2024-2025 Vanderbilt

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How did everyone’s email start? Did everyone’s start off with ”we are impressed by…”? is waitlist emails all same/ different for everyone?
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Does Vanderbilt actually reject anyone or do they automatically waitlist everyone that isn’t accepted?
 
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premedstudent193 said:
Does Vanderbilt actually reject anyone or do they automatically waitlist everyone that isn’t accepted?
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I remember them saying that they reject only very few people - like if you do something egregious during your interview, so most are waitlisted.
 
I know this is an incredible school but is anyone else a little… underwhelmed with this year’s match list?
 
kahantry roads said:
I know this is an incredible school but is anyone else a little… underwhelmed with this year’s match list?
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I would say this year's match list is as good or better than last year's. It's a strong match list, I think it just suffers from being located in the South and attracting students that don't want to stay in the South. You see a lot of people matching high tier programs at WashU or Vanderbilt, and then an equal amount matching at random mid-high tier programs all over, with presumably the top of the class being the ones going to MGH, Hopkins, Stanford, etc. Its a very similar match list to similarly ranked schools*

*meaning the T15-20 range. Vanderbilt ranked in the T5 only a single time. It just so happened to be the last credible US News ranking year, and they didn't even break the top 10 in the preliminary rankings. The fact that they jumped ~10 spots between the preliminary and final rankings is shady. See historical rankings here


**Bias: accepted to Vandy, got no merit aid, will be attending a different school.
 
TheRealBibFortuna said:
I would say this year's match list is as good or better than last year's. It's a strong match list, I think it just suffers from being located in the South and attracting students that don't want to stay in the South. You see a lot of people matching high tier programs at WashU or Vanderbilt, and then an equal amount matching at random mid-high tier programs all over, with presumably the top of the class being the ones going to MGH, Hopkins, Stanford, etc. Its a very similar match list to similarly ranked schools*

*meaning the T15-20 range. Vanderbilt ranked in the T5 only a single time. It just so happened to be the last credible US News ranking year, and they didn't even break the top 10 in the preliminary rankings. The fact that they jumped ~10 spots between the preliminary and final rankings is shady. See historical rankings here


**Bias: accepted to Vandy, got no merit aid, will be attending a different school.
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Idk if I would say on par with last year’s match. Half the neurosurgery matches, fewer derm, only one plastics, and more unmatched students (basing this off of prelims without an associated PGY2 program). There are fewer matches on this year’s list so perhaps more people on last years match list took a research year for more competitive specialties. You are probably right about the list looking more underwhelming for someone outside of the south because I am partial to not living in the south after med school so maybe the fewer matches to UCSF and east coast schools is biasing me. Also interesting that no one in the past two years has matched to a New York residency. But reading match lists is definitely not a perfect science, so I might be letting my personal bias show.
 
TheRealBibFortuna said:
I would say this year's match list is as good or better than last year's. It's a strong match list, I think it just suffers from being located in the South and attracting students that don't want to stay in the South. You see a lot of people matching high tier programs at WashU or Vanderbilt, and then an equal amount matching at random mid-high tier programs all over, with presumably the top of the class being the ones going to MGH, Hopkins, Stanford, etc. Its a very similar match list to similarly ranked schools*

*meaning the T15-20 range. Vanderbilt ranked in the T5 only a single time. It just so happened to be the last credible US News ranking year, and they didn't even break the top 10 in the preliminary rankings. The fact that they jumped ~10 spots between the preliminary and final rankings is shady. See historical rankings here


**Bias: accepted to Vandy, got no merit aid, will be attending a different school.
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kahantry roads said:
Idk if I would say on par with last year’s match. Half the neurosurgery matches, fewer derm, only one plastics, and more unmatched students (basing this off of prelims without an associated PGY2 program). There are fewer matches on this year’s list so perhaps more people on last years match list took a research year for more competitive specialties. You are probably right about the list looking more underwhelming for someone outside of the south because I am partial to not living in the south after med school so maybe the fewer matches to UCSF and east coast schools is biasing me. Also interesting that no one in the past two years has matched to a New York residency. But reading match lists is definitely not a perfect science, so I might be letting my personal bias show.
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I’m certainly no expert in match lists, but as I’ve learned from my X vs. Y thread plus other similar threads, it’s really just preference of the class at the Vanderbilt tier. Some years, match lists seem stronger because students are interested in more competitive specialties or in more competitive residency placements. Other years, it’s the opposite. People tend to prioritize location and where they want to settle down for residency rank lists far more than they do for medical school choice.

I also actually disagree with Bib here. USNews and admit.org rankings have never factored in matching strength, which is part of why they’re so-often considered to be nonsense. I know admit.org is probably working on quantifying lists in one way or another, but until then, all we can do is eyeball. I don’t think Vanderbilt’s match list on average would be any worse than a T5 or whatever, aside from Harvard, which matches half the class back to itself, or Stanford, where 75% of the class takes at least 1 research year (similar numbers at Penn and Yale).

Vanderbilt’s match list is very strong. Matching a top residency like UCSF will always be a crapshoot unless you’re a student at UCSF.
 
when does vandy send financial aid letters? also does anyone have any idea if their scholarships are based on tuition alone or tuition and fees
 
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Mr. Macrophage said:
I’m certainly no expert in match lists, but as I’ve learned from my X vs. Y thread plus other similar threads, it’s really just preference of the class at the Vanderbilt tier. Some years, match lists seem stronger because students are interested in more competitive specialties or in more competitive residency placements. Other years, it’s the opposite. People tend to prioritize location and where they want to settle down for residency rank lists far more than they do for medical school choice.

I also actually disagree with Bib here. USNews and admit.org rankings have never factored in matching strength, which is part of why they’re so-often considered to be nonsense. I know admit.org is probably working on quantifying lists in one way or another, but until then, all we can do is eyeball. I don’t think Vanderbilt’s match list on average would be any worse than a T5 or whatever, aside from Harvard, which matches half the class back to itself, or Stanford, where 75% of the class takes at least 1 research year (similar numbers at Penn and Yale).

Vanderbilt’s match list is very strong. Matching a top residency like UCSF will always be a crapshoot unless you’re a student at UCSF.
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USNWR rankings are now Tier based….Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4, so they are more reliable. Admit.org rankings don’t account for public state medical schools having rural campuses, schools which matriculate BS/MD students (those students only need to meet certain minimum MCAT scores and hence bring down the average/median) etc.

Another factor that complicates this residency match based comparison is that 10-30% of matches at top medical centers and specialties involve students with a dual degree: MD/PhD, MD/MPH etc.
 
>vandy matches an nsgy to barrow
>match list is weak

at some point, if you're not at a pure t5, you're going to have to put some level of effort in. and even the t5 people have to put effort in. especially for an nsgy, your ambition/networking/etc weigh more than school prestige. look at UCSF nsgy, they've got state MD school people.

if you're tying monumental differences in prestige "vandy vs XYZ peer institution", already ngmi. only for IM and other mid tier specialty is it going to make that huge of a difference. either way, we're all taking research years unless you've got a way to slide in
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ig the point is, if you're measuring miniscule differences between vandy and washu or some ****, it was over before it began. look for fit in those cases and money. otherwise, the decision will be obvious. like choosing harvard over vandy.
 
hey folks, when would be the right time to send LoI's? Do we get an email notification or something when it is about the time to send them or do we just send it whenever before 4/30?
 
That immediate withdraw after seeing the financial aid (or lack thereof) 😬

Computer Severance GIF
 
Would notice of merit-based aid also have come through the "Document Upload" tab on the portal?
 
Does anyone remember them indicating whether they’d prefer update letters/LOIs to be uploaded to the portal vs emailed to admissions?
 
dennasdc said:
Does anyone remember them indicating whether they’d prefer update letters/LOIs to be uploaded to the portal vs emailed to admissions?
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from the FAQ on the portal:
  • Can I submit a letter of interest? Yes. We welcome letters of interest at any time during the application process. Please upload the letter of interest to our applicant portal. You can also email us a letter of interest at [email protected] for MD applicants and [email protected] for MSTP applicants. Please include your AMCAS ID in your email.
  • Can I submit a letter of intent? Yes. We welcome letters of intent after April 30, 2025. Please upload the letter of intent to our applicant portal. You can also email us a letter of intent at [email protected] for MD applicants and [email protected] for MSTP applicants.
 
So based on their email from yesterday.... we upload the letter of intent and email ON April 29th, but only BEFORE 5pm central time. Not a day before...
?
 
seagul98 said:
So based on their email from yesterday.... we upload the letter of intent and email ON April 29th, but only BEFORE 5pm central time. Not a day before...
?
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Seems like it, I am planning on sending it in April 29th 1PM CST
 
holy crap man 800 word essays no wonder so few applied here. Didn't know Vanderbilt's pulling a Duke as well. How long did it take you guys to finish the secondaries?
 
LateApplicantKing said:
holy crap man 800 word essays no wonder so few applied here. Didn't know Vanderbilt's pulling a Duke as well. How long did it take you guys to finish the secondaries?
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10 days but I was playing catchup with secondaries I received earlier. I mean as long as you do your best to turn them around within 2 weeks you'll be fine
 
LateApplicantKing said:
holy crap man 800 word essays no wonder so few applied here. Didn't know Vanderbilt's pulling a Duke as well. How long did it take you guys to finish the secondaries?
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The recommendation is submitting within 2 weeks as a rule of thumb, but I didn't submit until 18 days after the invite was sent. Unless you're submitting super late, I'd say quality of writing is more important than pure speed of submission.

It also wasn't my first secondary, so I think I ended up recycling one of my longer essays and adding to it.
 
LateApplicantKing said:
holy crap man 800 word essays no wonder so few applied here. Didn't know Vanderbilt's pulling a Duke as well. How long did it take you guys to finish the secondaries?
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I found the Vanderbilt secondaries to be very similar to Duke, UCSD and Johns Hopkins so a lot of the content was borrowed/shared between the three. I also really like their secondary prompts because you get to talk more about who you are as a person and give adcoms more of a sense of what motivates you besides your accomplishments.
 
wantedmd10 said:
I would assume today is too early right?
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But the email they sent said "we expect to have a better idea of where we stand in regards to the waitlist at the very end of April and anticipate that the majority of waitlist movement will start the morning of April 30th, into May 1st and periodically thereafter" so idk
 
plsdontmakemereapply said:
I'm too mentally fragile for this you guys I started dooming at like 11am and now I maybe gotta wait until tomorrow?? 😭😭
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My heart rate has been sitting at a cool 130 all day from how anxious I've been. If anyone in the accepted students gc/fb can let us know if theyve seen an influx of students due to waitlist movement that'd be amazing
 
Xprem3dx said:
My heart rate has been sitting at a cool 130 all day from how anxious I've been. If anyone in the accepted students gc/fb can let us know if theyve seen an influx of students due to waitlist movement that'd be amazing
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no literally I've been bringing out the breathing exercises and everything
 
I don’t want to ruin your guys’ hope, but there’s still about ~140 admitted students in the group chat at the moment. I don’t know if there will be any waitlist movement just yet. Holding out hope for you all!
 
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