2010-2011 Vanderbilt University Application Thread

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ksmi117

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Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me (ksmi117) when the secondary is available.

:luck: with your application!

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Best of luck, everyone!

Can someone help me figure this out please -- the admissions page states that "Letters of recommendation, which you will submit with your primary AMCAS application, are considered only for those applicants who receive an invitation to interview." Does this mean that they need to be submitted before the interview invite for you to be considered complete? Or do they not need to be submitted until after you pass their screening?
 
Best of luck, everyone!

Can someone help me figure this out please -- the admissions page states that "Letters of recommendation, which you will submit with your primary AMCAS application, are considered only for those applicants who receive an invitation to interview." Does this mean that they need to be submitted before the interview invite for you to be considered complete? Or do they not need to be submitted until after you pass their screening?
Yeah, so Vanderbilt is a little different than most schools:

Vanderbilt only considers your primary AMCAS application when deciding to give you a interview (and no LORs). When you get the interview invitation, you also get the secondary and can then schedule your interview once you complete the secondary application. You'll need your letters uploaded to AMCAS before your secondary is marked complete.

Hope this helps, and :luck:!
 
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Best of luck, everyone!

Can someone help me figure this out please -- the admissions page states that "Letters of recommendation, which you will submit with your primary AMCAS application, are considered only for those applicants who receive an invitation to interview." Does this mean that they need to be submitted before the interview invite for you to be considered complete? Or do they not need to be submitted until after you pass their screening?

before their interview invite. if you pass their screening, you are allowed to fill out their secondary AND automatically receive an interivew.....so get those letters in!
 
The LORs are part of the secondary for Vandy (i.e. after the interview), not the primary. They'll only look at the PS, activities, GPA, MCAT, etc. for the interview screening, not the LORs. But get them in anyway.
 
Ahh okay that helps. I was getting really confused. My premed committee probably won't be able to get my committee letter in until late June/early July, I just wanted to know how much I would be screwing myself here if they took significantly longer :)
 
I really like that Vandy bothers to read our primary before stealing our secondary time/money, ya know? I find it very considerate... :)
 
I really like that Vandy bothers to read our primary before stealing our secondary time/money, ya know? I find it very considerate... :)

That's what I thought at first...

Then they interview you and don't reject anybody, creating a "waitlist" of about 750 people. It's very inefficient and they interview way too many people for how many they accept. Amazing school, but you have been warned.
 
Does anyone know if Vanderbilt has a strict "cutoff" in terms of MCAT scores?

Do they consider your entire application or simply reject anyone that doesn't meet a minimum MCAT/GPA score?

From what I am reading both University of Chicago and Vanderbilt are two of the more "loose" ones. Or am I way off?
 
That's what I thought at first...

Then they interview you and don't reject anybody, creating a "waitlist" of about 750 people. It's very inefficient and they interview way too many people for how many they accept. Amazing school, but you have been warned.

Eh yeah it's definitely a matter of opinion. I liked their system, but I wasn't in waitlist hell so I'm biased. I think the idea is that they really can't seriously consider an applicant without having the whole picture, including the face-to-face meeting. So while for some schools the interview is kind of an afterthought and for other schools it's the tie-breaker between people who sound the same on paper, at Vandy it's a part of your application roughly equivalent to your secondary essays and LORs. Whether that's good or bad is a matter of opinion, I guess, but at least once you shell out the money for the secondary and your interview you know you have a maybe 1/3 shot of getting in, vs at other schools where the money for the secondary gets you maybe a 1/10 shot. Different strokes, I guess.

FWIW, I also think they should reject post-interview and never could figure out why they don't.
 
Does anyone know if Vanderbilt has a strict "cutoff" in terms of MCAT scores?

Do they consider your entire application or simply reject anyone that doesn't meet a minimum MCAT/GPA score?

From what I am reading both University of Chicago and Vanderbilt are two of the more "loose" ones. Or am I way off?

You are correct. Both Vandy and UChicago tend to care more about whether or not you're a good "fit" for their school (defined by your personality, interests, and life goals) rather than just pure stats. I've seen plenty of people on SDN with much lower stats than me get outright acceptances to Vandy and also plenty with much higher stats than me get pre-secondary rejections (I was in-between these extremes: interviewed and then waitlisted).

That being said, there is still probably an informal MCAT cutoff that most of the top tier med schools all follow together, Vandy included. I would imagine that if you get at least over a 30, you have a decent shot at an interview.
 
Eh yeah it's definitely a matter of opinion. I liked their system, but I wasn't in waitlist hell so I'm biased. I think the idea is that they really can't seriously consider an applicant without having the whole picture, including the face-to-face meeting. So while for some schools the interview is kind of an afterthought and for other schools it's the tie-breaker between people who sound the same on paper, at Vandy it's a part of your application roughly equivalent to your secondary essays and LORs. Whether that's good or bad is a matter of opinion, I guess, but at least once you shell out the money for the secondary and your interview you know you have a maybe 1/3 shot of getting in, vs at other schools where the money for the secondary gets you maybe a 1/10 shot. Different strokes, I guess.

FWIW, I also think they should reject post-interview and never could figure out why they don't.

Not to muddy up this thread, but I really doubt that Vanderbilt takes much of the interview into account. They only have 1 faculty interviewer, where most other schools at least have 2 interviews for you to go to. My interviewer here also told me that interviewers don't sit in on the committee meeting, and only submit a report. Beyond that report, he said, he has absolutely no influence in decisions.

So I came to believe that the interview really is an afterthought here. I think they know who they'll accept, but throw a bone to the people on the line just in case they'll see something super-duper about them.
 
Not to muddy up this thread, but I really doubt that Vanderbilt takes much of the interview into account. They only have 1 faculty interviewer, where most other schools at least have 2 interviews for you to go to. My interviewer here also told me that interviewers don't sit in on the committee meeting, and only submit a report. Beyond that report, he said, he has absolutely no influence in decisions.

So I came to believe that the interview really is an afterthought here. I think they know who they'll accept, but throw a bone to the people on the line just in case they'll see something super-duper about them.

I disagree. This really counters what I know of how the admissions committee works. It's true the interviewers don't sit on committee meetings, but that's because they don't have the time (too many meetings, too many interviewees). As far as I know, the interview is a pretty big deal here. They really want to see if your personality fits the class they want. In fact, when I got here, I met the person who presented me to the committee, and she told me how much my interview and essays had pushed me ahead of the curve (since my grades certainly didn't do that...). There has to be a reason why TONS of people with perfect grades and MCAT scores don't get in, while a lot of people get in based on "fit". Fit is largely determined by stuff like the essays and interview. Don't underestimate the importance of that. If your interviewer thought you were arrogant but your essays make you come off as humble, those essays are essentially nullified (of course the opposite can also be true). The interview matters here, even though there's only one (although I agree that 2 might be better in case you get a really crappy interviewer).
 
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I disagree. This really counters what I know of how the admissions committee works. It's true the interviewers don't sit on committee meetings, but that's because they don't have the time (too many meetings, too many interviewees). As far as I know, the interview is a pretty big deal here. They really want to see if your personality fits the class they want. In fact, when I got here, I met the person who presented me to the committee, and she told me how much my interview and essays had pushed me ahead of the curve (since my grades certainly didn't do that...). There has to be a reason why TONS of people with perfect grades and MCAT scores don't get in, while a lot of people get in based on "fit". Fit is largely determined by stuff like the essays and interview. Don't underestimate the importance of that. If your interviewer thought you were arrogant but your essays make you come off as humble, those essays are essentially nullified (of course the opposite can also be true). The interview matters here, even though there's only one (although I agree that 2 might be better in case you get a really crappy interviewer).

Tell me about it. Judy walked me to his office and was like "don't be nervous, Dr X loves interviewing applicants and he's super nice!" First thing he says when I sit down is "I'm going to be honest with you: I hate interviewing applicants."

...

Yeah that was a wtf moment, haha
 
Tell me about it. Judy walked me to his office and was like "don't be nervous, Dr X loves interviewing applicants and he's super nice!" First thing he says when I sit down is "I'm going to be honest with you: I hate interviewing applicants."

...

Yeah that was a wtf moment, haha

Hahaha aw I'm sorry, I hate those interviews. And Judy always thinks everyone is super nice.
 
Tell me about it. Judy walked me to his office and was like "don't be nervous, Dr X loves interviewing applicants and he's super nice!" First thing he says when I sit down is "I'm going to be honest with you: I hate interviewing applicants."

...

Yeah that was a wtf moment, haha

This. Except mine didn't say that directly, he just implied it for an entire hour.

Hahaha aw I'm sorry, I hate those interviews. And Judy always thinks everyone is super nice.

and this.

After my interview, I knew there was no chance.
 
Tell me about it. Judy walked me to his office and was like "don't be nervous, Dr X loves interviewing applicants and he's super nice!" First thing he says when I sit down is "I'm going to be honest with you: I hate interviewing applicants."

...

Yeah that was a wtf moment, haha

who did you interview with?

This. Except mine didn't say that directly, he just implied it for an entire hour.



and this.

After my interview, I knew there was no chance.

who did YOU interview with?

Hahaha aw I'm sorry, I hate those interviews. And Judy always thinks everyone is super nice.

haha....honest question. is judy....a tad slow?
 
who did you interview with?

a very narcissistic person

he droned on for 2 hours...I almost missed lunch

:luck: to Cole. I was in a similar situation but it didn't work out for me. hopefully it'll work out for you. (that 41 can't hurt!)
 
Significant other got accepted here through the early acceptance program... Vandy just became my top choice. Bring on the good luck!

Ahh good luck! My girlfriend and I are trying to end up at the same school/area (she is doing clinical psychology). I empathize.
 
I interviewed with Riebau last year (neuroscience teacher (?)). He was extremely nice. I got the feeling the interview counted for a LOT at vandy. I didn't get in.

: )

Trying again, tho.
 
This school looks awesome!

i love how we dont have to worry about secondary's/LOR's to get an interview.

hows nashville????
 
This school looks awesome!

i love how we dont have to worry about secondary's/LOR's to get an interview.

hows nashville????

Nashville is awesome. I've only spent a couple of weekends there with my s/o, but it's a great city. Definitely plenty of things happening.

I really want to get in. :(
 
I interviewed with Riebau last year (neuroscience teacher (?)). He was extremely nice. I got the feeling the interview counted for a LOT at vandy. I didn't get in.

: )

Trying again, tho.

Lucky you got Dr. Riebau! He's a phenomenal teacher.

Nashville is awesome. I've only spent a couple of weekends there with my s/o, but it's a great city. Definitely plenty of things happening.

I really want to get in. :(

Absolutely. Nashville is actually surprisingly awesome. I've lived in some of the more "popular" destinations in the east coast and west coast and I was surprised by how much I like this place. It has a unique character, which I love, there's nothing you could possibly want that they don't have here (except delicious sushi...sigh I hate being land-locked), and the live music scene (NOT JUST COUNTRY) makes going out downtown a lot of fun. Vandy is in an absolutely gorgeous area and walking to and from campus is really pretty safe. All in all, I honestly don't miss much about the big cities except maybe how close they are to other big cities (the only place near here I'd consider going to is Atlanta and it's 4ish hours away), good public transport (you definitely need to drive here) and being able to convince my east coast and west coast friends to come visit me :p
 
has anyone gotten an interview yet?
 
Question?
I've already submitted my primary to about 8 schools. I want to apply to Vanderbilt and a couple of others also, but only after I get my 2nd MCAT scores back August 10th. My first score was 28... I know horrible, but I had the flu I shouldn't have even taken it. My practice tests score are 33-36. I also have a 4.0 and lots of research, etc. Should I go ahead and submit primary or wait until I get my 2nd MCAT score? I'm worried that they will see the 28 and automatically throw me in the "yea right" pile and not look at my application again when my 2nd scores come in. What do you all think I should do???
 
Question?
I've already submitted my primary to about 8 schools. I want to apply to Vanderbilt and a couple of others also, but only after I get my 2nd MCAT scores back August 10th. My first score was 28... I know horrible, but I had the flu I shouldn't have even taken it. My practice tests score are 33-36. I also have a 4.0 and lots of research, etc. Should I go ahead and submit primary or wait until I get my 2nd MCAT score? I'm worried that they will see the 28 and automatically throw me in the "yea right" pile and not look at my application again when my 2nd scores come in. What do you all think I should do???

Did you put on your app that you'll be taking another test? If so, I'm assuming they'll wait for those scores to consider you. Otherwise, why would they want that info?
 
Received an email indicating my application was complete. It says if they decide to invite for an interview/fill out the secondary (remember, Vanderbilt is unique), it will be in the next six-eight weeks.

Yay for more waiting!!
 
Received an email indicating my application was complete. It says if they decide to invite for an interview/fill out the secondary (remember, Vanderbilt is unique), it will be in the next six-eight weeks.

Yay for more waiting!!


Can we expect the turnaround time to be 6-8 weeks this early in the game? Or is it maybe an average turnaround time for throughout the cycle?
 
Man my heart just about died when I saw the Vanderbilt e-mail, since they reject 75% of applicants and then offer the rest interviews (IIRC). But it's just a confirmation lol. I am way too jumpy. I guess the next e-mail we received from Vandy will either be really good or really bad news.
 
I like how they send these emails out that say hurry up and wait for ages.
 
Man my heart just about died when I saw the Vanderbilt e-mail, since they reject 75% of applicants and then offer the rest interviews (IIRC). But it's just a confirmation lol. I am way too jumpy. I guess the next e-mail we received from Vandy will either be really good or really bad news.

True, but I don't think you will get any more emails. Last year, they did everything via snail-mail from this point on. And the envelopes were terrifyingly thin, even when they contained the good news of interview invites : )
 
True, but I don't think you will get any more emails. Last year, they did everything via snail-mail from this point on. And the envelopes were terrifyingly thin, even when they contained the good news of interview invites : )

Good to know, lol. I'll try not to freak out if the envelope is thin!
 
True, but I don't think you will get any more emails. Last year, they did everything via snail-mail from this point on. And the envelopes were terrifyingly thin, even when they contained the good news of interview invites : )

I dislike... I won't be back at my AMCAS "preferred" address until the middle of August. Though I do love mail... hehe
 
I dislike... I won't be back at my AMCAS "preferred" address until the middle of August. Though I do love mail... hehe


I'm glad that I have SDN to check when I get emails like this. It tells me that I'm not behind everyone else.
 
I'm glad that I have SDN to check when I get emails like this. It tells me that I'm not behind everyone else.

This... though, I was hoping it meant that they like what they saw on my application and they are eagerly anticipating my MCAT scores. So much for being unique, just like everyone else.
 
Hey new applicants!

For those of you who might not know, I'm a rising second year here and I'm generally around to answer questions y'all might have about applications, life at Vandy, etc. So feel free to ask! Barring any upcoming exams, I check this site pretty dependably.

Ok, so here's how the general application process works, or has worked in the past couple of years. Warning: this will be long, but please read it as it will cover a lot of stuff you may be wondering.

1) you get the email saying "we got your primary and you may or may not get a secondary in 6-8 weeks". The 6-8 week deadline is PROBABLY (i.e. in my experience, not absolutely) a gross overestimation in the very beginning of the cycle because there aren't as many applicants at that point and app readers aren't as busy. So it's likely you'll hear way before then. My year I think people started getting secondaries on August 3rd or something and last year it was around that time as well. Once you get further down the line, it can take a few weeks to get a secondary, but even then I have found 6-8 weeks to be an overestimation- they just don't want you to hound them every day. Don't do that.

2) you get a LETTER (yes, snail-mail, some love it, some hate it) in the mail. It's a thin white envelope regardless so don't freak out. The letter will either be a "thanks but no thanks" or a "congratulations, you got a secondary and a simultaneous interview". Yes, this is different from every other med school out there. Again, some love it and some hate it. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. You don't have to pay the secondary fee or fill out essays unless they're planning on interviewing you, which is awesome, and your interview becomes a part of your application along with everything else, not just an addendum (they evaluate the secondary, the LORs and the interview at the same time, instead of adding the interview at the last minute). Some hate it because the primary doesn't really cover everything you might want to say about yourself to get an interview, and they do interview a ton of people which leads to a slightly lesser chance of getting in afterwards. You'll see soon enough whether you like this system or not.
Anywho, the "yes" letter will have the address to an online secondary, and a username/password.

3) The good: the website with the secondary is awesome, well-designed, and won't crash your computer- this is more than I can say for a lot of the other app sites I had to deal with when I applied. LORs are due along with the secondary and will only be looked at after the interview. The bad: there's a lot of writing involved if it's as it has been the past couple of years. It's no Duke, but it's still a lot of writing. On the other hand, remember- you already have the interview in the bag, so I think that adds an extra little bit of motivation since you're way ahead of the curve to begin with. You're not just writing a zillion essays for no reason- they WILL discuss them in committee.

4) As soon as you submit your secondary, you'll get to a page with an interview scheduler. Again, rather nifty. I believe interviews generally start at the end of August and end in March or something. You can pick a day and whether you want a morning or afternoon interview.
** the difference = the morning interview has more downtime, so if you want to hang out with the other interviewees, visit a class, walk around the undergrad campus, or schmooze with admission peeps/students, pick this one. If you already go to Vandy, don't feel like walking around or waiting and don't care to meet people or visit classes, pick the afternoon interview.
Once you pick the date and time, you'll get the name and information about your interviewer. I thought this was really cool, cause you can see whether you have anything in common with him/her and know to address those things when the time comes.
NOTE = DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!! People do this all the time and regret it afterward. Yes, you have the interview already and they won't take it away if it takes you 2 months to write your essays. BUT ACCEPTANCES ARE ROLLING, and if you submit your secondary in November, you'll likely have to interview quite a bit later (say, December or January, cause all the earlier dates will have been taken already) and then you might not go to committee until February and by then a bunch of spots will already have been taken. Don't be an idiot and get things done in time.

5) You'll have one, 1-hour interview with a faculty member. Yes, just one. Make it count. We're big on "fit" here. Besides the interview, you'll have a lunch with your tour guides, an info session with people about the curriculum and such, a tour of the med school, and an optional (do it!) tour of the Children's Hospital. And there'll be a certain amount of downtime based on whether you picked the morning or afternoon interview slot.

6) post-interview, you go to committee. Everything is taken into account again, and this is the black-box component of the process so I can't tell you how it is that you're chosen because I have no idea.

7) within a few weeks, starting Oct 15 or thereabouts, you'll either get a phone call from Dean Zic followed by a thick letter envelope in the mail, or just the thick envelope with the acceptance (this is rare I think, usually Dean Zic tries to call), or the thin letter with a WAITLIST. Yes, we don't reject post-interview. Yes, if you're on the wait list, you will hate this. Don't ask me how the waitlist works because I have no clue, but I do know that you're "re-considered" at every meeting, so if you're really borderline you might get accepted in January after being waitlisted in December. Or you might be waitlisted forever. I don't know if extra LORs and letters of intent work.

8) usually, the waitlist doesn't move a whole lot, but it does move a little bit every year. If you're in the unfortunate majority, you'll be in limbo from the day you get your waitlist until kingdom come. Sorry. Generally after May 15th they look at how many spots have opened up and start rejecting a bunch of waitlistees, leaving a smaller group of people who may be accepted if someone from the class drops.

OK, that should cover most of the general questions. Feel free to ask more specific stuff and good luck! :luck:
 
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Thank you ButImLETired :bow:
That pretty much answered all my questions. I was hoping that if I get a secondary that it would come out sooner than what they were predicting. ~Aug. 3 sounds just right.:xf:
I didn't know about the waitlist issue either, not sure if I like that, but I'm glad to know about it now, straight up, with no sugar coating.:eek:
Thanks again, very informative.
 
Wow, thank you so much, LET! That was really helpful.
 
We're big on "fit" here.

I've heard this before. Any suggestions as to what would "fit" in Vandy, especially for the non-Vandy applicants?
 
I've heard this before. Any suggestions as to what would "fit" in Vandy, especially for the non-Vandy applicants?

IMO and from what I've heard from many people that go to Vandy, simply asking this question is what they're selecting against. They don't want you to force yourself to fit the mold. They want you to already be the kind of person they're looking for.
 
So, what does everyone like about Vandy?
 
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