2014-2015 University of Virginia Application Thread

[daenschl]

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Ahaha, thanks for the plug, claduva. 😉

Just a friendly reminder to take anything and everything in my mdapps with a metric crap-ton of salt. Recaps are a mixture of factual info and my (very humble) opinion. I had a lovely time here; the curriculum has to be one of my favourites and the admissions staff were truly exceptional. I'd be utterly thrilled to attend.

PS: The lunch was legendary.... get the peach cobbler.

I echo all of what hellanutella said. And another plug for the peach cobbler. The chocolate silk cake was just a little disappointing. Didn't take away from the fact that the lunch was, indeed, legen...and I'm not going to wait for it...dary!

 

[tnara]

Ahaha, thanks for the plug, claduva. 😉

Just a friendly reminder to take anything and everything in my mdapps with a metric crap-ton of salt. Recaps are a mixture of factual info and my (very humble) opinion. I had a lovely time here; the curriculum has to be one of my favourites and the admissions staff were truly exceptional. I'd be utterly thrilled to attend.

PS: The lunch was legendary.... get the peach cobbler.

I was pretty amused by your description of driving down 29 from the airport...it's definitely not *that* rural...I mean come on, if you're from the west you should know what remote is 🙂. Seriously though, fantastic write-up. I'm sorry to hear about your interviews. Definitely not the norm...though I have a feeling I know who your student interviewer was. Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed account of your experience. I encourage people to read it and to be sure to ask questions about the things that concern them.

 

[hellanutella]

thanks so much hellanutella! your reviews are super helpful 🙂

No problem! You're going to have a splendid time at UVA 😀 Best of luck on your interview!

I echo all of what hellanutella said. And another plug for the peach cobbler. The chocolate silk cake was just a little disappointing. Didn't take away from the fact that the lunch was, indeed, legen...and I'm not going to wait for it...dary!

Seriously. I got the silk cake (which I ate and loved because I am a chocolate glutton 😉), but one of my fellow interviewees gave me a portion of their cobbler... so good. So so good.

 

[hellanutella]

I was pretty amused by your description of driving down 29 from the airport...it's definitely not *that* rural...I mean come on, if you're from the west you should know what remote is 🙂. Seriously though, fantastic write-up. I'm sorry to hear about your interviews. Definitely not the norm...though I have a feeling I know who your student interviewer was. Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed account of your experience. I encourage people to read it and to be sure to ask questions about the things that concern them.

Sadly, I'm your archetypical city slicker.... have never lived outside of a major metropolitan area. 😳 It didn't help that I was flying into CHO expecting a large, multi-terminal hub.

I have a feeling that my interview experience was an outlier – everyone on my day said their interviews were incredibly relaxed, even with people who got my same interviewers. Nevertheless, both interviewers were really friendly people. I was just caught unawares by the rapid questions and ethical scenarios, which is mostly my own fault. It was a little more challenging, but by no means a true "stress interview."

Just an n=1 anecdotal experience. By and large, y'all should expect to have really conversational interviews.

@tnara thanks so much for all your insight! You have been a great resource on this thread!

 

[tnara]

Sadly, I'm your archetypical city slicker.... have never lived outside of a major metropolitan area. 😳 It didn't help that I was flying into CHO expecting a large, multi-terminal hub.

I have a feeling that my interview experience was an outlier – everyone on my day said their interviews were incredibly relaxed, even with people who got my same interviewers. Nevertheless, both interviewers were really friendly people. I was just caught unawares by the rapid questions and ethical scenarios, which is mostly my own fault. It was a little more challenging, but by no means a true "stress interview."

Just an n=1 anecdotal experience. By and large, y'all should expect to have really conversational interviews.

@tnara thanks so much for all your insight! You have been a great resource on this thread!

Not sadly! Haha. I have also never lived outside of a major metro area...other than Cville, I guess. The east coast is just so much denser than almost anywhere out west.

Well now I just feel bad that we always tell interviewees to not sweat the interviews and that they won't get those ridiculous ethical scenario questions. But yes I do think your experience was an outlier. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though and I'm glad the rest of the day went well.

 

[mostlyharmless1]

This might have been the most positive interview I ever had. The staff was amazingly hospitable. The students almost seemed too happy. Lunch was amazing (I did have the peach cobbler). The interviewers were super sweet.

 

[tnara]

This was probably by far the most positive interview I ever had. The staff was amazingly hospitable. The students almost seemed too happy. Lunch was amazing (I did have the peach cobbler). The interviewers were super sweet.

That's because we're fourth years.

 

[mvenus929]

I echo all of what hellanutella said. And another plug for the peach cobbler. The chocolate silk cake was just a little disappointing. Didn't take away from the fact that the lunch was, indeed, legen...and I'm not going to wait for it...dary!

Eh. The creme brulee is where it's at. Their cheesecake is pretty decent too.

 

[premedpurposes]

Is there a student host housing available?

 

[tnara]

Is there a student host housing available?

There usually is hosting available. You should get info about it when you get your interview invite.

 

[Toddissox]

Deleted..

 

[Dral]

For anyone flying in, look into flying into Richmond and renting a car to C'ville. When I was a student there, I almost always flew out of Richmond because it was cheaper...however, I had my own car to drive the hour and a half.

Anyway, just compare the two before making final plans. Good luck!

The lunch is totally the bomb...it ruins the lunch everywhere else...you'll go to other places and be all " oh bag lunch...great...🤔"

 

[fermata125]

This is incredibly late but I've been MIA for awhile, so I figured I'd chime in.
App complete on 8/1, II came on 8/20. I'm OOS, LizzyM ~75.

 

[mvenus929]

The lunch is totally the bomb...it ruins the lunch everywhere else...you'll go to other places and be all " oh bag lunch...great...🤔"

Unless you're unfortunate enough to interview while the undergrads are on break. The bagged lunches are still pretty good, but Belair Market doesn't compare to the Garden Room.

 

[tnara]

Unless you're unfortunate enough to interview while the undergrads are on break. The bagged lunches are still pretty good, but Belair Market doesn't compare to the Garden Room.

This happened during my interview 🙁.

 

[boltedbicorne]

Sadly, I'm your archetypical city slicker.... have never lived outside of a major metropolitan area. 😳 It didn't help that I was flying into CHO expecting a large, multi-terminal hub.

I have a feeling that my interview experience was an outlier – everyone on my day said their interviews were incredibly relaxed, even with people who got my same interviewers. Nevertheless, both interviewers were really friendly people. I was just caught unawares by the rapid questions and ethical scenarios, which is mostly my own fault. It was a little more challenging, but by no means a true "stress interview."

Just an n=1 anecdotal experience. By and large, y'all should expect to have really conversational interviews.

You sound very sheltered because you're super unnerved by a s slight stress interview after all the other ones went flawlessly and you have a tons of interview invites to top schools, including UCSF. If you can't take it in strides and just deal with it, that's a sign of being extremely sheltered and having very little real world experience. i'm guessing the interviewer picked that up.

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

You sound very sheltered because you're super unnerved by a s slight stress interview after all the other ones went flawlessly and you have a tons of interview invites to top schools, including UCSF. If you can't take it in strides and just deal with it, that's a sign of being extremely sheltered and having very little real world experience. i'm guessing the interviewer picked that up.

Why jump to such conclusions? You don't even know hellanutella. How could you possibly say something like this about someone you've never met? Quite rude in my opinion, and totally unnecessary!

 

[boltedbicorne]

Why jump to such conclusions? You don't even know hellanutella. How could you possibly say something like this about someone you've never met? Quite rude in my opinion, and totally unnecessary!

Reading people's posting styles can go far. I'm inferring from the constant braggadocio posts from like every top school from this person and the freakout over one slight stress interview because one thing out of ALL THESE interviews goes wrong (check the mdapps place). it just screams silver spoon sheltered disney reality, but i did offer some constructive criticism within my post. the solution is to gain real world experience, a few more stress interviews would really help as would doing something significant and overcoming some real obstacles.

 

[unnumzaan]

Reading people's posting styles can go far. I'm inferring from the constant braggadocio posts from like every top school from this person and the freakout over one slight stress interview because one thing out of ALL THESE interviews goes wrong (check the mdapps place). it just screams silver spoon sheltered disney reality, but i did offer some constructive criticism within my post. the solution is to gain real world experience, a few more stress interviews would really help as would doing something significant and overcoming some real obstacles.

Man, I gotta say, judging from this and the Pitt thread, you just don't seem like a very pleasant person.

 

[claduva94]

Reading people's posting styles can go far. I'm inferring from the constant braggadocio posts from like every top school from this person and the freakout over one slight stress interview because one thing out of ALL THESE interviews goes wrong (check the mdapps place). it just screams silver spoon sheltered disney reality, but i did offer some constructive criticism within my post. the solution is to gain real world experience, a few more stress interviews would really help as would doing something significant and overcoming some real obstacles.

I have yet to see hellanutta brag at all. She is getting love from top schools BECAUSE she has great life experiences. She is also one of the nicest, most supportive people I've talked to. And I have no doubt she will be going someplace amazing. Because she DESERVES it. Last I checked you were bashing Pitt for having the nerve to not interview you despite all your other interviews. Check your entitlement at the door. It is inaccurate to assume that someone won't have an off day at an interview. And despite that, I see nothing close to panicking.

 

[boltedbicorne]

Man, I gotta say, judging from this and the Pitt thread, you just don't seem like a very pleasant person.

i dont like being bragged at. it's the epitome of abrasive. students fight to get one interview and being bragged at about interviews at like every top school is like salt in the wounds for all.

I have yet to see hellanutta brag at all. She is getting love from top schools BECAUSE she has great life experiences. She is also one of the nicest, most supportive people I've talked to. And I have no doubt she will be going someplace amazing. Because she DESERVES it. Last I checked you were bashing Pitt for having the nerve to not interview you despite all your other interviews. Check your entitlement at the door. It is inaccurate to assume that someone won't have an off day at an interview. And despite that, I see nothing close to panicking.

at the very minimum it's gloating that appears in every top school thread and it's salt in the eyes to every other hard worker who doesn't get 1/10th of that attention and would be happy with one totally stress interview. i wasnt being entitled at all, i was calling out pitt's process of choosing applicants from my POV. I dont care if i got an interview or not, it's just the way they go about things that sucks. I expect rejections and stress interviews and have got them, and I dont let that throw me off my game ever because that's part of the process, I know that we cant get everything in life and shouldnt expect to. i'd be happy with all stress interviews because it's challenging, a good experience, and allows me to think on my feet instead of letting it throw off my game.

 

[mostlyharmless1]

Reading people's posting styles can go far. I'm inferring from the constant braggadocio posts from like every top school from this person and the freakout over one slight stress interview because one thing out of ALL THESE interviews goes wrong (check the mdapps place). it just screams silver spoon sheltered disney reality, but i did offer some constructive criticism within my post. the solution is to gain real world experience, a few more stress interviews would really help as would doing something significant and overcoming some real obstacles.

I read the review too, and I saw no sign of a "freakout".
Personally I felt that the interview experience was fantastic, and that both of my interviewers were really sweet, but one of them also repeatedly asked me questions of a similar nature (she essentially grilled me for my opinion on certain subjects which I'm usually cautious about divulging), but never quite reaching an inappropriate level (it may actually have been the same interviewer as hellanutella). I personally felt that that interview was more authentic, though I can see how one could be taken aback.

 

[claduva94]

Rejected and I'm not surprised in the slightest because I didn't expect anything from a school that essentially auto-invites students with 34+ MCATs to interview a day after they submit while throwing everyone else to the bottom of the pile to view way later. At least I got enough interviews to not sweat being jerked around and rejected by schools like this. 🙂👍👍👍

Not entitled indeed 🙄

i dont like being bragged at. it's the epitome of abrasive. students fight to get one interview and being bragged at about interviews at like every top school is like salt in the wounds for all.


at the very minimum it's gloating that appears in every top school thread and it's salt in the eyes to every other hard worker who doesn't get 1/10th of that attention and would be happy with one totally stress interview. i wasnt being entitled at all, i was calling out pitt's process of choosing applicants from my POV. I dont care if i got an interview or not, it's just the way they go about things that sucks. I expect rejections and stress interviews and have got them, and I dont let that throw me off my game ever because that's part of the process, I know that we cant get everything in life and shouldnt expect to. i'd be happy with all stress interviews because it's challenging, a good experience, and allows me to think on my feet instead of letting it throw off my game.

I challenge you to indicate one instance where she gloated. Back up your claim with evidence and I will concede. It is naive to assume someone wouldn't prefer a relaxed interview to a stressed one, no matter their background.

 

[WillburCobb]

Man, I gotta say, judging from this and the Pitt thread, you just don't seem like a very pleasant person.

Well it is Mrh125 under a different account...

 

[Ace Khalifa]

Excuse me, @boltedbicorne? You don't know a thing about @hellanutella. She's a wonderful person and an extremely strong, well-qualified applicant. She earned all of her interviews at the top schools. She isn't bragging or gloating. She's just been really excited to go to all those great medical schools and share her adventures with us. Personally, I find it entertaining whenever she posts pics and writes her reviews of every school. I'd never be able to get an interview at any of those top schools, so it's nice to see what it's like to interview there. If you don't like her posts, then keep it to yourself.

Don't worry, hellanutella. I got your back.

 

[boltedbicorne]

Not entitled indeed 🙄
I challenge you to indicate one instance where she gloated. Back up your claim with evidence and I will concede. It is naive to assume someone wouldn't prefer a relaxed interview to a stressed one, no matter their background.

lol if you think calling me entitled means anything you're the definition of deluded. I don't mind being rejected it's just the way the school goes about rejecting and interviewing people. i've received 8+ rejections and none of the schools handled applicants in such a sloppy and tactless way as extending invites to those a few hours later just due to mcat score.

her gloating - try every other top tier thread she got an invite in.

 

[mostlyharmless1]

lol if you think calling me entitled means anything you're the definition of deluded. I don't mind being rejected it's just the way the school goes about rejecting and interviewing people. i've received 8+ rejections and none of the schools handled applicants in such a sloppy and tactless way as extending invites to those a few hours later just due to mcat score.

her gloating - try every other top tier thread she got an invite in.

I can understand your frustration, and I'm sorry to hear about your rejection, but having said that, high stats don't just fall onto most people's laps either. People tend to work hard to earn their MCAT scores.

 

[baloo4]

@boltedbicorne, like I said on the Pitt thread, it makes it really hard to sift through more useful information, such as @hellanutella 's interview experience, when you inundate the thread with your stream-of-consciousness style comments attacking others. Most people don't want to have to accidentally read about how you think life is unfair while trying to find out when UVA sent out their most recent interview invites, for example. Make your own thread.

 

[hellanutella]

Woah nellie. I can't type much due to spotty wifi, but a few things:

1. Boltedbicorne, the school specific thread is not the place for this. If you have genuine beef with anything I have said in particular, and are not the ghost of mrh125, I'd invite you to privately message me. This has happened before in the UCF thread and, of course, it was destined to happen again... Let's try to stop this.

2. To everyone who responded: wow. I'm just overwhelmed by your support. People love to bash on sdn due to its anxiety-fueled flare-ups and occasional trolls, but the large collection of genuinely awesome people on here truly do make up for it. I'd be honoured to end up as any one of your classmates. I wish I could write more to express my gratitude.

3. To clarify: I was just expressing surprise at the number of ethical scenarios I got in rapid succession. My interviewers were friendly and 100% professional. It just threw me off guard when my fellow interviewees reported long, casual discussions about their hobbies/vacations and I was questioned on stuff like the implications of extending the PPACA to cover undocumented immigrants. Also, sometimes the interviewer would question certain aspects about my upbringing (but totally legal/valid questions, in the context of the info I provided in my app). So yes, my surprise was largely due in part to a lack of preparedness/false sense of security.

4. Sigh.

Now let's get back to actual info about UVA. 🙂

 

[Shams al Deen]

.

 

[turdferguson10]

I just decided to throw my hat into the applicant pool here and I'm submitting my secondary today. I really like this school, but I was on the fence about applying here since I had applied to ~20 other schools. I decided to go for it, but I'm wondering if it is too late for me to be seriously considered for an interview at the very least. I have north of 200 hours of shadowing, and ~3 years of research (no pubs though). GPA is 3.85, and MCAT is 41. I'm also OOS. Should I go for it?

 

[claduva94]

I just decided to throw my hat into the applicant pool here and I'm submitting my secondary today. I really like this school, but I was on the fence about applying here since I had applied to ~20 other schools. I decided to go for it, but I'm wondering if it is too late for me to be seriously considered for an interview at the very least. I have north of 200 hours of shadowing, and ~3 years of research (no pubs though). GPA is 3.85, and MCAT is 41. I'm also OOS. Should I go for it?

Clinical experience in addition to shadowing?

 

[turdferguson10]

Not really much else. The shadowing itself is pretty varied, but other than some non-clinical volunteer work, I don't have any other relevant ECs.

 

[k8gr87]

I just decided to throw my hat into the applicant pool here and I'm submitting my secondary today. I really like this school, but I was on the fence about applying here since I had applied to ~20 other schools. I decided to go for it, but I'm wondering if it is too late for me to be seriously considered for an interview at the very least. I have north of 200 hours of shadowing, and ~3 years of research (no pubs though). GPA is 3.85, and MCAT is 41. I'm also OOS. Should I go for it?

as long as you are OOS then I don't have a problem with it.

 

[claduva94]

Not really much else. The shadowing itself is pretty varied, but other than some non-clinical volunteer work, I don't have any other relevant ECs.

I'd say that may hurt you but give it a shot. You never know!

 

[WishingAndWaiting]

I submitted my secondary 8/21... and have heard nothing since... yikes?

 

[Paeonia]

I submitted my secondary 8/21... and have heard nothing since... yikes?

I submitted mine on 7/14 and haven't heard anything either, so I think you're still okay. I know some people submit secondaries in July and don't get II's until mid-December/January, so it's not over until you get a decline. Best of luck!

 

[Lord Broseidon]

A+ peach cobbler

 

[HeLaDeala]

A+ peach cobbler

+1; It could have been the whole meal

 

[Ecologyman]

I was also submitted in late July. Just gotta keep hanging in there! 😀

 

[mostlyharmless1]

Anyone else anxiously waiting for 10/16?

 

[soccerusa]

I'll be interviewing this Monday 10/6. Do people think they will tell us on 10/15?

 

[mostlyharmless1]

I'll be interviewing this Monday 10/6. Do people think they will tell us on 10/15?

They make a decision on your application the Friday of the week you interview (accept, defer, reject). The first day that they release decisions is 10/16, I believe (according to MSAR).

 

[3rdarmageddon]

Interviewing and having a decision in my inbox when I got off the plane back home was one of the best parts of interviewing at UVA. Let me just put it out there that after a couple months of attending, I couldn't possibly see myself being happier at another medical school.

 

[soccerusa]

Interviewing and having a decision in my inbox when I got off the plane back home was one of the best parts of interviewing at UVA. Let me just put it out there that after a couple months of attending, I couldn't possibly see myself being happier at another medical school.

If you are willing to share, what do you like most about UVA? What makes it so special?

 

[3rdarmageddon]

If you are willing to share, what do you like most about UVA? What makes it so special?

First and foremost, it's the people. It seems like there's an atmosphere of acceptance and genuine interest in each other's wellbeing. Everything else just sort of builds on that. Pass/Fail is really important, because it means that you can learn however you feel you will retain the information best rather than just learning to ace each test. It also gives you the freedom to live a little if you feel that need, and releases you from the compulsion to compete with your peers, which is notable given how naturally intelligent and competitive many of the people here are. Similarly, there's the google doc which people alternate filling out for learning objectives (the only testable concepts). Some people love the google doc (like me), and some people don't touch it. The curriculum is designed in a a way that seems to jump around, but that helps me switch gears and learn more effectively while coming together at the end to give a comprehensive view of the organ system. The teachers are also incredibly invested and approachable, however take some of the learning style modules with a grain of salt.
I personally love Charlottesville, but you may find it a little boring if you're more of a city person. C-ville is really a college city, with lots of restaurants and bars and things to do around campus, but not much else unless you like doing outdoorsy things like I do, in which case you'll be in heaven. Granted, I'm new here, so my impressions are likely to change.

 

[Its_a_lucky_day]

Can applicants send updates pre-interview?
I was complete 7/28 and it has been radio silence since then :/ anyone on the same boat?

 

[claduva94]

Can applicants send updates pre-interview?
I was complete 7/28 and it has been radio silence since then :/ anyone on the same boat?

Yes. I sent an update about a month ago.

 

[Paeonia]

Can applicants send updates pre-interview?
I was complete 7/28 and it has been radio silence since then :/ anyone on the same boat?

I was complete 7/14 with complete silence, so I'm in that same boat. Horrible boat to be in, so hopefully we will hear something soon.

 

[Its_a_lucky_day]

Yes. I sent an update about a month ago.

Did you just emailed your update to the admissions?
as I was browsing around the application portal, I could not find any where to upload new documents :/ just want to make sure I am not blind!