2012-2013 Virginia Commonwealth University Application Thread

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This happened to me in early October too.. I got 2 different status update e-mails but my status never changed..

However this morning I did get the 'MAY' status after being marked complete (the first time) in early September.
 
klEEniC said:
This happened to me in early October too.. I got 2 different status update e-mails but my status never changed..

However this morning I did get the 'MAY' status after being marked complete (the first time) in early September.
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Yea I got the further status today I had complete than further than complete now further again
 
Iampanic said:
Hello,

I got an email today from VCU that I needed to check my status change. When I logged on into the website I did not see any changes. I have been complete for a while and I'm still complete. Should I tried to contact the university to find out what the email was about?

Thanks
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I got the double "complete" emails too...I wonder what this means...maybe an ADCOM is itching to press II button. phahaha.
 
I interview here tomorrow. This is my top choice school. I am extremely nervous.

Does the interview really last a full hour with one interviewer? I've never done this before. I've had one 30-40 min interview and one with 3 30min sessions with different interviewers. Do they keep asking questions until time runs out? Am I supposed to have lengthy answers or keep it short and sweet?
 
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Cuongoff said:
I interview here tomorrow. This is my top choice school. I am extremely nervous.

Does the interview really last a full hour with one interviewer? I've never done this before. I've had one 30-40 min interview and one with 3 30min sessions with different interviewers. Do they keep asking questions until time runs out? Am I supposed to have lengthy answers or keep it short and sweet?
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My interview lasted about 70 minutes, which was longer than any interview I've had before. Most of it will be them asking questions and having you describe your experiences, but there will also be plenty of time for you to ask questions about VCU. My interviewer was an M4, so there was a lot of insight she gave about being a medical student at VCU. An hour sounds like a long time, but it passes by really quickly when you're interviewing.
 
Cuongoff said:
I interview here tomorrow. This is my top choice school. I am extremely nervous.

Does the interview really last a full hour with one interviewer? I've never done this before. I've had one 30-40 min interview and one with 3 30min sessions with different interviewers. Do they keep asking questions until time runs out? Am I supposed to have lengthy answers or keep it short and sweet?
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Some people were done after 30 minutes and some take longer. I was talking with my interviewer for 80 minutes and then had to run from the alumni house back to the rest of the interviewees who were going through financial aid talks. Don't worry, it was a really enjoyable talk.


Sent from my iPod using SDN Mobile app. Please excuse the typos.
 
So I just got back from the Interview. I love it here. I arrived 2 mins late + a 3 min pee break delayed my interview by 5 minutes. I had an MD/PhD student and she was really nice and took down a lot of notes. She even said she liked me a lot at one point. The thing was though she kept telling me I'd be a good candidate for MD/PhD and I should work on my MCAT score if I don't get in this cycle. I don't know if I should take this as a good or bad thing. She pushed it a lot too. I hope my being late won't have too much of an effect. I came with 30 minutes to spare, it's just I'm not used to a city and one way streets and got lost a couple times.
 
gofish6060 said:
I got the double "complete" emails too...I wonder what this means...maybe an ADCOM is itching to press II button. phahaha.
Click to expand...

I got the same, one status update yesterday and another today but nothing on the site has changed...anyone have any insight at all about this?
 
I interviewed here today. Mine were closed file. Note: interviewers who are laid back can get alot out of you vs. those who are intense and hardcore.
 
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Cuongoff said:
So I just got back from the Interview. I love it here. I arrived 2 mins late + a 3 min pee break delayed my interview by 5 minutes. I had an MD/PhD student and she was really nice and took down a lot of notes. She even said she liked me a lot at one point. The thing was though she kept telling me I'd be a good candidate for MD/PhD and I should work on my MCAT score if I don't get in this cycle. I don't know if I should take this as a good or bad thing. She pushed it a lot too. I hope my being late won't have too much of an effect. I came with 30 minutes to spare, it's just I'm not used to a city and one way streets and got lost a couple times.
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Always allow extra time in a new city. Being late will hurt, although it's difficult to say by how much. Your interviewer probably liked you but who knows. She sounds uncertain as to how well she can argue your case to the rest of the adcom, which could be a combination of what you gave her and her own lack of experience. I wouldn't really want a student adcom member as my primary advocate since they really don't yet know every other adcom member and how to effectively sell a candidate they liked.
 
jdavidcox said:
I just got a status update email.. I logged in and was rejected. Weird thing is that I never got the complete status after my interview, and I interviewed 11/7. I thought we weren't going to hear anything until 12/15? Has this happened to anyone else? I didn't think VCU outright rejected anyone until March after your interview. I thought my interview had gone well too. Kind of bummed about this...
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Not to rub salt on your wounds but everyone tends to think their interview went "well". Even though it has happened before a few times they tend not to reject people right after an interview unless there's a major issue. I would suggest calling the admission office and asking them if you can schedule a phone or in-person appointment to discuss the weaknesses in your application process that led to the rejection. The VCU admissions is a wonderful staff and I'm sure they'll let you know everything.
 
jdavidcox said:
I just got a status update email.. I logged in and was rejected. Weird thing is that I never got the complete status after my interview, and I interviewed 11/7. I thought we weren't going to hear anything until 12/15? Has this happened to anyone else? I didn't think VCU outright rejected anyone until March after your interview. I thought my interview had gone well too. Kind of bummed about this...
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Sounds like something in your interview was a pretty strong red flag. I'd give Admissions a call and set up at appointment to get some feedback.


flodhi1 said:
Not to rub salt on your wounds but everyone tends to think their interview went "well". Even though it has happened before a few times they tend not to reject people right after an interview unless there's a major issue. I would suggest calling the admission office and asking them if you can schedule a phone or in-person appointment to discuss the weaknesses in your application process that led to the rejection. The VCU admissions is a wonderful staff and I'm sure they'll let you know everything.
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This.
 
hmmm... i was complete early Sept and I still haven't gotten a status update.
 
Yea I underestimated the city of Richmond. I thought 30 minutes would've been more than enough time but didn't think I would get lost.

I was going to send her a thank you email but don't know when. I was thinking of emailing her tomorrow, so it's exactly halfway between interview and committee review. I was also going to mention how my research abstract got accepted to a second conference. Should I mention that? What do you all think?

music2doc said:
Always allow extra time in a new city. Being late will hurt, although it's difficult to say by how much. Your interviewer probably liked you but who knows. She sounds uncertain as to how well she can argue your case to the rest of the adcom, which could be a combination of what you gave her and her own lack of experience. I wouldn't really want a student adcom member as my primary advocate since they really don't yet know every other adcom member and how to effectively sell a candidate they liked.
Click to expand...
 
Cuongoff said:
Yea I underestimated the city of Richmond. I thought 30 minutes would've been more than enough time but didn't think I would get lost.

I was going to send her a thank you email but don't know when. I was thinking of emailing her tomorrow, so it's exactly halfway between interview and committee review. I was also going to mention how my research abstract got accepted to a second conference. Should I mention that? What do you all think?
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That sound like a reasonable update.
 
So December 15 is a Saturday. Will we know before the weekend or after?
 
Joshturnerfan said:
I interviewed here today. Mine were closed file. Note: interviewers who are laid back can get alot out of you vs. those who are intense and hardcore.
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Hmmm... My interviewer had everything, including my application from a previous cycle.
 
rierphfft said:
Hmmm... My interviewer had everything, including my application from a previous cycle.
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Mine also had access to everything I sent.


Sent from my iPod using SDN Mobile app. Please excuse the typos.
 
This may have been mentioned previously, but where's a good hotel to stay at near the school?
 
CholeCystems said:
This may have been mentioned previously, but where's a good hotel to stay at near the school?
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I stayed in the commonwealth park suites. It was less than a five minute walk and fairly nice. Plus, the walk takes you right by the capital, courthouse, and church.

Cab ride to the hotel cost me $30.


Sent from my iPod using SDN Mobile app. Please excuse the typos.
 
As far as closed file, the coordinator told us that the interviewers didn't read the application beforehand, and also during the interview they did not read anything or ask me anything about things on my application

That does not mean that any of the others were like mine.
 
Joshturnerfan said:
As far as closed file, the coordinator told us that the interviewers didn't read the application beforehand, and also during the interview they did not read anything or ask me anything about things on my application

That does not mean that any of the others were like mine.
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My interviewer definitely read my file before my interview, since I saw that she had taken notes on it and asked me things on my application she couldn't have known about had she not read it. I guess it depends on the interviewer, but mine was rather thorough.
 
virtuoso735 said:
My interviewer definitely read my file before my interview, since I saw that she had taken notes on it and asked me things on my application she couldn't have known about had she not read it. I guess it depends on the interviewer, but mine was rather thorough.
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yeah, even though there wasn't questions regarding my app - mine was quite thorough too! I cannot believe how much was discussed within one hour. These past few days I have flashbacks of all the varied conversations....
 
virtuoso735 said:
My interviewer definitely read my file before my interview, since I saw that she had taken notes on it and asked me things on my application she couldn't have known about had she not read it. I guess it depends on the interviewer, but mine was rather thorough.
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Good sign!
 
virtuoso735 said:
My interviewer definitely read my file before my interview, since I saw that she had taken notes on it and asked me things on my application she couldn't have known about had she not read it. I guess it depends on the interviewer, but mine was rather thorough.
Click to expand...

Not only did my interviewer read my file, they also researched who wrote my letters. He asked me how I knew one of my letter writers because it seemed odd I had one from the letter writer (me from WA and the letter writer is in academic medicine from TN). None of my activities seemed to involve him and I got to explain I went on a 100 mile hike through the Rockies with him and after he served as kind of a mentor for the whole medical school process.

That is not something the interviewer could have known without actually going through my application. There were also some other detail specific questions that were brought out during my interview, but not anything I want to talk about here.
 
My interview had access to my files but chose not to look at them until after she had interviewed me.
 
"May" status today.

OOS, 32Q, 3.7, non-URM

complete around early october.
 
cinamin said:
hmmm... i was complete early Sept and I still haven't gotten a status update.
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Me too. Complete 9/10 and no status updates. It still has the whole complete paragraph when i log in. :/
 
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ahhhh, I checked my email and saw I got a status changed. Turns out its just a post-interview survey. Thank goodness it wasn't a rejection.
 
My file was complete since early September...just got the "further" status today. For those of you still waiting for status change, hang in there...seems like VCU is taking its dear time to update us.
 
To people who have recently gotten interviews: when are the earliest remaining interview dates?
 
SIGINT said:
To people who have recently gotten interviews: when are the earliest remaining interview dates?
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You might want to read the rest of the thread. 😉 Interview dates offered don't depend upon when the interview offer is made but are based on your competitiveness. Your question cannot be answered in an useful manner. If they decided to interview you tomorrow and found you extremely desirable, they might offer you an interview before Christmas. If they decided you were so-so but deserving of consideration, they might only offer you a few late March dates.
 
Who do we email updates to? And at what email address?
 
I interviewed early last week and didn't receive an update saying that they reviewed my file at committee yesterday, but someone else interviewed after me and has already been reviewed. Is that negative? or is there a strange method to their madness of reviewing apps?
 
I know they are reviewing people next Monday so hopefully you are in that group. A lot of news is coming in a few weeks for us!
 
I think it has to do with when your specific interviewer is able to make it to the Monday deliberations. I know mine said she wouldn't be present during the one that took place yesterday, but that she will present my interview to the committee next Monday. So it can just mean that your interviewer didn't have the chance to present. But, then again, I'm not in the AdCom. I'd call and double check if you're still concerned, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. 🙂

James124 said:
I interviewed early last week and didn't receive an update saying that they reviewed my file at committee yesterday, but someone else interviewed after me and has already been reviewed. Is that negative? or is there a strange method to their madness of reviewing apps?
Click to expand...
 
James124 said:
I interviewed early last week and didn't receive an update saying that they reviewed my file at committee yesterday, but someone else interviewed after me and has already been reviewed. Is that negative? or is there a strange method to their madness of reviewing apps?
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As others have said, it depends on when your interviewer can make the adcom meeting. Hearing two weeks later instead of one week later will not be an indicator of your success/failure.
 
I got the status update that says my file was reviewed at the adcom meeting. Interviewed on 11/19
 
I interviewed in mid october 10/11. I never got a status update about my file being reviewed at commitee...anyone else in this situation?
 
I received the "further" status for the second time today. Maybe I'll get an II after all.
 
Wait, we're supposed to get an email or status change that says our file has been reviewed by the committee? All I got was a status change asking me to do the post-interview survey...
 
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