Application Phase Site Assignment Events and Timeline
Thank you for visiting this page. Please read on for key events, information, timelines, and FAQs related to the site assignment process for current MS1 students who will enter Application Phase in the spring of 2024. If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, please reach out to Mary Hauser (mary_hauser@med.unc.edu) and Valerie Glassman (valerie_glassman@med.unc.edu).
UNC School of Medicine: One School, Six Application Phase Sites
UNC School of Medicine is made up of six sites: Asheville, Central Cross-Regional, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington where students engage in clinical learning across Application and Individualization Phases (3rd and 4th years). Capacity at each of the six sites is maximized to ensure that students get the clinical experiences they need to progress in their training.
Capacity for Application Phase 2024-25 is as follows:
- Asheville—35 students
- Central Cross Regional—80 students
- Charlotte—9 students
- Greensboro—12 students
- Raleigh—27 students
- Wilmington—27 students
Site Representatives Visit Class Meetings
Representatives from the sites will visit MS1 Class Meetings throughout Fall 2022 to share information about their campuses with students. Visits will take place on the following dates:
- September 28—Charlotte
- October 19—Raleigh and Central Cross-Regional
- November 9—Asheville, Greensboro, and Wilmington
Site representatives will be available to meet with students to answer individual questions for the half hour before and after the Class Meeting (12:00 – 12:30 PM and 1:30 – 2:00 PM). This is a good opportunity to ask about things like housing , research options, etc. at particular sites. Please drop by the second floor lobby of MBRB to meet with site representatives.
Open Houses
Each site will hold an Open House in the fall/winter of 2022-23 to give students a chance to visit campuses in person and learn more about the unique aspects of Application Phase experiences in different locations. Open House dates are all scheduled during curriculum-free times:
- Raleigh—October 21 (half day)
- Central Cross-Regional—November 14 (lunch hour)
- Wilmington—December 2 (full day)
- Asheville—December 9 (full day)
- Greensboro—January 20 (half day)
- Charlotte—January 27 (full day)
The Offices of Medical Student Education have arranged for a bus to take students to the Wilmington, Asheville, and Charlotte Open Houses (56 seats available). Please stay tuned in class meetings for more information about how to sign up for Open Houses and bus seats. Students are not required to ride the bus—you are welcome to drive yourself, but please sign up for the Open House either way. There will be a large number of “slots” available for Open Houses (~80 per campus).
Student Government Campus Representatives
Another great way to learn more about each site is to talk with the Student Government Curriculum Representative. This year’s representatives for each site are:
- Asheville: Sarah Holdren
- Greensboro: Jessica Blanks
- Raleigh: Arvind Sivashanmugam
- Charlotte: Deveney Franklin
- Wilmington: Maria del Mar Melendez
Campus Assignment Process Details
Survey
In mid-February, you will receive a Qualtrics survey designed to collect your preferences for the assignment process. Below, you will find a step-by-step description of the survey. Please note that students applying to the assignment process as a pod (see below) need only submit one survey.
After submitting your name, the survey will ask you the following questions:
- Are you a member of one of the School of Medicine’s special programs?
- MD/PhD
- FIRST
- Kenan Scholars
- Do you have an exemption that requires you to be a certain campus? Exemptions include:
- Primary and substantive responsibilities for the care of another person who is unable to live independently (brief description of caregiving responsibilities required)
- A health matter that requires frequent in-person health care at an established provider (attestation from provider required at the time of form completion)
Next, you will be asked if you would like to enter the lottery as a “pod.” A pod is a group of up to three students who apply to the lottery as a single unit. The purpose of pods is to offer students the opportunity to maintain community formed during the Foundation Phase (e.g., friends, roommates, academic support systems). If you wish to “pod,” you will submit the names of your group members and an attestation that you all agree to your campus rank list. Please note that a pod submits a single preference list and receives a single lottery number through the random number generator. Students in special programs (FIRST, etc.) and those who have exemptions may not participate in a pod.
You will then be asked how you rank the six sites. Each student/pod will rank the six sites (Asheville, Central Cross-Regional, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington) in order of preference.
Lottery
Students in the aforementioned special programs and students with approved exemptions will be assigned to campuses. Remaining students/pods will then be assigned a lottery number through a random number generator. Sites will be filled starting with the lowest lottery number (lottery number 1) with the students’/pods’ first choices until those are full. We will then move to second choices and so forth. Site assignments will be announced via email in the first week of April. Students with immediate concerns should first contact their advisors and then Dr. Glassman (Valerie_Glassman@med.unc.edu) and Dr. Alice Chuang (Alice_Chuang@med.unc.edu).
Appeals
Life happens! If your circumstances change and you need to appeal your assignment, you may do so during the Neurology block of your MS2 year (September 2023). Students who have had a change in their medical needs or other change in life circumstances that requires them to reconsider site assignment may submit an appeal to the Student Support Committee via Dr. Glassman (Valerie_Glassman@med.unc.edu). Appeals may be made on the grounds of: 1) A change in health status that requires an individual to be placed at a particular location to maintain care with a provider (attestation required) 2) A change in personal circumstances that would make it significantly preferable for a student’s well-being to be placed at a particular site (e.g., illness of a loved one).
Campus Assignment Process Timeline
- February 15—Site Assignment Form opens
- February 22—Site Assignment Form closes
- Week of April 1—Site assignments shared via email
- September 2023—Fall Appeals Period (students may submit an appeal regarding their site assignment)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “Central Cross-Regional” mean? If I am assigned to the Central Cross-Regional site, how far will I have to drive to my placements?Student preferences vary from year to year, and therefore previous lotteries may not provide accurate insight into the current year’s. However, when the Class of 2025 completed the lottery in Spring 2022, of 186 students who completed the form, only 8 students – less than 5% of the class – were assigned their fourth or fifth choice for campus assignment. No student was assigned their sixth choice.
When considering a branch campus, keep in mind changes to rent or other housing costs, the cost of moving and the cost of returning to Chapel Hill. If you complete Application Phase at a branch site, you will have the option of staying there for Individualization Phase, thus eliminating the cost of a second move. There are additional considerations at each site. Contact the Financial Aid office for more information and/or reach out to branch campus directors for more site-specific information.
Financial Aid: Sheila_graham@med.unc.edu
Site Directors:
- Asheville—Jessica Poston (Jessica.Poston@mahec.net)
- Charlotte—Celeste Colcord (CColcord@novanthealth.org)
- Greensboro—Wanda Price (wanda.price@conehealth.org)
- Wilmington—Meredith Hughes (Meredith.hughes@seahec.net)
- Asheville—Jessica Poston (Jessica.Poston@mahec.net)
- Charlotte—Celeste Colcord (CColcord@novanthealth.org)
- Greensboro—Tonya Baldwin (tonya.baldwin@conehealth.org)
- Wilmington—Meredith Hughes (Meredith.hughes@seahec.net)