<p>Ahh, I am freaking out! I just submitted the application essay for the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, and it looked fine when I submitted it...but the confirmation e-mail showed the essay without quotation marks (I used one quote), and when I referenced several authors' novels, the 's from the author's name (i.e. Kerouac's On The Road was Kerouacs On The Road) were missing. Does this happen for all applicants, and is the admissions office aware of it, or will this severely hurt my chances? Is there any way to change it? Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some help!</p>
<p>Seriously, don’t worry about it. I’m sure the Admissions office isn’t going to kill you for a missed apostrophe. It’s more about the content. I’m a CV Scholar btw.</p>
<p>could you give us some idea of your credentials - obviously some of us applied and have no idea what would be a hope vs a prayer
thx - and coongrats!</p>
<p>It differs every year. I know valedictorians with 35 ACTs that have been declined, and I know a valedictorian with a 1560 M/V SAT that has it (she’s my neighbor).</p>
<p>Obviously you need a strong GPA/SAT/ACT, but it also depends on what they want that year.</p>
<p>Here are some of my stats. Realize that these are simply from one person of many.</p>
<p>SAT: 2390 (790 Math), 10 on essay.
ACT: 36 (35, English, Math, 36, Reading, Science), 8 on essay haha.
GPA: Perfect, we had a weird system so I won’t bore you with details
Rank: 1/429
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
State: IL</p>
<p>Clubs:
Math Team captain All-State
Sci-Oly State (1st in a few events)
Scholastic Bowl 5th at State (Quiz Bowl/Academic Team, same thing)
Literary Magazine Editor (one of 10)</p>
<p>Other stuff:
Volunteerism was actually my low point. I did some volunteer things over the summer in China at Fudan University. Also volunteered for about 2 years at the local hospital.
No work experience other than TA-ing at a chamber music summer camp.
Lots of Piano stuff: National Piano Finalist, Finalist for the CSO Concerto competition…
Swimming: 3 years of swimming, Varsity, All-Conference.</p>
<p>That’s about it. I was really strong academically, but I really didn’t have that much outside of academics. There are some people that weren’t as strong academically but had really cool experiences and/or motivation and leadership.</p>
<p>wow - impressive stats
i am 4.17 weighted gpa
m- 710, v 750, wr 770
school pres; xc capt
service work both in us and abroad
white female; pa; i’m sure great recs</p>
<p>hope that is enough to make interview phase!</p>
<p>when do you hear - feb/mar?</p>
<p>So how much of the criteria is based on academics vs. community service and other leadership? Does winning national awards count?</p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply - New Years parties an all that. First off, tommyk, unless you’re applying to Ingram Scholarship, there is no interview process (that I know of). I can promise that there are no interviews for the CV scholarship. Last year, I got my email on March 11th and the letter the next day (though they were identical… I guess the actual letter is just more formal).</p>
<p>For Cornelius, obviously other stuff counts too, but the main thing that counts is your academics and how well you would do at Vanderbilt in promoting the “academic atmosphere.” Of course, that’s not only in class but out of class too. They have the Chancellor’s Scholarship for diversity and the Ingram Scholarship for Community Service. Also, one of the main points of the CV Scholarship is that they expect you to be leaders on campus - whether in student government, in clubs, in academics, or whatever.</p>
<p>thx anotherazn - i guess nothing to do but just wait - happy new year to you!
BTW how do you like vanderbilt? what other schools were you considering? what do you like best? what surprises have you had? any advice on how best to decide your school?</p>
<p>Coming from Chicago, I’ll be frank - Vandy definitely wasn’t on my list of “go-to” schools until really late. Well, March 11th to be honest. I mean, I got into UChicago EA and UIUC’s EE program in December. I really didn’t know that much about Vanderbilt (other than the rumors and the hear-say) until I actually attended. Of course, I toured the campus, and it looked nice… but then again, most campuses look nice =D. I picked Vanderbilt because it was prestigious, a little bit so that I could get away from my parents, and of course the CV scholarship tied the knot. Not the greatest reasons, I know. If you want the “OMG I LOVED VANDY SINCE I WAS A KID” response… well, I can ask some of my friends.</p>
<p>Anyway, Vandy is definitely a Southern school, despite its recent diversification. Most people are white, Christian, and rich. Frats and sororities are a big deal, as is dressing up for games. But that’s just part of the atmosphere. I’m not in a frat, I’ve never gone partying, but I still definitely have a good group of friends and a lot of people I can get help from. There’s no barrier between “Northerners” and “Southerners.” Most of the time you don’t even notice where people are from. The Commons are amazing (<em>Gillette all the way</em>) because, except for the long walk (7 minutes) to main campus every day, it’s great for communication reasons, and the RA’s are great. I really love Vanderbilt because it’s relaxing (except during finals) - the beautiful scenery, the people - and stimulating at the same time.</p>
<p>Haha, sorry for waxing poetic. I’m sure all of you will say the same to whichever college you end up attending!</p>
<p>Oh, and I applied to HYPS, NU, UChicago, U of I (Urbana), Duke, Emory, Vandy, Rice, and WashU. I got denied HYS and waitlisted Princeton, Rice, WashU. Being a nerdy Asian definitely did not play into my favor.</p>
<p>As for picking schools… well
1.) Do you have the financial means to go there. Seriously. I mean, everybody and their mother says you can get loans, but… well those suck. If a school is willing to give you money, definitely give them a good hard look.
2.) Location. Big city or college town? Or like Vandy, even though we’re in Nashville, there’s the “Vandy bubble.” Close to home or far, far away?
3.) Friends. You have to decide, are you leaving all your high school friends, or are you going where they’re going. Nobody from my school went to Vandy… I mean, I definitely made friends, but the first few weeks were a little lonely *tear.
4.) College visits. Some people say they have a calling when they go to visit a campus. I’ve never personally experienced this, but definitely don’t go somewhere where your impression was “wow, this place is the dumps.”
5.) Parental influence. Haha, OK, we’re all 17/18. Listening to the parents is probably the last thing on your mind. But they are definitely worried about your well-being more than a random person on CC Forums who goes by the alias “anotherazn.” I don’t mean you have to listen to your parents, just don’t blow them off the second they open their mouths. Remember, this is a big investment on their part.</p>
<p>I’m open for suggestions. Good luck to all and happy new year!</p>
<p>Edit: Actually, I just remembered, this is a GREAT post - a lot of info, and if you’re wondering about Vandy, you should check it out: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/994350-year-ago-i-you-worrying-about-college-vanderbilt-2.html?highlight=york+times[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/994350-year-ago-i-you-worrying-about-college-vanderbilt-2.html?highlight=york+times</a></p>
<p>anotherazn–your post is great! So you won the CV scholarship. Congrats! How many win per year? How would you describe the CV winners most “stand out” accomplishments that made Vanderbilt chose them?</p>
<p>Last year, 139 CV Scholarships were handed out to all four colleges (Art & Sciences, Peabody, Blair, Engineering). There were 29 A&S CV Scholars that attended Vandy (myself included). CV Scholars include anything from Presidential Scholars and Academic Bowl captains to people that have been on Oprah and that have written for the New York Times blog. Don’t be discouraged, though, not all of us have perfect SATs/ACTs. Most of us are just normal people =). However, the one thing that I believe makes us stand out is our dedication to and excellence in something we love. For me, it was piano - I’ve been playing since I was 4. For others, it might be sports, academic teams, hobbies, clubs - really anything. Whatever it is, Vanderbilt chooses you to be a CV scholar because it expects you to be a leader and a role model.</p>
<p>Hey! I’m a cv scholarship recipient from class of 2013 
It’s not all about academics/doing over-the-top things. I think a main reason for me was my application essay (not that my grades were bad or anything). Just to show a comparison/give an example my stats were:
SAT: 2290
ACT: 34
GPA: 4.29 weighted, 3.95 UW
Rank: 3/520
10 Ap’s, 4-year choir letterer, member of thespians, NHS and FHS, french and spanish clubs, link crew, worked part-time job</p>
<p>A lot of people with better grades/test scores than mine were turned down, but I did put a lot of work into my essay. They look at you as an all-around applicant, and it’s impossible to tell just from a numbers standpoint who will or will not get the scholarship. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>@anotherazn</p>
<p>thanks for the great insight into vandy… i have been a bit concerned that it may be too “southern” for my D. i suppose we will have a better feel for that when we visit next month, but i was relieved to hear your experience.</p>
<p>does anyone know if there are other scholarships/merit aid available besides the three main competitive awards?</p>
<p>@troiscubed:</p>
<p>Definitely. Although it does have the Southern image, there’s definitely people from everywhere. All you have to do is get used to people saying “y’all” (and it’s not even that prevalent).</p>
<p>Here’s Vanderbilt’s additional scholarship website: [Merit</a> Scholarship Programs](<a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/scholarships/additional.html]Merit”>Additional Merit Scholarships | Scholarships | Vanderbilt University)</p>
<p>I don’t know much about them, but from a cursory glance it seems that you apply to all of them by applying for CV. However, if you’re unsure, I would just call the Admissions Office and ask them =)</p>
<p>anotherazn - thx so much for your posts - any idea of timing of notification of scholarship contention? do you know if you are being considered or does it just come w/decision? are there interviews?
thx</p>
<p>@tommyk</p>
<p>No interviews. I didn’t hear anything before the decision.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^And when did you hear the decision, VandyEng? And do you know how many engineering students got the scholarship? Do you think your award had more to do with your stats or your essay? I realize it’s the whole picture … but do you think your essay awed them? Or do think your stats and EC’s were more influential, in your case?</p>
<p>Hello everyone, </p>
<p>Not wishing to interrupt the convo thus far, I just wanted to add another little question to the ones above ^^ : Would anyone here be able to provide a rough estimate of the number of international CV recipients? I’m an Indian, applying from Bahrain (i’m guessing you’d know where that is ?) and I’m really hoping for a call from Vandy Engineering… stats - SATs - 2270 (Reasoning), 2400 (P,C, M-IIC), 10th Finals - 97.8%, academics in the 90% bracket throughout schooling years and ECs, well, a lot of varied involvement (and yes, I might add, i’ve tried to put that cliched “breadth>>depth” aspect too) … Oh, as for the all-important essays - they’re alright I suppose (can’t do much about it now anyway; I tried to describe my passion for engineering with an artistic flavor)…</p>
<p>Alright, so in a nutshell, I’m not really looking for a “chance me” reply; I’m merely wondering if the world of statistics, if nothing else (since applying to US as a foreign student starving for financial aid is one of the MOST frustrating experiences imaginable), would shed light on where I stand today… </p>
<p>Many thanks of course…</p>
<p>@SimpleLife</p>
<p>March 5, via email. I don’t know how many engineering students got the scholarship. My award probably had more to do with stats and ECs than with my essay, which likely did not awe them.</p>