how to write the cornelius vanderbilt scholarship essay

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, insights on writing the cornelius vanderbilt scholarship essay.

I’m starting to look into scholarship essays and the Cornelius Vanderbilt one feels massive. Can anyone give tips on how they tackled this essay?

Diving into the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship essay can indeed be daunting, but the key is to approach it strategically. Focus on what sets you apart as a candidate and how your unique experiences have shaped your ambitions. This essay is an opportunity to showcase your potential as a future leader and innovator, as well as your fit for Vanderbilt's community. Reflect on moments where you've shown initiative, leadership, or innovation. Perhaps you started a community service project, or you've conducted research in a field you're passionate about; these are the types of stories that can resonate with the readers.

Be genuine and personal in your storytelling, and make sure each part of your essay contributes to a coherent picture of who you are and what you stand for. It's also critical to align your goals with the values Vanderbilt upholds and demonstrate how receiving the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship will facilitate your plans to contribute meaningfully to society. Keep it clear, concise, and make every word count.

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How to Win the Vanderbilt Merit Scholarships

Vanderbilt is one of the few private elite academic institutions that offer significant merit scholarships that are independent of a family’s financial status. As a result, the Vanderbilt merit scholarships are highly competitive, with just 1% of the freshman class receiving them.  

Prospective applicants can apply to three merit scholarships: the Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship, the Chancellor scholarship, and the Ingram scholarship. 

As a recipient of both the Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship and the Chancellor scholarship, I believe I can provide some useful strategies to help maximize your chances of winning these competitive scholarships.

Each scholarship provides full-tuition support with a hefty stipend for service projects or study-abroad programs . The deadline for applying for these merit scholarships is December 1st, so be sure to start your application early . 

This informational essay was written by Rohan Krishnan, Yale University Class of ‘24. If you want to get help writing your application essays from Rohan or other CollegeAdvisor.com Admissions Experts , register with CollegeAdvisor.com today.

As you probably know, excellent SAT scores and a stellar GPA are not sufficient to win a Vanderbilt merit scholarship . With an acceptance rate of 7% , half of the admitted students have an SAT score ranging between 1480-1570 and/or an ACT score of 34 or 35; many are valedictorians or in the top 10% of their class. Still, less than 1% of those applicants receive a merit scholarship!  Consequently, successful applicants should not only have strong test scores but standout essays and extracurricular activities.

Currently, Vanderbilt has a test-optional policy that extends to merit scholarships. If applicants choose not to submit test scores, more attention will be placed on other academics such as transcript, class ranking, grade consistencies, and teacher recommendations. Since only about 250 students are awarded merit scholarships, you’ll want to make sure your overall application is as competitive as possible.

Each scholarship committee rewards different values and characteristics , so approach your applications with this in mind.

• The Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship rewards students who possess all-around academic excellence and passion. 
• The Chancellor scholarship rewards students who have engaged in significant and meaningful community service projects. 
• The Ingram scholarship rewards students who have a sense of entrepreneurship and show leadership potential. 

The Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship

The Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship was created in honor of the university’s founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, to bring intellectual and community leadership to the Vanderbilt campus and to the world around them. This scholarship is considered to be the most prestigious merit scholarship at Vanderbilt; recipients have access to exclusive networking opportunities and one-on-one attention from faculty. 

The Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship is designed for the highest-achieving students who can demonstrate a deep passion and commitment to a specific area of interest . As a result, your essay supplement should highlight your most significant interest, demonstrate your commitment to it, and explain how you would pursue that passion at Vanderbilt. 

Also, the Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship committee will be looking for applicants who have more unique interests. If your essay supplement is about your passion for computer science or pre-med, be sure to illustrate your own distinctive approach to these interests.

The Chancellor Scholarship

The Chancellor scholarship is an award designed for students who demonstrate a commitment to community service. The scholarship rewards those who have worked on community or school projects that pertain to diversity, social justice, or disenfranchised groups. 

Like Cornelius Vanderbilt scholars, Chancellor scholars also get exclusive opportunities to meet alumni and one-on-one time with faculty. Scholars also have the opportunity to attend MOSAIC Weekend, where they take classes, meet professors, and bond with fellow freshmen students.

Successful applicants partake in community service that helps foster diversity or social justice . The Chancellor scholarship is not for community service generally; it’s meant to reward efforts that help promote or strengthen a marginalized group of people. For example, I worked closely with a refugee organization in my local community to tutor refugee students and fundraised thousands of dollars for youth refugees.

The Chancellor scholarship requires applicants to submit a recommendation for the scholarship. Your recommendation should be written by someone who can highlight the work you did to promote service and social justice. (An adult who oversaw your project is always a good choice).  The recommendation is crucial: it will demonstrate that your project is legitimate and that you have a genuine interest in your service work.

Your essays should reflect how you developed an interest in your service project and should share some anecdotes about your experience working with or for a specific marginalized group.  Again, focus on showing a sincere interest in your service project while highlighting your leadership abilities and desire for social change.

The Ingram Scholarship

The Ingram scholarship is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in business and other professional careers. Recipients have access to an alumni network of Ingram scholars who work to connect them to internship and job opportunities.

The Ingram scholarship committees look for individuals who have committed many hours to a specific project that is business-related . Additionally, the Ingram scholarship also seeks to reward students whose work intersects business interests with those of the larger community (in fact, one of the supplemental essay questions pertains to this exact scenario). 

For example, one Ingram scholar proposed donating left-over cafeteria food to impoverished communities in need of nourishment. Ingram scholars are typically driven and focused students who are eager to dedicate time and effort to business projects and establish a professional career.

Ingram scholarship applicants are required to provide two additional recommendations.  These recommendations should be from a mentor or advisor that can attest to the student’s interest and commitment to a specific project or to the student’s passion for business and community . Like the Chancellor scholarship, the recommendations are designed to help the committee evaluate a student’s authenticity in the projects they have taken on.

Your essays should showcase your experience learning and practicing business in your extracurricular activities.  Explain why you are interested in pursuing a career in business and how your interests would fit in at Vanderbilt once you arrive on campus.

I wish you all the best of luck in your applications!

This informational essay was written by Rohan Krishnan, Yale University Class of ‘24. If you want to get help writing your application essays from Rohan or other CollegeAdvisor.com Admissions advisors , register with CollegeAdvisor.com today.

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What Vanderbilt Admissions Officers Look for in Essays

If Vanderbilt University, also known as Vandy, is one of your top-choice schools, you may be wondering how to craft your admissions essay to help you stand out. Vanderbilt is incredibly selective, so they look for students who demonstrate what they can contribute to the diverse campus community academically and otherwise. Your response to these essays contributes to the holistic review of your application, so it’s important to put a lot of thought into them. 

Keep reading for more information about the Vanderbilt essays and some strategies for writing them, including tips from one of our IvyWise counselors.   

What Are the Vanderbilt Essays?

When you apply to Vanderbilt, you can expect to write at least two essays — additional essays are required if you apply for scholarships. The first essay is a response to one of the personal essay prompts on the Common App, Coalition Application , or QuestBridge, and the second is a response to one of two supplemental essay questions that are unique to Vanderbilt University . First-year and transfer students will have different personal essay prompts, but the supplemental essay prompts are the same for both.  

The Vanderbilt supplemental essay is designed for the admissions committee to get to know you on a deeper level and gain a better understanding of how you’ll fit in on campus. It’s important that your essay does not repeat information that admissions readers will find elsewhere in your application. However, it is in short answer format, so it needs to pack a punch. 

How to Write The Supplemental Essay Prompt for Vanderbilt

Unlike your personal essay from the Common App, Coalition Application , or QuestBridge — which is sent to every school you apply to —   the supplemental essay prompts are exclusive to Vanderbilt University, allowing you to tailor your response to Vandy’s unique culture. IvyWise Master College Admissions Counselor and former Admissions Officer at Vanderbilt University , Carolyn , shares these tips for writing the supplemental essay:

• Develop content ideas for both of the essay prompts, then decide which of the drafted topics would add the most new and positive information to your application. 
• Regardless of which prompt you choose, answer the provided questions directly and completely. 
• Draft a response that is close to the word limit (250) without going over. 
• Avoid repeating any information that is already evident from the other pieces of your application. 
• Get straight to the point , and include as much information in this small space as you can. 
• Proofread your final draft meticulously before submitting. 
• Remember that the supplemental essays are opportunities to add new and helpful information to your profile, but they are not nearly as important as the academic pieces of your application (such as your transcript and test score). In other words, make it good, but don’t spend too much time stressing out over it.

2022–2023 Vanderbilt Supplemental Essays — Analyzed

Vanderbilt University values learning through contrasting points of view. We understand that our differences, and our respect for alternative views and voices, are our greatest source of strength. Please reflect on conversations you’ve had with people who have expressed viewpoints different from your own. How did these conversations/experiences influence you?

This prompt is meant to assess how willing you are to engage with people who have opposite viewpoints from yours. Identify a time you had a difficult conversation with someone about a polarizing topic. Focus on the impact this conversation had on you —   if you walked away with a better understanding of their perspective or learned a better approach to having these types of conversations. Tie this into Vanderbilt’s culture of valuing and celebrating diverse perspectives.     

Prompt #2 

Vanderbilt offers a community where students find balance between their academic and social experiences. Please briefly elaborate on how one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences has influenced you.

This is a standard prompt about extracurriculars. In fact, you may see similar prompts on other college applications — but if you repurpose your answer, remember to change the name of the school! Choose an activity for this essay that you haven’t already mentioned in your personal statement. It must be meaningful to you, and you should be able to discuss how this activity helped you grow. For example, did it teach you leadership skills or direct you toward a new purpose and /or passion? Connect this example to what you hope to contribute to the Vanderbilt community. 

How to Answer Vanderbilt Scholarship Essays?

If you’re applying for any of Vanderbilt’s merit-based scholarships, you will need to write an additional essay for each one. The Vanderbilt scholarship essay prompts for fall 2023 admissions give you a good idea of what to expect, though the prompts are subject to change each year. 

Based on her experience reading applications for Vanderbilt, IvyWise Counselor, Carolyn, offers these scholarship essay tips: 

• Do your research on each of the three scholarship programs — Ingram Scholars, Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholars, and Chancellor’s Scholars — and apply only to the program(s) for which you think you would be a strong fit. 
• If you think you would be a strong fit for one of the more focused merit awards — Carell Family, Curb Leadership, or Fred Russell-Grantland Rice —   submit an application for the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, through which you will be considered for all other available awards. 
• Do not reuse essays or ideas from your Common Application. The scholarship committee will have access to both your scholarship and Common App essays. 
• If you are applying for the Ingram Scholars Program, make sure your passion for business, philanthropy, and innovation are evident in all of your scholarship essay responses, as well as in the various pieces of your Common Application.
• If you are applying for the Chancellor’s Scholarship, make sure your passion for and experience in bridging gaps across various communities within your school is evident in your scholarship essay response, as well as the various pieces of your Common Application.
• Submit both your admission and scholarship applications early (ideally by early November), even if you are applying Regular Decision. 
• Make sure your essays respond directly and completely to the given prompt and come close to the word limits without going over. 

How Long Should My Vanderbilt Essay Be?

For the supplemental application essay prompts, your response should be approximately 250 words. It can be a challenge to write a meaningful essay with such a limited word count, so it’s important to be as informative, focused, and concise as possible.   

The scholarship essays have varying requirements for word length — anywhere from 250 to 2,500 words depending on which scholarship you’re applying for:

• Ingram Scholars Program: 250 – 500 words
• Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship: 500 words
• Chancellor’s Scholarship Program: 500 words
• Curb Leadership Scholarship: 2,500 words maximum
• Fred Russell-Grantland Rice Scholarship: no limit specified, but 10 published sports journalism samples must be included 

Can I Get Into Vanderbilt With Low Stats but Good Essays and Extracurriculars?

Vandy is among the most selective schools in the U.S., so when considering how to get into Vanderbilt , your academic performance in high school will matter more than your college essays and extracurriculars. They receive thousands of applications each year and have an acceptance rate of approximately 7%. 

More than 90% of the students who are accepted graduate with in the top 10% of their high school class and tend to have high standardized test scores. As a prospective student, you would also need to submit a letter of recommendation from your guidance counselor and two from teachers who can speak to your academic abilities.     

Is Vanderbilt on your college list ? It can be difficult to gain admission, but our expert counselors are available to help you present yourself as a compelling and desirable applicant. All of o ur IvyWise counselors have worked as admissions officers at some of the top schools in the U.S., so they know how to help you stand out. Schedule an Initial Consultation today to see how we can help you gain admission to your top-choice schools. 

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Home » IvyWise College Admissions Blog » College Admission Advice » College Application Tips » 12th Grade » What Vanderbilt Admissions Officers Look for in Essays

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Extracurriculars.

A Strong Vanderbilt Essay Example from an Accepted Student

Consistently ranked as one of the best schools in the nation, Vanderbilt University is world-renowned for exceptional academics. A top-tier reputation leads to a highly selective admissions process, so to get into Vanderbilt, you need more than just strong grades and test scores—you need stellar essays that set you apart from other academically excellent applicants.

In this post, we will share a real essay submitted by an accepted Vanderbilt student. We will go over what this essay did well, and where there is room for improvement.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Vanderbilt essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

Essay Example – The Power of Story

At an intersection in Oakwood, an elderly Asian man walks on the sidewalk. Behind him, a man in a black hoodie follows. Without warning, the man in the black hoodie pushes the Asian man to the ground, his face landing flat against the sidewalk, motionless.

Pausing the video, I watch my friends’ faces flicker between confusion, anger, and hurt. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes became personally painful for my Asian American friends. We encountered news of elderly Asian Americans violently thrashed and berated with slurs. But beyond our circle, conversations about these occurrences were absent. And despite the South Asian community being relatively safe from these crimes, I shared the sobs of my friends. 

A few years ago, I joined a nonprofit that empowers minorities to be civically engaged citizens. Engaging with this group of passionate individuals, I was inspired by their unrelenting dedication to improving others’ lives through community-building.

Eager to foster solidarity among Reno’s AAPI community in light of these tragedies, we pioneered a march against hate, where we invited student speakers to share their stories of racial discrimination. Listening to my peers’ journeys, from finding confidence as an immigrant to navigating implicit bias in the classroom, I became captivated by the power of story. 

Bonding over the commonality in our journeys and in our activism, I yearn to persist in championing the use of dialogue to build community in the face of adversity at Vanderbilt.

What the Essay Did Well

This “Extracurricular Essay” does a great job of telling a story. The beginning draws the reader in by including details like “ an intersection in Oakwood ,” and “ a man in a black hoodie ,” to help us visualize the scene. In the next paragraph, we realize that we are watching this situation through the eyes of the student. By first providing readers with the terrible situation directly, the student arouses our own emotions, which allows us to immediately understand the student’s shock and anger once we realize we are actually in their shoes.

The second paragraph goes on to provide good background on the student’s personal connection to the situation, which allows readers to understand their motivation for engaging in the extracurriculars described in the third and fourth paragraphs. By showing us the pain their friends felt (“ I watch my friends’ faces flicker between confusion, anger, and hurt ”) and explaining that this issue was at the forefront of their mind, but ignored  by many others (“ But beyond our circle, conversations about these occurrences were absent ”), we get a tangible sense of the student’s connection to the issue.

Then, the essay shifts to discussing the student’s extracurricular activity. The point of this kind of essay is to help admissions officers see that you are involved in your activities to grow and learn  about the world, rather than pad your resume. Because the student took the time to explain their passion for AAPI activism and demonstrate their compassion for others in the previous paragraph, we can clearly see that this nonprofit is genuinely meaningful to them.

Finally, although this essay just asks about an extracurricular, this student was still able to infuse elements of their personality into the essay in the way they told it. From the details included, we know this student is compassionate, an activist, and values justice and diversity. Being able to show the reader all that without telling us these aspects of their personality outright makes for an engaging, informative essay.

What Could Be Improved

The biggest thing this essay needs to improve is the shift in focus from the cultural context of the first two paragraphs to the student’s involvement in the extracurricular itself. Right now, that transition is rather abrupt, so although the topics are related, the reader is left to tie them together on their own.

For example, while the detail in the introduction describing the instance of hate is captivating, in such a short essay, that space could be used much more wisely. A better hook would immediately place the reader in the extracurricular activity, possibly like this:

“ STOP ASIAN HATE. PROTECT ASIAN LIVES. I AM NOT INVISIBLE. Hundreds of cardboard signs blocked out the strong Reno sun, the feeling of change hanging in the air. My throat sore and mouth parched after hours of chanting, I couldn’t help but smile knowing that we made this march possible. ”

With this introduction placing the reader in the middle of the action (a technique called “in medias res”), the rest of the essay could then be spent providing more details about what the student did as a part of the nonprofit. They tell us they “ pioneered a march against hate, where we invited student speakers to share their stories of racial discrimination,” but a stronger extracurricular essay would delve into the specific role the student played in planning these events.

Similarly, rather than ending the third paragraph by just telling the reader that they became “ captivated by the power of story ” through listening to others, this student could have demonstrated how that power tangibly affected their own actions, by adding a sentence along the lines of: 

“ Inspired by the stories I had heard, I encouraged my friends to submit their own stories as opinion pieces to our school newspaper, while I created flyers for the march that included photos of myself as a child, to humanize our movement .” Notice how this version both shows us what the student did and provides more insight into their character.

With a word count this low, you need to understand exactly what the prompt is asking for, and make sure everything you say is helping provide that. Background context is important, but if the prompt is asking about your extracurriculars, most of the essay should be dedicated to your actual involvement in the extracurricular.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Do you want feedback on your Vanderbilt essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Personal Essay and Short Answer Prompts

Personal essay prompts.

To help us get to know you in the application review process, you are required to submit a personal essay. For insight and advice about how to approach writing your personal essay, see our Expert Advice page. 

• Common Application first-year essay prompts
• Common App transfer essay prompt: Please provide a personal essay that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.
• Coalition, powered by Scoir first-year and transfer essay prompts

Short Answer Question

For both first-year and transfer applicants, we ask you to complete a short answer essay (approximately 250 words) based on the following 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 has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.

Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship essay

<p>Who all is applying for the CV scholarship? I’m really hopeful that I can get it. I feel like my application is pretty impressive, and it’s really the only way that I will be able to attend Vanderbilt (my parents don’t see the point in taking out loans to go to Vandy if Ole Miss will pay me to come there). I know it’s really competitive though, so I’m not getting my hopes up and am remaining realistic about my chances.</p>

<p>Anyways, the essay is what’s tripping me up a little. I know it’s a really important part of the application since there are so many applicants with perfect grades and test scores. This is the question: “While each student will eventually select at least one area of concentrated study, the college of arts and science is committed to introducing every student to a broad range of subjects. Which academic interests and/or passions might be a part of your academic journey at Vanderbilt and why?”</p>

<p>I’ve been putting off writing this essay for a few weeks. I’m going to be an English major, but I also have an interest in history and theater (I love American history and I’m very involved in school theater/plays). I guess I will write about those three things, but I don’t know exactly how I can make the essay interesting or personal. </p>

<p>I guess I’m just wondering how you guys feel about the prompt and how you went about answering it. Good luck to everybody applying!</p>

<p>Arts & Sciences has a liberal arts core called “AXLE” that requires you to take a ton of classes outside of your major. might be something worth mentioning to show you’ve done your research.</p>

<p>@Pancaked is right. Vanderbilt stresses on a liberal arts education. If you can connect your interests in theater, English and history to Vandy’s liberal arts curriculum, and talk about your involvement in these diverse areas (and how you can contribute to Vandy), your essay will be very strong. You can talk about your personal experiences, what you learnt from them and how you can add to the intellectually and culturally stimulating atmosphere at Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>I’m applying for the CV scholarship as well! I think you could make you essay personal by explaining how you combine, or could combine those interests.</p>

<p>I just submitted my Ingram application the other night and now I am focusing on the Cornelius Scholarship. Good luck to you! </p>

<p>@pancaked thank you for this incredible tip. I’m researching AXLE now and it seems like a great thing to mention. @Sophie1295 Thank you also! I think my problem now will be condensing all I have to say to less than 500 words! </p>

<p>@musicgeek97 @rebeccaAnn good luck to you both!</p>

<p>@JacobDF96‌ You too! The word limit is tough.</p>

<p>@musicgeek97 any idea if there is a preferred way of formatting the essay? Right now I’ve got mine formatted with title, name, and DOB as a header (in the top right corner, as instructed) and the essay in Times New Roman, 12 pt, double spaced.</p>

<p>@JacobDF96‌ I did single space Times New Roman 12 pt, but I don’t know that there is a prefferee format other than the top right corner stuff.</p>

<p>@sophie1295 mind if I use that last line “to the intellectually and culturally stimulating atmosphere at Vanderbilt” in the closing of my essay? It sounds really nice, haha!</p>

<p>I’m also applying for the scholarship! But I’m definitely pushing my luck, even for admissions at Vandy. Although I have great GPA and amazing extracurriculars, my ACT is just of a 31. I’m applying to the school of enginering. Although my prompt is different, I will be writing about how I went to Vanderbilt Summer Camp and I discovered Biomedical Engineering, and about how this profession doesn’t exist in my country (I’m international), so I want to bring it here to help the underprivileged people, etc. If it helps @jacobDF96 And good luck to everyone!</p>

<p>@jacobDF96 where are you from??</p>

<p>@rappnic That sounds like a great essay! Good luck to you!</p>

<p>@rebeccaAnn Mississippi!</p>

<p>oh lol I mean’t to ask @rappnic cause he said he was an international student and that sounded pretty cool! But hey Mississippi is awesome too! I’m from Texas! I have just always been curious about how the international applications work!</p>

<p>@rebeccaAnn I’m from Nicaragua! </p>

<p>My D submitted her Cornelius Vanderbilt application on 12/15/2014. When we submitted we noticed that the deadline had been extended. Does anyone know why it was extended? Is it because not very many people had applied?</p>

Essay Papers Writing Online

Tips and strategies for crafting an outstanding scholarship essay.

Scholarship essays are an essential part of many scholarship applications. They provide an opportunity for you to showcase your personality, goals, and achievements to scholarship committees. Crafting a winning scholarship essay requires time, effort, and attention to detail. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with tips and strategies to help you write a compelling and successful scholarship essay that sets you apart from the competition.

From understanding the prompt to drafting your essay and polishing the final draft, we will walk you through each step of the process. You will learn how to identify key themes, structure your essay effectively, and highlight your strengths and experiences in a way that resonates with the scholarship committee. Whether you are a high school student applying for a local scholarship or a college student seeking a national award, this guide will equip you with the tools you need to create a standout scholarship essay.

The Importance of Scholarships

Scholarships play a crucial role in helping students achieve their educational goals. They provide financial assistance to deserving individuals who may not have the means to fund their education on their own. This support can make a significant difference in a student’s ability to pursue higher education and achieve their dreams.

Furthermore, scholarships not only alleviate the financial burden on students and their families but also promote academic excellence. By incentivizing students to strive for academic success, scholarships encourage individuals to work hard, stay motivated, and excel in their studies. This can lead to a more educated and skilled workforce, benefiting society as a whole.

In addition, scholarships can open doors to opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach for many students. They can provide access to top-tier universities, prestigious programs, and valuable experiences that can shape a student’s future and career prospects. Scholarships empower individuals to reach their full potential and pursue their passions without the constraints of financial limitations.

Overall, scholarships are not only important for individuals seeking to further their education but also for society as a whole. By investing in scholarships, we invest in the future of education, innovation, and progress. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities and the world, thanks to the support and opportunities provided by scholarships.

Why You Should Apply

Applying for scholarships is a smart and strategic move for students looking to further their education. Here are a few reasons why you should take the time to apply:

• Financial Support: Scholarships offer a valuable source of funding that can help offset the cost of tuition, books, and other educational expenses.
• Merit Recognition: Winning a scholarship is a testament to your hard work, dedication, and academic achievements. It can boost your confidence and open up new opportunities.
• Reduced Debt: By securing scholarships, you can reduce the need for student loans and graduate with less debt, giving you a stronger financial foundation after graduation.
• Networking Opportunities: Many scholarship programs provide networking opportunities with other scholars, mentors, and industry professionals, helping you build valuable connections for the future.
• Personal Growth: The process of applying for scholarships forces you to reflect on your goals, achievements, and aspirations, fostering personal growth and self-improvement.

Overall, applying for scholarships is a worthwhile investment in your education and future success. Don’t miss out on the chance to secure the financial support and recognition you deserve!

Benefits of Winning

Winning a scholarship can offer numerous benefits to students, both academically and personally. Some of the key benefits include:

• Financial Assistance: Scholarships provide financial support for tuition, books, and other educational expenses, reducing the financial burden on students and their families.
• Recognition and Prestige: Winning a scholarship can enhance a student’s academic resume and demonstrate their merit to future employers and academic institutions.
• Opportunities for Growth: Scholarships often come with additional opportunities such as internships, networking events, and mentorship programs, which can help students develop their skills and build connections in their field.
• Increased Confidence: Achieving a scholarship can boost a student’s confidence and motivation, encouraging them to aim higher in their academic and personal goals.
• Debt Reduction: By receiving a scholarship, students can decrease their reliance on student loans and minimize the amount of debt they accumulate during their education.

Overall, winning a scholarship can have a transformative impact on a student’s educational journey, opening doors to new opportunities and providing valuable support along the way.

Key Elements in Scholarship Essays

Scholarship essays are crucial for securing financial aid for your education. To craft a winning scholarship essay, you must include key elements that showcase your unique qualities and experiences. These elements include:

1. Personal Story: Share a personal story that highlights your values, goals, and aspirations. This will help the scholarship committee get to know you better.

2. Relevance: Make sure your essay is relevant to the scholarship you are applying for. Tailor your essay to fit the requirements and objectives of the scholarship program.

3. Clear Structure: Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use transitions to connect your ideas smoothly.

4. Strong Thesis: Present a strong thesis statement that outlines the main point of your essay. This will guide your writing and keep your essay focused.

5. Unique Voice: Use your unique voice and perspective to stand out from other applicants. Avoid clichés and generic statements.

6. Proofreading: Proofread your essay carefully to eliminate errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. A polished essay shows your professionalism and attention to detail.

By incorporating these key elements into your scholarship essay, you can increase your chances of winning financial aid for your education.

Understanding the Prompt

One of the most crucial aspects of writing a winning scholarship essay is understanding the prompt. Take your time to carefully read and analyze the prompt provided by the scholarship committee. Pay attention to the key points and requirements outlined in the prompt, such as the essay topic, word limit, formatting guidelines, and any specific questions that need to be addressed.

Create a table or list to break down the prompt into manageable sections. Highlight the main themes or keywords that you should focus on in your essay. By understanding the prompt thoroughly, you can ensure that your essay directly addresses the criteria set by the scholarship committee and increases your chances of success.

Highlighting Your Achievements

When crafting a scholarship essay, it is crucial to highlight your achievements in a way that showcases your skills, talents, and accomplishments. Be sure to emphasize your academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community service involvement, leadership roles, and any awards or recognition you have received. Use specific examples and anecdotes to demonstrate the impact of your achievements and how they have shaped you as a person. By highlighting your achievements, you can effectively communicate your potential to the scholarship committee and increase your chances of receiving the scholarship.

Tips for Writing a Standout Essay

When it comes to crafting a winning scholarship essay, there are several key tips to keep in mind to ensure your essay stands out from the crowd:

Showing Your Unique Voice

When crafting a scholarship essay, it’s important to remember that you are the only person who can truly tell your story. Don’t be afraid to let your personality and voice shine through in your writing. This is your chance to stand out from the crowd and show the scholarship committee why you deserve to win.

Whether it’s through a unique storytelling style, a powerful personal anecdote, or a quirky sense of humor, find a way to make your essay memorable and engaging. Your essay should reflect who you are as a person, not just your accomplishments and achievements.

Use your own words and express your ideas in a way that is authentic and genuine. Your unique voice is what will make your essay memorable and resonate with the scholarship committee. Be yourself, and let your personality shine through in every word you write.

Structuring Your Essay Effectively

When it comes to crafting a winning scholarship essay, the structure is just as important as the content. Here are some tips on how to structure your essay effectively:

1. Introduction: Start your essay with a strong hook that grabs the reader’s attention. Introduce yourself and provide some background information about your achievements and goals.

2. Body paragraphs: Divide your essay into several paragraphs that each focus on a specific point or idea. Make sure to provide clear examples and evidence to support your arguments.

3. Conclusion: Summarize your main points and reiterate why you are the ideal candidate for the scholarship. End with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

4. Editing: Before submitting your essay, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammar and spelling errors, as well as clarity and coherence in your writing.

By following these tips, you can structure your scholarship essay effectively and increase your chances of winning that coveted award!

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The prompt is "how will you embrace the breadth of courses offered by the College of arts and science? How will this fit into you academic journey or life's passion?" I plan on majoring in Public Policy and minor in french or russian. I wanted to talk about the many research opportunities but my essay is very boring. Not to mention the linit is 500 words and i have like 100

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Why you should consider urgent essays.

Posted by Digital Strategies (Div of Comm) on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 in Uncategorized .

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• A history-lover’s guide to the market panic over AI

Past technologies offer clues to what comes next

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A ndrew Odlyzko , a professor of mathematics at the University of Minnesota, has a side hustle: he has become one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of speculative bubbles. Part of his time is spent at the Bank of England , where he photographs pages from thousands of handwritten ledgers which he later scours for clues about earlier episodes of excess. He hopes that generative artificial intelligence ( AI ) will one day take the drudgery out of the task. It is not lost on him that the latest speculative mania revolves around the technology itself.

In recent days the standard-bearers of generative AI , including Nvidia, a chipmaker, and tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft, have plummeted in value. That has left sceptics, who had warned of a bubble in the technology, feeling terribly clever. Many pointed to two earlier periods of frenzied over-investment: the railway manias of the 19th century and the telecommunications bubble of the late 1990s. In both cases, the capital expenditures were similar to the huge amounts that big-tech firms are promising to spend on the data centres at the heart of the AI revolution.

Professor Odlyzko is an authority on both episodes. His research on the railway manias of 19th-century Britain is widely cited. Before becoming an academic, he worked at Bell Labs, a famed research outfit, where he was one of the first to question the fallacy that internet usage was doubling every 100 days. Yet he dismisses the idea that railways or the internet are useful guides to thinking about generative AI . They start from different positions, he says. Both railway and telecoms firms knew early on how profit could be generated: the first by taking traffic from other forms of transport; the second by eclipsing other forms of communication and entertainment. It was estimates of the size of the potential bonanza that proved hallucinatory. Generative AI is different. Its disruptive potential is clear, but as yet no one knows what its main uses will be, or how it will make money. Professor Odlyzko sees better parallels with the telegraph and electricity booms of 19th-century America. “Engines that Move Markets”, by Alasdair Nairn, is a history of investment bubbles and a useful primer on both episodes. Sadly, it will not reassure today’s investors.

Deployment of the telegraph provides a rough facsimile of how the tech giants approach generative AI . At the beginning, telegraphs mostly helped make trains run more smoothly. Railway barons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt built telegraph networks alongside their existing tracks, much as today’s tech giants have weaved generative AI into their existing cloud offerings. Stand-alone telegraph companies had a difficult time at first. In the mid-19th century massive investments were accompanied by fierce price wars, as companies sought to protect their fiefs. The pay-off came only after the civil war, when commercial use of the telegraph soared and companies such as Western Union became profitmaking machines.

The early history of electric lighting looks more pertinent to Nvidia. Like generative AI , it aroused popular excitement early on; for centuries, people had wanted a cheaper and cleaner alternative to burning candles or oil for light. Like Nvidia’s AI chips, known as graphics-processing units ( GPU s), one technology took an early lead. That was arc lighting, which Charles Brush, an American entrepreneur, helped pioneer. He established the Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Corp, whose shares soared when it licensed its technology to companies that Brush had helped finance. The gush of profits made it seem inevitable that the business would prosper. Naysayers were derided as unimaginative.

Neither story ended well. Just as it had reached commercial success, Western Union’s telegraph was gazumped by Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, which many of the best minds of the time had dismissed. The company’s profitability declined from then on. As for electricity, it eventually became clear that arc lighting was too expensive to make business sense, and the “Brush bubble” burst. Thomas Edison proved the superiority of incandescent lighting. His company eventually became General Electric, a beacon of American enterprise throughout the 20th century. It is too early to say whether Nvidia’s Jensen Huang will go down in history as a Brush or an Edison.

Professor Odlyzko makes two additional points. First, many of the previous investment booms were backed by government spending. This time the generative- AI capital outlays come from big-tech firms that are, as he puts it, “insanely rich”. There is little danger of their coffers running dry. That said, his second point is that if demand for generative- AI products fails to materialise soon, the tech giants might start to reduce their spending on Nvidia’s GPU s. The risk for the chipmaker is not only from receiving fewer orders. The tech firms could also dump surplus GPU s on the second-hand market, further depressing prices. Nvidia’s share price could crater, he says.

The only certainty is surprise

Let’s be humble. As Roy Amara, an American futurist, said, “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” No one knows for sure what generative AI’ s “killer app” will be. Professor Odlyzko notes that few expected passenger trains to be more important than freight during the railway boom. They were. Likewise email became the surprise success of the early internet era.

One more lesson from history is that booms and busts are often accompanied by wider economic uncertainty and changes in the cost of capital. That appears to be true in the current turmoil. With luck, all the latest sell-off will do is skim froth off the top of an overhyped market. Still, investors should brace for more volatility as this promising but nascent technology gathers steam.  ■

If you want to write directly to Schumpeter, email him at [email protected]

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Bubbleology”

Business August 10th 2024

Why people have fallen out of love with dating apps, china’s manufacturers are going broke, china is overhauling its company law, what can olympians teach executives, a court says google is a monopolist. now what.

From the August 10th 2024 edition

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Merit Scholarship Opportunities

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All applicants who apply for merit-based scholarships by the December 1 deadline will be considered whether or not test scores are submitted. Read Vanderbilt's statement regarding test-optional policy for fall 2025 applicants . 

Each year Vanderbilt awards merit-based scholarships to applicants who demonstrate exceptional accomplishment and intellectual promise. These students represent the top 1 percent of all first-year applicants to Vanderbilt, and with the limited number of merit scholarships available, the selection process is very competitive.

All merit-based scholarships offered at Vanderbilt are renewable through four years of undergraduate study as long as the recipient maintains satisfactory academic performance. Each of the four undergraduate schools awards a number of scholarships proportionate to the school's enrollment. Financial need is not a factor unless otherwise indicated.

Learn more about Vanderbilt's three signature scholarships:

• Ingram Scholars  — students who plan to combine a professional or business career with an exceptional commitment to civic-minded service, innovation, an entrepreneurial spirit, and leadership. The program supports students who are committed to developing their personal roles in the solution to societal problems and who have the maturity and initiative to lead positive social change.
• Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholars  — students who combine outstanding academic achievement with strong leadership and contributions outside the classroom.
• Chancellor's Scholars  — students with outstanding high school records who have worked to build strong high school communities by bridging gaps among economically, socially, and racially diverse groups and who have demonstrated significant interest in issues of diversity education, tolerance, and social justice.

The approximately 250 recipients of these scholarships—one of our three signature scholarship programs—are guaranteed full-tuition awards plus summer stipends for study abroad, research or service projects.

Learn how to apply  for our signature scholarships, find more information about other merit-based scholarships , and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Please feel free to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships with questions at any time.

Good luck with the college search process and go 'Dores!

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