2014-2015 Vanderbilt University Application Thread

[Laureatebarrel]

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Secondaries received today! Essay prompts same as last year.
1/ 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)
2/ Please discuss a challenging situation or obstacle you have 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)

 

[Person0715]

Just got an email with the subject line saying "correction to invitation to complete vusm secondary. " I thought it was gonna be like "lol jk, don't complete the secondary," but they just wanted to correct a date from the previous email. My heart literally skipped a beat.

 

[sunflower18]

Was the invitation to complete the secondary your first correspondence from Vandy? Or did they send you an "application received" email first?

 

[Person0715]

Was the invitation to complete the secondary your first correspondence from Vandy? Or did they send you an "application received" email first?

The invite was the first correspondence for me

 

[Abstractions]

Am I reading this correctly? I know their website is out of date (it has dates from 2012: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/admissions-process)

1. Interviews will be offered after the 2012 AMCAS application has been screened. The Vanderbilt online secondary application is to be completed only by those applicants to whom Vanderbilt has granted an interview. You will receive an invitation by mail inviting you to complete the Vanderbilt online secondary application only if you are selected to interview. You may schedule your interview after you have submitted your secondary application.

So... this means that if we've got the secondary we automatically get an II?

 

[acquiescing]

Secondary received. I'm skeptical with such a quick review that it's not just a GPA/MCAT cutoff. But what do I know.

 

[daenschl]

Am I reading this correctly? I know their website is out of date (it has dates from 2012: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/admissions-process)

1. Interviews will be offered after the 2012 AMCAS application has been screened. The Vanderbilt online secondary application is to be completed only by those applicants to whom Vanderbilt has granted an interview. You will receive an invitation by mail inviting you to complete the Vanderbilt online secondary application only if you are selected to interview. You may schedule your interview after you have submitted your secondary application.

So... this means that if we've got the secondary we automatically get an II?

This is indeed old. About two years ago, they started sending out more secondary invites than interview invites. I think about double, but I'm not sure.

Also just received secondary! Very excited to apply here!

 

[mjhhockey98]

I just got a secondary as well. I was hoping that I wouldn't get it until later. Now I have to start writing this essay.

 

[turayza]

The invite was the first correspondence for me

@sunflower18 likewise, I did not get a app received email first.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Secondary received. I'm skeptical with such a quick review that it's not just a GPA/MCAT cutoff. But what do I know.

Sounds like it definitely could be? At least given the MDApps of the people posted, it looks like you need to have almost a 4.0 and a 36+ to get a secondary right now. At least they do a good screen!

 

[DoTheTrick]

It's possible that they automatically give out secondaries to high stats applicants and then take longer to screen more carefully those applicants with lower stats. At least that's what I would like to believe. POSITIVE THINKING

 

[turayza]

Does anyone understand the FERPA waiver? Why would we ever waive the right to see our written evaluation?

 

[acquiescing]

It's possible that they automatically give out secondaries to high stats applicants and then take longer to screen more carefully those applicants with lower stats. At least that's what I would like to believe. POSITIVE THINKING

This seems to make the most sense. Either way, grateful to receive one and certain there are plenty more to come for everyone.

 

[infinitessimal]

Also received secondary! Excited to join you guys!

 

[Endure]

Sounds like it definitely could be? At least given the MDApps of the people posted, it looks like you need to have almost a 4.0 and a 36+ to get a secondary right now. At least they do a good screen!

This is false. If you look at last year's thread in October, a large number of applicants with baller stats were rejected pre- and post-secondary.

 

[ConsultantMD]

This is false. If you look at last year's thread in October, a large number of applicants with baller stats were rejected pre- and post-secondary.

Woah there, I was merely observing, and who's to say every year they do the same thing? The outdated website info suggests that maybe they are not doing the same they've done ever year, right?

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

Got an mstp secondary and I definitely don't have that great of stats, just good ec's and life story! so hope for you all out there 🙂 3.75c,3.81s,32

 

[bsmd14]

^Perhaps the MSTP cycle operates differently? Just my two cents!

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

AND FYI, if you're applying mstp here, they waived the secondary fee!!! 🙂

 

[Endure]

Woah there, I was merely observing, and who's to say every year they do the same thing? The outdated website info suggests that maybe they are not doing the same they've done ever year, right?

Sorry about that, didn't mean to come across that way.

It's possible that they're switching things up this year, but I've always understood Vanderbilt's pre-secondary screen to be a way for them to narrow down the applicant pool to include students with very specific attributes. This is less easily accomplished using a numbers-only approach.

Nevertheless, I do know that they take what you write in the secondary very seriously, so give it your best shot!

 

[turayza]

Just found this: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/student-affairs/about-colleges
All I can think is.... Hogwarts!!!!! 😱

 

[Person0715]

Just found this: https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/student-affairs/about-colleges
All I can think is.... Hogwarts!!!!! 😱

Emory has a similar system minus the cool sigils

 

[turayza]

Emory has a similar system minus the cool sigils

Those sigils make the difference between student wellness groups and Hogwarts 😍
Vanderbilt SOM = school of magic

 

[gettheleadout]

Secondary received this morning!

Just got secondary invite. Guess I can't put off the autobiography essay forever.

Same haha

 

[sunflower18]

I'm still hoping I magically get a secondary.... Vandy is such a great school. And I really want to go to hogwarts.

 

[BrownNerd1337]

they might be sending out secondaries by alphabetical order after screening for certain stats to avoid frying their servers

 

[FutureFACS]

Should I be discouraged if I didn't get a secondary? Does anyone know how it has worked/had experience with it in previous years?

 

[Person0715]

Should I be discouraged if I didn't get a secondary? Does anyone know how it has worked/had experience with it in previous years?

Don't be discouraged. It's still too soon.

 

[mrh125]

Should I be discouraged if I didn't get a secondary? Does anyone know how it has worked/had experience with it in previous years?

Dont be discouraged. When you get your secondary varies, if you haven't gotten a secondary by now it means they're reviewing your application holistically or they don't have all your information (this assumption would be based off of my experiences with other schools, which each have a different system).

 

[gettheleadout]

Does anyone understand the FERPA waiver? Why would we ever waive the right to see our written evaluation?

The waiver refers to it as an "interview narrative report." It's asking if you waive the right to see what your interviewer says about you. I assume this is expected as with LOR rights waivers.

 

[daenschl]

The waiver refers to it as an "interview narrative report." It's asking if you waive the right to see what your interviewer says about you. I assume this is expected as with LOR rights waivers.

However, the information about the waiver on the secondary also mentions that you have the right to review the written information about yourself "once you matriculate". I think this means that if you get accepted and matriculate, you can go back and look at what they said about you in the interview.
In any case, I waived it, just to be safe. If I matriculate, I would not be too terribly interested in what they said about me anyway.

 

[gettheleadout]

However, the information about the waiver on the secondary also mentions that you have the right to review the written information about yourself "once you matriculate". I think this means that if you get accepted and matriculate, you can go back and look at what they said about you in the interview.
In any case, I waived it, just to be safe. If I matriculate, I would not be too terribly interested in what they said about me anyway.

Yeah if you matriculate you could just go ask your interviewer haha.

 

[turayza]

The waiver refers to it as an "interview narrative report." It's asking if you waive the right to see what your interviewer says about you. I assume this is expected as with LOR rights waivers.

Interesting. I would think that since you can't see it until after matriculation anyways, it wouldn't matter if you waive it or not. But....sounds good. Thanks!

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

To those that are worried about not receiving the secondary, maybe they're doing it by order of applications? I got one and I submitted my app literally 3 minutes after AMCAS opened lol

 

[milski]

Am I the only one that gets podiatry school emails?

Must be your MCAT. 😛 With mine, I only got an offer from Columbia for a one year MS Nutrition program.

 

[phunky]

.

 

[daenschl]

Could people with secondaries officially received post their MCAT/GPA since this school prescreens? It's definitely not done in order of submission. My friend who submitted his AMCAS a week after me got the secondary, while I got the other email. He has a higher GPA than me, but a lower MCAT.

3.65/38

Got secondary on 7/1/14
AMCAS verified on 6/27/14

3.82/37. They might send out secondaries in batches.

 

[soccerusa]

Verified: 6/7
Secondary: 7/1

3.90/39

 

[acquiescing]

Verified 6/8
Secondary 7/1

4.0/39

 

[mjhhockey98]

Verified: 6/10

Secondary: 7/1

3.93/40

Still waiting on my letters of rec to be submitted, though.

 

[hellanutella]

Verified 6/5
Secondary 7/1
3.97/39

Maybe they initially send the secondaries out to the highest-stat applicants via a LizzyM metric and then proceed to go down? I dunno. All speculation here.
They've only done one day of secondary release, so they must have plenty more secondaries to give out. As per MSAR their accepted averages are below the stats posted here, so I'm going assume they're not saving their secondaries exclusively for 37+/3.8+ applicants.

 

[turayza]

Verified 6/6
Secondary received 7/1

3.87 / 37

If this helps, this one hasn't received a secondary:
Verified 7/1
3.7 / 37

 

[thethreeheadeddragon]

Received the secondary here yesterday (7/1). Was verified on June 11.

3.9/38

 

[juliuspepperwood]

I'm going to guess 3.8/37 is a cutoff for automatically sending secondaries with other apps subject to further screening.

 

[Bovary]

I agree; it looks like a batch of secondaries have been sent to applicants with very high stats (and maybe with other boxes checked on the application but who knows)

I also received secondary on 7/1, verified 6/4
GPA>3.80
MCAT>37

 

[juliuspepperwood]

Pffft all these ravenclaws getting early secondaries...

 

[STLMako91]

Got an email today saying that my application is being reviewed by a screening committee. It would be pretty awesome to get in here!

 

[aspirantmed]

Not getting a secondary early doesn't always have to be a big deal .. I didn't get a secondary till the last week of July despite being verified in early June... And my stats are subpar for Vandy. Even then, I was accepted very early in the cycle.

Timings are a weird thing in med admissions and you can't overthink 'em. Just don't think about it till you have a secondary or rejection in hand.

 

[sunflower18]

Not getting a secondary early doesn't always have to be a big deal .. I didn't get a secondary till the last week of July despite being verified in early June... And my stats are subpar for Vandy. Even then, I was accepted very early in the cycle.

Timings are a weird thing in med admissions and you can't overthink 'em. Just don't think about it till you have a secondary or rejection in hand.

This made my day 😉 time to think positively!! Thank you!!

 

[Abstractions]

For logging into the secondary, does anyone remember if the username field is 1) AMCAS ID, 2) email, 3) a login we created, or 4) something else?

I've reset my password successfully and attempted to login using 1-3, but I keep getting an invalid username/password and I'm wondering if the username is something wonky I forgot to write down >.<. Thanks!