Emailing program directors about auditions

[sunealoneal]

Hello,

I'm a second year, we were given an assignment to draft an 150 word essay that we would send in email form to a prospective program director to request an audition rotation. Clearly this is for programs that do not participate in the VSAS.

My questions:

1) How common is it to find programs that do not use VSAS?
2) Amongst the ones who do not, how many programs prefer to be sent leaner, 150 word essays vs the full personal statement? Assuming that they do not have their own application process that does not include this short statement.

Thanks!

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[Psai]

lol are you kidding me? A personal statement for an away?

 

[ortnakas]

I've requested a few aways for my third year (non-VSAS obviously) and all of them were via brief emails of basically "Hello, I'm Ortnakas, a current second year at __. I'm interested in doing an elective at your hospital in __ or __ in the time slot [dates]. [insert reason for interest in hospital] Would you consider taking me for that rotation? Thank you for your time."

 

[sunealoneal]

lol are you kidding me? A personal statement for an away?

Some schools have that as a requirement as a supplemental document on VSAS.

Random examples: https://services.aamc.org/20/vsas/public/school/instID/165/mode/main/from/public_schools
https://services.aamc.org/20/vsas/public/school/instID/134963/mode/main/from/public_schools

 

[sunealoneal]

I've requested a few aways for my third year (non-VSAS obviously) and all of them were via brief emails of basically "Hello, I'm Ortnakas, a current second year at __. I'm interested in doing an elective at your hospital in __ or __ in the time slot [dates]. [insert reason for interest in hospital] Would you consider taking me for that rotation? Thank you for your time."

How often did you come across non-VSAS rotations?