VCOM Discussion thread 2007-2008

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if anyone needs advice on whether any letter from VCOM is a rejection please ask me because I'm very well experienced at getting rejected by them two years in a row.
 
Congratulations to those who got accepted!!! 🙂
 
scdocusc said:
if anyone needs advice on whether any letter from VCOM is a rejection please ask me because I'm very well experienced at getting rejected by them two years in a row.
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Hey JWing have you applied anywhere else????
 
Do they only call you if you have been accepted? Or do they call you to say that you have been rejected or put on hold too? It looks like they made calls on Thursday as promised, but only to students who were accepted. I really liked VCOM and would like to go there but maybe I need to consider the next school on my list. At least I have other options.
 
They only call if you have been accepted.
 
So when they do not accept you, but they don't reject you, what kinds of things do they ask you to do in order to improve your file? Does anyone have any experience with this? I am so bummed right now. I really wanted to go to VCOM. I thought my interview went really well. Everyone is always telling me what a strong application I have. One of my interviewers even said that...so what happened?
 
Sorry you didn't get in off the bat. Are you on a waitlist?

One of my interviewers even said that...so what happened?
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You spoke you one of your interviewers after they made the decision and they asked you that?

Aren't you supposed to ask them that?

Weird right?...
 
No, I just got my rejection letter. I was holding out hope that I had been wait listed but I was not even that lucky.

Sexyman to answer your question, one of the Drs who interviewed me stated during the interview, "you have a very strong application with great letters of recommendation". I thought that was pretty positive...I thought the whole interview day was really positive.

I feel like I have been blindsided. I don't know what happened. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Why did they even invite me for an interview? I think I am fairly personable and down to earth...I don't think I screwed up anything in the interviews. I was relaxed and myself. I answered questions honestly.
 
Where are you from?
 
molly. Not only was my experience similar.. it was identical. During my interview all my interviewers were very positive with me and made me feel like I had a good chance. Not only did they invite me for an interview. but they did it twice!!! I did not interview poorly and they even hinted that I didnt interview poorly. Now I've wasted a great amount of time and money on VCOM. I would have rather they just rejected me pre secondary....
 
SCDOCUSC,

Did you contact Megan or Bea and ask them why they did not accept you? Are they helpful in explaining what happened?
 
Molly-

It seems to me that VCOM might have a type of applicant they are most interested in (read their Mission Statement). Also, Blacksburg is in a conservative part of the country.

Honesty is great- but it is also necessary to 'play the game' in order to get accepted. I am not sure how your interview went, but depending on the questions you were asked maybe they are just looking for someone else. Doesn't mean you didnt do well in your interview. If your stats are on par with their averages that is something to think about you know?

scdocusc-

'Not doing poorly' may not have been enough. Maybe VCOM wanted your interview to go great, not not poorly. I do find it suspicious that they invited you to interview twice, and rejected you twice though. Maybe they gave you a clean slate second time around and it just didn't work out. Did you make the improvements on your app that they wanted you to make?
 
sexyman said:
Molly-

It seems to me that VCOM might have a type of applicant they are most interested in (read their Mission Statement). Also, Blacksburg is in a conservative part of the country.

Honesty is great- but it is also necessary to 'play the game' in order to get accepted. I am not sure how your interview went, but depending on the questions you were asked maybe they are just looking for someone else. Doesn't mean you didnt do well in your interview. If your stats are on par with their averages that is something to think about you know?

Sexy,

I appreciate what you are saying but when I read VCOM's mission statement, I really feel like I fit what they are looking for. I grew up in a "rural" community. I have over 10,000 hours of volunteer experience including thousands of hours of direct patient care and working with underserved communities. I am interested in pursuing a career in family medicine and would like to continue working in rural and underserved communities. I am from the Appalachian region. My GPA and MCAT are both above VCOMs averages...I was so excited to get an interview at VCOM and now I am so disappointed. The only thing I can figure that I may have done wrong is that I generally do not show much emotion and maybe the admissions people took my lack of emotion as a lack of interest. Very disappointing. I do not know how I could make my application better.

Ok, it's time for me to move on. I did everything I could do to get into VCOM. Hopefully I will be accepted at another school where I can be happy. Thanks for the advice🙂
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Well you got me then- you sound like their ideal applicant.
 
Hello Molly and Scdo...

I was rejected by VCOM last year. I contacted the admissions office asking for feedback. They were extremely UN-HELPFUL. I have to give them credit, they were quick to respond but they didn't give any helpful information. Based on their form letter response and some of my experiences during my interview, I am glad that I am not attending VCOM. It is a young school with a young and somewhat inexperienced staff. During my interview, none of my interviewers were able to answer questions regarding VCOM curriculum or much of anything else I asked. I'm glad I found a school that has their stuff together.
Yeah UNECOM!!

Good luck to both of you.
 
Hopefully those who were not accepted this year will reapply or find a school that may be a better fit for you. As the previous poster said a part of the whole process is finding what school is right. My experience, however, was very different. I am a current vcom student but when I interviewed I had a page full of questions I brought with me to the interview and I felt the staff was very capable of answering my questions. They were very helpful to me, and still are. It is a new school but they take very seriously the concerns of their students and they are continuously improving on what is already a great school. Good luck to those still applying 👍
 
shoeflypie said:
Hello Molly and Scdo...

I was rejected by VCOM last year. I contacted the admissions office asking for feedback. They were extremely UN-HELPFUL. I have to give them credit, they were quick to respond but they didn't give any helpful information. Based on their form letter response and some of my experiences during my interview, I am glad that I am not attending VCOM. It is a young school with a young and somewhat inexperienced staff. During my interview, none of my interviewers were able to answer questions regarding VCOM curriculum or much of anything else I asked. I'm glad I found a school that has their stuff together.
Yeah UNECOM!!

Good luck to both of you.
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Just b/c you didnt get accepted at VCOM, u dont have the right to come and bash the school!!! The school is excellent....u just didnt get in......

just b/c its new, it doesnt justify its not as good as the others....I chose VCOM over PCOM, WVSOM, UNECOM, PCSOM, and Nova....The other schools are well established, but I chose VCOM due to its strong potential to become one of the best schools....plus its affiliation with Virginia Tech, plus they are thinking of opening a dentistry school and expanding furthermore on their buildings plus for my other personal reasons........the school is growing...

we had a residency fair a couple of weeks ago and the program directors said that they wish they had more VCOM students apply to their programs....plus, look at the match results from the class of 2007....excellent results esp for a "new school"

the professors are excellent.....i just cant describe how wonderful they are....if u think they couldnt answer ur questions, maybe the problem is with you.....

Plus, think about it, if they didnt accept you, why would they bother explaining your weak points during the interview...u already know ur weak points!!!! they are spending their energy and efforts on current and future students.....plus this year, they received more applications than last year...(last year, according to their numbers that they gave us at the orientation, 2550 applicants applied and only 160 were accepted!) this year, more than the previous number applied thus far!!

Look I am happy u got in UNECOM and I am proud of you, but its inappropriate of you to come and say negative comments about a school that didnt accept you....I understand that any other person in ur place would do the same (its not a good thing to be turned down from a school), but u r a medical student now and u should watch ur words.....b/c everything will be caught on ya....u r in the medical profession now and if u state something stupid, it will be taken seriously against u....we are all colleagues!

Good luck at unecom and for VCOM applicants, congrats to those who got in and I am sorry for those who didnt....maybe u didnt get accepted at VCOM b/c the Lord has a better plan for you and sees that the location or the environment that u r surrounded by might not be suitable for you in the future...but be confident and rest assurred that He will not leave you and you will find a different better path....good luck with you applications and I am sure you are all great and competent applicants....God bless.
 
I'm not trying to get anyone mad or anything. But I'm a little mad with the VCOM process simply because I felt I was a great fit. I'm from the app. region, I want to do rural medicine, and the list goes on. I clearly stated this in both of my application years. I worked to improve all weak areas of my application that was suggested by the ADCOM. I'm obviously not a fit for VCOM in their eyes. I feel as though they strung me along this year and that is what makes me angry. I think VCOM is a great place to learn which is why I'm so angry and disappointed with their admissions. Even more, each reapplicant is voted on before the ADCOM to decide to extend a secondary invite. I cant see how my application was looked at twice and passed twice. Why invite me? I felt I performed very well in the interview so this was shock to me.
 
Sorry if I offended you simpleman. Those were just my experiences. I was not trying to bash VCOM. I liked VCOM and would have been as proud as you are to be a VCOM student.
 
Hey, did anyone else write in all the info on your secondary, or did you type it out on the computer? I couldnt edit it for some reason, so I was an OCD engineer and measured out and drew lines lightly in pencil for me to write on and hand wrote all my answers/essays for the secondary.

Am I alone in this??
 
rose351 said:
Hey, did anyone else write in all the info on your secondary, or did you type it out on the computer? I couldnt edit it for some reason, so I was an OCD engineer and measured out and drew lines lightly in pencil for me to write on and hand wrote all my answers/essays for the secondary.

Am I alone in this??
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I actually typed my answers in Word and then printed it off. I think I wrote 4-5 paragraph answers for each question (avg. ~390 words per answer). There is no way I could have written it in pen and expect to answer the questions to the full extent in the space provided. The text box was actually expandable each time I clicked Enter. I guess I didn't take the directions "Please answer the following questions in the space provided" literally.. I just know that it didn't hurt me in any way since I got accepted 👍
 
shoeflypie said:
Sorry if I offended you simpleman. Those were just my experiences. I was not trying to bash VCOM. I liked VCOM and would have been as proud as you are to be a VCOM student.
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Its ok. Thank you for your response. Good luck with your studies and excellent job on ur acceptance
 
For those of you that have been accepted to VCOM and have sent in the Criminal Backgroung/Pre-Check application has anyone received confirmation from VCOM that they have received it?

When do you think they will be sending our e-mail addresses and all that stuff?
 
sexyman said:
For those of you that have been accepted to VCOM and have sent in the Criminal Backgroung/Pre-Check application has anyone received confirmation from VCOM that they have received it?

When do you think they will be sending our e-mail addresses and all that stuff?
Click to expand...

You know I was wondering the exact same thing... I just sent in my deposit and the pre-check application today so I guess we'll have to wait and see... You know one of the members from the 2011 forum could probably answer that question. 😎

I just can't wait to start school.. these next 9 months are going to be a drag!! Now I think, maybe I shouldn't have taken a year off from school.😕
 
No way! I am loving my year off. I am so excited to start school but I am enjoying all this relax time. If you are super anxious- get some USMLE videos and watch them ha, it will give you a good start.
 
Enjoy the time off between now and classes starting in August. Visit family, take a vacation or 2 or 3 if you can, watch mindless TV, get in shape and learn good eating habits if you dont already, etc.... Classes will start before you know it and then you lives will change drastically.
 
Hey, I'm sure this question has been asked already, but I haven't found the answer. Which airport is the best (cheapest/closest) to fly into when going to Blacksburg? I'll be coming from across the country and don't really want to have to drive a long way when I get there, but I'm also trying to be as cost effective as possible. Thanks a lot
 
SkiMonkey said:
Hey, I'm sure this question has been asked already, but I haven't found the answer. Which airport is the best (cheapest/closest) to fly into when going to Blacksburg? I'll be coming from across the country and don't really want to have to drive a long way when I get there, but I'm also trying to be as cost effective as possible. Thanks a lot
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I flew into the Roanoke airport.. also there is a comfort inn near the campus that picks people up from that airport if you give them notice. I think VCOM will send an e-mail with the hotel's name and number once you set an interview time.
 
hey guys,

many of u sent me Private messages and I know, I am terrible for not replying to you back!!! Forgive me, Block 2 is a slap on the face!!! I just dont have time to lift my head up...

I will reply sometime during this weekend....just be patient with me and i will answer them to the fullest.

Enjoy ur time now!!! If you have a year off, relax!!
 
Sorry that happened to you SCDOCUSC. Sounds like you really wanted to go there. I think they are a little messed up. My wife and I went to the open house, so she could see the area, and Megan asked what they would have to do to get me from WV. I told her send me an interview request. At this point I had turned in the secondary. About a week later I received a call from Bea requesting an interview. I had already been accepted to WVSOM so I guess my heart wasn't in it but I just felt like I didn't fit into there school. Not to mention the fact that one of the interviewers attempted to pimp me on my research and I embarrassed him. So I waited for like 2 weeks (adcom meets every other week) and didn't hear anything. I have a close friend down there that urged me to call. bea said I was unsuccessful and Megans response was that there was a few things in my application and in the interview process that made them feel like I was a bad fit. Not sure what they think is a good fit. Anyway, just wanted to share that experience in hopes that some of those that were unsuccessful did not feel like it was just them.
 
ha ha ha. at least megan responded to you!!! I think a good fit is everything that I'm not.
 
As I realize it was not a good thing to embarrass him that was not my intention. I merely stated that I believed that to be incorrect and cited work by others that refuted what he said. Anyway, it is what it is and it was not a fit for me.
 
So SCDOCUSC have you applied to anywhere else? You seemed very intent on going to VCOM, might I ask why?
 
I did apply to 8 other schools. I had an interview in LECOM but was put on the waitlist. I'm no longer interested in VCOM at all.
 
Do you know whether there are still spots available? Due to waiver form problems, my application was finally completed today. This is what Megan wrote, "Considering that we work off of a rolling admissions basis, applications will be reviewed for interview periodically throughout the application process. If you are not granted an interview during the first review, please be advised that your application will stay active and will be eligible for review at subsequent sessions." Does that mean there are only a few spots available?
 
Does anyone who goes to VCOM have suggestions on where to start looking for housing??? I prefer to not live around undergrads ( they tend to be kind of noisy 👎)
 
I dont go there but I have filled out applications for CMG Leasing. I plan on living in either Knollwood or the Knollwood Townhomes. They are both about a 4 minute walk from VCOM.
 
Nope, that doesnt mean there are only a few spots left. It is still early. I had classmates accepted up to the date of classes starting. Good luck.
 
I live in TerraceView Apts which is 10 mins away drive! But I recommend you stay right infront of school like at Knollwood or the Crossings. If you get a one bedroom....it would be very pricey!! Two bedroom with a roommate, very affordable.

I live in 1 bedroom apt at Terraceview which is way cheaper than the ones across school and the area is not bad....about 0.8 miles from downtown and main VT campus....
 
I will be living with brother in Radford, VA which is like 20min away from VCOM. It's pretty cheap, two bedroom $385 with utilities is like $420 or something. I heard Christiansburg is pretty cheap too, don't know the prices though. It depends on you and how much you're willing to spend. You should've received the apartment catalog when you went for the interview, which should help you with your search. If you need roommates, Meagan will be placing people on housing listserv if you're interested (that's after you submit your deposit). If you are curious to know which apartments specifically house graduate students then you can definitely e-mail Megan and she will be more than happy to provide you the list 🙂 .
 
thanks. i can breath a little bit easier.
 
So what I was told by Megan during the interview is that we are considered Virginia Tech graduate students. When I go to the VT's graduate school website I cannot find VCOM listed anywhere. If we are considered VT graduate students then why isn't VCOM listed on the graduate school list??? However, they made sure they give list and give credit to the veterinary school..if VCOM is not being advertised anywhere on the VT website then we should not be considered graduate students of VT. Does anyone think this is fair?
 
It is kind of the same thing with the vet students. VMRCVM is considered sort of a subset specialty of VT/MD - independent, yes, but we still write out tuition checks to the Treasurer of Virginia Tech

VCOM and VMRCVM aren't considered grad programs *except* in the areas of school insurance, school policy, finance etc..it is just easier for the people doing the paperwork in admin. However, in "real life" i.e. day to day living, not just name, they are pretty much independent. Does that make sense?
 
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