Rocky Vista University (RVU-COM) Discussion Thread 2016-2017

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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cyang55 said:
Your stats will get you a secondary, but you have to heavily focus on the secondary application! Since RVU does most of the cut after looking at secondaries, you have to make sure that you have everything you want the school to know about you on there! Definitely make the essay personalized, etc. I would spend some time on their website looking over everything the school has to offer, so you can write specific things about the school that appeals to you. Since you're not applying until next year, I heavily suggest looking over the prompts for THIS year's essays, so you can get an idea of what they are asking for. The essays haven't been changing too much over the last couple of years, but that's not a guarantee that they won't change for next year, but they will at least give you something to think about. Also think about the "why should we pick you" question. You have almost a whole year to prepare for the application process. If this is one of your top choices, definitely show them that you did your homework and make them see that you will be a good fit for the school!

I'm sure you've seen this posted around a lot, but the school accept 75-80% of students they interview. So, make that secondary really good so you can land an interview!
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Thank you so very much for the advice. I have started to put my personal statement together for this May and am sort of stressing about what to say in the essays. Im going to start my secondary essays as soon as I have the prompts available, so that I have a very fast turnaround rate. There's so much that I want to say about how far I've come as a person and a student, but I fear sounding cheesy/cliche. But it really IS that cheesy/cliche for me- I simply did not believe in myself before, but I've always been extremely compassionate and empathetic.
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NecrotizingFascitis said:
I got an II with worse stats than you across the board. IMO this school likes high stats, but the essays are hugely important. I spent tons of time on fitting my essays to each school I applied to (especially this one) and have had a solid cycle so far.

You've got the stats, and it seems you've got the ECs. Make sure you have good Letter writers to advocate for you as well. Write strong essays; convince them you belong at RVU. If you do this, I think you will have a good shot


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Thank you so much for the advice- I'm finding more DO's to shadow and hoping to get letters from them next cycle. I'll bug you with one last question- Do you recommend that I have a committee letter, or three faculty letters? I currently am planning on getting a recommendation letter form the premedical committee at my school, and then my second letter from a DO (still trying to establish a closer relationship with her, I've only shadowed her once so far). I'm OOS, by the way, I went to undergrad in Ohio and currently reside in Connecticut.
 
futuredrummerdoctor said:
Thank you so much for the advice- I'm finding more DO's to shadow and hoping to get letters from them next cycle. I'll bug you with one last question- Do you recommend that I have a committee letter, or three faculty letters? I currently am planning on getting a recommendation letter form the premedical committee at my school, and then my second letter from a DO (still trying to establish a closer relationship with her, I've only shadowed her once so far). I'm OOS, by the way, I went to undergrad in Ohio and currently reside in Connecticut.
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I can try to help from what I have experienced. The school I got my undergrad from required students to attend one of their informational meetings about pre-medicine in order to receive a committee letter. I didn't really decide on pursuing a career as a physician until my super senior year and never attended one of these. I don't think I have had any schools reject me because I have individual letters from two science faculty (one is on the board of the committee) and a non-science faculty and I have had a decent amount of interview invites for when I applied. I think a committee letter is a great choice, but it doesn't have to be the only option.
 
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futuredrummerdoctor said:
Thank you so much for the advice- I'm finding more DO's to shadow and hoping to get letters from them next cycle. I'll bug you with one last question- Do you recommend that I have a committee letter, or three faculty letters? I currently am planning on getting a recommendation letter form the premedical committee at my school, and then my second letter from a DO (still trying to establish a closer relationship with her, I've only shadowed her once so far). I'm OOS, by the way, I went to undergrad in Ohio and currently reside in Connecticut.
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I'm OOS as well. And I'm not entirely sure. The way my school does it is, if you have 2 science, 1non science, and one physician letter they'll write you a committee letter, so that's what I did. With letters just make sure its people that will have your back. If s committee letter does that, then go for it. I will say this: it makes applying less of a hassle to have a committee letter.

That's great that you're getting more DO shadowing. If you find one you click with definitely grab a letter. Some schools require a DO specific letter. It would be one less thing to worry about when applying.


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futuredrummerdoctor said:
Thank you so very much for the advice. I have started to put my personal statement together for this May and am sort of stressing about what to say in the essays. Im going to start my secondary essays as soon as I have the prompts available, so that I have a very fast turnaround rate. There's so much that I want to say about how far I've come as a person and a student, but I fear sounding cheesy/cliche. But it really IS that cheesy/cliche for me- I simply did not believe in myself before, but I've always been extremely compassionate and empathetic.
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If those things apply to you, don't worry about them coming across as cheesy or cliche. If you are worried about that, maybe change some words around or make it less naive sounding, but I don't think it should matter. Also, I would recommend making sure they know you realize how hard the road is to becoming a doctor, how hard doctors work, etc etc especially from shadowing experiences. That will balance out the cheesy parts. Make sure they know that you not only have the personality fit for this profession but the drive and work ethic as well.
 
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theLaxEagle said:
I can try to help from what I have experienced. The school I got my undergrad from required students to attend one of their informational meetings about pre-medicine in order to receive a committee letter. I didn't really decide on pursuing a career as a physician until my super senior year and never attended one of these. I don't think I have had any schools reject me because I have individual letters from two science faculty (one is on the board of the committee) and a non-science faculty and I have had a decent amount of interview invites for when I applied. I think a committee letter is a great choice, but it doesn't have to be the only option.
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Thanks so much!
 
cyang55 said:
If those things apply to you, don't worry about them coming across as cheesy or cliche. If you are worried about that, maybe change some words around or make it less naive sounding, but I don't think it should matter. Also, I would recommend making sure they know you realize how hard the road is to becoming a doctor, how hard doctors work, etc etc especially from shadowing experiences. That will balance out the cheesy parts. Make sure they know that you not only have the personality fit for this profession but the drive and work ethic as well.
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Thank you so much for the insight! I really appreciate the help.
 
hiyahowrya said:
So I have been fortunate enough to be accepted to both campuses but now I can not decide which one to attend. I am a Utah resident and I like the St. George area more than Parker, but the fact that the RVU SU location is brand new kind of worries me. I understand that they are going to be the exact same as much as possible, but the Parker location is obviously more established (meaning established clubs/residencies/etc.). Even though I like the SU location more, ultimately I want to go to the school that will prepare me the best. What do you all think about that?
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I have been accepted to Utah and haven't heard back from Colorado post-interview. I liked the Colorado campus but I think I would choose Utah. A big factor being that my wife's family is from Utah and it would be easier for her to be near family and easier for her to continue her career.

Also, the facilities are going to be legit and brand new. I know that doesn't sound like much but they are going to have awesome Er, OR, OB sim labs. I don't remember that being at the Colorado campus?

That being said the major cons I see going to a new campus is this:
1. No upperclassman to help you out. This is a big deal. It would be so nice to be able to go to someone who took the class with the same teach the year before. Getting inside tips like that can really help out.

2. We will be missing out on established clubs. I know you can create your own but it would be way nice to just be able to look into some as soon as you are on campus.

3. Rotation sites. I don't know how I feel about this quite yet. I hope they get a contract with IHC hospitals before we would rotate.

I'm sure there are many more cons, I just had some time and knew that SDN was dying to hear Dr. wait for it...'s opinion on all of this.
 
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Dr. wait for it... said:
I have been accepted to Utah and haven't heard back from Colorado post-interview. I liked the Colorado campus but I think I would choose Utah. A big factor being that my wife's family is from Utah and it would be easier for her to be near family and easier for her to continue her career.

Also, the facilities are going to be legit and brand new. I know that doesn't sound like much but they are going to have awesome Er, OR, OB sim labs. I don't remember that being at the Colorado campus?

That being said the major cons I see going to a new campus is this:
1. No upperclassman to help you out. This is a big deal. It would be so nice to be able to go to someone who took the class with the same teach the year before. Getting inside tips like that can really help out.

2. We will be missing out on established clubs. I know you can create your own but it would be way nice to just be able to look into some as soon as you are on campus.

3. Rotation sites. I don't know how I feel about this quite yet. I hope they get a contract with IHC hospitals before we would rotate.

I'm sure there are many more cons, I just had some time and new that SDN was dying to hear Dr. wait for it...'s opinion on all of this.
Click to expand...

The point about no upperclassmen not being able to help is a great point, I never would have thought about that. I wonder if there might be a way to possibly set up something with the CO campus upperclassmen? It wouldn't be perfect, but could help.
 
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Dr. wait for it... said:
I have been accepted to Utah and haven't heard back from Colorado post-interview. I liked the Colorado campus but I think I would choose Utah. A big factor being that my wife's family is from Utah and it would be easier for her to be near family and easier for her to continue her career.

Also, the facilities are going to be legit and brand new. I know that doesn't sound like much but they are going to have awesome Er, OR, OB sim labs. I don't remember that being at the Colorado campus?

That being said the major cons I see going to a new campus is this:
1. No upperclassman to help you out. This is a big deal. It would be so nice to be able to go to someone who took the class with the same teach the year before. Getting inside tips like that can really help out.

2. We will be missing out on established clubs. I know you can create your own but it would be way nice to just be able to look into some as soon as you are on campus.

3. Rotation sites. I don't know how I feel about this quite yet. I hope they get a contract with IHC hospitals before we would rotate.

I'm sure there are many more cons, I just had some time and knew that SDN was dying to hear Dr. wait for it...'s opinion on all of this.
Click to expand...

Do you happen to remember what they said about the Utah locations rotation sites/schedule at your interview?


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I'm starting to get so nervous to hear back from these guys (interviewed 10/05)... The more I read, the more I want to go here, and the more I overthink how I think I did on my interview...:diebanana:

The beating banana thing is irrelevant. I've always wanted to use it and haven't ever run into the appropriate context.
 
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For the people that applied to both campuses, did you use the same secondaries for both? I plan on tweaking my "why Colorado campus" essay slightly to include things about Utah that interest me (obviously). Would this be OK? It's under the same program, so the mission/curriculum/values are all essentially the same.
 
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How long does it usually take to become complete at RVU? I submitted my secondary a little more than a month ago and I am still APPL status in my portal.
 
kovalchuk71 said:
For the people that applied to both campuses, did you use the same secondaries for both? I plan on tweaking my "why Colorado campus" essay slightly to include things about Utah that interest me (obviously). Would this be OK? It's under the same program, so the mission/curriculum/values are all essentially the same.
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I used the exact same secondaries. Except in the "why campus X" question. In that part I tailored it more to why the environment that the campus is in would fit me. Because you are right, academically both campuses are essentially the same.


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Rejected from co today, hope to get an II from utah as I live here!
 
oh my goodness, congrats to everyone who's getting good news! I can't imagine how excited you must feel!!!!!!!
 
Silence from colorado since 8/17 and I'm going nuts. I would love to attend this school so I've got every extremity crossed for good news soon!
 
GBCrzzyy said:
Silence from colorado since 8/17 and I'm going nuts. I would love to attend this school so I've got every extremity crossed for good news soon!
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I was complete 8/15 at CO and heard back today, so if they do it chronologically (I think they do) you should be hearing back soon!!
 
Scrubs101 said:
I was complete 8/15 at CO and heard back today, so if they do it chronologically (I think they do) you should be hearing back soon!!
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omg omg omg omg i hope you're right!!!
 
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Got a rrrrrrrrrrreject today. Didn't personalize my essays though and scraped for "why RVU." 3.6 sGPA 512 MCAT. Stats weren't my problem lol so spend time on your essays guys.
 
Anyone who interviewed at CO on 10/4? We should be hearing back on Oct. 21st right?
 
the FILEC status on the portal will change depending on if you get rejected or an II right?
 
GBCrzzyy said:
the FILEC status on the portal will change depending on if you get rejected or an II right?
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If you get rejected the Applicant tab will disappear. If you are invited for an interview, there should be an option to choose what day you want to interview on within the Applicant tab. If nothing's changed, you're still safe!
 
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1million said:
Anyone who interviewed at CO on 10/4? We should be hearing back on Oct. 21st right?
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I interviewed at CO on the 6th and they told us that the ACDOM would be meeting on the 21st and that decisions would be sent out on the 24th
 
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chazz21 said:
I interviewed at CO on the 6th and they told us that the ACDOM would be meeting on the 21st and that decisions would be sent out on the 24th
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As in, snail mail letters? Or is the 24th when our portals will change and when phone calls will be made?
 
NecrotizingFascitis said:
As in, snail mail letters? Or is the 24th when our portals will change and when phone calls will be made?
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Your portal will change and they will call you if you get accepted. My portal changed before I got the call. I would definitely check the portal first!
 
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II today! complete 8/17
 
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sraline said:
Accepted to Utah today and will most likely be matriculating! A few people above were asking about rotation sites for Utah so I'll chime in what I learned at my interview... the way they made it sound was that they had already locked down a contract with IHC in provo to use as a main rotation site. The other main ones being West Valley, Ogden, St George with smaller sites in cities like Price and Moab. Also something I thought was interesting was that Utah students can rotate at any of the Colorado campus's rotation sites and vise versa. However I believe Utah students are given preference for Utah sites and Colorado students are given preference for Colorado sites.
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Congrats on the acceptance, I also think I will be matriculating here and am quite excited! I really hope that's true about the rotation sites. I interviewed on 9/28 and they said that they hadn't gotten any IHC hospitals yet, just Mountain Star and some other company I don't recognize. They did say the same cities for rotations though. I currently work for IHC and hope they have it all set up by then. They said you could set up your own... but that sounds like a pain.
 
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I finally got a secondary and I have a question about LOR. If the LORs are already tied to our AACOMAS, what do we fill in the LOR tab? I don't think I can leave it blank since they have asterisks.
 
Has anyone who uploaded the matriculation agreement form (Utah campus) have any sort of confirmation for it yet? Under the "Uploaded matriculation document" nothing shows up. I'm thinking they just haven't had time to get to it, but wanted to ask you SDNers
 
Man, Cindy in their Colorado office is a gem. She was so helpful and nice. I'm really hopeful to go here too just like everyone posting. It seems like a good spot.

Cmon send me an interview *raindance*


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Hey necfac, dude confgrats on your II and acceptances. I wish I was in your boat. I've seen you get at least 4 II so far and a few acceptances.

Did you apply super early?


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Doctor_anonymous said:
Hey necfac, dude confgrats on your II and acceptances. I wish I was in your boat. I've seen you get at least 4 II so far and a few acceptances.

Did you apply super early?


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Thank you! I have only had one acceptance so far, but I'm really hoping I get a call from Parker, Colorado Monday. I would love to attend RVU. I have been very fortunate this cycle with the II's though.

And yes, I applied fairly early. I sent out half of my primary applications in June, before I received my MCAT score and the second half after I received my MCAT score. If I bombed the MCAT, I wanted to save as much money as I could.. I decided applying to half of my school list was an okay risk for me.

While I was waiting for my MCAT results, I pre-wrote all of my secondaries, that way when I received a secondary from a school I could submit it right right away.

For RVU, I've been under the impression they place a big emphasis on your secondary essays. So make sure you take time on those and focus on telling them why you think you fit well at RVU. :D

I wish you the best of luck!
 
That's smart. I couldn't do that because I was studying for my MCAT and I took that really seriously. I didn't really remember a lot of my gen Chem stuff and it seemed like a lot of my test was stuff I didn't study so Chem phys and also CARS killed me. I already submitted and I think it was pretty good. Thanks for the info.


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NecrotizingFascitis said:
Thank you! I have only had one acceptance so far, but I'm really hoping I get a call from Parker, Colorado Monday. I would love to attend RVU. I have been very fortunate this cycle with the II's though.

And yes, I applied fairly early. I sent out half of my primary applications in June, before I received my MCAT score and the second half after I received my MCAT score. If I bombed the MCAT, I wanted to save as much money as I could.. I decided applying to half of my school list was an okay risk for me.

While I was waiting for my MCAT results, I pre-wrote all of my secondaries, that way when I received a secondary from a school I could submit it right right away.

For RVU, I've been under the impression they place a big emphasis on your secondary essays. So make sure you take time on those and focus on telling them why you think you fit well at RVU. :D

I wish you the best of luck!
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So much this. Pretty bummed at myself for not catering the essays more to RVU and spending more time on them. I also have absolutely no ties out west let alone colorado lol. Oh well! Congrats everyone! Best of luck!
 
II Utah Campus :)

Edit: No e-mail notification.. I was just checking my portal this morning.
 
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I'm expecting that next time I log in there will be a wave of "Accepted!" posts for the Colorado campus... as I believe today should be the day they notify the interviewees from the last few weeks. That's what they told us when I was there on 10/12..
 
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I got the acceptance via phone call today. They mentioned that the portal won't be updated until after phone calls are made (i.e. tomorrow), so release yourselves from constantly checking
 
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Riles said:
I got the acceptance via phone call today. They mentioned that the portal won't be updated until after phone calls are made (i.e. tomorrow), so release yourselves from constantly checking
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Accepted this morning as well! Congrats!
 
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Got the call, and ACCEPTED AS WELL!!! I am so grateful!!!
 
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GOT ACCEPTED! #1 choice!
No signal at my work so I got a voicemail haha
 
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