2016-2017 Virginia Commonwealth University Application Thread

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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I don't mind if people complete later get IIs before people complete earlier, but they should at least give the earlier applicants the hold message.
 
Hi, all! Current M1 here - feel free to shoot me a message if you have questions! Can't guarantee how regularly I'll check them but I'll do my best!
Honestly don't stress out over the status updates... I'm still not entirely sure there's a rhyme or reason to them haha.

I know it feels stressful but hang in there!! Congrats to those with interviews, and fingers crossed for those still waiting (here or elsewhere). 🙂
 
Ayy_MadScientist said:
"The Admissions Committee has met to discuss your file. Your application is being placed on hold for possible acceptance at a later date. We anticipate making offers around October 16, December 15, February 1, and March 16. If any of these dates falls on a weekend the offers will be made on the following Monday. Only offers of admission will be made on the dates above.

Your profile will remain on hold, and you will receive no further communication from us concerning your hold status. The next status change you will be contacted about will be to offer you a position in the class, to notify you that you have been placed on the alternate list (the alternate list is formulated in late-March), or to notify you that the Committee will no longer be considering your file.

We thank you for your interest in our school."
People last year also had a similar status before receiving acceptances/rejections. probably just a generic status! Seriously loved this school, hoping for the best! :xf:
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My interview is coming up next week. God, I hope that my decision gets included in the October 15th batch and I don't have to wait until December! I won't get my hopes up, though. They'll only have a few days to decide and I don't want to rush them.

But on the other hand, if they're not going to accept me then it looks like I could find out at any time. So I guess that's good......
 
ahhh anxiety...
my interview is next week too. kinda nervous! especially since I have a very scarce amount of interviews so far...and a handful of holds and rejections already. I figure if they hate me I'll know pretty soon after the first decision batch. I agree, waiting until December will be tough, but maybe spacing it out will be better because I'm thinking it will be quite a blow to get two post-interview rejections in the same month (for me).
 
Cotterpin said:
My interview is coming up next week. God, I hope that my decision gets included in the October 15th batch and I don't have to wait until December! I won't get my hopes up, though. They'll only have a few days to decide and I don't want to rush them.

But on the other hand, if they're not going to accept me then it looks like I could find out at any time. So I guess that's good......
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I could be wrong, but at my interview it sounded like they review apps on Monday's so, if your interview is after next Monday, it might not be until the December date:/ I'm trying not to get my hopes up for October 16 either, since they didn't seem sure they'd get to us by then.
 
PatchA said:
I could be wrong, but at my interview it sounded like they review apps on Monday's so, if your interview is after next Monday, it might not be until the December date:/ I'm trying not to get my hopes up for October 16 either, since they didn't seem sure they'd get to us by then.
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This was the case for my interview group as well. My interview was on Saturday and they didn't review our files until the next next Monday.
 
Rovar0 said:
This was the case for my interview group as well. My interview was on Saturday and they didn't review our files until the next next Monday.
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+2. I was told apps would be reviewed either that following Monday, or the next.

Does anyone know if post-interview rejections have been made at this school yet?
 
Ayy_MadScientist said:
+2. I was told apps would be reviewed either that following Monday, or the next.

Does anyone know if post-interview rejections have been made at this school yet?
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I don't think they have given out post interview rejections yet. Every rejection in this thread so far was a post-secondary rejection. I think anyone who has the "placed on hold for possible acceptance at a later date" status has their fate sealed - rejected, accepted, or will be placed on hold.

I know a person who applied ED and was told they "didn't make it" - but whether or not they were rejected or deferred to the regular applicant pool is beyond me
 
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Ayy_MadScientist said:
+2. I was told apps would be reviewed either that following Monday, or the next.

Does anyone know if post-interview rejections have been made at this school yet?
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I interviewed today and was told we'll get our decisions on December 16th, since it's too soon a turnaround for October 17th.

They also said that they don't really send post-interview rejections until the end. In the interim, you'll either get an acceptance or a post interview hold.
 
thejasminedragon said:
I interviewed today and was told we'll get our decisions on December 16th, since it's too soon a turnaround for October 17th.

They also said that they don't really send post-interview rejections until the end. In the interim, you'll either get an acceptance or a post interview hold.
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December 16th..? 10 weeks is a long time. They must spend a lot of time reviewing each file
 
Epicurusall said:
December 16th..? 10 weeks is a long time. They must spend a lot of time reviewing each file
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They only make admissions decisions 4 times per cycle - October 16, December 15, February 1, and March 16
 
Judson said:
They only make admissions decisions 4 times per cycle - October 16, December 15, February 1, and March 16
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Interesting. I wonder if other schools make decisions this way too
 
Hey all, I'm a current M1 at VCU and I see a lot of comments about application statuses. Here's the thing. VCU is a phenomenal school, but their electronic messaging/interview portal have been the source of frustration for many classes before you, including myself. I was offered an interview in November but couldn't get in until Jan 2. I got the "application on hold for a possible acceptance", then nothing for 4 months when I was put on the wait list. Again, absolute radio silence for nearly 4 more months. I was accepted off the wait list just 2 weeks before the start of school. That's right folks, from primary application to acceptance, my time in VCU's applicant purgatory was 14 months. SO, I say all that to tell you all that the coming weeks and months are going to be very emotionally draining as you receive more interview offers, rejection emails, and hopefully an acceptance or two. Don't be discouraged if months pass by and you hear nothing from VCU. I assure you, it only means that they are taking their time to ensure they select the highest quality applicants.

Now that I see it from the other side, as a current student, I am amazed at the quality of students the admissions committee rounded up. Not only in my class, but the classes above are full of students that embody the crucial balance of being smart and nice that VCU looks for in those that matriculate. So if you get frustrated with how the wait is, or if you get passed up on an admissions offer day, keep a few things in mind.

1- VCU receives over 9000 applications, it takes time to widdle it down to 216.
2-The wait is worth it! Every agonizing day that goes by is worth it. Again, VCU is truly an exceptional school.
3-A word to the wise: Avoid SDN as much as possible, unless you have genuine questions. It will make you neurotic as time passes...ain't nobody got time for that.

Lastly, when you come for your interview, say hi to us medical students! We may look disheveled and haven't shaved in a month, but we are friendly and would love to take a minute to chat about something that isn't sciency...
 
I know this may have been posted somewhere on this thread, but does this mean I'm on hold? or soon to be rejected?

Has anyone gotten a II following this status updated:

"Your File Review is now complete. If you are granted an interview, you will receive a status update on your applicant portal. Please do not call the Admissions Office requesting special dates."
 
itsallgood92 said:
I know this may have been posted somewhere on this thread, but does this mean I'm on hold? or soon to be rejected?

Has anyone gotten a II following this status updated:

"Your File Review is now complete. If you are granted an interview, you will receive a status update on your applicant portal. Please do not call the Admissions Office requesting special dates."
Click to expand...

It means you are on hold I believe
 
Initially I had

"Your M.D. file is now complete. The Sub-Committee will now do a review of your application. Once this review is complete, you will receive a status update regarding your profile."

Then I was switched to

"Your M.D. file is now complete. The Sub-Committee will now do a review of your application. Once this review is complete, you will receive a status update regarding your profile.

Please note that your file may be put on hold for the following reasons:
Hold for MCAT: We are assuming you are scheduled to take the test. The Committee wishes to wait to evaluate your file until those scores are available. MCATS taken after September of the year of application will not be considered. If you are not planning to take or retake the MCAT, please notify us immediately."

(took MCAT July 8, submitted to VCU mid-August after I got my score)

Then I got switched back to

"Your M.D. file is now complete. The Sub-Committee will now do a review of your application. Once this review is complete, you will receive a status update regarding your profile."

And today I got switched to

"Your M.D. file is now complete. The Sub-Committee will now do a review of your application. Once this review is complete, you will receive a status update regarding your profile.

Please note that your file may be put on hold for the following reasons:
Hold for MCAT: We are assuming you are scheduled to take the test. The Committee wishes to wait to evaluate your file until those scores are available. MCATS taken after September of the year of application will not be considered. If you are not planning to take or retake the MCAT, please notify us immediately.

Hold for Grades: The file review done by the Committee has determined that you are engaged in coursework which may affect their decision about whether to invite you for an interview. It is imperative that you submit grades for current or proposed courses in a timely fashion. Any file on hold for grades that are not submitted by January 31st will automatically be rejected. If you did not take the course indicated on your primary or supplemental application, please notify us immediately at 804-828-9629."

Not exactly sure why I keep getting switched back and forth. :/

Note: graduated in May of this year. Also submitted to this school mid-August. Didn't turn in my primary until after my MCAT was loaded into AMCAS.
 
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itsallgood92 said:
I know this may have been posted somewhere on this thread, but does this mean I'm on hold? or soon to be rejected?

Has anyone gotten a II following this status updated:

"Your File Review is now complete. If you are granted an interview, you will receive a status update on your applicant portal. Please do not call the Admissions Office requesting special dates."
Click to expand...
I have this status now. My optimistic thinking is that people have been rejected already, and they are perfectly capable of rejecting us if they think we have no chance of being admitted. So this status wouldn't exist unless we had at least some chance of getting an interview. But of course it seems less likely than those with the "very interested" status. No idea why they feel it is necessary to have all these different statuses though
 
Ah. Called admissions office. I guess I have a general catch-all hold message for people that may want to retake MCAT or may be mending GPA. Since it doesn't apply to me, I just ignore it. My guess is they don't like my MCAT score so they're probably trying to figure out if I retook, and if I don't, it's a reject.
 
Hospitalized said:
Ah. Called admissions office. I guess I have a general catch-all hold message for people that may want to retake MCAT or may be mending GPA. Since it doesn't apply to me, I just ignore it. My guess is they don't like my MCAT score so they're probably trying to figure out if I retook, and if I don't, it's a reject.
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Did they actually imply that in your phone call? I really doubt that's true. My status switched from the shorter to the longer "will be reviewed" message and my MCAT and GPA are both nearing their 90th percentile. I think it's just random and they haven't gotten to our apps yet.
 
Taekdeplej said:
I have this status now. My optimistic thinking is that people have been rejected already, and they are perfectly capable of rejecting us if they think we have no chance of being admitted. So this status wouldn't exist unless we had at least some chance of getting an interview. But of course it seems less likely than those with the "very interested" status. No idea why they feel it is necessary to have all these different statuses though
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I dug this out from last years thread: Apparently these were the statuses used last year with status one apparently being "highest priority". The question is where does that leave us, but I think you're right...we probably got something along the lines of a pre-II hold and will probably be re-reviewed once they see the rest of the app pool.

Application Statuses:

1) "The Committee's file review indicates that they are very interested in your candidacy. There is another increase in the applicant pool this year, but we are trying to get all candidates at your priority score interviewed as soon as possible. Please watch for an e-mail from us regarding a possible interview date."

2) "The committee's file review indicates that they are interested in your candidacy. However, due to the increase in the applicant pool this year, it is clear we MAY be unable to interview all the candidates at your priority score. If we do find that we are able to grant an interview you will be notified by e-mail."

3) "The committee's file review indicates that they would like to consider your file further. We are now in the process of scheduling interviews and will continue to do so through February. Unfortunately, the committee indicates interest in far more candidates than we are able to interview. Since we are dependent on the Committee member's schedules for interview spaces, we are unable to predict when or if we will be able to schedule you this year. Please continue to check this site to learn when further action has been taken."

4) "The committee's file review indicates that they wish to consider your file over the next several weeks before making a decision about interview. Since they have some reservations about granting an interview, your file will be reviewed again by a small sub-committee before making a final decision. Please continue to check this site to learn when further action has been taken."

5) "REJECTED"
 
Skittsie13 said:
Did they actually imply that in your phone call? I really doubt that's true. My status switched from the shorter to the longer "will be reviewed" message and my MCAT and GPA are both nearing their 90th percentile. I think it's just random and they haven't gotten to our apps yet.
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Nah, just assuming. I dunno. Not sure I can make sense out of these statuses haha.
 
Hospitalized said:
Nah, just assuming. I dunno. Not sure I can make sense out of these statuses haha.
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I don't think there's any sense to them. Someone earlier went from the "very interested" status to a rejection.
 
Willfrye027 said:
Current M1 here, OOS from CA. Happy to answer any questions. Last years thread was a great resource for me so I thought I would contribute to this years!
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Thanks for reaching out to us, @Willfrye027.

I have a couple questions for you:
- What made you choose VCU?
- What is your favorite thing about Richmond? Least favorite thing?
- What resources make VCU stand out from other schools?
 
Probably has no significance, but my "hold for grades hold for MCAT" part of my complete status is gone.
 
Judson said:
Thanks for reaching out to us, @Willfrye027.

I have a couple questions for you:
- What made you choose VCU?
- What is your favorite thing about Richmond? Least favorite thing?
- What resources make VCU stand out from other schools?
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To be perfectly honest, VCU is the only school I got into, so the choice was easy! I was on some waitlists but VCU was definitely up there towards the top for a few reasons. I had a really great experience on interview day and felt like everyone I met was friendly. I liked that the curriculum is relatively new and keeping up with the "latest and greatest" in terms of what studies show are effective. If the school you're looking at hasn't updated their curriculum in 10+ years, its definitely an area to ask critical questions about, IMHO. In general I just had a great feeling about the place after interviewing and hanging around Richmond for a couple days. Don't underestimate the gut-feeling factor!

My favorite thing about Richmond is the James River running right through the middle of the city. Its essentially walking distance from campus. There are all kinds of trails and a very extensive park system, and great fishing. I am from a more rural area, so living in the city is an ongoing adjustment, but having the opportunity to essentially get lost in nature with a short bike ride or walk is great. Richmond is a great place for foodies. Definitely some amazing restaurants and very inexpensive, at least compared to CA. There's definitely a night life if that's your thing. Also housing costs aren't bad at all and there are tons of places to live within walking distance of school where you will have med students as your neighbors.

My least favorite thing about Richmond is really just adjusting to living in an urban environment. Parking can be annoying depending on where you live. But for people used to city living its probably a non-issue. I will probably move out to the suburbs during M3/4.

Your last question is a little tough because its hard to get to know other schools without going to them. You might have to ask a follow up question on what exactly "resources" means. Life as an M1 is pretty simple (study) for me so I don't find myself really using any university resources. If you consider the student health center a resource, I would says ours is great. Very easy to get cheap drugs, quick appointments, etc (got a tick the other day, essentially walked in and got it taken care of..).

I will say that I have a few friends at other med schools including UCs. They seem way more stressed out about school and life. It seems like their schedules are just too packed and they don't have enough time to study. I think VCU has just the right amount of balance in that area, at least for me.

I do want to say that VCU is very strong clinically. If you plan on doing a very clinical specialty (ie EM, internal medicine, etc) it would be a great place to study. Just to illustrate, we have a longitudinal course focused on the clinical aspects of medicine taught in small groups by practicing doctors who are awesome. Today we learned all about listening to lungs. But instead of going through slides or lecturing or whatever, our prof decided to take us over to the hospital to listen to some of her patients that had abnormal lung sounds. It was pretty BA. Yesterday we ran through simulations using a simulation manikin that was basically dying and we had to figure out the right drugs to give him, based off what we are currently learning in pharmacology. Incredibly fun. We have lots of exposure to and practice with standardized patients, pretty much from week one onward. I'm sure other schools have great clinical emphasis, but certainly all of them don't. Take all of this with a grain of salt, because its just been my experience so far.. Good luck with everybody's applications! (be patient, they really do comb through your apps...)
 
To the folks who got a II via portal (with the "Schedule an Interview" tab), and no e-mail -- did you receive a confirmation e-mail after you scheduled?
 
kay815 said:
To the folks who got a II via portal (with the "Schedule an Interview" tab), and no e-mail -- did you receive a confirmation e-mail after you scheduled?
Click to expand...

No I never did! I called them to double check and they had my name on the schedule. I still haven't gotten an email though.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
+1 to the awesome food in Richmond. Someone who has an II, please go to Shyndigz for me and have the chocolate salted caramel cake, because this silence from VCU means I probably won't get to have it myself 😛
 
Willfrye027 said:
To be perfectly honest, VCU is the only school I got into, so the choice was easy! I was on some waitlists but VCU was definitely up there towards the top for a few reasons. I had a really great experience on interview day and felt like everyone I met was friendly. I liked that the curriculum is relatively new and keeping up with the "latest and greatest" in terms of what studies show are effective. If the school you're looking at hasn't updated their curriculum in 10+ years, its definitely an area to ask critical questions about, IMHO. In general I just had a great feeling about the place after interviewing and hanging around Richmond for a couple days. Don't underestimate the gut-feeling factor!

My favorite thing about Richmond is the James River running right through the middle of the city. Its essentially walking distance from campus. There are all kinds of trails and a very extensive park system, and great fishing. I am from a more rural area, so living in the city is an ongoing adjustment, but having the opportunity to essentially get lost in nature with a short bike ride or walk is great. Richmond is a great place for foodies. Definitely some amazing restaurants and very inexpensive, at least compared to CA. There's definitely a night life if that's your thing. Also housing costs aren't bad at all and there are tons of places to live within walking distance of school where you will have med students as your neighbors.

My least favorite thing about Richmond is really just adjusting to living in an urban environment. Parking can be annoying depending on where you live. But for people used to city living its probably a non-issue. I will probably move out to the suburbs during M3/4.

Your last question is a little tough because its hard to get to know other schools without going to them. You might have to ask a follow up question on what exactly "resources" means. Life as an M1 is pretty simple (study) for me so I don't find myself really using any university resources. If you consider the student health center a resource, I would says ours is great. Very easy to get cheap drugs, quick appointments, etc (got a tick the other day, essentially walked in and got it taken care of..).

I will say that I have a few friends at other med schools including UCs. They seem way more stressed out about school and life. It seems like their schedules are just too packed and they don't have enough time to study. I think VCU has just the right amount of balance in that area, at least for me.

I do want to say that VCU is very strong clinically. If you plan on doing a very clinical specialty (ie EM, internal medicine, etc) it would be a great place to study. Just to illustrate, we have a longitudinal course focused on the clinical aspects of medicine taught in small groups by practicing doctors who are awesome. Today we learned all about listening to lungs. But instead of going through slides or lecturing or whatever, our prof decided to take us over to the hospital to listen to some of her patients that had abnormal lung sounds. It was pretty BA. Yesterday we ran through simulations using a simulation manikin that was basically dying and we had to figure out the right drugs to give him, based off what we are currently learning in pharmacology. Incredibly fun. We have lots of exposure to and practice with standardized patients, pretty much from week one onward. I'm sure other schools have great clinical emphasis, but certainly all of them don't. Take all of this with a grain of salt, because its just been my experience so far.. Good luck with everybody's applications! (be patient, they really do comb through your apps...)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the detailed response! There's lots of good information here.

My last question was definitely a bit ambiguous, but I am happy with your response. I would consider the simulation center and standardized patients to be resources. I must have missed the detail about the standardized patients. You also said you were spending time with your professor's patients listening to lung sounds. So, to follow up:

- Do you take trips to the hospital to learn from patients often?
- Can you give us a breakdown of a day/week? How much time do you estimate you spend in the sim center, with patients/standardized patients, in lectures (or watching recordings), studying, relaxing, etc.?
- What is your favorite restaurant in Richmond (so far), and what do you order there when you go?

Thanks again!
 
Sorry for the double-post, but I just noticed the poster above my last post gave an answer to my last question already. Anyone else have experience with the food in Richmond?
 
Judson said:
Thank you for the detailed response! There's lots of good information here.

My last question was definitely a bit ambiguous, but I am happy with your response. I would consider the simulation center and standardized patients to be resources. I must have missed the detail about the standardized patients. You also said you were spending time with your professor's patients listening to lung sounds. So, to follow up:

- Do you take trips to the hospital to learn from patients often?
- Can you give us a breakdown of a day/week? How much time do you estimate you spend in the sim center, with patients/standardized patients, in lectures (or watching recordings), studying, relaxing, etc.?
- What is your favorite restaurant in Richmond (so far), and what do you order there when you go?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...


No, we don't go to the hospital very often during M1. That being said there's plenty of opportunities for shadowing and stuff, its just a matter of how much you want/need to study and what you have time for. The example was more to illustrate how people are in general very interested in us learning, especially clinically. As another example, we have a small group of 8-10 people that meets once every couple months to talk more about stress and med school life type stuff. For our last meeting our professor had us over to his house and served us dinner and drinks which was great. All that to say in my experience profs are very friendly and "cool" in general.

Typical day is 4 hours of class time from about 8-12, attendance not mandatory. About once or twice a week there is a mandatory class meeting with more team based learning and a quiz. About 2-3 afternoons per week there will be another class/obligation for 2-3 hours. In general I feel like there is a good amount of time to study. Lots of people get A's on our tests (which are not easy...), probably because there is enough time to actually learn all the material. Every 2-3 weeks we have a test on one subject. Some schools have you doing anatomy, biochem, genetics, etc etc all the same time which would stress me out. I much prefer to focus on one topic at a time. The first semester is basic sciences and starting second semester its organ systems. We also get 3 or so months for step 1 board studying which is nice.

I would say once a week we are doing something with standardized patients, sim center, or practicing/learning physical exam. Some weeks its more but generally once a week. Its nice because it helps remind me why I'm studying so hard, and it often helps me drive home what we're learning in lecture. One of my favorites is during each block/unit, we have a standardized patient with some disease related to what we're learning. We take a history and then use a computer program to order labs and other tests and try to figure out what they have. Its really fun and great application to what we learn.

My typical day (your answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask):

Weekdays: wake up 530-6 AM. Study off and on with intermittent breaks (approx. 50 min of active studying for 10-15 minutes of goofing off) for a total of 8-10 hours of productive studying per day (some days I keep a timer just to make sure I'm being honest with myself), depending on other classes and stuff. This includes either going to class or listening to lecture online, whichever I choose to do for a given day. I try to exercise every day for about 30 minutes during the week. I never study much past 9pm to prevent burning out, and because I'm not that productive at night compared to morning. My wife and I watch an episode of our show on Netflix before bed pretty much every night just to wind down. Some days I choose to go to class. In general I switch it up just to keep things fresh, but stick to a bare minimum of 8 hours of studying (including class time) every weekday (except maybe Friday which is more like 6 hours).

Friday: Usually more clinical stuff on Fridays, except when we have a Monday test (then its usually a review session and one or two short lectures). I usually quit studying by 2-3pm on Friday and go fishing, hunting, watch movies, have a few drinks, etc. Friday afternoon and night is reward time.

Saturday/Sunday: Sleep in (8am for me cause I usually wake up early). Review the weeks material and try to do practice problems. Usually I'm in study mode until 8pm or so. My wife and I usually go out to eat a late dinner on Saturday night and watch at least two episodes of our favorite show.

Favorite restaurant right now is Edo's Squid which is walking distance from my apartment. We usually get a glass of the house red wine, whatever seafood special they are having, and a pasta dish. Its rarely more than $35 bucks with a tip for that meal and the food is amazing, which is great cause we can afford to go almost every week. Its just really tough to get a seat/reservation which is why we go super late.

In general I keep the mindset of med school being a marathon. Consistent sleep, exercise, and mental breaks are crucial for avoiding burnout. I try to be ultra-efficient with my time, including random things like not drinking so much so that I can't wake up at 8am to study the next morning. I also try to push myself just enough so that I'm improving in my efficiency and study skills, but not so much that I crash. Overall I would say my level of stress is lower than undergrad, I put in about the same number of "working" hours as undergrad, but I am much less involved with extracurriculars at this point so more time is spent actually studying. Again, my experience may not be typical but this is how its been working out for me so far! Hope that answers some of your questions
 
You guys... only 5 more days till Oct. 17th (aka the day I'll probably find out that I still have to wait to hear back). 🙄
 
+10000 to Edo's Squid! 😍

Another favorite would be Sub Rosa Bakery for the coffee and pastries. Richmond also surprisingly has some great ethnic restaurants, though most are a bit far from the med school. I love Pho So 1 and Peter Chang China Cafe.

Gonna go think about food to distract myself from the fact that my portal is still on the "will now do a review" status...
 
Willfrye027 said:
No, we don't go to the hospital very often during M1. That being said there's plenty of opportunities for shadowing and stuff, its just a matter of how much you want/need to study and what you have time for. The example was more to illustrate how people are in general very interested in us learning, especially clinically. As another example, we have a small group of 8-10 people that meets once every couple months to talk more about stress and med school life type stuff. For our last meeting our professor had us over to his house and served us dinner and drinks which was great. All that to say in my experience profs are very friendly and "cool" in general.

Typical day is 4 hours of class time from about 8-12, attendance not mandatory. About once or twice a week there is a mandatory class meeting with more team based learning and a quiz. About 2-3 afternoons per week there will be another class/obligation for 2-3 hours. In general I feel like there is a good amount of time to study. Lots of people get A's on our tests (which are not easy...), probably because there is enough time to actually learn all the material. Every 2-3 weeks we have a test on one subject. Some schools have you doing anatomy, biochem, genetics, etc etc all the same time which would stress me out. I much prefer to focus on one topic at a time. The first semester is basic sciences and starting second semester its organ systems. We also get 3 or so months for step 1 board studying which is nice.

I would say once a week we are doing something with standardized patients, sim center, or practicing/learning physical exam. Some weeks its more but generally once a week. Its nice because it helps remind me why I'm studying so hard, and it often helps me drive home what we're learning in lecture. One of my favorites is during each block/unit, we have a standardized patient with some disease related to what we're learning. We take a history and then use a computer program to order labs and other tests and try to figure out what they have. Its really fun and great application to what we learn.

My typical day (your answers will vary greatly depending on who you ask):

Weekdays: wake up 530-6 AM. Study off and on with intermittent breaks (approx. 50 min of active studying for 10-15 minutes of goofing off) for a total of 8-10 hours of productive studying per day (some days I keep a timer just to make sure I'm being honest with myself), depending on other classes and stuff. This includes either going to class or listening to lecture online, whichever I choose to do for a given day. I try to exercise every day for about 30 minutes during the week. I never study much past 9pm to prevent burning out, and because I'm not that productive at night compared to morning. My wife and I watch an episode of our show on Netflix before bed pretty much every night just to wind down. Some days I choose to go to class. In general I switch it up just to keep things fresh, but stick to a bare minimum of 8 hours of studying (including class time) every weekday (except maybe Friday which is more like 6 hours).

Friday: Usually more clinical stuff on Fridays, except when we have a Monday test (then its usually a review session and one or two short lectures). I usually quit studying by 2-3pm on Friday and go fishing, hunting, watch movies, have a few drinks, etc. Friday afternoon and night is reward time.

Saturday/Sunday: Sleep in (8am for me cause I usually wake up early). Review the weeks material and try to do practice problems. Usually I'm in study mode until 8pm or so. My wife and I usually go out to eat a late dinner on Saturday night and watch at least two episodes of our favorite show.

Favorite restaurant right now is Edo's Squid which is walking distance from my apartment. We usually get a glass of the house red wine, whatever seafood special they are having, and a pasta dish. Its rarely more than $35 bucks with a tip for that meal and the food is amazing, which is great cause we can afford to go almost every week. Its just really tough to get a seat/reservation which is why we go super late.

In general I keep the mindset of med school being a marathon. Consistent sleep, exercise, and mental breaks are crucial for avoiding burnout. I try to be ultra-efficient with my time, including random things like not drinking so much so that I can't wake up at 8am to study the next morning. I also try to push myself just enough so that I'm improving in my efficiency and study skills, but not so much that I crash. Overall I would say my level of stress is lower than undergrad, I put in about the same number of "working" hours as undergrad, but I am much less involved with extracurriculars at this point so more time is spent actually studying. Again, my experience may not be typical but this is how its been working out for me so far! Hope that answers some of your questions
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You definitely answered my questions. This is very informative, and comforting to know that you have time to do things you enjoy on top of your busy schedule. I don't want to keep you from your studies too much and also want to allow others a chance to ask you questions. Thank you again, I really appreciate your responses!
 
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