VCU Application status on "Hold"

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Good luck with VCU everyone...the whole process is long, especially for those who end up waitlisted, but it is worth it in the end. VCU SOM is a great school and I am sure that some of you will be very happy there next year. I can hardly wait to start classes on 8/20.
 
it says my application is complete and it will be reviewed and prioritized for an interview. Since people after me are already receiving interviews and have complete dates after mine, I'm thinking they decided not to give me an interview?

Same here. Complete since 7/16 and no word. not even a hold. So maybe our applications haven't been reviewed yet? Anyone else ?
 
Anyone know how many they interview and how many they accept?
 
I have still not received the Secondary App from VCU and I was emailed July 10th say they received my Primary App. How long do they take before deciding they will send you a secondary or not? I am beginning to think I was rejected but my status has not changed since I first got the email.

Current Status

The School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University on the Medical College of Virginia Campus has received your preliminary application from AMCAS. Your application will be reviewed by a subcommittee. Decisions are made at that point as to which candidates will be granted supplemental application from us. It has always been our committee's policy to grant supplemental applications only to those candidates who are deemed competitive within our applicant pool.

Depending on the volume of applications coming from AMCAS it may take several weeks to complete the initial review of your application. Thank you for your interest in our school and best of luck with the application process.
 
The "hold" doesn't mean much. I got that hold message last year in late august, then an interview invite in January and I got accepted to VCU in June... so definitely don't lose hope. I think they just give everyone a numerical score and invite the top ~650 or so for an interview (also I never sent any updates/letters either).
 
They sure have given out a lot of interviews already. I wish my LORs had gotten in earlier so I could have possibly gotten one.
 
The "hold" doesn't mean much. I got that hold message last year in late august, then an interview invite in January and I got accepted to VCU in June... so definitely don't lose hope. I think they just give everyone a numerical score and invite the top ~650 or so for an interview (also I never sent any updates/letters either).

So me being under review so far is a good thing?
 
My numbers are not that competitive. Biochem major, BCPM = 3.78, OA = 3.81, MCAT = 28M. What's yours?

Dude, shut the f*** up with that "I have a 4.0 GPA but my stats aren't that competitive" crap. It's an old, overused, lame attempt at making yourself look smarter than you are. I used to hear that nonsense from people in high school.

You know perfectly well that a 3.8 is a very competitive GPA, especially for MCV, even if you're an out of state applicant. Your MCAT is average for MCV. There must be something else wrong with your application.
 
I got the "we MAY interview you" notice today around 6:15 EST.

3.96, 31P, OOS and MD/PhD applicant.
 
Yeah, they emailed me.

I was complete on 7/20, and updated my file with another LOR on 7/25.

I want to continue this trend of "on hold for a little while, then I got an interview!"
 
Yeah, they emailed me.

I was complete on 7/20, and updated my file with another LOR on 7/25.

I want to continue this trend of "on hold for a little while, then I got an interview!"
do you remember how long it took them to get your LORs? mine were uploaded on Friday, but they haven't updated their website saying they have them yet.
 
Yeah, they emailed me.

I was complete on 7/20, and updated my file with another LOR on 7/25.

I want to continue this trend of "on hold for a little while, then I got an interview!"



Out of curiosity, how did you answer the "lapses in your education" question, if at all? I ask because it can easily be interpreted two different ways (time-wise versus blemishes on your record) . . . and it's been discussed on another thread that they apparently meant the time-wise thing. Another poster was able to actually amend his secondary after submitting and then emailing VCU about this question . . . I may have to do the same thing, but I don't want to get held up any more since I've already submitted.

I think deep down I'm just hoping you answered it using the shortcomings interpretation and still got an interview so that I don't have to go to the trouble of changing mine.😱
 
Out of curiosity, how did you answer the "lapses in your education" question, if at all? I ask because it can easily be interpreted two different ways (time-wise versus blemishes on your record) . . . and it's been discussed on another thread that they apparently meant the time-wise thing. Another poster was able to actually amend his secondary after submitting and then emailing VCU about this question . . . I may have to do the same thing, but I don't want to get held up any more since I've already submitted.

I think deep down I'm just hoping you answered it using the shortcomings interpretation and still got an interview so that I don't have to go to the trouble of changing mine.😱
Lapses usually means time-wise
 
I didn't answer it because I took it to mean "time". Plus, I have a 3.96 GPA. I thought about interpreting it to mean "shortcomings", but I decided how cocky do I really want to sound? "Well, back in my 1st semester I made the mistake of getting an AB in general chemistry I...I regret it deeply..."

My LORs took a few days to upload.
 
Lapses usually means time-wise



I thought so too. And then I was dumb enough to visit Dictionary.com:


1. an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard: a lapse of justice.
2. a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure: a lapse of memory.
3. an interval or passage of time; elapsed period: a lapse of ten minutes before the program resumed.
4. a moral fall, as from rectitude or virtue.
5. a fall or decline to a lower grade, condition, or degree; descent; regression: a lapse into savagery.
6. the act of falling, slipping, sliding, etc., slowly or by degrees.
7. a falling into disuse.
8. Insurance. discontinuance of coverage resulting from nonpayment of a premium; termination of a policy.
9. Law. the termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it or through failure of some contingency.
10. Meteorology. lapse rate.
11. Archaic. a gentle, downward flow, as of water.
–verb (used without object)
12. to fall or deviate from a previous standard; fail to maintain a normative level: Toward the end of the book the author lapsed into bad prose.
13. to come to an end; stop: We let our subscription to that magazine lapse.
14. to fall, slip, or sink; subside: to lapse into silence.
15. to fall into disuse: The custom lapsed after a period of time.
16. to deviate or abandon principles, beliefs, etc.: to lapse into heresy.
17. to fall spiritually, as an apostate: to lapse from grace.
18. to pass away, as time; elapse.
19. Law. to become void, as a legacy to someone who dies before the testator.
20. to cease being in force; terminate: Your insurance policy will lapse after 30 days.
 
I mean I think I have pretty good verbiage, and I definitely thought of lapses in education in qualitative terms. I might have just thought it out too deeply, but it really is VCU's fault for being so ambiguous, because other schools were able to ask this question pretty clearly in their secondaries. All VCU really had to do was add the term lapses "in time" in your undergrad education, and there would be no confusion on anyone's part.

Blah. It doesn't really matter now, but I'll just use this as my excuse when I get rejected 😀
 
I think I should receive bonus points for thinking outside of the apparent box.😛

Seriously though, this is just one more of those little things that makes you suddenly think your entire application cycle will be a failure. Stupid application process that makes me neurotic.
 
I did it for lapses in time.

and that's why Jolie South you are sitting pretty with an interview invite. further evidence for my theory about my impending rejection and/or the continuing hold of death.

Yea...this applying process isn't affecting me at all...:banana:
 
and that's why Jolie South you are sitting pretty with an interview invite. further evidence for my theory about my impending rejection and/or the continuing hold of death.

Yea...this applying process isn't affecting me at all...:banana:

the secondaries/essays that I thought were f'ed were actually the ones that got me interviews, so don't give up hope. you'll be surprised.
 
I thought so too. And then I was dumb enough to visit Dictionary.com:


1. an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard: a lapse of justice.
2. a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure: a lapse of memory.
3. an interval or passage of time; elapsed period: a lapse of ten minutes before the program resumed.
4. a moral fall, as from rectitude or virtue.
5. a fall or decline to a lower grade, condition, or degree; descent; regression: a lapse into savagery.
6. the act of falling, slipping, sliding, etc., slowly or by degrees.
7. a falling into disuse.
8. Insurance. discontinuance of coverage resulting from nonpayment of a premium; termination of a policy.
9. Law. the termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it or through failure of some contingency.
10. Meteorology. lapse rate.
11. Archaic. a gentle, downward flow, as of water.
–verb (used without object)
12. to fall or deviate from a previous standard; fail to maintain a normative level: Toward the end of the book the author lapsed into bad prose.
13. to come to an end; stop: We let our subscription to that magazine lapse.
14. to fall, slip, or sink; subside: to lapse into silence.
15. to fall into disuse: The custom lapsed after a period of time.
16. to deviate or abandon principles, beliefs, etc.: to lapse into heresy.
17. to fall spiritually, as an apostate: to lapse from grace.
18. to pass away, as time; elapse.
19. Law. to become void, as a legacy to someone who dies before the testator.
20. to cease being in force; terminate: Your insurance policy will lapse after 30 days.

I think I've seen this discussion twice already. Here's my advice:
a) Stop worrying because the adcom isn't going to be outraged if you explain a lapse in grades or time or both. C'mon, rationalize this out, it's not that Big of a deal.
b) If you are still worried, then call them
 
I think I've seen this discussion twice already. Here's my advice:
a) Stop worrying because the adcom isn't going to be outraged if you explain a lapse in grades or time or both. C'mon, rationalize this out, it's not that Big of a deal.
b) If you are still worried, then call them



Always nice to have a voice of reasoning chime in. Seriously, this whole process has turned me (and many others I'm sure) into a neurotic, anal-retentive....well, premed. I wasn't even the typical premed student, and always thought of myself as the antithesis of what someone conjures up when they hear the term....but here I am, obsessing over homonyms.
 
Always nice to have a voice of reasoning chime in. Seriously, this whole process has turned me (and many others I'm sure) into a neurotic, anal-retentive....well, premed. I wasn't even the typical premed student, and always thought of myself as the antithesis of what someone conjures up when they hear the term....but here I am, obsessing over homonyms.

I feel ya. It's just that to me it seems that half the people on here have that pre-medish stress. This in turn causes someone else to stress because he is stressed that he isn't as stressed as the other premed kids. So, it's like a snowball effect if that makes sense. But then again, maybe it's a good source of motivation
 
Seriously don't worry about taking that question the wrong way. Two years ago I wrote about lapses in grades and, until now I never thought twice about it. Apparently it didnt hurt me that much since I go there now.
 
I just received an email from VCU stating that:

The committee's file review indicates that they are interested in your candidacy. However, due to the increase in the applicant pool this year, it is clear we MAY be unable to interview all the candidates at your priority score. If we do find that we are able to grant an interview you will be notified by e-mail.

I have a feeling it's gonna be a long wait. Anyone else got this email?

i got the same email today.😕
 
Still no word (hold or otherwise) from VCU for me. Of course, I was complete there on 8/4 (secondary submitted a week or two prior to that, but my committee LOR wasn't uploaded until 7/30). So I guess it makes sense that they haven't started/finished reviewing my app.
 
My VirtualEval was loaded last Friday but it still is listed as not received by VCU.. and most other schools.

How long did it take you guys to get your LORs listed as received after they were sent?
 
My VirtualEval was loaded last Friday but it still is listed as not received by VCU.. and most other schools.

How long did it take you guys to get your LORs listed as received after they were sent?



Well like I said, it took almost a week at VCU. Other schools still haven't "received" my LORs according to their status update sites, even though they were obviously sent out on the 30th of July. In fact, quite a few of mine still say they're waiting.
 
armybound,

it took an infinitely long time by SDN standards i.e. on avg. 2 weeks
 
armybound,

it took an infinitely long time by SDN standards i.e. on avg. 2 weeks



I love how time progression/movement is infinitely different on SDN than in real life.

I'm thinking of calling my premed committee sometime this next week to be sure they really sent my letters out to the right schools. I had to turn in a "preliminary" list along with a biographical sketch prior to my committee interview, but that only had room for 12 schools (I ended up applying to 17). The head of the committee told me at the interview that I could email him with my final list, along with my AMCAS ID number and my AMCAS transmittal date so they could all be sent out. I transmitted my AMCAS mid/late June and emailed him right away. Then around July 24th (I interviewed at the end of May!) I get a message on my phone that my file folder is still incomplete since my AMCAS ID isn't in it. I immediately resent the original email with the AMCAS ID number and my list of 17 schools, and asked him to verify that he received it, since it seemed he didn't get my first email😱.

This whole incident freaked me out big time, as if I wasn't neurotic enough already. My committee also had problems handling my transcripts from another school I attended before them, and I kept having them mailed there and they kept not making their way to my file in their office.
 
I got the "we may interview you" notice just a few min. ago. I hope there's an invite to follow this in a few days
*fingers crossed*
 
hi
just thought I'd post and let you all know that I rec'd an interview invite today from VCU. It's scheduled for September.

Hope this helps...
 
hi
just thought I'd post and let you all know that I rec'd an interview invite today from VCU. It's scheduled for September.

Hope this helps...




Damn. I got an interview invite a few days ago, but the earliest I could schedule for was October.

They must not like me as much as I thought.
 
UGH, why oh why haven't they told me anything yet?? :scared:
 
Damn. I got an interview invite a few days ago, but the earliest I could schedule for was October.

They must not like me as much as I thought.
Hmm...they must really not like me. The earliest I could schedule was January. This is an interesting development.
 
Hmm...they must really not like me. The earliest I could schedule was January. This is an interesting development.

that is interesting
from what i read on the status check site, it seems the available interview spots depends on the interviewer..so maybe my guy/gal has more spots available?

not sure how this works.
 
FINALLY. i am complete here. seems like some of you had the same problem as me, with vcu not downloading/receiving the letters in a timely way.

hoping for a hold email as well!
 
i got the vcu hold this morning.

is there something wrong with my application 🙁
 
At least you're not like me whose been complete for over a month and has no word...I must be flat out rejected by now. 🙁
 
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