2018-2019 Virginia Commonwealth University

[csg08]

Anyone think they'd tell us if we asked if we are in the top/middle/or bottom third on the list?

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[medicdoc123]

Anyone think they'd tell us if we asked if we are in the top/middle/or bottom third on the list?

It's definitely worth a shot, for some reason I feel like those that are getting acceptances are those with super high LizzyM's and committee scores of 1's (auto-accepts). I wish there was more transparency and we knew what our scores were so we don't get our hopes up too high.

 

[Talldoctor96]

It's definitely worth a shot, for some reason I feel like those that are getting acceptances are those with super high LizzyM's and committee scores of 1's (auto-accepts). I wish there was more transparency and we knew what our scores were so we don't get our hopes up too high.

While this is true, vcu has been (and I’ve applied to many schools) by far the most transparent about their process.

 

[csg08]

It's definitely worth a shot, for some reason I feel like those that are getting acceptances are those with super high LizzyM's and committee scores of 1's (auto-accepts). I wish there was more transparency and we knew what our scores were so we don't get our hopes up too high.

Yeah like where the people with lizzy M’s of like 65-67. Most everyone I’ve seen has like a Lizzy M of 70+. Like of course you gettin in brotha.

 

[Alexalikeamazon]

Yeah like where the people with lizzy M’s of like 65-67. Most everyone I’ve seen has like a Lizzy M of 70+. Like of course you gettin in brotha.

If it helps, my LizzyM was 68

 

[redmon17]

If it helps, my LizzyM was 68

And then there is me...LizzyM 73 and VCU has been quiet

 

[Undercovernerd]

And then there is me...LizzyM 73 and VCU has been quiet

If it helps, my LizzyM was 68

LizzyM's are poor predictors of medical school acceptance; a case study.

 

[Msimas]

Withdrew from the waitlist, bye fam

 

[GetThatAcetoned]

 

[NeuroticButCute]

Any clues on when VCU will actually send financial aid info?

 

[shark bait hoo ha ha]

Did anyone actually send in an LOI after dean mission said we could?

 

[GetThatAcetoned]

Did anyone actually send in an LOI after dean mission said we could?

I'm planning on doing it once I'm done with finals at the end of the week. Not sure how much good it'll do though since everybody is already scored.

 

[medicalone]

I'm planning on doing it once I'm done with finals at the end of the week. Not sure how much good it'll do though since everybody is already scored.

At this point I can't remember which committee at which school said this but I THINK VCU said updates and LOIs are used for tie breaking purposes. I could absolutely be wrong though

 

[Talldoctor96]

At this point I can't remember which committee at which school said this but I THINK VCU said updates and LOIs are used for tie breaking purposes. I could absolutely be wrong though

At this point I can't remember which committee at which school said this but I THINK VCU said updates and LOIs are used for tie breaking purposes. I could absolutely be wrong though

I personally have never heard that stated by vcu doesn’t mean it’s not true but I don’t think it’s been said on this thread.

Also I have sent in a LOI. Still on the alternate list!

 

[medicalone]

I personally have never heard that stated by vcu doesn’t mean it’s not true but I don’t think it’s been said on this thread.

Also I have sent in a LOI. Still on the alternate list!

Again, high chance I'm just misremembering but I think Dr. W-C said this at the post interview panel on my interview day when a student asked her how updates impact our scores.

Sorry if you've already answered this before, but did you get any kind of confirmation your LOI was received ?

 

[Talldoctor96]

Again, high chance I'm just misremembering but I think Dr. W-C said this at the post interview panel on my interview day when a student asked her how updates impact our scores.

Sorry if you've already answered this before, but did you get any kind of confirmation your LOI was received ?

I called to check but it had been received and they hadn’t emailed me.

 

[I'mTheDoctor]

Did anyone actually send in an LOI after dean mission said we could?

Yup, and received a confirmation via email. Still sitting on the waitlist, praying every day to the ADCOM gods to pull me off.

 

[Throwaway21234567]

Yup, and received a confirmation via email. Still sitting on the waitlist, praying every day to the ADCOM gods to pull me off.

Who else is working on their primary app for the next cycle but praying they get off the WL? Or is it just me?

 

[medschoolzombie]

Anyone think they'd tell us if we asked if we are in the top/middle/or bottom third on the list?

Tried and they said they don't release that info. They wouldn't even tell me how many people are on the WL or confirm that there's 2 of them lol

It's definitely worth a shot, for some reason I feel like those that are getting acceptances are those with super high LizzyM's and committee scores of 1's (auto-accepts). I wish there was more transparency and we knew what our scores were so we don't get our hopes up too high.

According to Dean Mission, no applicant has ever gotten a score of 1 or 1 point anything. They apparently stretch out the decimal points (probably like 4-6 places) so it sounds like if you have a 2.33356 as an average then you can be trumped by someone with a 2.33354 or something like that. There's also the demographic aspect to it since I'm sure they want to balance the class by state, gender, race etc

At this point I can't remember which committee at which school said this but I THINK VCU said updates and LOIs are used for tie breaking purposes. I could absolutely be wrong though

From what they told us on interview day, you can send an LOI and they'll add it to your file but there's no gaurentee that anyone will actually read it at this point

 

[zhuang]

I got acceptance today. GPA 3.92. mcat 516. Michigan resident. Just want to know if I need a car to go to VCU

 

[NeuroticButCute]

I called to check but it had been received and they hadn’t emailed me.

I thought they said that LOIs are just added to your file and don't play a role in admissions. Someone at one point said that just staying on the waitlist is indication of intent

I got acceptance today. GPA 3.92. mcat 516. Michigan resident. Just want to know if I need a car to go to VCU

It says on one of the sites (I think the Orientation page) that you need to have access to a vehicle so you can go to the clinics and such, so if you don't bring a car you'll probably want to at least bring a bike or make friends with someone with a car.

 

[zhuang]

Thank you! Where do most medical students stay, on campus or off campus?

 

[shark bait hoo ha ha]

Thank you! Where do most medical students stay, on campus or off campus?

There isn’t on campus housing for VCU that would be near the med school since the undergrad campus is like a fifteen to twenty minute drive away. Pretty sure most people stay in apartments in the surrounding areas near the undergrad since that’s cheaper. Otherwise you can stay in apartments with a ten minute walk or so of the hospital for more money

 

[ppushpak]

There is enough public transportation for you to get to MCV but the real need for a car is when you do rotations outside of MCV in the greater Richmond area.

 

[GetThatAcetoned]

I'm still in disbelief, but I got in yesterday! One of the greatest days ever. VCU was my top choice from the very beginning of this process and for it to work out is a dream come true. I'm in-state for those wondering.

 

[Undercovernerd]

I'm still in disbelief, but I got in yesterday! One of the greatest days ever. VCU was my top choice from the very beginning of this process and for it to work out is a dream come true. I'm in-state for those wondering.

The dream is alive, fam!! Did you see it on the portal or get an email?

 

[GetThatAcetoned]

The dream is alive, fam!! Did you see it on the portal or get an email?

I got the email. I was checking my portal like 3 times a day for tabs and funnily enough, I had checked around 4ish and there was nothing there so I figured yesterday wasn't the day. I was actually on the way out the door to celebrate finishing up my grad program when I got the email. Let's just say I'm hurting a bit today from last night now

 

[isAdoc]

I got the email. I was checking my portal like 3 times a day for tabs and funnily enough, I had checked around 4ish and there was nothing there so I figured yesterday wasn't the day. I was actually on the way out the door to celebrate finishing up my grad program when I got the email. Let's just say I'm hurting a bit today from last night now

Hahaha congratulations!!!! This is amazing!!

 

[I'mTheDoctor]

I got the email. I was checking my portal like 3 times a day for tabs and funnily enough, I had checked around 4ish and there was nothing there so I figured yesterday wasn't the day. I was actually on the way out the door to celebrate finishing up my grad program when I got the email. Let's just say I'm hurting a bit today from last night now

So happy for you! Many congrats my friend!!!

 

[medicdoc123]

I hope @Dean Mission will be able to come back again before this cycle is over to do another Q/A session, the last one was super informative

 

[I'mTheDoctor]

When the facebook group number drops, even by 1 person...

 

[deleted859689]

Show me some cert love

 

[medicdoc123]

Show me some cert love

Are there a certain # of seats allocated for the graduate CERT students or do they hear back on a certain date after they've hit the GPA/MCAT requirements? There doesn't seem to be a lot of those students on the forum

 

[deleted859689]

Are there a certain # of seats allocated for the graduate CERT students or do they hear back on a certain date after they've hit the GPA/MCAT requirements? There doesn't seem to be a lot of those students on the forum

Guaranteed interview if you hit the GPA/MCAT requirements. No seat allocation. I know plenty who have got in or rejected. Not so much wait listed, but we are definitely here. If any of them are like me, I kinda just never felt about talking about cert or affiliating directly with it. Would do it all again though.

 

[zhuang]

How do I join the Facebook? Thanks

 

[zhuang]

I have questions for current students: attending classes mandatory? Is research required? What are your thoughts about the school-your likes and dislikes? Housing recommendations? Many thanks

 

[medicdoc123]

How do I join the Facebook? Thanks

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I have questions for current students: attending classes mandatory? Is research required? What are your thoughts about the school-your likes and dislikes? Housing recommendations? Many thanks

Attendance is not mandatory for most lectures, except for the few small group lectures. They recently got rid of ranking & grading scale (only P/F now) for pre-clinicals. There does remain an internal ranking but only school officials can view that I believe. I've never heard anything about research being required but most students end up doing some by graduation. Quite a few MCV students I know stay at these apartment complexes (all within 5-15 minute walk to MCV campus): American Tobacco Center, Cedar Broad, The Locks Apartments, The Edison Apartments, Shockoe Valley View Apartments, Vida East, Atrium Lofts at Cold Storage. Price for 1 BR (~1000) / 2 BR (~700 per roommate). If you're looking for something cheaper I suggest looking near the undergraduate campus side.

 

[zhuang]

Thank you! Can you share your likes and dislikes about VCU?

 

[medicdoc123]

Thank you! Can you share your likes and dislikes about VCU?

I'm only a current applicant, but some of the things I personally like about the school are: P/F curriculum, low tuition/COA, and no mandatory attendance. Maybe you could ask some M2's on Facebook about what they enjoy about the school.

 

[topssure]

Give me some in-state love VCU. I can't afford the ridiculous OOS tuition for the school that I got accepted lol

 

[shark bait hoo ha ha]

guess I am not the only one stalking the FB page lol

And it keeps going up and making me feel like **** lol

 

[JackFlack]

I'm only a current applicant, but some of the things I personally like about the school are: P/F curriculum, low tuition/COA, and no mandatory attendance. Maybe you could ask some M2's on Facebook about what they enjoy about the school.

Just graduated from VCU. I can only speak based on my experience because I know some things have changed since I've gone through it...... for instance, there is now a structured ultrasound experience in the curriculum that we did not have and as mentioned previously, they have moved to P/F for preclinical (which I can see as a positive and a negative). There will no doubt be changes between now and when you are there so I would try not to fixate on minor things.
Major positives: the city itself (Richmond is a good small to midsize city with a diverse patient population, relative affordability, and access to a lot of stuff), preclinical attendance being mostly optional (I believe still the case), medical education building is relatively new and nice, the Veterans Hospital is one of the best in the country with major transplants, legit research goes on in some areas. (some love working at VA's and some do not enjoy it, I'm one of the former), food carts by the hospital are a nice lunch option despite there being limited choices in the hospital itself (they are currently opening a panera), standardized patient encounters are pretty good and they now do a nice simulation prep/practice session to get you ready for Step 2CS, M4 schedules are pretty good/flexible/chill (plenty of Step prep and vacation time, and only need 7 blocks of clinical rotations).

Negatives: During my time there was a good bit of turnover within administration (dean, curric office, etc.) that caused some mild turbulence but I don't think it was a huge deal in the end and they seem more stable at the moment; despite structured feedback systems by class reps it didn't usually seem like the higher-ups were very responsive to concerns/complaints and were always quick to dangle the "professionalism misconduct" threat over students to get what they wanted (although I can understand how annoying medical students can be); the hospital is pretty old by modern standards and could use a lot of renovation, with little natural light and team rooms that can be crowded (there is a new outpatient facility that should be nice, and the critical care hospital is actually fine); Clinical grades are inherently subjective outside of the shelf exams and there are some occasions where I found my grade being signicantly impacted by feedback from a person who I only spent 1 day with and interacted with only briefly (the feedback system has changed and I don't know what it will be when you get there, but many people were annoyed with the new way they started doing it that requires you to send frequent evaluation requests to residents and attendings through an online system); and one of the biggest problems I felt was the de-emphasis of research ---- there are exceptions and I know some people had great mentors ---- in a place that has a great deal of diverse pathology and significant data at their fingertips (especially when including the VA system). If you want to do something competitive (as I did) it can be tougher than at other bigger name programs and you may have to find the extra motivation to seek out projects or outside mentors to make yourself a strong candidate. Having said that, however, we did just have an excellent match that was probably one of the best ever for the school. Basically all but 1 or 2 out of ~220 matched post-SOAP, and a lot in competitive fields.

Clinical rotations are very much a mixed bag so I hesitate to list this as a negative in general. As an example, I loved my Family Medicine rotation where I was sent to a rural solo practice for a month and had a great experience; but some people were less pleased and had a totally different experience. I found my Ob/Gyn rotation to be mostly miserable with very tense team rooms and stressed residents that didn't lead to a positive learning environment. Some people really enjoyed Ob/Gyn but most of them I found had done it at INOVA (which is no longer an option for 3rd years) or did L&D nights as opposed to days. Some surgery teams are better (Surg Onc) than others and in the end, a great deal depends on who you click with and what you enjoy. Medical school is challenging in the sense that you're constantly low man on the totem pole, fighting feelings of incompetence, and feeling like you always need to catch up. This is going to be the case anywhere. I think people overestimate the warm fuzzy feeling they get from one or two people when they interview or visit a place. Certainly as a preclinical student, you'll get out what you put in and you'll basically learn the same thing everywhere to prepare you for Step 1.
I think most people find it easier to tease out the bad things and looking at my comments it's true for me as well. Still, VCU is a pretty solid school with some great professors and opportunities. You shouldn't really have a hard time doing anything you want if you come in with the right attitude and put the legwork in. One of my biggest complaints about medical school is how limited your exposure is to specialties during rotations, as you only interact with a limited number of docs/team members and see primarily the academic setting. Don't get too jaded by a bad clinical experience if you think you may still like the field. Seek out more opportunities and talk to the attendings to help get a more accurate impression of what your career options might be down the road. Best of luck

 

[zhuang]

Thank you so much@JackFlack. May I ask you are IS or OOS? Where did you stay when you're @ VCU? Do you need to buy books? Or everything is online? Many thanks!

 

[JackFlack]

Thank you so much@JackFlack. May I ask you are IS or OOS? Where did you stay when you're @ VCU? Do you need to buy books? Or everything is online? Many thanks!

I was OOS and lived in one of the aforementioned apartment buildings that had all-inclusive rent (utilities, parking, internet, tv...). Some people start out living by campus and then move elsewhere. I just preferred staying put for convenience and the fact that I hate moving. There are plenty of options by the hospital or within a 15-20 minute drive. Some of my friends bought houses, some have families. As far as books, there are lots of "required" resources but very few things you actually need to buy. There's a pdf version of virtually everything out there floating around and they tend to get passed around. Some people like hard copies of everything and there are commonly secondhand books being sold on class facebook groups if you want them. The few things that basically everybody shells out for regardless are Pathoma and sketchy during preclinical & UWorld Qbank and First Aid/Review books for Step (obviously stethoscope etc. too).

 

[zhuang]

May I ask the name of the complex you stayed? Is it walking distance to MCU? Thanks

 

[JackFlack]

May I ask the name of the complex you stayed? Is it walking distance to MCU? Thanks

Cold Storage. 10 minute walk up the hill to MCV. There's also a shuttle that runs q15min from an adjacent parking lot

 

[zhuang]

thank YOU!

 

[Talldoctor96]

Cold Storage. 10 minute walk up the hill to MCV. There's also a shuttle that runs q15min from an adjacent parking lot

Lol q15 you must be a doctor

 

[simplest_sisi]

No email notification yet, but checked my portal just now. It shows a new box called File Status with the following headers: Official Transcripts, VCU Information and In-State Tuition Eligibility. Does anyone know what this means?

 

[Undercovernerd]

No email notification yet, but checked my portal just now. It shows a new box called File Status with the following headers: Official Transcripts, VCU Information and In-State Tuition Eligibility. Does anyone know what this means?

The sacred tabs signify that you're in there like swimwear!!