2010-2011 University of Virginia Application Thread

[danh489]

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Accepted!!!!

 

[MDApplicant3]

hey guys, is the accepted envelope large or small? (like the college acceptance envelopes were large vs the rejection letters...)

 

[pureblazin]

ACCEPTED!!!! SO excited, this was my top pick! to answer your question, the envelope was noticeably thick. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

 

[justinbaily]

Congratulations to everyone getting accepted!

 

[cyanide]

Accepted!!!!

Congrats!! You're the Dan I met at interviews right?

Looks like snail mail is taking a while longer to reach the midwest... understandable. Congratulations to everyone who got in today! 🙂

 

[NeuroKidd]

Wewewewewew! Just got accepted! Mom read the letter to me on the phone! In state! Ahhhhhh!

 

[mvenus929]

Congrats everyone who got their acceptance today, and hopefully those of you living a little further out will hear tomorrow.

Just so you know, there is a 2015 class group on Facebook already, since so many people in our class deferred. It doesn't hurt to join, even if you decide later not to come. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=128390570517925&v=wall

 

[afob100]

Congrats everyone!! My letter is coming tomorrow (to Maryland)...hopefully I'll receive some OOS love!

 

[AH3]

Congrats everyone!! My letter is coming tomorrow (to Maryland)...hopefully I'll receive some OOS love!

Good luck! I'll be hoping for some good news tomorrow too. Loved UVA when I was there for the interview.

And congrats to all who were accepted already!

 

[UmichKat]

ohmygosh. Still nothing in my mailbox (live in Michigan, interviewed 9/1). Anyone else in this boat? Is this a bad sign? I noticed that everyone who posted seemed to have been accepted...

 

[schlieren]

I'm waitlisted. 😡

 

[afob100]

ACCEPTED!!! OOS (Maryland) SOO excited and pumped!!!

 

[333926]

...

 

[HakunaMatata22]

Accepted!!!!

ACCEPTED!!!! SO excited, this was my top pick! to answer your question, the envelope was noticeably thick. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Wewewewewew! Just got accepted! Mom read the letter to me on the phone! In state! Ahhhhhh!

ACCEPTED!!! OOS (Maryland) SOO excited and pumped!!!

Accepted!

I'm kinda surprised because I thought I bombed one of the interviews.

OOS

Congrats everyone!! 👍

I'm waitlisted. 😡

Sorry to hear schlieren 🙁 I see you got an acceptance though at SUNY! Congrats on that! in the rest of the cycle!


for mail to get to the Midwest tomorrow...

 

[mcctwist1]

ohmygosh. Still nothing in my mailbox (live in Michigan, interviewed 9/1). Anyone else in this boat? Is this a bad sign? I noticed that everyone who posted seemed to have been accepted...

hahaha. dude. you can chill. they call it snail mail for a reason. i would expect news by friday at the latest. but i'm in the same boat. don't worry just yet.

why are there so many miles between virginia and utah????

 

[accidentprone]

hahaha. dude. you can chill. they call it snail mail for a reason. i would expect news by friday at the latest. but i'm in the same boat. don't worry just yet.

why are there so many miles between virginia and utah????

Still no word in Colorado either. Maybe tomorrow. I did get a bunch of political mailers though.

 

[takk]

Accepted! OOS, interviewed 8/30

 

[accidentprone]

I just received my acceptance letter. I interviewed on 9/20 and am out of state. What an honor!

 

[redpanda]

OOS, interviewed 9/7! 🙂

 

[Ohiochick]

ACCEPTED!!!!!!!! So excited UVA seemed like such a happy and upbeat place to be 🙂

 

[UmichKat]

I feel like the only person still waiting for this letter gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

...if you couldn't tell, patience is not my strong suit.

 

[HakunaMatata22]

I feel like the only person still waiting for this letter gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

...if you couldn't tell, patience is not my strong suit.

Right there with you... Darn the Midwest being so far away from Charlottesville.

 

[tr0gd0r]

I feel like the only person still waiting for this letter gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

...if you couldn't tell, patience is not my strong suit.

Heh. Nope, I'm still waiting out here on the west coast. Though I haven't been able to check my mail yet today.

 

[mcctwist1]

I feel like the only person still waiting for this letter gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

...if you couldn't tell, patience is not my strong suit.

accepted. i'm from utah and got my letter today, so there you go.....

 

[AH3]

Accepted! OOS interviewed on 9/27. Loved this school and the students seem to be really happy there. Good luck to those of you getting the letter tomorrow.

 

[mcctwist1]

so, i'm not trying to sound like a gunner or anything, but i have a legitimate question...with a p/f grading system and no official class rank, how does UVa do AOA??

 

[schlieren]

Sorry to hear schlieren 🙁 I see you got an acceptance though at SUNY! Congrats on that! in the rest of the cycle!

Thank you! I still feel a little demoralized though, as it seems that so far I'm the only one not accepted here after interview 🙁

so, i'm not trying to sound like a gunner or anything, but i have a legitimate question...with a p/f grading system and no official class rank, how does UVa do AOA??

How could this not be a gunner question 😛
During the interview session, it was specifically mentioned that the class would nominate AOA candidates first (grade-blinded), then someone in the Dean's office would browse the students' records to select those with top scores, and that this is the only time the school would look at your grades.

 

[Strontium]

Anyone interview yesterday?

 

[UmichKat]

Thank you! I still feel a little demoralized though, as it seems that so far I'm the only one not accepted here after interview 🙁

My guess is that there were quite a few who weren't accepted, but all of the excited accepted people are the ones who come post. Don't feel bad 🙂

 

[HakunaMatata22]

My guess is that there were quite a few who weren't accepted, but all of the excited accepted people are the ones who come post. Don't feel bad 🙂

Agreed. SDN is like n=15 while over 200 people have interviewed. No worries!

 

[mcctwist1]

Thank you! I still feel a little demoralized though, as it seems that so far I'm the only one not accepted here after interview 🙁


How could this not be a gunner question 😛
During the interview session, it was specifically mentioned that the class would nominate AOA candidates first (grade-blinded), then someone in the Dean's office would browse the students' records to select those with top scores, and that this is the only time the school would look at your grades.

hmmm i must have missed that slide or something. but congrats to everyone who has been accepted, and I hope everyone gets good news in the next few days!

 

[pdxjazz]

Really enjoyed my interview this week. Very impressed with the school and the city of Charlottesville. Glad I was able to fly at a reasonable cost into the city instead of having to worry about renting a car and driving in. My student host was great and showed me around the school and the city. Highly recommend a student host if at all possible. Thanks UVA for making this such a nice experience!

 

[Richspiders07]

so, i'm not trying to sound like a gunner or anything, but i have a legitimate question...with a p/f grading system and no official class rank, how does UVa do AOA??

warning - uva doesn't like the gunner mentality.

i don't think i knew what aoa even was before m2...

 

[HakunaMatata22]

Well worth the wait... ACCEPTED. OOS. Midwest.
Definitely one of my top choices! I'm ecstatic.

 

[tr0gd0r]

Well worth the wait... ACCEPTED. OOS. Midwest.
Definitely one of my top choices! I'm ecstatic.

Congrats!

Odd though...I got my yesterday and I live 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean 😛 (Accepted as well).

 

[cyanide]

I feel like the only person still waiting for this letter gahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! ...if you couldn't tell, patience is not my strong suit.

Heeeey fellow Michigander. I just got my letter today. Hope you did too. 🙂

Well worth the wait... ACCEPTED. OOS. Midwest.
Definitely one of my top choices! I'm ecstatic.

👍 Congrats! Funny how someone in Utah got the letter before those of us in the midwest... but it was definitely worth the wait!

 

[HakunaMatata22]

Congrats!

Odd though...I got my yesterday and I live 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean 😛 (Accepted as well).

Congratulations!! Funny how the US post works... Contemplating a move to the West Coast to get decisions faster! 😉

Heeeey fellow Michigander. I just got my letter today. Hope you did too. 🙂



👍 Congrats! Funny how someone in Utah got the letter before those of us in the midwest... but it was definitely worth the wait!

+1


Congrats to all who were accepted and to those still waiting! UVa blew me away.

 

[Steeler7588]

Congrats to everyone accepted - I've stopped by some to talk to y'all between interviews, and hope to see you guys back for Second Look!

so, i'm not trying to sound like a gunner or anything, but i have a legitimate question...with a p/f grading system and no official class rank, how does UVa do AOA??

From what I've heard, the top 6 (people, not percent) in the class get are inducted to AOA based on basic science grades. The vast majority of AOA members are nominated and voted on after third year. This could also be complete bull****. I didn't hear that from anyone in the administration, so take it with a grain of salt. If it is true, that seems like the only time our P/F grades would matter, and since there's no way in hell I'm finishing in the top 6 of a 155 person class, I only care about learning the material well enough so I can provide great care to my future patients... as medical students should.

Our suturing workshop today was one of the best lectures I've ever had in my life. They have really cool stuff integrated into our curriculum. Anything that needs improvement is taken pretty seriously. Despite being part of the guinea pig class, I think it's a pretty great learning style, and I can't imagine how nice it'll be after they improve on it with our suggestions. If y'all decide to come here, you're going to have a really refined and amazing experience.

 

[mcctwist1]

warning - uva doesn't like the gunner mentality.

i don't think i knew what aoa even was before m2...

dude. dont worry. i'm really not. dr. marzani briefly mentioned something about it during our interview day, but didn't elaborate. it was a legitimate question.

👍 Congrats! Funny how someone in Utah got the letter before those of us in the midwest... but it was definitely worth the wait!

Yah i don't understand how the postal system works either. whatevs. glad to hear the good news everyone!

hoping to play with some of you in the MFL next year!

 

[dancer89]

how do people like the new curriculum?? I heard there are no traditional lectures, only small group learning, is that true?

 

[cyanide]

how do people like the new curriculum?? I heard there are no traditional lectures, only small group learning, is that true?

You may want to read the posts on the past several pages... some of the current students have made very informational comments.

In short, no, that is not true. There are still lectures, but they are not "traditional" in the sense that they use more interactive learning, technology, evidence-based techniques (like splitting the lecture into 15 min components instead of a continuous hour) to improve information retention, etc.

 

[RB93]

For those who have been accepted, does the letter require you to do anything (pay a deposit, send anything back within a certain time limit)? I can't check my mail until next week so just wanted to check if anything was required (if I were fortunate to be accepted). Thanks!

 

[cyanide]

For those who have been accepted, does the letter require you to do anything (pay a deposit, send anything back within a certain time limit)? I can't check my mail until next week so just wanted to check if anything was required (if I were fortunate to be accepted). Thanks!

You don't have to pay a deposit, but you do have to fill out and return a form indicating that you want to hold a spot in the class within 3 weeks of receiving the acceptance letter.

 

[mvenus929]

how do people like the new curriculum?? I heard there are no traditional lectures, only small group learning, is that true?

1) I personally love it.

2) There are plenty of traditional lectures. There are still professors who will get up in front of the class and talk for 50 minutes at a time. There are other professors who have fully embraced the new curriculum and require lots of pre-work before class, then during class go through each of the individual points with class input. There are professors at every point in between. Then there are classes where we do all the work; we just have a mentor there to redirect us if we get off track.

If you're looking for more, I suggest going through the rest of the thread. Myself, Steeler7588, and justinbailey are all first years who have gone on about various aspects of the new curriculum. Richspiders07 is a fourth year who's been through clinicals.

 

[justinbaily]

how do people like the new curriculum?? I heard there are no traditional lectures, only small group learning, is that true?

Pure small group learning is probably 5-10% of what we've done, and even then it's typically done with the class as a whole. The only "small group learning" we've done have been two disease discussions (alcoholism and sickle cell) and some epidemiology primary literature review. The primary difference between our teaching style and other schools' styles are that our lectures are sometimes broken up with exercises that require information application. Because of the layout of the room, professors are able to, for instance, be lecturing on blood-cell identification, and then direct the tables to look at a digital blood smear as a group to try and pick out one of the white blood cells that they were just talking about. After 5-10 minutes of that, we would then pick back up with the didactic lecture. Outside of those hybrid lectures, we have a sizable chunk of traditional lectures, engagement activities and dry-labs where a group of faculty and residents from one of the hospital's departments come down to teach while utilizing actual specimens or images. If we did not have traditional lectures, then it would have been a huge waste to construct the giant lecture hall we have upstairs that we'll be utilizing for at least half of our classes next year.

Before I came here, I was worried that UVa was heading towards a PBL-style curriculum, but that has turned out to not be the case. In fact, I would describe UVa's approach as the opposite of PBL. In PBL, you take a case that is unfamiliar to you, and then learn everything you know by gutting the case in a small group and independently researching a variety of thing related to the case. To me, that is a very disorganized, chaotic and difficult to standardize way to teach medical students. What UVa does, is provide us with the organized information that we need to know in the form of reading assignments, lecture notes/handouts and powerpoint lectures, and then gives us cases or exercises to apply that information to in class in order to improve our grasp of the material and make it clinically relevant.

To summarize:
PBL = case--->information
UVa = information--->case/exercise

It's hard to really grasp what UVa is doing because I think that it is a pre-clincial format that is actually unique because we're the only school with the facilities to make it work.

Side notes:

One of the nice things that UVa does is keep all of the didactic stuff between 8 and 12, so you have the afternoons off. This includes labs, and when we start doing gross anatomy it will stay that way. Half of the class will do dissection in the morning while the other half either have some lectures or the day off, which is a pretty cool way to do it. I would recommend going somewhere where you are not stuck in lecture every afternoon. I have two friends who go to schools with lectures from 8 AM until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and I wouldn't recommend it. Caveats: we do have a "doctoring" small group thing called CPD once a week from 1 until 3 or 4ish where we learn how to do procedures, interview patients and interpret labs, but most people regard that as a break, and none of it is formally assessed. You will also have one semester where you are doing a community service activity once a week.

I would also like to echo Steeler's point about the number of cool, random things built into the curriculum to keep everything interesting by adding variety to the week.

At the beginning of each week, we usually have a patient that comes in with a disease that relates to what we'll be doing for that week; e.g., a patient with hemophilia will come in for an interview to talk about how the disease has impacted their life during a week in which we learn about the coagulation cascade. It keeps everything in perspective, and you feel like the basic science is really clinically relevant and related to real people.

Secondly, there are a number of fun things like the suturing lab we had yesterday where a surgical attending and a number of residents came to class and we were able to learn on blocks of fake skin with suturing needles and instruments.

Third, if you come for an interview, have a student show you their color-coded schedule to get an idea for the variety of class formats that we have over a given week. The variety stops medical school from feeling like a "grind" of the same format of information overload day-in and day-out. I think that that's why I don't feel overwhelmed in medical school like I expected to feel.

Finally, the way that they have integrated the curriculum makes it possible to learn things in their correct context. We will no longer be forced to memorize long lists of medications a year after learning the relevant physiology, or the pathology of a system a year after learning the "normal" state. Instead, we learn everything in context, and that helps everything make much more sense.

Again, sorry for the TL;DR post, but hopefully it will help some people get an accurate idea of the curriculum. I really like it, if you can't tell.

 

[curlytop]

I've been complete since 9/1, strong GPA, slightly below average MCAT (for UVa). I have strong ECs and leadership. I think my biggest weakness is that I will have a year of research (solar year, not school year) under my belt by next summer (2011).

Is it time to send in a letter of interest? This is one of my very top choices...I feel I need to strike before they reject me.

 

[mvenus929]

I think my biggest weakness is that I will have a year of research (solar year, not school year) under my belt by next summer (2011).

... How is that a weakness? I didn't have any research, period.

 

[RB93]

You don't have to pay a deposit, but you do have to fill out and return a form indicating that you want to hold a spot in the class within 3 weeks of receiving the acceptance letter.

Thanks for your help!

 

[dancer89]

thanks everyone! i did read the previous pages, just was unsure about some of the details. plus people seem to have differing opinions.

 

[futuremdnca]

Just got an interview invite at UVA... it's a great school, definitely excited!! These things are getting harder to schedule...this is my 6th interview invite and I work! 🙁

Congrats to everyone who has been accepted... was complete 9/28.

Does anyone know how many apps UVA usually gets and # of interviews, etc.?

Good luck!