Our Cracking Med School Admissions team often get asked, “How to get into Vanderbilt medical school?” In order to get accepted, you have to convey your passion to advance healthcare in an innovative way. You have to emphasize leadership and a desire to improve healthcare for our entire society.
This page serves as a high-yield resource for Vanderbilt Medical School. The information from this page is a GOLDEN resource. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is located in Nashville, Tennessee. We’ve compiled it from Vanderbilt Medical School acceptance rate data, the Vanderbilt Med School website, and most importantly, from Vanderbilt med students themselves! You will have facts such as Vanderbilt Medical School admissions statistics and tips for getting accepted to Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
The Vanderbilt University School of Medicine secondary application is among one of the hardest secondaries to complete. It notoriously has the Vanderbilt Autobiography. Read all the Vanderbilt secondary prompts below in the “Applications” section, and read ALL our Vanderbilt secondary essays tips here.
Whether you’re comparing medical schools that you have been accepted to, preparing for an interview, or wanting to learn more about Vanderbilt Med School, keep reading! Contact Drs. Rachel Rizal and Rishi Mediratta if you have questions!
The most common reasons we’ve heard from students:
The Vanderbilt School of Medicine secondary application is very long. Not only are there several essays that are tough to answer because they require a lot of time and reflection, but also the essays are long in length. We encourage medical school applicants to answer the optional essays.
In the 2021 – 2022 cycle, Vanderbilt School of Medicine Admissions changed the secondary essay questions. There is essentially still the “Vanderbilt secondary autobiography,” but they added other questions too. Look at our Cracking Med School Admissions Vanderbilt School of Medicine Secondary Application Prompts since 2014.
Vanderbilt School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Prompts:
Essay 1) Please reflect on the upbringing, background, and experiences in your life that have shaped who you are as a person and will help define the person you want to be in the future. In other words, what makes you who you are? (800 words max)
*Note, this is similar to Vanderbilt’s former Vanderbilt autobiography secondary essay. Read our helpful blog post about tips about your autobiography for medical school applications: How To Write An Autobiography For Medical School
Essay 2) 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 max)
Essay 3) Everyone needs help at various times in their lives. Describe a time you asked for help and what you gained from that experience that has influenced your approach to asking for help. (600 words max)
Essay 4) (Optional) If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (200 words max)
Essay 5) (Optional) If applicable, please describe how the COVID-19 outbreak affected your pathway to medical school. You may discuss any academic, personal, financial, or professional alterations to your plans. NOTE: Disclosing certain hardships or obstacles that have been faced during this time will not negatively affect an application. (200 words max)
If you have questions about Vanderbilt Medical School’s secondary application, email us at info@crackingmedadmissions.com or contact us.
