2015-2016 West Virginia University Application Thread

Med School Insiders
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
rachiie01 said:
Guys, I had a really rough day today so please don't pull my leg lol....
But does a secondary really mean II???
I JUST GOT MY SECONDARY!!!
(I'm OOS)
Click to expand...

It seems that way so far, turn it around quick haha
 
rachiie01 said:
Guys, I had a really rough day today so please don't pull my leg lol....
But does a secondary really mean II???
I JUST GOT MY SECONDARY!!!
(I'm OOS)
Click to expand...
For OOS based on last year: 3200 Primaries, 700 Interviewed, 50 matriculated. Even if we assume they accepted double the matriculated we'd only have 14% acceptances.

So getting an II here is good but don't keep your hopes up too much
 
Western US, no strong ties, 68th% mcat, 3.85 science and non science GPA, just got my interview scheduled this week. So excited definitely a top school for myself. Does anybody have any info to as what to expect out of the interview? I know it is just you and 2 adcoms but was wondering how it was structured and such. Thanks .
 
Last edited:
TetralogyGuy said:
Western US, no strong ties, 68th% mcat, 3.85 science and non science GPA, just got my interview scheduled this week. So excited definitely a top school for myself. Does anybody have any info to as what to expect out of the interview? I know it is just you and 2 adcoms but was wondering how it was structured and such. Thanks .
Click to expand...
Makes you wonder how they are screening since OOS with higher stats have been rejected. Congrats and good luck!
 
TetralogyGuy said:
Western US, no strong ties, 68th% mcat, 3.85 science and non science GPA, just got my interview scheduled this week. So excited definitely a top school for myself. Does anybody have any info to as what to expect out of the interview? I know it is just you and 2 adcoms but was wondering how it was structured and such. Thanks .
Click to expand...
It's really relaxed! They'll mostly just ask you about things specific to your application. It'll be about 20 minutes long. Good luck!
 
LuisCorinthiano said:
Well sorry 🙁
Click to expand...
No hard feelings! I already knew about the waitlisting here when I initially applied.

I'm still thrilled to receive the secondary, but I'm less ecstatic about the high percentage of waitlisting they do for OOS applicants. It seems really disingenuous to me. I'm pretty sure almost all of us are strapped for money in this process, and I'm not especially thrilled with the idea of draining my savings to pay for travel expenses only to interview for a spot on a waitlist. I wish they trimmed down their IIs to only include candidates they're serious about admitting, so we'd know where we stand.
 
Just submitted my primary to WVU. Hoping for some OOS love.
I kinda like these thought provoking secondary prompts...nice to have a change!
 
Did anyone apply here with FAP? I'm super confused. I uploaded my FAP documentation and received a confirmation email, but I still can't submit without paying the $100 fee...?

Did anyone receive a confirmation email of any sort?
 
eyesfeeltired said:
Dear Applicant,


Thank you for your interest in and application to the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine (SOM). Your AMCAS application and supporting information have been received, and after a holistic review of your application, we are unable to extend an invitation for a secondary application. As you may or may not be aware, the WVU School of Medicine is a land-grant institution and, as such, strong preference is given to West Virginia (WV) residents and out of state residents with strong ties to the state. If you have additional compelling information, including evidence of strong WV ties, you may submit those in writing to [email protected] for further review.

This in no way implies that you are unsuited for a career in medicine but rather it is an acknowledgement of certain constraints and realities in the admission process at our School of Medicine.

If you wish to formally discuss your application, please contact us at 304-293-1439/800-543-5650 to make an appointment with Dr. Norman D. Ferrari (Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs), Dr. Scott Cottrell (Associate Dean for Student Services and Curriculum), Dr. Linda S. Nield (Assistant Dean for Admissions), or Dr. Mark Paternostro (Chair, Committee on Admission). Any of these members of the department will be able to provide you some guidance and insight into your application.

Thank you for your interest in the WVU School of Medicine.
Click to expand...

At least the WV schools offer to allow yourself to explain if you have ties. I got one like this from Marshall but I was able to change their minds because I have family in the state and I live in MD. LSU's rejection for me was just like "sorry, you're not competitive, bye." My cousins both live in Baton Rouge, LA and went to LSU undergrad. Now one of them is about to be MS1 at the LSU medical school branch I applied to, but they won't accept my ties to the state/school.

Note: If you currently live or grew up in a border state to WVU you should email them because they accept that as a "strong tie" in some cases.
 
piii said:
Makes you wonder how they are screening since OOS with higher stats have been rejected. Congrats and good luck!
Click to expand...

So this is based on my discussion with the AdCo from Marshall, but she said its the same for WVU because it's also a state school. She said that for OOS applicants, stats are somewhat important BUT they are more interested with how well you fit with the mission. They also want to make sure that they pick OOS applicants that will be the most likely to stay in the state, or come back to the state. (I am guessing this second part is talked about or touched on in the interview). So you could have a LizzyM near 80 but get rejected because the essays in your AMCAS application convey to them that you are not interested in rural medicine or working with the underserved. Or at least that you aren't open to the idea.
 
As an OOS MS1 (as of tomorrow :soexcited:) with no ties at all, I can attest to their desire for fit etc. I was asked in my interview why I applied to WVU with no ties? Had I ever visited WV before? Could I potentially see myself there long-term?

I was just honest, I had no ties and I had never even been to WV prior to my interview day, however, I'm one who enjoys travel and new places. I moved halfway across the country to the northern Midwest for UG even though I knew NOBODY there.

As to why WVU specifically, I was honest about thoroughly researching the programs for which I thought I was a competitive applicant. I liked what I saw in researching WVU's program and my experiences on interview day solidified my desire to join them. What I learned about their program and their mission really suited me and my goals and I think my activities and past experiences really showed the adcom that I could be a good fit.

Just be honest in your application and your interview. They are looking for a good fit for their program, but you should also be looking for a good fitting program for your education. If you're fortunate enough to end this cycle with multiple acceptances, it will be your job to determine which program suits you best.
 
any recommendations for hotels in the area?
 
For those of you with no ties, did you just leave that page blank on the application?
 
Does anyone have any insight on the interview waitlist? If I'm position number 2, am I likely to get to switch?
 
MedBlue515 said:
any recommendations for hotels in the area?
Click to expand...
Try their MedStay program (there should a link for it in your II email)
rachiie01 said:
Does anyone have any insight on the interview waitlist? If I'm position number 2, am I likely to get to switch?
Click to expand...
Same situation here. I'm number two but have no idea if this will move any time soon
 
piii said:
For those of you with no ties, did you just leave that page blank on the application?
Click to expand...
I filled it out. Mostly addressing the fact that I had no specific ties, but love the area and such.
 
M12B said:
As an OOS MS1 (as of tomorrow :soexcited:) with no ties at all, I can attest to their desire for fit etc. I was asked in my interview why I applied to WVU with no ties? Had I ever visited WV before? Could I potentially see myself there long-term?

I was just honest, I had no ties and I had never even been to WV prior to my interview day, however, I'm one who enjoys travel and new places. I moved halfway across the country to the northern Midwest for UG even though I knew NOBODY there.

As to why WVU specifically, I was honest about thoroughly researching the programs for which I thought I was a competitive applicant. I liked what I saw in researching WVU's program and my experiences on interview day solidified my desire to join them. What I learned about their program and their mission really suited me and my goals and I think my activities and past experiences really showed the adcom that I could be a good fit.

Just be honest in your application and your interview. They are looking for a good fit for their program, but you should also be looking for a good fitting program for your education. If you're fortunate enough to end this cycle with multiple acceptances, it will be your job to determine which program suits you best.
Click to expand...

How soon after your interview did you receive a letter of acceptance?
 
DoctorInVivo said:
How soon after your interview did you receive a letter of acceptance?
Click to expand...
Unless you're EDP, you won't hear back until at least October 15th. After that, acceptances/waitlists will be sent out pretty fast (maybe 2 weeks or so after interviewing).
 
DoctorInVivo said:
How soon after your interview did you receive a letter of acceptance?
Click to expand...

I was actually waitlisted first. It is very common for an OOS applicant to be waitlisted first. However, the waitlist at WVU is definitely NOT a death sentence like it can be at other schools, there is usually a lot of waitlist movement. (Mostly towards the end of the season and then a little more over the summer).

Regarding timing, I agree with Mountaineer12. They work really hard to get back to you as soon after the interview as possible. There is a new Assistant Dean of Admissions this year though so not sure if any processes will be changing, but I'm sure they will still strive to get responses out in a timely manner. Their admissions office is pretty great!

My interview was mid-December, waitlist letter arrived about 2 weeks later (end of December) and about 5 weeks later I was accepted (first week of Feb).
 
I just gave away my september 3 interview date to take their offer of MD/PhD interview later in the cycle! I believe that spot may be up for grabs now? Either way, super excited for the MD/PhD II 🙂
 
First II!! OOS applicant, no ties (from Northern VA if that matters). Submitted 8/3, II 8/5. So glad this means I have no glaring red flags on my app :claps:

I have a few questions:

1) Is it better to reserve an earlier or later interview? Probably early for chance of acceptance because more slots are available. But that leads me to my second question..

2) If you get accepted, can you put a deposit down to hold your slot and continue with the application process? Or, is it a hard deadline to accept?
 
Last edited:
piii said:
First II!! OOS applicant, no ties (from Northern VA if that matters). Submitted 8/3, II 8/5. So glad this means I have no glaring red flags on my app :claps:

I have a few questions:

1) Is it better to reserve an earlier or later interview? Probably early for chance of acceptance because more slots are available. But that leads me to my second question..

2) If you get accepted, can you put a deposit down to hold your slot and continue with the application process? Or, is it a hard deadline to accept?
Click to expand...
1) it seems like earlier is better, but since most OOSers are waitlisted, I don't think it makes as much of a different than at some other schools. Still, I would interview as early as you can.

2) There's a $100 deposit so it's not that bad. You can withdraw anytime before May. I'm not sure if this is a refundable deposit, but it's not too bad if not.
 
Mountaineer12 said:
1) it seems like earlier is better, but since most OOSers are waitlisted, I don't think it makes as much of a different than at some other schools. Still, I would interview as early as you can.

2) There's a $100 deposit so it's not that bad. You can withdraw anytime before May. I'm not sure if this is a refundable deposit, but it's not too bad if not.
Click to expand...
Awesome thanks for the info, scheduled 9/30!
 
@Mountaineer12 Do you know why the school has so many interview slots? They interview 20% of OOS applicants and a total of 800 interviews when most schools are =< 500. Is the high rate because its after screening?
 
Do you think they will show preference to an OOS with strong ties?
 
0_o said:
Do you think they will show preference to an OOS with strong ties?
Click to expand...
"If you aren't a resident, do you have any significant ties to WV?" If it is literally an essay, then I think so! haha
 
0_o said:
Do you think they will show preference to an OOS with strong ties?
Click to expand...
Definitely! They won't people who will consider staying in WV after med school and who has an interest in the state. Having state ties really helps with that!
 
Hi all,

Can anyone give me a timeline for receiving either an invite to complete the secondary or a rejection notice? I submitted on the 28th of July.

Thanks
 
I know this may have been asked earlier but has everyone who has submitted the secondary received an interview so far?
 
piii said:
First II!! OOS applicant, no ties (from Northern VA if that matters). Submitted 8/3, II 8/5. So glad this means I have no glaring red flags on my app :claps:

I have a few questions:

1) Is it better to reserve an earlier or later interview? Probably early for chance of acceptance because more slots are available. But that leads me to my second question..

2) If you get accepted, can you put a deposit down to hold your slot and continue with the application process? Or, is it a hard deadline to accept?
Click to expand...

Just to add to what @piii said, I think that you should pick the earliest date that is convenient for you (easiest to take off work, arrange affordable travel and lodging etc). I would not worry about "not looking interested" if you take a later date. They give you a range specifically so you can coordinate the rest of your schedule. For all they know you're a pre-med superstar who's schedule is all full of interviews already.
 
Received secondary invite today, OOS, no ties, LizzyM 66-67, app verified 7/29.. So whats with all the people rejected pre secondary? Is it really that big of a cut off point? What level of happy should I be that I got a secondary? Any stats on how many people who were interviewed out of those who got the secondary? Sorry if this has been asked before, I read the first couple pages of this thread and did not want to read through everything..
 
partypantss said:
Received secondary invite today, OOS, no ties, LizzyM 66-67, app verified 7/29.. So whats with all the people rejected pre secondary? Is it really that big of a cut off point? What level of happy should I be that I got a secondary? Any stats on how many people who were interviewed out of those who got the secondary? Sorry if this has been asked before, I read the first couple pages of this thread and did not want to read through everything..
Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain secondary=interview. I obviously can't confirm that but it seemed to be the case last year and this year so far.
 
This is pretty surprising after looking through all the people who did not receive secondaries.. I do not have a HUGE "service focus" in my app, I'm an east coast resident.. I don't really have above average numbers.. The only thing that brings me close to Virginia is that I'm currently living in the Midwest and went to school in the Midwest.. Maybe that was enough?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wysdoc
2024-2025 West Virginia
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
466
Views
85K
stairwayto7
S
wysdoc
2023-2024 West Virginia
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
395
Views
94K
ILoveNeedles
I
wysdoc
2022-2023 West Virginia University
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
338
Views
87K
t690
t690
wysdoc
2024-2025 Virginia
5 6 7 8 9
Replies
437
Views
131K
PreDeltaMed
PreDeltaMed
wysdoc
2024-2025 Virginia Commonwealth
21 22 23 24 25
Replies
1K
Views
284K
Balgravia Shion
Balgravia Shion
Top