RVU-COM Discussion Thread 2011-2012

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Yep... That's what happened to me... They only sent me an email AFTER I asked what the deal was...
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Hello Guys,

I wanted to get your advice (esp current med students on this list). I have already been accepted to Western (and offered a $10K scholarship) and today found an invite from RVUCOM. Do you guys think that this school is worth flying out for the interview? I'm not too informed about this school. I've already all the posts on this thread and it seems like its a great school (minus the finances). I'm still unsure if I would rather just go to Western in CA, which is 20 mins away from my house, or travel to Colorado.

Thanks!
 
That seems obvious... Unless you want to move, keep the 10k and the 20mn drive!
 
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I don't think there's any harm in taking a couple day trip to CO to check it out. Worse case scenario, you're out a few hundred bucks... but at least you know you've seen a few different schools so you can feel good about your choice.
I do go to RVU, but in my opinion, there would have to be some pretty huge reasons to turn down a 10K scholarship...
 
boone95 said:
I don't think there's any harm in taking a couple day trip to CO to check it out. Worse case scenario, you're out a few hundred bucks... but at least you know you've seen a few different schools so you can feel good about your choice.
I do go to RVU, but in my opinion, there would have to be some pretty huge reasons to turn down a 10K scholarship...
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That was my thought, and the moving expenses...
 
I decided to come out to RVU and interview nonetheless, then go snowboarding at Keystone :) Thanks for all of your advice!
 
DrMarty said:
I decided to come out to RVU and interview nonetheless, then go snowboarding at Keystone :) Thanks for all of your advice!
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When are you doing that? I just won two free season passes for Vail Resorts... :) and I'm no longer working, so I have some time on my hands... ;) Oh, and I live 2 miles from RVU
 
I'm coming in on Dec 14th, interviewing on the 15th and the hitting the slopes on the 16th and 17th!
 
DrMarty said:
I'm coming in on Dec 14th, interviewing on the 15th and the hitting the slopes on the 16th and 17th!
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They are having a huge party on Dec 16th. It will be busy, not sure if you are aware. I was planning on going up that day with my husband. Also, it is the Mt Dew tour dates... Just an FYI... if you want to carpool send me a PM
 
Is it to late to apply here? I didn't think to apply here until yesterday...Im an Hispanic male 9bio 7 phys 8verbal and I have a masters from northwestern in neurobio ...about 3.4 gpa ...thanks guys!
 
Does anyone have any good contacts or websites for finding a house close to RVU. I would like to buy a house so I need to start looking.
 
carp56 said:
Does anyone have any good contacts or websites for finding a house close to RVU. I would like to buy a house so I need to start looking.
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http://www.rvurealestatewithhonors.com/

This is the website they've given us. I never worked with a real estate agent, but I'll let you know if I come up with any other resources. We'll have a class graduating in May, and I know some of them bought, so I'm thinking a few people may sell... but that's just a guess.
 
I don't know if I should still submit my secondary here? I got a 23 MCAT, 3.59 cum. GPA and 3.33 science with a lot of volunteering, research, and clinical experience...did anyone with a low MCAT get accepted to RVU this year? I wonder if they have a cut-off when giving interviews??
 
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FuturePharm21 said:
I don't know if I should still submit my secondary here? I got a 23 MCAT, 3.59 cum. GPA and 3.33 science with a lot of volunteering, research, and clinical experience...did anyone with a low MCAT get accepted to RVU this year? I wonder if they have a cut-off when giving interviews??
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I'd submit it. I go to RVU right now and there are certainly a few with lower MCAT's that got in. Obviously the average is right under 27, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen! Good luck!
 
Can anyone elaborate or share any new news re: the ability to get government loans once RVUCOM gets full accreditation this spring? I'm very hesitant to take out 200k in variable rate, private loans if I don't have to...
 
Rocky Vista is so 'nice': didn't even send me a rejection email or mail. I found out I was rejected after a failed login on their portal :oops:
 
PhoenixFire said:
Rocky Vista is so 'nice': didn't even send me a rejection email or mail. I found out I was rejected after a failed login on their portal :oops:
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Yeah... tactless huh.... I guess it must be the cheapo way to do things!!!
 
SBB2016 said:
Yeah... tactless huh.... I guess it must be the cheapo way to do things!!!
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I am sorry you are both having a difficult time with the school's communication, but I have actually been impressed with the personal approach (phone calls) of the admission department regarding the processing of my application. Hopefully the rest of the application cycle holds better experiences and news for you. Good luck.:xf:
 
Dr Curitas said:
I am sorry you are both having a difficult time with the school's communication, but I have actually been impressed with the personal approach (phone calls) of the admission department regarding the processing of my application. Hopefully the rest of the application cycle holds better experiences and news for you. Good luck.:xf:
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Yeah, they were great until you get rejected because you can't log into the portal. It happened the same way for every person rejected. Maybe a week later you get an email stating you're rejected, maybe you don't... all things considered, it's pretty cheesy to just close the portal.

I am already accepted to LECOM I don't need any luck, except to get off the waitlist for the two other schools I'd rather go to because they are in warm areas...
 
Does anyone have the link to the list of RVUCOM clinical sites? I remember seeing the PDF file a while back but can't find it now.
 
Hey all! Did anyone on this thread apply Early Decision to RVU? I am considering it for next year and was just wondering about some of the details. Thanks!! :)
 
Hello current applicants,

I am first year at RVU and figured I'd be one more person available to provide perspective as a current student. I'll throw out there that I'm not an official ambassador, just a Saturday night poster looking for an excuse to avoid studying embryological development of the GI system (an amazing amount of details for such small structures).

I was also partly inspired to post because I think that some premed students are worried about fitting the "premed" mold. I had not been in school for 3 years when I applied. I had my undergraduate degree in Anthropology (*GASP!* Liberal Arts?). And I have never set foot in a research lab. I felt my strengths were better measured through clinical experience and demonstration of philanthropy. But the truth is that you have to be able to handle the courseload and this is best demonstrated with your GPA and MCAT. If you can't swing the academics, being a physician probably wouldn't be the right career.

It is not too late to submit your application but you should probably get that rolling pretty soon. Maintaining my life pattern of procrastination, I didn't submit my secondary until the middle of December last year and was offered interview and acceptance in January. I too was curious about the length of the secondary but have learned that RVU puts a lot into reading the essays and will not interview someone unless they are truly interested.

When I was accepted to RVU, I was genuinely concerned about the "provisional accreditation" status and the lack of access to federal loans (especially with other acceptances already on the table). The student loan situation can seem a bit daunting but I decided the other factors were more important to me. Ultimately we will all have to enter the workforce and pay off the loans no matter their source. There is still some uncertainty about the new loans, and I was originally fairly put-off by them. After speaking with a candid faculty member and getting more info, it sounds like these new loans will be better for us in the long run. Money is a big deal, but it isn't the only one. What it came down to was the vibe I was getting from the current students, faculty, and especially the dean. Since matriculating, I am confident that I have made the right choice. The important things for me were the academics and the culture.

The current curriculum is superb. Every class fully integrates the anatomy (including dissection) with physiology, pathology, and the last few lectures of a unit are clinical based scenearious to integrate everything. I feel that this approach is the most applicable to the thought processes necessary when entering rotations and ultimately practice.

I also really enjoy the culture. I knew that I didn't want to go to a school where I'd be fighting my classmates to succeed. Group study sessions are the norm and frequently study guides (and even some practice tests) are made available by classmates for classmates. RVU spends a considerable amount of time training us to become good physicians for humans, not just good at designing lab experiments (Reference: See Pavlov and his drooley dogs).

Cheers
 
Thanks for your insightful information!

I am interviewing there on Dec. 13th. Like you said, hopefully, a variable loan rate will not be my ultimate turn-off for me not to choose this school. But, everything else about this school is right for the future medical school students!
 
WaterDragon said:
Thanks for your insightful information!

I am interviewing there on Dec. 13th. Like you said, hopefully, a variable loan rate will not be my ultimate turn-off for me not to choose this school. But, everything else about this school is right for the future medical school students!
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I forgot to mention that when I was speaking to one of the current staffers (not connected to the financial aid office, although they are always very helpful) he mentioned that upon graduation, banks will start offering you options to refinance your loans. You will suddenly have enough income (usually at least 150K after residency) which makes you appealing to credit institutions and he said that banks will often refinance around 2-3%. I've heard some talk that we wouldn't have been able to refinance our old loans.

We have a school-wide meeting tomorrow about the changes in student loans. If anything is drastically different from the information current students (including my post yesterday) have been giving to you guys, I'm sure someone will post it.
 
Hi guys, I have a question about the student loan status here. I have substantial existing student loan debt (long story) and plan on using the 10 year Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program with the Income Based Repayment (IBR) where my payments will be income based for 10 years, then the rest forgiven, because I plan to work for a non-profit hospital or government agency like IHS, VA, or the state prison system. I can only take out federal loans under this repayment plan because only direct loans are eligible.

This is my biggest concern with RVU (other than getting accepted, which hopefully I will find out before too long), but RVU is still my first or second choice despite this. I am confident that RVU will become fully accredited this Spring. Assuming everything goes according to plan and this happens, wouldn't students be able to get federal loans for Fall 2012? And if so, why would this other loan program matter for next year? Or am I missing something?
 
Thanks for the post jtjr100, it's great to hear more good things about the school from someone who is going there. It's also nice to hear that the new loan may be better in the long run, I definitely can't wait to hear what it really entails. I have been accepted to RVUCOM, and I am VERY EXCITED! WIth a wife and child, I do not want to leave Colorado any time soon, since my whole family lives here, and I feel that having our large support network nearby will help my chances of success and happiness in med school immensely. And the school of course seems awesome. The loan situation does freak me out a little bit though. Considering I'll have close to 300K of loans to pay off, variable interest rate is a bit unnerving. But, I'm not going to let that stop me from attending RVUCOM, I feel that I'll get help paying them off if I go into primary care, and if I specialize hopefully I'll be able to make enough to pay them off in a reasonable amount of time. Also, the whole refinancing option is very intriguing. A runner, my understanding from the interview was that the school should get COCA accredited this spring, which is great. However, unfortunately it sounds like to get federal loans the school has to be Title IX eligible, and that will be a number of years for that to happen, as it's a separate accrediting process. Either way, the school and curriculum seem awesome, and all current students I've spoken to are really happy there, so I am super psyched to start next year!
 
a runner said:
Hi guys, I have a question about the student loan status here. I have substantial existing student loan debt (long story) and plan on using the 10 year Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program with the Income Based Repayment (IBR) where my payments will be income based for 10 years, then the rest forgiven, because I plan to work for a non-profit hospital or government agency like IHS, VA, or the state prison system. I can only take out federal loans under this repayment plan because only direct loans are eligible.

This is my biggest concern with RVU (other than getting accepted, which hopefully I will find out before too long), but RVU is still my first or second choice despite this. I am confident that RVU will become fully accredited this Spring. Assuming everything goes according to plan and this happens, wouldn't students be able to get federal loans for Fall 2012? And if so, why would this other loan program matter for next year? Or am I missing something?
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No. We will get COCA accreditation this year which will allow us to graduate D.O. degrees, but you need a regional accreditation for federal loans. We are in the process of getting regionalyl accredited, but it is not going to happen for at least a couple years. You will not be able to follow your plan at this school, as of now.
 
I fly out tomorrow for my 12/7 interview. Can anyone give me insight as to what the day entails? I see my day starts at 11AM
 
I interviewed in October and my day started at 11 as well. First you hang out in the admissions office lobby for maybe 45 minutes. The assistant director of admissions gave an introduction to the school and the day ahead. A few students stopped by and answered our questions. The dean came by too, which was really cool. He was great to talk to and answered all of our questions. Be sure to ask him to explain the new curriculum, it sounds awesome. Next, we split into two groups and student ambassadors took us on a campus tour. After that, lunch, which was a very tasty home cooked meal. Next are the interviews. There were three teams of interviewers, and it is predetermined which team will interview you and in what order. While others were interviewing, the rest of us were taken to sit in on an OMM lab, which was cool and a nice reason to do the afternoon interview. Also, students stopped by throughout the day to answer questions and tell us about their experiences at the school. After that, there is a financial aid presentation followed by some closing words about what to expect next and when you will hear back from them. Our day ended at around 4 o'clock. Good luck!
 
Any interview invites lately? Ive been complete since 11/26 and cant stand waiting!
 
so i'm interviewing tomorrow.. does anyone know what the breakdown of the day is? i know there is a tour around campus.. is that outdoors? :scared:

i apologize in advance if someone has already answered this!
 
just realized the post above.. haha my bad

sandstone said:
I interviewed in October and my day started at 11 as well. First you hang out in the admissions office lobby for maybe 45 minutes. The assistant director of admissions gave an introduction to the school and the day ahead. A few students stopped by and answered our questions. The dean came by too, which was really cool. He was great to talk to and answered all of our questions. Be sure to ask him to explain the new curriculum, it sounds awesome. Next, we split into two groups and student ambassadors took us on a campus tour. After that, lunch, which was a very tasty home cooked meal. Next are the interviews. There were three teams of interviewers, and it is predetermined which team will interview you and in what order. While others were interviewing, the rest of us were taken to sit in on an OMM lab, which was cool and a nice reason to do the afternoon interview. Also, students stopped by throughout the day to answer questions and tell us about their experiences at the school. After that, there is a financial aid presentation followed by some closing words about what to expect next and when you will hear back from them. Our day ended at around 4 o'clock. Good luck!
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qpqp123 said:
so i'm interviewing tomorrow.. does anyone know what the breakdown of the day is? i know there is a tour around campus.. is that outdoors? :scared:

i apologize in advance if someone has already answered this!
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I'm interviewing tomorrow too :D
 
I am a prospecitve student waiting to hopefully get an interview. I recently checked into the RVU portal to check my status and received an invite to watch the RVU Grand Rounds Webinar. Are all prospective students receiving this invite? Is this out of the norm?
 
Any news yet about the new RVU loan details? Also, are any current students involved in research? Are there are any research opportunities to be had through the school. Will the faculty help steer students toward medical school level research opportunities?
 
I also got invited to the webinar and my file was complete on November, 21st. I do no know what it means, probably nothing to the application status. I did attend the grand round presentations and it was quite interesting. I would also like to know what this invite means, if RVUCOM is currently evaluating applications, and if anyone has had any interview invitations lately?
 
emab said:
I also got invited to the webinar and my file was complete on November, 21st. I do no know what it means, probably nothing to the application status. I did attend the grand round presentations and it was quite interesting. I would also like to know what this invite means, if RVUCOM is currently evaluating applications, and if anyone has had any interview invitations lately?
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I'm glad you liked it. I meant to watch it but I was just too tired from working last night. I think the Webinar invite is just to keep you interested, don't read into it too much.
 
qpqp123 said:
so i'm interviewing tomorrow.. does anyone know what the breakdown of the day is? i know there is a tour around campus.. is that outdoors? :scared:

i apologize in advance if someone has already answered this!
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The entire campus tour was in one building. So not outdoors in the cold!
 
I am interviewing on next Tuesday and was there any surprise when you guys interview at RVU?
 
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WaterDragon said:
I am interviewing on next Tuesday and was there any surprise when you guys interview at RVU?
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Are you talking about the interview questions or just in general? Interview is really chill. they didn't ask me any ethical/health care related questions. It wasn't really all that interview-like it was more like a chat. People at RVU are really cool. They gave us some home cooked soup and salad for lunch and brownies :)
 
572776 said:
Are you talking about the interview questions or just in general? Interview is really chill. they didn't ask me any ethical/health care related questions. It wasn't really all that interview-like it was more like a chat. People at RVU are really cool. They gave us some home cooked soup and salad for lunch and brownies :)
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Yeah, I was just asking in general. But, from what you've said, I don't need to worry anything then. I just need to adapt to the cold in Colorado since I am from the state of Desert.
 
WaterDragon said:
Yeah, I was just asking in general. But, from what you've said, I don't need to worry anything then. I just need to adapt to the cold in Colorado since I am from the state of Desert.
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As I've said before, Colorado isn't that cold...
 
bjmo said:
Any interview invites lately? Ive been complete since 11/26 and cant stand waiting!
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Have you heard anything regarding an interview yet? My file has been complete since 11/21 and have not received any new information except for the webinar last week.
 
Okay, I just checked my status on the prospective student portal and it has been updated to "interview waitlist". What the heck does that mean? Do folks get interviews from the waitlist?
 
Okay, my status on the portal has been updated to "interview waitlist". Has anybody received an interview that has been waitlisted?
 
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