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 my application essay, read some DO articles off the internet, read SDN.
What impressed you positively?
The facilities are top-notch, better than any other school I visited, DO or MD. Anatomy lab, OMM rooms, and study rooms are sweet. The association with VT gives students at VCOM a huge amount of extracurricular activites, assuming you have time to use them. Low cost of living, investment opportuinties if you buy a house/townhouse, nice scenery, decent restaurant & bar scene. The VT undergrads and the other graduate school students I met the night before the interview were very friendly and seemed to enjoy their school.
What impressed you negatively?
Two days notice between invitation and interview. The redneck element at the school, lack of diversity in the students, cultural dependence on VT football and Nascar, more religous undercurrents than I would prefer in conversations with faculty. I was looking for a Charleston, SC vibe, what I got was more Jackson, MS. Quite honestly, some of the other interviewees came across as beer swilling country bumpkins. The fact that VT is a huge party school despite what they might try to tell you(great for undergrad, not so for Medical School). See below, big time negative!
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
That ALL the spaces in the 2006 class were already filled and people who interviewed around the time I did and subsequent to my visit were at best vying for wait list spots. Additionally, that last year they hardly used their wait list but that they would offer a very select few waitlisted persons early admission for 2007. NO advance notice of this, highly unprofessional IMO and primary reason for my negative rating.
What are your general comments?
The Edward Via building gives a great first impression, modern, clean, organized, bright and full of activity. Good presentation on the school direction, philosophy and financial aid. Overall the school has a helpful, enthusiastic administration staff, especially the finacial aid woman. My first interview was terrible, the Dr. I met did not give me anything to work with and basically just sat back and said "talk". Impossible to connect with this first Doctor, we are from different worlds and he was unwilling or unable to bridge the gap despite my efforts. Second interview went great, very personable and conversationally adept professor, enjoyed this one the most. 3rd interview was rough, questions were of that terrible generic variety, felt like this Dr. was just going through the motions. The students I met were happy to be there, didnt have any concerns over the as of yet accreditation. Those we met all had some tie to VT undergraduate. They did mention that if you were planning on taking the M.D. boards in order to be more competitive for residency that the first class didnt do too well on them. The feeling I got overall was that you are pretty much chosen before you get to the school and that as long as you fit their preferred profile(southerner, country lovin', VT undergrad) that you will get in. I being from a major metropolitan area and doing my undergraduate work outside of VT felt at a great disadvantage. The interviewers made me feel like they didnt believe there was any way I would be happy doing clinicals in tiny rural towns. They also incorrectly refused to believe I ever intended to end up practicing somewhere near Blacksburg or in rural Virginia which is their big objective. Sadly, I really wanted to like VCOM and be a student there since I'm instate and enjoy the Shenandoah/New River Valleys' natural beauty and outdoor activities. I made the best effort to make it happen but I dont think this school was a fit. Had there been open spots for the 2006 class when I interviewed, even with my poor interview performance and personality differences, I would have given a glowing, positive review of the school. The fact that they bring people in without divulging they have little to no chance of getting in this year is bullshit, and this review would be longer and twice as vehement had I needed to fly in and drop a chunk of money to get there.
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
No responses
