ECU Interview

[kirpnn03]

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I just recieved an invite to interview at ECU. Does anyone know how far ahead they book their interviews because I need at least a couple of weeks to give notice at my job? If I was offered an earlier date than I wanted, do you think it would be rude to ask for a later date?

Also, does anyone know if you can stay with a student host?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

If you have a bit of a conflict and need to change the date, I don't think that would be any problem at all. Admissions folks here are very down to earth and good people to work with. Let me know if you need any more info as I'd b be glad to help.

 

[kirpnn03]

If you have a bit of a conflict and need to change the date, I don't think that would be any problem at all. Admissions folks here are very down to earth and good people to work with. Let me know if you need any more info as I'd b be glad to help.

Thanks Pir8DeacDoc! Do you know if students typically host any interviewees?

 

[TheElephant]

Thanks Pir8DeacDoc! Do you know if students typically host any interviewees?

I do not believe that ECU provides such an accomodation. Good Luck on your interview. The administrators at ECU are very nice you can ask them for hotel recommendations.

 

[Fermata]

Yes. Since they only accept NC residents then they assume that you can transport yourself(hence no accomadations).

Then again.......you could always ask SweetTea nicely. 😀

 

[Sweet Tea]

Yes. Since they only accept NC residents then they assume that you can transport yourself(hence no accomadations).

Then again.......you could always ask SweetTea nicely. 😀

Sorry I can't help out-- my best friend is staying with me now for a rotation so my apartment is full. 🙂

But I'm more than welcome to answer any questions about Brody. 😀

 

[ah1120]

Sweet Tea, I have an interview on Thursday at ECU, and actually, I have tons of questions. Here's just a few 😀 .
What's your opinion of the school as a whole? Do you have any non-trads in your class? Also, I know there is a shortage of ER docs in rural NC, so do they consider this an acceptable fit with their mission statement?

To answer kirpnn03s question earlier, if you haven't already had it answered, when I called to make an appointment, they were scheduling a week and a half out or further. I had to schedule mine further out than the week and a half and it wasn't a problem. I did get a letter from them afterward confirming the date and asking that I not try to change the date unless absolutely necessary. Anyway, hope that helps.

--ah1120

 

[kirpnn03]

Thanks everyone for all of your prompt replies! I scheduled my interview yesterday and it's not for another three weeks and the staff was super friendly!

Sweet Tea, what was your overall interview experience like? What do you think of the closed file approach? And how did you prepare besides looking over AMCAS, secondary application, and interview feedback questions?

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

Maybe Sweet Tea's studying?!? But as a third year I can assure you that although I should be studying, I'm watching the BoSox game and surfing the web 😀

ECU is pretty well-known to be a school that looks favorably on non traditional students. Our average age is a tad older than most other schools. There's a woman in my class in her early 40's. I'd say that in my class there are quite a few people that have had other "lives" and recently decided on medicine.

As far as ED medicine, I think you could probably work that into a primary care field if you wanted to. I can assure you that the ED is the primary care office for far too many residents of eastern NC. Go with what experience you have in terms of telling them what you want to do. If you say you want to be a family doc and you have no relevant volunteer experience or exposure, then they'll probably think you're full of it. If you don't know, then honestly tell them you don't know but are open to whatever fits you (that's what I said)...

Let's see what else you guys wanted to know... The interview itself is very low stress. They want to get to know you and find out a little bit about what makes you tick. I honestly didn't do a darn thing for it. I figured that being myself at my interviews would help me fit at a school that was right for me. If you happen to go to a NC school that has a med school (i.e. Wake, Duke, UNC) then make sure to tell them why you'd go to ECU over your undergrad school. I went to Wake and was definitely prepared for that question and got it. Overall just trust your ability to communicate and realize they aren't trying to intimidate you or make you nervous, just get to know you a bit.

Overall I have been super pleased with my med school education. Our class took Step I this summer and performed above the national average, despite that fact that our average MCAT is a tad on the low side. Recent matches have been very successful and I anticipate the same or better for years to come. We are a very new medical school and not super well-known, but it takes time. There is a new cardiovascular center being built, a school of allied health, and some other stuff I can't remember. A level I trauma center that serves 29 counties in eastern NC. It's a growing area and medical center. As I'm sure you guys already know, it's far and away the cheapest school in the country. Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any more specific questions as I generally spend most of my time on the surgery forum (don't tell the admin folks 😉 ). Best of luck!

 

[Sweet Tea]

Haha, yeah, this is the first time I've been online today-- exams start next week so I've been (trying) to study. heh.

Ditto pretty much everything Pir8DeacDoc said. But because I'm trying to put off studying for pathology, here's my spin.

I love this school. I'm from Chapel Hill, did my undergrad and post-bacc work at UNC, and worked at UNC hospitals for 2 years before I applied to med school, so I was pretty set on UNC for med school. After I interviewed both places, I had no desire to go to UNC and only wanted to go to ECU. That's just my spin-- I have nothing against UNC and I will always be a Tarheel before I'm a Pirate, but ECU was the right med school for me.

My class is about half non-trads, and I'd say roughly 1/3-1/2 of my class applied multiple times (in other words, persistance pays off). I really love the small class size-- I came from a huge hs to a huge college and I was tired of all the hugeness. My class is very tight, and this has good points and bad points...it's very supportive, but we have very few secrets from each other. My classmates are really great people-- everyone is very supportive, and we all try to have lives outside of med school, and that's a wonderful thing. The only bad thing about ECU is Greenville. The people are incredibly friendly, but it's just not my town. Having said that, that makes it a great place for school because I'm not tempted to go out like I would be in Chapel Hill. If you love barbeque, this is the place to be. So very good. It is insanely cheap to live here-- not only do we have the cheapest tuition in the country, but housing is very affordable. I have a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment that costs less than half of my boyfriend's studio apartment outside of NYC.

I loved my interview, and because my application was less than stellar having a closed file worked in my favor. 😉 Most of the people who do interviews are very nice and low key; they're interested in finding a good mix of students who are right for Brody. The best advice I can give is to relax, be yourself, and have some questions about the school ready. This is not a stressful interview. I went over my AMCAS and secondary before the interview, but I'm not sure it helped all that much (interview feedback was before my time😉).

Pathology is calling my name. Keep the questions coming-- either on this thread or PM me. 🙂

 

[ah1120]

Thanks, Sweet Tea, Pir8DeacDoc! I really appreciate your input. I'm a 30 year old mother of two, so I'm a bit out of the regular loop for information. Hopefully I'll see you both sometime next year!
--ah1120

 

[CanIMakeIt]

Does anyone know if ECU has started handing out acceptances for non-EDP people.... I remember Dr. Peden telling us that the committee will be meeting on or around 15th and the ones selected will be notified .... Anyone heard anything yet ... I know it is early but still 🙂 you can't blame me for being anxious.......... this process is so consuming.....

 

[i61164]

Today I attended a lecture (at UNCC) by Dr. Angela Kidd from ECU. She talked about admissions as well as highlights about Brody. There were several things that impressed me about ECU and it is one of my top choices. I have received a secondary from them.

During the lecture, she said that successful applicants at ECU need a minimum of 8's on the MCAT, N on the writing sample, and a 3.5 GPA. I have a 30M/3.76 and I left the room wondering if I would be automatically rejected because of the M. Dr. Kidd did not say that there was a firm cutoff, but I wonder what it takes to overcome the M. Previously, I had not been too concerned about the M, but now I am a little worried.

If I was to be rejected because of the M, I wonder if they would do it presecondary or postsecondary. I would hate to think that I'm going to send them $60 only to be rejected without consideration because I am below a cutoff.

Does anyone know of someone that was accepted to ECU with an M on the writing sample?

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

there are really no firm numbers with ECU. I can tell you that in keeping with the mission of the school there are members of my class that have low 20's on the MCAT. There are also members that have in the low 30's... It really just depends on how you fit into the picture of what they're looking for. Best of luck and don't worry about your writing sample. I don't have a clue what I got on that section and was under the impression that no one really cares. Buena suerte!

 

[kirpnn03]

So, since much of ECU's entering class each year is composed of reapplicants, what are my chances of being accepted the first time around? And what tends to distinguish the reapplicants from the ones who were accepted the first time?

 

[Sweet Tea]

i61164 you really gotta calm down


ECU's MCAT ave is a 25-26... do you really think that they don't take people with < a 24? What about their average gpa of a 3.5? I've had enough of ECU's salespeople and the rather questionable content of their statements.

Perhaps you should go to their website where they state they don't favor ECU ugrads (and then you read on the same website that >25% of their med school is filled with their "stellar" ugrads).

anger is strong in this one...

The averages are just that: averages. I was accepted with a 32 MCAT and a 3.1 (yes, 3.1...and that was after 2.5 years of 4.0 work) GPA. I don't know how my MCAT ranks, but I bet I have the lowest GPA in my class. I wouldn't say that they favor ECU as most of my class are UNC grads, but I would say that they favor people with ties to rural parts of the state (esp eastern NC). Doesn't mean that you have absolutely no chance of getting in if you're from Charlotte, Durham, or Winston-Salem, but it does mean that they want you to prove you're interested in rural or primary care. They're not just looking for the best scores...they want the best match for Brody.

Good luck, and don't worry about your writing sample. 🙂

 

[kirpnn03]

Question: I've heard that if you've taken the MCAT more than once, ECU takes the best score from each section to get the highest score possible. Is this true?

 

[i61164]

I have an M on my MCAT and they interviewed my two years in a row. Waitlisted the first year. Rejected the second year. They will interview you... they interview like 70% of NC applicants. I will tell you this... if you are from Charlotte-Meck. good luck. Hopefully you didn't grow up in Charlotte and you are just attending UNCC. There is a reason why ECU specifies the diversity of the counties their students are from on their webpage.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not "from" any county in NC (strike two). I have only live in NC for a little over a year (Meck. Co.). If ties to Eastern NC are required then I might as well just consider the $60 app fee a donation. I've got interest in primary care and a disadvantaged background, but it looks like I've got a better shot at Wake. Finally all those years of dressing "business casual" will pay off. 😉

I guess I knew from the start that ECU was a long shot, but I was kind of shocked to hear an ECU rep suggest that I might need to consider retaking the MCAT because of a 30M.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

Seriously man a "M" is not going to keep you out of medschool.....so stop worrying and channel your energy in something better ..... and you have already decided to "donate" that $60 to the so don't worry now 😀

I think it will depend on your overall application and not your "M" whether you get an interview or not

 

[TheElephant]

And yes, that pisses me off as I see a blatant contradiciton ot the school's mission statement.

Yes, students who come from rich background may get accepted to ECU, but ECU also maintains a quite healthy amount of minorities in the classes. Also, they have good number of individuals from public schools of NC. If most of the students being accepted to ECU came from Duke then there would be a problem.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

some of you guys seem really bitter over something?!? Just don't surf on to the website linked as you'll find a not so flattering picture of yours truly on that page 😉 I wish you guys all the best of luck but you have to remember that there is no easy way to sort it all out and come up with a class that will fit the ECU mission. There will always be certain people that don't fit the criteria but such as life huh?!?

 

[i61164]

Unfortunately for me, I'm not "from" any county in NC (strike two). I have only live in NC for a little over a year (Meck. Co.). If ties to Eastern NC are required then I might as well just consider the $60 app fee a donation. I've got interest in primary care and a disadvantaged background, but it looks like I've got a better shot at Wake. Finally all those years of dressing "business casual" will pay off. 😉

I guess I knew from the start that ECU was a long shot, but I was kind of shocked to hear an ECU rep suggest that I might need to consider retaking the MCAT because of a 30M.

And I almost forgot, I'm also not a reapplicant. Strike three.

 

[i61164]

Wake Forest is simply evil. In light of everything I've said I'd go over to ECU in a flash over Wake. BTW, the M is not going to hodl you back. You'll have to find some other premed topic to obsess endlessly about.

Relax. It's not like I'm obsessing about what color tie to wear (seriously though, blue or red? ). Surely you can tolerate people obsessing over stuff since you are planning to surround yourself with such people for the next several years. In fact, you and I will probably end up as lab partners. Actually I'm really not that obsessive. Maybe I'm over-analytical at times but that can be good right?

 

[Fermata]

Still.....about 1/2 of those accepted to ECU were rejected from the school in previous cycles.

That carries with it some benefits(although it's kind of a like a self-selecting group).

You stand a much better chance at UNC than you do at ECU, Pete.

Ironically, it is actually probably harder for the average NC college student to get into ECU than it is UNC.

At the end of the day you are still holding a degree in chemistry from Duke....and I assure you that that is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

The legislature set forth a three-fold mission for the ECU School of Medicine: to increase the supply of primary care physicians to serve the state, to improve health status of citizens in eastern North Carolina, and to enhance the access of minority and disadvantaged students to a medical education.

I'm not sure where in the mission statement it says you have to have gone to schools other than Wake, Duke, or UNC to gain admissions. The real irony of it is 3 of the minorities in my class went to Duke. One went to GaTech. Another went to Wake. Stereotyping someone based on where they went to college is ridiculious.

I'll use myself as an example because I imagine on the surface I'd fall into the category of kids you don't think belong at ECU. I went to Wake Forest for undergrad and come from an upper middle class family. What you don't know is that I am from an eastern NC county and have lived there for 15+ years. It's insulting to me that you think because I'm white, upper middle class, and went to Wake Forest that I don't care anything about eastern NC healthcare or its people. However, I will grant you that there are a few people that don't totally fit the bill, but no admissions committee is perfect and an entire class can't be made up of minority/disadvantaged/eastern NC students.

 

[i61164]

Everyone knows you wear the blue tie.

Partner? Lab partner? Partnering with someone else would mean I need their help. That will never happen. I will have my little gunner-nook where I will work alone so that I am not dragged down by the weak and needy.

(and i was joking about the obsessing part... but you like to openly kavetch)

Kavetch? Are you referring to my pity party about being deferred pre-interview at UNC? That was nothing. You should hear me kavetch about my job.

So the great Peterock stands alone, huh? What happened to solidarity? We gunners need to stick together.

 

[tarheel04]

Wake Forest is simply evil. In light of everything I've said I'd go over to ECU in a flash over Wake.

Why? What do you have against Wake?

 

[i61164]

I have ZERO respect for...

You WILL respect my authoritay!

That's the same crap that happens in Ugrad admissions. I saw kids struggling in college after being valedictorian in high school. Meanwhile I was not even in the top 10% of my competitive yuppie high school class, but college was a breeze.

This reminds me of another discussion here on SDN recently. Somebody was like "Do ADCOMs take your major into account?" "My 3.2 in Chemical Engineering is way more impressive than some bonehead's 4.0 in business."

As I tried to explain in that thread, ADCOMs make a series of adjustments to normalize for these factors. For example:

Chemical Engineering = +.5 to GPA
Business = -.5 to GPA

Duke University = +10 points
High Point U. = -10 points

😉

 

[Fermata]

You WILL respect my authoritay!

That's the same crap that happens in Ugrad admissions. I saw kids struggling in college after being valedictorian in high school. Meanwhile I was not even in the top 10% of my competitive yuppie high school class, but college was a breeze.

This reminds me of another discussion here on SDN recently. Somebody was like "Do ADCOMs take your major into account?" "My 3.2 in Chemical Engineering is way more impressive than some bonehead's 4.0 in business."

As I tried to explain in that thread, ADCOMs make a series of adjustments to normalize for these factors. For example:

Chemical Engineering = +.5 to GPA
Business = -.5 to GPA

Duke University = +10 points
High Point U. = -10 points

😉

Are you kidding?

Some majors at Duke(and other schools of similar caliber) are wayyyyy inflated.

Then again...if it's a biomed major from Duke...then yea...

It all comes down to the department.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

Shouldn't be all that hard to get good grades in classes at a State U when you already have an undergrad degree. While it might make you feel good to vent, you don't know anything about the work ethic of the people that got in over you. No need to be mad at people who made the decision to attend a State U. Maybe you're just bummed out b/c you spent so much more on your education and subjectively feel as though you worked harder yet are stuck playing the admissions game. You can rant and rave all you want but there's something there that the admin committees are picking up on that they don't like. Step back and try and get a little perspective on things man, bitterness will eat you up inside. Good luck! 🙂

 

[tarheel04]

You can rant and rave all you want but there's something there that the admin committees are picking up on that they don't like. Step back and try and get a little perspective on things man, bitterness will eat you up inside. Good luck! 🙂

Sounds like adcoms are picking up on his arrogance and lack of respect for other universities.

 

[andrew88]

Hey Do you think i am competitive at ECU? I went to NC State, played football for 5 years(3.0), I'm from charlotte, 32 MCAT and I am in graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth in Neuroanatomy(3.5 GPA). Well-rounded person and I will interview very well. I feel like ECU is my best shot, but I don't have rural roots, or any experience in rural medicine and I'm a white male from Charlotte. Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Hey Do you think i am competitive at ECU? I went to NC State, played football for 5 years(3.0), I'm from charlotte, 32 MCAT and I am in graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth in Neuroanatomy(3.5 GPA). Well-rounded person and I will interview very well. I feel like ECU is my best shot, but I don't have rural roots, or any experience in rural medicine and I'm a white male from Charlotte. Any feedback is much appreciated.

what kind of clincial experience do you have?

 

[i61164]

Are you kidding?

Some majors at Duke(and other schools of similar caliber) are wayyyyy inflated.

Then again...if it's a biomed major from Duke...then yea...

It all comes down to the department.

Of course I'm kidding. It doesn't just come down to department, it comes down to professor. Ever hear of a professor that doesn't believe in giving A's? Guess how quickly the pre-meds would be dropping out of that class. That's why GPA and competitiveness of the undergrad school are not a good way to compare applicants. MCAT score is a much more even playing field, although I'm sure that some will argue against that as well.

Interestingly enough, as others have pointed out, med schools seem to be more forgiving of a low MCAT than a low GPA (relatively speaking).

 

[TheElephant]

First of all I want to apologize for the rude remark I made about Duke students. I just did something that I fear the most, generalize people based on few stats.

But from my experience at ECU, I found the people there to be very friendly especially my tour guides, who were really great. Nothing in life is perfect so sometimes ADCOMS may admitt students who do not conform to their mission. Also, if you belive that MCAT should be the factor used to guage competence and ability then I think you are completely wrong. Are there any stats that say that ECU graduates who may not have high MCAT avg. scores as others are not good doctors, nope. ECU produces one of the finest doctors in the nation.

 

[GuamGuy]

🙂

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

Believe me.. I am being civil, you make another post that has adhominem attacks... I won't hesitate to meet and beat you at your level.

Oh boy he's going to break out big mean words and call me nasty names. I'm not sure I can handle that. Whatever dude, all I know if how you've come across on this thread. I can understand being frustrated with the process and how it works, but no need to bash other people or schools in the process.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

What type of factual info do you want? I'm not on the ad committee so I can't really say what it is that makes them tick. Anecdotally what I can tell you is that I think ECU does a good job selecting a good mix of minorities, underprivelaged, males, females, etc. It's not a perfect process. Some very worthy people get left out each year and on the flip side I look around sometimes and wonder how some of these folks got in. I have a classmate now who didn't get in until his third time and he absolutely kicks ass. A great guy who is in the top 5 students in our class. Sometimes it takes a little time for the ad committee to come around and "get it right"...

 

[tarheel04]

I can understand being frustrated with the process and how it works, but no need to bash other people or schools in the process.

I still haven't got an answer as to why pete doesn't like Wake Forest.

 

[i61164]

I still haven't got an answer as to why pete doesn't like Wake Forest.

I think they are a little too GQ/Young Republican for his taste.

 

[i61164]

What type of factual info do you want? I'm not on the ad committee so I can't really say what it is that makes them tick. Anecdotally what I can tell you is that I think ECU does a good job selecting a good mix of minorities, underprivelaged, males, females, etc. It's not a perfect process. Some very worthy people get left out each year and on the flip side I look around sometimes and wonder how some of these folks got in. I have a classmate now who didn't get in until his third time and he absolutely kicks ass. A great guy who is in the top 5 students in our class. Sometimes it takes a little time for the ad committee to come around and "get it right"...

Hey, if I was that guy I would probably be a little bitter (ok a lot bitter). He had to suffer rejection, expense, and wasted time only to be accepted on the third try and prove that he deserved to be there two years ago. Maybe he has a positive outlook and can accept the fact that the adcom is not perfect. Maybe the guy is a saint.

However, when somebody gets dicked over, they have every right be bitter over it. You cannot tell someone how they should or shouldn't feel because you haven't walked in their shoes.

The fact that ECU's adcom may have made some mistakes does not affect my opinion of the school. I'm sure every adcom makes mistakes, and ECU is one of my top choices anyway. However, I appreciate Peterock's candor about the realities of this process.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

Good points made. I don't have a problem with someone being bummed out or disappointed with the process. What does strike me is how in the process of this "candor", he feels the need to rip all state universities and students that went to those schools. He further states that he worked harder than everyone else blah blah. Just as I don't know what it's like to walk in his shoes, he is making huge generalization about people and situations that he doesn't know squat about. I'm of the opinion that when something goes wrong you can look in the mirror or you can say woe is me and start blaming other people/things. It seems to me that he has taken the second approach. I am sympathetic to the frustration but I don't think anything is accomplished by bashing other people in the process. I really wish him all the luck in the world and if ECU is where he wants to go to med school, then more power to him because it's a great place to be. I wish all of you guys the best and if you are coming out here for an interview or have questions about the school, feel free to drop me a line.

 

[i61164]

Eeeevil. Read their newspaper (The black and gold). So eeeevil.

I miss the days of the MODERATE republican.

Is it available on-line?

 

[tarheel04]

Eeeevil. Read their newspaper (The black and gold). So eeeevil.

I miss the days of the MODERATE republican.

yeah, now that's a good reason to not like a medical school. 🙄 Not sure that you can associate an undergrad newspaper with a medical school though. however, looks like the adcom did a good job of weeding out the applicants that think they are smarter than anyone else just because they went to a certain private university in NC.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Yes, yes. I get it, you don't like me very much and you're threatened by me for whatever reason. My posts about Wake are obviously in jest, but with your awesome reading comprehension I'm sure you knew that.

If you're at UNC, you're just jealous of me. Period. All you can say is that I got a full ride to your undergrad and went to a school that rejected you, AND you had all the advantages in life while I did not. Make excuses for your inferiority, but also let me know how insecure you are by constantly making immature comments about whatever curse word or insult I am.

okay now, stop with the generalizations. all of you. this is the internet, and no one knows anyone's backgrounds, so these kinds of arguments are really just dumb.

play nice.

 

[tarheel04]

Oh and let me clue you in on something. The average medical student is humble? LOL. Come on kid.... arrogance and medical student are hand in hand.

btw, i am a medical student and most of my friends are humble including me. hmm, maybe that is a quality that the adcoms are looking for. imagine that.

 

[i61164]

who went to UNC undergrad and is really insecure about it.

Why would someone be insecure about graduating from UNC? It is a top tier school (#29 in the rankings). Hey, maybe I should be bragging. I got into Carnegie Mellon (#22 in the rankings) and turned them down.

Speaking of bragging, a friend of mine from Bucknell recently got accepted to Harvard Law School and turned them down. He is attending Columbia instead.

Anyway, pedigree isn't everything. Apparantly there's a guy that made chief resident at Hopkins in Rad Onc who graduated from SGU. Go figure. He's probably super arrogant though. 😉

 

[tarheel04]

Why would someone be insecure about graduating from UNC?

haha, i don't think anyone would. after all the education it provides allows a lot of people to gain admission to medical school. right sweet tea? How did a thread about an ecu interview end up in someone bashing everyone who did not go to duke undergrad even though everyone knows UNC>duke.

 

[Sweet Tea]

even though everyone knows UNC>duke.

😀

 

[kirpnn03]

Okay now....I have a question about ECU that I would like to get answered. I've heard that they take the best MCAT score from each section, if you took the MCAT more than once, to get the highest score. So if during the course of my closed-file interview I am asked what my score was, do I tell them the latest score I received or take the best from each section?