<p>This is not a typical thread where I ask generic questions about premed life at Vanderbilt and how "hard" it is to get a high GPA and what not. I have done my research (both on CC and on the internet) and have gotten the gist of what being a premed at Vanderbilt means. But I had some more specific questions for people that are either currently at Vanderbilt or alumni that have gone through the pre-medical process. I know that some Vandy folks do check out this thread occasionally so if anyone fits the description and would not mind giving me some insight, please let me know!</p>
<p>I am really interested in Vanderbilt and there is a strong possibility that I commit to it come May 1st but more information would definitely help.</p>
<p>If you can swing a trip to Vandy for one of the admitted student days, you can go to the scheduled hour plus meeting with Vanderbilt’s head pre-med advisor, Dr. Robert Baum. We (parents and admitted student) attended this meeting on admitted student day in spring 09. Dr. Baum had a two students with him who had just completed their applications to med school present. They answered a lot of admitted student questions personally and already had some great med school admissions in their pockets, awaiting others. I have seen a couple of lists with Wash U at the top for pre-med programming where Vanderbilt is in the top 10 and or 20, but I am not putting a lot of weight on those lists being rational. Obviously, opportunities for research, hands on internships and high quality of life (medical complexes on premises, small upperclass courses, access to full professors) are all present in Vanderbilt undergraduate school’s desirable location and wonderful facilities.<br>
But there are many ways to Nirvana and many paths to medical schools. I have watched the white coat ceremony online at the Vandy Med school to see one of my son’s friends get his “coat”. Very moving and happy experience to watch. And the undergraduates who were chosen for Vandy med school were from many divergent backgrounds. If you have a competing compelling offer in April, suggest you come to admitted day and do some face to face interactions.</p>
<p>@Faline2
That is some great advice!! I had originally visited Vanderbilt when they had their PreVU days several months ago and did not get a chance to really get lots of information from the premed-advisor even though I was able to meet with him when they had all the different clubs and organizations around the room. When April begins, I’ll decide on what I will do based on if I am able to get into any other competing schools on my list. </p>
<p>I have exchanged multiple emails with Lauren Rains from the Pre-med office ( HPAO ). She is extremely helpful and will set you up with students with any combination of majors/minors or double majors who are on pre-med track and you can ask them directly. Another option is contacting one of “Inside Dores” student bloggers - look for pre-meds - <a href=“Bloggers | Inside 'Dores | Vanderbilt University”>http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/insidedores/about-us/</a></p>
<p>Thanks to @matrixsurgeon for starting this thread as I am sure many people will have same questions. DS has visited the campus and really liked it. He will be evaluating the pre-med program at Vandy and comparing it to the peer schools.</p>
<p>I would appreciate posters’ comments on the strength of VU pre-med program, pre-med advising, and how Vandy manages the recommendation process. For example, is it done by committee letter, etc…? I have heard that some schools will not provide a recommendation if they don’t think you are a “worthy” med-school applicant. These schools will discourage or weed out students in order to keep their med school admit rate high. This is my first child going through this so I am only repeating what I read from cc here. Please share your VU pre-med wisdom.</p>
<p>Anyone cares to comment?</p>
<p>Those who are currently pre-med at Vandy are deep in the weeds during finals week this week. Perhaps you’ll get some answers starting on Friday when they come up for air…</p>
<p>@4beardolls </p>
<p>This is my first post with this account, so I apologize for any formatting errors.</p>
<p>I don’t have much to comment on pre-med advising, as I haven’t used this campus resource as much as I have should have. Meeting with pre-med advisors is often not easy due to the large number of pre-med students on campus, but if you meet with them early, you’ll be more likely to to have your foot in the door and meet with them later. </p>
<p>The committee letter depends on what medical school you are applying to. The HPAO office (<a href=“Heath Professions Advisory Office | Vanderbilt University”>http://www.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/</a>) will not force you to have a meeting with them, but <em>most</em> medical schools require a committee letter if a pre-professional office exists, so you are better off scheduling a meeting with them to get this done. This is the “ASAP” (Advisor’s Student Applicant Portfolio) meeting, and it occurs during your junior year if you are applying without a gap year. You will still collect 3-5 recommendations, but it will be a part of the ASAP packet. I presume the entire committee takes the letter of recs from your professors, your transcript, your extra curricular, and your essay/personal statement before they send letters.</p>
<p>I would hope they would not weed people out. The HPAO office’s point is to help foster and redirect dreams, not crush them. (And for students with low GPAs, DO school is a viable option). </p>
<p>I have decided to pick another school other than Vanderbilt to enroll in. The decision was close and Vanderbilt’s Medical School will probably receive an application from me in several years as long as I stay on the tough and barren pre-med path haha. However, I hope this thread is useful for future applicants/accepted students.</p>
<p>Best of luck @matrixsurgeon. Yes, this thread is indeed useful for other students.</p>
<p>@skeetereater14, thanks for posting. I gathered from your post that the HPAO will not prevent a student from applying to med schools by withholding committee letters. Are there many other Premed students not able to meet with advisors due to their busy schedule?</p>
<p>@matrixsurgeon </p>
<p>Best of luck! Hope to see you in medical school in 4 years : )</p>
<p>@4bearsdolls
No problem! I think this will be my last post, as I’m not sure what CC etiquette is regarding continuing a threat once the thread-maker has left. </p>
<p>As for the question, it’s hard for me to judge without knowing all the pre-med students. I think some of my fellow students found scheduling a little too hard, and opted to do some of the things themselves. (For instance, the HPAO has a free copy of the MSAR*, but some of my friends split money to share it together instead of visiting the office at 8am). </p>
<p>But insofar as meetings, an advisor will generally work with a student to find a window that is good. I would be very surprised if an advisor gave up if a student wanted to meet with them. I think “walk-ins” are much harder, however, given the sheer number of pre-med students and the ASAP interviews going on during spring semester. But students who wish to meet with their advisors shouldn’t have significant problems setting them up if they’re willing to wiggle their schedule a little bit. I’m simply a big advocate of starting early because then you can start a positive relationship with your advisor. </p>
<ul>
<li>(Medical School Requirement Book, good for knowing how many schools take in out-of-state or ‘x’ school students).</li>
</ul>
<p>@matrixsurgeon, Hey! I know this post is a couple months old, but what college did you decide on for a pre-med undergrad? Thanks in advance! </p>
Please keep in mind that of the several hundred freshman who wish to pursue a “premed” track, only a small fraction will eventually be admitted to any medical school. The competition among very smart dedicated students is fierce and there is significant grade deflation. 40-50% of organic, inorganic grades fall in the “C” range and the weed out is ruthless. Even among the students who stick out their biology or chemistry premed track, the admission rate from Vanderbilt is low due to low GPAs. This fact is glossed over by Premed advisory committee, and many students end up working in post grad programs. The cream of Vanderbilt students can go anywhere, but the odds due to grade deflation is daunting. Everyone in your 200+ chem class is very very smart, Good Luck!
The acceptance rate to medical school for vandy undergrads is 66% compared to the national average 43%. (http://as.vanderbilt.edu/hpao/documents/2014_Annual_Report.pdf). I took gen chem, and it isn’t as if they curve down to achieve a daunting C average. The only thing in the class that was curved UP was the final exam, which was much harder than the normal midterms; you aren’t really punished for being with other bright students.
So, “the admission rate from Vanderbilt is low due to low GPAs” is simply false.
@markinmass : That’s exaggeration to some degree. Most selective institutions use the same type of curve (or design assignments and exams that yield a certain grade distribution) for major pre-med science courses. The mean will be a C+/B- or B-/B, that is how you get that distribution (and that just makes sense because these schools should be asking for more than HS—which was mainly memorization/algorithms ). Vanderbilt is no different than peer schools in that STEM courses are graded more stringently (perhaps because it is less subjective) and the acceptance rates are just fine. Also, it doesn’t matter how smart the class is unless the course is easy in which case a curve is punitive (this essentially never happens in a STEM course though, and even if so, there just would not be a curve). However, STEM courses at selective schools are generally harder than normal, so your grade will usually end up curved up if at all. Honestly, if you hit the cut-off on the normal scale, you are guaranteed at least that grade. You also assume that all students are “dedicated”…unfortunately even at elite schools this isn’t really true. You mention the chemistry courses as brutal but I honestly think the general biology courses at Vanderbilt are much more intense if I was to compare the pre-med courses to peer schools. The chemistry courses are actually similar or even easier in the case of ochem.
I would argue that one deterrent away from pre-health at any of these schools is often the teaching. You’re thrown in a giant lecture hall (certainly not like high school- and then the instructor may not be particularly good at explaining things and is also not that accessible) and then told to be solidly independent about learning material you may not have been exposed to in high school. Needless to say, many will struggle at some point no matter how “smart” they are (smart is not the same thing as independent. HS lives typically involve lots of structure). Often HS science was a joke in comparison to college. Perhaps the opposite could be said for the social science and humanities (many of those courses end up being less intensive than a similar IB or AP course in terms of both workload and standards). Adjusting to college science can be a whole different animal.
@Kokko2k15
checked this post after a LONG time haha sorry. I decided on Cornell and I am currently a sophomore there now.
@bernie12 @potatters
This is def a old post but i might be of some help for people looking to apply to/accept spots at top 20 schools. Premed track at most of these top schools is definitely CHALLENGING…The curves in the gen chem, gen bio, orgo itself is enough to deter many students. however, it is important to realize that in most cases freshmen year GPA will most likely be lower than than the rest of your years and at the end of the day you don’t want to completely mess up your freshmen year. I certainly didn’t do well my first semester but I feel that I have bounced back after learning my mistakes and I have got to understand exactly how the curved classes run and some methods by which one can study in way that can maximize chances of B+ and higher grades. And as you move up, the curves get better (in some cases non-existent) and perhaps ones’ overall GPA at the end turns out for the best…But definitely one advice for premeds, especially those entering college, is to not dig a big hole your first semester…Its ok not to get straight As (most of y’all won’t) but just make sure you try your hardest. College is certainly a different ball game than high school, especially on the premed track
@matrixsurgeon Nice to know that you are doing better. The curve is harsh at the beginning, but it is also whether or not it is because they are making you learn at a higher level or not. And you are right that it is a maximization game especially in a course with low exam means (usually meaning exams contain a significant part that is application or higher ordered prompts). One key is avoiding the trap of aiming for the average by ONLY attempting to study for the part of the exam that is predictable. That is how many walk their ways into a C+ or B- in a class with difficult exams. They give up and assume that the higher level prompts are impossible to study for and think they are doing themselves a favor by merely aiming to perfect the predictable and winging it on the rest. Problem is: So are all of the other average performers. Hopefully you’ve figured this out by now 
@bernie12
Haha, I’ve got to say that I have actually never see anyone write it out like you just said! The thought has definitely crossed my mind (especially in gen chem my god haha) and after that first semester, I definitely have adjusted my strategies (and tbh I kind of had fun too much that first semester and didn’t prioritize school lol, not anymore!).