Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine Admission
Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

Vanderbilt University is a rather large, private institution located in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 22,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 415 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 23, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its emphasis on independent and research projects, as well as for its terrific medical research facilities and programs. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers a joint MD/PhD degree in the areas of cell biology, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, pathology, pharmacology, molecular physiology, as well as biophysics.

Admission to Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,740 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 30 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 105 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 11.4 in Biology, 11.3 in Physics, and 10.7 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

The School of Medicine has about 1,600 faculty members, all of whom come from relatively diverse medical and academic backgrounds. The school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 2:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Graduates of the School of Medicine often go on to be accepted to some of the most prestigious and competitive residency programs in the nation, and most frequently specialize in the areas of primary care, family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, as well as neurology.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical clerkships including 10 weeks of medicine, 10 weeks of surgery, 8 weeks of pediatrics, 8 weeks of psychiatry, 8 weeks of neurology, as well as 8 weeks of ob/gyn. Students complete their clinical clerkships at affiliated facilities including Vanderbilt University Hospital, the Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institution, Saint Thomas Hospital Baptist Hospital, as well as Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute.

What's Good

"There are a lot of hands-on opportunities here, which is fantastic."

"The professors are incredible and very dedicated to both the school and their students."

"I absolutely adore the administration here. They're incredible attentive to the needs of individual students."

What's Bad

"Tuition is very high, and it's going up with each passing year."

"Occasionally, students can get way too competitive with one another."

"I wish that there were more time for off campus jobs and internships."

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