<p>@Apoc314, hey that makes sense. I think I’ll probably use my main app for a more personal essay and explain my grades in the short info section in the common app.</p>
<p>Also…do the Chancellor’s Scholarship application. Don’t overlook it, although academic expectations are very stringent for all.</p>
<p>@Faline2, what is the chancellor’s scholarship?</p>
<p>@Faline2, is it harder to get than Cornelius Scholarship, what are the benefits, and is the Chancellor’s Scholarship separate from the Cornelius Scholarship?</p>
<p>doctormagic, you can google the answers to all of these questions but the level of difficulty is the same re award of the Chancellors. The three signature merit scholarships are the Chancellors the CVs and the Ingrams. Only the Ingrams include interviews. There are other smaller merit scholarships that I can’t speak about because Vandy put most of their merit money in a consolidated approach a few years ago in the three categories above. Please do your diligent research. If you do a serious google you will find that the Chancellors have changed in nature. They originally were focused on attracting primarily top African American students, but they get plenty of students from all minority groups now so the awards go to a broad group of diverse students, many international. My son however is white and received one…so it is not all about race but also about diversity of thought, diversity in academic use of Vandy and healthy exchange of ideas and activism on campus. The posters are correct that grades and test scores are expected to be quite high but then this is sort of the expectation to be admitted to Vanderbilt at all these days. My son is really not more interesting than many of his classmates at Vandy…so awards are rather random and it is fair to say that all students admitted to Vandy qualified for merit money somewhere or another. Like previous posters, my son didn’t get any merit at Rice but did at Vandy. He had three merit finalist offers and was declined other places. The important thing is to get to know all your college websites intimately and to not be a stranger in your essays. good luck</p>
<p>Like what previous posters said, I would strongly suggest not using your essays to “explain” your relatively low GPA. It seems like you’re lobbying for consideration, just doesn’t come off well. Use them to really talk about your passions so they can see what makes you a qualified applicant. Good luck!</p>
<p>@efeens44, I appreciate your input.</p>
<p>On the other very similar threads you started, you mentioned receiving a handful of C grades. You might not get in with those at all. And given all the information you’ve provided about yourself, all the inconsistencies, and the “potential” achievements, if the colleges are reading this, you might not stand a chance because you are acting a little unrealistic and admitting laziness. It will not be hard to figure out who you are. How many male students of Pakistani descent who moved from IN to TN and attended 3 different high schools are there?</p>