Official George Washington University Class of 2011 Thread

[medstylee]

I received my packet in the mail too!!!! Exciting!!!! I have a few questions to ask the upperclassmen.....

1.) Do we have to wait 2 weeks after school starts to receive our Financial
Aid Checks? I confused about this process.

2.) Do we really need to wait to buy books....... even for GROSS???

you should be able to work it so that your loans are automatically put towards tuition payment on the first day of class. then, at the end of the first week of class, you should be able to pick up your autorefund check at the cashier's office. i think we were able to get ours on the third day of class or so. i'd say wait to buy books until you've been in class for a few days. a lot of people find that textbooks are not very helpful - a lot of times they're too in depth and there's honestly just not enough time to waste trying to get through them. if you really want to buy one now, i'd say it's a safe bet to buy netter's atlas. i think probably everyone gets it. you shouldn't need anything else besides that, i'm pretty sure. that's my advice.

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[PHD_2007]

Thanks for the info!!!!!!!! Receiving the refund check the first week would be GREAT!!!! I read somewhere that you have to complete a form to receive your autorefund... How does that work?

 

[cdarnay]

They didn't really mention the schedule for the day during orientation starting on the 22nd. We will be in orientation from like 8 AM to 5 PM most days and what kinds of things will we be doing?

 

[AndreeaB]

They didn't really mention the schedule for the day during orientation starting on the 22nd. We will be in orientation from like 8 AM to 5 PM most days and what kinds of things will we be doing?

I was confused about that as well....they only gave us info on the evening activities, i think we'll be receiving another packet as we get closer, i think it's a bit too early - oh it's gonna be so much fun!

When are you guys moving to DC? I'm coming in on the 15th - maybe i'll get to meet some of you before orientation.

 

[PHD_2007]

Hey,
I will be moving into HOVA on August 1st!!!!!! Can't wait to meet you guys!!!!!!

 

[cdarnay]

I was confused about that as well....they only gave us info on the evening activities, i think we'll be receiving another packet as we get closer, i think it's a bit too early - oh it's gonna be so much fun!

When are you guys moving to DC? I'm coming in on the 15th - maybe i'll get to meet some of you before orientation.

I already live in the DC area so that makes a few things easier. I'm quitting my job on Aug 10th.


I need a little help in choosing my size for my white coat. They give a helpful sizing chart but I have a dilemma on my hand. My suit jacket size is 40 which would correspond to ordering a medium (suit jacket size 38-40). I have a white coat from hospital shadowing that I recently tried on and it is a large and it fits me well but that corresponds to a suit jacket size of 42-44 which I'm clearly not. I'm thinking I'll be wearing my white coat over a shirt and tie on occasions so its better to get the larger size, do you agree? Do they tend to run small or large? Any help would be appreciated from those who have gone through it.

 

[medstylee]

I already live in the DC area so that makes a few things easier. I'm quitting my job on Aug 10th.


I need a little help in choosing my size for my white coat. They give a helpful sizing chart but I have a dilemma on my hand. My suit jacket size is 40 which would correspond to ordering a medium (suit jacket size 38-40). I have a white coat from hospital shadowing that I recently tried on and it is a large and it fits me well but that corresponds to a suit jacket size of 42-44 which I'm clearly not. I'm thinking I'll be wearing my white coat over a shirt and tie on occasions so its better to get the larger size, do you agree? Do they tend to run small or large? Any help would be appreciated from those who have gone through it.

the coat will end up shrinking a bit when you wash it, so i'd go with the larger size if it fits you better. i wear a size 38 suit and i fit pretty well into the medium white coat, so you're probably a better candidate for large. hope that helps.

 

[cdarnay]

the coat will end up shrinking a bit when you wash it, so i'd go with the larger size if it fits you better. i wear a size 38 suit and i fit pretty well into the medium white coat, so you're probably a better candidate for large. hope that helps.

Thanks medstylee. I think I'm going to go with the larger size. It will probably shrink and I'll probably get bigger rather than smaller in the next two years. Thanks again.

 

[Dooooom]

i'm a 40 Regular suit size, I chose large also.

 

[AndreeaB]

I guess this is a question for upperclassmen...i was wondering if there are any trips organized, like camping, etc during long weekends/ weekends after exams. That would be a lot of fun!
I am actually thinking of the Labor Day long weekend and it would be awesome to go somewhere around.

 

[Brickhouse]

I guess this is a question for upperclassmen...i was wondering if there are any trips organized, like camping, etc during long weekends/ weekends after exams. That would be a lot of fun!
I am actually thinking of the Labor Day long weekend and it would be awesome to go somewhere around.

There used to be a wilderness medicine group that organized outdoor activities, don't know if it still exists though. You could always organize stuff yourself!

 

[PHD_2007]

Bump

 

[PHD_2007]

Bump

 

[collegy]

Can you guys please tell me what you like about the MD program at GW? How is it different than other schools? I would really appreciate your posts!

 

[Phoenix.]

I just read through this whole thread in excited anticipation for my interview at GWU in mid-September. It's been great to read through all of the issues you guys brought up regarding housing, financial aid, and especially to hear about a typical day for a first-year at GWU.

I've read through most of the interview reviews for GWU in the interview forum, but if you guys have any tips for those of us interviewing at GWU next month (things to be sure to check out, things you wish you'd known, etc.) please feel free to post them. Specifically, I was reading through the med school's web site, and was wondering if anyone had more insight into how the "track" system works. How many classes are part of the track system a year? Is it like picking a minor? And where do you take some of the track classes like the health policy classes (in the med school, or the school of public health)?

Anyway, I'm sure there are others like me checking this thread out, so any input would be greatly appreciated. And of course, congrats to all of you starting this month!

 

[tacrum43]

I just read through this whole thread in excited anticipation for my interview at GWU in mid-September. It's been great to read through all of the issues you guys brought up regarding housing, financial aid, and especially to hear about a typical day for a first-year at GWU.

I've read through most of the interview reviews for GWU in the interview forum, but if you guys have any tips for those of us interviewing at GWU next month (things to be sure to check out, things you wish you'd known, etc.) please feel free to post them. Specifically, I was reading through the med school's web site, and was wondering if anyone had more insight into how the "track" system works. How many classes are part of the track system a year? Is it like picking a minor? And where do you take some of the track classes like the health policy classes (in the med school, or the school of public health)?

Anyway, I'm sure there are others like me checking this thread out, so any input would be greatly appreciated. And of course, congrats to all of you starting this month!

Hey,

First of all, congrats on your interview. I hope it goes well. The interviews at GW are pretty relaxed. Enthusiasm for the school and why you want to be a medical student at GW specifically are good things to emphasize, IMHO.

The track program is relatively new. My class is, I believe, only the second one to participate in it. You do not have to do a track. It is optional, and about half the class participates in one. I suppose you could say it's kind of like a minor, except that they're all medically related of course. There is a lecture during lunch 1-2 times per month, all of which have been at the medical school (at least for my track, which is health policy). The best things about the track program are that you get to hear leaders in that area of medicine come in and talk about their experiences, and that students in their respective track get first dibs on the summer opportunities available that relate to that track.

 

[cdarnay]

Can you guys please tell me what you like about the MD program at GW? How is it different than other schools? I would really appreciate your posts!

1)Track programs (www.studentopps.com)
2)almost brand new hospital next door to med school where you will see a wide variety of patients in an urban setting
3)heavy emphasis on teaching students to be good physicians (consequently, maybe GWU doesnt place as much emphasis on research or turning out alot of academic physicians) entire 6th floor of hospital dedicated to teaching
4)Great city to live in - so many opportunities to get involved for health policy, american red cross, etc. - maybe second only to NYC
5)Happy, down to earth students.

Hope this helps some.

 

[cdarnay]

The 2007-08 budget allows $921 for books and supplies and $1149 for instruments. Do most people use the full amount their first year or is this a good estimate of how much you will spend?

It seems a bit high to me for the instruments considering a stethescope $140 and tuning fork $10 are the two main instruments that state you will need. I could see some extra costs being added with gloves, dissection kit and a few more items but would that add $900.


Also, for financial aid, the total amount due for the first semester is 22,507.50 which includes two activity fees, library gift and tuitition. If we already paid 3,000 in our deposit hold and I am getting 20,250 in loans (the full $40,500 for the year), it will mean I will overpay by742.50. Is this money sent back in a refund check in Sept or is it applied to the spring semester?

 

[Phoenix.]

Thanks for the track info, Tacrum43. I recall that GWU interviews around 1000 students. That seems like a lot. Anyone know about how many get offers? Just curious....

 

[tacrum43]

The 2007-08 budget allows $921 for books and supplies and $1149 for instruments. Do most people use the full amount their first year or is this a good estimate of how much you will spend?

It seems a bit high to me for the instruments considering a stethescope $140 and tuning fork $10 are the two main instruments that state you will need. I could see some extra costs being added with gloves, dissection kit and a few more items but would that add $900.


Also, for financial aid, the total amount due for the first semester is 22,507.50 which includes two activity fees, library gift and tuitition. If we already paid 3,000 in our deposit hold and I am getting 20,250 in loans (the full $40,500 for the year), it will mean I will overpay by742.50. Is this money sent back in a refund check in Sept or is it applied to the spring semester?

Most people do not buy an opthalmoscope or an otoscope, and you really don't need one outside of the CLASS center (where they are provided for you). Stethoscope, tuning fork and maybe a pen light are really all you need for first year instrument-wise. And I guess a dissection kit, yes.

If you take out the full loan amount, you will get the $3,000 back in the refund check along with the living expense money from your loans. Or at least, that's how it worked last year.

 

[tacrum43]

Thanks for the track info, Tacrum43. I recall that GWU interviews around 1000 students. That seems like a lot. Anyone know about how many get offers? Just curious....

For my class (2010) we were told they made about 400 offers of admission to fill the class, which has about 190 students.

 

[Phoenix.]

For my class (2010) we were told they made about 400 offers of admission to fill the class, which has about 190 students.

Thanks! Good to know. About a 40% chance. I'll just have to hope that the odds of acceptance are a little higher at the start of the interview season than at the end.

Congrats again, and thanks for all of the helpful information you guys have provided in this thread. Good luck with classes!

 

[cdarnay]

Most people do not buy an opthalmoscope or an otoscope, and you really don't need one outside of the CLASS center (where they are provided for you). Stethoscope, tuning fork and maybe a pen light are really all you need for first year instrument-wise. And I guess a dissection kit, yes.

If you take out the full loan amount, you will get the $3,000 back in the refund check along with the living expense money from your loans. Or at least, that's how it worked last year.

Thanks Tacrum43. I was wondering if I was missing something.

 

[gomed]

hey guys. congrats on all your acceptances! i am applying this year...gwu is my first choice. here are some of my stats

BCPM 3.65
Other 3.9
Overal: 3.73

4 years research
2 months shadowing surgeon
4 years volunteer
AMAZING recs (teachers told me they wrote very high regards)
officer for two clubs
minority


with all that, i was wondering if A. some of you wouldn't mind telling me your MCAT scores (you could send it in a private message if you don't want to display it publicly on the forum =) ) and B. if some of you could tell me what range of MCAT scores you think I would need to stay in the competitve applicant pool. i really appreciate your help and hope to join you in september '08

 

[tacrum43]

hey guys. congrats on all your acceptances! i am applying this year...gwu is my first choice. here are some of my stats

BCPM 3.65
Other 3.9
Overal: 3.73

4 years research
2 months shadowing surgeon
4 years volunteer
AMAZING recs (teachers told me they wrote very high regards)
officer for two clubs
minority


with all that, i was wondering if A. some of you wouldn't mind telling me your MCAT scores (you could send it in a private message if you don't want to display it publicly on the forum =) ) and B. if some of you could tell me what range of MCAT scores you think I would need to stay in the competitve applicant pool. i really appreciate your help and hope to join you in september '08

Hey,

I think that the rest of your application looks excellent, and being a minority should help some too. Combined with other aspects of your application, I would say that if you have a 26+ MCAT then you should have a very good shot. Less than a 26/25 would probably hurt you considerably.

And letting them know that you're so interested can definitely help too. If you're put in the post-secondary hold pool, try writing a letter of interest telling them how interested you are and why.

Hope that helps!

 

[cdarnay]

I think admissions this year stated somewhere that they made just over 300 offers for a class of 187.

 

[gomed]

Tacrum,
Thank you so much I sincereley appreciate your advice. I got my MCAT result today and it was a 26Q. GWU has always been a top school for me, I was even about to go there for undergrad but it was too difficult to handle for me parents from a financial standpoint. Thanks so much though! I'm kind of bummed about my score because I think I could have done better, so I'm mentally ready to take a year off and try again. In the mean time, if GWU comes through I will be really greatful. Once again, thanks so much!

Does anyone else have any feedback?

Hey,

I think that the rest of your application looks excellent, and being a minority should help some too. Combined with other aspects of your application, I would say that if you have a 26+ MCAT then you should have a very good shot. Less than a 26/25 would probably hurt you considerably.

And letting them know that you're so interested can definitely help too. If you're put in the post-secondary hold pool, try writing a letter of interest telling them how interested you are and why.

Hope that helps!

 

[gomed]

One last question. Should I write a letter of interest now, or should I do it after a potential interview? Thanks!

Tacrum,
Thank you so much I sincereley appreciate your advice. I got my MCAT result today and it was a 26Q. GWU has always been a top school for me, I was even about to go there for undergrad but it was too difficult to handle for me parents from a financial standpoint. Thanks so much though! I'm kind of bummed about my score because I think I could have done better, so I'm mentally ready to take a year off and try again. In the mean time, if GWU comes through I will be really greatful. Once again, thanks so much!

Does anyone else have any feedback?

 

[tacrum43]

I think admissions this year stated somewhere that they made just over 300 offers for a class of 187.

Wow, that's really few admission offers to fill the class! Less than 2 per slot. I'm pretty sure they said around 400 offers were made my year.

But don't everybody go panicking. Perhaps the admissions committee was just better at picking out people who really wanted to come.

One last question. Should I write a letter of interest now, or should I do it after a potential interview? Thanks!

I would wait on the letter of interest until either you are put on hold post-secondary (hopefully that won't happen to you, but it's quite common) or until post-interview (if you get an interview straight away). That way, you'll have something to respond to. There is already an essay section on the secondary for "Why GW?", so you can list some of your top reasons for wanting to attend there. And then reiterate/expand on them later in the letter(s).

 

[gomed]

i got an interview! i was surprised i got the invitation pretty quickly once my mcat scores were released. anyone have any tips? do you remember any specific questions that were odd that one should prepare for? thanks for your help!

 

[tacrum43]

i got an interview! i was surprised i got the invitation pretty quickly once my mcat scores were released. anyone have any tips? do you remember any specific questions that were odd that one should prepare for? thanks for your help!

Hey, congrats!

The interviews at GW are pretty low stress. It's quite casual. That being said, do still wear a suit. The main question to prepare for is "Why GW?" If you have good reasons and can explain why you want to go here for medical school, I think that really goes a long way. A commitment to volunteering, service, etc. is a good thing to emphasize too, IMHO, if you've been involved with those kind of activities.

 

[gomed]

If they invite you for an interview, is it true the office pretty much has its mind made up about whether or not they want to accept you? Or do they give you a fair chance to sell yourself and then make their decision

 

[Brickhouse]

If they invite you for an interview, is it true the office pretty much has its mind made up about whether or not they want to accept you? Or do they give you a fair chance to sell yourself and then make their decision

the latter

 

[tacrum43]

Hi folks!
I just received an acceptance from GWU (I applied via EDP). I knew beforehand it was really the only school I wanted to attend and the interview did nothing more but reinforce my decision. I loved everything about the school and their philosphy! Hope to meet some of you next year!

Congrats!

 

[Brickhouse]

Hi folks!
I just received an acceptance from GWU (I applied via EDP). I knew beforehand it was really the only school I wanted to attend and the interview did nothing more but reinforce my decision. I loved everything about the school and their philosphy! Hope to meet some of you next year!

Congrats, prepare for the biggest adventure of your life!

 

[gomed]

Hey,

I think that the rest of your application looks excellent, and being a minority should help some too. Combined with other aspects of your application, I would say that if you have a 26+ MCAT then you should have a very good shot. Less than a 26/25 would probably hurt you considerably.

And letting them know that you're so interested can definitely help too. If you're put in the post-secondary hold pool, try writing a letter of interest telling them how interested you are and why.

Hope that helps!

Okay....so...i "had" an interview...turned out to be that it was a glitch, so i got a letter saying we apologize that was a glitch you are not invited for an interview as of yet...after getting over the depression of that, i received a letter saying im on "hold"...what do i do? this is my top choice school without a shadow of a doubt

 

[gomed]

do you know anyone who has gotten in after being put on hold?

 

[lisichka]

,

 

[tacrum43]

hey guys, i am just another premed applying this year. have few Qs about GW. would really appreciate your input

just curious, why is gw so secretive about their match list, does it mean the list is not very good? this is a big red flag.

does anyone have match list for GW? what is it like in comparison to vcu?

also how much time is alloted for step 1 preparation at GW?

thank you i know its a lot of Qs, but i would be happy if someone answers at least one

I'm not sure why GW is so secretive about their match list, but I have seen the complete list for 2007 and it looked pretty good to me. I don't know how it compares to VCU, however.

Here's a summary of 2007's match:
12 Anesthesia
2 Derm
10 Emergency Medicine
3 Family Practice
2 Family Practice/Sports Medicine
9 General Surgery
31 Internal Medicine
2 Meds-Peds
1 Neurosurgery
7 Ob-Gyn
4 Optho
6 Ortho
5 ENT
1 Path
14 Peds
1 Peds/Neuro
1 PMR
1 Plastic Surgery
1 Preventative Medicine
1 Primary Care
4 Psych
2 Radiology
1 Surgery/Radiology
3 Urology

As for Step 1, second years finish in early/mid May and third year starts in early July. You just have to take it before third year begins, and so you have up to 7 weeks to study. However, if you feel ready you can take it early and have some nice vacation time. Personally, I'm planning to study for about 6 weeks and then have a week of vacation to preserve my sanity.

 

[rds726]

I have an interview in a couple of weeks.
I know it's late, but I'm happy to get the invite after a long hold.

I was just wondering, Am I interviewing for a waitlist spot? The woman I talked to at the admissions office said that I would be interviewing for an actual seat, but I wanted to ask you guys if anyone in your class got straight up accepted from a late interview without being put on the waitlist.

Thanks!

 

[freddydpt]

I have an interview in a couple of weeks.
I know it's late, but I'm happy to get the invite after a long hold.

I was just wondering, Am I interviewing for a waitlist spot? The woman I talked to at the admissions office said that I would be interviewing for an actual seat, but I wanted to ask you guys if anyone in your class got straight up accepted from a late interview without being put on the waitlist.

Thanks!

Yeah, interviewing for a regular spot. I know people who were accepted from interviewing in March.