VCU/MCV Early Decision

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ssutton1

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Hey everyone, I was wondering if any of you have applied to the early decision at VCU and if so have you heard back from them and how (i.e. email, phone, snail mail)? Thanks.
 
HI I was wondering what the secondary application was like for VCU. can anyone help me?
 
Interview notifications are given by phone.

There is no secondary application. When you get an interview, a "supplemental application" is mailed to you, but it is only one sheet of paper front and back.
 
I just got called for an interview today!
 
I actually called the school this morning to check the status of my application and they lady informed me she had me on a list to call for interviews this Saturday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. If anyone has not heard anything, I might suggestive giving them a call.
 
So what is everyone's stats who are applying early decision and got interviews?!?
 
me too, just received the phone call for interview, anyone prepare for the interview? it's different from job interviews so kinda nervous...
 
Is VCU only contacting early decision applicants right now? If so, when do they start contacting regular applicants for interviews?
 
I'm a regular app and I got a call about a few days ago. I schedule Oct 31, but didn't get the email yet.
 
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I also am a regular app. I got a phone call 10/13 and set up my interview for 10/31 🙂 I'm reallllllyyyyyyy nervous! Any advice??
 
I applied early decision and had my interview last weekend. I was so so so nervous, but it wasn't bad at all! I think everyone at VCU really tries to make the process as stress-free as possible -- I never felt like like I was being harshly scrutinized. They seemed genuinely happy to be there getting to know their potential new students.

I don't really have any great advice because I don't know how I myself managed to get through that day! I was so nervous the whole morning, but then the moment I stepped inside the building, I was suddenly perfectly calm and pulled-together. I can't explain how it happened, haha. Just be yourself -- everyone will tell you that and it sounds so cliche, but the interviewers really just want to get to know you and aren't there to give you a hard time!

Also, I found it helpful to go prepare a list of questions from this website: http://more.studentdoctor.net/interviewlist.php?school=347
I think every single question I was asked appeared on there, except for one. That one that threw me off a little (because the wording struck me as strange) was "what are your career-planning goals?"

Best of luck!
 
Be yourself- as long as you're not crass, foul-mouthed and rude. I get nervous but I remind myself that I can't let my nerves get the better of me, because it will show! The 2nd interview will be tons better...trust me.
 
from what i have read from last year's early decision applicants, we probably will not be hearing anything until oct. 27th or 28th. the letters have to be postmarked by the 23rd this year for early decision. formal letter via mail is the only form of media that vcu uses to notify students of acceptance as far as i know. good luck everyone!
 
Less than a week to go!

I wish they actually stuck to the PharmCAS due date. 🙁
 
Does anyone know if the combined A+p courses can be used instead of Anatomy and Physiology as two seperate courses?
 
i was an early decision applicant. i was called in for an interview and i believed that it went very well. i received an email from pharmcas yesterday letting me know that my school was no longer considering me for early decision and that i was free to apply to other schools. yay...not! anyone know what my chances are now in the regular decision cycle considering that i have already had an interview? thanks
 
dr2b14 said:
i was an early decision applicant. i was called in for an interview and i believed that it went very well. i received an email from pharmcas yesterday letting me know that my school was no longer considering me for early decision and that i was free to apply to other schools. yay...not! anyone know what my chances are now in the regular decision cycle considering that i have already had an interview? thanks
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Well, in my opinion you will be at a slight disadvantage with the candidates who will be interviewing after you. I only say this because you have had your interview opportunity and been "wait-listed". While they don't call it that specifically, that is what has happened. All the candidates that now interview after you will be "fresh" in the adcom's mind whereas you will be a folder and paper.

The good news is that you were competitive enough to get an interview so that means you've still got a chance. If you're dead-set on MCV then I would just hope for the best. You may want to send in a thank-you card or something so that they remember who you are. Otherwise, I'd suggest applying to more schools if for nothing else then to keep yourself busy while you wait for MCV's decision. Good luck!
 
I am in the same boat as yourself... interviewed on 10/16 as a ED, and got deferred to regular admission. I would not send a card though, because the associate dean specifically said at the interview intro not to do that. I would not sweat too much on your chances, I think VCU might just be a school who likes to see all its candidates before making a final decision. Good luck.
 
pharmD eighty7 said:
Does anyone know if the combined A+p courses can be used instead of Anatomy and Physiology as two seperate courses?
Click to expand...

Yes, VCU said they would take a combined Anatomy & Physiology I & II in replacement for one Anatomy and one Physiology.
 
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ssutton1 said:
I am in the same boat as yourself... interviewed on 10/16 as a ED, and got deferred to regular admission. I would not send a card though, because the associate dean specifically said at the interview intro not to do that. I would not sweat too much on your chances, I think VCU might just be a school who likes to see all its candidates before making a final decision. Good luck.
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Ah, is Dr. Reinders still the dean there? I never really cared for that guy. I've never been at a meeting with a dean in which they actually try to talk you out of applying to their school. I think it's a great school but Dr. Reinders gave me a very poor impression of the administration.

I have a friend who is now a P3 or P4 at MCV that got waitlisted. She got a call 2 weeks before the start of class that she had been accepted so don't lose hope. I did my undergrad at VCU so if you have any questions about Richmond or VCU/MCV let me know. I also worked in the pharmacy at MCV for 6 years so I can answer questions about that too.
 
I interviewed 10/10 at VCU for early decision and I still haven't heard anything. Anyone else in this same boat? I kinda take this as good news, since some people say they have already been deferred (I'm sorry!). At this point, I feel like no news is good news.
 
I interviewed on that same Saturday and still haven't heard anything either. I rushed home from work today hoping that there would be something in the mail, but nope. 🙁 Tomorrow, fingers crossed, we'll find out!

I agree that no news might be good news, but at this point, I kind of just want to know either way so I can stop obsessively checking the mail. Good luck!
 
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I have some good news! ...kind of.

I called PharmCAS just now and they said all ED applicants' statuses should be updated by the end of the business day, today.

So...some of us will get to apply to other schools soon. Good or bad thing, I don't know.

Yay for my first post! 😀
 
Really? I called them a couple of days ago, but the representative told me that anything about decisions comes directly from the schools and that nothing would be shown on PharmCAS. She was very abrupt and unhelpful though, so hopefully the person you talked to is right!

Has anyone gotten a letter from VCU yet? I thought something would come today, but nope. I've never had this much of a delay with mail, especially if it's just traveling within the state. And of course, this is happening with a very important piece of mail, not just some junk fliers. UGH.
 
The ED status on PharmCAS is under "Pharmacy Designations."
If under ED it says "Yes" then it is most likely that you got in. If it says "Was" that means you have been deferred.

That is what I learned from reading around SDN.

I haven't gotten mail either. This is frustrating!
 
I also received nothing in the mail today and I live in Richmond. This is getting absurd. I think there is no way they sent them Friday or yesterday.
 
Silver tea, thanks for clarifying!

And I agree with both of you, I've never had such a long delay with my mail before! This is agonizing, but it does make me feel a little bit better that no one has gotten a letter.

Has anyone called the admissions office yet? I'm sure they're busy and don't want to be bothered with impatient applicants, but I might break down tomorrow and call. I'm turning into a crazy person who checks the mail and PharmCAS a hundred times a day.
 
I have not tried calling the admissions office because I assumed they would just say "it's in the mail." But it might be worth a try.
 
I just ran home to check my mail. Still nothing!!! WTF? This is torture!

I just want to clarify something: some people said they had an interview on 10/16 and they were considered early decision, right? Well, the people at VCU told me there were only two interview sessions for early decision and that mine (10/10) was the second one. Not only that, but that they only do interviews on Saturdays. So...how did you get an interview on a FRIDAY and after the two interview sessions were over?

I live in Newport News and get mail from Charlottesville faster than this! Why is it taking so long? If it was postmarked on Friday, it should have been here by now. I should have known they would wait until the 28th to tell us something.

I will be checking my PharmCAS all night long, btw.
 
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Also, I wouldn't call the admissions office and bug them just yet. If it isn't here by tomorrow, then call them.
 
End of the business day today....and nothing has changed
 
silver tea said:
The ED status on PharmCAS is under "Pharmacy Designations."
If under ED it says "Yes" then it is most likely that you got in. If it says "Was" that means you have been deferred.

That is what I learned from reading around SDN.

I haven't gotten mail either. This is frustrating!
Click to expand...


wait...did it always say "Yes" under the ED status since we applied? i can't tell if that's something new or if it's been there the whole time.

all this waiting is making me so anxious!!!:scared:
 
rvapharm said:
Really? I called them a couple of days ago, but the representative told me that anything about decisions comes directly from the schools and that nothing would be shown on PharmCAS. She was very abrupt and unhelpful though, so hopefully the person you talked to is right!

Has anyone gotten a letter from VCU yet? I thought something would come today, but nope. I've never had this much of a delay with mail, especially if it's just traveling within the state. And of course, this is happening with a very important piece of mail, not just some junk fliers. UGH.
Click to expand...

Well the lady I spoke with wasn't that much help either. I asked her when were the ED applicants going to be allowed to apply to other schools and she quickly replied "by the end of the business day today" and said bye. She didn't even ask if I had any other questions, or even let me thank her!!

I really don't like walking to the mailbox in the rain to find nothing!
 
danisaur said:
wait...did it always say "Yes" under the ED status since we applied? i can't tell if that's something new or if it's been there the whole time.

all this waiting is making me so anxious!!!:scared:
Click to expand...

Yes, it did say "Yes" since you applied. You would only see a change if you were deferred, which would make your status "Was."
At least that is my understanding.
 
Does anyone have any advice for interviews? I have mine on saturday. Good luck to everyone else that has had/has their interview. I'm anxious...You'd think after the interview you'd be able to relax and chill...but the way it looks on here is that it gets harder and more stressful waiting to hear back! Ughh, this process sucks--but will hopefully pay off 🙂
 
pharmcho said:
Does anyone have any advice for interviews? I have mine on saturday. Good luck to everyone else that has had/has their interview. I'm anxious...You'd think after the interview you'd be able to relax and chill...but the way it looks on here is that it gets harder and more stressful waiting to hear back! Ughh, this process sucks--but will hopefully pay off 🙂
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Practice the interview questions listed in the interview feedback. It's really helpful.
 
shoot me now.

I just called the admissions office. They asked for my SSN after I asked them about the status of ED applicants, put me on hold...and then came back to tell me that letters should be going out within the next week. That was all. If anyone else wants to call and see if they can get more info, that'd be great!


AND THE WAIT CONTINUES.
 
WHAAA!? I thought they were sent out last week/early this week. Waiting in anxious misery shall continue. So...if your early decision status just says Yes....does that mean you were either accepted or denied, and not deferred at all?
 
^Yes
If someone were rejected or deferred then their status would be changed to "Was" since they need the opportunity to apply to other schools. So if your status is still "Yes," your chances of acceptances are very high or else PharmCAS made a mistake, which would be awful since the next deadline is next Sunday.

Next week? That is so far...
 
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I am really getting fed up with this waiting game. Still no letter today. I sincerely wondered if it was the post office's fault (my mailman delivers other peoples mail to me 2-3x a week), so I went and inquired about it at the post office. They can't tell you anything without a tracking number so...that was no help. However, after calling VCU, I found out that the letters were "sent out a few days ago." Well, I think that's a lie because if so, I would have my letter by now. I tend to get in-state letters within a day or two. One of my friends said they probably sent it to their campus mailroom (which I can only imagine is huge and unproductive) and from there it went to the regular post office, then to every one of us. However, was anyone else told on the day of their interview that VCU had to give a decision by the 28th? I was told that, as well as one of my friends who interviewed 9/26. SO...where is my letter? I feel sorry for the people who interviewed the same day as me and lived in Michigan and Japan, because they won't be getting their letters for quite some time.

Grr. This is frustrating.
 
It didn't even occur to me that the delay could be because the letters could have gone to the campus mail room. I still feel like they should have come at least by today if that was the case. I mean, how inefficient can a mail room be? They can't have THAT much of a delay on sending mail (especially such important mail).

We were told by a couple different people at the interview that their decision on ED applicants had to be made by the 23rd. PharmCAS says "PharmCAS institutions will announce early decisions as soon as possible, but no later than October 23." I'm sure this includes the deferral e-mails that some people have received, but I think this statement is misleading because it also implies that everyone will find out about their status. "Announce" just sounds to me like all applicants will find out -- it doesn't say "announce to some" or "announce whether an applicant has been deferred to regular decision." I think we would all feel a little bit better if PharmCAS and/or VCU were a) a little clearer on what exactly will happen on the decision deadline and b) didn't tell us such specific dates. I've fixated on the 23rd as the day I could start the letter countdown, so as the date gets farther and father from the 23rd, I feel worse and worse when I see an empty mailbox.

Sigh. I hope we all find out soon. This waiting is taking all the excitement out of things and just making me nervous and grumpy.
 
VCU called me for an interview. I was shocked because I got 11 on my pcat, YES 11. When the lady called me, my reaction was "Did you see my pcat score" :laugh: We both laughed on the phone. My GPA is surprisingly high, 3.71 and I'm also a PHARMACY TECH. She told me to take the PCAT in January, and do well on my interview.

They actually wanted to interview me two weeks ago for early decision, I didn't even apply for early decision, I thought it was weird.
 
I had definitely also heard our letters had to be postmarked by the 23rd. Dr. Ballentine also told me for sure we would have to know their decision by today so that if we were deferred, we could apply to other schools. I swear, I have never checked my mail so much. As soon as I'm done with classes, I drive home to check my mail. It is driving me crazy!!! Not to mention, making me grumpy as all get out. I just hope beyond all hope that they arrive tomorrow.

As for the mail room, I'm not sure how efficient they are. If they are anything like the USPS, who knows when we will get our letters? I'm not a huge fan of the USPS because, at least in Newport News, they are extremely slow, inefficient, and not trustworthy. I constantly worry that important mail is lost. That's why I bothered the people at the post office today. Hahaha! I almost wish VCU used UPS or insured the letters through the USPS so that we could know they would definitely make it to us.

Tomorrow? I sure hope so!
 
BrokenFlowers said:
VCU called me for an interview. I was shocked because I got 11 on my pcat, YES 11. When the lady called me, my reaction was "Did you see my pcat score" :laugh: We both laughed on the phone. My GPA is surprisingly high, 3.71 and I'm also a PHARMACY TECH. She told me to take the PCAT in January, and do well on my interview.

They actually wanted to interview me two weeks ago for early decision, I didn't even apply for early decision, I thought it was weird.
Click to expand...

The same thing happened to me! I didn't do well on my PCAT either, I have a 3.3 GPA, so nothing super fantastic. I work at the student health pharmacy at VCU, so I think that had some pull. I got a phone call a week after pharmcas sent my application. I asked her 'uhh...are you should you called the right girl?' and we had a laugh too. I retook the PCAT 2 weeks ago, and its better the 2nd time around, just with nerves and everything. I hope I do REALLY well on the interview to make up for how I look on paper :-/ Good luck to you!
 
No letter in the mail today! Very frustrating and agitating.
 
I didn't apply ED, but I have an interview for VCU on Nov 7th. Anybody have any advice for me? Places to eat, roads to avoid, and any interview day tips,etc?
 
mjs75 said:
I didn't apply ED, but I have an interview for VCU on Nov 7th. Anybody have any advice for me? Places to eat, roads to avoid, and any interview day tips,etc?
Click to expand...

I recommend Kuba Kuba in the fan, Cuban food (obviously). You may want to go to Shockoe Bottom, there's lots of places to eat there. Bottoms Up Pizza is a Richmond staple.
 
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