2015-2016 University of Vermont Application Thread

[claduva94]

Space reserved for secondary prompts.
Good luck to those applying.

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[womanofscience]

Hello future applicants! I will be an MS1 in the fall and I would like to try to answer any questions you may have about UVM...hopefully I can help out along the way! Good luck

 

[SallySue1202]

Hello future applicants! I will be an MS1 in the fall and I would like to try to answer any questions you may have about UVM...hopefully I can help out along the way! Good luck

Thank you so much for answering questions!! I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about why you choose UVM? I saw on your MDApps page that you were accepted by so many amazing schools, what made UVM stand out to you in the end?

I am so excited to apply here!!

 

[womanofscience]

Thank you so much for answering questions!! I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about why you choose UVM? I saw on your MDApps page that you were accepted by so many amazing schools, what made UVM stand out to you in the end?

I am so excited to apply here!!

For some reason when I was drawing up my list of schools last year, I got this sense of fit... And interview day and closer look day confirmed that. Burlington is an interesting town and i felt comfortable there. Vermont, as a state, seems to be on the forefront of social justice and environmentalism, both of which are subjects I care deeply about.

Originally from Virginia and I thought UVA was going to be my dream school, but UVM blew me away since I felt like I was home.

Apart from that, UVM's curriculum is pretty solid and UVM students match very well considering the incoming stats.

The administration and professors also seem very genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the students. You will also come to realize that UVM attracts more non-trads and the culture of the school is less party-hard and more mature than other medical schools, which is something I was looking for since I'm not into the party-culture. I'm sure you could find your own niche here, however!

The most daunting aspect of this school is the cost of attendance. It's quite expensive for an out-of-state student, but there are some merit scholarships and I'd urge everyone to be very proactive about applying to outside scholarships!

 

[SallySue1202]

For some reason when I was drawing up my list of schools last year, I got this sense of fit... And interview day and closer look day confirmed that. Burlington is an interesting town and i felt comfortable there. Vermont, as a state, seems to be on the forefront of social justice and environmentalism, both of which are subjects I care deeply about.

Originally from Virginia and I thought UVA was going to be my dream school, but UVM blew me away since I felt like I was home.

Apart from that, UVM's curriculum is pretty solid and UVM students match very well considering the incoming stats.

The administration and professors also seem very genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the students. You will also come to realize that UVM attracts more non-trads and the culture of the school is less party-hard and more mature than other medical schools, which is something I was looking for since I'm not into the party-culture. I'm sure you could find your own niche here, however!

The most daunting aspect of this school is the cost of attendance. It's quite expensive for an out-of-state student, but there are some merit scholarships and I'd urge everyone to be very proactive about applying to outside scholarships!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply, @womanofscience! This was actually the exact answer I was hoping for and it has made me that much more confident in my decision to apply. Now I hope I am lucky enough to get an interview so I can get a sense of fit in person.

 

[womanofscience]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply, @womanofscience! This was actually the exact answer I was hoping for and it has made me that much more confident in my decision to apply. Now I hope I am lucky enough to get an interview so I can get a sense of fit in person.

Wishing you luck! I have very positive opinions about this school, but that may change with my first Vermont winter

 

[CharlieKelly]

Also an incoming ms1 here, happy to answer questions as well. It's an awesome school, good luck everyone

 

[Affiche]

Applying OOS! I just added this school to my list.

@CharlieKelly or @womanofscience Vermont doesn't have true P/F, right? Do you feel like competitiveness will be an issue within your class?

 

[womanofscience]

Applying OOS! I just added this school to my list.

@CharlieKelly or @womanofscience Vermont doesn't have true P/F, right? Do you feel like competitiveness will be an issue within your class?

It's honors/pass/fail. UVM students are very friendly and I did not sense a hint of competitiveness from any student I encountered while there. I think having the honors distinction will help drive me to push myself, but I'm not going to be a jerk to my fellow classmates and I'm pretty sure it will not be cut-throat or gunnery. Granted, I haven't started yet, but a lot of people seem fairly genuine and decent!

 

[CharlieKelly]

Applying OOS! I just added this school to my list.

@CharlieKelly or @womanofscience Vermont doesn't have true P/F, right? Do you feel like competitiveness will be an issue within your class?

It's honors/pass/fail. UVM students are very friendly and I did not sense a hint of competitiveness from any student I encountered while there. I think having the honors distinction will help drive me to push myself, but I'm not going to be a jerk to my fellow classmates and I'm pretty sure it will not be cut-throat or gunnery. Granted, I haven't started yet, but a lot of people seem fairly genuine and decent!

Second this. The people at this school seem wonderful

 

[cactusinmyhead]

I don't have a non-science LOR. Are they lenient about this requirement?

 

[Affiche]

I don't have a non-science LOR. Are they lenient about this requirement?

Have you been out of school for any period of time? I have a non-science faculty that didn't teach me, but I emailed them about it and told them I graduated in 2013 and they were fine with it.

 

[cactusinmyhead]

Have you been out of school for any period of time? I have a non-science faculty that didn't teach me, but I emailed them about it and told them I graduated in 2013 and they were fine with it.

Graduated in 2013... I have an "instructor" but not a "professor". And they were sort of an assistant instructor but not a TA....didn't determine my final grade, etc.

 

[Affiche]

Graduated in 2013... I have an "instructor" but not a "professor". And they were sort of an assistant instructor but not a TA....didn't determine my final grade, etc.

Check the bottom paragraph here: https://www.uvm.edu/medicine/admissions/?Page=letters.html&SM=applysubmenu.html

You should be fine. Just send them an email.

 

[cactusinmyhead]

Check the bottom paragraph here: https://www.uvm.edu/medicine/admissions/?Page=letters.html&SM=applysubmenu.html

You should be fine. Just send them an email.

Email sent! Thank you

 

[PositronicBrain]

Thanks for mentioning the non-science LOR, I guess I have to send some emails to professors from 2011...

 

[pb34]

I'm attempting to pre-write this secondary using last year's prompt. This may be a stupid question but is it 1000 characters including spaces?

 

[rlarudtjs332]

I'm attempting to pre-write this secondary using last year's prompt. This may be a stupid question but is it 1000 characters including spaces?

i'm like 97% sure that it's 1000 characters including space haha

what were the prompts from last year?

 

[pb34]

Additional Short Answer Essay Topics
Please write a short response to one of the following questions. (300 word maximum.)
Topic 1:
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both…”

• • 
    --Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Tell us about a time when you were at a crossroads and had to make an important choice. What do you think would have happened if you had made a different choice?
--OR--
Topic 2:
Reflect on a time in your life when you experienced failure or things didn’t go as you’d planned. How did this affect you?

 

[pb34]

Apparently they edited the 300 word max to be 1000 characters. This is from last year's thread.

 

[ofthesaints]

@CharlieKelly, I am an avid hiker. How are the trails out there if you've ever been? And also how is the city of Burlington? It looks gorgeous. OOS applicant here.

 

[pb34]

@CharlieKelly, I am an avid hiker. How are the trails out there if you've ever been? And also how is the city of Burlington? It looks gorgeous. OOS applicant here.

I live in Burlington currently. There are incredible trails out here for hiking. Many, many mountain trails and countless trails along Lake Champlain. The city of Burlington is great. Not huge but a lot of fun!

 

[ofthesaints]

I live in Burlington currently. There are incredible trails out here for hiking. Many, many mountain trails and countless trails along Lake Champlain. The city of Burlington is great. Not huge but a lot of fun!

Thanks for the reply, @pb34. I enjoy smaller cities that have a great atmosphere and good trails nearby. I don't get much of that here in Dallas. I have to go to Austin for that.

 

[CharlieKelly]

@CharlieKelly, I am an avid hiker. How are the trails out there if you've ever been? And also how is the city of Burlington? It looks gorgeous. OOS applicant here.

I'm OOS as well so haven't had a chance to hike. Our mandatory orientation involves a hike with our future classmates so UVM sounds like the place for you if you're into that. When I visited a friend, did a bit of walking in the woods with her and her dog, seems like VT is definitely the place for those who love the outdoors. Burlington is an awesome city, very beautiful but it's very small, but enough stuff to do that you won't feel like you're in a small town or anything. Seems like a perfect balance for a med student.

 

[aesculapian]

I'm OOS as well so haven't had a chance to hike. Our mandatory orientation involves a hike with our future classmates so UVM sounds like the place for you if you're into that. When I visited a friend, did a bit of walking in the woods with her and her dog, seems like VT is definitely the place for those who love the outdoors. Burlington is an awesome city, very beautiful but it's very small, but enough stuff to do that you won't feel like you're in a small town or anything. Seems like a perfect balance for a med student.

What's the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic breakdown of the city? Do you feel like it's pretty diverse?

 

[womanofscience]

What's the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic breakdown of the city? Do you feel like it's pretty diverse?

Vermont is the second-whitest state behind Maine. I think Vermont itself is around 94-95% white, but Burlington is a little better (89% white, 4% AA, 3.6% asian, 0.3% NA, 2.6% multi). Here is the breakdown for UVM undergrad, grad, and med students (http://www.uvm.edu/~oir/consumer/divecomp.pdf).

UVM is trying to become more diverse and they have made improvements in the past decade! However, a lot of the students are very passionate about social justice and associated health disparities so it is a very accepting environment! If you are concerned with encountering a diverse patient population, you do have the opportunity to do clerkships at other affiliated teaching sites (Maine, Connecticut, Florida) and you are allowed to do "audition rotations" during your fourth year.

It looks like 20% of the population falls below the poverty line so there seems to be a good spread of economic diversity as well.

 

[CharlieKelly]

What's the socioeconomic and racial/ethnic breakdown of the city? Do you feel like it's pretty diverse?

The city in itself is middle class, with pockets of well-to-doers but immediately out of Burlington is fairly rural. My buddy, out of fun, showed me some "known Crack dens" in the area, seemed to be an awful lot. I walked around on a Wednesday afternoon and saw many 'hippies' walking around. A bit of a stereotype of Vermont but was, at least that day, anecdotally true.

Racial Diversity is wanting up there for sure, as @womanofscience noted, it's pretty tilted towards white, but it is seemingly a very accepting environment for sure. UVM itself emphasizes diversity and social differences so within the school, there is a strong push and desire to create a well mixed, representative class. From my interview day, as well as from The Facebook page for our class, it seems like they have, for the most part, accomplished that to their best abilities. Vermontonians are amongst the friendliest people I've ever encountered.

 

[neurotic_stimulation]

Vermontonians are amongst the friendliest people I've ever encountered.

As someone who grew up in Burlington, I'd say you pretty much summed it up. Except we're called Vermonters.

 

[rlarudtjs332]

did anyone receive secondary yet?

 

[pb34]

Doesn't seem like they've sent any out yet.

 

[Murphy09]

First time OOS applicant. Went to UVM for undergrad and absolutely loved it! Hopefully I'll get to go back to Groovy UV for medical school too!

 

[PreciousHamburgers]

I don't have a non-science LOR. Are they lenient about this requirement?

Send them an email. Their admissions department was the nicest, most helpful, and most understanding out of anywhere I dealt with. I am starting here next month.

 

[cactusinmyhead]

Send them an email. Their admissions department was the nicest, most helpful, and most understanding out of anywhere I dealt with. I am starting here next month.

I did! They were nice and fine with it! Thanks

 

[rudeboyirie]

Just received the secondary! Applying here OOS, UVM sounds like an amazing school.

How do I stand out as an OOS applicant who doesn't have the strongest numbers?

 

[Affiche]

Secondary received!

Lmao "We have received word from AMCAS that you have elected to apply to the University of Vermont College of Medicine". Lololol like my application is word of mouth!

 

[minnie94]

OOS secondary received as well!

 

[mpandah]

Prompts:

Diversity Statement and Question
The University of Vermont College of Medicine values diversity as a driver of excellence. We actively seek diversity and inclusion within our academic community of students, faculty, and staff, as well as those we serve through teaching, research, patient care and community engagement. We are committed to building an educational community made up of members with diverse talents, experiences, opinions, and backgrounds.

In reflecting on your personal background, talents, opinions and life experiences, how might you contribute to the overall diversity of the UVM COM community? (1000 characters maximum)

Additional Short Answer Essay Topics
Please write a short response to one of the following questions. (1000 characters maximum.)

Topic 1:
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both…”

• • 
    --Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Tell us about a time when you were at a crossroads and had to make an important choice. What do you think would have happened if you had made a different choice?

--OR--

Topic 2:
Reflect on a time in your life when you experienced failure or things didn’t go as you’d planned. How did this affect you?

 

[ScubaManD]

OOS Secondary received!

 

[Affiche]

Just an FYI, they are SUPER prompt and helpful with email responses! I have a long, complicated issue with some coursework due to my institution cross-listing and condensing sequences into one course, but Vermont has been amazing.

 

[winterwind_23]

Secondary received! Does anyone know how they screen? Is it a GPA/MCAT cut-off?

 

[Eddy342]

OOS secondary received and submitted. Crossing my fingers!

 

[rudeboyirie]

Submitted as well! Early submission is all that can help me now haha. Hope this Iowa boy gets some love.

 

[CharlieKelly]

Just an FYI, they are SUPER prompt and helpful with email responses! I have a long, complicated issue with some coursework due to my institution cross-listing and condensing sequences into one course, but Vermont has been amazing.

Call me biased but UVM is pretty dope

 

[MarcyTweets]

Under general information where it says "Do you identify as any of the following (optional)", is there supposed to be a list of options there? Mine just shows the question and then a check box...

 

[pb34]

IS just submitted secondary. UVM is great.

 

[pb34]

I wonder if having a speeding ticket 4 years ago...going 40 in a 30 is going to have a big impact on my application. Anyone have any input?


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[whitemagic]

@pb34 , I really doubt it.

Anyway, I just submitted my app, and I could have sworn that it said it was $105 on the application, but when you go to pay, it says its $125! Man, that's 20 McChickens either way I'm really excited to have the chance to go here! It is probably my number one choice. Fingers crossed!

 

[pb34]

@pb34 , I really doubt it.

Anyway, I just submitted my app, and I could have sworn that it said it was $105 on the application, but when you go to pay, it says its $125! Man, that's 20 McChickens either way I'm really excited to have the chance to go here! It is probably my number one choice. Fingers crossed!

Haha I thought it said $105 too! I'm glad I'm not crazy.


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[sharkbyte]

Got the secondary. Did any of you guys fill out the optional comments for coursework?

 

[pb34]

Got the secondary. Did any of you guys fill out the optional comments for coursework?

The only optional comments I used were for courses I used AP credit for.


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