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.
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By Sarah Bruyn Jones
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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.