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Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center School of Medicine

Richmond, VA

Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit

⭐ Overall Impressions

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

1 out of 10

How you think you did?

8 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

9 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

10 out of 10
💬 Interview Questions

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

How do you pronounce your last name? What books would you suggest that I read? Tell me about your current internship. Your MCAT scores improved a lot, how did you do that? Why VCU? What do you do for fun? What is your favorite movie? Any idea of the field of medicine you want to enter? If you were the surgeon general, the top doctor in the US, what medical issue would you want to tackle? What are your thoughts on PAS? If a patient came to you with terminal cancer and was tired of all the trials and drugs, what would you say to the patient? How do you feel about malpractice insurance? We also talked about health policy, but that stemmed from the malpractice insurance question. Do you have any questions for me? (These are the questions that I can remember…Good luck!)

What was the most interesting question?

the ethical questions because I am a person who values both sides of the issue

What was the most difficult question?

Favorite movie
🤝 Interview Format and Logistics

How long was the interview?

50 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school
📍 On-Site Experience

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

Out of state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

2-3 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

10 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

7 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

No responses

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

No responses

How did you prepare for the interview?

Read the website, talked to students and staff at VCU, SDN, mock interviews, relaxed!

What impressed you positively?

I LOVED the school. The city is quite historic and, for me, it is the perfect place to study medicine. I was extremely impressed by the professionalism of my tour guides and by my interviewer (MS4). I really enjoyed Dr. H's presentation about the application process and found it comforting that the admissions committee truly wants to relieve applicants' anxieties. I was also impressed that the hospital houses a small library for patients to research common diseases.

What impressed you negatively?

The admissions committee is 4 weeks behind. With the holidays approaching, my interview group may or may not be reviewed before they send out the next batch of acceptances. I was also surprised how many out of state students were interviewed today (~7 of 10), especially since each class is comprised of only 30% out of state students.

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

I laughed when Dr. H admitted to checking SDN on occasion. She was surprised to find out that VCU has a reputation of asking ethical questions, since the interviewers never specifically reference the applicant's responses. Instead, the interviewer will say something like &quot;John Smith is a very insightful, well-spoken applicant.&quot;

What are your general comments?

I was hesitant about having a 4th year medical student interview me, but he was great! I think that I may have been a little too laid back, but the interviewer was really down to earth and put me at ease. The interview was extremely conversational, minus the 2 ethical questions (surgeon general, PAS) and 1 current medical issue (malpractice insurance) question. We even spent time talking about Grey's Anatomy and Harry Potter. Since my interviewer is currently applying for residency programs, we talked about that process for a few minutes as well. I was really excited to see that VCU is home to wonderful doctors. **As a side note, one of the applicants had an interviewer who asked several difficult questions, and followed up with an even more difficult question.

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses