VCU CERT 2017-18

[GoHoosDDS]

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I couldn't find a thread for VCU's CERT Program for this upcoming fall (2017), so I figured I'd start one for anyone who will be attending/applying this program, especially for questions about the program, roommates, who's pre-med/pre-dental, etc.

I was accepted a few weeks ago and have accepted their offer of admission (pre-dental; hoping that this program can help launch me into their dental school)

 

[py335]

I just finished my first year of CERT, and it's a wonderful program! I'm very glad I chose to come here, it'll definitely prepare you for the study habits you'll need as a med/dental student. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[bpc2017]

@py335, when do you typically hear back from the program about the admissions?

 

[bpc2017]

@eatpenny, when did you apply to the program? I applied in mid April and didn't hear back from them yet.

 

[bpc2017]

@py335, typically how many students get accepted into the Med or Dental programs from the class? Does the program help you find research, shadowing opportunities?

 

[py335]

@py335, when do you typically hear back from the program about the admissions?

Honestly you can hear from them at any time. I remember waiting quite a while before they notified me that I got accepted. I believe last year they even accepted a student about a couple weeks before classes started.

@py335, typically how many students get accepted into the Med or Dental programs from the class? Does the program help you find research, shadowing opportunities?

Take a look at the CERT website and they have statistics from previous years about percentages getting into medical/dental schools. However, it's important to note for those stats that it doesn't necessarily mean those students were accepted immediately. Many of the students continue to do a master's/take a gap year and do other work, and will then apply afterwards. And yes, the program can give you guidance and direction for finding research/shadowing opportunities. In fact, there's a shadowing elective in the spring semester that you can take. However, the pre-dental students in my class did get a little screwed because their shadowing elective got canceled, so they had to coordinate shadowing dentists on their own time. But the program coordinators should give you guidance on how to find one. If I remember correctly, there is even a research elective that many students took

 

[GoHoosDDS]

@eatpenny, when did you apply to the program? I applied in mid April and didn't hear back from them yet.

I had everything submitted to them by late March, and when I emailed them in mid April to confirm they'd received everything, they had. Found out late April, so you should be hearing back soon. Good Luck!

 

[KeepThankingHim]

hey guys. i'm also pre-dental and looking for housing. Have any suggestion @py335 ?

 

[py335]

hey guys. i'm also pre-dental and looking for housing. Have any suggestion @py335 ?

Hey there! There's lots of areas to choose from. It depends on if you'd rather be closer to the MCV campus or the monroe park campus. Some apartments that I can list from the top of my head that are closer to the MCV side are the John Marshall and the Edison. A lot of students also live near the shockoe bottom area.

Closer to the monroe park campus there are apartments like Monroe Park Towers, Park Plaza, the Towers on Franklin, and the Berkshire apartments. I know of some students who are living near the Fan neighborhood, as well.

As much as I love the VCU hospital, I much prefer living near the monroe park campus. It's got cabell library (such a nice library), and the cary street gym (granted, this gym can get a lot busier than the Larrick student center gym on MCV).

This google spreadsheet should also give you an idea of places to look in to:

 

[GoHoosDDS]

@py335, thanks a bunch for this spreadsheet! It's really freaking awesome! I haven't really looked in the housing much yet, but this seems like a really useful place to start.

 

[KeepThankingHim]

@py335 Would we take more classes from Monroe campus? or MCV? Also, did you take out loans to cover your tuition and living expenses? if you did, could you share what the maximum amount of loan we can get for the year? Thanks in advance!

 

[py335]

@py335 Would we take more classes from Monroe campus? or MCV? Also, did you take out loans to cover your tuition and living expenses? if you did, could you share what the maximum amount of loan we can get for the year? Thanks in advance!

Hey, KeepThankingHim! All of your classes will be on the MCV campus. We didn't have any classes on monroe park.

As for loans, I know a lot of people who did take out loans, and quite a few who didn't. I don't remember what the maximum amount was, but I do remember the interest rate being quite high. I applied through FAFSA.

 

[KeepThankingHim]

@py335 thanks so much for your input into this thread! So I've looked at every apartment listed on that excel sheet and do you recommend some places over other places? reviews for certain apartments just discouraged me a lot...

 

[STAT EKG]

Congratulations to everyone on this thread!

I'm really excited to be attending the VCU CERT program in the fall! I soaked up as much as I could from SDN several years ago - then life happened for a little while - but now I'm back and better for it!

I have a couple of questions for people who are either enrolled in or have been through CERT:

I strongly doubt that I'll be able to take the MCAT prior to starting the CERT program. I work full-time right now, and I don't see much of a way for me to stop working full-time before entering VCU. Does that basically guarantee (if I'm blessed enough to work hard and otherwise perform well academically) that I'll have to do the second year and pursue a master's? I took the MCAT once a long time ago (8 years ago) and had an ok score... but it's obviously no longer relevant. I realize it would be ideal for me to retake the MCAT before classes start, but - financially - I don't think I'll be able to get enough of a break from work in order to sufficiently prepare. What would your recommendation be for me?

How hard is it to keep up with second semester studies in the CERT program in addition to preparing (or re-preparing) for the MCAT?

 

[py335]

@py335 thanks so much for your input into this thread! So I've looked at every apartment listed on that excel sheet and do you recommend some places over other places? reviews for certain apartments just discouraged me a lot...

Absolutely! So I don't really have a huge amount of input to give in regards to the apartments, but here's what little I do know:
-John Marshall is nice. I've been in that apartment complex a few times and it's awesome. Haven't really heard my friends complain about it. And you can walk from there to your classes.
-The Edison: I've been in there, too, and I also think it's nice. Also walking distance to MCV if you're up for it and it's a nice day. Otherwise there is a VCU bus stop right in front of it so you can take the bus into MCV
-Monroe Park Towers: This place is unfortunate. In my opinion, everything about this building is just fine. The location is perfect. It's close to some restaurants, close to Cabell, close to the Cary street gym. There's also a VCU bus stop right near the building that can take you straight to MCV... but they have cockroaches -_- The building is old, walls are kinda thin, not as fancy as something like the John Marshall, but all that would've been just fine if it weren't for those damn cockroaches.
-The Towers at Franklin: I feel like this place is kinda similar to MPT. Same, old school vibe. Both the Towers and MPT are close to each other, so the location stuff applies here, too, such as having the bus stop right near it. I did hear of the building having a water pipe burst, and that completely screwed a lot of its residents. I had a friend who lived in one of the Towers, and he also complained of cockroaches. But they were nice enough to relocate him to another apartment, and it didn't have a roach problem.

 

[py335]

Congratulations to everyone on this thread!

I'm really excited to be attending the VCU CERT program in the fall! I soaked up as much as I could from SDN several years ago - then life happened for a little while - but now I'm back and better for it!

I have a couple of questions for people who are either enrolled in or have been through CERT:

I strongly doubt that I'll be able to take the MCAT prior to starting the CERT program. I work full-time right now, and I don't see much of a way for me to stop working full-time before entering VCU. Does that basically guarantee (if I'm blessed enough to work hard and otherwise perform well academically) that I'll have to do the second year and pursue a master's? I took the MCAT once a long time ago (8 years ago) and had an ok score... but it's obviously no longer relevant. I realize it would be ideal for me to retake the MCAT before classes start, but - financially - I don't think I'll be able to get enough of a break from work in order to sufficiently prepare. What would your recommendation be for me?

How hard is it to keep up with second semester studies in the CERT program in addition to preparing (or re-preparing) for the MCAT?

Hey there STAT, congrats on your CERT acceptance! Here's my personal take on your questions:

If you absolutely cannot take the MCAT prior to CERT starting, then that's fine. A bunch of us are taking the MCAT this summer (after CERT ended) and are still applying this cycle. Your MCAT, in my opinion, has nothing to do with if you want to pursue a master's. I'm assuming you're not going to do CERT and apply to med schools concurrently. When would you plan on applying? right after CERT ends? In which case, you will have a gap year. It's up to you with how you want to use that gap. Ideal situation for you is that you kill it in CERT all year. Start MCAT prep spring semester. Go even harder on MCAT prep once CERT is done, and then take your MCAT in May/June. And hopefully your med school apps will be sent by then.

People who do the master's are typically those who genuinely want a master's degree, and have found a research lab that they're really interested in working. There may be some students here and there who may not have done as great as they wanted during the CERT year, so continuing with the master's could possibly aide in getting a GPA boost (assuming they do well in the classes they sign up for).

For my class year, balancing spring academic matters and MCAT prep was doable. But that all depends on how you did fall semester. If you kill it in fall, spring semester won't be as bad in terms of class load. However, if you didn't get the GPA you wanted in fall, then you'll have to take on some extra classes to help get that boost during spring. Does that make sense? However, I'd recommend calling the CERT administrators and ask if there will be major curriculum changes for your class year. All my experience I just listed had to do with how our curriculum was structured.

 

[STAT EKG]

Hey there STAT, congrats on your CERT acceptance! Here's my personal take on your questions:

If you absolutely cannot take the MCAT prior to CERT starting, then that's fine. A bunch of us are taking the MCAT this summer (after CERT ended) and are still applying this cycle. Your MCAT, in my opinion, has nothing to do with if you want to pursue a master's. I'm assuming you're not going to do CERT and apply to med schools concurrently. When would you plan on applying? right after CERT ends? In which case, you will have a gap year. It's up to you with how you want to use that gap. Ideal situation for you is that you kill it in CERT all year. Start MCAT prep spring semester. Go even harder on MCAT prep once CERT is done, and then take your MCAT in May/June. And hopefully your med school apps will be sent by then.

People who do the master's are typically those who genuinely want a master's degree, and have found a research lab that they're really interested in working. There may be some students here and there who may not have done as great as they wanted during the CERT year, so continuing with the master's could possibly aide in getting a GPA boost (assuming they do well in the classes they sign up for).

For my class year, balancing spring academic matters and MCAT prep was doable. But that all depends on how you did fall semester. If you kill it in fall, spring semester won't be as bad in terms of class load. However, if you didn't get the GPA you wanted in fall, then you'll have to take on some extra classes to help get that boost during spring. Does that make sense? However, I'd recommend calling the CERT administrators and ask if there will be major curriculum changes for your class year. All my experience I just listed had to do with how our curriculum was structured.

Thank you for responding, py335! I very much appreciate your resources/help and hope to be in a position to pass it on to others in the future.

You sort of got at the question I hadn't asked, which is - Is it feasible for me to apply for this cycle, over the summer prior to starting CERT... and possibly be "on hold" at schools until I take an MCAT in the Spring? (To avoid having a gap year)? It would be the best possible scenario if that could happen, but it's sounding like that's a pretty much impossible task (at least for me, in my position).

I was planning on starting my AAMCAS app next week, but I don't want to waste the time and money if there's basically no shot for me in the 2017-2018 cycle. Does that make sense?

I would do the master's just to still be in academia during my gap year. I'm very interested in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, and addiction medicine (and the interplay between those fields). I would actually love to do research in that area.

I'm going to give the CERT program absolutely everything I have. There are a few weak points in my application - the weakest point is my undergraduate GPA. I took something like 190 credit hours and have a 3.0, so there's not really a lot I can do about that now other than show I've gotten my act together and matured as a person by giving CERT my absolute all.

I just wouldn't want to put myself in a position where I finish CERT, start applying, and don't have a solid game-plan of what I could do in my gap year.

 

[py335]

Thank you for responding, py335! I very much appreciate your resources/help and hope to be in a position to pass it on to others in the future.

You sort of got at the question I hadn't asked, which is - Is it feasible for me to apply for this cycle, over the summer prior to starting CERT... and possibly be "on hold" at schools until I take an MCAT in the Spring? (To avoid having a gap year)? It would be the best possible scenario if that could happen, but it's sounding like that's a pretty much impossible task (at least for me, in my position).

I was planning on starting my AAMCAS app next week, but I don't want to waste the time and money if there's basically no shot for me in the 2017-2018 cycle. Does that make sense?

I would do the master's just to still be in academia during my gap year. I'm very interested in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, and addiction medicine (and the interplay between those fields). I would actually love to do research in that area.

I'm going to give the CERT program absolutely everything I have. There are a few weak points in my application - the weakest point is my undergraduate GPA. I took something like 190 credit hours and have a 3.0, so there's not really a lot I can do about that now other than show I've gotten my act together and matured as a person by giving CERT my absolute all.

I just wouldn't want to put myself in a position where I finish CERT, start applying, and don't have a solid game-plan of what I could do in my gap year.

It's my pleasure! I'm glad that my input is helpful and being taken into consideration.

As for your question about the feasibility in applying this cycle, unfortunately I can't give much input on that. If I were you, I'd try calling some of the med schools you're interested in, and talk to them a bit about your resume, and see what they recommend. If I were to guess, hoping that schools keep you app on hold until Spring is risky. A bunch of these schools are rolling admission, and I would think that by Spring time a bunch of those schools will have already handed out the bulk of their seats. Based on what you told me in regards to your GPA, if I were you, I'd hold off on applying this cycle and wait until you finish CERT, but that's just me.

And don't worry about the uncertainty you have with your game-plan after CERT! I'm sure you'll have something figured out when that time comes. One beauty about being a CERT student is that the admissions office at our SOM gives us priority in terms of meeting with us and providing guidance. You'll even be able to schedule counseling with the dean of admissions. But don't expect her to tell you what to do, you just run whatever ideas you may have and she'll give you her input.

Also one thing to keep in mind for the master's- the things that you can do your master's in would be slightly limited. The main master's degree we'd get is in physiology/biophysics. And it's up to you to determine what exactly you want to do, such as GI, cardio, neuro, etc. I think this year they expanded the options to include anatomy. If you plan on doing a master's in something outside that realm, like psychiatry, you'd have to contact those departments and see what the procedure would be.

 

[609784]

Hey guys. Is it too late to apply for this program? I saw that the deadline is July 1st, but it also says that spots maybe filled before that. It took me a while to make up my mind to decide to take this program.

 

[GoHoosDDS]

Hey guys. Is it too late to apply for this program? I saw that the deadline is July 1st, but it also says that spots maybe filled before that. It took me a while to make up my mind to decide to take this program.

Well, when I accepted my offer a few weeks back, ~40/100 spots had been filled. I imagine the rest wouldn't have filled up in less than a month, so you could give it a shot, especially if you feel that you're a strong candidate. They don't take too long to make a decision, so you still have some leeway in time. Keep in mind though, that you have to potentially rely on time with your personal statement, transcript, test scores, and recs to reach VCU, before they'll look at your application.

Good luck, whenever you do choose to apply!

 

[609784]

Well, when I accepted my offer a few weeks back, ~40/100 spots had been filled. I imagine the rest wouldn't have filled up in less than a month, so you could give it a shot, especially if you feel that you're a strong candidate. They don't take too long to make a decision, so you still have some leeway in time. Keep in mind though, that you have to potentially rely on time with your personal statement, transcript, test scores, and recs to reach VCU, before they'll look at your application.

Good luck, whenever you do choose to apply!

Thank you very much! I will submit my app ASAP.

 

[GoHoosDDS]

For everyone accepted into VCU CERT for 2017-18, Zach Seikel created an official Facebook page to check out. Everyone should join!

www.facebook.com/groups/382563165455606/?ref=br_rs

 

[hkeane]

Just accepted today! After reviewing my initial application they asked me to take the GRE and score at or above the 50th percentile for acceptance! I sent them the scores last night and they sent me an official acceptance this morning! I'm waiting to hear back from George Washington University and Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, both post-bacc programs similar to this. VCOM has a great linkage program with their DO school which is hard to beat, but I was hoping to learn more about the benefits of doing CERT in regards to going to VCU SOM. (??) For those of you who have done the program, do you think it helped set you apart from other med school applicants?

 

[deleted859689]

See you guys in the Fall. Let's form a study group and ace this program!

 

[kenchem]

Just accepted a week ago, has anyone been contacted with advising or registration info?

 

[eg992]

Hey @py335 did you happen to stay at The Collegiate? If so how did you find it? Specifically was the internet connection bad? It seems pretty good from the outside but most of the reviews that I've seen for it are pretty damn terrible...

 

[py335]

Hey @py335 did you happen to stay at The Collegiate? If so how did you find it? Specifically was the internet connection bad? It seems pretty good from the outside but most of the reviews that I've seen for it are pretty damn terrible...

Hey there! No, I did not stay at The Collegiate. Honestly, I've never even heard of that complex/have no idea where it is!

 

[eg992]

Hey there! No, I did not stay at The Collegiate. Honestly, I've never even heard of that complex/have no idea where it is!

Haha, ok thanks. Got the impression you did from the spreadsheet.

 

[antjk23]

I have a question for those who are enrolling/finished the program. What elective courses do you take? I saw that the Human Embryology (ANAT 612) is a three-week course. Does anyone know how the class is structured?
Thank you very much for your input!

 

[ppushpak]

I have a question for those who are enrolling/finished the program. What elective courses do you take? I saw that the Human Embryology (ANAT 612) is a three-week course. Does anyone know how the class is structured?
Thank you very much for your input!

Hey I'm enrolled in the program as well for this upcoming year. I'm taking the 2 recommended ANAT courses and the IBMS 690 along with Biochem/Physiology. I hear the class is based off of one test but there is no syllabus available on Blackboard so not exactly sure. I've heard from previous CERT enrolees the class isn't that bad (maybe in comparison to Biochem and Physio haha). I personally like how I can take Embryo from 8/24 to 9/15 and then start Intro to Human Anat on 9/19 til the end of classes so it's like I'm only taking 13 credits at a time.

 

[py335]

I have a question for those who are enrolling/finished the program. What elective courses do you take? I saw that the Human Embryology (ANAT 612) is a three-week course. Does anyone know how the class is structured?
Thank you very much for your input!

We had the class almost every day up until the exam. The post above me is correct. Your grade will only be based on one exam. But if you study the material diligently, you will do fine. That embryo exam was one of the most straightforward exams I've ever taken in my entire life. But I also studied like crazy for that test, every day.

 

[Shotapp]

@ppushpak

How do you go about paying for housing if you are an out of state applicant? Is money for rent included in the finaid package?

Is it doable to do well in this program?

 

[BuckStrickland]

Hello folks, just got accepted into the VCU cert program for this fall. For those of you who have done the program already, can you tell me how easy/difficult it is to get research positions in Richmond?

 

[py335]

Hello folks, just got accepted into the VCU cert program for this fall. For those of you who have done the program already, can you tell me how easy/difficult it is to get research positions in Richmond?

I wouldn't say it's too difficult to get a research spot. Just talk to the right professors and it'd be possible to find something.

I'm assuming you will be looking for research to do after you complete CERT

 

[BuckStrickland]

I wouldn't say it's too difficult to get a research spot. Just talk to the right professors and it'd be possible to find something.
I'm assuming you will be looking for research to do after you complete CERT

were you able to get into a lab without much trouble? yeah i think they said the second semester i can start, and then continue it for the masters

 

[ppushpak]

@ppushpak

How do you go about paying for housing if you are an out of state applicant? Is money for rent included in the finaid package?

Is it doable to do well in this program?

Sorry Shotapp, I must have forgotten to reply to this.

1. I'm not sure about paying for housing as an OOS because I am instate. But I believe my friends who are OOS use finaid to pay for their rent.

2. It's very doable to do well in this program, but it's definitely not going to be handed to you. Like many post-baccs, you have to be prepared to commit yourself to this program and nothing else. I was told to be prepared to study the entire day and initially I thought it was an exaggeration but by the end of the semester my schedule was basically: wake up, study, and then go to sleep and repeat. I wouldn't say the material is difficult but rather it takes time to understand and have an "Aha" moment to get how a system works. I believe the program is set up well and we are given many resources to succeed. The professors who teach the material are medical school/dental school faculty who teach M1/M2 coursework as well so they know what they're doing.

 

[ppushpak]

were you able to get into a lab without much trouble? yeah i think they said the second semester i can start, and then continue it for the masters

So I didn't know this coming into the program but you have to either choose to do the shadowing elective or participate in lab during 2nd semester and you cannot do both (at least both for credit). I choose the shadowing elective but I've heard you don't need to take the research elective to find someone for your Masters' Year. But the CERT office is very helpful in directing you to the right resources if you can't find people. Also many of the CERT tutors are Masters' students who completed the CERT program so they are also very helpful in giving advice on how to find a lab.

 

[ppushpak]

If anyone has any questions, we are about to start Spring Semester tomorrow and I can probably answer a few DMs/messages on the forum prior to coursework picking up.

 

[BuckStrickland]

If anyone has any questions, we are about to start Spring Semester tomorrow and I can probably answer a few DMs/messages on the forum prior to coursework picking up.

I know you said you were IS, but maybe you've heard from your friends: is it possible to get the IS tuition for the second year (MS) if you come in OOS? Would you qualify as an IS applicant when applying to virginia med schools after the first year?

If that's you in your picture I like your bowtie 🙂

 

[ppushpak]

I know you said you were IS, but maybe you've heard from your friends: is it possible to get the IS tuition for the second year (MS) if you come in OOS? Would you qualify as an IS applicant when applying to virginia med schools after the first year?

If that's you in your picture I like your bowtie 🙂

Haha thanks it is me in my profile picture.

So I haven't had that conversation with my OOS CERT friends about the transition to IS but from other conversations I've had I believe you cannot become "In State" if you come to Virginia just as a student. There is something to do with employment or taxes, but I can try to find that out for you.

Also the MS isn't mandatory. Some (idk the #) people choose to scribe, volunteer, or etc. The MS year is very research oriented with few classes. I believe it's more thesis based. So it's more of what you feel you want/need experience in

 

[BuckStrickland]

Haha thanks it is me in my profile picture.

So I haven't had that conversation with my OOS CERT friends about the transition to IS but from other conversations I've had I believe you cannot become "In State" if you come to Virginia just as a student. There is something to do with employment or taxes, but I can try to find that out for you.

Also the MS isn't mandatory. Some (idk the #) people choose to scribe, volunteer, or etc. The MS year is very research oriented with few classes. I believe it's more thesis based. So it's more of what you feel you want/need experience in

I asked the office and they said you might qualify if you pay virginia taxes for a year lol I'll ask the finaid office too though just to make sure.

I'd love for the chance to do some research, I think that's the weakest part of my application :/ have a lot of your classmates gotten into VCU after the program?

 

[ppushpak]

Yeah I think I've heard something similar about taxes.

I'm currently in the program so I can try to let you know about acceptances in my class in about 2 years haha. From the CERT class of 2015, these were the acceptances to VCU SOM.
Four below 3.6 / six below 4.0 / eleven with 4.0

VCU SOM doesn't prioritize research in your MD application but it's a plus if you have it. I think their core categories are Grades, MCAT, Clinical Experience (Shadowing over Scribing), and Nonclinical Volunteering (Helping those truly in need). Followed by personal statement, leadership, and LORs. Then clinical volunteering and research. Not exactly sure, but we've had their ADCOM talk to us a few times and this is off memory.

 

[BuckStrickland]

Wow! Those are a lot of students that got into VCU SOM :0

 

[ppushpak]

Yep! Our class is 100 people. 80 being Pre-med and 20 being Pre-Dent so a ~25% (21/80) acceptance rate isn't too bad