====Virginia Commonwealth Univ/ MCV Class of 2012====

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rams36 said:
What are other main ads/disads in INOVA vs. Richmond?
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Don't know too much about it, but INOVA seems nice as it is a more suburban atmosphere and little change of scenery from Richmond.
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I'm from an area directly south of NOVA, so I specifically requested not to go to INOVA. Richmond may have the same traffic problems as NOVA, but to my mind it has a lot more character and interesting places and people. Just my two cents, native NOVAns please don't flame me.
 
Fiddlergirl said:
I'm from an area directly south of NOVA, so I specifically requested not to go to INOVA. Richmond may have the same traffic problems as NOVA, but to my mind it has a lot more character and interesting places and people. Just my two cents, native NOVAns please don't flame me.
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I'm a native NOVAn and I couldn't agree more.
 
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Shejeboshease said:
i can't decide if i should commit my 3rd and 4th year at inova fairfax..it should be an easy decision for me since my parents live about 10-15 min of driving distance from inova fairfax hospital which means i won't have to pay rent for the last 2 years. then again i don't want to miss out on richmond, and everything mcv has to offer, and all the people that i will meet in richmond during my first 2 years.
is this a crazy thought?
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i'm in exactly the same boat. anyone else know much about the INOVA program vs. staying at MCV?
 
Has anyone received their financial aid package from MCV yet? I was sent a postcard saying that I still need one more thing for my immunization records, so I'm hoping I'll get my package after I send all that. But has anyone already received their aid package?
 
I'm a current M2 going up to INOVA next yr.
I have family in the northern va area and a lot friends from undergrad in the area so for me its mostly about the social support I have up there. However, there are others in my class who are going to inova even though they dont have any connections there. Its very close to DC, and its a very different patient population that we'll be seeing (less indigent, more immigrants/international). Its also a change of pace from Richmond. In previous years a lot of people who sign up for the inova program have ended up electing to stay in Richmond because of the friends/social support they had already formed here... In my class though, our waiting list still had people who wanted to go to inova, but werent able to...so I guess its increasing in popularity. I'm lucky in that a lot of my good friends from the class are coming up too, so I dont regret my choice at all.
As far as the quality of education, or the overall experience, its very hard to compare. In terms of third/fourth year grades and match results they're pretty much the same as Richmond. Obviously people who did the inova program didnt get the mcv experience and vice versa so no one can truly compare them. From what I hear, at INOVA you get more personal attention with attendings, vs MCV where you're rotating in bigger groups and have to work harder to be noticed by attendings (who ultimately will be writing your letters of rec for residency).
You'll hear plenty more from both sides of the fence once you start here, and the list changes a lot, so I wouldnt worry too much about it yet.
 
lilmissangel said:
I'm a current M2 going up to INOVA next yr.
I have family in the northern va area and a lot friends from undergrad in the area so for me its mostly about the social support I have up there. However, there are others in my class who are going to inova even though they dont have any connections there. Its very close to DC, and its a very different patient population that we'll be seeing (less indigent, more immigrants/international). Its also a change of pace from Richmond. In previous years a lot of people who sign up for the inova program have ended up electing to stay in Richmond because of the friends/social support they had already formed here... In my class though, our waiting list still had people who wanted to go to inova, but werent able to...so I guess its increasing in popularity. I'm lucky in that a lot of my good friends from the class are coming up too, so I dont regret my choice at all.
As far as the quality of education, or the overall experience, its very hard to compare. In terms of third/fourth year grades and match results they're pretty much the same as Richmond. Obviously people who did the inova program didnt get the mcv experience and vice versa so no one can truly compare them. From what I hear, at INOVA you get more personal attention with attendings, vs MCV where you're rotating in bigger groups and have to work harder to be noticed by attendings (who ultimately will be writing your letters of rec for residency).
You'll hear plenty more from both sides of the fence once you start here, and the list changes a lot, so I wouldnt worry too much about it yet.
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thanks for your post.
i don't know why they are asking us to pick either richmond or inova NOW? we haven't even been there yet...how are we supposed to know what we're gonna like two years down the road! i really hope they are gonna give us another chance to pick a location right before the end of second year.
 
Just a heads up, Dr. Palmer told me they got their financial aid figures yesterday and can send you the numbers via email.
 
pseudoknot said:
Here's what they sent out. Only a 1% tuition hike this year.
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a few questions about the budget:

1. Books and supplies $3,285
I thought we'll be studying notes and power point slides which will be given out in class. do we really need to buy over $3,000 worth of books just for the first year?

2. Stethoscope $150
Diagnostic kit (inc. opthal & otoscopes) $500
Penlight, reflex hammer, tuning fork $35

We don't really need any of these until the 2nd or 3rd year, right?

3. Room & Board $13,400
Does this include meal plan as well or just the dorm fees for the first year students? can someone stay in vcu dorms during the summer too? if you break it down, what would be the rent per month for staying in vcu dorms?

thanks a lot guys.
 
Shejeboshease said:
1. Books and supplies $3,285
I thought we'll be studying notes and power point slides which will be given out in class. do we really need to buy over $3,000 worth of books just for the first year?
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The budget includes all books that are listed as "required." You do not actually need to buy all of them (although you do need some), but financial aid includes the money in your budget nonetheless.

Shejeboshease said:
2. Stethoscope $150
Diagnostic kit (inc. opthal & otoscopes) $500
Penlight, reflex hammer, tuning fork $35

We don't really need any of these until the 2nd or 3rd year, right?
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You will need a stethoscope for FCM during M1 and M2, but you can borrow one from the FCM office for your first year. I would do that and then buy one later on during M1. You will need your own by M2. You probably won't need the other stuff til third year, but it depends on your preceptor assignment.

Shejeboshease said:
3. Room & Board $13,400
Does this include meal plan as well or just the dorm fees for the first year students? can someone stay in vcu dorms during the summer too? if you break it down, what would be the rent per month for staying in vcu dorms?
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This is what they are allowing for your housing and food expenses, regardless of where you choose to live. I don't know anything about the dorms but I'm sure your questions can be answered by the housing office or their web site.
 
does anyone know when orientation is? I haven't gotten anything in the mail.
 
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caliboy, have you been getting the emails from Agnes Mack? Maybe check your spam filters...the orientation schedule is on the orientation website (hour-by-hour breakdowns).
 
Hey! Has anyone gotten the package yet for financial aid?
 
Nope, I haven't recieved anything from Mrs. Mack. I did find the orientation information on the website thanks!

Is there an online listing of apartments that the school provides? The application status page just shows people who are looking for apartments but no apartments or pics listed. If anybody has any ideas it'd be appreciated, and I;ll also look at craigslist.
 
boundthapn said:
Hey! Has anyone gotten the package yet for financial aid?
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Nope, not yet either. I had one more thing to turn in with my immunizations and I completed that last week. I'm going to call the school on Thursday and make sure I turned everything I need to in order for them to send me my financial aid package.

I'm also looking for a list of nearby apartments. Does anyone know if the med. school provides that sort of information? Can anyone tell me where I can possibly get that information? I am planning on coming to Richmond this week or next week to start apartment hunting and I wanted a list of places to check out so I can be more prepared. Any help and/or advice on this topic is greatly appreciated.
 
Elixir86 said:
Nope, not yet either. I had one more thing to turn in with my immunizations and I completed that last week. I'm going to call the school on Thursday and make sure I turned everything I need to in order for them to send me my financial aid package.

I'm also looking for a list of nearby apartments. Does anyone know if the med. school provides that sort of information? Can anyone tell me where I can possibly get that information? I am planning on coming to Richmond this week or next week to start apartment hunting and I wanted a list of places to check out so I can be more prepared. Any help and/or advice on this topic is greatly appreciated.
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Whatever you do, do NOT solicit apartment advice from the university. I heard they were suggesting places like Jackson Ward and Carver to potential students due to their "affordability."

It's great you are coming to Richmond to apartment hunt. This will allow you to judge the neighborhoods you are in. Look back at the advice given in this thread about where the best places to live are. Just driving through the Fan yesterday I saw many apartments for rent.
 
Has anyone gotten anything yet?????????????
 
Hey boundthapn, thanks for the congrats on the other thread! I've been too busy with neuro to keep up with SDN. No financial package yet? When's it usually come?
 
I called finaid this week and they said packages would go out middle of June -they were held up by the late budget release (which is really a good thing, since that was late b/c they were working to make the increase small). That doesn't give us much time to shop around for loans, though....

I don't think I'm going to have a place to live by orientation : ) and I'm IS. So don't feel bad if you don't have a place yet!
 
what's the problem with finding a place?
 
I guess its about time to start making arrangements for next year...anyone out there looking for a roommate?
 
UCLAlifer said:
I guess its about time to start making arrangements for next year...anyone out there looking for a roommate?
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hey guys,
i'm looking for housing on east broad street, east grace street, east franklin street, east main street, or east cary street. this way i can keep my car by my house while i walk to class everyday. if anybody is interested in living around any of these streets, please let me know. i'm hoping a share an apartment with 2 or 3 other people.
here is a link to the area: http://maps.google.com/
 
This question is directed towards current MCV students or anyone who already has experience with loans. My question is what happens after we get our financial aid statement from MCV? Actually, what is MCV giving us in the first place? A statement of how much money we can receive or should receive? After that, do we apply through MCV for loans or are we supposed to take that amount and go to a bank or loan agency and get our money from some other third party?

I like to stay a little ahead of what's next and just wanted to prepare myself (and my schedule) for what I need to do once MCV sends out this "financial aid package." If anyone has any information on the process after we receive this "package" (whatever it is), please reply. Thank you!
 
Elixir86 said:
This question is directed towards current MCV students or anyone who already has experience with loans. My question is what happens after we get our financial aid statement from MCV? Actually, what is MCV giving us in the first place? A statement of how much money we can receive or should receive? After that, do we apply through MCV for loans or are we supposed to take that amount and go to a bank or loan agency and get our money from some other third party?

I like to stay a little ahead of what's next and just wanted to prepare myself (and my schedule) for what I need to do once MCV sends out this "financial aid package." If anyone has any information on the process after we receive this "package" (whatever it is), please reply. Thank you!
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The budget (which defines how much you can get in total) is not specific to each person and has been posted previously in this thread, I think.

After you get your statement, you can get up to ~$8500 in subsidized stafford loans and another ~38000 in unsubsidized (those numbers are from vague memory and could be wildly off). This will probably not cover your full need. The rest of the money can be borrowed via Grad Plus loans, which are another type of government loan but has a higher interest rate (6.9%??) than the Stafford loans. Grad Plus is still probably a better deal than private lenders though, and is very convenient. All of this is pretty easy to set up. You'll have to fill out various forms available from financial aid (and last year they weren't great about explaining what you needed and where to get it, so I recommend going over the web site with an eye for detail). You don't have to go hunting for banks or anything like that.

I hope that's helpful. Someone should write a little guide to MCV financial aid, but it's not going to be me...
 
pseudoknot said:
The budget (which defines how much you can get in total) is not specific to each person and has been posted previously in this thread, I think.

After you get your statement, you can get up to ~$8500 in subsidized stafford loans and another ~38000 in unsubsidized (those numbers are from vague memory and could be wildly off). This will probably not cover your full need. The rest of the money can be borrowed via Grad Plus loans, which are another type of government loan but has a higher interest rate (6.9%??) than the Stafford loans. Grad Plus is still probably a better deal than private lenders though, and is very convenient. All of this is pretty easy to set up. You'll have to fill out various forms available from financial aid (and last year they weren't great about explaining what you needed and where to get it, so I recommend going over the web site with an eye for detail). You don't have to go hunting for banks or anything like that.

I hope that's helpful. Someone should write a little guide to MCV financial aid, but it's not going to be me...
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Thanks for your help! I still have a question about the Stafford loan. Does MCV supply all the paperwork, etc for this type of loan, or do we go to a third party to get it set up? I'm planning to attend that Financial Aid Workshop in June, so hopefully that will clear up any further questions I have, but I do appreciate all your help in this matter.
 
The med school pretty much does everything for you. There are a couple of forms that you will be asked to sign at the beginning of the year (designating exactly how much money you would like to receive). And then I believe that if you need more than the two stafford loans provide, they will assist you in getting a grad plus loan.
 
Hello all! I don't know if you use this forum for housing stuff, so please forgive me if this in inappropriate! My name is Amanda and I am a rising third year. To make a long story short..my fiance is working in DC for the next year and we have rented out our house and leased an apartment in the west end for me. I didn't think about having a roommate, but hey, why not? It's a good sized dual-master two bedroom in a great part of town - you would have your own bathroom and walk-in closet and the bedroom itself is pretty big. The best part is...I would only ask $425 all inclusive which is way less than half the rent. Oh yeah...you would also have to like cats and not be allergic to them! And, if you are amenable to this idea, I will trade free January rent/utilities in exchange for taking care of the cats while I am in Riverside that month.Call me at (858) 232-3093 if interested. Serious inquiries only please..I'm studying for boards right now or at least trying to.
 
For those of you who drive to class everyday, where do you park and how much do you pay for on-campus parking pass per semester?

i'm trying to decide if i should walk to class and keep the car at where i live or live a little far from campus and drive to class everyday.
 
Most people who go to class regularly will want to park in VCU's A or I lot. Its a bit of a walk to class but then again exercise is good and it costs about ~160 per semester. They go on sale the sometime around orientation so look out for them before they disappear (which they did by the first week of class last year) For those who go less regularly and like to carry quarters and dollar bills there are several lots with the honor box system that cost $2-5 per day nearby the A and I lots. For late night anatomy studying in November street parking close to campus is free after 5pm. When i parked in A lot I can get from my door in the fan to class in about 15-25 minutes depending on lights, construction and how fast you walk up the hill from A lot.
http://http//www.ridefinders.com/FrontEnd/HTML/WSI/images/downtown commuter guide update.pdf
I used the bus twice and found it annoying but then again I've never really been a bus person.

Virginia is hot and humid June to September, Cold and windy December through April but nice the rest of the time. Walking from home if its more then 10 minutes doesn't seem like a good idea to me knowing Virginia weather. Walking from A lot is 5 minutes.

I think some people use bikes or motor scooter things but that will probably just get you made fun of. JK ... but not really.
 
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The post above mine did a great job of deconstructing the time breakdown of going from home to class, but I am considering living along East Franklin where the Campus Connector stops. From what I've heard, this is a convenient method of transportation (and free) to and from the school. However, I wanted some opinions from current students who use it.

In particular, I wanted to know how long it took from the stop in East Franklin (Park Plaza, Trolley Square, Berskhire) to the school. Also, is the bus usually on time? Is it safe, particularly at night since I saw on the GRTC website that the bus continues until 2 AM? Is it a convenient method of transportation to and from the Anatomy Lab at night (I don't want to stink up my car)? Any more information and opinions are also greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
The connector will take 5-10 minutes from Trolley Square depending on the time of day. It is one of the safer routes as it is primarily used by students and not crack-heads.

I personally wouldn't buy a VCU parking pass but some people do. I found it to be a waste of money but then again I wasn't in class every day and I also rode a bike and scooter when the weather was nice.
 
gstrub said:
The connector will take 5-10 minutes from Trolley Square depending on the time of day. It is one of the safer routes as it is primarily used by students and not crack-heads.

I personally wouldn't buy a VCU parking pass but some people do. I found it to be a waste of money but then again I wasn't in class every day and I also rode a bike and scooter when the weather was nice.
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hi, i found a couple of 2bd, 2bath apts within a mile from mcv campus. if any of you are looking for a room mate, let me know.
p.s. i'm a 24 year old male...i'll be M1 this fall.
 
Still shopping for a sofa to crash once/twice a week, especially the night before an exam or when the weather sucks, if anyone is looking for a part-time roommate. As above, will trade yummy food and would be willing to pay too. Allergic to cats, but if they aren't where I sleep it's fine. Could probably supply some furniture/household goods, especially kitchen stuff. I just don't want to sign a lease for a place I'll be in so little.

[email protected]
 
Inova vs. Richmond:

VCU is an academic hospital, with lots of research and teaching faculty. INOVA does do some research, and has several residencies (you can see that on their website if you look under employment, I think) but it's generally a community hospital.

In my experience, INOVA has a very diverse population, but more in the UN sort of way than in the indigent/poverty sort of way. I have met very interesting, well travelled patients and staff at INOVA. You also will work with students and residents from Georgetown and GWU. The labor and delivery service has a very high volume of hispanic patients. The new wing they put together for education is gorgeous and large. The campus is large, compared w/ Georgetown or GWU, but I don't think it's nearly as large as MCV.

Things I really liked: community hospital, getting preceptors to yourself at times, one student lounge w/ a cool pod coffeemaker, fridge, and microwave for the 50 students, and the fact that I don't have to relocate my kid to be at INOVA.

As an outsider who wasn't raised here, I think the DC suburbs are awesome. The only place I've been with better food is Seattle, and the food is pretty cheap. People are a little buttoned-down here, so I don't think it's a great community if you're hard-core or a clubber. For boring grown ups with kids, it totally rocks, because there are way more places to go and things to do than you will ever have time to do, with or without your kids.

I think if you wanted research or academic medicine, INOVA would be a bad choice. If you have NO interest in networking w/ DC area docs, then I don't know why I'd bother to come here. The cost of living makes it really hard to be here as a student without support here. If you have a working spouse, it's possible that the offset in income would help balance the difference, especially now that the housing bubble has burst.

Traffic here sucks WAY more. Hands down.
 
meister said:
Yup, I sure am! I'm so damn excited, I can't wait for school to start.

This year's been pretty crazy for me: my fiancee had a baby in December, we're getting married in May, moving across the country in July, and starting med school in August. Crazy!

I just hope I find a decent place to live.
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As creepy as your avatar pic may be, that's seriously one of the greatest albums of all time. :thumbup:
 
Anyone headed to the Financial Aid thing on Friday?
 
Wish I could go but I'll be stuck in sunny California until a couple weeks before classes start. :(

By the way, in the financial aid package it sort of implies the graduate PLUS loan goes through your parent(s). Is this true? Please don't let it be.

Smctbone said:
As creepy as your avatar pic may be, that's seriously one of the greatest albums of all time. :thumbup:
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Thank you, it certainly is.
 
meister said:
By the way, in the financial aid package it sort of implies the graduate PLUS loan goes through your parent(s). Is this true? Please don't let it be.
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No, the grad plus loans have nothing to do with your parents (although there is or was an undergrad loan program for parents with a similar name). You apply for the loan and it is disbursed to you through the school.
 
hey, i was recently accepted and think i've settled on coming to vcu! have all you guys figured out where your living? any suggestions on good locations and are people living alone or finding roomates? sorry for the question overload.
 
Hello everyone! I'm going to be an M1 and I'm looking for 1-2 roommates in a 3BR house I recently signed a lease on. Its off N 18th St. in the Shockoe Bottom area, just under a half mile to school. Rent is 1325 a month, split 3 ways it will probably be ~500 including utilities?. Included is off street-parking, trash pickup, and water/sewage. 2 full bathrooms, nice kitchen, AC, washer and dryer. If you want to see some pictures, let me know. Shoot me an email ([email protected]) or a message if you're interested and want to know more!

-Ted
 
Does anyone have any advice on using the university health insurance versus alternate insurance? I've just started looking into it and the school plan is not as cheap as some comparable ones I've found.
Thanks!
 
BringBackBenton said:
Does anyone have any advice on using the university health insurance versus alternate insurance? I've just started looking into it and the school plan is not as cheap as some comparable ones I've found.
Thanks!
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If you are young and male then you are likely to be able to find better deals than GM Southwest. With the required maternity coverage this is less likely for women.
 
Seriously, this is like the 5th time someone asked a question here that has been answered in this thread, articulately.

But just in case, one more time:
Don't buy the VCU health insurance. It is not only expensive, but there is no max out of pocket expense, meaning you could get stiffed with a $50,000+ bill if you are in an accident, etc.
 
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