Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays 2024-25

Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays 2024-25

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays form a major part of the overall Vanderbilt admissions process. Your Vanderbilt essay helps to provide crucial context to your application. It can also help the admissions office better understand how you’ll fit on campus. Overall, the Vanderbilt supplemental essays work to build a more holistic picture of your identity and background. The Vanderbilt essay can feel intimidating, but CollegeAdvisor is here to help!

This guide will break down the Vanderbilt essay prompts and provide tips on how to write the Vanderbilt supplemental essays. We’ll explain the Vanderbilt essays and provide some inspiration for your own Vanderbilt essay.

For students wondering how to get into Vanderbilt, a strong Vanderbilt essay is a must. So, keep reading to learn more about the Vanderbilt supplemental essays! 

Vanderbilt Admissions: Quick Facts

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website.

Does Vanderbilt have supplemental essays?

Yes, Vanderbilt has one supplemental essay prompt. Students will also need to complete the personal statement found in the application platform of their choice, either the Common Application or Coalition Application. Overall, students will submit to essays when applying to Vanderbilt.

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays form a mandatory part of the overall Vanderbilt requirements. It’s important to take the Vanderbilt supplemental essays seriously, as they can greatly enrich your application. There aren’t multiple Vanderbilt essay prompts this year. Therefore, students will respond to the same Vanderbilt essay prompt. Vanderbilt doesn’t necessarily care what you write about—as long as your essay is all about you! Choose a topic that responds to the prompt and allows you to best highlight your unique skills, interests, and experiences.  

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays are a crucial part of your application. As an integral part of Vanderbilt’s holistic review process, you can use your essay to show admissions how you align with Vanderbilt’s values. This guide will provide a deep dive into how to approach each of the Vanderbilt essay prompts.

How many essays does Vanderbilt require?

This year, there aren’t multiple Vanderbilt essay prompts to choose from. As we’ve mentioned, students will respond to the same prompt. Additionally, Vanderbilt will also receive your Common App or Coalition Application essay. In total, you’ll complete two essays when applying to Vanderbilt: one supplemental essay and one personal statement.

The Vanderbilt requirements detail that students must submit a personal essay via the Common App or Coalition app as well as the supplemental Vanderbilt essay. The longer personal essay will be sent to multiple schools via the application platform of your choice. However, the Vanderbilt supplemental essays are unique to Vanderbilt. 

All students will write Vanderbilt supplemental essays that respond to the same prompt. The Vanderbilt essay has a limit of 250 words, so you should think carefully about your response. The Vanderbilt essays help admissions officers understand you better and can boost your overall application. And, since applicants don’t have multiple Vanderbilt essays to shine, you’ll want to make this one count!

For help on your personal essay, you can read our College Essay Topic guide here, as well as our guide on the Coalition Essay Prompts here. 

Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays

There are is one prompt for the Vanderbilt supplemental essays. Students will all respond to the same prompt; however, based on your personal experiences, topic choices for this essay will vary greatly.

The most successful Vanderbilt essays will comprehensively respond to the prompt, while adding valuable new information to your overall application narrative. We’ll get into some more tips on how to write successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays later. For now, let’s check out the Vanderbilt essay prompt.

This Vanderbilt essay asks you to reflect on your identity, culture, or background. Most importantly, this Vanderbilt essay gives you the chance to share how you’ve grown and how you’ll contribute to Vanderbilt’s campus community. The ability to reflect and evolve as a person is a quality that college admissions seek from their applicants. Successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays will show that you are willing to evolve and learn from your experiences. Additionally, Vanderbilt supplemental essays will need to clearly show how students will make a positive impact on Vanderbilt’s campus.

Regardless of what aspect(s) you choose to write about in this Vanderbilt essay, make sure to focus on all parts of the prompt. Vanderbilt essays ask you to reflect on how your experiences have influenced you, which will help admissions officers better understand how you’ve changed over time. Therefore, no matter the topic you choose to answer this prompt, your Vanderbilt essay needs to get personal, not just recount an experience. This means you should do all you can to choose the right aspects to show. Let’s check out some tips on how to do so.

Choosing a topic for your Vanderbilt Supplemental Essay

Picking the right Vanderbilt essay topic may feel intimidating. As you prepare to write, you should think about how Vanderbilt admissions officers evaluate applications.

Overall, it’s important to know what Vanderbilt looks for in applicants. However, your essay shouldn’t read as something you think admissions officers want to read. Still, you can use these evaluation points in order to keep you on track when writing about your personal experiences. Additionally, reading Vanderbilt essay examples can help you see previously successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays.While the Vanderbilt essay prompts change from year to year, reading Vanderbilt essay examples can still be extremely helpful to jumpstart your writing process. 

Identity, Culture, or Background

These are large themes that could encompass many different things. This means that the aspect you write on could be anything! However, there is a method to the madness when it comes to choosing what aspect to highlight. First of all, consider aspects of your identity, communities, cultures, and lived experiences. What calls out to you that holds true meaning to who you are? You may choose to expand upon where you came from. Whatever you choose to hone in on, the key is that is meaningful and impactful to who you are as a person.

Personal Growth

In addition to choosing an aspect that has been formative in who you are and what you value, you also need to highlight how it’s helped you to grow as a person. This is essential to writing a successful Vanderbilt essay. It’s not simply writing on a meaningful topic, but one that has supported your personal evolution. So, when brainstorming what to write about, reflect on if the topic has contributed to your personal growth. If so, then it could be the one to write on.

Campus Community

Vanderbilt admissions wants to know that you will make a positive impact on the campus community. They also want to know that you’re capable of learning and evolving in the environment that you’re in. Therefore, successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays will tie it all together by stating how this topic will affect how they contribute to the campus community. It’s clear from this prompt that Vanderbilt expects you to grow both personally and academically while on campus. Now’s the time to clearly show how you’ll do that and why you would be a positive addition to their campus community.

How to write Vanderbilt supplemental essays

Starting the writing process can be difficult, so we’ve compiled some tips for approaching the Vanderbilt essays in this section. 

Brainstorm

After considering the Vanderbilt prompt, take some time to brainstorm possible aspects of your identity, culture, or background to highlight. Make a list of the most meaningful aspects to you. What has made you you? Don’t stress too much about which topic to use for your essay just yet. Simply get as many possible ideas down as you can think of!

Choose a topic

Go through your list of possible Vanderbilt essay topics. Consider which have supported your personal growth. Additionally, think about choosing a topic that will highlight something that you haven’t mentioned elsewhere in your application. For example, don’t write on the same theme that you chose to write on in your personal statement. Successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays will contribute to your overall application narrative by adding new information.

If you’re between a couple of topics, do a timed free write to see which you have the most to say about. Try to stay within the realm of the prompt. However, don’t stress so much about your style, spelling, or mechanics just yet. Simply set a timer for ten minutes and write your heart out! Whichever topic you could write the most (and most passionately) about is probably the route to go.

Draft, revise, repeat

Have you heard the favorite phrase, “writing is rewriting”? Well, that certainly rings true when it comes to writing your best Vanderbilt supplemental essays, or any college essays for that matter. You’ll need to allow yourself plenty of time to write your draft, edit, make revisions, and possibly repeat it multiple times!

Additionally, enlist the help of a parent, teacher, or friend when it comes to editing. Another set of eyes can help when it comes to your final draft. Just be sure that you maintain your own voice when implementing feedback. And, of course, be sure that your final essay is mechanically impeccable. You don’t want simple spelling or grammatical errors to distract the reader from your Vanderbilt essay.

Does Vanderbilt care about essays?

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays illuminate what the admissions office values in a student body. And since the university has such a low acceptance rate, you can be sure that the Vanderbilt essays factor into the evaluation process. So, it’s essential to take them seriously. With the highly competitive Vanderbilt acceptance rate, the Vanderbilt supplemental essays are crucial to your overall application narrative. 

In looking at the Vanderbilt essay prompts, we can see that Vanderbilt values students who are able to navigate differences and students who are involved with their communities. The Vanderbilt supplemental essays are the best opportunity to highlight the ways in which you embody these values, as well as how you’ve been shaped by your experiences. Your Vanderbilt essay is your opportunity to speak directly to the admissions office. It can help provide context to your application, and should paint a more robust picture of who you are as a student. In short, Vanderbilt does care about your essays, so be sure to spend adequate time on them!

What is Vanderbilt looking for in essays?

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays are an opportunity to share additional details about your experiences to help add to your overall application. To get a sense of what Vanderbilt is looking for, reading Vanderbilt essay examples can be extremely helpful. While the prompts may differ, you can get a great sense of the writing style, creativity, and content that have been successful in the past. 

In addition to Vanderbilt essay examples, you can find other essay examples that capture the essence of the Vanderbilt essay prompts. For example, you can read our guide on Extracurricular Activities Essay prompts here. 

Overall, the Vanderbilt supplemental essays aim to capture your personality. Admissions officers use the Vanderbilt essays to gain a deeper understanding of each applicant, so your essay should communicate your character traits. The most successful Vanderbilt supplemental essays have a strong voice and complement the rest of a student’s application. Writing multiple drafts can help you establish your voice as a writer while ensuring that your personality comes through. 

When is my Vanderbilt application due?

Your application deadline for Vanderbilt will depend on your decision plan. Vanderbilt offers first-year applicants Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision deadlines. Since Early Decision is a binding agreement, students considering applying this route should conduct deep research on Vanderbilt and its programs. You can read more about Early Decision on Vanderbilt’s website. 

All Vanderbilt requirements must be submitted by: 

• Early Decision I: November 1^st, 2023
• Early Decision II: January 1^st, 2024
• Regular Decision: January 1^st, 2024

For students applying for Vanderbilt merit scholarships, applications must be submitted by December 1^st, 2023. For students applying for financial aid, the deadlines for the CSS Profile and FAFSA are: 

• Early Decision I:
  • CSS Profile: November 2^nd, 2023
  • FAFSA: February 1^st, 2024
• Early Decision II:
  • CSS Profile: January 4^th, 2023 
  • FAFSA: February 1^st, 2024
• Regular Decision:
  • CSS Profile: January 4^th, 2023 
  • FAFSA: February 1^st, 2024

It’s important to give yourself enough time to complete your Vanderbilt supplemental essays before the application deadline. Consider the time it will take to complete multiple drafts and receive feedback. Starting your Vanderbilt essays early will ensure you submit the best versions possible. 

How do I make my Vanderbilt application essays stand out?

With such a competitive admissions process, many students want to make sure their Vanderbilt supplemental essays stand out. For students wondering how to get into Vanderbilt, having stellar essays is a crucial step. In order to write standout Vanderbilt supplemental essays, it’s important to break down exactly what you’re trying to communicate. 

Reading Vanderbilt essay examples can give you a sense of the writing caliber needed to impress the admissions office. You want your Vanderbilt supplemental essays to both capture your personality and tell a compelling story. Crafting an essay that brings the reader into your experience is hard and can take some time if you’re not accustomed to the writing style. Experiment with your approach to the essays–don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Get feedback from your peers, mentors, and teachers as they can provide a crucial perspective to make sure your essays pop. 

While the Vanderbilt supplemental essays do not focus on Vanderbilt specifically, it’s a good idea to research the program you’re applying to. If you’re close to campus, try to book a visit to Vanderbilt. Taking a tour can help you detail your connection to campus. Additionally, CollegeAdvisor has many resources on Vanderbilt, including two Vanderbilt panels (you can watch them here and here), as well as a guide on the Best Colleges in Tennessee. You can also read Forbes and the Princeton Review for more information on Vanderbilt. Basically, the more you know about Vanderbilt, the better your chances of writing an impactful and detailed essay. 

Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays – 5 Takeaways

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays are a crucial part of your application, as such it’s important to take them seriously. For students wondering how to get into Vanderbilt, the Vanderbilt supplemental essays are a big piece of the puzzle. Here are the main takeaways you should keep in mind when writing your Vanderbilt essay: 

1. Pick the right prompt

Picking the right prompt is the most important step in writing your Vanderbilt essay. Choose the prompt that will allow you to tell the best story to the admissions office–or the prompt that will provide more context to your application. The admissions officers are looking for a better understanding of who you are. Therefore, choosing the best prompt for you will ensure they have a more robust picture of your experiences. 

2. Let your personality shine 

The Vanderbilt supplemental essays are the best opportunity to demonstrate your personality to the admissions office. Ideally, your essay will also show personal growth and self-reflection. Make sure your essay adds to your overall application and showcases your unique experiences and story. To have the most success, work on your writing style and develop your personal voice–it will make your Vanderbilt essay stand out among a pool of qualified candidates! 

3. Think outside the box 

With such a competitive application process, it’s important that your Vanderbilt essays capture the attention of the admissions office. While the Vanderbilt essay prompts are straightforward, don’t be afraid to take a different approach to them. Think creatively and experiment with your approach. Don’t just simply answer the question; tell your story in an engaging way that captivates the reader. 

4. Start early 

It’s a good idea to start writing both your Vanderbilt essay and personal essay early. This will allow you enough time to edit, experiment with your form, and really hone your ideas. Rushed essays rarely communicate ideas effectively, and can contain spelling and grammar mistakes. Start your essays the summer before your senior year so that you have enough time to perfect them! 

5. Write multiple drafts 

The editing process can feel like a drag, but it’s crucial in ensuring your Vanderbilt supplemental essays shine. Writing multiple drafts will help you establish your voice as a writer and will help strengthen your overall message. After your first draft, ask for feedback. Incorporate that feedback and reflect on how you can approach the prompt in a different way. You’ll be surprised to see how different your drafts can be!

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Jess Klein. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.