2014-2015 Virginia Commonwealth University Application Thread

BU Medical Sciences
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John glances out his window, looking for signs of the apocalypse, which would be a sign that he should probably start reviewing the pile of applications on his desk that has grown so large that other members of the admissions committee consider it to be part of the nearby Appalachian Mountains. At once, he is both pleased and angered to see premedical students relaxing on the adjacent lawn, enjoying the last weeks of summer without having to worry about filling out any more secondary applications. On the one hand, it is a sign that he can continue to play Candy Crush without being bothered by the impending end of the world. On the other hand, he is angered by the easygoing nature of the students. After all, just because it is the weekend and most admissions offices are closed doesn't mean that they shouldn't be perpetually plagued by the pre-med neuroticism. With a gleeful smile, he changes a few applicants' statuses from "complete" to "forwarded". When he visits SDN the next hour, he is pleased to notice that anxiety and disorder have again been restored to the premedical world. With his eyes glistening with tears of joy, he pulls out his iPhone, and promptly completes his 1000th level of Candy Crush since the application cycle began. He calls Honcho to inform him of his incredible progress. They share a laugh and John feels content, knowing that the shade from the pile of applications won't be going anywhere soon, which saves him from dipping into his six-figure salary to pay for proper blinds.
 
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Been sitting at the "MAY" status for over a week now. It looks like most people get an II a few days after a MAY status though.
 
Is there anyone on here that hasn't even been sent a secondary yet? Or a notice that you won't be receiving a secondary
 
janebear1 said:
Is there anyone on here that hasn't even been sent a secondary yet? Or a notice that you won't be receiving a secondary
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I haven't received a secondary yet, but only verified 8/12. Just hoping to make it through the screen.
 
M12B said:
I haven't received a secondary yet, but only verified 8/12. Just hoping to make it through the screen.
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My preliminary app was received July 8. I called last week and they said, "Don't worry, it can take 6-8weeks +" But it seems like so many people have already submitted secondaries and are getting interviews. I hope this doesn't mean a rejection is on the way!
 
janebear1 said:
My preliminary app was received July 8. I called last week and they said, "Don't worry, it can take 6-8weeks +" But it seems like so many people have already submitted secondaries and are getting interviews. I hope this doesn't mean a rejection is on the way!
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Thanks for the info! I hope not too!
 
k0b3 said:
Hey everyone!
I'm currently a 4th year at MCV/VCU and I thought I'd pop in and answer any questions you may have. I remember how stressful of a time it was to be in your position and because now I have a little bit of time, thought i'd come and help out. I'm very familiar with how the entire application process is done and can answer any questions about the school itself and my experiences. I'm also doing my clinical years at the Inova campus near DC, so any questions about that are welcome as well. I think the Inova campus, where 25-30 students each year go to, is one of the well kept secrets because they don't go a very good job advertising to the students what they are all about. Every single one of my classmates who came up to do a rotation up here all regret not coming up! There are + and - of course, but I'd be happy to discuss.

Probably the only thing i'm not very familiar with is the new curriculum but everything else I'd be happy to answer questions for. Good luck everyone!
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@k0b3, Can you please tell little more about how you compare MCV to the INOVA campus for clinical years? Which place get more volume, complex cases, more hands on as opposed to observing, more research opportunity, and residency placement. Other than location preference, what would be the plus for INOVA campus over MCV?
 
caliboydave said:
How many people here have been complete since early July and have had no update? This is getting really frustrating. I saw we bombard them with emails all at the same time haha
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Do you mean you've received and submitted a secondary?
 
does anyone know the process of when the early decision applicants find out? on the admissions website, it says that ED applicants will be informed on OR before Oct 1st...so does that mean they'll wait to let everyone know on Oct 1st or let you know as soon as you go through committee?

*edit- to find out about an acceptance/rejection/hold after having interviewed.
 
What is the general consensus for people who have received the MAY status? I received mine on 8/10 and still haven't heard anything. I'm wondering if I've just focused on the posts where people heard in a few days after the status update
 
I'm with you. Also got the MAY status on 8/10 and no word since then.

cmlanz said:
What is the general consensus for people who have received the MAY status? I received mine on 8/10 and still haven't heard anything. I'm wondering if I've just focused on the posts where people heard in a few days after the status update
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yesdee said:
@k0b3, Can you please tell little more about how you compare MCV to the INOVA campus for clinical years? Which place get more volume, complex cases, more hands on as opposed to observing, more research opportunity, and residency placement. Other than location preference, what would be the plus for INOVA campus over MCV?
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Sure! Inova is the major referral center for all of DC, so we definitely see a large volume of complex cases and the hospital is extremely busy. From speaking with my classmates down at MCV, I definitely think we get much more hands on opportunities and get to learn a lot more, simply because our class size is so much smaller. For example, I was completely alone for a few rotations like medicine and surgery, and was never in a group larger than 2-3. This is good and bad because you will learn a TON because you are the focus of all the pimping and teaching, but it is bad because you can't "hide out" when things get tough or have other students to kind of lean on. But i promise you will learn a ton. Also just the smaller class size means no fighting for any opportunities (even to a point of going to so many surgeries you get sick of them!). Deans tell us the students up at INOVA have a much larger on average increase from step 1 to step 2 board scores, which shows you how much the students learn. You also get to work with students from Georgetown and GW (along with other schools/students), but you will never be on the same team as them.

In terms of being at MCV, there is without question more research opportunities. Residency placement is probably slightly stronger down at MCV but this is just because of the number of students that stay there. The downside of INOVA is that there isn't a residency program for a lot of the super competitive specialities (surgical specialties, etc) so you can't network as well or really find that research. This doesn't necessarily mean you won't match into these specialities, but it can make it a little tougher. Also the cost of living is much higher. Another downside is that the group sizes are so small you can be stuck with the same student the entire year as your "partner" which means if you don't get alone with him or her, it can be a long year.

I would say overall, unless you are certain you need tons of research and for sure want to go for a super competitive specialty, Inova is a fantastic option. You get to live near DC, see a great diversity of patients (MCV is predominately african americans + caucasians), and the small class size affords a lot of benefits and the deans are very receptive to feedback and make changes VERY quickly. The students up here are basically "spoiled" with free goodies, frequent free meals + meal money, and the administration is very good about sending reminder emails and being on top of you, just because the class size is small. I would highly recommend anyone who isn't tied down to MCV to check it out!
 
VirginiaBrown said:
does anyone know the process of when the early decision applicants find out? on the admissions website, it says that ED applicants will be informed on OR before Oct 1st...so does that mean they'll wait to let everyone know on Oct 1st or let you know as soon as you go through committee?

*edit- to find out about an acceptance/rejection/hold after having interviewed.
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Have you interviewed already? Mine is Tuesday!
 
It's been 3 weeks since VCU gave me the "very interested" status. Guess I shouldn't have poked fun at John 😉

Sending lots of good vibes out to all those in limbo. I can't get over the fact that some people haven't received status updates – or even secondaries – yet. 🙁 Let's hope good news is just around the bend.
 
hellanutella said:
It's been 3 weeks since VCU gave me the "very interested" status. Guess I shouldn't have poked fun at John 😉

Sending lots of good vibes out to all those in limbo. I can't get over the fact that some people haven't received status updates – or even secondaries – yet. 🙁 Let's hope good news is just around the bend.
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If poking fun at John puts you in admissions exile I think both of us can expect to be updated next August 😉
 
finally got the MAY status. Complete 7/11

Can someone remind me what this implies in terms of all the multiple status VCU bombards us with?
 
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hoihaie said:
finally got the MAY status.

Can someone remind me what this implies in terms of all the multiple status VCU bombards us with?
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Seems most ppl who get the MAY status end up with an II within a week or so, but a few have gotten that status and not received anything else but silence for weeks. So hopefully for you it's the latter.
 
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