2012-2013 Vanderbilt University Application Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
gettheleadout

gettheleadout

MD
Moderator Emeritus
Verified Member
10+ Year Member
Verified Expert
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
11,808
Reaction score
2,807
Please complete the following three essays.

Autobiography: Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 word limit)

Contribution: The learning environment of the medical school is enhanced by the inclusion of students with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences prior to medical school. What in your background or your experiences will uniquely contribute to this learning environment? (500 word limit)

Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation that you faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 word limit)

Good luck to everyone applying! :luck:
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Wait-listed by Vandy, no acceptances, and now I'm peeking into this thread....

Untitled-1.jpg
 
Members don't see this ad :)
You know, I was really leaning towards Vanderbilt until I saw one of those St. George's advertisements...





Kidding.


Happy to answer any questions that I can about applying to Vanderbilt. It really stood out to me as one of my favorites when interviewing and after second look I knew Vandy was the one. :love:


I will leave you with this image of the children's hospital, part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Hospitals-31.jpg
 
Here is a picture of the other side of the medical center.

22.jpg


The glassy building on the right is Eskind Biomedical Library, and one of the wings of the main hospital is on the left. The medical school is in that little cove straight in the middle of the picture in Light Hall.

Edit: If you take the Grayline Shuttle Bus from the Nashville airport for your interview (highly recommended), this is right where it drops you off--"Medical Center North."
 
Nymphicus said:
You know, I was really leaning towards Vanderbilt until I saw one of those St. George's advertisements...





Kidding.


Happy to answer any questions that I can about applying to Vanderbilt. It really stood out to me as one of my favorites when interviewing and after second look I knew Vandy was the one. :love:


I will leave you with this image of the children's hospital, part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Hospitals-31.jpg
Click to expand...

:wow:
 
I'm on their waitlist as well. Vandy definitely impressed me in so many ways. It was my favorite the entire cycle...until they WL'd me...

When you are invited to interview, make sure to tour the undergrad campus in your downtime. If it's September/October, be prepared for a stunning sight of colorful trees that will blow your socks off and might even have you suspect that you accidentally took some sort of hallucinogen.
 
LoL @ midevilrabbi (post & nickname)!

EDIT: I sent that from mobile, where I couldn't see that you're a c/o 2016 matriculant. I thought that post was a joke...now I'm "cornfused."
 
Last edited:
I was just letting the next group of applicants get a feel for what they can expect. I know it is different for each individual, but I figure anything thing can help.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Oh, ok. I thought it was a foreshadowing joke at first. Yeah, for those of you that don't know, all pre-screens are based purely on stats. Vandy sorts into cut-off piles and doesn't read your LORs until after your interview. So many very good people are cut out prematurely here. It's a shame. But it's still an amazing school.

I'm happy to answer any research, MD/MPH, or MD/PhD questions. I've been doing research here for over 6 years, the last 2 with an MD/PhD student mentor and 4 years with 2 different MD/MPH faculty mentors. I'm also friends with several med students on the adcom if you'd like any advice. I've been here so long that I know the school and its inside policies better than I'd like to admit. LoL

Good luck to all. Depending on my WL status and if I retake the MCAT, I might reapply right alongside you gals/guys.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Oh, ok. I thought it was a foreshadowing joke at first. Yeah, for those of you that don't know, all pre-screens are based purely on stats. Vandy sorts into cut-off piles and doesn't read your LORs until after your interview. So many very good people are cut out prematurely here. It's a shame. But it's still an amazing school.

I'm happy to answer any research, MD/MPH, or MD/PhD questions. I've been doing research here for over 6 years, the last 2 with an MD/PhD student mentor and 4 years with 2 different MD/MPH faculty mentors. I'm also friends with several med students on the adcom if you'd like any advice. I've been here so long that I know the school and its inside policies better than I'd like to admit. LoL

Good luck to all. Depending on my WL status and if I retake the MCAT, I might reapply right alongside you gals/guys.
Click to expand...

Do you, or any of your adcom friends, happen to know what the GPA/MCAT (total and subscore) cutoffs are? Thanks, bud!
 
Just PM me with your questions, even if you just want a piece of the PM above. I don't check this one daily; and it's easier to just reply to your PM than draft one for each of you that posts a question in the forum. But I'm happy to help. :)
 
Would do unrespectable things to get accepted here.
 
i was perusing the VU website today and it says that they are going to a more traditional secondary first, then interview process like most other schools (not secondary/interview at the same time) but elsewhere it still says the old way. Can anyone confirm this? I would actually prefer the new way as some of my numbers would probably get me prescreened for combined secondary/interview.

https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/admissions-timeline
 
i was perusing the VU website today and it says that they are going to a more traditional secondary first, then interview process like most other schools (not secondary/interview at the same time) but elsewhere it still says the old way. Can anyone confirm this? I would actually prefer the new way as some of my numbers would probably get me prescreened for combined secondary/interview.
Click to expand...

Wow... well that sucks. One of the reason I applied to this school was the screened secondary and instant interview invite upon secondary completion. They can claim that they need the extra information to better screen applicants... but unless you dont have to pay money to complete the secondary im just going to assume this is another case of a school getting greedy. Maybe you wont have to pay anything until you get the interview invite :rolleyes:

Oh well, hope its not too extensive
 
I'm a very long shot for Vandy, but I'm crossing my fingers! Good luck, everybody!
 
I'm confused about Vandy's LOR requirement... if you have a committee, do they only want that letter? Or will they accept additional ones? This is what their website says:

A letter of recommendation should be sent from your Premedical Committee or individual Premedical Adviser. If your university does not have this committee, send three letters of recommendation: two from science faculty who have taught you and the third letter from another person of your choice. Letter packets are also accepted.
Click to expand...

Anyone know?
 
desphil said:
I'm confused about Vandy's LOR requirement... if you have a committee, do they only want that letter? Or will they accept additional ones? This is what their website says:



Anyone know?
Click to expand...

I was also confused and heard back from their director of admissions, but my story is a little different (no committee letter but post-bacc w/ letters from other experiences). She said they accept a max of 10 (not recommended) but did recommend that I submit a couple of extra letters. Maybe that helps.
 
Yes, they want more than just a comittee letter, if possible. Only include strong letters, preferably from science profs and MDs that know you well. I'd shoot for 3 total, as they don't enjoy reading superfluous letters. Good luck!
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Yes, they want more than just a comittee letter, if possible. Only include strong letters, preferably from science profs and MDs that know you well. I'd shoot for 3 total, as they don't enjoy reading superfluous letters. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Just to give another opinion on LoR's, I had a lot of letters, 6 to be exact (I wouldn't do more than 5 or 6, personally). However, I have been very, very involved in many activities and felt that each letter was very strong and also gave a distinct perspective. I ended up getting multiple comments during interviews about how strong my letters were, so I think I made the right choice.
 
Deutsch Arzt said:
Yes, they want more than just a comittee letter, if possible. Only include strong letters, preferably from science profs and MDs that know you well. I'd shoot for 3 total, as they don't enjoy reading superfluous letters. Good luck!
Click to expand...

What if your committee sends all your individual letters in addition to the committee letter? Would I still need to get additional letters?
 
ajs08029 said:
What if your committee sends all your individual letters in addition to the committee letter? Would I still need to get additional letters?
Click to expand...


I'm assuming your committee includes all the individual letter and then slaps their committee letter on top as a "letter packet."

If that is the case, no additional letters are required.
 
From the admissions website:

"July 16, 2012
The earliest date to be invited to complete the secondary application.
The secondary application and letters of recommendation are required for consideration to be interviewed. This is new for the 2013 admissions season."

It also sounds like secondary =/= interview.

We should be hearing soon!
 
Got an email confirming their receipt of my AMCAS.

"If the screening committee approves your application, an invitation to complete our secondary application and submit your letters of recommendation will be emailed to you. After both items have been received the interview committee will select applicants to be invited for an interview. A letter will be sent to the preferred address listed on your AMCAS application notifying you of the interview committee decision. You can expect to hear from us regarding your application six to eight weeks from the date of transmission of your verified AMCAS application to Vanderbilt."

Looks like they changed their process from last year...
 
jrut73 said:
Got an email confirming their receipt of my AMCAS.

"If the screening committee approves your application, an invitation to complete our secondary application and submit your letters of recommendation will be emailed to you. After both items have been received the interview committee will select applicants to be invited for an interview. A letter will be sent to the preferred address listed on your AMCAS application notifying you of the interview committee decision. You can expect to hear from us regarding your application six to eight weeks from the date of transmission of your verified AMCAS application to Vanderbilt."

Looks like they changed their process from last year...
Click to expand...

Is that 6-8 weeks from today or June 29?
 
phigam said:
Is that 6-8 weeks from today or June 29?
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely sure, but since the email started with "Vanderbilt University School of Medicine has received your AMCAS application via electronic transmission." I would assume 6-8 weeks from the email?
 
I got a secondary invite!

It came minutes after the "AMCAS application received" email.
 
seahawks2013 said:
what are the questions bro
Click to expand...

Here they are:

Please complete the following three essays.

Autobiography: Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 word limit)

Contribution: The learning environment of the medical school is enhanced by the inclusion of students with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences prior to medical school. What in your background or your experiences will uniquely contribute to this learning environment? (500 word limit)

Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation that you faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 word limit)
 
OchemNerd said:
Here they are:

Please complete the following three essays.

Autobiography: Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 word limit)

Contribution: The learning environment of the medical school is enhanced by the inclusion of students with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences prior to medical school. What in your background or your experiences will uniquely contribute to this learning environment? (500 word limit)

Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation that you faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 word limit)
Click to expand...

thanks dude
 
OchemNerd said:
Here they are:

Please complete the following three essays.

Autobiography: Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 word limit)

Contribution: The learning environment of the medical school is enhanced by the inclusion of students with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences prior to medical school. What in your background or your experiences will uniquely contribute to this learning environment? (500 word limit)

Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation that you faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 word limit)
Click to expand...

A combination of UCSD's long secondary and UChicago's long secondary = Epic Long Vanderbilt secondary!
 
Oh lawd. This. This secondary is going to hurt
 
hmmm , I got the email from Pat Sagen today but no immediate secondary. Interviewed here last cycle, hoping for another chance.
 
Submitted! I had all of the essays already written up. Surprised there were no MD/PhD-specific questions, though. Also surprised they didn't stick to the July 16 date.

Good luck to all :luck:!
 
Maybe the 16th is for MD-only??
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

wysdoc
2022-2023 Vanderbilt
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
473
Views
142K
Premed11012031
P
wysdoc
2021-2022 Vanderbilt
9 10 11 12 13
Replies
626
Views
221K
allseasons
allseasons
TheDataKing
2020-2021 Vanderbilt
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
857
Views
300K
srstudent
S
PapaGuava
2019-2020 Vanderbilt
15 16 17 18 19
Replies
925
Views
229K
mdappcm252
mdappcm252
gyngyn
2018-2019 Vanderbilt University
10 11 12 13 14
Replies
693
Views
202K
u_raptor
u_raptor
Top