2009-2010 Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Application Thread

[flip26]

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Got an update yesterday with a rejection, and I was sad about waiting until Dec 15th...
🙁

So I see you interviewed Oct 8 - I guess that wasn't in time for them to pass judgment on you prior to Oct 16, but now they rejected you?

Seems harsh given your stats and IS status - hard to believe that you weren't put on hold...VCU seems to be a little too clever with its points system(s)...

RE Wake Forest: if you haven't done so, you need to send them an email ASAP to check on your status, and to reiterate your interest in attending - many of us got interviews there after contacting the school...

 

[OneMCATAway]

Got an update yesterday with a rejection, and I was sad about waiting until Dec 15th...
🙁

aww sorry to hear that =( how did your interview go?!

good luck with all your other schools

 

[alibai3ah]

Got an update yesterday with a rejection, and I was sad about waiting until Dec 15th...
🙁

Wait they can do that???? I thought we weren't going to hear anything till December 15th. I also interviewed October 8th and I just assumed that we wouldn't get accepted or rejected until December 15th...yikes now I'm worried.

Sorry to hear about that. You have phenomenal numbers so I hope you get in somewhere else. 🙂

 

[flip26]

Wait they can do that????

Yes, and they were sending out rejections prior to Oct 16, too.

 

[CantWinThemAll]

Wait they can do that???? I thought we weren't going to hear anything till December 15th. I also interviewed October 8th and I just assumed that we wouldn't get accepted or rejected until December 15th...yikes now I'm worried.

Sorry to hear about that. You have phenomenal numbers so I hope you get in somewhere else. 🙂

They told us on the interview day that if the committee gives us a score below a certain threshold they let u know right then and there, rather than have u sit and wait being hopeful. =/

 

[ChimpanzeeMinky]

They told us on the interview day that if the committee gives us a score below a certain threshold they let u know right then and there, rather than have u sit and wait being hopeful. =/

3.5/5 is the threshold. They must have seen something in that applicant that they really didn't like, for whatever reason. Her stats are quite strong. Sometimes this process is quite enigmatic.

 

[reveille16]

Hey guys. I had never heard of these status numbers (1-5) before stumbling across this message board. How did all of you find out your number? My secondary was complete in late September and I had an interview invitation ~2 business days later (thrilled). I'm going to my interview soon and now that I know these scores exist, I'm kind of curious what mine might be. Should I call down there?

This means that they really, really like you. Only a few people get interview invites right away without a status number. I was lucky enough to have this happen to me, and I was accepted on October 16th. Whoo class of 2014!

 

[metallica81788]

How does the admissions office feel about calling for an interview reschedule? I put in my request almost a month ago and have heard nothing.

I was thinking about calling, since the flights for Thanksgiving week (I didn't realize that's when I put my interview) are waaaay too expensive and I just can't afford that.

 

[AL24]

This means that they really, really like you. Only a few people get interview invites right away without a status number. I was lucky enough to have this happen to me, and I was accepted on October 16th. Whoo class of 2014!

This same thing happened to me. I submitted my secondary on a Friday early September, and had an invite by Sunday (which I remember being very strange since Sunday is not a business day). Very fortunate to be accepted 10/16, especially since I expected to be "late" everywhere with an early September AMCAS verification.

Good luck to all!

 

[tmntdonjuan]

To anyone who has already had their interview, how would you describe it and what type of questions did they ask?

 

[ilikekiwis]

you know, I don't know how/when they assign priority numbers/status updates.

i was complete early august and it took until last week to get my "may be interested" status update.

so..i guess just sit tight and you'll eventually get one.

and i definitely would not call their admissions office, i did that and the lady was ridiculously rude.

 

[sustentacular]

Maybe my complaining worked, I just got a status update tonight and an interview invite. Hopefully you get the same good news soon!

Congratulations and good luck! I just hope to hear something soon.

 

[nick_carraway]

To anyone who has already had their interview, how would you describe it and what type of questions did they ask?

Very relaxed, informal questions that the interviewer will ask regarding your app and interest in the school, as well as some behavioral-type questions that the committee wants to hear you answer. Many of the applicants will interview with medical students and they last one hour.

 

[OneMCATAway]

Very relaxed, informal questions that the interviewer will ask regarding your app and interest in the school, as well as some behavioral-type questions that the committee wants to hear you answer.

what are the behavioral-type questions? is this different from the ethical scenarios? can you give examples? thanks =)

Many of the applicants will interview with medical students and they last one hour.

really? interesting.. so are those students part of the admissions committee?!

I was also wondering do they ask the why VCU question again? since we answered it in the secondary it seems a bit repetitive but ive seen it in the interview feedback a lot!!!!!!!

 

[GHLBC]

Hey all,

I got into this school and am super excited to attend. I'm still currently in school, and was thinking of just relaxing in my classes (in other words not stressing to get straight As). Is this a bad approach? They can't recall my acceptance if I drop my 4.0 GPA slightly right? Plus, it's to complete my master's, so I'm not taking basic science courses that would be helpful in med school.

Opinions?

 

[golffanatic]

Hey all,

I got into this school and am super excited to attend. I'm still currently in school, and was thinking of just relaxing in my classes (in other words not stressing to get straight As). Is this a bad approach? They can't recall my acceptance if I drop my 4.0 GPA slightly right? Plus, it's to complete my master's, so I'm not taking basic science courses that would be helpful in med school.

Opinions?

Congrats! I absolutely agree with you. Time to relax. I don't think you'll be frowned upon if your 4.0 drops just a little bit 🙂. Just as long as it doesn't plummet. Must be a nice feeling! Congrats again!

 

[reveille16]

Hey all,

I got into this school and am super excited to attend. I'm still currently in school, and was thinking of just relaxing in my classes (in other words not stressing to get straight As). Is this a bad approach? They can't recall my acceptance if I drop my 4.0 GPA slightly right? Plus, it's to complete my master's, so I'm not taking basic science courses that would be helpful in med school.

Opinions?

I'm in the same situation. My approach is a little more cautious but for different reasons. I'm trying to keep my work ethic up because medical school is going to be a lot of hard work, and I don't want to build bad habits. On the other hand, I'm trying to relax A LOT more. Without the stress of having to make straight A's, I've found that I've been able to enjoy my classes for what they are which has been nice. That being said, if you're anything like me, you probably won't be satisfied with mediocore grades anyway 😛

 

[nick_carraway]

what are the behavioral-type questions? is this different from the ethical scenarios? can you give examples? thanks =)

really? interesting.. so are those students part of the admissions committee?!

I was also wondering do they ask the why VCU question again? since we answered it in the secondary it seems a bit repetitive but ive seen it in the interview feedback a lot!!!!!!!

1. I got one ethical question and the rest were questions like "have you ever dealt with a culture unlike your own" or "have you ever given advice to others". It's really pointless to prepare for this part of the interview, which is I think the whole point of the behavioral questions.

2. At least two M4s are part of the committee and they interview for sure. I don't know if there are any other student interviewers.

3. I was asked why VCU within the first few questions, so have a good answer!

Good luck!!

 

[CantWinThemAll]

1. I got one ethical question and the rest were questions like "have you ever dealt with a culture unlike your own" or "have you ever given advice to others". It's really pointless to prepare for this part of the interview, which is I think the whole point of the behavioral questions.

2. At least two M4s are part of the committee and they interview for sure. I don't know if there are any other student interviewers.

3. I was asked why VCU within the first few questions, so have a good answer!

Good luck!!

yeah i agree with all of the above. its too hard to predict any of this. i thought i would FOR SURE be asked "why medicine" "why VCU" and questions about health care. but i wasnt asked about any of those 3! i had an M4 student who mainly focused on my application. they asked me a couple random things like "what would u do if u had a free day and u could go where ever u want" and "tell me about a time when dealt with a situation out of your control." overall it wasnt anything to freak out about, just relax!

 

[OneMCATAway]

1. I got one ethical question and the rest were questions like "have you ever dealt with a culture unlike your own" or "have you ever given advice to others". It's really pointless to prepare for this part of the interview, which is I think the whole point of the behavioral questions.

2. At least two M4s are part of the committee and they interview for sure. I don't know if there are any other student interviewers.

3. I was asked why VCU within the first few questions, so have a good answer!

Good luck!!

yeah i agree with all of the above. its too hard to predict any of this. i thought i would FOR SURE be asked "why medicine" "why VCU" and questions about health care. but i wasnt asked about any of those 3! i had an M4 student who mainly focused on my application. they asked me a couple random things like "what would u do if u had a free day and u could go where ever u want" and "tell me about a time when dealt with a situation out of your control." overall it wasnt anything to freak out about, just relax!

thanks guys! hope you rocked your interviews and we'll all have good news soon

 

[tmntdonjuan]

1. I got one ethical question and the rest were questions like "have you ever dealt with a culture unlike your own" or "have you ever given advice to others". It's really pointless to prepare for this part of the interview, which is I think the whole point of the behavioral questions.

2. At least two M4s are part of the committee and they interview for sure. I don't know if there are any other student interviewers.

3. I was asked why VCU within the first few questions, so have a good answer!

Good luck!!

Interesting. Would you happen to know how many people sit on the committee, including the M4 students? Also I'm curious as to what percentage of the interviewees eventually get an acceptance. Thanks for the response.


Anyone else out there applying as a VCU Certificate student? Here's hoping that the M4's are former Certificate students!

 

[nick_carraway]

Interesting. Would you happen to know how many people sit on the committee, including the M4 students? Also I'm curious as to what percentage of the interviewees eventually get an acceptance. Thanks for the response.


Anyone else out there applying as a VCU Certificate student? Here's hoping that the M4's are former Certificate students!

I think that there are 30-40 committee votes. I might be wrong, though.

As for how many interviewees get an acceptance, I don't know 🙁

 

[CantWinThemAll]

They said they never admit more people than their class size of 200, and they admit 3 times: oct 15, dec 15, and march 15, making it 66ish acceptances on each date.

 

[ruiner]

How does the admissions office feel about calling for an interview reschedule? I put in my request almost a month ago and have heard nothing.

I was thinking about calling, since the flights for Thanksgiving week (I didn't realize that's when I put my interview) are waaaay too expensive and I just can't afford that.

Let me know how it goes, they never answered mine either.

 

[woozypoozy]

interview invite 🙄

 

[CoolLia]

interview invite 🙄

Congrats! When were you complete, if you don't mind me asking

 

[tar heel]

Congrats woozy, me too 🙂
Complete 9/7, status update 9/10, invite 10/28

 

[niner4life13]

interview invite 🙄

what was the soonest date you were able to schedule?

 

[niner4life13]

those of you invited for an interview recently, what were the earliest available dates like?

 

[CoolLia]

Does anyone know what the adcom is looking at when they make the final decision to accept or reject? Do they all have copies of our apps in front of them, a screen with our stats...?

 

[AL24]

Does anyone know what the adcom is looking at when they make the final decision to accept or reject? Do they all have copies of our apps in front of them, a screen with our stats...?

From what I remember being told on Interview Day:

They have a screen with stats up while the interviewer presents your case to the Committee. Then the person(s) who read your file and screened you for interview also adds their feedback on your overall application. Then the Committee votes.

 

[tmntdonjuan]

Does anyone know when the last day of interviews is? I signed up for Feb 1st and am starting to think that that's pretty late.

 

[mvenus929]

Does anyone know when the last day of interviews is? I signed up for Feb 1st and am starting to think that that's pretty late.

First day available to me was in the middle of February.

 

[OneMCATAway]

so the people voting for you after the secondary are only part of the committee who will be voting after the interview?!

 

[nka1985]

Does anyone know when the last day of interviews is? I signed up for Feb 1st and am starting to think that that's pretty late.

They typically interview into early March.

 

[seany434]

those of you invited for an interview recently, what were the earliest available dates like?

When I first logged in there was one spot available nov 3rd or 4th but it was taken before I could grab it so I was stuck with Feb. 1st...

 

[calimed214]

When I first logged in there was one spot available nov 3rd or 4th but it was taken before I could grab it so I was stuck with Feb. 1st...

Holy crap. They're on February dates already?? Hm, I was only complete recently... not looking too good for me then.

 

[sugarchick1211]

does anyone know how far VCU is from EVMS.. and the stats for out of state acceptance with interviews.. thank you

 

[flip26]

does anyone know how far VCU is from EVMS.. and the stats for out of state acceptance with interviews.. thank you

estimating 100 +/- miles...

 

[nka1985]

does anyone know how far VCU is from EVMS.. and the stats for out of state acceptance with interviews.. thank you

Miles I don't remember but it's a 2 hour drive.

 

[NontradatBeach]

does anyone know how far VCU is from EVMS.. and the stats for out of state acceptance with interviews.. thank you

Juat keep in mind that travel time can depend greatly on what time of day you are travelling. If you plan to hit the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel anytime between 3-6:30 on a weekday, you can add another 30+ minutes to the above time estimates.

 

[browneyedgirl43]

Did anyone have an interviewer that fought with EVERY answer you gave? My interviewer tried to answer every question for me so I had to defend my answers every time and thus my interview was an hour and forty minutes....Am I the only one????

 

[ChimpanzeeMinky]

Did anyone have an interviewer that fought with EVERY answer you gave? My interviewer tried to answer every question for me so I had to defend my answers every time and thus my interview was an hour and forty minutes....Am I the only one????

Did your interviewer's last name start with a G?

 

[browneyedgirl43]

Did your interviewer's last name start with a G?

Nope

 

[theanthem]

3.5/5 is the threshold. They must have seen something in that applicant that they really didn't like, for whatever reason. Her stats are quite strong. Sometimes this process is quite enigmatic.

Well I thought I had a great interview, and when I emailed the admissions office they said I was lacking in medically relevant experience. I spent two summers abroad volunteering with an eye health organization which I thought was relevant since I want to go into ophthalmology. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong...

 

[flip26]

Well I thought I had a great interview, and when I emailed the admissions office they said I was lacking in medically relevant experience. I spent two summers abroad volunteering with an eye health organization which I thought was relevant since I want to go into ophthalmology. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong...

Actually, it isn't hard to figure out.

Med schools expect you to have significant exposure to the US medical system. The stuff you did abroad is interesting, but not considered a substitute for US clinical exposure.

Thus the admissions office response is quite helpful, and you might consider beefing up your clinical ECs in the US in case you have to reapply next year.

Good luck.

 

[CoolLia]

Actually, it isn't hard to figure out.

Med schools expect you to have significant exposure to the US medical system. The stuff you did abroad is interesting, but not considered a substitute for US clinical exposure.

Thus the admissions office response is quite helpful, and you might consider beefing up your clinical ECs in the US in case you have to reapply next year.

Good luck.

I can understand that. My question now is why offer an interview if the person doesn't have enough clinical experience? This is the third person I have heard of being rejected post-interview because of lack of clinical experience. It just seems strange considering they didn't have it pre-interview, so why offer an interview in the first place?

Thoughts or ideas anyone?

 

[reveille16]

I can understand that. My question now is why offer an interview if the person doesn't have enough clinical experience? This is the third person I have heard of being rejected post-interview because of lack of clinical experience. It just seems strange considering they didn't have it pre-interview, so why offer an interview in the first place?

Thoughts or ideas anyone?

This is an interesting question. Some applicants rack up a decent amount of extra clinical experience between the time that they submit their primary, and the time of their interview. Maybe they hope that this is the case with the applicants which they consider to have borderline clinical experience. Also, I think that an applicant that may be lacking a great amount of clinical experience, but shows a deep understanding of the U.S. health care system during their interview may not be looked at negatively. Regardless of the reason, VCU receives applications from way too many qualified applicants to interview someone that they would not be happy to accept pre-interview. I'm interested to hear what other people have to say on this subject (especially current VCU medical students).

 

[BigRedDeal]

Did your interviewer's last name start with a G?

Mine ended with a G. And it was the most unpleasant interview I have had. Not only did the interviewer attack my answers but he/she attacked my questions for him/her. The same questions every other interviewer seemed happy to answer. When the interviewer asked my why I was in the military, I said I had a deep desire to give back and serve my country in a way that most are unable or willing to do. The interviewer responded, and I quote, "There are better and more admirable ways to serve your country". 😡 .

I'm still on post interview hold.

 

[flip26]

I can understand that. My question now is why offer an interview if the person doesn't have enough clinical experience? This is the third person I have heard of being rejected post-interview because of lack of clinical experience. It just seems strange considering they didn't have it pre-interview, so why offer an interview in the first place?

Thoughts or ideas anyone?

One thought, particularly at VCU, is that the person who read the applicant's file and scored it high enough to get an interview may not share the consensus view of the adcom? I don't know.

I also don't particularly have a ton of faith in the extent of the reviews that are done pre interview offer. These schools get swamped, and I bet that a quick look at "numbers" yields more interviews than are probably deserved...and just as many applicants get passed over, or screened out, based on their numbers with not much attention paid to the whole person.

The bottom line is that not all schools will view this lack of US clinical experience equally, so these applicants may still get some good news from somewhere.