How to Write the Vanderbilt University Essay 2025-2026
Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a selective research university comprised of three undergraduate colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the top-ranked Peabody College of Education and Human Development.
Vanderbilt prides itself on its balance between high academic standards and a supportive, involved student community, and is consistently ranked as having some of the happiest students in the country. With an admissions rate that has fallen to less than 5% for the Regular Decision round in recent years, acceptance is highly competitive and deeply coveted.
Vanderbilt requires one supplemental essay for all applicants and an essay for those planning to apply to the Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Let’s break the prompt down and learn how to write an outstanding essay that will set you apart within Vanderbilt’s highly competitive applicant pool.
Read this Vanderbilt essay example written by a real accepted student to inspire your writing!
Vanderbilt University Supplemental Essay Prompts
All Applicants
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 have played a role in your personal growth, and how they will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt. Please provide your response in approximately 250 words. (200-400 words)
Peabody College of Education Applicants
Prompt: Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development has a rich tradition of excellence in teacher education, preparing students to pursue a research-grounded, practice-intensive program leading to licensure. Students pursuing careers in education spend as much time in the classrooms and hallways of Nashville’s public schools as they do in seminar rooms on campus, observing and working in a variety of community and educational settings.
What prior experience with and enthusiasm for the field of education will you bring to Vanderbilt? In your response, reflect on why you want to be an educator. (200-300 words)
All Applicants 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 have played a role in your personal growth, and how they will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt. Please provide your response in approximately 250 words. (200-400 words)
The prompt falls under the Diversity Essay archetype, which means Vanderbilt wants to learn how your background or identity has impacted your worldview and, in turn, your approach to life. Colleges use this prompt because they want to build classes that are diverse along many dimensions, not just the standard ones people associate with diversity.
Your diverse background could stem from your race and ethnicity, gender, language, socioeconomic class, illness and disability, country of origin, culture, religion, or even interests or hobbies. Think about these factors and identify the different communities you’re a part of.
Remember to consider aspects of your identity like competing on a team or even participation in an internet forum; even if these features may seem silly, our hobbies and personal passions can be just as meaningful as more traditional traditional communities, and can sometimes even do more to set you apart, as other students are less likely to write about them. The only thing that matters is choosing something that has significantly impacted your development.
Then, consider the emotions you feel about being part of that community, or claiming that identity, and any personality traits you might have developed as a result. Alternatively, do you have any distinctive skills or talents because of your background? Brainstorm two to three formative or otherwise significant experiences you’ve had because of your membership in this community to help you get inspired.
A quick note if you intend to write about your racial background: In June 2023, the United States Supreme Court struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions. The ruling, however, still allows colleges to consider race on an individual basis, which is one reason many schools are now including diversity prompts as one of their supplemental essay prompts.
If you feel that your racial background has impacted you significantly, this is the place to discuss that. Of course, you are more than welcome to discuss something else, but do be aware that if you don’t discuss your racial background here (or in your statement), Vanderbilt will be unable to factor that aspect of your identity into their decision.
Regardless of which attribute of diversity you choose, you should strive for individuality and specificity in your response. Remember, college essays are an opportunity to showcase your unique life perspective. You don’t want to waste this opportunity by writing down some bland dictionary definitions or cliché statements.
Instead, think of what diversity means to you personally, and some aspect of your life that reflects that value. From there, think of personal anecdotes or stories about how diversity has contributed to your growth or development as a person – remember that showing, rather than simply telling, your points will make your essay much more compelling.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t solely write about negative experiences. You may have had negative experiences as a result of your background or identity. While it’s generally fine to mention adversity, college essays usually want to see a positive outcome or lesson at the conclusion, so your story is one of growth and resilience, rather than solely hardship.
Example: “Growing up as a first-generation Egyptian-American, I always felt out of place and struggled to balance the expectations of my parents with the reality of being raised in the U.S. I remember being embarrassed when they spoke to me in Arabic in front of my friends, which made me want to distance myself from my culture. I never really fit in with the other kids at school, and this made me feel isolated.
Because of these struggles, I developed a strong sense of independence and learned how to take care of myself. However, these experiences have also left me feeling disconnected from both my Egyptian roots and American culture. At Vanderbilt, I hope to find a community where I finally feel like I belong and can start fresh.”
Although this writer does briefly touch on independence and self-sufficiency, which are positive traits, and vaguely gestures at hoping for a fresh start at Vanderbilt, the overall tone of the essay is negative. As a result, admissions officers may wonder what they took away from this experience that will allow them to thrive in college.
There are a few different ways this student could fix this problem. For example, they could spend more time fleshing out the positive qualities they developed as a result of this experience, or they could go into more detail about the community they’re hoping to find at Vanderbilt by citing particular clubs or programs that they think will help them find the community they’ve been missing.
Either of these approaches would show what the student has learned from overcoming this hardship, rather than keeping the focus solely on the hardship itself.
Don’t use a cliché topic like immigration, traveling, or moving. These events are very common, and it’s fine if they’re part of your background, but don’t make the entire essay centered around these clichés.
Example: “My journey as an immigrant from Mexico to the United States has shaped every aspect of who I am today. When I was six years old, my family moved to the U.S. in search of a better life. We faced many challenges, including learning a new language, adapting to a different culture, and dealing with financial hardships.
Despite these obstacles, my parents always encouraged me to work hard and never give up on my dreams. Their sacrifices motivated me to excel in school and become the first person in my family to attend college. I am proud of my heritage and the hard work it took to get here.
At Vanderbilt, I plan to continue this journey of success and make my parents proud by achieving great things. I hope to join cultural organizations that celebrate diversity and share my story with others to inspire them to overcome their challenges. My experiences as an immigrant have taught me resilience, and I am eager to bring this determination to Vanderbilt.”
Of course, we don’t want to discount how impactful immigrating to a new country can be. The problem is not that the experience isn’t meaningful enough—rather, it’s that many other people have had a similar one and taken away similar lessons from it.
Instead of focusing on these clichés, you could briefly provide context about immigrating from Mexico, and then focus on a less common aspect of your experience and give a more personal takeaway. For example, you could talk about how playing soccer with the kids in your neighborhood gave you a shared cultural touchpoint that was invaluable as you were acclimating to life in the US.
Don’t write a laundry list of identities and demographics. Like we already said, this prompt isn’t just about who you are; it’s about what you’ve experienced that made you who you are, and how you see the world because of this part of yourself. Make sure to provide a deeper analysis—most of the essay should be about your reflections and growth, and the evolution of your worldview, not just the traits themselves. Remember: quality over quantity.
Example: “My identity is a combination of many different aspects. I am a first-generation Vietnamese-American, a daughter of immigrant parents, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. I also come from a low-income background, which has taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. Additionally, I’m a female student who is passionate about pursuing a career in STEM, a field where women are often underrepresented.
Each of these identities has played a role in shaping who I am today. Being Vietnamese-American has connected me to my cultural roots, while my experience as a first-generation college student motivates me to succeed. My LGBTQ+ identity has taught me to embrace who I am, and my low-income background has given me the determination to overcome obstacles. I believe that all these aspects of my identity will allow me to contribute to the diversity at Vanderbilt.”
Because this student is so focused on covering all aspects of her identity, we get only a shallow understanding of each one’s significance to her broader life. If she were to have instead focused on just, say, being part of the LGBTQ+ community, she would have had room to provide examples of how she came to accept this part of herself, for example, by describing her friends’ kindness when she came out to them.
We know there’s more than one feature of your life you’ll want to highlight in your response, and leaving things out can feel frustrating. But unfortunately, word counts are an unavoidable part of the college application process.
What Makes a Good Response
Generally, you should only briefly introduce the culture, background, community, or other driver of the values you’re exploring in your essay. You should be specific and clear about which community or group you’re referencing, but you then want to quickly dive deep into its impact on your life as a whole.
This deep dive should make up most of your essay. Analyze your current and past emotions about this aspect of your identity, and how it has shaped your worldview. With the limited word count, prioritize including information about the impact of your values and background over the mere nature or description of your identity.
Finally, given Vanderbilt’s inclusion of its “dare to grow” motto, you should demonstrate how your background has emboldened you to grow personally and how it will continue to do so at Vanderbilt. Think about times you exhibited leadership or kindness, or took a risk, and connect these instances to the part of your identity you’re focusing on. A growth-oriented mindset is key here, so be sure to highlight the way your background helped you evolve in your values, ambitions, and accomplishments.
Also note that the prompt specifically asks you to relate your chosen background to possible contributions to the Vanderbilt community. Depending on what you’re writing about, it might be beneficial to research extracurricular campus groups at Vanderbilt or in the Nashville area that align with your identity. Including these specific details demonstrates your deep interest in the school and commitment to being an active member of its tightly knit community.
Strong Essay Example
Now, let’s explore a possible example of a strong response to the prompt:
“Every weekend, our small apartment in Queens transformed into a hub of activism. Friends and neighbors would gather around our worn dining table, their voices rising and falling in animated Arabic as they discussed the latest political unrest in Egypt. I often found myself translating news articles or drafting letters to officials on behalf of my parents, who had fled political persecution decades earlier. Although I was born in the U.S., the struggles of my parents’ homeland shaped me profoundly, instilling in me a deep sense of responsibility to fight for justice.”
Here, the writer begins with a vivid hook to provide a narrative for their essay. Specific details about translating news articles and drafting letters in a busy, chatter-filled apartment construct a tangible picture of their background and its values. Furthermore, the Egyptian community describes their family being part of in Queens implies that the writer has a significant connection to a cultural group in their hometown, and prioritizes being part of one.
“When I was fourteen, I organized my first protest in support of the Arab Spring. It was a modest gathering of around twenty people, but it ignited a passion in me. Seeing the impact we could have, even on a small scale, made me realize the power of collective action. This experience drove me to join a youth-led advocacy group in New York, where I spearheaded campaigns to raise awareness about immigrant rights and helped secure legal aid for families facing deportation. I became the voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves, just as my parents had once relied on others to speak for them.”
The writer continues by detailing examples of their leadership and boldness within the context of their cultural and ethnic background, thus clearly showing how this aspect of their identity has driven their personal growth. As their activism grows in scale from a small gathering to participation in a formal advocacy group, they also grow personally into a bolder, more involved Egyptian-American activist.
“At Vanderbilt, I’m eager to bring my passion for social justice to the campus community. I envision joining the Vanderbilt Political Review and participating in the Ingram Scholars Program to further my advocacy work. I also want to contribute to the growing immigrant population in Nashville by working with local organizations to support refugee resettlement efforts. I know that, at Vanderbilt, I will find a community that shares my commitment to daring to grow through action, and I am excited to continue the work that began around my family’s dining table.”
Finally, the writer makes an authentic connection to Vanderbilt by envisioning themself participating in specific campus and local groups related to the causes they first became involved with through their cultural background. As a whole, this example is profoundly personal with plenty of details, and is also forward-facing, with a clear demonstration of how the writer will use their background and individual values to engage with the Vanderbilt and broader Nashville communities.
The best essays will provide a reflective, personal narrative that looks not just into the past, but also towards a future of engagement and contribution at Vanderbilt. Authenticity, detail, and growth should be the pillars of your response.
Peabody Applicants
Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development has a rich tradition of excellence in teacher education, preparing students to pursue a research-grounded, practice-intensive program leading to licensure. Students pursuing careers in education spend as much time in the classrooms and hallways of Nashville’s public schools as they do in seminar rooms on campus, observing and working in a variety of community and educational settings.
What prior experience with and enthusiasm for the field of education will you bring to Vanderbilt? In your response, reflect on why you want to be an educator. (200-300 words)
This is firmly in the Why This Major archetype, since it’s about your interest in education as a career path, but it also pulls in elements of an Extracurricular essay if you have relevant hands-on experiences.
Vanderbilt is asking for your past connection to education. They do not simply want to hear, “I want to help kids,” but also specific moments and settings where you’ve engaged with teaching, tutoring, mentoring, coaching, or educational advocacy. Share your motivation regarding why you see teaching as your calling. What is your unique perspective, what you’ll bring to Vanderbilt’s teacher education program? Align with Peabody’s approach, a hands-on classroom experience, research-based methods, and community engagement.
They want evidence that you already understand the realities of education—the work and the reward—and that you’ll thrive in their practice-intensive environment.
Brainstorming Your Essay
Before you begin writing, it’s important you take the time to think through the prompt and possible ways you could respond to it. You might find these questions to be helpful in guiding your brainstorming process:
- Have I tutored, mentored, coached, babysat, or worked in a classroom before? What specific impact did I make or see?
- Was there a turning point when I knew I wanted to become an educator?
- What educational philosophies or approaches resonate with me (hands-on learning, social-emotional learning, inclusive classrooms, project-based learning)?
- Who inspired me — a teacher, a student, a family member — and how?
- Have I worked in diverse or underserved communities? How did that shape my perspective?
- What’s the most challenging teaching-related moment I’ve faced? What did I learn from it?
- How do I imagine myself contributing to both Vanderbilt’s program and the Nashville school community?
What Makes a Good Response
A strong essay will do the following:
Start with a vivid anecdote. Maybe it’s a story about your 4th grade sitting with you during recess to answer your questions about the American Revolution that you were obsessed with at the time. Perhaps you recount the moment the student you tutored finally understood how to solve a mathematical proof. Or, maybe you share your experience presenting in front of your school board in support of more classroom materials after learning your teachers paid for their materials out of their own pockets. What matters is that you find a specific, small moment in time and expand upon it to draw your reader in.
Highlight both skills and values. You want to show Vanderbilt that you have what it takes to be an educator. Skills like patience, adaptability, empathy, and cultural awareness are all common among teachers. However, don’t just say “Tutoring made me develop patience, which is an important skill.” Let your reader discover your skills and values through what you show them: “I wanted to jump in and correct errors in Maddie’s formula, but I held my tongue and took a steadying breath.”
Show real-world understanding. Teaching is a hard profession. Yes, it’s immensely rewarding, but acknowledging the challenges will show the admissions committee you have seriously considered this career path and all that comes with it. This isn’t to say you need to list out the challenges in your essay, but try and find a natural way to work a struggle or difficulty you faced into your story.
Connect your past to Vanderbilt. Like any good Why This Major essay, you want to discuss both your previous experiences and the future experiences you hope to create at the Vanderbilt campus. Find specific opportunities that are unique to Vanderbilt (classes, professors, clubs, research initiatives, etc.) and explain why those opportunities excite you and how they will help you become a better educator after graduation.
Good and Bad Examples
Good Example
“The first time I sat in the creaky reading chair in front of twenty restless second graders, my voice was barely more than a whisper. I was volunteering with a literacy program at our local community center, and my job was to lead a read-aloud of Charlotte’s Web. By page two, half the class was fidgeting. Remembering a technique my fourth-grade teacher used, I stopped reading and asked them to draw what they imagined Charlotte’s web looked like. Suddenly, the room buzzed with energy. When we shared our drawings, students who’d been silent were eager to speak. That afternoon taught me that teaching is part performance, part empathy, and 100% creativity.
At Peabody, I’m eager to learn how to design lessons that spark curiosity across learning styles, just as that drawing exercise did for my students. I look forward to working with Professor Benton to explore the psychology of young children’s learning acquisition to understand effective strategies for engaging young minds. I’ll start applying these insights in Nashville classrooms as part of my work with Nashville PEER.”
This essay is successful because it picks a very specific anecdote to show the readers this student’s experience with educating. It also shows an insight about teaching this student learned. Finally, it connects the student’s experience and insight to Vanderbilt with two specific opportunities: a professor and an extracurricular.
Bad Example
“I want to be a teacher because I like working with kids. I have always been a patient person, and I think this will help me in my career. In high school, I babysat and helped my siblings with homework, and it made me realize how rewarding it is to help people learn. Vanderbilt is a great school, and I know I will get the education I need there to become a great teacher.”
Just about any student could have submitted this essay, and it could have been submitted to just about any college. The lack of specific experiences, deeper reflection, and connection to Vanderbilt all contribute to it falling short.
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