2020-2021 Vanderbilt

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futuremd0110 said:
Current M1 here. This is an amazing school with great people and it's about as low stress/collaborative as possible for an elite med school. 1 yr preclinical+P/F clinical year+protected research time is a great combination. If anyone has questions, shoot me a message
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you should change your status to "Medical Student" 🙂
 
For those who have received an interview, does your secondary application portal change (for example, has an interview tab added to it)? Thank you!
 
BoyLampard said:
does anyone know the attire for the deep dive sessions on Wednesdays?
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Honestly, a bunch of people will dress up fancy (annoying). There are so many people on those zoom calls there is no way they are actually watching who logs on and who doesn't. I dressed super casual for mine. Some people didn't even turn on their video. I wouldn't stress about it.
 
ep3073 said:
Honestly, a bunch of people will dress up fancy (annoying). There are so many people on those zoom calls there is no way they are actually watching who logs on and who doesn't. I dressed super casual for mine. Some people didn't even turn on their video. I wouldn't stress about it.
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I literally wore a T shirt and jacket. Some folks were in suits, some were chill. I'm confident that they don't care what you wear. One time I even did one while I was in the lab lol
 
Thoughts about sending a new LOR from my supervisor for my gap year job? I interviewed 9/18 and know they seemed really receptive to updates but not sure if sending this would move me to the bottom of the pile. I already have the letter if that makes a difference.
 
spikebee said:
Thoughts about sending a new LOR from my supervisor for my gap year job? I interviewed 9/18 and know they seemed really receptive to updates but not sure if sending this would move me to the bottom of the pile. I already have the letter if that makes a difference.
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Will it add something new and meaningful to your application or is it just more "x is super awesome"?
 
almostinder said:
Will it add something new and meaningful to your application or is it just more "x is super awesome"?
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It's for a new position with americorps so I think it would add something slightly different and am confident it would be a good rec...just not sure if it could delay my decision in any way
 
spikebee said:
It's for a new position with americorps so I think it would add something slightly different and am confident it would be a good rec...just not sure if it could delay my decision in any way
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I guess what I'm asking is if your letter writer is going to discuss character attributes/positives that your other letters don't? And idk about the second part, honestly I think it wouldn't hurt to email them to see.
 
medicinesaveslives said:
How much does my mcat matter once I got an interview? Vandy's median mcat is 521 and I honestly am not sure how I got an interview with a 513. Am I basically interviewing for waitlist?
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I believe that if you passed their pre-screening and got an interview, it’s because they already like you and you have a fair chance, just like other applicants with higher stats. For their latest entering class, Vandy admitted people with an MCAT as low as the 74th percentile, so you should be fine with your score, which is in the high 80s. Believe me, I understand your concerns because I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to MCATs on the lower end of the spectrum for the top schools, but we haven’t made it this far in the admissions process for nothing. 🙂
 
Probably too early for interviewing for waitlist. However when they are deciding for As they look at your complete application not just interview feedback. Check for LizzyM staircase analogy.
 
EdgeTrimmer said:
Probably too early for interviewing for waitlist. However when they are deciding for As they look at your complete application not just interview feedback. Check for LizzyM staircase analogy.
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This^^^^. There is no such thing as interviewing for the WL until the end of the cycle, when they have literally already filled the class and are still continuing to interview to supplement the WL in case more people than expected decline their offer. That said, that staircase analogy is a great one that was offered by an adcom at a very prestigious school, so it's probably very true.

Vandy clearly liked you enough to bring you in, so you are definitely good enough to be admitted. But that doesn't mean you are on equal footing with everyone else who received an II (the staircase). People with better stats, better ECs, better LORs, etc. might be higher on the staircase than you. You will all interview.

Based on the interviews, some will move up on the staircase, others will move down. When the music stops (after your app has been fully scored), those at the top of the staircase will receive As. The adcom will then move down the staircase, continuing to dole out As until the class is filled.

They will then issue WLs. They might issue some WLs while they still have As to give, because they know, based on your score, that your score isn't going to be high enough to receive an A. They can't know this until after the interview. If there was no chance for you to receive an A, they wouldn't waste the interview slot on you. But that doesn't mean you don't have more to overcome than other candidates if you are going into the interview with a MCAT in the bottom 10%-ile of their accepted students, unless you are in a special category like URM, which then puts you on a different staircase altogether! 😎
 
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This is all speculation but I’m guessing that they categorize applicants into different piles and create a diverse class based on their ‘X factor.’

Why else would we get educators, women’s rights activists, cancer researchers, fulbright scholars, and so on all in one class?

Based on stats + ECs I’m guessing we compete against folks with similar experiences (staircase analogy). So if someone’s X factor is that they’re a latinx woman’s rights activist that worked heavily with PP, then they’d be competing with folks along those same lines of experiences.
 
borrawin95 said:
This is all speculation but I’m guessing that they categorize applicants into different piles and create a diverse class based on their ‘X factor.’

Why else would we get educators, women’s rights activists, cancer researchers, fulbright scholars, and so on all in one class?

Based on stats + ECs I’m guessing we compete against folks with similar experiences (staircase analogy). So if someone’s X factor is that they’re a latinx woman’s rights activist that worked heavily with PP, then they’d be competing with folks along those same lines of experiences.
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Yes and no. You have the general idea, but most people actually are on the same staircase. If there were literally dozens of different staircases, the statistical profile of the class wouldn't be as consistently high as it is, and you'd expect the MCAT 10%-ile to be lower than 515 and the GPA 10%-ile to be lower than 3.68/3.60. First they do the statistical cut, then they do the IIs, then they diversify the class. Some groups like URMs have a somewhat lower statistical bar, but if everyone were in a different pile, one would expect a greater diversity of MCATs and GPAs.
 
PatchAdamsWannabe said:
You are not an adcom, can you please stop posting like you are one? Some of your advice is good, but you haven’t even applied yet dude.
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If you have a problem with anything I am saying, please be more specific. Otherwise, I am as entitled to post as anyone else. I make no misrepresentations as to who I am. If my info is good, why should you care whether I am an adcom, or an applicant, or just someone with an opinion who sometimes has good advice to share??? It just so turns out that I usually actually kind of have a good idea what I am talking about. If this doesn't work for you, I urge you to explore the ignore functionality of the site. I promise I won't be offended. 😎
 
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KnightDoc said:
If you have a problem with anything I am saying, please be more specific. Otherwise, I am as entitled to post as anyone else. I make no misrepresentations as to who I am. If my info is good, why should you care whether I am an adcom, or an applicant, or just someone with an opinion who sometimes has good advice to share??? It just so turns out that I usually actually kind of have a good idea what I am talking about. If this doesn't work for you, I urge you to explore the ignore functionality of the site. I promise I won't be offended. 😎
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I have to say your rhetoric (in this post alone) hints towards a resolute, expert opinion on the matter. Whether you find a problem is up to you. However, you should keep in mind that naive, impressionable pre-meds may put more stock into your words than they should.
 
borrawin95 said:
I have to say your rhetoric (in this post alone) hints towards a resolute, expert opinion on the matter. Whether you find a problem is up to you. However, you should keep in mind that naive, impressionable pre-meds may put more stock into your words than they should.
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I honestly don't know how to respond, but I'll try. Maybe I sound confident because I am, and maybe what I say resonates because it is reasonable. 😎

I still identify myself as a premed in my profile, which appears to the left of each of my posts, and have never represented myself as anything else. I have also gone out of my way to be open and honest regarding the fact that I am sitting this cycle out, and why. I really am sorry if anyone gives any of my posts more weight than they deserve. That is truly not my intent.

However, if folks critically review all of the posts in this forum, they might come to question the unbridled deference they seem to give to adcom posts. I have found them to be far from infallible, and consequently wouldn't be so quick to dismiss anyone who seems to know what they are talking about just because they don't identify themselves as an adcom. As always, JMHO! 😎

All of this said, I REALLY don't want to derail this Vandy specific thread. If you guys want to continue, I invite you to start a new thread scolding premeds for posting in a tone that implies that they know more than they should (or do). I promise I will follow!! 😎
 
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For anyone that interviewed, did the AdCom ask that we cc them in our thank you notes to our interviewers? I remember reading that during the end of day presentation, but I'm not sure if that was due to my fatigue from being there the whole day.

Thanks in advance!
 
Exocus said:
For anyone that interviewed, did the AdCom ask that we cc them in our thank you notes to our interviewers? I remember reading that during the end of day presentation, but I'm not sure if that was due to my fatigue from being there the whole day.

Thanks in advance!
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They said you could but it's not mandatory.
 
Until what dates have interview dates been filled up?
 
Are both interviews open file? The SDN feedback page says one is closed file 30 min for behavioral questions, and the other is 1 hour 20 minutes open file. Is this still true?
 
spottedcory said:
Are both interviews open file? The SDN feedback page says one is closed file 30 min for behavioral questions, and the other is 1 hour 20 minutes open file. Is this still true?
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The open file interview was not 1 hour 20 minutes for me, but yes this is how it is set up.
 
spottedcory said:
Are both interviews open file? The SDN feedback page says one is closed file 30 min for behavioral questions, and the other is 1 hour 20 minutes open file. Is this still true?
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My open file interview was around 40 to 50 minutes long. Closed file between 20 and 30 mins.
 
If we can't make the student/interviewee virtual meet up the night before the interview, is that okay? I'm on west coast and will still be at work. Anyone else missed it?
 
WindmillChaser92 said:
If we can't make the student/interviewee virtual meet up the night before the interview, is that okay? I'm on west coast and will still be at work. Anyone else missed it?
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It's definitely optional! There were a couple of west coast people in my interview group who weren't able to make it and it was all okay - it was mostly just a chance to have a chill conversation with some students and hear about their experiences. There is also a student panel during the day so you would still be able to get your questions answered. I'd say the evening thing is nice to go to if you can, but don't sweat it if you can't.
 
accioMD! said:
Were these pre- or post-II R's?
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I got the impression from interview day that they don't reject post-II until March (they just keep pushing people back until the last acceptance wave in March)
 
how do we feel about this email (i was complete mid august):

Thank you for your interest in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. We wanted to update you on the process that is somewhat unique for the 2021 admissions cycle. We have heard from candidates who dealt with transcripts that were delayed in reaching AMCAS, MCATs that were canceled, and AMCAS applications that were prolonged in verification, not to mention challenges in our candidates' personal lives. It has been quite a year, and yet we are up by 26% in total applications.

To be fair to all applicants, we decided to extend our review of files into the middle of January (normally completed at the beginning of December). This will allow us to extend our interview season well into February, while we are normally complete at the end of January. We plan to interview as many of you as we can accommodate in this time frame.

Currently you are in the queue to be reviewed for an interview offer. At this time, we cannot give you a specific time line as to when you should expect to hear back from us. But, rest assured we are giving your application the attention it deserves. You are welcome to update your file from your admissions portal; feel free to upload any PDFs that you wish!
 
redheart33 said:
how do we feel about this email (i was complete mid august):

Thank you for your interest in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. We wanted to update you on the process that is somewhat unique for the 2021 admissions cycle. We have heard from candidates who dealt with transcripts that were delayed in reaching AMCAS, MCATs that were canceled, and AMCAS applications that were prolonged in verification, not to mention challenges in our candidates' personal lives. It has been quite a year, and yet we are up by 26% in total applications.

To be fair to all applicants, we decided to extend our review of files into the middle of January (normally completed at the beginning of December). This will allow us to extend our interview season well into February, while we are normally complete at the end of January. We plan to interview as many of you as we can accommodate in this time frame.

Currently you are in the queue to be reviewed for an interview offer. At this time, we cannot give you a specific time line as to when you should expect to hear back from us. But, rest assured we are giving your application the attention it deserves. You are welcome to update your file from your admissions portal; feel free to upload any PDFs that you wish!
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Got this too and honestly it was really kind made me happy that they’re thinking of us and modifying their system
 
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