2016-2017 Vanderbilt University Application Thread

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You waive rights to view you admissions file, Rec letters, etcetera I think


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
Anyone else get a kick out of the "thank you SO much!" tone of the emails? It's actually very sweet.
 
Iz_FtB said:
Anyone else get a kick out of the "thank you SO much!" tone of the emails? It's actually very sweet.
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I really didn't realize before the cycle how much med schools try to sell themselves to us as much as we sell to them. There are lots of good applicants but they want the ones who will go on and do great things as much as possible
 
2nd received at 1 am ET after just being verified today! Autoscreen or else someone's working hard out there. Lm >80
This is deffo a dream school. Really hoping to get some action here
 
flapjack3d said:
2nd received at 1 am ET after just being verified today! Autoscreen or else someone's working hard out there. Lm >80
This is deffo a dream school. Really hoping to get some action here
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Same here - vandy one of my top choices. I hear they have great residency programs (esp. in program culture) and I'd love to see some of that as a med student. Plus about 4 hours from home - not too close, but still in driving distance.
 
Hi everyone! I'm having a lot of trouble deciding how in-depth to go in the autobiography about my family life growing up. It was, to say the least, a very hostile environment -- one parent suffered from mental illness, there was physical abuse... While I feel like I have to at least touch upon it because it was such a huge factor in shaping who I am, any ideas or thoughts as to how much to say/how to approach it/do I stay away from getting too personal?
 
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I was autoscreened too! got my 2nd two days ago, 526/3.91.

softballNRG said:
Hi everyone! I'm having a lot of trouble deciding how in-depth to go in the autobiography about my family life growing up. It was, to say the least, a very hostile environment -- one parent suffered from mental illness, there was physical abuse... While I feel like I have to at least touch upon it because it was such a huge factor in shaping who I am, any ideas or thoughts as to how much to say/how to approach it/do I stay away from getting too personal?
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I sort of have similar concerns in terms of how personal to make these autobiographies. I had a parent pass away when I was 15, which obviously played a big role in my life, but I'm not sure how much I should delve into that (I'm also considering making it my challenge, but not sure if that's appropriate either). I think that aspects of your life like that are too impactful to really be ignored, but the goal should be to tie it into a coherent explanation of your life/who you are and how it shaped you. Not sure how much it should be focused on though...

Also, 1200 words is a decently long essay - is everyone aiming to be right up there with their essays or do you think (relative) brevity is better here?
 
EagleinyourMind said:
I was autoscreened too! got my 2nd two days ago, 526/3.91.



I sort of have similar concerns in terms of how personal to make these autobiographies. I had a parent pass away when I was 15, which obviously played a big role in my life, but I'm not sure how much I should delve into that (I'm also considering making it my challenge, but not sure if that's appropriate either). I think that aspects of your life like that are too impactful to really be ignored, but the goal should be to tie it into a coherent explanation of your life/who you are and how it shaped you. Not sure how much it should be focused on though...

Also, 1200 words is a decently long essay - is everyone aiming to be right up there with their essays or do you think (relative) brevity is better here?
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Mine broke 1000 words. I tend to think that with something as broad as an autobiography, they want you to use it for as much relevant information about yourself as possible. Obviously don't write fluff though.
 
softballNRG said:
Hi everyone! I'm having a lot of trouble deciding how in-depth to go in the autobiography about my family life growing up. It was, to say the least, a very hostile environment -- one parent suffered from mental illness, there was physical abuse... While I feel like I have to at least touch upon it because it was such a huge factor in shaping who I am, any ideas or thoughts as to how much to say/how to approach it/do I stay away from getting too personal?
Click to expand...

I think you can be personal without being..graphic..for lack of better term. You can tactfully alude to certain events, or state it but follow up with the broader picture? Your background has shaped who you are today, so I think it's important to stay true to that.

I'm having a tough time with this secondary too lol lots of uncomfy self reflection.
 
Did anyone get a secondary with a high MCAT but a somewhat lower score on one section?

I have a 3.97 and a 520. 131 on Cars, Chem/Phys, and Psyc Soc, but I got a 127 on the Bio Section. Any idea if the 127 being a bit low could cause problems? (I'm still waiting on Aamcas verification which is why I'm asking)
 
oompaloompadoompadeedo said:
Haven't gotten the secondary, can someone post the prompts?
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2016-2017 prompts:

1. Autobiography
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 words max)

2. Challenge
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 words max)

@Cyberdyne 101
 
clippers50fan said:
It's just an autobiography. I don't recommend pre-writing this, it's a very heavy screen.
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Introspection is always a good thing. From what I have seen, there are schools out there with questions for which sections can be adopted to answer them once this is written.

Granted that one may not apply to schools which require such excerpts.
 
UNMedGa said:
What's this FERPA rights waiver? Does it matter one way or another whatr we choose?
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Also wondering about this! I understand what it means, that you can waive the right to view your file, but does your choice have any effect on how they view you as an applicant?

Also secondary received with 3.93 and 38 in case this is useful to anyone lolz
 
ailurophile33 said:
Also wondering about this! I understand what it means, that you can waive the right to view your file, but does your choice have any effect on how they view you as an applicant?

Also secondary received with 3.93 and 38 in case this is useful to anyone lolz
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I think they expect you to waive it generally? At least that's what I did
 
Has anyone received a secondary recently? Seems bunch got them automatically right at the beginning but there's been a big pause since
 
ShenandoahDoc said:
Did anyone get a secondary with a high MCAT but a somewhat lower score on one section?

I have a 3.97 and a 520. 131 on Cars, Chem/Phys, and Psyc Soc, but I got a 127 on the Bio Section. Any idea if the 127 being a bit low could cause problems? (I'm still waiting on Aamcas verification which is why I'm asking)
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I got through the screen with virtually the same GPA/MCAT and a 127 in one section. I think you should be fine! Good luck! 🙂
 
I have a 3.9/40 and haven't received a secondary yet (only the email saying my application is going through the screening committee). I'm OOS. Anyone else in the same situation?
 
CMVpromoter said:
I have a 3.9/40 and haven't received a secondary yet (only the email saying my application is going through the screening committee). I'm OOS. Anyone else in the same situation?
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I am relatively close -- 4.0/518 still nothing
 
Medin2016 said:
anyone knows if Vanderbilt has sent out secondary yet?
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It's sent out some secondaries. Vanderbilt has an extensive pre-screening process. Not all secondaries have been sent yet, and not every applicant receives a secondary.
 
lowkey_md said:
It's sent out some secondaries. Vanderbilt has an extensive pre-screening process. Not all secondaries have been sent yet, and not every applicant receives a secondary.
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Secondaries are not easy here.

7174 applicants (2015-16 application cycle)
~1500 invited to complete secondary
~450 invited to interview
~200 accepted
Mean MCAT accepted students (2015-16): 12.70 (~38)
Mean GPA accepted students (2015-16): 3.91
 
texasvandy said:
Secondaries are not easy here.

7174 applicants (2015-16 application cycle)
~1500 invited to complete secondary
~450 invited to interview
~200 accepted
Mean MCAT accepted students (2015-16): 12.70 (~38)
Mean GPA accepted students (2015-16): 3.91
Click to expand...
Vanderbilt is the new WUSTL.
 
Wow. I finally submitted the secondary. Super nervous about this one -- anyways, good luck everyone!
 
has anyone been rejected? or did they just send automatic secondaries and stop there at this point?
 
Received automatic secondary with a 4.0/519. Not sure where this puts the theory on how they're treating a 519.
 
My guess is they cut it off somewhere around the 95th percentile (35, or 515).
79th percentile has me like :whistle:
 
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