Both WashU and Vanderbilt have, to some degree, a few scholarships based on being a social justice warrior or creating cultural bridges. I would not use either to describe myself or what I have done, yet there are other scholarships/requisites to those scholarships. Should I apply for them? I know only 1-2 percent of applicants receive them, but there aren’t any additional essays (for Vanderbilt’s app at least) for asking to be considered. Should I apply for all them, or would that be wasting a readers time?
If you fit the criteria for the scholarship…then apply. If you absolutely do not…then don’t.
Hmm. I’m going to have to check that. I thought The Cornelius Vanderbilt, Ingram, and the third scholarship at Vandy required essays. It will be a huge relief for my son if they don’t.
I know that WashU scholarships do require essays.
Either way, I have heard that applying for merit scholarships is another way to demonstrate interest. WashU in particular cares about demonstrated interest (don’t know if Vandy does or not), so I’m going to encourage my son to apply for the scholarships.
Good luck!