Heya! Congrats!
k, to answer your questions:
1. Weekdays ~ If you study past the library's close time, you should go to sleep. Seriously rest is important. However if you do find yourself studying past the library close time... the school has other non library places where you can study. The school remains open 24 hrs a day.
Weekends ~ Depends on the person really. Some people have studied at home or at coffee shops. It's all based on what distracts or what motivates you.
2. Audio/Video ~ Video, not yet but that's really not necessary because all that is presented in class is on powerpoint slides which are posted online. Recordings of the lecture as well as prerecorded lectures by some professors are also online. However, for certain students they'll find that certain classes you just can't miss.
3. Students either go home for lunch (if they live nearby), bring a lunch and eat in the lunch room or buy lunch at the cafeteria at Sentara.
4. I'm not sure about the average Step 1 scores actually. I've heard that they're consistently above the national average and most people 97-98% pass, however don't quote me on that.
5. I think that depends on the size of your class, but class sizes tend to remain consistent over the years. This year, we have 5 per cadaver which is perfect as there are two sides of the body to work on. And yes, you have to dissect both sides.
6. I'm only a first year, so I can't speak for 2nd year. 1st year so far, exams have been weekly.
7. I'll rephrase this question as in the current context I feel that people might find it offensive. Rephrase: How do I like EVMS?
When looking at schools, I wanted to find out how much the students liked the school, how well the school prepared students for the USMLE and residency, and of course, what the surrounding area is like. Having grown up and went to school in California, I wanted something different so I gave up the California schools for a change in scenery. Do I like EVMS? Yes indeed. Regrets? None so far and no I don't feel disadvantaged. I say this with honesty as I have some classmates who went to their state schools in the south and they don't feel their schools are preparing them adequately for the USMLEs. I, on the other hand, do not feel that way and I feel sufficiently challenged by the coursework here.
EVMS is a relatively small school and is relatively new but EVMS does not have a small reputation. Keep in mind that it's not a big school and it's not going to have the size of the student body that you find, say at Stanford (student body of 15,000). If you are looking for a big school feel, then I might consider elsewhere. However you'll soon see that the reputation does not play the same role in med school as it would in undergrad or other types of grad schools. In deciding on a med school, it's important that you find a place where you want to be and go to an environment that is conducive of hard work.
Hope that helps.
