Any one applying to VCU post-bac for FALL 2007

Let Us Help You Get Accepted into Medical School.
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Thanks instatewaiter. I graduated last year (06-Biology) and I'm pre-dental.
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I got my financial aid offer yesterday. Check your VCU email account.
 
I was recently accepted into the biochemistry partition of this program, and will be attending this fall. Instatewaiter and others, you guys have been so informative in this thread and have greatly reduced uncertainty-provoked anxiety.
Are all classes in this program taken at the MCV campus? I'm looking for housing, and would like to be as close as is possible (within walking distance) to wherever classes are held.
Still looking for a roommate, oOJawsOo?
I look forward to meeting many of you in person!
 
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No problem I totally understand the anxiety that going into an unknown program creates. I also know just how little they tell you and how much you need to find out for yourself.

All courses are taken in the MCV campus (11th and Marshall). With a few exceptions (toxicology and some others) all of your courses will be in one of 2 buildings on the MCV campus: sanger hall and the egyptian building (baruch auditorium) in case you want to look at a map to figure out where these are.
 
Are there any med schools that know about the VCU certificate program and admit a lot of its students? I'm filling out AMCAS right now and I'm trying to decide which schools to apply to.
 
Hi, I was just recently accepted into the physiology program. Since I have some free time before I head to VCU, I was wondering if there's anything I could do meanwhile to prepare for classes. Also, are we eligible to apply for in campus housing in MCV or is that reserved for med students? I'd like to live as close as possible to wherever classes are held.

great thread here, thanks for all the valuable info!
 
I'm almost certain I am going to apply MD/PhD. Is anyone or do you all know anyone that is going or has gone this route while in the cert program? Thanks!
 
laxnsun13,

I'm just starting to look for a place to live. I'm only beginning to see what's out there in terms of on campus vs. off campus(preferred) and how my financial aid will work to cover that. But roomin' with someone who is in the same boat as me would definitely be preferred over some undergrad partyin' it up all night.
 
Very few med students actually live in university housing. Almost all of my class lives in their own apts. More cert kids/grad student live there as do some undergrads.

MCV/VCU admits a lot of certificate students. That is probably your best bet. Other options are EVMS and/or your state schools.

To prepare for classes, relax and enjoy the rest of your summer.

MD/PhD is much more competitive than the normal MD program so unless you have stellar numbers and an incredible amt of research under your belt you might want to think about just applying MD. The one person I know of from the cert program who applied MD/PhD got flat out rejected. There is another option if you want to do MD/PhD, get into an MD program and then apply to the MD/PhD program as a first year medical student. I know this is a viable option at MCV so it is likely found other places. I was actually considering doing this after my first year but after the M1 year and how rigorous it was I am just saying screw it. I think I will be quite content just w/ my MD
 
I was looking at VCU's Nurse Anesthesia program today and found out that they take the same 501 Mammalian Physiology as we will be.

I just thought it was interesting because I had imagined only Certificate, masters, and phds kids being in the class.

http://www.sahp.vcu.edu/nrsa/programs/masters.htm
 
Hey I just got accepted for the fall, I'm probably the absolute last applicant for this fall, lol. But anyway, does anyone have any advice for housing? Anyone need a roommate?

And I'm going to go back and check to see what people wrote on the various specializations, but I got accepted for sure into Micro and Biochem, probably the others too, though they just got my application yesterday so I haven't heard back yet. Which would you guys recommend?
 
Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering if anyone knew if there is anything a VCU post-bacc student should specifically do to apply to MCV? Do we need to to mark anything down or do we just need to fill out AMCAS as usual?

Thanks
 
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fill it out as usual. I would recommend that you schedule an apt w/ Dr Whitehurst-cook the dean of admissions just to get your face out there and get known. She will also be a good person to bounce ideas off of.
 
Instatewaiter said:
fill it out as usual. I would recommend that you schedule an apt w/ Dr Whitehurst-cook the dean of admissions just to get your face out there and get known. She will also be a good person to bounce ideas off of.
Click to expand...

Thanks Instatewaiter, you've been really helpful to read throughout this whole forum.
 
are you guys going to all the orientations?
 
im going to the ones on the 20th and 21st. those are mandatory right?
 
Hello! I have been accepted to the physiology certificate program and I was wondering if anyone here is going to the Aug. 17th orientation? :)
 
yeah, im going for the 17th orientation....
 
The general grad school orientation is worthless. The cert program orientation is mandatory. I skipped the grad orientation and am glad that I did.
 
hey all,

anyone out there still looking for a roommate?
 
Hello Instatewaiter~ I was wondering if you knew when the certificate orientation date and time is? I went to the general orientation but I haven't found much info on my specific field. I called Dr. Ford and left a message but haven't received a return call yet. I hope I haven't missed it. :confused:
 
the physiology orientation is on monday in sanger hall.

i think it starts at 1PM, but i'm not sure. I've gotta find that piece of paper this weekend.
 
Good luck

Just be warned about a few things that may be different from your undergrad: VCU/MCV does not give +'s or -'s. That means a 90 is an A and an 89 is a B. So a precipitous drop in GPA occurs w/ very little numerical difference.

The drop deadline at VCU is obsurdly soon after school starts You get something like a week. I was used to 2-3 weeks so it threw me for a loop.

Hit the ground running, you dont want to get behind at the beginning of the year.
 
instatewaiter,
hey i was just wondering if you could talk abt where you could get previous years biochem exams... with answer keys!!!.... there are some posted up on the class website but dont have answers to it so is not much of any help!!...freekin scared abt the biochem exams especially since its not one of my strongest subjects!!
 
There are 3 main sources of old exams: Anatomy program has a bank, physiology program has a bank, and the graduate student union (or whatever the hell it's called) has a bank. So you can either make friends w/ some people in anat or phys or pay a couple bucks to join the graduate student union. Make sure you get old exams though. Many professors pull questions directly off old exams.

Also, biochem is much easier than phys. My year the cut off for an A in biochem was an 83 so about 1/2 the class got A's. Only 20 people got an A in phys (including the PhDs, masters kids and nursing students) and the cutoff was around an 88-89. They make sure they keep it that way every year.

good luck guys
 
has anybody done the molecular microbio, micr 515 class through vcu's certification program?

i'm strongly considering taking it but WILL back out if its too hard.

anybody have suggestions?
 
Hey guys,

My AAMC application was put on hold by AMCAS, because they want my transcript from VCU (posts-bach). I was wondering did I put my POST-BACH work into a wrong section. Because i just start my post-bac work two days ago. Help!!!!!!

Thanks
 
Can the people who got accepted/rejected to VCU certificate program plz list their Stats. (gpa, mcat, dat, etc) I think that would be helpful and give people "like me" a ball park figure to see what they usually go for and reject. thanks!
 
So how have the first few weeks of class treated you guys? Have you guys had your first round of tests?
 
things are pretty much how youve described them. we just had our first physio test today and it wasnt so bad.
 
BUMP

Just checking up on you guys.

How's the program going?
 
Okay i'm getting kinda confused. Is this a program for raising gpas, or for finish pre-reqs. I've already taken biochem so i shouldn't apply to this program right? Sorry! I'm trying to figure out which post bacs to apply to and it's getting kinda complicated.
 
While it technically is a post-bac program since it is after you finish you bachelors degree, it is not where you take pre-recs and not where you can raise your undergraduate GPA. Most on SDN call undergraduate level postbac programs "post-bacs" while graduate level post-bacs are called "SMPs".

The program that most on this thread are talking about is similar to a Special Masters Program. This means that you need to have finished all the pre-recs for medical school since you will be essentially taking the same classes as the first year of medical school. Since they are graduate-level courses they will not be factored into your undergraduate GPA.

Besides this program (basic health science post-bac program) VCU also has an undergraduate-level post-bac program where you take the pre-recs as well as upper-level undergraduate courses.
 
OHHH!!! thanks! I've been reading this thread on and off for like half a year and in my mind i had decided to apply already. I had already looked it up and thought I remembered it was a SMP. How confusing :p Thanks instatewaiter. You've been more of a help than you'll ever realize! Congrats on med school it really is a great accomplishment.
 
I recently decided that med school was the route for me after applying, getting accepted to psychology phd programs, quitting that, taking a job as a lab tech in a neuroscience lab, not really enjoying that. All of this after just graduating from UVA in May 07 with a 3.299 (GUH) undergraduate gpa. I took all of the med school prereqs EXCEPT orgo and physics labs (both semesters). The facts that my mom went to VCU school of nursing, my boyfriend (recently fiance!) is an M1 at VCU, AND I was born there really are calling me so I'd really love to go to this school for the basic science certificate . Do I need to have these completed before I apply to this program? What do you guys think of this timeline?

Spring '08 - study for and hopefully rock MCAT
Fall '08-Spring '09 (can't start sooner for job-related reasons) - Physics and orgo labs, apply for this program
Summer '10 - Apply to VCU SOM

Would it be better to wait until after I've completed (and done well in) the program to apply to med school, say summer '11? Also, how feasible is it to get some volunteering in (or other ecs - like a job) during the program? I'd love to check out the Fan Free Clinic. Seeing as how I was grooming myself for a career in research, I wasn't terribly well-rounded in college.
 
bump for whoever PMed me looking for this thread
 
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