Richmond, VA
Allopathic Medical Schools | Public Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2015-16
⭐ Overall Impressions
How did the interview impress you?
Positively 🙂
What was the stress level of the interview?
1 out of 10
0 = Low Stress, 10 = High Stress
How you think you did?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
9 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
9 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What are your general comments?
VCU SOM was a top choice for me since day one, so I came into the interview quite biased in favor. I had a very smooth interview and interview experience as a whole.
💬 Interview Process
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
"Did anyone discourage you from pursuing medicine?"
What was the most interesting question?
"What activities and honor societies were you involved in during high school?" (Yes, my interviewer asked me about my high school experience- including class rank and GPA- which surprised me. But I suppose he wanted to know more about my educational background)
How did you prepare for the interview?
Read over some ethics cases on the AMA Journal of Ethics, read over my primary and secondary applications briefly as a refresher, but other than that nothing too intensive.
What was the most difficult question?
"Who is the most influential person in history and why?" I'm not a huge history buff but I answered the question and was able to defend my (cliched) answer!
What impressed you positively?
I found interview day as a whole quite efficient. An appropriate amount of time was allotted for each activity which included the interview, financial aid presentation, lunch with med students, and tour.
What impressed you negatively?
Nothing stood out to me as negative during interview day.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
When I checked in before my interview, the secretary told me the name of my interviewer. Since I got there early, I had 20 minutes or so to do some quick research on my interviewer so that was fine for me. However, I am sure future interviewees would like to know further in advance who their interviewer will be- I know some schools even type up a biography for you to read. Not completely necessary, but definitely helps get you oriented.
🤝 Campus and Facilities
How do you rank the facilities?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this school's location?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
10 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
I personally had an smooth application experience with VCU SOM, although I know many other applicants had a horrible experience with them. I am thinking part of the reason may be due to some recurring IT issues they have been having. One suggestion I would have for the admissions office is to try and iron out these technical issues before the next cycle so save everyone the headache!
📍 Travel and Logistics
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Enthusiastic
What is your in-state status?
In 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
Where did you stay?
Friends or family
How would you rate the hotel?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
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