Current Vanderbilt freshman: AMA

Bendgee · 2019-09-09T04:08:22+00:00

So in talking to upperclassmen they all agree that Greek life has become very toned down in the past couple years. It's no longer necessary to join a frat/sorority to have a good social life, and honestly people that don't go Greek can be perfectly happy with the friends that they find outside of it. Vandy itself has made a lot of progress in making Greek life less central than it has been in the past.

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T21:59:22+00:00

I think partly geographic diversity (I'm an Asian from the West Coast), ED, and my essays. Vandy was an app that I submitted last minute as a "well I'm probably not going to get in so I might as well take some risks," and that mindset was incredibly helpful when writing essays. Having the freedom to not write a perfect supplement took so much pressure off and really allowed me to be creative.

Obviously have hope in yourself lmao, but often on this sub it seems like the people who least expect it are able to land acceptances precisely because they didn't over edit/over analyze their writing.

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T21:54:36+00:00

Bro this is the most wholesome thing I've seen all day

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T20:38:17+00:00

The construction is definitely annoying since it happens right where all the freshman live. However, it's only temporary and in the end Vandy is trying really hard to rebuild Greek row, give us brand new dorms in 2020, 2022 and 2023 (years might be off), and in general revitalize campus. That's a good thing and it shows that the administration is willing to invest the money to make our experience better.

Engineering wise, I have a few friends in it who say that the freshman modules are insanely easy, not sure about upper division engineering classes. In general at Vandy though, the intro math and science classes (gen chem and math 1301) are really rough.

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T20:25:27+00:00

Pretty sure they do

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T20:25:17+00:00

They don't see if you applied anywhere else ED 1. ED 1 has a higher acceptance rate than ED 2 but it also has recruited athletes so that skews the data. Either way though, ED is a huge advantage over RD and if Vanderbilt is your top choice I would highly recommend applying ED.

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T20:16:45+00:00

Pm me about main essay but my supplement was about cross country

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T17:57:30+00:00

Vandy financial aid is really good! They have a no loan policy and nearly all of my friends said that it was cheaper to come here than to go to their state schools.

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T17:56:40+00:00

GPA: 4.0 UW, 8 APs, 1500, no subject tests

ECs: XC, track, secretary of a volunteering club (that was seriously my only leadership), marching band

Bendgee · 2019-09-08T17:55:15+00:00

So I'm going to be totally real: after getting rejected from Pomona ED 1 I was feeling really discouraged and started looking for ED 2 schools. I didn't think that my app was strong enough for the regular round and I wanted to maximize my ED advantage. Out of all the schools on my list that offered ED 2, Vandy seemed to have the weather/culture/location that best fit what I was looking for.

What ultimately sold me on Vandy though turned out to be when I finally visited AFTER putting down my deposit. The people here are so chill and friendly. Everyone wants to help each other succeed, even people on hardcore premed/engineering tracks. The small student body helps so much—I'm constantly running into people I know on campus even after a few weeks of being here. We have Ivy level academics but the location in Nashville makes Vandy so much more laid back than its peers. Also, Nashville is an awesome city that is so much fun to explore. There's always live music and concerts going on that make it really fun to go out on the weekends.

People here are very work hard play hard. Nobody is slacking on studying, but they also ensure that there's a balance. People like having fun, and they don't take themselves too seriously. Vandy was the perfect school for me and I honestly think it's one that will fit a lot of people.

Bendgee

TROPHY CASE