'Vanderbilt Visits Boston'

[ElloMellowYellow]

Edit***
When I replied to the email, I was told there would be 50 other institutions there. So if you are in the Boston area and are interested here's the registration link.

NEAAHP 2019 Student Health Professions Fair - March 30


Did anyone else in the boston area recieve this email from vanderbilt about a recruitment fair?

I know schools send these kind of emails out based on the aamc reporting, but my mcat is below their 10th percentile.

I am Hispanic, non urm, but it seems like a bit of stretch to think that would make up for not even being in their lowest range.

I'll be in the area at the time they're hosting, but is it even worth it to go?

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[Rachapkis]

If your MCAT stays below Vandy's 10th percentile, it is unlikely that you will be accepted there. However, you may want to go just to get experience interacting with and asking questions of medical school representatives. You may find it informative, and it may help you with the very beginning stages of interview preparation. What's more, you never know what will happen next . . . you may retake the MCAT and find yourself solidly within Vandy's range. Good luck.

 

[ElloMellowYellow]

Yea, I wasnt expecting a chance of acceptance. But your point about the interview preparation is a good one,

Thanks!

 

[RNthenDoc]

Poor Vandy is facing PR nightmare after PR nightmare

 

[ElloMellowYellow]

They apparently do these recruitment tours all over the U.S.

I dont get why an elite school would be going door to door if they already have such qualified applicants.

 

[ThrowawayShmoaway]

I dont get why an elite school would be going door to door if they already have such qualified applicants.

I feel like this is a huge misconception that often gets repeated here. A lot of the "elite" med schools actually do plenty of recruiting in some way, shape, or form, even though, theoretically, they could probably still get plenty of qualified people in their applicant pools. Whether it's (e)mailing from the Med-MAR list or sending an admissions representative around to different colleges, it happens just as much with the T20s as with the other schools.

 

[ElloMellowYellow]

Thanks for the input

I wasnt trying to say I didnt expect any recruiting from them. I understood the med-mar emailing.

The only other school to tell me they were in the area and looking for applicants was a Caribbean school so... that was my only frame of reference.

 

[ndafife]

They apparently do these recruitment tours all over the U.S.

I dont get why an elite school would be going door to door if they already have such qualified applicants.

They want 10k people to pay their secondary application fee. It takes almost 0 work on their part to collect your $$$ and screen you and your sub-10th percentile MCAT out

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

The time and money is better spent on MSAR than on any sort of recruitment events put together my med schools. It would be worthwhile to talk to a vandy student about your application. I'm only going to an incredible school this year because a med student who attends that school reached out to me through this forum. For all the negative PR SDN receives it is seriously an amazing place for any premed.

 

[DrFortiusNatando]

I feel like this is a huge misconception that often gets repeated here. A lot of the "elite" med schools actually do plenty of recruiting in some way, shape, or form, even though, theoretically, they could probably still get plenty of qualified people in their applicant pools. Whether it's (e)mailing from the Med-MAR list or sending an admissions representative around to different colleges, it happens just as much with the T20s as with the other schools.

Yes, my son recently got a very personalized letter from BMS ("best medical school"), mentioning a number of specifics from his application, trying to recruit him as URIM and asking him to apply next year. The letter was most certainly a form letter, but somehow they got some personalized information that was inserted as well. He is not considered URIM and did not report that he was anywhere in his MCAT or AMCAS application this year. (Though his MCAT of 52x and high GPA from an ivy would be desirable for BMS if indeed URIM). Seems like even the tippy top is anxious to recruit qualified URIM students and is willing to go to some lengths to do so, even getting data from top UG premed offices or wherever they got his data.

It was weird to get such a recruiting letter from BMS for 2019-2020 as he applied this 2018-2019 cycle and though he got a fair number of T20 interviews and acceptances, BMS was not one of them. They should at least not send the letters to people who have already applied to their school that year, as it would be an easy enough check to do I would think.

I consider these sorts of contacts as marketing strategies. T20 schools are clamoring to keep and ascend within the rankings and they do this in part by having low acceptance rates - which of course, they can do by getting more people to apply. If there is an event in your area that would not be difficult for OP to attend, he/she might go just to get more information about the med school app process, but I would not consider it a bonafide expression of interest in any particular student.

 

[ThrowawayShmoaway]

Seems like even the tippy top is anxious to recruit

Yep, just off the top of my head I can remember receiving recruitment emails or physical letters from HMS, Wash U, Pritzker, Vandy, and Northwestern. So I think a lot of schools do it, regardless of ranking

 

[ndafife]

Yep, just off the top of my head I can remember receiving recruitment emails or physical letters from HMS, Wash U, Pritzker, Vandy, and Northwestern. So I think a lot of schools do it, regardless of ranking

Convince 500 more people to apply then you can tout how competitive your school is and how much better you are than 'School X' who accepts 4% of their applicants but you only accept 3.9%

 

[freedoctor17]

Yes, my son recently got a very personalized letter from BMS ("best medical school"), mentioning a number of specifics from his application, trying to recruit him as URIM and asking him to apply next year. The letter was most certainly a form letter, but somehow they got some personalized information that was inserted as well. He is not considered URIM and did not report that he was anywhere in his MCAT or AMCAS application this year. (Though his MCAT of 52x and high GPA from an ivy would be desirable for BMS if indeed URIM). Seems like even the tippy top is anxious to recruit qualified URIM students and is willing to go to some lengths to do so, even getting data from top UG premed offices or wherever they got his data.

It was weird to get such a recruiting letter from BMS for 2019-2020 as he applied this 2018-2019 cycle and though he got a fair number of T20 interviews and acceptances, BMS was not one of them. They should at least not send the letters to people who have already applied to their school that year, as it would be an easy enough check to do I would think.

I consider these sorts of contacts as marketing strategies. T20 schools are clamoring to keep and ascend within the rankings and they do this in part by having low acceptance rates - which of course, they can do by getting more people to apply. If there is an event in your area that would not be difficult for OP to attend, he/she might go just to get more information about the med school app process, but I would not consider it a bonafide expression of interest in any particular student.

My own undergrad doesn't even know i attend They still send me recruitment letters and emails every year...

 

[ElloMellowYellow]

Hi all.

When I replied to the email, i was told there would be 50 other institutions there.
Registration link to the fair is in the original post.

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

Still pointless. MSAR is going to be much more useful.

 

[ElloMellowYellow]

Still pointless. MSAR is going to be much more useful.

I'm not using the fair to find out which schools to apply to. I already have MSAR. And I already made a schoolist. I'm going to this darn thing because it cant hurt and I'll probably learn something from it.

Thanks