The Vandy Admissions Blog

Thom April 24th, 2009

PreVU Coming Up for Rising Seniors

PreVU, our signature summer & fall program for rising seniors is now up and running for registration. It’s a 3/4 day program meant to build on our Black and Gold Days experience by providing much more depth into the Vanderbilt academic experience.  You will hear from academic deans, get a insider’s view into the admissions process, and have lunch on us at the Commons Dining Hall (wood fired pizzas, believe it).  This program routinely gets high ratings by visitors on College Confidential and was given an “A” grade as one of the top college visit programs in the country by Smart Money Magazine.

Waitlist Update

We are watching the deposits and declines come in daily and meetings are on-going to determine the status of our class.  At this point I don’t think I’ll have much of an update for you until much closer to May 1.  If we’ll be making offers from the waitlist, we will likely begin doing so in early May.  Remember, while we model our class in order to make offers from the waitlist, our ability to do so is always based on conditions at the time.  I’ll be posting updates when I know more.  For now, go double check the Waitlist Confirmation Emails Going Out post to make sure you are officially on our waitlist.  Remember that you can get quick answers for your questions at waitlist@vanderbilt.edu.

Admitted Students

Remember that you have until May 1 (postmarked) to respond to our offer of admission.  If you have questions about your financial aid package, call the Office of Student Financial Aid and Undergraduate Scholarships (800-288-0204) or email them at finaid@vanderbilt.edu.  Let our office know if we can be of any assistance (800-288-0432).  Good luck with your decision.

Enrolling Students

If you have already sent in your deposit (either for ED or just recently for RD) congrats and welcome!  The next thing to look for is the “Road to Vanderbilt” brochure which will drop the middle of May.  I saw a copy of it just the other day and it has a TON of great information in it about housing, class registration, CommonVU, move in and all things Commons.

Good luck to all current Vandy students running in the Country Music City Marathon this weekend.  As an avid non-runner, I am in awe of you.  Run fast.

• Commons , Freshman Commons , I've been admitted - now what? , Living on Campus , commonvu
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Thom March 4th, 2009

1. Vanderbilt students are scattered to the winds for Spring Break, including our ASB Groups out there helping hundreds if not thousands of people, go ‘Dores.  Selfishly, I celebrate increased parking spots.
2. Head Commodore Football Coach and all around great ambassador for Vandy, Bobby Johnson was recently named 2008 Nashville Sports Person of the Year.
3. Krispy Kreme donuts and the wonderful colleague who brought them in this morning.
4. Rites of Spring quickly approaching with headliners just announced: Flaming Lips, Q-Tip & N.E.R.D.
5. Ridiculously stupid car window art.

Also making today a buffet of awesome is that March is here, which means we mail decisions in less than 4 weeks from now.  Our officers keep reading and getting ready for MOSAIC.  In the meantime, feel free to check out BlogVU, which collects many of the best blogging coming out of Vanderbilt.  A personal favorite is the Barca Blog.

• Balance , Nashville , Rites of Spring , Vanderbilt Alternative Spring Break , Vanderbilt Blogs , Vandy Athletics
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Thom September 12th, 2008

We talked yesterday about the importance of voice in your college application essay.   Today let’s discuss the second insight your college application gives our admission officers, specifically, how you put your thoughts together to convey a point.

In college a buddy of mine introduced me to a friend of his at a party like this, “Hey man, I want you to meet Thom.  [motioning to me and continuing to his friend]  He’s like really funny.”  After the cordialities and and “nice to meet you’s” it was, well, awkward.  The yoke of funny was unexpected and darn heavy.  Trying to tell us you’re a leader (for example) in a college essay, versus showing us, is a lot like that.

There is a truism in life that in our haste, we’d rather tell others something than have to show others something.  You may well be a leader, but just like your calc teacher, we’re going to ask that you show your work.  In the essay, this means paying particular attention to the details of how you write.  Beyond the basics covered yesterday (grammar and diction) the order and organization of your essay, the words you choose, and the depth of your description of your topic all speak to how you make sense of the world around you.

Here are a couple of real examples, with my general take-a-ways from reading it: 

• “During that [mission] trip [to Kenya] I was struck by how the villagers went about their days in such happiness even though they had very little.”  -This is a common sentiment, intended to contrast cultures and depict the perception that people of greater means have more troubles while those with less means lead simpler lives.  However, it conveys an overly simplistic worldview, and makes me worry about the commitment that individual has to deeply understanding social and human conditions.
• “I describe myself as an ‘out-of-the-box’ thinker.”  -A kind of oxymoron if you think about it, in that the phrase is a very common cliché, and challenges how out-of-the-box the writer really is.  Being an unconventional thinker is more clearly conveyed by unique descriptions and word choice.
• “Reflecting back on it, winning that [big] game for our team changed me in immeasurable ways.”  -A fine sentiment so long as the next sentence ushers in a reflection on how that event changed you.  It’s not enough to recount an event and just say that it changed you, let us in on your introspection on that event.  It conveys your values and what you find important in life (i.e., saying that “it changed you because you experienced for the first time the inter-dependence of a true team environment” conveys that your worldview includes those around you, not just you).

The reason your AP English teacher tells you to write succinctly is because the practice of doing so forces your mind to first focus on an argument, and then support that argument with relevant evidence, the true mark of an educated mind.  The reason we ask you to do that in your college essay is to show us the culmination of this practice.  We’re looking to understand how you think, how you engage concepts and ideas as a projection of your fit with our intellectual community (i.e., our classes, Commons houses, etc).

It goes beyond the OCD (see yesterday’s post) gimmicks like having a “hook” or some odd essay format (like a second person account of a conversation between the applicant and God - a topic listed as “can’t miss” in one of those guidebooks at the mega-bookstore).  Clear message, well thought out voice, and solid writing and editing.  Simple right?

• Admissions Committee , Advice for Parents , Application Process , College Application Guides , File Reading Explained , The College Essay
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