2010-2011 Virginia Tech Carilion Application Thread

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ksmi117

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Prompts:

Essay: Life Experience Essay involving Innovation, Leadership or Teamwork

Describe an experience in your life that was instrumental in shaping you as a person, and how this will help you to contribute as a medical student and to develop into a future physician thought leader. Can be up to 2 pages with 12-point font, single spaced, 1-inch marigins. apprxomately 7000 characters.

Update Essay (optional).

Use this optional essay opportunity to update the information you provided in your AMCAS application on your recent experiences, such as medical volunteering, shadowing, community service, research experience, leadership or teamwork experience, and work experience. Please do not repeat information already reported in your AMCAS application. For the optional essay below, please limit your responses to about 3500 characters (1 page, 1-inch margins, 12-point, single-spaced) and leave one blank line between paragraphs.

:luck: with your application!

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howdy potential applicants!!! i noticed a lot of people taking a gander at this very quiet thread and decided i would help get the ball rolling... i am a member of the class of 2014 for VTCSOM and really looking forward to starting up in august... feel free to ask me any questions regarding the school and i will answer to the best of my ability... but here are a few tips to get your started:

1. The people in the admissions office are extremely nice and very enthusiastic about answering any questions you may have... if you want a student perspective, everyone in the charter class that i have met seem to be very friendly and approachable... including me, i hope...

2. Apply early!!! This isn't just advice for VTCSOM, but this is good advice for anyone going into medicine... A lot of schools, VTC being one of them, will state that they give equal attention to every application that comes through their door during the application season. However, also keep in mind that VTC started interviewing in October of the 2009-2010 application cycle and already had at least 20/42 seats filled by January (from what I can gather.. no official data on this). By late February, they had already filled over 30/42 (again, from what it appeared, nothing official). Moral of the story, the longer you wait, the tighter the doors of opportunity begin to close.

3. We had 2 secondary application essays last year. "Describe an experience in your life that was instrumental in shaping you as a person and will help you contribute as a student at VTCSOM" and "Considering the mission of VTCSOM, describe your experience in a project that used innovation and creativity" as well as an optional update essay. Now, I do not know if they will be the same essay topics this year but I do know that students who saw success in their VTC application did a good job at relating their life experience to the schools founding principles. It would do you a lot of good to familiarize yourself with the school's mission statement and anything else you can comb out of their website!!!

4. During the interview season, you may hear a lot about the MMI format. If they continue to use it, and i hope they do, don't panic! It is actually a lot of fun. You will be asked to travel between several stations, given 2 minutes to read a scenario at each station, and 8 minutes to discuss that scenario with an interviewer. They make us sign a confidentiality agreement so we are not allowed to discuss the specifics of the scenarios but don't worry, it is actually quite enjoyable and does not require any more knowledge than what you already possess. At the end, you come away with a comforting feeling that the school truly knows you as a candidate. If you absolutely can't sleep without some sort of preparation, the school provides you with some practice scenarios in your interview packet a few weeks in advance and you may also find some Canadian and Australian resources that may help you out as more schools in these countries use this MMI process as well.

5. Roanoke is a great little sampler city... has one of everything. A lot of outdoor recreation, thriving art community, and some very affordable, if not free, entertainment year round. Oh and from what I hear, housing is very affordable.

6. In the end, it is all about fit. As you interview at more and more schools, you will begin to see this idea of fit more clearly. Some schools will make you feel really good, others will freak you out... sometimes you won't even know why. I interviewed at several schools and in the end, I had a few acceptances to pick from. If you ask me why I chose VTCSOM, I could respond by going into numbers and diatribes on opportunity but in the end, it was just a good fit for me. I wish you all luck in finding the school that fits for you.

7. Since the MSAR won't have data on VTCSOM for another year or so, I copied and pasted an article from the Roanoke Times that can give you an idea of this schools demographics.


9 June 2010
New medical school picks its first class

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has 42 students lined up to start classes on Aug. 2.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] By Sarah Bruyn Jones
. 981-3264
The inaugural class for Roanoke's new medical school has been selected, and there is a waiting list of more than 50 other students.
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has accepted 42 students to its first class.
School officials offered the first glimpse of the class Tuesday, sharing a few statistics on the student population but cautioning that the official class makeup won't be known until classes begin Aug. 2. Between now and then, students could be taken off other waiting lists and choose to attend a different school even if they have already committed to coming to VTC.
"We have assembled an amazing class of students with the intelligence and personal characteristics to truly be our nation's physician thought leaders," said the school's dean, Dr. Cynda Johnson.
About one-third of the students are Virginia residents, which was also the case for the total applicant pool, said Steve Workman, the director of admissions.
Another third of the students come from the region, including Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The remaining third come from the rest of the nation, Workman said.
The geographic diversity is also represented in the undergraduate programs the students attended. Many went to Virginia schools including Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary and Washington and Lee University. Others came from nationally known institutions Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Harvard University.
With the school's stated focus on medical research, 18 percent of the students have done original research or have been published. Seventy percent of the class has some scientific research experience.
In looking for people who have experience in research, the school attracted many students who already have a graduate degree. Roughly two-thirds of the class are either just finishing undergraduate school or are under 25 years old. The other third is older and into their early 30s, Workman said.
Scores for the Medical College Admissions Test for accepted students range from 30 to 42. The average score for the class is 33, which is slightly above the national average score of 30, Workman said.
With a female dean, there was a particular interest in attracting female students, but only a third of the first class will be women.
Many of the "top notch" female candidates that VTC accepted chose to go elsewhere, Johnson said. Of the acceptances handed out, slightly more than 50 percent were given to females.
"We hope to grow a larger percentage of women in the future and that will be one of our challenges," Workman said.
"That might be a niche for us to really work on, to identify these women to make sure they are applying to med school and to make sure they are considering us," Johnson said.
Recruiting efforts for the school's second class have already begun.
Even though classes begin in August, some students are already making their way to Roanoke.
Robert Brown, a 2004 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is one of the 42 students. He moved to Roanoke over the weekend, hoping to spend the next couple of months shadowing doctors at Carilion Clinic and getting acquainted with the city.
"I think the biggest thing was I was looking for the most rigorous program I could find," Brown, 27, said of his reasons for attending VTC. "And really, hands down, there was no competition to the one here."
Other students are also coming to town early to begin their research, Workman said. The school is helping the students make connections with labs and resources at Virginia Tech this summer.
 
what do you know about applying as an OOSer? I submitted my amcas to VTU already, and am from IL
 
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welcome, new applicants! like freezer, i will also be a member of VTC's charter class. from what i gather from my experience, VTC really values creativity, confidence, research experience and solid MCAT scores, so be sure to showcase your talents in those areas! while their application and interview process is unique in its thoroughness, it really is a lot of fun.

as for the secondary app, i remember thinking last year that it would be a pain in the butt to write 3 essays, just for one school. but look at it this way: every essay is a chance to tell the school another reason why you're awesome (and awesome for their school!) and why they should admit you. extra essays aren't just extra work for you--they're extra work for the admissions folks that have to read them too--but they're there because a school really wants to get to know you, and wants to know how dedicated you are to getting into med school. it's a long road, so get used to working hard!

as for the MMI, it's NOTHING to worry about; it's a blast if you're into solving puzzles or just games of "would you rather...?" :laugh: it really doesn't require much medical knowledge and is in some ways less intimidating than traditional interviews, because if you don't gel with one of your interviewers, it's okay! you're on to your next one in a couple of minutes anyway! i agree with freezer; plenty of great online resources to help you prepare for it in the form of practice scenarios. the key is to always consider a problem from as many angles as possible, and be able to strongly defend your answer to a question, not worrying about whether there's a true right or wrong.

i agree with freezer-- roanoke is a really neat and beautiful little city with just enough to see/eat/do without being overwhelming or congested. of all the med school towns in virginia, roanoke to me seems the most ideal. it's a safe place with tons of hospitals at which to gain your clinical experience to boot!

i'll be posting my stats on this thread sometime after classes start in august. if you have any questions, feel free to me or anyone else from last year's thread; i'm sure we'd all be happy to answer, and good luck! :luck:
 
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what do you know about applying as an OOSer? I submitted my amcas to VTU already, and am from IL


2/3s of the VTC students this year are OOS... so not as much IS preference as you would normally expect... great work on getting the primary out early... you might not see a secondary until august or september, but i assume you will probably be a part of the first batch that gets sent out...

what part of Il are you from? my wife is from Chicago, one of my best friends lives in Champaign-Urbana, and i spent a lot of time in SIU's library in Carbondale... i can't get over how radically different the weather is between these 3 regions!!!

oh and i also agree with IDoIt4Love... even though she totally bailed on the meet and greet that i have been tirelessly working on... i mean, who vacations in Canada anyways?!?!?! :)
 
I am from philly, out of stater. I am thinking about applying here. did read the whole thread from last year. It was heated but pretty helpful.

I am just wondering how accurate the average MCAT listed is especially this is a new school.
And how terrible is the ETS system. what are your suggestion on how to overcome this beast
 
I am from philly, out of stater. I am thinking about applying here. did read the whole thread from last year. It was heated but pretty helpful.

I am just wondering how accurate the average MCAT listed is especially this is a new school.
And how terrible is the ETS system. what are your suggestion on how to overcome this beast


as for the MCAT, i cant say either way... i got the impression that they really were focused on the whole candidate rather than just a few numbers... however, my opinion is not universally accepted... i suggest contacting the admissions staff and asking them...

as for the ETS... last year it was a little glitchy at the start, but once it was up and running, it was fairly simple to work with... the people i got to evaluate me on the ETS PPI all had positive things to say about the system... the only problem that some applicants saw last year was that they didnt expect the PPI requirement and their evaluators were unavailable (sabbatical, over seas, ect) during late summer/fall to complete their evaluations... some were nervous about asking their evaluators for another evaluation on this system, but in the end found out it wasn't a problem at all... it is not uncommon for a professor to be asked to complete an evaluation on a special form... ETS PPI is no different... anyways, my suggestion... even if you havent received a secondary yet, get on your letters and start getting your ETS evaluations put together now... in the long run, you'd rather be sitting with unused evaluations that panicking with none...

good luck... and go flyers, phillies, and cheesesteaks!!!
 
oh and i also agree with IDoIt4Love... even though she totally bailed on the meet and greet that i have been tirelessly working on... i mean, who vacations in Canada anyways?!?!?! :)

hey! they have coastal sea caves and whales to watch! don't try to guilt me!
 
Just heard of this school today and I am interested. Here's hoping. (Now I just need my AMCAS verified so I can add VTC on)
 
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Are they using their specialized LOR system from last year or can we go straight through AMCAS?
 
Are they using their specialized LOR system from last year or can we go straight through AMCAS?


According to the website, you have the option...

Personal Recommendations

For the 2010-2011 application year, applicants can choose from a number of methods to provide their letters of recommendation and references to VTC. We participate in the AMCAS Letters Service, VirtualEvals, Interfolio, and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Personal Potential Index (PPI) evaluation system. Applicants using the ETS PPI process are asked to provide a summary evaluation report from ETS verifying that they have been evaluated by three to five references using the PPI web-based evaluation system. Applicants can choose to use one or multiple methods to provide their letters of recommendation and references.
 
Freezer and IDoIt4Love,

Do you have any idea how many students applied last year and number of students interviewed? I'm just trying to gauge my chances before applying. (I literally figured out the percentage of students interviewed vs. applied for all the other medical schools I applied to. I feel so weird.) Thanks!
 
Freezer and IDoIt4Love,

Do you have any idea how many students applied last year and number of students interviewed? I'm just trying to gauge my chances before applying. (I literally figured out the percentage of students interviewed vs. applied for all the other medical schools I applied to. I feel so weird.) Thanks!

According to a June 9th article from VTNews, ~1650 applied and 220 were interviewed.
 
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hmm it's possible that not everyone came to their interview (especially considering that the snowpocalypse caused them to reschedule the february interviews), but I believe ~250 interview invitations were sent out last cycle; they did 6 rounds of interviews with ~42 students each. So it's

~1650 applicants => 250 interview invites => 42 spots in the class

Also, keep in mind that because not everyone will accept their interview or acceptance offers, most schools must offer significantly more interviews and acceptances than seats in their class.
 
Thanks for the response. I think if I get into any medical school interview, I have a good chance of getting in

I already looked at how I would get out to Roanoke. I am not looking forward to the expensive regional airplane flight if they do invite me to an interview, but I hope it would be worth it. [maybe I should actually consider getting a car one day...]
 
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Thanks for the response. I think if I get into any medical school interview, I have a good chance of getting in (I think I can be way too friendly in person that I sometimes... overwhelm people... but when I calm that down for an interview, I tend to do great). I'm more worried about the getting the interview part though as I feel pretty bland on my application, so that's why I was curious.

I already looked at how I would get out to Roanoke. I am not looking forward to the expensive regional airplane flight if they do invite me to an interview, but I hope it would be worth it. [maybe I should actually consider getting a car one day...]


couple of ways to save some cash during interview season...

- if you have a .edu email address, look into airfare through studentuniverse.com... depending on where you are coming from you may also find great deals through allegiant air(florida) or even by train (amtrak)

- some universities keep track of where and when their students are interviewing... when you get an interview, contact your schools premedical advisers and see if anyone else informed them of receiving the same interview date/school... they may put you in touch and you can travel together/split costs...

- if you happened to apply to a few schools that are fairly close to one another (e.g. VTCSOM, VCOM, Wake Forest, WVSOM), look into combinging interviews... if you are holding on to an interview invite from one school but havent heard back from others, call them... tell them your situation and they might bump your interview up so you can combine your trips... they may say that they cant help you out, but it cant hurt to at least try... i've heard success stories...

- many schools offer student hosts to incoming interviewees... you basically stay with a current med student while you are in town... much cheaper than a hotel and you also get to have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the school and area through the eyes of an actual student... if you get an interview at VTCSOM, look me up and I will be glad to show you around if I am available...

-finally, not much of a money saving idea... however, if you fly or take a train or a bus... your suit and anything you need for your interview stays with you at all times... do not check any of that under the plane under any circumstance!!! every interview i attended had at least one student who lost their suit on their flight... :)
 
couple of ways to save some cash during interview season...

- if you have a .edu email address, look into airfare through studentuniverse.com... depending on where you are coming from you may also find great deals through allegiant air(florida) or even by train (amtrak)

- some universities keep track of where and when their students are interviewing... when you get an interview, contact your schools premedical advisers and see if anyone else informed them of receiving the same interview date/school... they may put you in touch and you can travel together/split costs...

- if you happened to apply to a few schools that are fairly close to one another (e.g. VTCSOM, VCOM, Wake Forest, WVSOM), look into combinging interviews... if you are holding on to an interview invite from one school but havent heard back from others, call them... tell them your situation and they might bump your interview up so you can combine your trips... they may say that they cant help you out, but it cant hurt to at least try... i've heard success stories...

- many schools offer student hosts to incoming interviewees... you basically stay with a current med student while you are in town... much cheaper than a hotel and you also get to have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the school and area through the eyes of an actual student... if you get an interview at VTCSOM, look me up and I will be glad to show you around if I am available...

-finally, not much of a money saving idea... however, if you fly or take a train or a bus... your suit and anything you need for your interview stays with you at all times... do not check any of that under the plane under any circumstance!!! every interview i attended had at least one student who lost their suit on their flight... :)

ahh! Good call about the suit. I have yet to lose a bag (knock on wood) AND thank you for these very useful suggestions. I never would have thought of any of these. Thank you!! :)
 
couple of ways to save some cash during interview season...

- if you have a .edu email address, look into airfare through studentuniverse.com... depending on where you are coming from you may also find great deals through allegiant air(florida) or even by train (amtrak)

- some universities keep track of where and when their students are interviewing... when you get an interview, contact your schools premedical advisers and see if anyone else informed them of receiving the same interview date/school... they may put you in touch and you can travel together/split costs...

- if you happened to apply to a few schools that are fairly close to one another (e.g. VTCSOM, VCOM, Wake Forest, WVSOM), look into combinging interviews... if you are holding on to an interview invite from one school but havent heard back from others, call them... tell them your situation and they might bump your interview up so you can combine your trips... they may say that they cant help you out, but it cant hurt to at least try... i've heard success stories...

- many schools offer student hosts to incoming interviewees... you basically stay with a current med student while you are in town... much cheaper than a hotel and you also get to have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the school and area through the eyes of an actual student... if you get an interview at VTCSOM, look me up and I will be glad to show you around if I am available...

-finally, not much of a money saving idea... however, if you fly or take a train or a bus... your suit and anything you need for your interview stays with you at all times... do not check any of that under the plane under any circumstance!!! every interview i attended had at least one student who lost their suit on their flight... :)

you are awesome.. thanks for the tips
 
consider this: if VTC will be offering the same 1-year scholarships they offered our class, your tuition and fees over 4 years will be very comparable with the in-state tuition and fees at all the other VA state schools. See below; all these figures are taken directly from the schools' websites for 2010-2011:

AVERAGE TUITION AND FEES PER VA SCHOOL 2010-2011
VTC $30,380
VCU $28,485
EVMS $28,972
UVA $37,475

Of course, this is based on the assumption that VTCs tuition and fees will remain fairly stable over all four years, as they haven't yet officially announced their rates for MS-2-4. Any increases in medical education costs from year to year will most likely be reflected at schools all around the country though, so even if our tuition does go up, so too, most likely, will the tuition at other VA schools.

Sources:
http://www.vtc.vt.edu/education/admissions/tuition_fees.html
http://www.evms.edu/financial-aid/projected-student-budget-md-program.html
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/ed...l-school-costs/costs-page/?searchterm=tuition
http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/studentaffairs/financial_aid/10-11-MDbudget.html
 
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shhh don't encourage people to apply. I want VTC to pick me.
 
shhh don't encourage people to apply. I want VTC to pick me.

:laugh:

Well, if your MDapps speaks the truth, you sound like a great candidate (by both competitiveness and fit) for VTC anyway! :luck:
 
For any of you that are looking into different schools by location, Roanoke might be easily overlooked. To be honest, when I was applying, I thought it was going to just be some tiny rural town with not a lot going on, since it's in a generally rural region of VA. I was so wrong!

Roanoke is a central hub for its entire region. Patients come in from all over the region, including some patients from bordering states. Roanoke has over a dozen hospitals, 8 of which belong to Carilion Clinic, which is a big plus for us!

Roanoke also has so much to offer, recreationally. It has plenty of its own local flavor but little pollution, traffic or crime, making it great for people who don't like big cities. However, it's also got lots of independent shops and restaurants, museums, and of course, outdoor activities, as it is located right along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has just enough in it not to get bored, but not enough to overwhelm, which seemed ideal to me for medical school. Growing up just outside a major city, I really didn't think I'd be impressed, but I was.

What also really gets to me is how welcoming a place it is. Members of the local community came in to train and participate in the MMI process for our application cycle. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra has just invited the entire charter class to a free concert and dinner in August. Things like this help you feel at home when you're far away from home. It makes me less nervous about adapting to a new place, and more excited to start!

I hope you guys check it out, and good luck this cycle! :luck:
 
Anyone know when to expect secondaries from VTC. I know they said the do a "thourough" screening of applicants before offering secondaries. Anyone who applied last year know what to expect?
 
they definitely do "screen out" applicants; this i know. i applied a bit later in the cycle though, so i'm not sure what the turnaround time was for people who submitted primaries in the summer.
 
Anyone know when to expect secondaries from VTC. I know they said the do a "thourough" screening of applicants before offering secondaries. Anyone who applied last year know what to expect?

i can give you a guess...i submitted my amcas around july 5-10, submitted the completed vtc secondary around august 27-31, and received an interview invite in mid-late september. i think i received the vtc secondary about 2.5 weeks before i submitted it, so that would be approx. 5 weeks from amcas submission to vtc secondary receipt. i guess this is when they were doing a "thorough screening" of my application, haha.
 
I submitted primary v. early. IS, haven't gotten secondary.
 
ekk, got an email saying they received my primary application.

please don't screen me out :xf:
... of course, I still have no idea yet what to write for their secondaries (if they are the same as last years)
 
Got the e-mail today too. I like this school :)
 
same here got email acknowledging the receipt of my primary application. I am just glad they are not enforcing the ETS thing anymore. lets hope they screen me in. :xf:
 
same here got email acknowledging the receipt of my primary application. I am just glad they are not enforcing the ETS thing anymore. lets hope they screen me in. :xf:

I agree, that was just plain kooky last year
 
9 June 2010
New medical school picks its first class

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has 42 students lined up to start classes on Aug. 2.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] By Sarah Bruyn Jones
. 981-3264
The inaugural class for Roanoke's new medical school has been selected, and there is a waiting list of more than 50 other students.
The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine has accepted 42 students to its first class. ....Scores for the Medical College Admissions Test for accepted students range from 30 to 42. The average score for the class is 33, which is slightly above the national average score of 30, Workman said.
A question. Was the average MCAT score of "33" for students who were "accepted" (that is, offered admission) or was it for the students who will actually enroll? The way the news release was worded is ambiguous.
 
A question. Was the average MCAT score of "33" for students who were "accepted" (that is, offered admission) or was it for the students who will actually enroll? The way the news release was worded is ambiguous.

It seems like the average of the class (matriculated students, not all accepted students) was 33, with a range of 30-42. I think they used the term class and accepted students interchangeably, considering it is a news release written for the general public that doesn't know there's a difference between an entering class and accepted students, like applicants would know just because it's a class of 42, doesn't mean only 42 were accepted. It doesn't seem that ambiguous to me, just some variety in the language the writer used to make it less repetitive.
 
Got an invite to complete the secondary!

Was expecting this for another 2 weeks. ahhhhh!!

Freezer and Idoit4love -- any chance you have time to look over my essays for VTC this weekend? I am very excited about this school :)
 
Got the secondary (OOS)

We encourage you to complete and submit this secondary application electronically within two to three weeks of receiving it from VTCSOM. In all cases, this secondary application must be completed and submitted by no later than January 15 in order to be eligible for our winter cycle of interviews. Notification of acceptance, per AMCAS, can occur no earlier than October 15. MCATs taken in January or April of the year of matriculation will not be considered for admission that year.


For the following required essay, please limit your response to about 2 pages (using 1-inch margins, 12-point font, single-spaced -- approximately 7000 characters) and leave one blank line between paragraphs.

Describe an experience in your life that was instrumental in shaping you as a person, and how this will help you to contribute as a medical student and to develop into a future physician thought leader.



Update Essay (optional):

Use this optional essay opportunity to update the information you provided in your AMCAS application on your recent experiences, such as medical volunteering, shadowing, community service, research experience, leadership or teamwork experience, and work experience. Please do not repeat information already reported in your AMCAS application. For the optional essay below, please limit your responses to about 3500 characters (1 page, 1-inch margins, 12-point, single-spaced) and leave one blank line between paragraphs.
 
screened in!! but does this mean anything? I mean do most people get screened in or most people get screened out.
 
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It seems the ETS PPI thing is optional. Is it really "optional" or is it one of those things that might adversely affect an applicant if not completed?
 
I hope not. My PI adamantly hates when school's make him do stuff other than write a generic LOR. He and the two other people I would use for the ETS PPI already wrote me a recommendation... so why should I bug them more. And why should I pay $20 just to use this system. seems silly.
 
I wouldn't worry about it; it's optional for a reason. The PPI may lend the school information about you from a different angle, but I don't think they'll consider your application any less complete if you don't do it, for the exact reason that you guys are saying: some people just can't get their LOR writers to do more work than they've already done. I didn't submit the PPIs and I was fine :)
 
wow this essay topic is really annoying. Can someone please elaborate what kind of experiences are instrumental in shaping you as a person and at the same time shows innovation and leadership??

I feel like all they are asking is list your research experience. Which I do but is not significant to be "instrumental in shaping me" lol
 
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wow this essay topic is really annoying. Can someone please elaborate what kind of experiences are instrumental in shaping you as a person and at the same time shows innovation and leadership??

I feel like all they are asking is list your research experience. Which I do but is not significant to be "instrumental in shaping me" lol

if you have any substantial original research experience, then i'd definitely showcase that here. but if you have some other kind of pivotal and interesting experience; perhaps a leadership experience that isn't research-based, talk about it! this school is looking for innovators and self-starters; they want curious students who are also good leaders. VTC is out on many different missions; of them are

a) boosting VT up to a nationally top-25 research university
b) establish itself as a top-tier medical school
c) boost the Roanoke economy and bring more quality healthcare providers to SW Virginia.

If you can talk about an experience that shows that you would make a good fit in helping them achieve their goals, show them in your essay.
 
holy crap, 7000 characters or 2 pages, I know thats the "max" but how much are you guys writing?
 
I know that they got my application, but still haven't been screened in or out :( should I call them?
 
VTC's Research Institute will be launching the largest brain study in the world, starting in December:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/253804

"Medical students will have the opportunity to work with researchers on various projects as they conduct research projects as part of their education. The Roanoke 15,000 will be among the research projects in which students may play a role."

And if you guys want to take a look at the gorgeous new building, it's just been finished! Check it out!

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-story-medical-school-071510,0,4080506.story

"The $59 million building, paid for through a state bond package and owned by Virginia Tech, will house both the school and a companion Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute."
 
VTC's Research Institute will be launching the largest brain study in the world, starting in December:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/253804

"Medical students will have the opportunity to work with researchers on various projects as they conduct research projects as part of their education. The Roanoke 15,000 will be among the research projects in which students may play a role."

And if you guys want to take a look at the gorgeous new building, it's just been finished! Check it out!

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-story-medical-schoo071510,0,4080506.story

"The $59 million building, paid for through a state bond package and owned by Virginia Tech, will house both the school and a companion Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute."

Wow, that is way cool, I just wish they'd give me :thumbup: or :thumbdown: then I could move on. I applied very early, so it just seems like I should be getting some info. :confused:
I have close family that has gone to Tech for undergraduate school and they love "Hokie Stone"!
 
Hey guys, just introducing myself and giving a little advice.

For all of you getting to your secondaries, don't stress. Yes they are long essays but remember that these essays are for you shine and make yourself known. Take your time to get them just right to represent yourself and your critical thinking ability. Dont be so picky about the length of your essay or stuff like that, sometimes things said in fewer words or better. I didn't get my AMCAS app in until September and then my secondary to VTC in until November. Took a while of processing and didn't hear back from them until January for a February interview. So, yes, things take a long while with this school (from experience, longer than others) but do not stress! Once that secondary is in and done it is out of your hands until MMI time where you can really impress them!!!

As for myself, I was an OOS applicant and I was accepted off the waitlist just recently, number 42! So I know a little something about stress haha. As they say, when the time is right it will happen. Everyone at the school has been very supportive and everyone in the class is pretty awesome! I hope that you guys do well and get into place that best fits you and I hope that VTC is that place :D.

Well, I caint wait to meet some of you. If you have any questions you can PM me. Good Luck!
 
Congrats on your acceptance PandaP9!

I am slowly chugging out this essay -- had to get some convincing that talking about my thesis research was the smartest decision. I think this is one of the few applications I am wayyyy overthinking.
 
This secondary is the hardest one I have come across so far. I have been moving secondaries within a week soon as they come in. But for this 1, I really feel like skipping till the end. Anyone planning on writing just 1 page? I just don't have stamina to write 2 page. I have applied to over 30 schools and I am just getting weary.
 
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This secondary is the hardest one I have come across so far. I have been moving secondary within a week they come in. But for this 1, I really feel like skipping till the end. Anyone planning on writing just 1 page? I just don't have stamina to write 2 page.

I have just over a page.. and I probably won't get to 2 pages. I am writing about the "one" experience they require... but i really need to figure out a way to make it more interesting or understandable and not just me ramble out my thoughts.

I think if I have a one good page essay, that should be enough. No reason to cram more in just to get the two pages.
 
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