2021-2022 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM-Virginia)

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PreMedLife210 said:
Congrats! And yea idk about coincidence lol was it radio silence until that point tho?
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I think they sent an email at one point saying we were still in the running.
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VCOM really playing with my heart with all these “you’re invited!” emails that aren’t iis =\
 
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if I get another VCOM promotion email before an interview invite imma seriously withdraw my app…do they seriously have enough time to send hundreds of promo emails these past few months but not enough time to read our apps??
 
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whambamarsenalfan17 said:
if I get another VCOM promotion email before an interview invite imma seriously withdraw my app…do they seriously have enough time to send hundreds of promo emails these past few months but not enough time to read our apps??
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I still think those are a secondary invite lmao still under review I guess
 
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2022premed said:
I still think those are a secondary invite lmao still under review I guess
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To not receive any updates at all (lnterview hold, rejection, invite, etc) since the start of the app cycle is a little excessive IMO. I understand some people not agree with my perspective and tell me that I need to remain patient, but I don’t understand how it can take THIS long :|
 
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whambamarsenalfan17 said:
To not receive any updates at all (lnterview hold, rejection, invite, etc) since the start of the app cycle is a little excessive IMO. I understand some people not agree with my perspective and tell me that I need to remain patient, but I don’t understand how it can take THIS long :|
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Honestly out of all the schools I’ve applied to, their admissions seems to be the slowest. I was complete mud July and was marked as complete end of October.
 
toetheline said:
Honestly out of all the schools I’ve applied to, their admissions seems to be the slowest. I was complete mud July and was marked as complete end of October.
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Same. its Frustrating tbh. I emailed admissions just now and got the generic response of “your app is currently in review, please be on the look out and go through spam/junk”. Doesnt reflect well on them IMO but at this point it is what it is...
 
I wonder what kind of system they have in place that decides which applications are considered first - and I guess my curiosity goes for all schools and their systems. I read that some applicants already received II's and subsequent acceptances but I also see a lot of us have not yet received II's and applied very early on. A bit frustrating.
 
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DDog35 said:
I wonder what kind of system they have in place that decides which applications are considered first - and I guess my curiosity goes for all schools and their systems. I read that some applicants already received II's and subsequent acceptances but I also see a lot of us have not yet received II's and applied very early on. A bit frustrating.
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VCOM has a target region, and they often evaluate applicants coming from that target region and those meeting their mission closely first. The admissions staff goes through every application, and if your application is being sent to other campuses for them to consider, it can also take longer. I know it’s not what you want to hear (and I get it because I was in your shoes last year), but this process is just long and requires a ton of patience. Every school works a little differently. Some don’t screen at all before sending secondaries, so it may not take as long. Here, there is a screening process and a thorough review before secondaries/interviews go out.
 
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Is anyone else that got the complete email say "secondary invite" on the portal, especially those with IIs? Also any IIs recently?
 
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Accepted Nov 16th in the AM. Interviewed very early Nov.
 
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Does anyone know when the ad com meets? Had an interview Nov 16th and was curious if it would actually take 4 weeks to hear back
 
Accepted!!:D Interviewed 11/9. OOS, LM 67.5 ORM
 
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Hey guys! so i was pretty set on a school until i got the vcom acceptance call yesterday and now i’m torn, especially since vcom would be in-state for me and the other school would be a flight away. I was hoping i cud ask a few questions to see what school fits best and would be eternally grateful if any current vcom student had any answers :)

I know you all have 1-3 exams almost every week - do you think that studying for an exam every single week makes it hard to keep up and adds a lot of stress on ur plate or does it work well? Does the curriculum help with learning what you need for the boards, what support do they give for preparing for the boards, and how much dedicated time does vcom actually give for boards?

do you think having the 1 week after each block off and ,as a result, a shorter summer puts u at a disadvantage since you dont have the summer to do research or any other activities?

how would you kind of rate rotations since the core sites r only in southern virginia? do you have a chance of going to other states for rotations or is that only something you can set up for fourth year? Is it true that you are guaranteed 1 or more rotations with a DO physician, at least 1 with a resident, and 1 or more rotations with an inpatient component? Are there opportunities to do international rotations in any country you choose (as long as you set it up)?

i know they said lectures aren’t mandatory and they are recorded, however there is still a business casual dress code for lectures. Is this all true and how soon do they provide the recorded lectures?

how easy is it to find research?

how is blacksburg in general? I live in a small city-ish and I went to undergrad in a city school so I know it is definitely going to be a big shift but how is the blacksburg area and housing option there?

I apologize for the influx of questions but would for sure be grateful for any advice/answers I can get. Just want to get a current student's honest perspective of the school before making a final decision. thank you very much!
 
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i've never had 3 mini interviews for a school, were they relaxed or did they involve ethical questions? any help would be appreciated!
 
crispy724 said:
i've never had 3 mini interviews for a school, were they relaxed or did they involve ethical questions? any help would be appreciated!
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They are fairly relaxed... there may be some ethical questions but they are mostly interested in why you want to be a DO and why you want to go to VCOM, but it is also your opportunity to ask them questions. It was my only open file interview so I was worried about them asking really specific academic information like 'why did you take X time off' or 'explain this W'... None of that came up and I think that has more to do with the pre-interview screening. One professor did ask specific questions from my personal statement or experiences so I would recommend that you re-read yours prior so that it does not catch you off guard, seeing as primary applications were some time ago.
 
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rani_muan said:
Hey guys! so i was pretty set on a school until i got the vcom acceptance call yesterday and now i’m torn, especially since vcom would be in-state for me and the other school would be a flight away. I was hoping i cud ask a few questions to see what school fits best and would be eternally grateful if any current vcom student had any answers :)
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first year here. I will answer what I can.

rani_muan said:
I know you all have 1-3 exams almost every week - do you think that studying for an exam every single week makes it hard to keep up and adds a lot of stress on ur plate or does it work well? Does the curriculum help with learning what you need for the boards, what support do they give for preparing for the boards, and how much dedicated time does vcom actually give for boards?
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Yes it can be stressful; however, this means they are shorter and more focused. Other schools may do one test per month that is several hours long covering hundreds of questions from every class. I believe one school I applied to only had one comprehensive exam per semester. In this case think about your preference. I did not want so much pressure on one exam.
For board prep we have access to Combank this year, and I believe block 8 is board prep time, though it does not look like it is independent study (I suspect that may change). Check this link for block calendars: Block Calendars

rani_muan said:
do you think having the 1 week after each block off and ,as a result, a shorter summer puts u at a disadvantage since you dont have the summer to do research or any other activities?
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I do know that they are requiring a third year rotation in research. As far as advantage or disadvantage, I'm not sure. You're allowed to participate in research with a professor starting in block 2 depending on GPA. It's not something I have reached out to do so I can't really comment. See more below.

rani_muan said:
how would you kind of rate rotations since the core sites r only in southern virginia? do you have a chance of going to other states for rotations or is that only something you can set up for fourth year? Is it true that you are guaranteed 1 or more rotations with a DO physician, at least 1 with a resident, and 1 or more rotations with an inpatient component? Are there opportunities to do international rotations in any country you choose (as long as you set it up)?
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I'll defer to any 2nd, 3rd or 4th years to answer this one. There are sites in eastern VA, West Virginia, northern Virginia, and North Carolina. I did reach out to see if there is a way to rotate at another campus' core site - this involves finding someone at another campus who wants to trade.
see: Hospital Clinical Sites
International trips are up in the air due to the pandemic. They have international missions... this is a week or two during summer break or a rotation in 3rd or 4th year.

rani_muan said:
i know they said lectures aren’t mandatory and they are recorded, however there is still a business casual dress code for lectures. Is this all true and how soon do they provide the recorded lectures?
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I would say it is usually within an hour. All mandatory activities are business casual unless stated otherwise; OMM and anatomy have different codes of course.

rani_muan said:
how easy is it to find research?
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I think this will get easier for DO schools as a whole... This has been a project with DO schools for decades; I suspect with unified match AOA want to push schools to do more research and recruit more science faculty. The chair of biomedical sciences is the POC for getting involved in research. Again this isn't something I have done so I don't have much for you on this subject. From what I understand you contact a professor whose research you are interested in and if your GPA is good they work out the details.

rani_muan said:
how is blacksburg in general? I live in a small city-ish and I went to undergrad in a city school so I know it is definitely going to be a big shift but how is the blacksburg area and housing option there?

I apologize for the influx of questions but would for sure be grateful for any advice/answers I can get. Just want to get a current student's honest perspective of the school before making a final decision. thank you very much!
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It's a large town. Your best bet price wise for housing is in nearby Christiansburg. Most have a 10 minute or less commute. VCOM is situated right off the main road as you enter Blacksburg from Christiansburg. They should have an email list for accepted students who are looking for roommates. I would say a sizable amount live right next to campus - walking distance.
Best advice... visit if you can to get a feel for it. Apply for housing as soon as you can: we have to compete with Virginia Tech for housing and Blacksburg can be expensive as a result, particularly if you are trying to live alone. The more economic thing is to find a roommate or live in Christiansburg.
There is really only traffic on Main Street around 5 pm. It's not like being bumper to bumper in a city... maybe a 5 minute delay. Home football games can cause significant traffic but I just drive outside of that time or go around it.
You definitely have things to do in the area when there is a break.

Personally I think the best thing you can do applying for medical school and deciding between acceptance offers is to get a feel for how you jive with the climate of the program, with the area, with the curriculum, and most importantly whether ADCOM, student affairs and the professors and SGA feel welcoming and are there to help you succeed. I did not get a good vibe from a school in my home state and this contributed to my decision to go elsewhere, whereas my experience here has been mostly positive. DM if you have more questions.
 
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rani_muan said:
Hey guys! so i was pretty set on a school until i got the vcom acceptance call yesterday and now i’m torn, especially since vcom would be in-state for me and the other school would be a flight away. I was hoping i cud ask a few questions to see what school fits best and would be eternally grateful if any current vcom student had any answers :)

I know you all have 1-3 exams almost every week - do you think that studying for an exam every single week makes it hard to keep up and adds a lot of stress on ur plate or does it work well? Does the curriculum help with learning what you need for the boards, what support do they give for preparing for the boards, and how much dedicated time does vcom actually give for boards?

do you think having the 1 week after each block off and ,as a result, a shorter summer puts u at a disadvantage since you dont have the summer to do research or any other activities?

how would you kind of rate rotations since the core sites r only in southern virginia? do you have a chance of going to other states for rotations or is that only something you can set up for fourth year? Is it true that you are guaranteed 1 or more rotations with a DO physician, at least 1 with a resident, and 1 or more rotations with an inpatient component? Are there opportunities to do international rotations in any country you choose (as long as you set it up)?

i know they said lectures aren’t mandatory and they are recorded, however there is still a business casual dress code for lectures. Is this all true and how soon do they provide the recorded lectures?

how easy is it to find research?

how is blacksburg in general? I live in a small city-ish and I went to undergrad in a city school so I know it is definitely going to be a big shift but how is the blacksburg area and housing option there?

I apologize for the influx of questions but would for sure be grateful for any advice/answers I can get. Just want to get a current student's honest perspective of the school before making a final decision. thank you very much!
Click to expand...
When did you interview?
 
I submitted my primary about 1.5 months ago and still no secondary. I emailed and they said my app is still in review to determine whether they’ll send me a secondary. Did it take anyone else that long to get a secondary?
 
Sorry for all the questions but I was recently informed that VCOM now has an accreditation with heightened monitoring? Do you think that is cause for concern with how residencies look at the school or no?
 
rani_muan said:
Sorry for all the questions but I was recently informed that VCOM now has an accreditation with heightened monitoring? Do you think that is cause for concern with how residencies look at the school or no?
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This has been discussed ad nauseum and no. You can check the VCOM match list to confirm this.
 
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paisleysoul said:
Is it too late to submit my secondary for VCOM?
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I say go for it - there are people who submitted in Aug/Sept that were just recently marked complete. Also with 4 campus available for an A I would say it's well worth your 50 bucks!
 
Connoleib said:
Hello, guys! This year, I entered the medical university and could not find relevant information about this issue anywhere.
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This looks like your first post on SDN -
You would need to explain more what issue you want information about.
In this thread the topic is Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

You can use the Search function to look for your topic
 
Just got the acceptance call!! Interviewed December 9
 
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Anyone who submitted their app in September get a complete email yet?
 
Anybody who interviewed December 9 and still not heard anything?
 
medap234 said:
Is this school interviewing way less people or running behind? I feel like I’ve seen way less acceptances in the thread, although the Facebook group does have around 90 people in it. I’ve also heard that they see depending on how many MABS students they let in, but I’m not sure when that decision is taken.
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Well last year they filled the class by October so I think they are trying to avoid that. I spoke with them before break and the class still has seats available. I honestly don’t think they reject many that they interview but I could be wrong.
 
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got my II yesterday and interviewing Jan 14! anyone have any tips who have already interviewed?
 
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knm009 said:
got my II yesterday and interviewing Jan 14! anyone have any tips who have already interviewed?
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I would say make sure you can express how your past experiences and future goals align with their mission statement. The interview was pretty conversational so just try to relax and create good conversation with them. Research your interviewers you are assigned to beforehand and try to come up with some thoughtful questions to ask them at the end.
 
knm009 said:
got my II yesterday and interviewing Jan 14! anyone have any tips who have already interviewed?
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Congrats! Just relax, be yourself, look over your app/activities, explain your path to medicine.
 
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