2020-2021 Vanderbilt

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Based on their admissions tracker, 86% have received secondaries
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Secondary received this morning, also OOS but went to Vandy for undergrad
 
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Does this secondary allow for an optional text box for IAs or allow for updates after submission? To make a long story short, I have pre-written all my secondaries but still waiting for my primary to be reviewed (hopefully in a few more days!), but when I submitted my primary I indicated I had no IAs because what I thought were not violations actually were. After talking to a few admissions departments I have learned my best bet is to 1)email the admissions office and dean of admissions, 2) explain in the optional text box why I did not report it on my primary, and 3)update my application with the details if allowed.

Therefore, does this secondary have an optional text box or allow for resubmission where I would have the opportunity to explain this situation?
 
Pokemon95 said:
medschool.vanderbilt.edu

Welcome to MD Admissions

Welcome to MD Admissions
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MSAR data said about half get secondaries(and that number seems very close to the website tracker right now already) so I wonder if they will be capping the number to around 4000 for secondaries?
 
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moleandbeaver said:
MSAR data said about half get secondaries(and that number seems very close to the website tracker right now already) so I wonder if they will be capping the number to around 4000 for secondaries?
Click to expand...

If you click on the MD link on Vandy's website you'll find this text:

"After this first screening, the most competitive applicants are offered an opportunity to submit a Vanderbilt-specific secondary application and are under consideration to be invited to come to campus for a personal interview. We anticipate that secondary invitations will be sent out starting mid-July, 2020. Approximately two-thirds of the applicants will be offered the secondary application. We will interview approximately 550 applicants; approximately 250 applicants will be offered admission for 96 positions."

So it seems like they'll be aiming to target it to 2/3 of the total verified primary applicants, but this could change.
 
apoc314 said:
If you click on the MD link on Vandy's website you'll find this text:

"After this first screening, the most competitive applicants are offered an opportunity to submit a Vanderbilt-specific secondary application and are under consideration to be invited to come to campus for a personal interview. We anticipate that secondary invitations will be sent out starting mid-July, 2020. Approximately two-thirds of the applicants will be offered the secondary application. We will interview approximately 550 applicants; approximately 250 applicants will be offered admission for 96 positions."

So it seems like they'll be aiming to target it to 2/3 of the total verified primary applicants, but this could change.
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I see! MSAR had me confused. Feels like MSAR is generally not as good of a resource versus school's websites sometimes haha
 
How are you guys approaching the autobiography? I know you are supposed to incorporate your values, any tips on how to do so while also talking about your life
 
Paul202 said:
How are you guys approaching the autobiography? I know you are supposed to incorporate your values, any tips on how to do so while also talking about your life
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Pick 3 or 4 values you want to highlight, and then choose an anecdote for each one that exemplifies it, trying to have each one also be during a different part of your life
 
Has anyone receive a secondary in the last day or so?
 
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Would it be okay if I discussed a challenge that's part of my autobiography? It's been my most significant obstacle and a very significant part of my life too.
 
premed738297 said:
Would it be okay if I discussed a challenge that's part of my autobiography? It's been my most significant obstacle and a very significant part of my life too.
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That would probably work out as long as you don't cover it in the same detail in your autobiography! I think if it's your most significant obstacle you should use it for your challenge essay but not go into the same level of detail in your autobiography since they'll have read it in your first essay already.
 
premed738297 said:
Would it be okay if I discussed a challenge that's part of my autobiography? It's been my most significant obstacle and a very significant part of my life too.
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That's what I did for mine. I briefly mentioned my challenge in my autobiography and said that it was covered in more detail in other sections of my secondary application. I wanted to keep space open in my autobiography for other things.
 
Does anyone feel like aspects of your autobiography and challenge essays are overlapping with your personal statement? I don't want to sound too repetitive but I did touch on a lot of the same events
 
3L64 said:
Does anyone feel like aspects of your autobiography and challenge essays are overlapping with your personal statement? I don't want to sound too repetitive but I did touch on a lot of the same events
Click to expand...

My PS was basically already an autobiography; for my Vanderbilt and UC San Diego essays, I mentioned critical events already in my PS but either went over them in far less detail in favor of describing different events or looked at a different perspective of the same events.
 
garbage2048 said:
yes, my committee letter isn’t in yet and i got a secondary 7/13
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Even hearing the phrase committee letter sends shivers down my spine at this point. Mine hasn't gotten sent out either lol rip. But yup I'm in the same boat, also got a secondary.
 
YoungBuck1414 said:
Even hearing the phrase committee letter sends shivers down my spine at this point. Mine hasn't gotten sent out either lol rip. But yup I'm in the same boat, also got a secondary.
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For real. Mine should be in within a week if they stick to their predictions, but my school’s notoriously awful about them, some even get sent out late september/early october
 
MSAR says minimum three letters, max of 5... but the website says: "A letter of evaluation or letter packet should be sent from your Premedical Committee. If your university does not have this committee, send three letters of evaluation." Should I just send three exactly or interpret this to mean at least three?
 
prufrock2891 said:
MSAR says minimum three letters, max of 5... but the website says: "A letter of evaluation or letter packet should be sent from your Premedical Committee. If your university does not have this committee, send three letters of evaluation." Should I just send three exactly or interpret this to mean at least three?
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My impression is that you could probably send at least 3, but Vanderbilt's admissions office will be able to clear this up definitively. I'd recommend sending an email/call.
 
prufrock2891 said:
MSAR says minimum three letters, max of 5... but the website says: "A letter of evaluation or letter packet should be sent from your Premedical Committee. If your university does not have this committee, send three letters of evaluation." Should I just send three exactly or interpret this to mean at least three?
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I e-mailed Vandy's admissions office about this a while ago. Non-trad here, and my old undergrad pre-health office offered to do a letter packet for me, but can't do a committee letter because I'm not a student there anymore. I asked Vandy how many letters to put in the packet, and they said 5 max. They said they would let me actually include 6 because I am a non-trad with several years work experience since graduation, but I stuck with 5 since that is what most people are capped at. Bottom-line: 3-5.
 
Out of curiosity, did any high stat applicant not receive a secondary? Based on their secondary tracker, they've sent them out to 77% of applicants
 
kittensneezes said:
What makes you say that?
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medschool.vanderbilt.edu

2025 – 2026 Admission Timeline

May 30, 2025: Earliest date for submission of application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Mid-July 2025: The earliest date to be invited to complete the secondary application. The secondary application and letters of recommendation are required for consideration to...
medschool.vanderbilt.edu medschool.vanderbilt.edu
Their admissions timeline says July 31st is the first day to be invited to interview
 
music-medicine said:
medschool.vanderbilt.edu

2025 – 2026 Admission Timeline

May 30, 2025: Earliest date for submission of application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Mid-July 2025: The earliest date to be invited to complete the secondary application. The secondary application and letters of recommendation are required for consideration to...
medschool.vanderbilt.edu medschool.vanderbilt.edu
Their admissions timeline says July 31st is the first day to be invited to interview
Click to expand...
I could be wrong but I thought they didn't end up sending them on the first day they reported on that website last year, just based on SDN threads though
 
ripmysociallife said:
I could be wrong but I thought they didn't end up sending them on the first day they reported on that website last year, just based on SDN threads though
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Yeah, and I would imagine that we would see people marked as "Under review"on their portal prior to II's going out. Maybe not though
 
Do they send pre-secondary rejections? Or do we continue to suffer for a couple of more months before we find out.
 
music-medicine said:
medschool.vanderbilt.edu

2025 – 2026 Admission Timeline

May 30, 2025: Earliest date for submission of application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Mid-July 2025: The earliest date to be invited to complete the secondary application. The secondary application and letters of recommendation are required for consideration to...
medschool.vanderbilt.edu medschool.vanderbilt.edu
Their admissions timeline says July 31st is the first day to be invited to interview
Click to expand...
That timeline has me waiting with bated breath for an e-mail I know is not coming today haha.
 
WindmillChaser92 said:
That timeline has me waiting with bated breath for an e-mail I know is not coming today haha.
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Wow, thanks for giving me anxiety lol, just kidding. I'm curious to know if they will actually start doing that today. I put my heart and soul into that autobiography and secondary in general, but my stats are a bit on the lower end so we will see.
 
Gentle_Scientist said:
Wow, thanks for giving me anxiety lol, just kidding. I'm curious to know if they will actually start doing that today. I put my heart and soul into that autobiography and secondary in general, but my stats are a bit on the lower end so we will see.
Click to expand...
Highly doubt they stick to that timeline, but still checking this thread while I should be doing other stuff.
 
Is anyone else unable to logon to the portal? Like it just refreshes the logon page
 
In previous threads/on some secondary advising site, people were suggesting that Vandy is looking for a professional challenge for the challenge prompt. Did you guys write about a personal or a professional challenge, and what do you think is more appropriate for this prompt?
 
srstudent said:
In previous threads/on some secondary advising site, people were suggesting that Vandy is looking for a professional challenge for the challenge prompt. Did you guys write about a personal or a professional challenge, and what do you think is more appropriate for this prompt?
Click to expand...

I haven't heard about that before. Did they give reasons for why they thought Vandy is looking for a professional challenge? I wrote about a professional challenge, but my personal opinion is that either could work as long as it answers the prompt well. Again, I don't have insider knowledge about what Vandy's committee prefers though.
 
apoc117 said:
I haven't heard about that before. Did they give reasons for why they thought Vandy is looking for a professional challenge? I wrote about a professional challenge, but my personal opinion is that either could work as long as it answers the prompt well. Again, I don't have insider knowledge about what Vandy's committee prefers though.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why tbh. It was just repeatedly mentioned in the couple previous year's threads that they're looking for a professional challenge. I decided I'm probably going to stick with my personal adversity essay though, since a whole another 500 words about an insignificant professional challenge ain't gonna happen for me.

forums.studentdoctor.net

2019-2020 Vanderbilt

Still did not work for me. Try this.
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
 
srstudent said:
I'm not sure why tbh. It was just repeatedly mentioned in the couple previous year's threads that they're looking for a professional challenge. I decided I'm probably going to stick with my personal adversity essay though, since a whole another 500 words about an insignificant professional challenge ain't gonna happen for me.

forums.studentdoctor.net

2019-2020 Vanderbilt

Still did not work for me. Try this.
forums.studentdoctor.net forums.studentdoctor.net
Click to expand...

Got it. I see what you're talking about with last year's thread and the recommendations from the outside advising website. I think as long as you demonstrate how you rose to the occasion and grew as a person that you'll show them what's important.
 
srstudent said:
In previous threads/on some secondary advising site, people were suggesting that Vandy is looking for a professional challenge for the challenge prompt. Did you guys write about a personal or a professional challenge, and what do you think is more appropriate for this prompt?
Click to expand...
I would say let those sites speculate. If Vandy really wanted only a professional challenge they would probably word the prompt more specifically. But, as long as you answer the prompt as it is written with your best possible example/answer, then that will probably work best for you.
 
Anyone else struggling with this autobiography? It's a very interesting and open-ended prompt, which makes it tough to determine which parts of my life I want to emphasize.
 
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