2019-2020 Virginia Tech

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Talldoctor96 said:
Very mission driven school if u don’t live breathe eat **** research then yeah it’s way too late.
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I wonder how they make that determination in terms of research engagement.

I have a very strong research background (4-5 years of basic + clinical research experience) and two pubs, along with two great LORs from two PIs sent to them. However, I also have an extensive record of service. I wonder if VTech would pass on my app because I mentioned my interest in engaging in service opportunities as a student rather than go 100% balls to the walls about research on the secondary (although I also emphasized research heavily as well).
 
SeaHusky said:
I wonder how they make that determination in terms of research engagement.

I have a very strong research background (4-5 years of basic + clinical research experience) and two pubs, along with two great LORs from two PIs sent to them. However, I also have an extensive record of service. I wonder if VTech would pass on my app because I mentioned my interest in engaging in service opportunities as a student rather than go 100% balls to the walls about research on the secondary (although I also emphasized research heavily as well).
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Haha no, they're not going to reject you because you are interested in serving others...
 
SeaHusky said:
Lmao, I meant more in terms of not focusing my secondary entirely on research 🤣
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Lol I'm sure if you were able to get across you research commitment/accomplishments then you won't be penalized for other characters used to highlight other major areas of importance such as service commitment. Obviously VTech is research driven but their website still makes it clear that they want you to exhibit all of the other "classic" characteristics of a good applicant as well, ie. service orientation.
 
FYI - when I was at the open house, the admissions dean said that they're only having 6 interview weekends this cycle, and they're planning on interviewing ~300 candidates. They'll have 2 interview dates in November so I'm guessing the next wave of II's will be sometime in October.
 
weekendwarrior14 said:
FYI - when I was at the open house, the admissions dean said that they're only having 6 interview weekends this cycle, and they're planning on interviewing ~300 candidates. They'll have 2 interview dates in November so I'm guessing the next wave of II's will be sometime in October.
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This is why I come to this site. Thanks for the insight!
 
Anyone interviewing October 5? Do we know if we get a place to put our keys, phone, water, etc so we don’t have to carry it around?
 
I seriously hope I get an interview. I don’t have the highest stats (3.7 GPA and 508 MCAT), but.... what I lack in stats I make up so much more in extracurriculars. 6 publications in impactful journals such as the international journal for radiation oncology etc, early authorships with mostly 1st author, 2 presentations at national conferences, scribing, and lots of community service hours with underserved/disadvantaged patient populations. This is the only school I’ve applied to where I didn’t have to downplay my research...
 
Sky138 said:
I seriously hope I get an interview. I don’t have the highest stats (3.7 GPA and 508 MCAT), but.... what I lack in stats I make up so much more in extracurriculars. 6 publications in impactful journals such as the international journal for radiation oncology etc, early authorships with mostly 1st author, 2 presentations at national conferences, scribing, and lots of community service hours with underserved/disadvantaged patient populations. This is the only school I’ve applied to where I didn’t have to downplay my research...
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Same. I only have a paltry two pubs compared to you, but I similarly had to downplay my extensive research experience for other schools while highlighting my other strengths. VTech really interests me, and I really hope I get that sweet, sweet II soon.
 
Just curious, why would either of you have to "downplay" your research experience? Or do you just mean by having to focus on other aspects equally you couldn't really elaborate enough on all of your research accomplishments?
 
Kirby Smart said:
Just curious, why would either of you have to "downplay" your research experience? Or do you just mean by having to focus on other aspects equally you couldn't really elaborate enough on all of your research accomplishments?
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I applied to a lot of schools that weren't research-focused. For those, I talked about my (thankfully) extensive service background, particularly with urban underserved populations.

Not so much downplaying my research experience as much as I was just focusing on other aspects. For example, I'm not going to express my undying love to do TBI research in my essays/interviews at a school like Loyola when I have other aspects of my application that fit their mission more (that I'm equally passionate about).
 
II today! complete 8/27. Date was for November 2nd. I don't know my LizzyM but I have <3.5 uGPA attenuated by high SMP GPA, 511-514 MCAT and extensive research experience with 5 pubs some of which in very prestigious journals. So research peeps don't despair you will get that interview! I think they care about fit a lot because I feel like VTC and I were made for each other lol
 
Kirby Smart said:
Just curious, why would either of you have to "downplay" your research experience? Or do you just mean by having to focus on other aspects equally you couldn't really elaborate enough on all of your research accomplishments?
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This isn’t my first cycle applying and the last time I applied, my alma mater (the University of Washington), told me that my application wasn’t balanced or representative of medicine. I fixed that’s with scribing full time but I’m glad I can actually speak to it as my strength, if I get an interview of course.
 
Rejected just now and their email said " you have not done enough research to be competitive this cycle" when I have had 2 full years of research and am currently doing research for my gap year lol. Was anyone else's email this specific or is it just what they send to everyone?
 
achilles0619 said:
Rejected just now and their email said " you have not done enough research to be competitive this cycle" when I have had 2 full years of research and am currently doing research for my gap year lol. Was anyone else's email this specific or is it just what they send to everyone?
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sorry it didn't work out for you here. but damn that's pretty blunt; they're definitely not shy about their mission
 
achilles0619 said:
Rejected just now and their email said " you have not done enough research to be competitive this cycle" when I have had 2 full years of research and am currently doing research for my gap year lol. Was anyone else's email this specific or is it just what they send to everyone?
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Haha dang, I guess I'll expect my R soon too cause I only had 2 years as well but am not even doing research atm. Did you have any pubs or posters or anything? Any chance they just weren't impressed with your research for any reason. I'm just thinking about if someone just did like grunt work for two years maybe they wouldn't be impressed, but of course I'm not assuming that's your case.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Haha dang, I guess I'll expect my R soon too cause I only had 2 years as well but am not even doing research atm. Did you have any pubs or posters or anything? Any chance they just weren't impressed with your research for any reason. I'm just thinking about if someone just did like grunt work for two years maybe they wouldn't be impressed, but of course I'm not assuming that's your case.
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there's definitely a disproportionate number of applicants with publications/posters to this school.
 
Wow that's interesting.. definitely echo others' condolences for the blunt R. I'm sure they have a range of important focuses when it comes to what they deem "sufficient amounts/quality" of research. Frustrating we can't know what that specifically is.. but at least you have a particular reason for the R - much better than most other schools can say.
 
Kirby Smart said:
Haha dang, I guess I'll expect my R soon too cause I only had 2 years as well but am not even doing research atm. Did you have any pubs or posters or anything? Any chance they just weren't impressed with your research for any reason. I'm just thinking about if someone just did like grunt work for two years maybe they wouldn't be impressed, but of course I'm not assuming that's your case.
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No pubs or posters so thats probably it. It was just really harsh and basically told me to get ready to reapply which I didn't think was necessary in a rejection email haha. If they are super research heavy then I was not a good fit, it just instilled a LOT of doubt in my app which I didn't want a week before Oct 15th. Good luck to everyone else!
 
achilles0619 said:
No pubs or posters so thats probably it. It was just really harsh and basically told me to get ready to reapply which I didn't think was necessary in a rejection email haha. If they are super research heavy then I was not a good fit, it just instilled a LOT of doubt in my app which I didn't want a week before Oct 15th. Good luck to everyone else!
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remember the content in the email you read is just the opinion of a few people who have no bearing on your review at other schools! you'll do just fine
 
Kirby Smart said:
Haha dang, I guess I'll expect my R soon too cause I only had 2 years as well but am not even doing research atm. Did you have any pubs or posters or anything? Any chance they just weren't impressed with your research for any reason. I'm just thinking about if someone just did like grunt work for two years maybe they wouldn't be impressed, but of course I'm not assuming that's your case.
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Wouldn’t be too sure of that. One of my friends got in here last year with some research but nothing compared to me. I don’t think he had any publications or presentations and his research was about 2 years before he applied.
 
achilles0619 said:
No pubs or posters so thats probably it. It was just really harsh and basically told me to get ready to reapply which I didn't think was necessary in a rejection email haha. If they are super research heavy then I was not a good fit, it just instilled a LOT of doubt in my app which I didn't want a week before Oct 15th. Good luck to everyone else!
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Did you by any chance sell yourself and your application as one that is committed to research?
 
Sky138 said:
Did you by any chance sell yourself and your application as one that is committed to research?
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I just re-read my secondary and I mentioned research in the "what makes VTC different" essay but I also talked about other aspects of the school first. I didn't realize what a research heavy school it was so I'm really not surprised I got rejected. I was just taken aback by how personal the rejection felt and them implying that I should re-apply next cycle like I was doomed haha. But I guess that I should get some tougher skin because I'm sure more rejections are coming, it's a long cycle.
 
achilles0619 said:
I just re-read my secondary and I mentioned research in the "what makes VTC different" essay but I also talked about other aspects of the school first. I didn't realize what a research heavy school it was so I'm really not surprised I got rejected. I was just taken aback by how personal the rejection felt and them implying that I should re-apply next cycle like I was doomed haha. But I guess that I should get some tougher skin because I'm sure more rejections are coming, it's a long cycle.
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welp. looks like imma get rejected here too
 
achilles0619 said:
I just re-read my secondary and I mentioned research in the "what makes VTC different" essay but I also talked about other aspects of the school first. I didn't realize what a research heavy school it was so I'm really not surprised I got rejected. I was just taken aback by how personal the rejection felt and them implying that I should re-apply next cycle like I was doomed haha. But I guess that I should get some tougher skin because I'm sure more rejections are coming, it's a long cycle.
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I've gotten plenty of rejections so far, none of them have implied that I would need to re-apply so I don't think you'll need to worry about that for most schools. But feedback is much more useful than a standard letter, it would be good to know what to improve.
 
If you mentioned research is what makes them special without realizing how truly important it is, chances are you didn’t sell them enough on the why you fit their mission. I didn’t get an interview yet (fingers crossed) but I’m assuming thats why you got the somewhat early rejection. Especially since one of my friends got in last year with no publications or presentations. Granted, he did go to Berkeley but still. Anyways good luck on your other schools!
 
I just got the R and the explanation that "we determined that you have not completed enough medical experiences to be competitive this cycle."

Anyone know what kind of hospital experience they're looking for? I volunteered 200 hours at a local hospital and I've also done 3 years of surgical research at another hospital (no publication yet but hopefully soon.)

Maybe they mean my shadowing experiences, since I only shadowed one surgeon for 50 hours?

(I'm not too upset over this R but I am curious what they deem as the flaw in my app.) Also RIP @ them applying all R's are going to be reapplicants.
 
peaches_doctor said:
I just got the R and the explanation that "we determined that you have not completed enough medical experiences to be competitive this cycle."

Anyone know what kind of hospital experience they're looking for? I volunteered 200 hours at a local hospital and I've also done 3 years of surgical research at another hospital (no publication yet but hopefully soon.)
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Sorry about the R.. honestly, I'm impressed that they even give such personalized explanations, that is a nice touch, as much as the R still hurts. I would guess they were referring to your lack of diverse medical experiences since you only have 2 (with 50 hours otherwise not being a whole lot).. also maybe they're counting the "surgical research experience" as just research if I'm assuming it meant you spent a lot of time analyzing data/presenting/researching literature/i.g. other things involving research process. Totally just my guesses.. but I find it v nice that they are giving such personalized feedback when most schools can't even tell you they rejected you until March.
 
achilles0619 said:
No pubs or posters so thats probably it. It was just really harsh and basically told me to get ready to reapply which I didn't think was necessary in a rejection email haha. If they are super research heavy then I was not a good fit, it just instilled a LOT of doubt in my app which I didn't want a week before Oct 15th. Good luck to everyone else!
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You'll be fine! If all they said is that you didn't have enough research experience then don't worry about your app. Most schools will barely care about research as far as it being a "requirement" other than top 20ish schools. Keep your head up!

Edit: And I see you already have 2 IIs this early in the cycle as well so don't fret!
 
Sky138 said:
Wouldn’t be too sure of that. One of my friends got in here last year with some research but nothing compared to me. I don’t think he had any publications or presentations and his research was about 2 years before he applied.
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Okay, thanks for the insight! I did a couple of poster presentations so I believe I can kind of show I took an active role, however no pubs as I did clinical research and my lab was super slow with pubs.
 
mmchick said:
Sorry about the R.. honestly, I'm impressed that they even give such personalized explanations, that is a nice touch, as much as the R still hurts. I would guess they were referring to your lack of diverse medical experiences since you only have 2 (with 50 hours otherwise not being a whole lot).. also maybe they're counting the "surgical research experience" as just research if I'm assuming it meant you spent a lot of time analyzing data/presenting/researching literature/i.g. other things involving research process. Totally just my guesses.. but I find it v nice that they are giving such personalized feedback when most schools can't even tell you they rejected you until March.
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I agree that feedback can be nice, but in this case it's unsolicited, coupled with an R, and the wording really strongly implies that whoever gets rejected from VTC is going to have to reapply. Here is the email wording to put it into perspective.

"Many factors are taken into consideration when selecting who to invite for an interview. After reviewing your application, we determined that you have not completed enough research to be competitive this cycle.
We tell you this, not to discourage you from applying in a future cycle, but to give you enough time now to get involved in experiences that can make you more competitive in the future. It often takes multiple attempts to gain admission to medical school and gap years are becoming more common."

OUCH
 
achilles0619 said:
Rejected just now and their email said " you have not done enough research to be competitive this cycle" when I have had 2 full years of research and am currently doing research for my gap year lol. Was anyone else's email this specific or is it just what they send to everyone?
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If it makes y'all feel better, I also got rejected with similar wording, except mine said "you have not completed enough medical experiences to be competitive" which I thought was weird.
 
achilles0619 said:
I agree that feedback can be nice, but in this case it's unsolicited, coupled with an R, and the wording really strongly implies that whoever gets rejected from VTC is going to have to reapply. Here is the email wording to put it into perspective.

"Many factors are taken into consideration when selecting who to invite for an interview. After reviewing your application, we determined that you have not completed enough research to be competitive this cycle.
We tell you this, not to discourage you from applying in a future cycle, but to give you enough time now to get involved in experiences that can make you more competitive in the future. It often takes multiple attempts to gain admission to medical school and gap years are becoming more common."

OUCH
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Haha you just have to try not to take it too personally and move on tbh. I got a R from Indiana that said "your record does not make it possible to offer you an interview" lmao. It's not really necessary that R letters guard our feelings. At the end of the day, you will know based on feedback from other schools as well how competitive you are and can just forget about this if it isn't true. It's better schools be honest with applicants about why, in their opinions, they aren't as competitive, that way applicants can possibly address these weaknesses. Again, emphasis on THEIR opinion, not all schools, as evidenced by your IIs.
 
It sounds like they have some set quotas potentially for hours or depth of different experiences such as research and medically-related experiences. I guess a lot of medical schools probably do as well, but it sounds like they're letting us know what specifically "disqualifies" us.
 
Isn’t that a good thing tho? In my experience most schools send the classic, this cycle’s competitive and you’re deemed not worthy without any feedback. No offense, I doubt you could do too much to change your research but at least it’s some feedback rather than a simple R. @silent.planet, I feel like that’s a good thing for you ish. Means if you don’t get in this cycle you know exactly what to fix. Throw on scribing or start scribing now and you’re golden.
 
achilles0619 said:
I agree that feedback can be nice, but in this case it's unsolicited, coupled with an R, and the wording really strongly implies that whoever gets rejected from VTC is going to have to reapply.
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Oh I mean I agree.. reading the end of that with the "reapply" wording is very presumptive of them.. but like everyone else said, just keep your chin up and focus on schools you have yet to hear from/II's you currently have! I'm sure many schools think that because you didn't get into their program, that must mean you'll be a reapplicant - but good thing their opinion doesn't matter the second they send you a R!
 
mmchick said:
Oh I mean I agree.. reading the end of that with the "reapply" wording is very presumptive of them.. but like everyone else said, just keep your chin up and focus on schools you have yet to hear from/II's you currently have! I'm sure many schools think that because you didn't get into their program, that must mean you'll be a reapplicant - but good thing their opinion doesn't matter the second they send you a R!
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Do you mind posting (or PM me) the rejection letter? I'm really curious as to what they said.
 
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For anyone who already interviewed, do you guys know when we'll be hearing back/getting phone calls?
 
Anyone who had submitted in September heard back?
 
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