2009-2010 Vanderbilt University Application Thread

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Finally got the rejection letter...one less school to worry about I guess...
 
still waiting for the rejection
 
rejection! woohoo!... 🙁
 
Hey all, 7/14 confirmation letter person here. Still haven't received any reply yet. Should I contact the admissions department, or are there others like me out there?

Thanks!
 
I am confused about the word limit. 1200 words is more than 2 pages single spaced, how is that a brief autobiography? Or is it 1200 characters?
 
LSQRT said:
I am confused about the word limit. 1200 words is more than 2 pages single spaced, how is that a brief autobiography? Or is it 1200 characters?
Click to expand...

It's brief because they expect the real thing will take up a book. 😀
 
Food said:
Confirmation 8/4 and nothing yet either way....not looking great
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i don't think anyone from the 8/4 group has heard anything yet . . . it sounded like from the 7/14 group, invites came first and rejections followed more slowly, so i was assuming that people posting recent rejections were still from 7/14.

i'm guessing once invites come out for the 8/4 people, it will be all over this thread. then we can panic!
 
MaryLennox said:
i don't think anyone from the 8/4 group has heard anything yet . . . it sounded like from the 7/14 group, invites came first and rejections followed more slowly, so i was assuming that people posting recent rejections were still from 7/14.

i'm guessing once invites come out for the 8/4 people, it will be all over this thread. then we can panic!
Click to expand...

Haha, fair enough.
 
Food said:
Haha, fair enough.
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i don't blame you, though. I've already begun to mentally classify Vandy as a rejection too . . . that way it won't suck as much. and then if i get an invite, well, it will just be that much more amazing and awesome!
 
I am from the 8/4 group and got an interview invite on Saturday! It was postmarked on 8/18.
 
Do you guys think that there are no more interviews coming out for the 7/14 completes?

In other words are all the people they haven't contacted yet rejected or are they staggering rejections...i.e. placing people on hold until they see who accepts their interview invites.

thoughts?
 
PhiAlpha said:
Do you guys think that there are no more interviews coming out for the 7/14 completes?

In other words are all the people they haven't contacted yet rejected or are they staggering rejections...i.e. placing people on hold until they see who accepts their interview invites.

thoughts?
Click to expand...

i would think that if they were 100% sure they wanted to reject you they would have done so already. i'm sure all schools sit on some borderline apps for a while before deciding whether to interview/reject. if thats the case then i'd think no news means you are at least in the running still, even if not a front runner so to speak 🙂

that said, if they want to reject me i hope they do so right away . . . jus so i can get out of this suspense
 
Whoa.. I'm 8/4 group too and getting worried since at least one person here seems to have gotten the mail..

It would take much longer for the mail to reach Canada though
 
Nope, not at all!! Why would I ever want to stir the pot of emotions?!?😀
 
wow. vandy rocks no doubt. what a campus and city. def a great med school
 
agreed. not only is it an awesome school, but i love everything about how vanderbilt handles the admissions process too. they are up front, direct, and do you the courtesy of letting you know where you stand at every step of the game. at my interview they said that they would send our group of interviewees a letter on oct 15 telling us if we were accepted, rejected, or waitlisted... no sitting there wondering for 5 months!
 
hey for those of you guys who have interviewed what was it like?
 
TheFreak said:
hey for those of you guys who have interviewed what was it like?
Click to expand...

i had an afternoon interview, so my day started with the 11:15AM info session. there were only 4 interviewees on my day. vandy had the dean of admissions and someone from financial aid talk to us about the admissions process and the school, then a 4th year med student was slated to talk to us about clinical years, and then a faculty member talked about the curriculum. this faculty member was so amazing and really got me excited about the vandy curriculum...before this, i had thought that their curriculum was simply more traditional and didactic, but this man explained the philosophy behind it beautifully.

then we had a tour with two student tour guides, lunch with the tour guides, and it was back for the interview for me. the interview itself was pretty laid back, although my interviewer was a bit more formal than the others that day by the sound of it - she had a list of questions to get through, and we indeed got through them. i was surprised that she didn't ask me 'why medicine' or 'why vandy' or anything about current healthcare issues - it was more of a getting to know me and my activities type of affair.

after that, they give you a tour of CELA (center for experiential learning and assessment) and the children's hospital - these facilities are incredible! absolutely insane how much i was impressed by this part of the day. i guess they saved the best for last 🙂

i know its easier said than done, but don't let your nerves get the best of you for this one. vandy interviews have the reputation for being super chill and awesome, and that was the exact feeling i got. they do everything they can to impress upon you their sincere interest in you as an applicant (as we walked through the halls, random medical school students would greet us and even some had clearly found out beforehand which schools we were from!)
 
jla314 said:
i had an afternoon interview, so my day started with the 11:15AM info session. there were only 4 interviewees on my day. vandy had the dean of admissions and someone from financial aid talk to us about the admissions process and the school, then a 4th year med student was slated to talk to us about clinical years, and then a faculty member talked about the curriculum. this faculty member was so amazing and really got me excited about the vandy curriculum...before this, i had thought that their curriculum was simply more traditional and didactic, but this man explained the philosophy behind it beautifully.

then we had a tour with two student tour guides, lunch with the tour guides, and it was back for the interview for me. the interview itself was pretty laid back, although my interviewer was a bit more formal than the others that day by the sound of it - she had a list of questions to get through, and we indeed got through them. i was surprised that she didn't ask me 'why medicine' or 'why vandy' or anything about current healthcare issues - it was more of a getting to know me and my activities type of affair.

after that, they give you a tour of CELA (center for experiential learning and assessment) and the children's hospital - these facilities are incredible! absolutely insane how much i was impressed by this part of the day. i guess they saved the best for last 🙂

i know its easier said than done, but don't let your nerves get the best of you for this one. vandy interviews have the reputation for being super chill and awesome, and that was the exact feeling i got. they do everything they can to impress upon you their sincere interest in you as an applicant (as we walked through the halls, random medical school students would greet us and even some had clearly found out beforehand which schools we were from!)
Click to expand...

very cool. sounds good. thanks!
 
jla314 said:
i had an afternoon interview, so my day started with the 11:15AM info session. there were only 4 interviewees on my day. vandy had the dean of admissions and someone from financial aid talk to us about the admissions process and the school, then a 4th year med student was slated to talk to us about clinical years, and then a faculty member talked about the curriculum. this faculty member was so amazing and really got me excited about the vandy curriculum...before this, i had thought that their curriculum was simply more traditional and didactic, but this man explained the philosophy behind it beautifully.

then we had a tour with two student tour guides, lunch with the tour guides, and it was back for the interview for me. the interview itself was pretty laid back, although my interviewer was a bit more formal than the others that day by the sound of it - she had a list of questions to get through, and we indeed got through them. i was surprised that she didn't ask me 'why medicine' or 'why vandy' or anything about current healthcare issues - it was more of a getting to know me and my activities type of affair.

after that, they give you a tour of CELA (center for experiential learning and assessment) and the children's hospital - these facilities are incredible! absolutely insane how much i was impressed by this part of the day. i guess they saved the best for last 🙂

i know its easier said than done, but don't let your nerves get the best of you for this one. vandy interviews have the reputation for being super chill and awesome, and that was the exact feeling i got. they do everything they can to impress upon you their sincere interest in you as an applicant (as we walked through the halls, random medical school students would greet us and even some had clearly found out beforehand which schools we were from!)
Click to expand...

Did they take you to the anatomy lab? That was one of the things that blew me away the most. On the tenth or so floor overlooking South Nashville, floor to ceiling glass, 37" touch screen for every cadaver loaded with digital Netters and dissectors, two 65" screens, a ventilation system that recycles the air at a really high rate and surgical lighting for every cadaver. Here is a picture
907SVC_InstallVivarium060308F02.jpg

and

907SVC_InstallVIVARI%7E1hi.jpg


and a video from Cadaver Ball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bncFxq7Nkg
 
I think secretly I am actually happy I got rejected here 😉

I was riddled with anxiety at the thought of doing that biography. 😛

Congrats to all you Vanderbilt super-geniuses! Go make us proud!! 🙂
 
wow that anatomy lab is hot, it looks like temple's

52109j.jpg


note that this is a photo from their construction stage so they didnt put up the flat screens yet
 
jla314 said:
agreed. not only is it an awesome school, but i love everything about how vanderbilt handles the admissions process too. they are up front, direct, and do you the courtesy of letting you know where you stand at every step of the game. at my interview they said that they would send our group of interviewees a letter on oct 15 telling us if we were accepted, rejected, or waitlisted... no sitting there wondering for 5 months!
Click to expand...

So if it was that small of a group of people that early, did they let you know that you guys were a very strong group, etc?
 
Beta Cell said:
So if it was that small of a group of people that early, did they let you know that you guys were a very strong group, etc?
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the faculty and staff never said anything like that. i think it was a small group because it was still only august (and also because vanderbilt probably just interviews in small groups - they interview almost every day of the week!). honestly all the interviewees were so down to earth!
 
jla314 said:
the faculty and staff never said anything like that. i think it was a small group because it was still only august (and also because vanderbilt probably just interviews in small groups - they interview almost every day of the week!). honestly all the interviewees were so down to earth!
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You've convinced me to apply for 2011 😉 (I'm a junior atm)
 
If I was going to apply to one more school, it would probably be Vanderbilt. All these posts are starting to convince me as well. Although I'll probably hold off on that. Seems to be getting a bit late anyhow.
 
So, I have a choice between interview dates at the beginning or end or September (about 2 weeks apart). Do you think it makes a difference which one I choose? I would really like to hear back from Vandy early, so I'm leaning towards the first date...but if 2 weeks is not a big deal, then I'd prefer the latter date so I have some practice with interviews before Vandy.

Anyone know how much an advantage 2 weeks is, esp at a school with rolling admissions like Vandy?
 
daisy44 said:
So, I have a choice between interview dates at the beginning or end or September (about 2 weeks apart). Do you think it makes a difference which one I choose? I would really like to hear back from Vandy early, so I'm leaning towards the first date...but if 2 weeks is not a big deal, then I'd prefer the latter date so I have some practice with interviews before Vandy.

Anyone know how much an advantage 2 weeks is, esp at a school with rolling admissions like Vandy?
Click to expand...


No matter what date you choose, Vandy cannot send out acceptance offers until October 15 (AMCAS rules), so since both of your options are well before that date, I feel like it won't have a big impact on your application. If anything, interviewing later in september might put you in the second round of decisions they send out rather than the first, but that's still a very early and advantageous position to be in.
 
I think I might stick with the earlier date. Y'all said it was a fairly low-key interview, right? In that case, I'd rather get it over with early.
 
TheFreak said:
hey for those of you guys who have interviewed what was it like?
Click to expand...
Yea, I def agree with the comments above...SUPER-nice, stress-free process here for interview day...and make sure you go on the Children's Hospital Tour- they even have a Ben & Jerry's inside...
 
It would be interesting interviewing with chocolate all over your face (assuming the interviews are after the tours). :laugh:
 
i forgot to post it here but i was rejected about a week ago. it was sad but i guess now i don't have to write the monstrous essay for vandy.

Good luck to everyone else!
 
Beta Cell said:
It would be interesting interviewing with chocolate all over your face (assuming the interviews are after the tours). :laugh:
Click to expand...
haha, yea well the children's hospital tour is the last part of the day...knowing that, I dropped like 10 bucks on the most ridiculous cone you've ever seen
 
Just got an interview invite today! I received notification from them on 8/4, and I'm in CA. Super excited, and I don't feel particularly bad about the rejection from BU yesterday anymore. 🙂
 
So I also received an interview invite today and was very excited until I realized I have a problem with the chemistry credit they require. I don't know how I was this stupid--I knew they didn't accept AP credit but I didn't realize the requirements had to be met by fall semester. Guess I should have looked at this thread more closely. The problem is I'm not sure what I exactly need to meet their requirements and obviously I can't call until Monday but I want to add the class I think I need to my schedule. Does anyone know if you need 4 credits of chemistry lab---2 for general and 2 for organic. Reading the requirements its just says with lab so I didn't know if just having two credits of lab but 16 overall was sufficient. Just thought someone might know from past experience.
 
kstephan said:
So I also received an interview invite today and was very excited until I realized I have a problem with the chemistry credit they require. I don't know how I was this stupid--I knew they didn't accept AP credit but I didn't realize the requirements had to be met by fall semester. Guess I should have looked at this thread more closely. The problem is I'm not sure what I exactly need to meet their requirements and obviously I can't call until Monday but I want to add the class I think I need to my schedule. Does anyone know if you need 4 credits of chemistry lab---2 for general and 2 for organic. Reading the requirements its just says with lab so I didn't know if just having two credits of lab but 16 overall was sufficient. Just thought someone might know from past experience.
Click to expand...

i think the lab part of that requirement is kind of flexible. for example, at my undergrad school we have a premed track for organic chemistry that has two semesters of organic - the first semester has no lab attached, but the second semester does (this lab component is supposedly 'accelerated' and compresses a year's worth of lab learning into a semester...but i feel that this is debatable). so technically we only have one semester of lab, but even so, year after year applicants from my school get accepted at not only vanderbilt but at lots of other schools that "require" a "full year" of organic chemistry lab.

as always, its best to call and find out directly from the schools you're interested in 🙂
 
jla314 said:
i think the lab part of that requirement is kind of flexible. for example, at my undergrad school we have a premed track for organic chemistry that has two semesters of organic - the first semester has no lab attached, but the second semester does (this lab component is supposedly 'accelerated' and compresses a year's worth of lab learning into a semester...but i feel that this is debatable). so technically we only have one semester of lab, but even so, year after year applicants from my school get accepted at not only vanderbilt but at lots of other schools that "require" a "full year" of organic chemistry lab.

as always, its best to call and find out directly from the schools you're interested in 🙂
Click to expand...

Thanks! I know I need to call I just hate to have to wait until Monday. I hope this stupid little detail doesn't ruin my chances--I love Vanderbilt!
 
kstephan said:
Thanks! I know I need to call I just hate to have to wait until Monday. I hope this stupid little detail doesn't ruin my chances--I love Vanderbilt!
Click to expand...

cool - keep us posted. im sure it will probably be fine. my school has a similar thing going on with inorganic chem and to my knowledge we're in the clear with med schools even though we don't meet the unit requirement.
 
Anyone know what Vandy's acceptance rate for interviewees is?
 
Just got a secondary/interview invite! I got the 8/4 email.
 
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