Vanderbilt University is a mid-sized, private research institution located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. Named for Anderson Cooper’s great-great-great-grandfather, a railroad magnate by the name of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the school was started in 1873 as a grand experiment in post-Civil War Reconstruction efforts. Vandy, as it’s affectionately known, is considered one of the “Southern Ivies,” along with other prominent southern universities like Duke, Rice, UVA, UNC, Wake Forest, and William & Mary.
Vanderbilt is a competitive school – last admissions cycle, they boasted an overall acceptance rate of 5.9%. That puts them in the same league as the actual Ivies. However, their yield rate is definitely not comparable to the Ivies, at around 61%. While this is slightly higher than some of their peer institutions, such as Duke, it shows they value students who commit to them. And we’re willing to wager that this higher yield rate is a result of their ED2 policy, which in turn means that if you’re a strong candidate for Vandy, then you should for sure apply ED2.
Why You Should Apply ED2
Before we get into the application itself, we know that some students are hesitant to apply ED2. Some of you are scared of the commitment, while others are holding out hope after a deferral. We completely understand your trepidation here, but not applying ED2 is a bad strategic move.
As we mentioned earlier, colleges care about their yield rate. This is the number of admitted students who end up enrolling in the school, and when you apply under a binding program like ED or ED2, you’re signaling that you’re going to positively contribute to that statistic.
If you’re here because you got rejected or deferred, and especially if your college list is reach heavy, applying ED2 to a school like Vanderbilt is the last big strategic move you have in your back pocket. You don’t have a lot of control in the admissions process, especially if you’ve been deferred, but applying ED2 at a school that values ED applications is something you can control and can make a huge impact.
If you’re dealing with a deferral or rejection from your Early Decision school, we can help. Whether you need a deferral letter, a college list for Regular Decision, polishing your Common App essay, an Early Decision 2 application, or even a complete rehaul for this next round, we have you covered. Reach out to us ASAP. Everything will be okay.
The Supplement
Now, let’s get into Vanderbilt’s essay question. Unlike a lot of their peer institutions, Vandy only has one essay question, and depending on your background, you’ll either tackle it like a classic Community or Diversity prompt. No matter which avenue you choose, you want to make sure you’re centering your essay around a story.
For both first-year and transfer applicants, we ask you to complete a short answer essay (approximately 250 words) based on the following prompt:
Vanderbilt University’s motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for “dare to grow.” In your response, reflect on how one or more aspects of your identity, culture, or background has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.
This is a short prompt, and it’s asking for a lot. They want to know about how you’ve grown, whether through “identity, culture, or background,” and connect that experience to what you will do at Vanderbilt. Your first objective is to consider what aspects of your life are currently not featured in your Common App – our students often write about a cultural tradition, a more informal community they’re part of, or their families.
Think outside the box here, because with a 5% acceptance rate, you cannot rehash what they already might know about you from your activities section. Avoid talking about a formal community service type deal or anything that might come across savior-y. We also advise you stay away from traumatic or difficult experiences, and we give you permission to not write about trauma. You don’t have to put your worst days on display to get into college, we promise. And we understand these experiences absolutely contribute to your growth as an individual, but those are often better suited for the Additional Information sections.
A good way to start is to think about the kinds of traditions you participate in, whether those are big, annual family events or smaller, more personal rituals. We can also tell you that essays about food are always a big hit with prompts like these! Like maybe a story about how you used to watch your mom make dumplings, but now your little cousins watch you in awe, or how you taught yourself your grandmother’s green bean casserole recipe to bring to Friendsgiving.
What’s most important is that you tell a story, and stories have distinct beginnings, middles, and ends. You should open by setting the scene – bring us into the space, what do you smell? Hear? Feel? Taste? See? If someone’s yelling something across the kitchen, you can use dialogue to hook your reader at the jump. This is also where you need to establish the what of your story. Is there a (small) challenge or hurdle you’re facing in your quest, maybe some kind of hiccup or you realized you need to change directions? Maybe there isn’t any drama unfolding at all, and you’re just clearly defining for us what it is you’re doing.
The middle needs to move the story along, with you working towards your goal. Maybe you’re finally figuring some crucial element out, or the party guests have arrived, or you’ve settled into a rhythm with your task. Keep the vivid language here.
The ending needs to be a satisfying resolution. What was the end product or goal? Why was the what important? Don’t end this with something like “I grew because XYZ” or any equally vague and clichéd summary. Instead, end the story as if you’re telling it to a friend, because you’re not trying to connect it to some big life lesson when you’re talking to a friend. Admissions officers are smart, they will understand the subtext of the story.
Now, for the most important part of this prompt – and it’s the one that students miss or mess up the most. “...how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.” Before we get into our must-dos here, let’s mention your must-don’ts.
ٴDz’t:
Say something vague like, “At Vanderbilt, I will bring the same sense of community to campus,” and then just end it there.
Write about vibes only, which you might be doing unwittingly if you’re talking about abstract concepts like “sharing values” and “diversity” without giving examples. Vibes only is always a terrible way to answer any college essay question!
Use the phrase “dare to grow” in your response. Well, we guess you can if it’s well-executed (rare!), but so many other students are doing this. Also it’s hacky.
“TKG, that’s a lot of don’ts! What should I even write about, then?” Teens, we’re getting to that. Do get specific. Find opportunities at Vanderbilt that match, or at least relate to, what you’re talking about. Vanderbilt has a lot of on-campus clubs and a to learn about them. Use it!
If you spent your essay talking about making a traditional, cultural dish, then find an affinity group or cultural organization that matches your background. If you wrote about how you got the neighborhood kids to think you’re cool and now you play sports with them every week, find a service org that mentors kids or does something sporty with them. If, on your walk or bus ride to school every day, you struck up a friendship with an unlikely companion, you might look into orgs that work with homeless youth, provide translation services, work with the elderly, etc., depending on what most matches your story. Whatever you choose, it needs to be reflective of the story you told.
Then, connect the dots. How will you continue to honor your “identity, culture, or background” when you go to Vanderbilt? How will your skills and experiences benefit the campus community? Be specific. Once you’re done, make sure to thoroughly edit and have a trusted friend/teacher/parent/adult review it – but don’t ask too many people, or you could lose the plot.
Now, we understand that we just told you how to write this 250-word essay in well over 3x the word count, but it’s important because it’s the only supplement they have. You have to pack a lot into this short essay, and we recommend the story part taking up 200ish of the words, and the connection to Vanderbilt taking up around 50ish of the words, give or take.
Submit and Wait
You’ll submit ED2 to Vandy on the same day their RD is due, January 1st. This is also the deadline for a lot of other schools, which means the Common App will be very busy and full of students all trying to submit at once. We understand you are under a time crunch, but please try to get it in before late night on January 1st, because we’ve seen crashes happen before.
You will typically hear back from them before RD decisions come out. Best of luck!
Deferred or rejected and need help with an ED2 app? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us ASAP.