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March 30, 2024

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Secondary Application Essay Tips [2023-2024]

The  Vanderbilt University School of Medicine  places special emphasis on the relationships formed during medical school between classmates and faculty. Students join one of four colleges on campus to participate in small group learning activities. In their first two years of medical school, students create their own project to self-direct their learning process with mentorship. The school seeks individuals who will contribute to the diversity of their class and share successful strategies in building communication skills and a solid foundation of scientific knowledge. Vanderbilt’s  secondary application  involves three required essay responses and three optional responses.

Vanderbilt Medical School secondary application essay questions 

Vanderbilt secondary 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)

Family, culture, norms, expectations, and experiences all play a role in  shaping who we are as individuals . This is a reflection answer. What in your past has influenced who you are today? You could answer this question in broad strokes, focusing on a value that was constant through your childhood, or you could tell a story about a specific event that defined or changed you (with a positive outcome, ultimately). What makes you tick? What makes you the introspective person you are? This prompt aims to help the adcom get to know you by revealing your humanity, empathy, and/or compassion, or your leadership, advocacy, and investment in the well-being of others.

Vanderbilt Secondary 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)

Meeting someone who is very different from you and moving forward with a bond, with an understanding of difference, requires being a secure and aware individual. Perhaps you learned something, not only about yourself or the other individual, but also about how to interact to foster a safe and productive exchange for both of you. Perhaps you learned something about how to build a respectful friendship that includes sharing norms and traditions.

Vanderbilt Secondary 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)

Asking for help, for something meaningful, is difficult. Who are your people? Who are the resources and contacts you feel comfortable reaching out to in a time of need? What does this say about you? What outcome came of reaching out?  This prompt seeks a personal story  about vulnerability and finding support, resources, and strength.

Vanderbilt Secondary 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)

You must demonstrate how engaged you are, or have been, during a gap year or two. Why does the activity you present improve your immersion in medicine? If you have been drawn into personal responsibilities, such as caring for a family member, this would also be a valid answer here.

Vanderbilt Secondary Essay #5 (Optional)

If applicable, please describe how the COVID-19 pandemic 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.  (500 words)

Create a separate paragraph for each area of your life: work, community service, school, finances, and family, as well as any others that are important to you, such as athletics, research, or music. The best way to approach this essay will be to simply state the facts. If your MCAT was rescheduled three times, make sure that you include that information in the academic or school section. I don’t recommend expressing frustration or sharing any other strong negative emotions. Remember that you are not the only person affected by the pandemic. Many people lost jobs, homes, and most tragically, family members. Maintain a sense of perspective in your response. The most impressive essays on this topic detail how the applicant helped others through this difficult time. For your conclusion, highlight any new skills you gained and what you learned about yourself and others through this experience. Did the pandemic change your understanding of medicine and how you would like to practice it? If so, in what ways, and how?

Vanderbilt Secondary Essay #6 (Optional) 

How did you first become interested in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine? (200 words) 

Why Vanderbilt? When did you know you were interested in the program? What led you to apply to the school? 

Vanderbilt prides itself on having a “cutting-edge curriculum” and a “vibrant” social mission, and on its website, it profiles its students in warm tones, sharing connections and activities that foster the program’s mission while promoting relationships with peers, building legacy bonds within families, and encouraging outreach initiatives among its medical students that are inclusive and anti-racist. In fact, the profiles convey “why us?” as genuine, personal connections and affiliations with the school, alumni, faculty, and mission. How did you develop an affinity for Vanderbilt? Let the adcom know, personally, and with warmth.

Applying to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine? Here are some stats:

• Vanderbilt School of Medicine average MCAT score: 521
• Vanderbilt School of Medicine average GPA: 3.95
• Vanderbilt School of Medicine acceptance rate: 4.5%
• U.S. News & World Report  ranked the Vanderbilt School of Medicine #5 for research and #82 for primary care in 2023.

Check out the Med School Selectivity Index for more stats.

Has this blog post helped you feel more confident about approaching your Vanderbilt secondary application? We hope so. It’s our mission to help smart, talented applicants like you gain acceptance to your top choice medical school. With so much at stake, why not work with a consultant whose expertise and personalized guidance can help you make your dream come true? We have several flexible consulting options — click here to get started today !

Vanderbilt School of Medicine application timeline 2023-2024

Source:  Vanderbilt University School of Medicine website

Dr. Mary Mahoney, PhD, is the medical humanities director at Elmira College and has more than 20 years of experience as an advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. She is a tenured English professor with an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a PhD in literature and writing from the University of Houston. For the past 20 years, Mary has served as a grad school advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants.  Want Mary to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Accepted’s Medical School Acceptance Calculator , a free tool
• Prewriting Secondaries for Medical School
• Writing for Medical School: Personal Statements, Activities, and Secondaries , podcast Episode 296

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How to Get Into Vanderbilt Medical School: Tips From Admissions Experts

• Cracking Med School Admissions Team

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!

Why Choose Vanderbilt Medical School?

The most common reasons we’ve heard from students:

• Supportive school
• Flexible curriculum with the ability to do other interests at your own pace
• Ample time to explore your passions in healthcare
• Only one year of pre-clinical curriculum with an extra year to pursue other passions in healthcare – whether it’s working for a medical device company or creating a new public health program or conducting research
• Great clinical training
• Solid match list for residency
• Close knit community

Table of Contents

Applications.

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. 

• First Name *
• Last Name *
• Year Applying to Med School *
• Best Email *
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Vanderbilt Medical School Acceptance Rate

Vanderbilt university medical school admissions statistics:.

• Vanderbilt Med School Average GPA: 3.84
• Vanderbilt Med School Average MCAT: 520 (130 chemical & physical / 129 critical analysis / 130 biological & biochemical / 131 psychological, social)

How did Vanderbilt University Medical School Students Do on Their USMLE Step Exams?

• Average Vanderbilt University Medical School USMLE Step 1 Score: 247
• Average Vanderbilt University Medical School USMLE Step 2 Score: 250

Source: U.S. News Graduate School Rankings 2021

Your medical school application Coaches, Mentors, & Cheerleaders

We Personally Advise Every Student We Work With

Rachel Rizal, M.D.

Changing the trajectory of people’s lives.

Undergraduate Princeton University

Medical School Stanford School of Medicine

Residency Harvard, Emergency Medicine

Awards & Scholarships Fulbright Scholar USA Today Academic First Team Tylenol Scholarship

Rishi Mediratta, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.

Advising students to attend their dream schools.

Undergraduate Johns Hopkins University

Residency Stanford, Pediatrics

Awards & Scholarships Marshall Scholar Tylenol Scholarship Global Health Scholar

Each year, the Cracking Med School Admissions team helps students get accepted to top medical schools. We can help you get accepted! Contact us today.

The Insider’s View on Vanderbilt Medical School's Pre-clinical years

How to Get Into Vanderbilt Medical School Tip – Know the Curriculum:

Vanderbilt Medical School Curriculum: Overview 

As a Vanderbilt med student, you only do pre-clinical work for the first year of medical school. Then, you do your core rotations starting September of your second year of medical school. After one year of clinical rotations, you can take your USMLE Step 1. You have ample time to do research and advanced clinical clerkships throughout the rest of your 3rd and 4th years of medical school.

Check out Vanderbilt Medical School’s Curriculum 2.0 !

Pre-Clinical Years:

As an Vanderbilt medical student, your first year is based on basic science. 1.5 years are on basic science.  Vanderbilt has a core curriculum where you have to learn 25 common presenting patient problems, like abdominal pain and back pain.

How to get into Vanderbilt Medical School – Know Unique Characteristics:

Unique highlights about pre-clinical years:

• Ample time to do research

Special Dual Degree Programs:

Taking Time Off:

Most MD candidates at Vanderbilt Medical School graduate within 4 years. However, because of the shortened pre-clinical curriculum, there is ample time (almost a year) to pursue other academic interests or do a joint degree.

What students are saying about Vanderbilt Medical School

The insider’s view on vanderbilt medical school's clinical years.

Vanderbilt University Medical School Clinical Curriculum :

Clinical Years:

You start clinical rotations September of your second year at Vanderbilt Med School. This is much earlier than almost every other medical school!

Unique highlights about clinical years:

• Immersion in research for at least 3 months – research doesn’t have to mean basic science research or clinical research. You can do research in policy or patient safety!
• During your second year of medical school
• 2 full years to explore your clinical interests

What students are saying about clinical rotations at Vandy Med

Where do students live?

Students mainly live in apartments around Vanderbilt Medical School.  Students live in the quaint town of Nashville, Tennessee.  

Getting around:

Almost all students have a car, especially for their rotations.  It is possible to live walking distance from the Vanderbilt University campus and Medical Center.

Financial Considerations:

• Vanderbilt Medical School Tuition and Fees: ~$59,000
• Average indebtedness of 2019 graduates: ~$170,000

Cracking Med School Admissions Resources

Here are useful Cracking Med School Admissions resources:

• How To Write A Personal Statement For Medical School
• Download Cracking Med School Admission’s FREE AMCAS Activities Workbook
• Premed Timeline: Planning For Medical School Applications

Read our other popular school blogs here:

• How to Get Into Harvard Medical School
• Cracking Duke Medical School Admissions
• Emory Medical School Admissions: School Profile and Application Tips

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MD Admissions

Admission process.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine participates in the American Medical College Application Service. All application materials may be obtained through AMCAS . As you are getting ready to start applying we recommend you review and reference the AMCAS Application Guide  throughout the cycle.

Here are some guidelines for applying to the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for the 2024 incoming class:

2023-2024 Applicants

For those of you who are considering applying to the 2024 incoming class, you may complete your AMCAS application and indicate that you want your data sent to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine beginning late May 2023. You can submit your AMCAS application between May 31, 2023 and November 1, 2023.

Required Coursework

Vanderbilt does not have any specific prerequisite course  requirements  for applicants; we have course recommendations instead. This allows us to accept Pass/Fail grades without an issue. While we prefer that applicants take in-person lab and lecture courses when possible, we understand that it is not always feasible due to time, financial constraints, and/or global pandemics.

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
• 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 for a virtual interview. We anticipate that secondary invitations will be sent out starting mid-July, 2023.  Approximately two-thirds of the applicants will be offered the secondary application. We will interview approximately 600 applicants; approximately 260 applicants will be offered admission for 96 positions.

Secondary Application Essay Prompts

We understand the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a particularly stressful time for many applicants. To allow applicants more time for reflection when completing our secondary application, we are publishing our secondary application essay prompts in advance. Please note that the MSTP program may have additional essay prompts for you to respond to.

• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• Optional: If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (200 words)
• 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)
• Optional: How did you first become interested in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine? (200 words)

Selection Factors

The Committee for Admissions seeks applicants who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership qualities, with broad extracurricular experience. Experience in research and evidence of a concern for others are positive factors for selection.

The applicant's essay, letters of recommendation, activities, and interviews are also important factors in the Committee's evaluation.

The members of the committee represent a cross section of the school - full time basic science faculty, clinical faculty, and students.

Because the number of applicants is far greater (approximately 6,200 applications on average are received for the MD program) than the number of positions offered, admission is highly selective. The School does not require a minimum GPA or minimum MCAT score, but intense competition tends to eliminate applicants with low GPA's and/or MCAT scores. The GPA range for the 2021 entering class was 3.5-4.0 and the MCAT range was 74th-100th percentile.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine requires the final MCAT score to be officially received from the AAMC before the candidate's file will be reviewed for secondary application consideration. Vanderbilt will accept the old test scores for three years. For applicants who have more than one test score, our committee has elected to consider the super scored MCAT - taking the highest score from each section to create the highest possible composite score. We have no minimum score requirement for the MCAT.

The latest MCAT Vanderbilt University School of Medicine will accept are September 2023 scores from applicants applying to enter medical school in 2024. Applicants who change their dates for the MCAT must submit their changes to AMCAS and  notify the Office of Enrollment Services at VUSM  of the change in their MCAT decision date. Email this information to  [email protected] . Applications are processed strictly according to what is submitted by the applicant on the AMCAS application. If an applicant makes any changes from what was originally submitted on the AMCAS application, they must notify AMCAS and VUSM.

Unless an applicant enters a "next MCAT date" in their AMCAS application when taking an additional MCAT, we will not consider the MCAT scores after AMCAS submission, nor will we reconsider our initial screening decision.

For the 2023-2024 Admissions Cycle

• MCAT required: Yes
• Latest MCAT considered: September 2023
• Oldest MCAT considered: January 2020

Letters of Evaluation

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine will be receiving letters of evaluation through the AMCAS Letter Service for the incoming 2023 class. Learn more information about Letters of Evaluation in our Admission Requirements section. For details about submitting letters please review the information provided by AMCAS .

Application Fee

The secondary application fee for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is $95. It is non-refundable and must be returned with the secondary application. This secondary fee will be waived if an applicant has a FAP (Fee Assistance Program) voucher through the AAMC.

Application Updates

We are happy to receive updates to your application and add them to your application file for review and consideration by our admissions committee once your application has been verified by AMCAS. Please send this additional information in a Word document or PDF file via email to [email protected] . We ask that you limit your updates to those that are significant and relevant to your application.

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Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Vanderbilt University Essay 2023-2024

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, is a selective research university that comprises three undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the top-ranked Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

This institution prides itself on an environment with a balance between high academic standards and a supportive, involved student community. Vanderbilt is consistently ranked as having some of the happiest students in the country . Acceptance is highly-coveted, and the admissions rate for Vanderbilt in the Regular Decision round has fallen to below 5% in recent years. 

Vanderbilt University has one required prompt that allows you to choose between two different options to respond to. Here are some of CollegeVine’s strategies for writing an outstanding essay.

Read this Vanderbilt essay example to inspire your writing.

Vanderbilt University Supplemental Essay Prompt

Please select one of the following short answer prompts (approximately 250 words):

Option 1: Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you. 

Option 2: Vanderbilt University values learning through contrasting points of view. We understand that our differences, and our respect for alternative views and voices, are our greatest source of strength. Please reflect on conversations you’ve had with people who have expressed viewpoints different from your own. How did these conversations/experiences influence you?

Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you. (200-400 words)

Step 1: choosing the extracurricular.

The most effective approach to this prompt is to choose an activity or experience with the most significance and meaning to you personally, not necessarily the one that looks most impressive or unusual. It can be anything outside your coursework, even if it isn’t associated with a formal school club.

This will help you create a vivid picture of your character, because you won’t be limited to shallow descriptions of something from your Common App extracurriculars list. While the word count of 400 offers you relatively ample space to tell your story in detail, it is ideal to focus on just one or two anecdotes that best exemplify why your chosen activity had such a strong impact on your personal development.

You may have noticed that Vanderbilt’s promotional materials often emphasize the theme of “ balance .” In light of this, don’t feel obligated to write about an experience that explicitly connects to your intended major or academic profile. If anything, providing your reader a perspective on yourself that they might not expect from the rest of your application will show that you have much to offer this diverse community. Prospective biologists, for instance, have secured admission by writing about the collaborative exercise involved in jazz band performances.

If you are torn between multiple extracurricular experiences that are equally important to you, rank them based on their correspondence to student organizations at Vanderbilt, as well as your level of accomplishment in the field. Though the focus of this essay should certainly be on your direct experience, every essay should relate to your prospective contribution to the Vanderbilt undergraduate community and its intellectual atmosphere.

For instance, suppose you have proposed and spearheaded an initiative in a community service group, and this challenged you to plan and execute new methods of reaching out to fellow students to help your cause. Choosing this topic would enable you to connect your story to the opportunities of Vanderbilt’s Alternative Spring Break program, by including in the conclusion a brief discussion of the service skills you could leverage with ASB.

Step 2: Crafting the Introduction

Generally, it is less critical for supplemental essays to have a narrative format than the personal statement. However, if the topic you’ve decided to write about is especially memorable — and it should be — you can show this effectively by starting with a brief snapshot of your experience that captures the reader’s attention. Consider this possible introduction to an essay about writing and self-publishing science fiction stories:

Weak example: The summer after my sophomore year, I decided to spend my free time trying to become a published sci-fi author. At first it was just a fun way to put my experience watching Star Trek reruns to good use, but eventually this turned out to be the most challenging yet rewarding undertaking of my life so far.

Compare it with:

Stronger example: My fingers dance on the keyboard as visions of Hugo Awards hover in my mind’s eye. George Lucas has nothing on me! Then — stuck. The word count has plateaued, and here come the doubting voices:

“How can I make the ending inevitable yet unpredictable?”

“The middle is lagging; how can I save my baby?”

“Just how menacing can my antagonist get before he enters James Bond villain territory?”

Although the first example immediately and unambiguously presents the focus of the essay, it doesn’t give quite as much insight into the writer’s personality or the emotional force of the essay topic. From the second example, the reader can quickly empathize with this student’s experience of writer’s block that comes right at the heels of effortless confidence.

You should write your introductory sentences with the goal of providing a strong first impression, especially considering that admissions committees receive tens of thousands of applications per cycle.

Step 3: Building the heart of your essay

After the initial hook, you can be more direct as you explain the indispensable details of your chosen activity or experience. Each of these details should help the reader understand why this topic was so special that you chose it above all others. Some questions to consider include:

• What challenges did this activity pose? (If there were none, it’s likely that you haven’t chosen the best topic.) How did you face them? What did you learn from them, beyond typical lessons such as the value of perseverance?
• If this activity involved working with other people, how did the activity and your personal interactions affect each other? (Be sure to go further than vague discussions of leadership and teamwork skills – explain how this experience shaped your unique perspective on those topics.)
• How have you affected others through this activity?

Step 4: Looking forward in the conclusion

This is the section of the essay where the importance of picking a topic with some connection to opportunities at Vanderbilt, discussed above, comes into play. By this point, your reader knows how and why the activity in question was important to you, so now they are wondering how and why it will be important as you engage with the student community you’d like to join.

Of course, your reader will realize that students’ interests change between high school and college, so you don’t need to think of this conclusion as a binding contract. Rather, it’s your opportunity to demonstrate that even if you don’t join similar clubs or continue the same part-time jobs, you’re capable of applying wisdom from your past to your future. If you wrote about your role in stage design for school plays, for instance, you might relate this to your goals in web development, or remark on how you expect to use the general skill of striking a balance between meeting practical and aesthetic needs.

Vanderbilt University values learning through contrasting points of view. We understand that our differences, and our respect for alternative views and voices, are our greatest source of strength. Please reflect on conversations you’ve had with people who have expressed viewpoints different from your own. How did these conversations/experiences influence you? (200-400 words)

This prompt is a mix between a Diversity Essay and Political/Global Issues Essay prompt. The prompt has a 200-400 word limit, so you will want to write succinctly. You can answer the prompt in a wide variety of ways — the most important part is to highlight past experiences that are unique to you and give deep insights into your values.

Many of us disagree with others’ values rather often, so you should have plenty of past experiences to brainstorm from. This is especially true for those who may have been part of the debate or mock trial clubs at their high school. While you can tell the story of a time when you had an argument with someone else, this is not mandatory. You simply need to show how you communicated with and were influenced by what others have said.

This prompt is all about individual differences and how they make each of us unique. Diversity is highly valued by colleges, so you will have peers from all across the country and world in your classes that you will be able to collaborate with. Your essay should make it clear that you will thrive in such an environment.

When determining if an issue is important to you or not, think about the conversation you have had about it as well as how they impacted you. Your essay does not have to be about politically divisive topics, but instead should be about something that is relevant to your past experiences. Topics that involve you and your community on a local level could be great to write about — for example, you could discuss school district issues, a big corporation pushing out smaller local companies, or funding cuts to the arts or special education classes at your school.

Make sure to set the right tone for your writing in the introduction. Be careful not to focus too much on negative emotions toward the other person or group in your story, but instead, discuss viewpoints objectively. Be mindful of the word count as well — you should prioritize information about your identity and values rather than details about political views and history. 

An example of this could be that you and another student had conflicting views as to whether or not your school should replace the bottled water it provides to students with more eco-friendly reusable water bottles. This conversation highlights a social issue that conveys what you care about and are interested in.

Be sure to not just simply outline a conversation of opposing viewpoints, but focus on how you dealt with the conversation. Did the conversation affect how you perceived society or the individual? Did it impact how you communicated with others in the future? Did you learn anything from the scenario? Think through these questions as you write your essay.

One more thing to note is that you should be careful not to attack the other person or seem close-minded. Many people in college will have differing viewpoints from you, and you should frame being in an environment with these differences as a learning opportunity. Use this essay to highlight how you are able to learn from and work with others with differing beliefs, in addition to how your own experiences have affected you moving forward.

Where to Get Your Vanderbilt University Essay Edited

Do you want feedback on your Vanderbilt essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Secondary Questions

Here are the secondary prompts for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

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)

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)

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)

4. (Optional) : If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (200 words)

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)

Please discuss a challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 words)

Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 words)

An additional section for MD-PhD applicants to list pubs, presentations, and abstracts.

Autobiography

2017 – 2018

Autobiography: Write a brief autobiography. As completely and precisely as possible, give a picture of yourself, your family, and events you consider important to you. In doing so, identify the values that are of greatest importance to you. If you have completed your undergraduate education, please comment on what you have done or have been doing since graduation. (1200 words)

Challenge: Please discuss a challenging situation or obstacle you have faced in the past. Why was it challenging? How did you handle it? Knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? What did you learn? (500 words)

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• Creighton University School of Medicine Secondary Questions
• Emory University School of Medicine Secondary Questions
• Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Secondary Questions
• Indiana University School of Medicine Secondary Questions

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