West Virginia University, School of Medicine Admission
West Virginia University, School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
West Virginia University, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

West Virginia University is a rather large, public institution located in the town of Morgantown, West Virginia, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 20,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 400 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 22, and it is not entirely rare for any students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its emphasis on the biomedical sciences, as well as its terrific research facilities and programs. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers a joint MD/PhD degree in the areas of anatomy, biochemistry, medical technology, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, toxicology, as well as physiology.

Admission to West Virginia University's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 1,054 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 110 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 100 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 9.2 in Biology, 8.7 in Physics, and 8.9 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

The School of Medicine has about 610 faculty members, all of whom come from relatively diverse medical and academic backgrounds. The school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 1:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Graduates of the School of Medicine often go on to be accepted to some of the most prestigious and competitive residency programs in the nation, and most frequently specialize in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, as well as ob/gyn.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical training including 8 weeks each of medicine, surgery, behavioral medicine and psychiatry, ob/gyn, pediatrics, family medicine, and 1 month subinternships in internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, critical care, surgery, as well as a two month primary care rural experience.

What's Good

"I really appreciate the emphasis on patient care here. It puts a human face to all the dogma."

"If you are in state student the school is a real bang for your buck."

"The professors here are wonderful and very dedicated to their students and to the school."

What's Bad

"There can be some unpleasant competition between students."

"If you are out of state student, tuition can be quite high."

"There is never enough on campus graduate housing available, which can be annoying."

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