You’re done with your Common App, but now it’s time to tackle your supplemental essays. As you apply to select schools, you’ll need to make sure that your supplemental essays are a good fit for each individual university’s identity. If you’re struggling to get started on Vanderbilt’s supplemental essays, you’ll first need to make sure that you have a good grasp on what makes Vanderbilt unique and what values the university prioritizes.
- Strong academics and sustained leadership beyond the classroom
As demonstrated by Vanderbilt’s Community Creed, the university emphasizes intellectual curiosity and a willingness to face risks and challenges (Vanderbilt’s motto is “dare to grow,” after all!). Small class sizes and interdisciplinary opportunities help foster a sense of communal engagement in academic life, and Vanderbilt’s many research opportunities for undergraduates make research accessible to all majors– not just those in STEM.
2. Personal investment in strengthening community
One of Vanderbilt’s core values is community, which is fostered through its system of residential colleges, clubs, and student activities. Vanderbilt focuses on students who are not only willing to be leaders, but also act as neighbors and peers, uplifting and supporting each other throughout their academic journey.
3. Engagement that shows potential for impact at Vanderbilt and beyond
At Vanderbilt, community and academic engagement is defined by the impact it can have beyond the present moment. How will the changes you enact continue to grow and evolve? Programs like the Ingram Scholarship Program support students who seek to opportunities for community service, helping them build solutions to local and global problems that will transform into a lifelong commitment to public service.
How to Write Vanderbilt University’s Supplemental Essay (2025-2026)
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 has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt. (250 words)
This question is seeking to understand how you’ll contribute to Vanderbilt’s campus and whether you demonstrate the necessary degree of self-reflection, capacity for growth, and motivation that will make you a good fit at Vanderbilt. You’ll want to make sure and incorporate the following elements into your supplemental essay:
- Focus on one story of past growth and identify the specific change, trait, or perspective that you developed as a result of it.
- Some questions that may help generate ideas could be: how did this experience push you? Did it make you uncomfortable? How did you use this experience to grow or challenge a previous idea or belief?
- Connect the lessons you learned through your past to the future. Remember, Vanderbilt is all about looking forward– so make sure to emphasize where this growth will continue to carry you as you step onto Vanderbilt’s campus.
- Try to relate your growth to certain on-campus resources. Maybe you’ll think of a project that you can develop with the help of one-on-one faculty mentors through Immersion Vanderbilt. Maybe you’ll gravitate towards the Wond'ry, a center for innovation that runs specialized courses and even has a specialized fellowship that supports students interested in innovation by facilitating learning groups, think tanks, and other like-minded peers.
- You’ll want to demonstrate that you’ll be a great fit on Vanderbilt’s campus. Showing some level of knowledge about what they have to offer will help Vanderbilt admissions readers see that you’re ready to engage fully and integrate into their campus identity.
Conclusion
With these tools and tips to help you along, you’ll be able to strengthen your Vanderbilt supplemental essays and make them standout among a competitive group of applicants.
At Essay Cafe, we offer comprehensive essay reviews to make sure your essays are your biggest advocates in the admissions office. If you’re unsure about your essay strategy or need a trusted second opinion, you can request a review or book a 1:1 session by creating an account here.
Curious about how to write the rest of your supplemental essays? Check out more advice here.
About Kelsey
Kelsey Wang is an essay consultant at Essay Cafe with a B.S. in Data Science and a minor in Creative Writing from Stanford University. She approaches essay editing from both a data perspective (applying successful patterns from hundreds of essays read) and a creative perspective (making each individual student stand out) and has personally helped students get into top schools like Princeton, Yale, Brown, UCLA, Duke, Stanford, Columbia and many more.