VCU Interview

And the interview blitz continues. Today I had the pleasure of interviewing at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in Richmond, VA. I got up at 5am after staying up late the previous night to finish the secondary application I had put off until way too late. The schedule:

5:00 AM : Rise and shine

7:30 AM : Introductory talk w/ Dr. Healy

8:00 AM : 1-on-1 interview w/ Dr. Masters

8:30 AM : 1-on-1 interview w/ Dr. Yeudall

9:00 AM : wrote an ethics essay

9:30 AM : Dr. Healy's tour of the Lyons building

12:30 PM : Lunch w/ D-4 students and tour of new Perkinson building

1:30 PM : The final VCU pitch talk w/ Dr. Healy

2:30 PM : DONE!

Let me start off by saying that I was very impressed by VCU today. Their faculty and students were very welcoming and enthusiastic. I felt very much welcome there. My interviews were much more casual and less stressful than other ones, which was a welcome change. Dr. Healy is a great guy. I have come to know him over the last 4 years through Pre-Dental Society here at UVA by taking multiple tours of the facility and visiting with him at his UVA visits. He is definitely there to help you, the applicant. He is genuinely concerned about finding compatible students and once you matriculate, he and the rest of the staff at VCU are utterly committed to you graduating and going onto the next step in your career. In fact, of the 35-50% of the class that looks to specialization or a residency, 95% of them get spots. This was a bit of a shock, as I had heard other opinions from certain people.

They are definitely a clinical-based school. Right now, this looks like what I want to do with dentistry, so that was encouraging. One of the most exciting things about today was finally getting to see the next Perkinson building that has just been put into use this year. It was stellar. Perhaps the best learning environment I have seen, up there with Maryland's facilities. Now, I had seen the old Lyons building many many times, so this new wing was a huge surprise for me. It has more modern decor, better lighting and less awkward organization. I have to talk with my PDS alumni friends who are now at VCU and ask them how they like the new digs there.

A couple of other notes : they are going paperless after Thanksgiving break this year, which is a huge relief to everybody. The SimLab is awesome, just like I have known. Its a great intro to mannequins in your first 4 months of dental school. They are very unique, as I have not seen them anywhere else.

I have to seriously consider my options this winter. Hopefully I will have multiple acceptances, but at the same time I am going to have to make some tough decisions. I have sooooo many people asking me "whos your number one school?" I don't know yet. It all depends on who likes me enough to accept me, the timing they use to do so and the thought process I will go through in determining which school is best for me. This is the most exciting time in my life and I am grateful to be sharing it with my friends, my girlfriend and my family. Thanks to all the people out there who are giving me all this support and encouragement!