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alemna345 said:
Fairly relaxed! You'll likely be talking with members of the Roanoke community for the mmis which is one of the unique aspects of their interview process! I think that's kinda cool. Try not to stress too much, just be yourself! They just want to hear your thought process! Same with the faculty interview, they just want to get to know you and hear about your experiences
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thank you so much for your input! that's honestly so reassuring- i was worried it would be something like the vita which.. i'm pretty sure i bombed 💀
 
Looking through last year's thread, I think decisions will be released closer to last week of Feb/early Mar, but I hope I'm wrong and we hear back today!
 
ATGC17 said:
Looking through last year's thread, I think decisions will be released closer to last week of Feb/early Mar, but I hope I'm wrong and we hear back today!
Click to expand...
My friend got the call less than 2 weeks after the interview and she was in the last group. It’s looking like maybe not today though 😢
 
I haven’t heard anything yet. Thought today was going to be the day
 
Looks like calls started in the afternoon for other days? I really hope today's the day. i'm freaking out!!!!!!!!!
 
congrats yall :clap: the rest of us can just hope I suppose!
 
Do they typically only give out A's today and anything after today is an R or WL?
 
Hi I have some questions and hope some VTCSOM students can reply.

1. I know research is a huge part @vtcsom, but I didn’t see any labs that focus on clinical research related to surgery. (I did find lots of research on cancer, brain related issues, substance control etc). What kind of research do students interested in surgery/dermatology/plastics/ortho do and where?

2. Can students get into their top choice of residency ? What is a student has a ton of research in cancer but is actually interested in surgery ? What kind of support/help is provided to ensure students get into their choice program?

3. With the class size being this small, how is the general feeling among students ?

4. How are lectures ? In person or online ? Do students use third party materials to study for step 1?

Thanks
 
Does VTCSOM see a lot of movement in their waitlist ? Or is the situation like the top 10 med schools where very few waitlisted students get spots?
 
sunshine09 said:
Hi I have some questions and hope some VTCSOM students can reply.

1. I know research is a huge part @vtcsom, but I didn’t see any labs that focus on clinical research related to surgery. (I did find lots of research on cancer, brain related issues, substance control etc). What kind of research do students interested in surgery/dermatology/plastics/ortho do and where?

2. Can students get into their top choice of residency ? What is a student has a ton of research in cancer but is actually interested in surgery ? What kind of support/help is provided to ensure students get into their choice program?

3. With the class size being this small, how is the general feeling among students ?

4. How are lectures ? In person or online ? Do students use third party materials to study for step 1?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I am a current student here, to address some of your questions:

1. In terms of research, there are some bench type labs, but the majority of us find our projects by identifying a mentor physician and just asking them for any projects. So your best bet regarding research related to surgery is to email one of the surgeons who does research at Carilion and ask to be involved in one of their projects. There are far more opportunities than there are students so its really easy to set something up. Every student does research in some capacity here.

2. I would say the sky is the limit here, I heard most students match into their top 5 if not top 3 choices (but dont quote me on that, I forgot where I heard this). We've had a 100% match rate every year since the school's beginning. I don't think we list the match lists publicly, but I think some of the match day live streams are up on youtube if you want to lurk through it... honestly what's going to determine your success though is your ability to stay motivated throughout school. So choose a school where you can see yourself being happy and have plenty of outlets for decompressing for those inevitable frustrating days. Do some research on Roanoke and see if its somewhere you would like to live (it isnt for everyone). I can say that VTC has amazingly supportive faculty and in general the classes support each other and are friendly. There is plenty of opportunity for 1 on 1 counseling regarding applying for match and stuff but again, I can't stress enough that you need to have a good baseline mental for anything else to matter.

The only caviat I would give is that if you are interested in a HEAVILY academic career (like publishing regularly for NEJM at a top 10 institute regarding surgery on the left 5th middle phalange or whatever), this may not be the right choice for you since in that world, networking and pedigree is king. Although we do a lot of research here, VTC just doesn't have a the same academic UNF to the name that a top 20 would. This is just if you want to be an investigator first and have a very specific area of research interest - you want to go where the networking is for that interest. For most of us, we want to be physicians first who happen to also do research and VTC will set you up wonderfully for that career path.

3. I like the small class size, and I feel like I get know all of my classmates pretty well. VTC tends to accept non-traditional students who have had work/interprofessional/life experience (or younger students with significant distance travelled), so my classmates all have very interesting and unique perspectives. Every class is overall very collaborative, sharing notes and resources and helping each other out in a pinch. I personally have not witnessed cutthroat behavior. The fact we are a true P/F (none of that BS high pass or whatever) helps a lot. No class is the same though!

4. Basic science lectures are not mandatory, and recorded so you can watch online. I never even watched them though and only studied using 3rd party resources. The basic science exam questions are not lecture based. They come directly from NBME (the people being USMLE Step) so you can just study for the in-house exams as if you are studying for step 1. This is huge, and I highly recommend attending a school that has this approach.

We do have mandatory PBL (group learning). I didn't consider this as "study time" so much as "hanging out with my friends" though HAHA. Overall I enjoyed PBL a lot more then I thought I would, and this is coming from someone who is pretty introverted.

In summary, I love going to this school and am really happy I chose it. Feel free to PM more questions or whatever (have not been on this site in some time so sort of forgot how it works)
 
j0ji said:
I am a current student here, to address some of your questions:

1. In terms of research, there are some bench type labs, but the majority of us find our projects by identifying a mentor physician and just asking them for any projects. So your best bet regarding research related to surgery is to email one of the surgeons who does research at Carilion and ask to be involved in one of their projects. There are far more opportunities than there are students so its really easy to set something up. Every student does research in some capacity here.

2. I would say the sky is the limit here, I heard most students match into their top 5 if not top 3 choices (but dont quote me on that, I forgot where I heard this). We've had a 100% match rate every year since the school's beginning. I don't think we list the match lists publicly, but I think some of the match day live streams are up on youtube if you want to lurk through it... honestly what's going to determine your success though is your ability to stay motivated throughout school. So choose a school where you can see yourself being happy and have plenty of outlets for decompressing for those inevitable frustrating days. Do some research on Roanoke and see if its somewhere you would like to live (it isnt for everyone). I can say that VTC has amazingly supportive faculty and in general the classes support each other and are friendly. There is plenty of opportunity for 1 on 1 counseling regarding applying for match and stuff but again, I can't stress enough that you need to have a good baseline mental for anything else to matter.

The only caviat I would give is that if you are interested in a HEAVILY academic career (like publishing regularly for NEJM at a top 10 institute regarding surgery on the left 5th middle phalange or whatever), this may not be the right choice for you since in that world, networking and pedigree is king. Although we do a lot of research here, VTC just doesn't have a the same academic UNF to the name that a top 20 would. This is just if you want to be an investigator first and have a very specific area of research interest - you want to go where the networking is for that interest. For most of us, we want to be physicians first who happen to also do research and VTC will set you up wonderfully for that career path.

3. I like the small class size, and I feel like I get know all of my classmates pretty well. VTC tends to accept non-traditional students who have had work/interprofessional/life experience (or younger students with significant distance travelled), so my classmates all have very interesting and unique perspectives. Every class is overall very collaborative, sharing notes and resources and helping each other out in a pinch. I personally have not witnessed cutthroat behavior. The fact we are a true P/F (none of that BS high pass or whatever) helps a lot. No class is the same though!

4. Basic science lectures are not mandatory, and recorded so you can watch online. I never even watched them though and only studied using 3rd party resources. The basic science exam questions are not lecture based. They come directly from NBME (the people being USMLE Step) so you can just study for the in-house exams as if you are studying for step 1. This is huge, and I highly recommend attending a school that has this approach.

We do have mandatory PBL (group learning). I didn't consider this as "study time" so much as "hanging out with my friends" though HAHA. Overall I enjoyed PBL a lot more then I thought I would, and this is coming from someone who is pretty introverted.

In summary, I love going to this school and am really happy I chose it. Feel free to PM more questions or whatever (have not been on this site in some time so sort of forgot how it works)
Click to expand...

Thanks j0ji !!
That is super helpful.
Just one other question... with all four years P/F, does VTC have internal ranking ? How do they decide candidates for AOA or Gold awards?
Does not making into AOA ruin chances of matching into surgical specialties?
 
sunshine09 said:
Thanks j0ji !!
That is super helpful.
Just one other question... with all four years P/F, does VTC have internal ranking ? How do they decide candidates for AOA or Gold awards?
Does not making into AOA ruin chances of matching into surgical specialties?
Click to expand...
There is no internal ranking. We do have AOA and gold society. AOA are faculty nominated and gold awards are peer nominated. Furthermore, we have various "letters of distinction", most of which are faculty nominated, and some of which are peer nominated. There are letters of distinction for each rotation which I suppose can be considered an honors. The administration is very transparent about these kinds of decisions and will be open to inquiry about the process if you come here. In general, the feel I get here is that nobody really grinds their teeth about these - everyone just does their best and the people that get them deserved them.

I haven't matched yet, but my understanding is that not getting AOA will not "ruin" your career, although of course it looks nice on the CV.

It is a fact of this profession that competitiveness needs to be expressed somehow. This is purely my opinion but I think what VTC can offer which is unique from other medical schools is the meaningful relationships with leaders here due to the faculty/student ratio. Its insanely easy to schedule a lunch with the chair of whatever department to talk about career planning or jump onto various research teams. I mean, if I were a program director looking at residency apps, I'd weigh something like a LOR that states "As a board certified surgeon for 24 years and residency director of the surgery department here, I worked with sunshine09 in ___ project. From their work, I fully believe sunshine09 has what it takes to be a successful leader in the field of surgery and would be a great addition to any residency" more than "sunshine09 performed at the top of his class and thus was awarded AOA". At least, I'd personally WANT to go to a residency that prioritizes the former rather than the latter. You'll have to look at the stats for your specific specialty of interest though. Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it until you've settled in wherever you go. Hope that makes sense
 
j0ji said:
There is no internal ranking. We do have AOA and gold society. AOA are faculty nominated and gold awards are peer nominated. Furthermore, we have various "letters of distinction", most of which are faculty nominated, and some of which are peer nominated. There are letters of distinction for each rotation which I suppose can be considered an honors. The administration is very transparent about these kinds of decisions and will be open to inquiry about the process if you come here. In general, the feel I get here is that nobody really grinds their teeth about these - everyone just does their best and the people that get them deserved them.

I haven't matched yet, but my understanding is that not getting AOA will not "ruin" your career, although of course it looks nice on the CV.

It is a fact of this profession that competitiveness needs to be expressed somehow. This is purely my opinion but I think what VTC can offer which is unique from other medical schools is the meaningful relationships with leaders here due to the faculty/student ratio. Its insanely easy to schedule a lunch with the chair of whatever department to talk about career planning or jump onto various research teams. I mean, if I were a program director looking at residency apps, I'd weigh something like a LOR that states "As a board certified surgeon for 24 years and residency director of the surgery department here, I worked with sunshine09 in ___ project. From their work, I fully believe sunshine09 has what it takes to be a successful leader in the field of surgery and would be a great addition to any residency" more than "sunshine09 performed at the top of his class and thus was awarded AOA". At least, I'd personally WANT to go to a residency that prioritizes the former rather than the latter. You'll have to look at the stats for your specific specialty of interest though. Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it until you've settled in wherever you go. Hope that makes sense
Click to expand...
Wow ! Thanks a ton 😊
 
I'm in the Active-Status Pool, is there anything I should do from here? VTCOM is my top school and I wanted to see if there is anything I should do to increase my chances of getting in. Should I send a letter of interest? Or does that sound too desperate?
 
Hey all, I am curious how VTC views Special Masters Program in their admissions decisions. I am someone was never really thinking about medical school until the end of undergrad and my grades reflected that. I've gone to a well known SMP and done very well in classes taken alongside medical students. Curious how much weight VTC puts into SMP compared to undergrad. Thanks! 🙂 For what its worth 510 MCAT taken before the SMP
 
ILoveMyDawg said:
Hey all, I am curious how VTC views Special Masters Program in their admissions decisions. I am someone was never really thinking about medical school until the end of undergrad and my grades reflected that. I've gone to a well known SMP and done very well in classes taken alongside medical students. Curious how much weight VTC puts into SMP compared to undergrad. Thanks! 🙂 For what its worth 510 MCAT taken before the SMP
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I did a regular masters for GPA repair and got into VTC with a similar MCAT score so you should be good. I’m not an expert though!
 
ILoveMyDawg said:
Hey all, I am curious how VTC views Special Masters Program in their admissions decisions. I am someone was never really thinking about medical school until the end of undergrad and my grades reflected that. I've gone to a well known SMP and done very well in classes taken alongside medical students. Curious how much weight VTC puts into SMP compared to undergrad. Thanks! 🙂 For what its worth 510 MCAT taken before the SMP
Click to expand...
Not sure what your GPA looks like, but mine is on the low side + similar MCAT (LM=66) and I was accepted. I do have a pretty research-heavy application though. I feel like they are more forgiving in regards to GPA but I'm just an applicant!
 
Hi everyone,

In years past, they have required a $100 deposit within 2 weeks of your acceptance. This is no longer an expectation, right? You simply have to go on the VTC portal and complete the "Reserve My Seat" tab, correct?
 
Hello, can any existing VTCSOM students advise on the following:
1. Does VTC have any lectures or “flipped classroom “/ recorded lectures BEFORE PBL sessions ?
Or
Is every module/ block PBL based ?

2. Are the VTCSOM “end of each block” exams based on NBME exams or are they “Professor written exams ?

Thanks
 
sunshine09 said:
Hello, can any existing VTCSOM students advise on the following:
1. Does VTC have any lectures or “flipped classroom “/ recorded lectures BEFORE PBL sessions ?
Or
Is every module/ block PBL based ?

2. Are the VTCSOM “end of each block” exams based on NBME exams or are they “Professor written exams ?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Not a student, but a current student posted in this thread a few posts back that the exams are NBME, not professor written.
 
sunshine09 said:
Hello, can any existing VTCSOM students advise on the following:
1. Does VTC have any lectures or “flipped classroom “/ recorded lectures BEFORE PBL sessions ?
Or
Is every module/ block PBL based ?

2. Are the VTCSOM “end of each block” exams based on NBME exams or are they “Professor written exams ?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Not a student here, but read that exams are NBME-based and there are traditional lectures in addition to PBL.
 
So based on that email today anyone in the active status pool is just waiting to get the R or hear a waitlist number? I had thought they still had some acceptances to hand out :/
 
mapvi said:
So based on that email today anyone in the active status pool is just waiting to get the R or hear a waitlist number? I had thought they still had some acceptances to hand out :/
Click to expand...
That's what it sounds like 🙁 Gotta admit I'm feeling pretty misled by that "April round of acceptances" line from the previous email - was holding out hope for a potential acceptance next month. I guess they meant "acceptance" off the waitlist...
 
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