VCU/MCV Class of 2010???

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Ok, I thought the great thing about VCU was that class only went from 8a-12p everyday. (except when we have those small group mtgs in the afternoon 1x a week). Now I am starting to second guess myself. Because of work schedules if we do go 8-5 or something like that, I will never see my husband and that would be very sad.

Is it still 8-12?
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definitely still 8-12...now and then they do stick in an afternoon lecture which 9 times out of 10 will get on your nerves.

havarti, we needed a password for the matriculants forum last year, not sure how it worked for you guys.
 
Havarti666 said:
If you know what's good for you, it's whatever you want it to be.
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i second that :laugh:
 
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tentative orientation schedule
i think its funny how on the first day everyone goes to the immunization office, and then later in the day it says immunization office for those who missed it in the AM. Do they anticipate people waking up late or something??
 
it's probably b/c there is other stuff scheduled at the same time so ppl might not get a chance to go. for us they split us up alphabetically, but some ppl went whenever they wanted.

word to the wise....get as much stuff done before you get here as possible, that way you can just turn in the documentation, and not have to sit there waiting to get your shots.
 
Ok, I'm reading over this "Foundations of clinical medicine" stuff and we could be assingned a place 75 miles away?!?! What? With the price of gas, I really don't want to add that into my budget. And what if you have a test on Friday after spending all day thursday at the clinic and then driving? I wonder how many people have to go that far.
 
yeah fcm sucks big time. i'm not sure exactly how many ppl got assigned to places like norfolk, etc. but a couple of ppl ended up carpooling if they both had to go to the same place. also, you have the option to combine two sessions, ie spend 6 hours at the office once a month instead of 3 hours twice a month which would cut down on driving. and if you have a test you can always reschedule to the following week or whatever....but i guess it depends on your doctor's schedule.

it's pretty much luck of the draw, but if you end up having to travel first year, then 2nd year you will def. be assigned in richmond.

i was lucky this year, my place was 10 minutes from campus. but they will almost certainly screw me over next year.
 
lilmissangel said:
hey people. if you check out this link and login, you can access your financial aid info and see if they've updated anything on your account.
mine just told me they needed more paperwork, but i bet some other peoples have more info.
can someone let me know if yours tells you more?
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Thanks for posting that link. I had not used it before, and just realized my fin app was missing something. Thanks!
 
lilmissangel said:
tentative orientation schedule
i think its funny how on the first day everyone goes to the immunization office, and then later in the day it says immunization office for those who missed it in the AM. Do they anticipate people waking up late or something??
Click to expand...

I just happened to be in the area, so I got all my immunization done. The nurse told me that it is a nightmare on immunization day. So yeah that is why....... good luck guys. Get all TB Test (within the last 6 months), Tdap, hepB, and other shots done and on file, hopefully that will save time.
 
Did anybody get financial aid packages yet?
 
Mixtli said:
Did anybody get financial aid packages yet?
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Nope, not yet. Dr Heldberg gave me a rough sketch of what I could expect, though, because I pestered her endlessly. I told her I really needed to know to make up my decision on what school to go to by May 15th. Also, the office of Financial Aid was able to give me an idea of what a "typical" package looks like.
 
chicklett1 said:
Nope, not yet. Dr Heldberg gave me a rough sketch of what I could expect, though, because I pestered her endlessly. I told her I really needed to know to make up my decision on what school to go to by May 15th. Also, the office of Financial Aid was able to give me an idea of what a "typical" package looks like.
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Oh, that's nice. So what DOES a "typical" package look like?
 
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Hey Havarti666 are you out there?

We were told we could get an I-lot pass on June 5th.

But how do I go about getting a semester long pass at one of the lots at the bottom of the hill?


Which is preferred? there seem to be so many cons to each...
 
12 weeks til orientation? i dont know if thats too short or too long.
 
Hi all!

Newbie to the thread here. I didn't expect to hear on May 15th but am sure glad that I did. :D

My buddy, who is an MI, said that several people in his class, IS and OOS, received 5K scholarships. When are those dang scholarships packages coming?

And lilissangel, you mentioned in a previous post that if you had not entered your parents info then your EFC would have been zero? But that means that you would not be eligible for these handy 5K scholarships from MCV right?
 
you could also park in the new A lot, which is closer to school than the bottom of the hill lots.
 
What do you guys know about on campus housing? Is it ridiculously priced compared to the other housing, do you have to move out during the summer? If you get off campus housing, how much is the usual deposit? I have soooo many questions...
 
hey, this may be a dumb question but what do med students do for FUN @ vcu?? Is there much bonding and going out to bars, intramurals, parties, etc?

Do you guys throw parties/celebrate after tests? Hang out with other schools (nursing, dentistry, etc)?

Just trying to get a feel for the culture...any feedback appreciated


Anybody else from the Richmond area returning to their hometown for VCU SOM?
 
PoetMD said:
hey, this may be a dumb question but what do med students do for FUN @ vcu?? Is there much bonding and going out to bars, intramurals, parties, etc?

Do you guys throw parties/celebrate after tests? Hang out with other schools (nursing, dentistry, etc)?

Just trying to get a feel for the culture...any feedback appreciated


Anybody else from the Richmond area returning to their hometown for VCU SOM?
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all of the above.....the vp's of the class arrange for a cash bar at the local clubs/restaurants, after every test pretty much (even weekdays)...and then there's the house parties, but i cant tell u much about those cuz i dont live on campus.

there's a bunch of intramural sports too....dont worry you will have PLENTY to do here when you're not studying
 
I am a rising first-year seeking cat-friendly housemate(s) + housing. Is anyone else?

If you filled out the roommate/housing preference form, remember to put some sort of contact info. I liked a bunch of people but there's no way to contact you. +pity+
 
wistarrat said:
I am a rising first-year seeking cat-friendly housemate(s) + housing. Is anyone else?

If you filled out the roommate/housing preference form, remember to put some sort of contact info. I liked a bunch of people but there's no way to contact you. +pity+
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where can i find this form/billboard you speak of?
 
PoetMD said:
where can i find this form/billboard you speak of?
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On the orientation section of the matriculation website. When you log in it says something like "we got your hundred bucks and look forward to seeing you" then you go to the top tab that says orientation. There's a bunch of stuff under orientation like rsvping for events, white coat size, etc., and one of those tabs says Housing. Please, fill it out! and then, umm contact me and we'll set up house. it'll be great. ha! :cool:
 
ahhh, guess I should go ahead and pay my $100

thanks
 
hey guys, i'm researching my options right now (under a huge time crunch!) and i have a question for you guys. do you know if VCU offers any medical spanish in the curriculum? if anyone knows or can elaborate asap (i've basically got 1 day) i'd be much obliged!!
 
hello future classmates...

long time stalker of the threads. this is my first post.. ive made my official final decision, and will be attending MCV in the fall. i look forward to meeting you all!!
 
flashinthepan said:
hello future classmates...

long time stalker of the threads. this is my first post.. ive made my official final decision, and will be attending MCV in the fall. i look forward to meeting you all!!
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Just out of curiosity, what were your other choices? (if u dont mind sharing of course)
 
lilmissangel said:
Just out of curiosity, what were your other choices? (if u dont mind sharing of course)
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no problem.

im in-state, so financials, and being close to family were a huge factor in my decision. actually my sister works in the west end area of richmond, so housing is essentially free :)

anyway, i had acceptances and turned down from wake, nymc, dartmouth, and case. i think mcv is comparable to all of those schools academically and is sooo much less $$$ for me and my fam. I was still holding waitlists from baylor, columbia and pitt, but i needed closure, and also thought id like richmond more than any of those places. good luck to anyone waiting, or needing to make a decision.

ps does anyone know when orientation starts??
thanks!
 
ok, so have people recieved their fin aid packets or are we expecting to recieve them on fri?
 
What happens if you can't attend on friday?
 
nothing. im pretty sure its not mandatory. i mean people will still be getting off of the waitlist in july and aug
 
Yeah it's definitely not mandatory. I've heard that it's very informative, but that you can also get all of the information you need during orientation as well.
 
yeah that workshop is worthless. and by worthless, i mean that i didn't go (i got my offer in july) and it made absolutely no difference to my life.

cheers!
 
i didnt really learn much at the fin aid workshop because i had done LOTS of research on my own about loans...but it was fun meeting the classmates. :p
 
JohnnyNU82 said:
No derm or plastics, and only one neurosurg...that's a little disappointing. Still overall pretty good.

But like Havarti said we (the class of 2010) can do better!!! I hope ;)
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Be careful when analyzing a match list from any particular year. It's a nice gauge, but by no means perfect. Overall, 0/0 derm. (Plenty of ppl had the credentials to match derm, it just didn't interest them). 1/1 rad onc. 0/1 integrated plastics. 1/1 uro. 1/1 neurosurg, 3/3 ophtho. 3/3 ent (match list is missing one). 4/4 ortho. 14/14 rads. So as you can see, just because a class doesn't have a bunch of ppl match in a competitive field such as neurosurgery in any given year, doesn't mean they couldn't have. If a school has no one match into a particular field in the last five years or so, then that would be a warning sign. But don't go based on a one year list only.

I agree with the above poster who said different classes even within the same school can have very different personalities. Class of 06 had a reputation as a class that truly believed in the work hard/play hard mentality. We were more social than most other classes, but we still did very well academically. (perhaps this may have been a sore spot for other classes). Not sure when we were ever called lazy M3's.

Anyway, for those of you attending in the fall: OOS Tuition is steep, but cost of living is very reasonable. FCM will annoy you the first 2 years, but you'll be thankful for some of the stuff you learned once you hit the wards. Parking is a pain, but there have been recent improvements. 8-12 lecture with optional attendance will keep you sane the first two years. (trust me, you do not realize how important optional attendance is until you have sat thru mind numbing biochem lectures) Overall, a solid school. It can get you where you want to go. I'd go there again (but only as a member of the class of 06) ;)
 
lilmissangel said:
i didnt really learn much at the fin aid workshop because i had done LOTS of research on my own about loans...but it was fun meeting the classmates. :p
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Did you get your financial aid award at the meeting on Friday?
 
cgk said:
Did you get your financial aid award at the meeting on Friday?
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They will start mailing them out "next Monday or Tuesday."

word for word what was said at the workshop.
 
wistarrat said:
They will start mailing them out "next Monday or Tuesday."

word for word what was said at the workshop.
Click to expand...

Dont mean to hate on my new school but I was kinda disappointed to hear this....seems kinda disorganized. I guess with the fin aid dept turn-over its to be expected.
 
Havarti666 said:
Yeah, that's what every class thinks about itself. My info states that, including prelim spots, there were about seventeen unmatched from the class of '06, and four of these were still searching for placement twelve days after match day. That's a rather large increase over recent classes.
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Actually, some ppl chose to do prelim years b/c they were still unsure of what career path they wanted to do pursue. Counting them among the unmatched will skew those stats. The others that went unmatched can in part be attributed to the dramatic increase in the competitiveness of fields such as gen surg (300 unmatched US seniors, 1 unfilled spot in the entire country) & anesthesia (30% year over year increase in apps I've heard) in 2006. I believe 2X as many ppl applied gen surg vs previous years at VCU.
 
Havarti666 said:
Uhhh, umatched is unmatched.
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Uhh, not exactly. If you only apply for a prelim year and match, that doesn't count as unmatched. It may not be a 3+ year residency, but it's better to delay applying for a given field once you're certain you wish to pursue it. Otherwise, you risk screwing yourself over down the line given the way GME funding works in this country.

Anyway, easy to see this discussion really isn't going to be very productive.

Good luck to the Class of 2010! Enjoy your summer and please don't even think about trying to study before med school starts!
 
Just got off the out-of-state alternate list yesterday so I'll be most likely joining your ranks this August. Loved the school but know absolutely nothing about Richmond. This thread is very informative. This entering class will be awesome! Anyone coming from NY/NJ areas?
 
Does anyone know if VCU requires/recommends a specific type of a laptop.
Is a Mac okay? Also, does VCU have on campus housing?

Thanks!
 
Apparition said:
Does anyone know if VCU requires/recommends a specific type of a laptop.
Is a Mac okay? Also, does VCU have on campus housing?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Yes, there is oncampus dorm housing.

And you don't even need a laptop, just a computer that meets these requirements: http://www.cbil.vcu.edu/compreq.html
 
Apparition said:
Does anyone know if VCU requires/recommends a specific type of a laptop.
Is a Mac okay? Also, does VCU have on campus housing?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
i heard at the fin aid workshop (through a fellow student) that all the oncampus housing at the MCV campus was full....but that was through the grapevine so I dont know how true it is.
 
lilmissangel said:
i heard at the fin aid workshop (through a fellow student) that all the oncampus housing at the MCV campus was full....but that was through the grapevine so I dont know how true it is.
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Did you hear anything regarding need based or merit based scholarships via the workshop?. I was told at one time that, once you matriculate, there are forms to fill out for institutional aid. Your comments please...
 
cgk said:
Did you hear anything regarding need based or merit based scholarships via the workshop?. I was told at one time that, once you matriculate, there are forms to fill out for institutional aid. Your comments please...
Click to expand...
nope. they pretty much said all the scholarships have been handed out already. when i call the mcv fin aid office a while back they told me (very emphatically too) that there were NO scholarships available...made me wonder why they made us fill out that form on the website....
On the other hand, the state budget just passed and money that goes to universities had finally been allocated and (I assume) disbursed, so they should be coming into money soon....
I also heard (through a student) that most of the scholarships are doled out throughout the year.
If you find out anything, please do share...fellow MCV SDNers unite.
 
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