r/Vanderbilt

I'm a current junior at Vandy, majoring in econ/history! I'm taking 18 hours this semester because I came in with no college credit, and my engineering freshman-year classes don't count toward A&S. I'm at the point where I'm almost done with the degree itself, but still need extra hours, so I'm looking for easy A/low-effort classes within the College of Arts and Sciences for next semester and beyond (ideally 3 hours). I've already scoured the subreddit, but a lot of the recommendations are from years ago, professors who no longer work here, or 1-hour classes outside A&S. After this semester, I just really need my non-degree classes to be as low-effort as possible haha

Hello! I’m writing because I have a big question pertaining to the college application process for big schools such as Vanderbilt, Brown, Wake Forest, etc.

I have a fairly healthy academic record for my school: 4.5 Weighted GPA (4.0 UW) including 10+ AP classes with a majority of those being 5s (my ACT is a bit lacking at a 32, but I am currently enrolled in multiple retakes before Vandy ED1). Vanderbilt is my dream school as someone applying in state, but here’s the catch: my extracurriculars SUCK. Aside from performing piano solo onstage to a crowd of at most two dozen people, and aside from the clubs I’m currently in only senior year, I have nothing.

A lot of it has to do with family issues. Mainly, my 100% disabled and divorced Dad has trouble paying for himself back at his apartment, so I’ve been trying to cough up some money for him to live without getting a job (Mom won’t let me). Unfortunately, a lot of this comes from a place where my Dad tended to be emotionally and verbally abusive to his fiancé whilst I was around, completely draining my mind and body.

I’m not writing this to get condolences, but to add important context for my question: will Vanderbilt (or any other T30 school) understand why there’s a huge gap in such an important area? As mentioned earlier, I plan to apply to Vandy ED1, so any help is appreciated.

Thank you.

i’m a hs senior with great academics and slightly above average extracurriculars (full app in my post history), so essays are gonna be really important for my application. unfortunately, as a middle class white girl, i don’t know quite how to approach the identity essay (applying ed1 hopefully).

i’ve read that you should probably avoid talking about divorce in college essays, but it’s an aspect of my background which has influenced me to some degree.

if you got admitted without an uncommon cultural background, what did you choose to write about?

if you’re feeling really nice, tell me what you think about my current idea: with my two parents living hours away from each other, i’ve lived my whole life alternating between metropolitan and rural areas. as such, i’ve become accustomed to living and interacting closely with different cultures and ideological viewpoints, developing a capacity for engaging deeply with people of different backgrounds. i hope to bring that openmindedness to a diverse campus like vanderbilt’s, helping me to collaborate effectively with students across cultures and beliefs and build a stronger community through skills in understanding and engagement built through growing up in two completely different cultural environments.

thanks!!

Hi, sophomore undergraduate from South Carolina considering living in Vanderbilt summer housing and commuting to a downtown internship this upcoming summer. Does the VandyRide shuttle run during the summer or would I have to purchase a bus pass? I am not familiar with Nashville bus lines, is there one that would run from Highland Quad to Centennial park or thereabouts? Would a summer ID be eligible for the bus fare?

Hi guys! I am trying to decide if i should ed to washu or vanderbilt. I love both and they both seem like the same school in two different cities. My biggest factor is the social scene at vanderbilt. I don't want to rush but i do want to make close friends, have fun, party sometimes. Is that achievable or is the social scene dominated by greek life? Thank you!

Additionally, is there a strong alumni network?