Vanderbilt interviews--do they read your autobiography?

[oompa loompa]

I thought they did...that's the point of making it due before you go interview, right? But then I just read on interview feedback that they only have your AMCAS, and no essays?

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[tulips]

No, they don't read any of your secondary before your interview, only the AMCAS. And at my interview, my interviewer hadn't even read my AMCAS.

 

[horse md]

yes, your interviewer will not have read your secondary essays, after interview he writes up an essay on you, sends to adcoms who evaluate you based on this essay, your secondary, and recommendations

 

[oompa loompa]

No, they don't read any of your secondary before your interview, only the AMCAS. And at my interview, my interviewer hadn't even read my AMCAS.

yikes. I hope my interviewer reads mine....I hate blind interviews b/c then you're expected to lead it.

 

[ti89]

yikes. I hope my interviewer reads mine....I hate blind interviews b/c then you're expected to lead it.

The ability to lead the interview is better. That way you can focus on what you like the best about your app.

 

[funshine]

I'm looking at Vandy's site right now. The thing I really like is how they have their whole curriculum year by year online. So many other good schools have these vague phrases they use to describe their curriculum....emphasis on PBL, early clinical exposure, patient centered learning, etc., and I end up learning, oh, nothing about the school. Makes me think the actual teaching is vague and disorganized too.

 

[oompa loompa]

I'm looking at Vandy's site right now. The thing I really like is how they have their whole curriculum year by year online. So many other good schools have these vague phrases they use to describe their curriculum....emphasis on PBL, early clinical exposure, patient centered learning, etc., and I end up learning, oh, nothing about the school. Makes me think the actual teaching is vague and disorganized too.

Yeah, it felt very thorough. However, looking at their site, I've come to realize their curriculum is very traditional...no PBL learning, no small groups, it seems to be all lecture! With more and more schools trying to cut down on lecture time--presumably b/c students study better on their own, and as a result lecture attendance is very poor--why do great schools like Vandy NOT incorporate these changes? I think having a "grad-school-like" environment in med school where you learn by studying independently then discussing in small groups would be awesome. Why is Vandy not like this???? Also, the hours spent in class seem very long...longer than other schools perhaps?

Finally, I'm kind of annoyed that all these schools are putting this new research/thesis/emphasis/scholarly concentration requirement. Whatever you want to call it, it means more work.

Anyone care to comment about the traditional lecture-based curriculum at Vandy? Are there pluses to the old system that I'm missing??? Because, from what I can tell (remember that old thread I created about people not attending lecture?), most med students find lecture pretty useless. Why not just do away w/ it and concentrate on having small groups/PBL, with more time to study on your own?

 

[Daichi Katase]

Yeah, it felt very thorough. However, looking at their site, I've come to realize their curriculum is very traditional...no PBL learning, no small groups, it seems to be all lecture! With more and more schools trying to cut down on lecture time--presumably b/c students study better on their own, and as a result lecture attendance is very poor--why do great schools like Vandy NOT incorporate these changes? I think having a "grad-school-like" environment in med school where you learn by studying independently then discussing in small groups would be awesome. Why is Vandy not like this???? Also, the hours spent in class seem very long...longer than other schools perhaps?

Finally, I'm kind of annoyed that all these schools are putting this new research/thesis/emphasis/scholarly concentration requirement. Whatever you want to call it, it means more work.

Anyone care to comment about the traditional lecture-based curriculum at Vandy? Are there pluses to the old system that I'm missing??? Because, from what I can tell (remember that old thread I created about people not attending lecture?), most med students find lecture pretty useless. Why not just do away w/ it and concentrate on having small groups/PBL, with more time to study on your own?

attendance is not required at vandy

 

[dilated]

No, they don't read any of your secondary before your interview, only the AMCAS. And at my interview, my interviewer hadn't even read my AMCAS.

Must be luck of the draw. I'm pretty sure I could have quizzed my interviewer on minute details of my application and he would have known the answer (he rocked). It turned out to be a good thing though, because I think it's when they don't bother reading it that they start peppering you with stuff like "Tell me about yourself".

 

[Indryd]

weenis

 

[oompa loompa]

Yeah, we do have a lot of lecture time compared to some schools, but for the most part the lectures are actually really good. Attendance isn't required, so there must be a reason virtually everyone goes to lecture every day! (There are a lot of schools where everyone skips class. This isn't one of them.) Also, it's not true that everything is lecture. We meet every week in small groups for Ecology of Healthcare to discuss readings on "the other side of medicine" - we're in the middle of an ethics section that's really fun. We also have anatomy presentations with our lab team, and we periodically have small group conference sections for biochem.

There was a recent thread about PBL with some good comments on its pros and cons. The fact is, the first two years of med school are all about volume, and lecture is just the most efficient way to get through it.

Yeah, I see what you mean (in bold). It's just that at my Cleveland Clinic interview last week, I really became convinced that the whole small-environment group learning thing was what I needed.

Hey, what do you think is the value of the notoriously long anatomy classes at Vandy? I know at certain schools, they've done away with the whole dissection part and just show slides. They claim it's a much more efficient way to learn anatomy, and if you're really interested in the mechanics of dissection, there's a surgical anatomy class you can take later.

 

[Daichi Katase]

Yeah, it felt very thorough. However, looking at their site, I've come to realize their curriculum is very traditional...no PBL learning, no small groups, it seems to be all lecture! With more and more schools trying to cut down on lecture time--presumably b/c students study better on their own, and as a result lecture attendance is very poor--why do great schools like Vandy NOT incorporate these changes? I think having a "grad-school-like" environment in med school where you learn by studying independently then discussing in small groups would be awesome. Why is Vandy not like this???? Also, the hours spent in class seem very long...longer than other schools perhaps?

Finally, I'm kind of annoyed that all these schools are putting this new research/thesis/emphasis/scholarly concentration requirement. Whatever you want to call it, it means more work.

Anyone care to comment about the traditional lecture-based curriculum at Vandy? Are there pluses to the old system that I'm missing??? Because, from what I can tell (remember that old thread I created about people not attending lecture?), most med students find lecture pretty useless. Why not just do away w/ it and concentrate on having small groups/PBL, with more time to study on your own?

attendance is not required at vandy