West Virginia MD schools?

[Spoonbig21]

Just wanted to know what everyone thinks about the two MD schools in West Virginia. I'm a Virginia resident and don't want to go to far if I don't have to. How are these schools?

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[Post Hill]

I don't know a whole lot about WVU, but Marshall has an alright program. They usually cite some surprising matches in their information, so it is possible for you to go there and get into a good residency. I've talked to a number of med students from the school and they all seem to be happy with it. The classes are small (~75). As a public school, they have to focus on recruiting in-state so there is a bias there. Also, a big focus of their program is primary care (a lot of students go into family practice) with the intent of supplying physicians for the rural, under-served areas in WV.

The one thing I have heard about WVU is that something like 20-30% of their selection criteria is just being in-state.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Spoonbig21]

Thanks, if there is anything else anyone knows, please post. Thanks for the info! much appreciated!

 

[chad5871]

I do know that WVU places a huge emphasis on being in-state or having strong ties to the school. Also, they will reject you if you're OOS and have any MCAT section below a 9. Their focus is more rural medicine and primary care, specifically serving the state of West Virginia. So if you did end up going there, it's likely most of the curriculum would be geared toward this goal.

 

[Concubine]

I applied and was accepted to WVU and will be attending there this fall (OOS). I had no ties to WV at all. I loved Morgantown and it's a great school. However, their OOS tuition is very expensive (43,000) and getting instate is next to impossible.

 

[leftmid]

I do know that WVU places a huge emphasis on being in-state or having strong ties to the school. Also, they will reject you if you're OOS and have any MCAT section below a 9. Their focus is more rural medicine and primary care, specifically serving the state of West Virginia. So if you did end up going there, it's likely most of the curriculum would be geared toward this goal.

An applicant can get in with an 8 in VR. And I have heard that a few applicants with a 6 still hanging in there on the wait list until the game is over.

The school web site is the only one I know that believes athletic activities benefit students in medical schools .

Well qualified applicants seem to be accepted ten days after the interview. But all of them eventually decline the offer.

I believe that only 1% of population in Morgantown is Asian.

The only thing I don't like is that it is neither cheap nor easy to fly to Morgantown.

All of the above is for OOS applicants only.

 

[chad5871]

An applicant can get in with an 8 in VR. And I have heard that a few applicants with a 6 still hanging in there on the wait list until the game is over.

The school web site is the only one I know that believes athletic activities benefits students in medical schools .

Well qualified applicants seem to be accepted ten days after the interview. But all of them eventually decline the offer.

I believe that only 1% of population in Morgantown is Asian.

The only thing I don't like is that it is neither cheap nor easy to fly to Morgantown.

All of the above is for OOS applicants only.

Really? This is what someone wrote on my MDapps page:

if for some reason you don't get at least a 9 on all sections you won't pass the screen at West Virginia. They have weird screens for out-of-staters. I learned that the hard way.

 

[Concubine]

Really? This is what someone wrote on my MDapps page:

I don't know, if they do screen they must take the best of each section or your latest MCAT. I took the test twice and got less than a 9 on my verbal the first time.

 

[leftmid]

Really? This is what someone wrote on my MDapps page:

I had read something like that too. Fortunately, someone posted more accurate info somewhere else.

 

[leftmid]

so far, oos applicants who were taken off the waitlist in mid June didn't have any other acceptance elsewhere. they (only 2 here) all had more than one interview and at the least, one of them was at home state school.

 

[utahjazz]

The letter they sent me (OOS) when I was screened out last year said, "We regret that, after this screening, we cannot proceed with consideration of your application for the class entering in 2008. You either did not have highly competitive credentials (GPAs of 3.5 or high and current MCATs of 9/10 or higher), or you did not complete all required courses with a grade of C or better." (emphasis theirs)

(But someone else I know (also OOS) with stats below that standard got a secondary and interview.)

 

[academician2008]

An applicant can get in with an 8 in VR. And I have heard that a few applicants with a 6 still hanging in there on the wait list until the game is over.

......

All of the above is for OOS applicants only.

Yeah, I am one of those "few applicants."
English is my second language and I got 6 in verbal even though on my practice tests I was usually getting 9-s. However, I have 12 in PS and 10 in BS. My GPA is 3.873 and I have tons of extracurricular activities and valuable experiences.
I do not have any acceptances in allopatic schools yet and it's already July. I am counting days until classes in WVU start... I really-really hope to get a letter or a phone call from WVU. I am ready to move there at any moment.
I liked the school on the interview and Morgantown is a lovely place to live. I have a friend who is a medical student there and I receive positive feedback from him.
Does anyone have any info on recent waitlist movement in WVU, especially for OOS applicants like me?

 

[Concubine]

...

 

[leftmid]

You either did not have highly competitive credentials (GPAs of 3.5 or high and current MCATs of 9/10 or higher), or you did not complete all required courses with a grade of C or better." (emphasis theirs)

(But someone else I know (also OOS) with stats below that standard got a secondary and interview.)

My buddy got in with 3.73 29Q and an 8. He was asked in the interview how he prepared for the MCAT and what class he didn't like. His GPA was 3.7 before the interview. He kept on updating it until he ran out of it. So he just told the adcoms that his team won an intramural championship in co-ed soccer in the last letter, I believe.

In case of the rest of the application is very good, it looks to me like that " current MCATs of 9/10 or higher" means "a good chance to be eventually waitlisted or accepted ten days after interview. "

 

[Concubine]

...

 

[academician2008]

Dude! I'm holding out for you still! Hopefully you get in and a month from now we can sit down and have a few beers.

Thanks, man, but frankly speaking I think I need a miracle to be accepted now... It's a month before the classes...
Still waiting though...

 

[mumd2011]

WVU and Marshall (the two allopathic schools in WV) place an emphasis on providing primary care to a predominantly rural state BUT the curriculum does not focus on primary care. If you look at the residency matches for both schools, you will see that while a lot of students do place in primary care fields (family practice, peds, etc.) a lot of other students place in specialty fields. Also, several students at Marshall that place within Marshall's Family Practice residency are pursuing the new international medicine track.

As far as out of state applicants, WVU is very funny about their out of state admissions. (They even can be a pain about in-state applicants, as I was, even though I got accepted---I had to jump through several hoops, so to speak). However, in the past few years, Marshall has been more and more willing to accept out of state applicants. They do recommend you have a strong tie to the state BUT I know several people in my class that are out of state that just told the admissions staff that they were interested in providing care to an underserved area. I am not saying to "lie" in your interview but in a state like WV an interest in rural care could definitely get your foot in the door.

 

[tiedyeddog]

From experience, Huntington is a horrible PLACE to live (not going to comment on the Med school.) I know Marshall hardly takes any out of state, besides those people who live in counties bordering West Virginia.

 

[mumd2011]

While Huntington may not be the best place to live, I am not sure about the validity of your other statements. From experience, there are several out of state people in Marshall's class of 2011 and 2012. And, most of the out of state students are not from bordering states or counties. We have students from North Carolina, New York, California, Texas, etc. Last time I checked, none of those states border WV.

 

[brentb23]

While Huntington may not be the best place to live, I am not sure about the validity of your other statements. From experience, there are several out of state people in Marshall's class of 2011 and 2012. And, most of the out of state students are not from bordering states or counties. We have students from North Carolina, New York, California, Texas, etc. Last time I checked, none of those states border WV.

I emailed WVU (actually I went to the website, went to "Contact Us" and submitted an inquiry. A dean of some sort got back to me and said they do consider bordering state applicants preferentially. (and that a 30 MCAT is competitive for OOS).

Just passin' on what I hear. Submitted everything, no response as of yet.

 

[LadyWolverine]

There are always WVU students at one of the hospitals in my school's network. I'm not sure why...maybe they are doing away rotations in Baltimore because they are planning on applying there in internal medicine?