2009-2010 University of Virginia Application Thread

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did people get interview invites via email or snail mail?
 
For those of you still looking for an interview invite, write to Dr. Canterbury. That is, if you really, really want to go here. UVa is a school that is amazingly receptive to letting you explain your case, unlike the vast majority of schools who seemingly just want you to go away after you send in your application.

I have no doubt that this is the most complete med school in the country. And for those of you who doubt that, come visit us for a week. Zero stress environment, amazing faculty, well designed courses, great classmates throughout all years, and really most importantly, ample time to have FUN.

I wish I hadn't read SDN before going to med school. Everyone makes it seem like your life is going to end once you start. We just wrapped up our first semester and we were definitely able to enjoy things.

And maybe I've met some of you that have interviewed? I'm one of those three clowns who come in right before your interviews to sell you on how much fun UVa is.
 
UVAbme2009 said:
For those of you still looking for an interview invite, write to Dr. Canterbury. That is, if you really, really want to go here. UVa is a school that is amazingly receptive to letting you explain your case, unlike the vast majority of schools who seemingly just want you to go away after you send in your application.

I have no doubt that this is the most complete med school in the country. And for those of you who doubt that, come visit us for a week. Zero stress environment, amazing faculty, well designed courses, great classmates throughout all years, and really most importantly, ample time to have FUN.

I wish I hadn't read SDN before going to med school. Everyone makes it seem like your life is going to end once you start. We just wrapped up our first semester and we were definitely able to enjoy things.

And maybe I've met some of you that have interviewed? I'm one of those three clowns who come in right before your interviews to sell you on how much fun UVa is.
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What exactly do you mean by that?
 
Interviewed last Monday. Waitlisted. I ****ing hate waitlists -- this is ridiculous. I don't want to know where I'm going to school in May. I'd like to be searching for an apartment and getting financial aid in order. Goddamn it.

vvvvv -- Doesn't make getting waitlisted at a better school that I liked a lot more suck any less.
 
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JimmerJammerMrK said:
What exactly do you mean by that?
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It's all about balance. It's a school with excellent academics and an excellent health system. A lot of schools can say that though. From what I hear from friends at other top schools around the country, you won't find another school that has as much fun as we do. And trust me, that's something that gets far too overlooked when you're applying.
 
yay!! accepted! UVa SOM Class of 2014!! WOOOT SO EXCITED!
 
Just want to keep this thread alive...wow...not a peep.

Speak up if you've gotten an interview invite lately, and add if you're instate or out please...

(I'm all prepared for the ________ silence....)😀
 
Hey all,
Really really excited about UVA SOM. Just got accepted!! Out of state. Love everything about the place, Cville, amazing new curriculum. Secondary 7/31, Interview offered 9/25, Interviewed 11/18, acceptance received 11/22. Hope to see y'all there next year!!!! Def my number 1 now.
 
UVAbme2009 said:
It's all about balance. It's a school with excellent academics and an excellent health system. A lot of schools can say that though. From what I hear from friends at other top schools around the country, you won't find another school that has as much fun as we do. And trust me, that's something that gets far too overlooked when you're applying.
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Hm, interesting. Thanks for sharing.
 
No action whatsoever...

Any news out there from others in-state?

🙂
 
I have a few questions for current and past students. I apologize ahead of time for cramming all of this into one post.

How do you like your library? Is it comfortable and do you feel like there is a sufficient amount of space? If you wanted to, could you use the undergrad libraries?

Do you feel like you sometimes wish that you were at a school in a larger city (e.g., New York or Philadelphia) with a bigger medical center?

How were the away rotations? Do you think that they prepared you well for your internships? Were you treated well during your rotations at the UVA medical center? What was your impression about how the school was viewed by residency directors during your internship interviews?

What do you think about the new curriculum and the new building? How about the active-learning studio and the new curriculum?

Finally--and this may seem a little irrelevant, but it's important to me--do students feel like they are really a part of UVA? I guess what I'm asking is if you feel a sense of connection with the history and the spirit of the school? I really liked the collegial atmosphere and the campus while I was there, and I would hope that you don't feel totally insulated from all of that.

Sorry for the crazy size of the post. Feel free to answer as many of the questions as you feel like.
 
justinbaily said:
Finally--and this may seem a little irrelevant, but it's important to me--do students feel like they are really a part of UVA? I guess what I'm asking is if you feel a sense of connection with the history and the spirit of the school? I really liked the collegial atmosphere and the campus while I was there, and I would hope that you don't feel totally insulated from all of that.
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I'm not a student, but the host I stayed with had a bunch of friends who participated in sports with the undergrad teams... they couldn't compete due to their schedules, so they weren't officially on the teams, but they practiced and such with them. So... I imagine it's pretty well integrated.
 
justinbaily said:
I have a few questions for current and past students. I apologize ahead of time for cramming all of this into one post.

How were the away rotations? Do you think that they prepared you well for your internships? Were you treated well during your rotations at the UVA medical center? What was your impression about how the school was viewed by residency directors during your internship interviews?
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so im not a med student yet but i just got accepted and they gave us a list of students we could email with questions. im cutting and pasting from a response a third year sent me that might help you out:

I have found that all of the attendings and residents at UVA are AMAZINGLY nice. I'm currently in my third year and although you hear lots of stories before med school about residents pimping you til you cry and attendings not giving you the time of day and yelling at you if you get in the way, this is the total opposite at UVA. ...

And residents really go out of their way to let you participate in the patient work-up and they find ways to teach as much as they can. And the attendings, while obviously busy, really do make a concerted effort to teach you and work with you on an individual and group basis. I can't emphasize enough what a selling point this is for UVA. I know that at other hospitals you may never see the attendings or the residents just pimp you but don't let you talk to patients on your own or do the procedures you want to. So thats huge.
 
I'm an M4 at UVA, so I'll take a crack at your questions.

1. The library is pretty good. There's a sufficiency of study space and there are a lot of small group rooms that you can reserve when they're not being used for classes (e.g. during exams). There are plenty of places to plug in a laptop and a lot of computers on two levels should you find yourself with some down time and need to look something up. Plenty of people do study in the undergrad libraries and in the law library. The law library tends to be a bit nicer than ours, but it's full of law students. You can't have everything...

2. If you're looking for a big city, then Cville probably isn't for you. That being said, it's pretty cosmopolitan for a small town and has a great music scene and lots of surprisingly good restaurants. Personally, I really like it, but it's not to everyone's taste. As for the medical center, I think UVA offers advantages over big city hospitals. Because we're the only tertiary care hospital for a significant geographic area as well as one of two in Cville (there's also Martha Jefferson, which is a small private hospital equipped to remove hangnails and manage uncomplicated deliveries, but not much else) we see a wide variety of stuff and we're not competing with any other systems for cool cases. When I was on medicine, we always had a good combination of bread-and-butter cases with a few zebras sprinkled in. I think it's a great situation. Plus, UVA is big enough to do pretty much anything, from Whipples to asthma exacerbations. In some larger cities, like Boston or New York, hospitals tend to subspecialize because there are so many in a small area, so I think you tend to miss out on some of the variety.

3. The away rotations were good experiences. I did peds and ambulatory med in Fairfax, OB/GYN in Roanoke, psych in Salem, and family in Bristol, VA. I liked seeing some different hospital settings and, while primary care isn't for me, it was definitely worth seeing that environment in two really different parts of the state. I feel pretty well prepared for internship, but I suppose I won't know for sure until July. As for how we're treated, the attendings and residents are almost universally great in my experience. They're committed to teaching and they're really nice people. Med students are never abused and we're protected from a lot of scut work as well (maybe too protected, actually.) During my interviews, I've met a lot of people who went to UVA who are now running departments at some of my favorite places. So, yeah, UVA is well regarded. Apparently, and I didn't know this before, the clinical teaching at UVA is considered to be particularly excellent by other institutions.

4. The new curriculum looks great and the new building looks awesome. I can tell you that a lot of faculty and students have put a lot of time into developing the curriculum and figuring out how to take advantage of the new technology. And, as a plus, the construction is well on schedule.

5. UVA is a very friendly and collegial place considered just as the med school and the health system, so you shouldn't have any concerns there. The med school is included in a lot of the campus traditions, but I think students tend to vary a lot in how much they choose to participate. For example, the med school had a reception at the annual lighting of the lawn just recently. I didn't go, but I'm sure plenty of my classmates did. I feel a little distance from the undergrads personally, but that's also my choice. Many of my classmates have fostered a closer connection to the university as a whole and I think it works well for them.
 
uva2010--Thanks for copying and pasting that. I have the email list as well, but I question the neutrality of the students picked by the admissions office to answer accepted students' questions.

DJBM--That was exactly the information that I was looking for. Thank you so much for taking the time to sign-in and type all of that out.
 
Just sharing.

Secondary completed: 10/1/2009
Invite: 12/8/2009
 
DJBM said:
I'm an M4 at UVA, so I'll take a crack at your questions.

1. The library is pretty good. There's a sufficiency of study space and there are a lot of small group rooms that you can reserve when they're not being used for classes (e.g. during exams). There are plenty of places to plug in a laptop and a lot of computers on two levels should you find yourself with some down time and need to look something up. Plenty of people do study in the undergrad libraries and in the law library. The law library tends to be a bit nicer than ours, but it's full of law students. You can't have everything...
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I like going to the undergrad libraries just to mix things up every once in a while. The Health Sciences library is great though. I like all the little group study rooms. They're equipped with projectors to hook your laptop up to as well.

I just wanted to share some of my opinions about these topics.

lots of surprisingly good restaurants.
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Charlottesville has the most restaurants per capita in the U.S. There's a good variety of different tastes, but I find the real ethnic foods to be a little lacking.
Thai- Good, we've got 4 or 5 places ranging from pretty american to mostly Thai.
Mexican- Only one or two good mexican places
Tapas- It seems like every new restaurant that opens up serves this. You can find amazing tapas in Cville.
Italian- There's only one or two really traditional Italian places around, but many many restaurants incorporate italian into their food. In Cville as a general rule, most of the good restaurants like to do lots of mixing of ethnicities.
Indian- Pretty good. Two good sit-down places. One good to-go type place (they're going downhill though).
Sushi- There's a ton of sushi places. A few are really good. A couple are really cheap, but still decent quality. All you can eat sushi China King FTW (it sounds gross, but it's really not bad for a $6.95 lunch).


(there's also Martha Jefferson, which is a small private hospital equipped to remove hangnails and manage uncomplicated deliveries, but not much else) Plus, UVA is big enough to do pretty much anything, from Whipples to asthma exacerbations.
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Martha's is better than you make it out to be here. They have a Cath lab, they handle some decent cases in the ER and the ICU. However, it is true that UVA gets the overwhelming majority of complicated cases. I'm actually going to go observe a whipple soon. Should be grueling.

4. The new curriculum looks great and the new building looks awesome. I can tell you that a lot of faculty and students have put a lot of time into developing the curriculum and figuring out how to take advantage of the new technology. And, as a plus, the construction is well on schedule.
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I think this is quite a big accomplishment for the School of Medicine. The school was doing well for itself in Jordan Hall with mediocre facilities, but now it's going to be absolutely stunning. That simulation center is going to wow everyone.

I feel a little distance from the undergrads personally, but that's also my choice. Many of my classmates have fostered a closer connection to the university as a whole and I think it works well for them.
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If you want distance from ugrads, you can live farther away, but still be able to walk in. You can hang out solely around the hospital and not participate in anything like football games or lighting of the lawn. If you want to feel connected, you can participate in all the school-wide events, and even live on the range (outside facing rooms of the lawn) which is right in central grounds.
 
JimmyJammer,

I wouldn't worry about the price tag just yet. Wait until u get your financial aid package. But yea, looking at the COA is kind of scary.
 
lets your application linger without telling you that you've been rejected?

I've been complete since late August, and I haven't heard anything. I'm just wondering if anyone else out there knows their modus operandi regarding rejections.

🙂
 
medmannamdem said:
lets your application linger without telling you that you've been rejected?

I've been complete since late August, and I haven't heard anything. I'm just wondering if anyone else out there knows their modus operandi regarding rejections.

🙂
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I know people who have been rejected without getting an interview that were complete around that time so they're probably keeping you in the stack for now.👍
 
Does anyone know if UVa sends confirmation when they've received the form to hold your acceptance spot? Thanks!

Good luck to all who have yet to interview/are waiting to hear back!!!
 
yeah, they send an email with the subject "UVA Accept"
 
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they also send you this UVA med magazine thing (I forget what it's called) in the mail along with a letter. It takes a few weeks to come, I don't remember how long exactly.
 
medslacker said:
they also send you this UVA med magazine thing (I forget what it's called) in the mail along with a letter. It takes a few weeks to come, I don't remember how long exactly.
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UVA Innovation is the name of the magazine. They will also send a very pleasant letter along with the magazine. I would love to see some more pictures of the new building. It looks like its coming along really well.
 
Oh, google 'Claude Moore Medical Education Building' to get a ton of info on it.
 
I have a few questions. Are any of their scholarships merit based? I'd send an update letter if any were, but that seems a bit odd post-acceptance and it'd be pointless if stuff was only need based. Also, do they have a second look weekend? If there is one, would the building be finished in time for it?
 
Steeler7588 said:
I have a few questions. Are any of their scholarships merit based? I'd send an update letter if any were, but that seems a bit odd post-acceptance and it'd be pointless if stuff was only need based. Also, do they have a second look weekend? If there is one, would the building be finished in time for it?
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http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/site...60/Medical_School_Foundation_Scholarships.htm I see one listed on there. Someone asked the student guides and they said no so I imagine its not widespread. My hosts said there was a second look weekend. I think the guides mentioned the building was going to open in March and second look weekends are in April, so it should be finished. It would be good for recruitment anyways.
 
Just had to comment on connecting with the undergrads. It's definitely easy to do. And if you like going to bars, you'll meet far more undergrads than grads. Not a bad thing. Undergrads are way more fun (besides myself of course).

But seriously, I think having an affiliated undergraduate institution is a huge bonus at any med school. It wasn't something I really thought about when applying, but it's made a huge difference. I've had more fun since we began in August than I ever have before, and it's definitely because of the undergrads.
 
mvenus929 said:
It's not much more expensive than my state school. I have a state with crappy funding. There's a lot more potential for me to pay less going to UVA than going to my state school, so the cost doesn't scare me that much.
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Through scholarships and such? To me it didn't seem like they had many to offer when I was there.
 
If the webcam link above doesn't work for people--it doesn't work for me--then you can try this one:

http://www.virginia.edu/rcam/meded.html

At my interview the financial aid guy, who I loved, mentioned that they have a few merit scholarships. He implied that our interviewers' opinions of us would be what determined whether or not we received them. It didn't sound like there was anything that we could really do to improve our chances.

By the way, I went to visit the campus today and left completely blown away. UVa has to be one of the most beautiful schools in the country. I also ate at Revolutionary Soup and it was delicious, so I highly recommend it. The medical education building looks better in person than any of the photos or videos that I've seen so far.
 
I finished my secondary in Early August, like most of you guys, and haven't heard a peep. Do you think I should e-mail the school? I've gotten in in-state, but I went to UVa for undergrad and would absolutely love to go there for med school. The waiting is killing me.
 
I'm like you.

I'm holding a seat at a med school, and I'm waiting to hear something from UVA - yes OR no.

It hasn't been confirmed, but it sure seems like UVA has spent this past semester grabbing up super-qualified applicants, many from OOS. If UVA's stats are 33 MCAT and about 3.7 or 3.8 GPA, then I'd imagine it is their in-state quota that is keeping those stats.

The stats I've seen of OOS applicants are awesome - significantly higher than their published averages. My stats are right at UVA's, so I'm hoping for a chance, but they sure are taking their time - ugh.😱
 
UVAbme2009 said:
Just had to comment on connecting with the undergrads. It's definitely easy to do. And if you like going to bars, you'll meet far more undergrads than grads. Not a bad thing. Undergrads are way more fun (besides myself of course).

But seriously, I think having an affiliated undergraduate institution is a huge bonus at any med school. It wasn't something I really thought about when applying, but it's made a huge difference. I've had more fun since we began in August than I ever have before, and it's definitely because of the undergrads.
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saw that you also went to uva undergrad. as much as i love the bars around here too, im concerned ill get tired of being in the same place for four more years, or never really leaving undergrad. i love charlottesville right now and am not sick of it at all, just concerned for the future.what are your thoughts?
 
uva2010 said:
saw that you also went to uva undergrad. as much as i love the bars around here too, im concerned ill get tired of being in the same place for four more years, or never really leaving undergrad. i love charlottesville right now and am not sick of it at all, just concerned for the future.what are your thoughts?
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I know two people who have been here since 1998. Ugrad, master's (in one guy's case), med school, and now residency.

One of them is leaving next year. The other has residency for another 3 years.
 
uva2010 said:
saw that you also went to uva undergrad. as much as i love the bars around here too, im concerned ill get tired of being in the same place for four more years, or never really leaving undergrad. i love charlottesville right now and am not sick of it at all, just concerned for the future.what are your thoughts?
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I wouldn't worry about that at all. Having left CVille for a year after undergrad, I don't have any qualms about going back. There is a lot of cultural things in CVille, and it has everything that you need+restaurants. Yeah, it's not a big city, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a lot to offer.
 
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