Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine announces charter class

BLACKSBURG, Va., June 9, 2010 – Forty-two students will comprise the charter class of the new Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

The announcement was made by Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson, founding dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

"The caliber of candidates selected is exceptional," said Johnson. "They were selected based on their competitive portfolios including high academic credentials, their personal and professional experiences, and their strong potential to become physician thought leaders. We will welcome an outstanding class in early August."

As is the practice at all medical schools, the composition of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine incoming class will not be finalized until classes start Monday, Aug. 2. Students may select another school right up until the day they matriculate.

As of today, the school of medicine's charter class has the following characteristics:

• Offers for all 42 class seats have been extended and all class seats are filled
• More than 50 applicants remain on the waitlist
• Medical College Admissions Test (commonly known as MCAT) scores for accepted students range from 30 to 42
• 70 percent of the charter class have some research experience; another 18 percent have exceptional research experience defined by original research or publication
• Undergraduate institutions represented in the class include Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, Washington and Lee University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wake Forest University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, University of Michigan, and Harvard University

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in June 2009, allowing the school to begin the student recruitment process. More than 1,650 aspiring physicians applied and 220 were interviewed utilizing a unique technique developed at McMaster University called the Multiple-Mini Interview. Roanoke community leaders were instrumental in conducting the interviews which were held over six interview weekends.

New student orientation begins Monday, Aug. 2.

• Mark Owczarski
• Assistant Vice President for News and Information
• 540-231-5223
• maowczar@vt.edu