Vanderbilt is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt is a medium-sized school (around 7,000 undergraduates attend) and the school is known for its traditions, academic rigor, and fun social scene. Some people go so far as to call Vanderbilt the “Harvard of the South.” The acceptance rate for the class of 2025 was 6.7%.
It seems that Vanderbilt did not change their supplement this year, but let’s take another look anyway.
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200-400 words)
Woof. We are again wondering how this is enough information to evaluate potential Vanderbilt students! We suggest using all 400 words for this one and starting out by finishing your common app essay. Yes, finishing it. Since you’ll only be submitting two written pieces (common app essay and your response to this question,) it’s crucial that there’s no overlap between the two. They’re going to be reading one after the other. So, if your common app essay is about how you see yourself as a leader in your own home because of how you help take care of your younger siblings, you shouldn’t write about an extracurricular activity that speaks to your abilities as a leader.
Once you’re done with your common app essay, read through your activities section. It’s okay to write on one of the extracurricular activities that are listed in that section, but you need to do more than simply state that you are part of a group and then list out the qualities you believe that exemplifies.
If you can write about work, do it. A lot of high school students fail to recognize how good it looks to colleges when you work. If you’re choosing between extracurricular activities, don’t worry about choosing the one that you think makes you sound the smartest. Choose the one you like the most. If you need more helping deciding what you’re going to write about, think about memorable experiences from jobs or teams. Then spend some time thinking about the qualities of interest that you’re hoping to highlight. You should use this supplement as an opportunity to diversify your application and add depth.
On Writing:
Your response should be in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end. “Being an appointed member of student counsel has taught me how to manage multiple projects at once and collaborate with many people” is not the move. You should think about what you want the leader to take away from the story first, and it might even look like the above. But you shouldn’t actually write like that. Instead, tell them a story! Drop the reader into the scene and let them know what it’s like to be in your shoes, and let your qualities and interests become obvious through the lens of the story that you tell.
Getting into Vanderbilt is no easy feat. Rather than writing about the easiest or most obvious activity, think about your application as a whole. What’s missing? Let your response fill in the gaps.
Contact us here if you need help with the college application process.