex-GF spent over $500 one month on gas (when it was much more expensive than it is now).

So ask.

The match is coming up for the 4th years next Thursday! I'll keep you guys updated as to the results.

Good luck on the match Instatewaiter! It must feel great to have that coming up!
 
Hey everyone! I will be joining the VCU/MCV class of 2014 in August. I would be really interested in attending a revisit weekend, but I haven't gotten a letter about it. I was accepted in the 2/1 bunch. Should I call the office about it?
 
Hey everyone! I will be joining the VCU/MCV class of 2014 in August. I would be really interested in attending a revisit weekend, but I haven't gotten a letter about it. I was accepted in the 2/1 bunch. Should I call the office about it?

First of all, congratulations! I look forward to meeting you and everyone else in August:) As far as the second look, the second look this year is only for URM students. I also think that there is a possibility that they might have sent out second look invitations to people that came from a disadvantaged upbringing or grew up in a disadvantaged area (not sure about this one though) Congratulations again!:thumbup:
 
For you guys that got accepted today... Congrats!!!! When did you receive the email?I have been constantly checking my email since this afternoon but nothing in my inbox yet. From what I understand this is the last round of acceptances so if I do not get accepted today, it means that I will be receiving a status update about being on the waitlist. VCU/MCV is my #1 choice so I am really hoping that I will get accepted!!!!
 
I got an email at 6:06pm ET. seems that was the case for the others too. good luck!!!
 
So I posted this in another thread, and I figured I should post it here.

While the results are not yet posted online, we got an E-mail from the dean that listed some accolades and I know what I have heard from my class. Here are some tid-bits

- 97% match rate (nationally- 93%)
- 3 matched Urology (including MGH-aka harvard)
- 6 matched ENT
- 7 matched ortho
- 9 matched Gas
- 13 matched Rads
- 14 matched EM
- 1 student matched into Cardiothoracic surgery (10 positions nationwide)

Some of the places that people matched off of the top of my head- Duke, Hopkins, Hopkins-Bayview, MGH (harvard), Beth Israel Deaconess (harvard), Yale, Chicago.
 
Hello all!

I got accepted in the March 16th round (at 6:06pm) too - next year is between VCU & Miami right now for me, and I'm leaning towards VCU.

Few questions:

1. Does the VCU school of medicine website have any type of pages up for those of us who have been accepted into the class of 2014? I've looked but haven't seen anything.

2. For clarity, the second look is only for minority/disadvantaged applicants, correct?

3. Do we receive a snail mail hard copy of acceptance?
 
I'm not sure about the first two, but you should receive a hard copy of the acceptance letter.
 
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