2012-2013 Virginia Commonwealth University Application Thread

[BABSstudent]

Can anyone help me with finding a place to live?
Is there any website or place that you guys find appropriate houses?
Also is there any website that I can see listings of houses for sale?
Thanks

Zillow.com

It has a rental part and a listing of homes for sale. You can even browse by neighborhood.

Check the Facebook page to possibly find a roommate.

There is also Craigslist.

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[bc2m]

Are those of us who weren't accepted on Tuesday going to hear anything else today, or was the notification from last week it?

 

[Jefe5]

Are those of us who weren't accepted on Tuesday going to hear anything else today, or was the notification from last week it?

I'm pretty sure our waitlist notification last fri was what they meant to send out today. I think it's just waiting to see how many drop their acceptance and where we stand on the waitlist now!

 

[bc2m]

I'm pretty sure our waitlist notification last fri was what they meant to send out today. I think it's just waiting to see how many drop their acceptance and where we stand on the waitlist now!

That makes sense--thanks. Here's to hoping!

 

[BABSstudent]

I officially withdrew my application from VCU. The paperwork has been sent (meaning the correct buttons clicked, ID number entered, and withdraw survey completed).

Best of luck to you guys. I am sure that new medical building will be amazing. I hope one of you gets my seat.

 

[tennisguitar]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but came across this today. Very exciting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G99Yl95hUo

 

[mwall003]

Anyone have a link to the 2013 Match List?

 

[rodmichael82]

Anyone have a link to the 2013 Match List?

Email from the Dean:-

We are pleased to announce that the VCU School of Medicine class of 2013 achieved outstanding results in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Ninety-four per cent of our graduating students enrolled in NRMP matched prior to the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) compared to the national average of 93.7%. Of unmatched students, 50% received a program offer within the first two rounds of SOAP, the process utilized to help place unmatched students with unfilled programs. The total number of U.S. seniors applying to residency programs jumped to 17,487 from 16,527, perhaps contributing to the overall lower match rate seen among graduating U.S. seniors across the nation.

Seventy-three students matched into Primary Care specialties: 31 in categorical Internal Medicine, 21 in Family Medicine, and 21 in General Pediatrics. Eight students matched in Obstetrics and Gynecology; 6 students in Diagnostic Radiology; 17 students in Anesthesiology; 13 students in Emergency Medicine; 10 students in Orthopedic Surgery; 3 students in Otolaryngology; 6 students in Dermatology; 6 students in Neurology; 4 students in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; 1 student in Plastic Surgery; 1 student into Thoracic Surgery; and 1 student in Neurosurgery. Our early match results were equally impressive with 6 students matching in Ophthalmology, 3 students in Urology, and 5 students in military programs. Not only did our students match into highly competitive residency programs, many of the placements are at prestigious academic medical centers across the country. Proudly, 29 students will be staying at VCU Health System for post-graduate training, distributed among 13 different specialty programs.

We would like to express our gratitude to our Department Chairs, Program Directors, faculty, and Student Affairs staff for advising our students to ensure their success in the Match process. The results of the 2013 Match truly reflects on the quality of our students and the superb education that they receive at VCU School of Medicine.

 

[dreambuilder]

Email from the Dean:-

We are pleased to announce that the VCU School of Medicine class of 2013 achieved outstanding results in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Ninety-four per cent of our graduating students enrolled in NRMP matched prior to the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) compared to the national average of 93.7%. Of unmatched students, 50% received a program offer within the first two rounds of SOAP, the process utilized to help place unmatched students with unfilled programs. The total number of U.S. seniors applying to residency programs jumped to 17,487 from 16,527, perhaps contributing to the overall lower match rate seen among graduating U.S. seniors across the nation.

Seventy-three students matched into Primary Care specialties: 31 in categorical Internal Medicine, 21 in Family Medicine, and 21 in General Pediatrics. Eight students matched in Obstetrics and Gynecology; 6 students in Diagnostic Radiology; 17 students in Anesthesiology; 13 students in Emergency Medicine; 10 students in Orthopedic Surgery; 3 students in Otolaryngology; 6 students in Dermatology; 6 students in Neurology; 4 students in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; 1 student in Plastic Surgery; 1 student into Thoracic Surgery; and 1 student in Neurosurgery. Our early match results were equally impressive with 6 students matching in Ophthalmology, 3 students in Urology, and 5 students in military programs. Not only did our students match into highly competitive residency programs, many of the placements are at prestigious academic medical centers across the country. Proudly, 29 students will be staying at VCU Health System for post-graduate training, distributed among 13 different specialty programs.

We would like to express our gratitude to our Department Chairs, Program Directors, faculty, and Student Affairs staff for advising our students to ensure their success in the Match process. The results of the 2013 Match truly reflects on the quality of our students and the superb education that they receive at VCU School of Medicine.

Thank you. I sounds like an impressive achievement.
Just one question: Majority of students matched to primary care specialities while 94% of them are matched to their first choice. Does this mean that majority of students choose Primary Care Specialities deliberately? (I'm trying to get a sense about how competitive is ophtalmology/dermatology?

 

[rodmichael82]

Thank you. I sounds like an impressive achievement.
Just one question: Majority of students matched to primary care specialities while 94% of them are matched to their first choice. Does this mean that majority of students choose Primary Care Specialities deliberately? (I'm trying to get a sense about how competitive is ophtalmology/dermatology?

The majority of the class body did not go into primary care. Only 73 students went into primary care meaning approximately 40 % of the class went into primary care. We had 6 matches in dermatology, 6 matches from one school is pretty high.
Dermatology will always be competitive, you're looking at > 245 step 1, AOA, research and even then Derm is no walk in the park.

 

[dreambuilder]

The majority of the class body did not go into primary care. Only 73 students went into primary care meaning approximately 40 % of the class went into primary care. We had 6 matches in dermatology, 6 matches from one school is pretty high.
Dermatology will always be competitive, you're looking at > 245 step 1, AOA, research and even then Derm is no walk in the park.

thanks for the info,,, so this year the matching was very nice for VCU ...

 

[mdart]

Just received 2nd look invite- here is the text of the email, if you're accepted but haven't received communication you may want to call before March 29 deadline. Look forward to meeting many of you and cheers to all!

It is our pleasure to invite you to join the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine for our Second Look Program. This event is designed to give you the opportunity to take a closer look at our brand new medical school building, the medical campus facilities, and provide information about our new curriculum.

The Second Look Program will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2013, with registration beginning at 8:00 am. This event will be held at the new James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center, located across the street from the gateway building on the MCV Medical campus at the corner of 12th & Marshall Streets. Information regarding parking will follow.

http://www.maps.vcu.edu/pdfs/mcv map.pdf.
Our speaker will be esteemed VCU alumnus, Dr. David Lanning, Pediatric Surgeon-in-Chief. Dr. Lanning completed his M.D., Ph.D. and residency in General Surgery at VCU and later completed a fellowship in Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. He subsequently returned to VCU as a faculty member in the Department of Pediatric Surgery. Dr. Lanning is an expert in Pediatric Surgery, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and recently led the surgery team who performed the first separation of conjoined twins in Richmond.

As part of the Second Look Program, you will meet the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Student Affairs, representatives from the Financial Aid Office, and several current medical students. A panel discussion will be led by students, alumni and current admissions committee members with educational backgrounds that span the MD/PhD, MD/MHA, and MD/MPH combined programs, as well as I2CRP, Inova Fairfax clerkships and fmSTAT. There will also be a tour of the newly opened 200,000 square-foot McGlothlin Medical Education Center, including its state-of-the-art Center for Human Simulation and Patient Safety.

Additionally, we will provide a continental breakfast, lunch, and a bus tour of Richmond led by our senior students, highlighting some of the city's historical sites, cultural venues and unique neighborhoods.

Be sure to reserve your spot to this exclusive event.

This is an event that you don't want to miss!!

RSVP by March 29, 2013 by 12 noon using the link below.

 

[rodmichael82]

thanks for the info,,, so this year the matching was very nice for VCU ...

VCU does pretty well with matching. With you guys the story might change though since they are introducing a new curriculum and you guys will be the guinea pigs. They are predicting step 1 scores will be higher but who knows. Drexel has TBL and traditional learning both available, traditional always score better on step 1. VCU built the new amazing building to facilitate with your team based learning curriculum and it's absolutely beautiful. Quite frankly I'm not a huge fan of tbl for the following reasons:-

1) You will have mandatory lectures and will have to attend almost 90 % of the classes which really sucks for folks like myself that rely on self-study.
2) TBL is effective when you have a great team leader. There have been cases where I have worked with not so great team leaders (unaffiliated with VCU) but never the less there's always a chance you can get someone that sucks. In cases where instructors suck you really need time on your own to figure stuff out (perks of traditional non-mandatory lectures).
3) I find TBL to be a mixture of subjective learning with objective learning and I'm also not a fan of that.
4) They are introducing a class body of 250 based solely on the new building and some other logistic aspects. I just don't understand how TBL can be effective when it comes to such a huge student body.

I feel like they should have eased into the whole team based learning maybe keep it 50-50 traditional and TBL but yeah all medical schools are approaching these new style of learning.

So everything that has applied to VCU in the past will most likely not apply to you guys. Sorry I don't mean to be so negative, it's just that TBL is not my style. I hope everything works out with you guys. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Deetss]

4) They are introducing a class body of 250 based solely on the new building and some other logistic aspects. I just don't understand how TBL can be effective when it comes to such a huge student body.

class of 250 this year or the coming years? i think i heard the class size will remain at 200 for this year

 

[Jefe5]

Does anyone know roughly how many are put on the waitlist at VCU and how many are accepted off of the waitlist? I would love to attend VCU and think the new building looks fantastic! I was put on the waitlist and was wondering what my odds look like.

 

[Gracie84]

So just to be clear the current M1 class at VCU has 50% lectures and 50% TBL sessions and for the class matriculating in 2013 that ratio is supposed to look like 40% lectures and 60% TBL. Lecture attendance will still be optional although there will be credit/quizes for attending the TBL sessions from what I understand. I think self learning is what this curriculum is geared for since you are expected to come prepared for these sessions after reading the required sections. And traditional style learning goes away starting 3rd year anyways. The school has been transitioning slowly towards the TBL style curriculum for the last 4 years.
And the class for this fall will be 210 as per Dr. WC.

 

[rodmichael82]

So just to be clear the current M1 class at VCU has 50% lectures and 50% TBL sessions and for the class matriculating in 2013 that ratio is supposed to look like 40% lectures and 60% TBL. Lecture attendance will still be optional although there will be credit/quizes for attending the TBL sessions from what I understand. I think self learning is what this curriculum is geared for since you are expected to come prepared for these sessions after reading the required sections. And traditional style learning goes away starting 3rd year anyways. The school has been transitioning slowly towards the TBL style curriculum for the last 4 years.
And the class for this fall will be 210 as per Dr. WC.

There are 20 hours of lectures every week of just straight lectures/traditional lectures with no team based learning at all. Even this week a mix of Physiology and Immunology (straight lectures) for 20 hours and FCM (the only TBL I can think of) from 1-4 PM meaning 3 hours. Add LINC (not really TBL but for the sake of this argument sure) okay that might be 1 hour, add Interprofessional 1 hour (definitely not TBL but for the sake of this argument I'll count it towards TBL).
How exactly is the current M1 50 % TBL? I must be completely missing something here. Based on the calculations of traditional lectures per week and TBL, I would say TBL is 15 % of the lectures we receive every week for the current M1.
Also it was mentioned a couple times that the majority of the courses for the new TBL curriculum would require mandatory lectures since there would be assignments due in these teams per the Assistant Dean for Medical Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Franzen.

 

[mwall003]

During my interview day, Dr. WC stated they'd have the class this year around 200 again, with expansion slated in the future.

 

[treemeowmeow]

Emailed Dr. WHC about a week ago on how Im doing on the waitlist, no response yet .

 

[Dudekmm]

Emailed Dr. WHC about a week ago on how Im doing on the waitlist, no response yet .

Same here....

 

[theherowedeserv]

she probably won't tell

 

[VaNilla1]

Does anyone know roughly how many are put on the waitlist at VCU and how many are accepted off of the waitlist? I would love to attend VCU and think the new building looks fantastic! I was put on the waitlist and was wondering what my odds look like.

I'd be interested in some information too if anyone knows some details.

I didn't bother emailing VCU about my status on the waitlist since they made it quite clear that they didn't release that information to the individuals.

 

[rodmichael82]

Emailed Dr. WHC about a week ago on how Im doing on the waitlist, no response yet .

It is completely pointless to ask her where you stand on the waitlist right now. She will not disclose that information at all and won't even give you a hint till the end of May.

 

[rodmichael82]

Does anyone know roughly how many are put on the waitlist at VCU and how many are accepted off of the waitlist? I would love to attend VCU and think the new building looks fantastic! I was put on the waitlist and was wondering what my odds look like.

There are roughly 120-140 acceptances issued from the waitlist which can have close to 400 individuals on it. A good chunk of the class (40 % or so) comes off the waitlist.
As a rough idea I would say there's probably a 25-30 % chance of coming off the waitlist.

 

[freddiesplace]

Posting to see if anyone would like a roommate this fall. I'm already in the process of securing a nice 2br place ($550/person), just outside of the downtown district. I'm from Chicago so I know zero people in Richmond, and I figure many other VCU SOM accepted students are in this boat. My apartment lease starts July 1st, and I'll be moving in at the end of July. There is obviously much more information to go over, so if you are interested, just send me a private message, and we'll go from there. Cheers to everyone who's been accepted so far!

 

[theherowedeserv]

There are roughly 120-140 acceptances issued from the waitlist which can have close to 400 individuals on it. A good chunk of the class (40 % or so) comes off the waitlist.
As a rough idea I would say there's probably a 25-30 % chance of coming off the waitlist.

so if they accepted 50 at each decision date that means a total of 200 people have been accepted as of March 21st.

For instate, last year they accepted 200 people total. So does that mean 100 people from IS came off the WL?

 

[dreambuilder]

You guys are freaking me out !
My previous medical school was reformed and I wasn't happy with it. That one was QBL and to be honest with you, QBL sucks horribly! The worst part was I never had time to read extra clinical books. we were confined to only few booklets published by the university for our M1 and M2. Now that I've heard about reform in VCU my face is --->
Can current M1s please tell us more about the TBL. |How many people in each teams?| |For what courses?| |How are you guys being evaluated? I think you said assignments but is it like you have assignments all the time?|

 

[rodmichael82]

so if they accepted 50 at each decision date that means a total of 200 people have been accepted as of March 21st.

For instate, last year they accepted 200 people total. So does that mean 100 people from IS came off the WL?

They accept every year a total of 400 some students almost double the amount of seats for obvious reasons since half of the students decide to attend some where else etc.. Out of those 400 students half of the students are IS and half are approximately OOS meaning 200 each.
How it works is that they accept roughly 70 students per acceptance (which includes both IS and OOS) x 4 acceptance dates you have about 280 acceptances issued out so far. 120-140 acceptances are then issued to the waitlist group. That means that roughly 60-80 acceptance offers (not matriculants) will be sent out to IS waitlist applicants.

 

[theherowedeserv]

They accept every year a total of 400 some students almost double the amount of seats for obvious reasons since half of the students decide to attend some where else etc.. Out of those 400 students half of the students are IS and half are approximately OOS meaning 200 each.
How it works is that they accept roughly 70 students per acceptance (which includes both IS and OOS) x 4 acceptance dates you have about 280 acceptances issued out so far. 120-140 acceptances are then issued to the waitlist group. That means that roughly 60-80 acceptance offers (not matriculants) will be sent out to IS waitlist applicants.

okay that makes sense. do you have any idea how many people are rejected post-interview. IS, if you have that information. There should be something around 260 people not offered seats yet IS.

 

[Gracie84]

I believe VCU got the permission to expand the class to 210 in late Feb.

Also I think the admissions office is very cognizant of the changing curriculum and looked for students who would excel in that environment. Would you rather have a school where things have remained the same for the last 50 years or one where change is expected and even anticipated? Change is never easy and not everyone handles it well. TBL is not for everyone and I would let everyone be their own judge rather than scaring them before the classes even begin this fall. Seems like there are plenty of people interested in the new building and the curriculum. And the board prep will remain the same which is key to how well the school does on Step 1.

 

[rodmichael82]

okay that makes sense. do you have any idea how many people are rejected post-interview. IS, if you have that information. There should be something around 260 people not offered seats yet IS.

Roughly 400 IS students are interviewed every year and 200 are sent acceptances so half are rejected post-interview or rejected post-waitlist.
So far roughly 140 IS acceptances have been offered and as I mentioned previously another 60-80 will come off the waitlist, the rest will obviously get rejected.

 

[mwall003]

Posting to see if anyone would like a roommate this fall. I'm already in the process of securing a nice 2br place ($550/person), just outside of the downtown district. I'm from Chicago so I know zero people in Richmond, and I figure many other VCU SOM accepted students are in this boat. My apartment lease starts July 1st, and I'll be moving in at the end of July. There is obviously much more information to go over, so if you are interested, just send me a private message, and we'll go from there. Cheers to everyone who's been accepted so far!

Come join the facebook group! There's a healthy amount of admitted students looking for housing and roommates etc!

 

[Cuongoff]

what happens if they offered 400 acceptances and 240 decide to go (30 over the class size)? Do the students get their acceptances rescinded or deferred or what?

 

[me1234]

what happens if they offered 400 acceptances and 240 decide to go (30 over the class size)? Do the students get their acceptances rescinded or deferred or what?

They can't renege on an offer of acceptance. The class would be over enrolled then... They would most likely offer some sort of incentive to get people to defer a year.

 

[rodmichael82]

what happens if they offered 400 acceptances and 240 decide to go (30 over the class size)? Do the students get their acceptances rescinded or deferred or what?

They don't let that happen simply by waitlisting a bunch of people and then taking them off the waitlist in May after they know how many people withdrew their acceptances.

 

[MCV 2016]

As an M1 I don't know how I feel about all the definitive statements and concrete assessments about enrollment and these statistics that I am reading. It's unsettling to say the least.

To those still looking at VCU or other schools, it's way to early to give up. May 15th is a big day for movement, and everyday thereafter. Don't let people tell you they know what your chances are, because frankly they don't know what they are talking about.

 

[71687]

does anyone know the approximate chances of getting off the wait list if you are a graduate of the VCU CERT program? are CERT students favored in any way?

 

[mwall003]

does anyone know the approximate chances of getting off the wait list if you are a graduate of the VCU CERT program? are CERT students favored in any way?

It certainly cannot hurt if you're a CERT student! I have a few friends that have graduated and are in the program. If you do well, it is my understanding you get an automatic interview, and if you did well in that interview, I see no reason why you wouldn't be very competitive for admission!

 

[Gracie84]

As an M1 I don't know how I feel about all the definitive statements and concrete assessments about enrollment and these statistics that I am reading. It's unsettling to say the least.

To those still looking at VCU or other schools, it's way to early to give up. May 15th is a big day for movement, and everyday thereafter. Don't let people tell you they know what your chances are, because frankly they don't know what they are talking about.

I agree! Don't try to figure out something that only Dr. Cook knows at this point and even she cannot predict how the wait list will move. The biggest movement takes place right after May 15th. Statistics at this point are not helpful in figuring out your chances. Yes 100 people come off the waitlist every year but how can you predict your chances unless you know exactly where you are on the list? And VCU does not over accept for a very good reason. They wait for people to withdraw before sending out acceptances.

 

[Jefe5]

I agree! Don't try to figure out something that only Dr. Cook knows at this point and even she cannot predict how the wait list will move. The biggest movement takes place right after May 15th. Statistics at this point are not helpful in figuring out your chances. Yes 100 people come off the waitlist every year but how can you predict your chances unless you know exactly where you are on the list? And VCU does not over accept for a very good reason. They wait for people to withdraw before sending out acceptances.

That's why it would be nice to know where we stand on the waitlist, especially when another school needs a deposit of $1000 by May 1. Oh well, I'll keep on hoping I get in off the waitlist!

 

[rierphfft]

did anyone else on the waitlist get invited to second look? its kind of a tease...

 

[BARON7]

did anyone else on the waitlist get invited to second look? its kind of a tease...

Amen brother

 

[MDread]

now im sad that I didn't get a second look while being on the watilist...what could that mean....

 

[cluckingduck]

Hey everyone! Long time lurker and first time poster. I emailed Dr. WHC a while back, asking her how I'm doing on the waiting list. She replied, "you're hanging in there." That's all she said in the reply. Any clue on what it might mean?

 

[rierphfft]

now im sad that I didn't get a second look while being on the watilist...what could that mean....

of all the schools i applied to, i have to say vcu is by far the most cryptic. i feel like everything has some kind of hidden meaning...

 

[theherowedeserv]

Hey everyone! Long time lurker and first time poster. I emailed Dr. WHC a while back, asking her how I'm doing on the waiting list. She replied, "you're hanging in there." That's all she said in the reply. Any clue on what it might mean?

She just trolled you.

 

[theherowedeserv]

did anyone else on the waitlist get invited to second look? its kind of a tease...

when did you guys get the invitation? I didn't get one. Also what did the email say?

 

[treemeowmeow]

Hey everyone! Long time lurker and first time poster. I emailed Dr. WHC a while back, asking her how I'm doing on the waiting list. She replied, "you're hanging in there." That's all she said in the reply. Any clue on what it might mean?

I think that may be a good thing because a lot of people who have asked didn't get ANY reply back. Looking back on previous threads, if you were in a bad position, she would say something along the lines of, "I'm not sure, email me back in a few weeks," or something vague like that.

 

[rierphfft]

when did you guys get the invitation? I didn't get one. Also what did the email say?

Got it today at about 2pm (west coast)...it's just the same things that's been posted on the thread already. The only reason I can think of is maybe because I've already got an acceptance somewhere else, so they want to dazzle me with the new school in case I do end up getting off the wait list. Any one else care to comment on this speculation?

 

[itsneverlupus]

Got it today at about 2pm (west coast)...it's just the same things that's been posted on the thread already. The only reason I can think of is maybe because I've already got an acceptance somewhere else, so they want to dazzle me with the new school in case I do end up getting off the wait list. Any one else care to comment on this speculation?

I have an acceptance elsewhere as well, but I did not get an invitation to second look, so I doubt that is the reason.