2021-2022 Vanderbilt

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iammaestro said:
+(n+1) I wonder how holistic their screen really is
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FYI I have not received their secondary, I'm a low GPA high MCAT non-trad, I've heard they initially stat-screen you and if either your MCAT or GPA fall below a threshold then you get punted to manual review? I'll update this thread if I end up getting one after a delay.
 
Just received secondary - international. How many and how do they screen people for secondaries?
 
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Seems like there is a pretty basic way to find out if the screen is auto or manual. If highstats applicants get secondary right away then it is likely auto. If not likely manual.
 
+1 for receiving secondary ! (Amcas verified on July 2) Good luck everyone :D
 
Screamapillar said:
FYI I have not received their secondary, I'm a low GPA high MCAT non-trad, I've heard they initially stat-screen you and if either your MCAT or GPA fall below a threshold then you get punted to manual review? I'll update this thread if I end up getting one after a delay.
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Where did you hear this? They gave a pretty detailed explanation on their website, and there was no mention of this. You could receive a secondary after others for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with an auto-screen followed by a manual review. I have received secondaries at some schools that don't screen at all over a week after others, and my primary was transmitted as early as anyone. :)
 
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Tbh hoping it’s not just a stats screen because I thought getting the secondary here was a sign that I might be given a second chance
 
"At this time, your application will be put in the queue to be reviewed by our Admissions Committee."
Does this mean I am going to be manually reviewed rather than being automatically sent a secondary?
For reference, I have a 3.42 GPA and 521 MCAT, so very unbalanced stats.
 
neurobiogirl2022 said:
"At this time, your application will be put in the queue to be reviewed by our Admissions Committee."
Does this mean I am going to be manually reviewed rather than being automatically sent a secondary?
For reference, I have a 3.42 GPA and 521 MCAT, so very unbalanced stats.
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No. It is just saying they got your application.
 
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neurobiogirl2022 said:
"At this time, your application will be put in the queue to be reviewed by our Admissions Committee."
Does this mean I am going to be manually reviewed rather than being automatically sent a secondary?
For reference, I have a 3.42 GPA and 521 MCAT, so very unbalanced stats.
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According to their website, nobody automatically receives a secondary, and yes, it looks like they are telling you that your application is in the queue. probably to keep you from becoming concerned when you see other people receiving secondaries.

Directly from the website:

Review Process​


Applications are reviewed in two stages. First, a group of specially trained screeners who represent the diversity of our community review the material provided from AMCAS. Each application receives multiple independent evaluations. This enables us to do a holistic review of the competitive strength of the applicant’s credentials. We take into consideration the following factors:


  • Academic accomplishment
  • Motivation
  • Personal qualities
  • Leadership skills
  • Educational background

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, 2021. 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.
 
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So is the general consensus that getting secondary decisions at Vandy are a bellweather for the cycle? Maybe less so than UCSF/LA/SD, but a secondary here is a decent indicator for getting an II at least somewhere? Haven’t gotten any IIs yet but got a some secondaries from “holistic” schools.
 
voxveritatisetlucis said:
So is the general consensus that getting secondary decisions at Vandy are a bellweather for the cycle? Maybe less so than UCSF/LA/SD, but a secondary here is a decent indicator for getting an II at least somewhere? Haven’t gotten any IIs yet but got a some secondaries from “holistic” schools.
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Not really. It's better than the alternative, but, passing a screen that 2/3 of everyone passes isn't really a predictor with respect to the outcomes of 5-20% screens at other schools!
 
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KnightDoc said:
Not really. It's better than the alternative, but, passing a screen that 2/3 of everyone passes isn't really a predictor with respect to the outcomes of 5-20% screens at other schools!
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which schools have 5-20% screens?
 
mangowolf said:
oh lol, i thought you meant there were schools that only give secondaries to 5-20% of the pool
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No, no LOL. @voxveritatisetlucis was asking if receiving the Vandy secondary was an indicator for receiving an II anywhere. It isn't! :)

I can't say it enough -- I wish more schools did what Vandy does. They take a few weeks and actually do a preliminary review, which saves those who are not competitive time and money. Most schools just grab the money before tossing uncompetitive files in the circular file. And, of course, no one weeds out 80%+ of the pool pre-secondary. That's the II screen.
 
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True, but assuming they actual do a complete review, I am guessing that it means that the primary application must not have a “poison pill.” Unless of course, the auto-screen has any legitimacy.
 
voxveritatisetlucis said:
True, but assuming they actual do a complete review, I am guessing that it means that the primary application must not have a “poison pill.” Unless of course, the auto-screen has any legitimacy.
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I've heard people say before that getting holistically screened secondaries means you likely have a "healthy primary". But you could obviously mess up at many other stages, and also being healthy doesn't mean being excellent. So I would say its not a bad sign, but hard to interpret how meaningful it really is.
 
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I have good stats, ECs, recommendations but also something that other SDN members have said could render my app DOA
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
I have good stats, ECs, recommendations but also something that other SDN members have said could render my app DOA
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If its something in your primary then its probably a good sign that you got Vbilt, however we still don't really know what the screening process is so I wouldn't count your chickens yet
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
True, but assuming they actual do a complete review, I am guessing that it means that the primary application must not have a “poison pill.” Unless of course, the auto-screen has any legitimacy.
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Yeah, I'm taking them at their word, because they are going out of their way to be very transparent, and they have no need to do so. As a result, it is clear, at least to me, that the secondary screen is not meant to be a complete review. It is what they claim it is, a preliminary review to thin the herd from 7,400 to 5,250, from which they select 750 to interview. THAT is the complete review!!!

Auto-screen is unverified reddit/SDN rumor. There is no valid source for it, even though it keeps being repeated, but it is the exact opposite of what the school itself describes on its website, so I'm not sure why anyone gives it any credence. When you break it down, it makes no sense. The claimed cutoff, which I believe was posted just to freak people out, is so high that it would screen a ton of applicants out, who are then supposedly dropped to manual review. Which is basically the same as just manually reviewing everyone as Vandy claims!

I have no doubt the 3.9/520 person receive a less intense preliminary review than the 3.4/510 one, but I'm sure everyone receives the multi-person review they describe on their website. Again, they don't have to tell us anything, so they certainly have no reason to lie to us about this!
 
voxveritatisetlucis said:
I have good stats, ECs, recommendations but also something that other SDN members have said could render my app DOA
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If you should have learned anything about SDN by now, it's that you can't take anything anyone says here as gospel, because there are n=1 exceptions to everything. Plus, specifically in your case, plenty of people have opined that you will be fine.

Did you receive the secondary yet? I didn't see if you posted. Either way, it's not a harbinger of anything, since it's the only T20 school (and, really, one of the only schools in the country) doing such an intense secondary pre-screen. It's nothing like an II screen, so you can't use it to predict that, but not passing this screen at this school will not necessarily mean you would be DOA anywhere else.
 
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Yes I got the secondary here, rush, Cinnci, mcw and a few other places that I’ve heard screen but not the UCs unfortunately. So I’m kind of still caught in the middle, debating whether to add some additional schools to play the numbers game
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
Yes I got the secondary here, rush, Cinnci, mcw and a few other places that I’ve heard screen but not the UCs unfortunately. So I’m kind of still caught in the middle, debating whether to add some additional schools to play the numbers game
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I think you're going to be fine. If you're not a CA resident, the UCs honestly did you a favor and saved you some money. Numbers game is totally your call, but if you are making it through secondary screens, there is nothing inherently defective in your application.
 
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Would it look bad if I don't reach 600 words? I can get my point across in the essays (besides the diversity one) within 350-400 words. I don't want them to think I'm being lazy for not being anywhere close to 600.
 
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MooseAndMe99 said:
Would it look bad if I don't reach 600 words? I can get my point across in the essays (besides the diversity one) within 350-400 words. I don't want them to think I'm being lazy for not being anywhere close to 600.
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i doubt when they see it they even see how many words you have filled out. Being succinct is a positive thing
 
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Vanderbilt posted on their website that the first day you can receive an II is July 30...let the countdown begin!
 
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"Tell us about a time when you interacted with someone who is different than you. What did you learn? What would you do differently? (600 words)"

Does anyone have insight into how to answer this question? I feel like the question presupposes that meeting with someone differently causes you to interact in an incorrect or unfair way, especially since it focuses on what would you do differently. I feel like you can meet someone that is different than you in various ways and that does not necessarily mean that you would respond to them in a way that necessitates doing things differently in the future? Thoughts.
 
DarkHeart5351 said:
"Tell us about a time when you interacted with someone who is different than you. What did you learn? What would you do differently? (600 words)"

Does anyone have insight into how to answer this question? I feel like the question presupposes that meeting with someone differently causes you to interact in an incorrect or unfair way, especially since it focuses on what would you do differently. I feel like you can meet someone that is different than you in various ways and that does not necessarily mean that you would respond to them in a way that necessitates doing things differently in the future? Thoughts.
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Then that's your answer! Regardless of what any prompt might presuppose, the whole point is for you to be you, and answer the question in a way that is appropriate for you. It's perfectly legit to say you would do nothing different if that's the case, rather than stretching to give them what you think they want. Not being genuine is the quickest way to the reject pile as they struggle to curate a class.
 
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I was verified July 15. Anyone who was verified around this date still not have a secondary invite? Kind of worried
 
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gabid2b said:
I was verified July 15. Anyone who was verified around this date still not have a secondary invite? Kind of worried
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I was verified June 1 and I still don't have a secondary. I checked last year's thread and they were still sending out secondaries in August. The prescreen for this school is done by real people, so Im hoping that they are just taking their time :)

In the meantime, I am going to prewrite their essays so I can send the secondary in as soon as I receive it. Of course, there is always the possibility that I will never receive the secondary, but that is out of my control. Just trying to keep my head up. Hopefully we both get those emails soon!
 
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EC8B5F90-9C42-48E7-ACCA-B8C75CC2C41A.jpeg

Just an update from the tracker!
 
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serotonin1 said:
View attachment 341216
Just an update from the tracker!
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A little more generous than they promised with respect to screening out 1/3 pre-secondary. Unless they are figured that early applications tend to be stronger, and they are planning on screening more out later on.
 
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Good luck to everyone tomorrow! :) I wonder if they'll start on day one
 
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NormalUsername42 said:
Did they say that they were going to start sending out II's today? (Or is there something else special about today that I'm missing?😅)
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Their website says that today is the first day that they could send out II's! However, looking at last year's thread, most people didn't get II's until a couple of weeks after the first date that they set for last year.
 
bhonz said:
Their website says that today is the first day that they could send out II's! However, looking at last year's thread, most people didn't get II's until a couple of weeks after the first date that they set for last year.
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Ah. Thanks for the heads up! I was looking at the date I had down from their MSAR page which said August 1st so I wasn't super sure.
 
I received my secondary 7/15 and submitted today - 1 day after the 2 week mark (7/30). Not sure if submitting beyond the 2 week point is good but does anyone have any insight on whether this will influence my app being read or not haha
 
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drhealer said:
I received my secondary 7/15 and submitted today - 1 day after the 2 week mark (7/30). No sure if submitting beyond the 2 week point is good but does anyone have any insight on whether this will influence my app being read or not haha
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I really hope it won't hurt! I also received mine 7/15 and am hoping to submit later today so we are in the same boat lol
 
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The two weeks is just a guideline. If they reeeeeally wanted it to be turned in before two weeks, they would put a hard deadline on when you can access your application like some schools do. Turning in your secondary one or two days after two weeks really should not hurt.
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
Yes I got the secondary here, rush, Cinnci, mcw and a few other places that I’ve heard screen but not the UCs unfortunately. So I’m kind of still caught in the middle, debating whether to add some additional schools to play the numbers game
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Do you remember the screens for those schools? B/c I'm a low-stat-ish applicant and no way did I get those secondaries because of some stats screen.
 
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Has anyone received a secondary that clearly went through the holistic screen? Worried I’m already rejected
 
ughugh said:
Has anyone received a secondary that clearly went through the holistic screen? Worried I’m already rejected
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+1 haven't received one yet. Funny because I received one last year with similar stats
 
premed-int'l said:
+1 haven't received one yet. Funny because I received one last year with similar stats
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Are you worried? It seems like we should have heard already like looking at the tracker. I did internship there so I thought that alone would be okay to get the secondary.
 
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ughugh said:
Has anyone received a secondary that clearly went through the holistic screen? Worried I’m already rejected
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On their website, they say everyone does. Since everyone has been delayed from the very beginning of the cycle (earliest secondaries didn't go out until 7/14) there is no way to know for certain that this really happens, but they also have no reason to lie about it. Of course, I'm sure the secondary review for the 3.9/518 applicant is a little less holistic than for the 3.5/512 one, but, still....

I think it's a little premature to worry, since they reportedly already have over 4,000 applications to work through. OTOH, and I don't mean to sound glib here, if you are at the low end of their stat range and they don't send you a secondary, you really should send them a thank you note, because all they are doing is saving you time and money without changing your outcome. It's honestly a kindness I wish all schools would extend to us, as opposed to the common practice of having us write essays, taking our money, and then ghosting us for months on end before rejecting us.

Check your spam filter and then try to take it easy for another few weeks, focusing on schools that are focusing on you. Good luck!!!
 
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