<p>Hi everyone!
Can someone explain to me Vandy's MOSAIC program? How do you apply and when is it this year? Thanks! I am currently a junior in High School. Very interested in Vanderbilt :) </p>
<p>MOSAIC is a minority recruitment program. You don’t apply for it, they offer it to you. ~300 are given the choice every year, and ~200 attend. Basically Vandy wants to increase its diversity so they give a three-day trip to minorities who are “extremely qualified.”</p>
<p>This year’s MOSAIC program is March 13-15. G’luck when you apply :)</p>
<p>Thanks @SickofApps ! Let’s say you’re an Asian American. Would you be qualified for this program?</p>
<p>@tguan916
Yes, Asian-Americans are considered URMs at Vanderbilt technically. I am an Asian and received a MOSAIC invite (which comes with an early acceptance). </p>
<p>@tguan916
Seconding what matrixsurgeon says, Asian Americans do definitely get invited to MOSAIC. So do some white kids, who admissions marks down as “diverse” for some reason or another (likely diverse in thought or in geography). </p>
<p>Just a reminder, MOSAIC admits aren’t the only students of color that’ll be admitted in a year. So if you are a minority (especially an Asian, I feel, as well, read one of those “Race in Admissions” threads are you’ll get the gist), don’t be down if you don’t get an invite. Also, here’s something I didn’t know until I got the invite this year (I’m Asian and White, btw) – they’ll only pay for up to $100 of the trip no matter where in the world you live, and only if you have enough financial need to justify them giving you $100. (And thus, I’m here, at home, doing homework instead of flying to Nashville.)</p>
<p>So basically, getting the MOSAIC invite is nice, but it’s not as awesome as other “diversity admit” programs that some other colleges have. (Shout out to Bowdoin for having something similar to MOSAIC that pays for airfare and everything else, without considering financial need.)</p>
<p>@nhdmaniac I get diverse in geography, but what does it mean to be diverse in thought? I looked on the internet for an explanation of this and found an article entitled “Diversity of thought should trump racial-ethnic approach.” It’s a human resources piece that advocates hiring people who think differently rather than hiring by race. Of course when one assembles a team they do so with the understanding that they want different points of view. Comparing that to a “racial-ethnic approach” with an eye toward replacing it is new to me. Here’s the article: <a href=“http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2012/12/diversity-of-thought-should-trump.html?page=all”>http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/human-resources/2012/12/diversity-of-thought-should-trump.html?page=all</a></p>
<p>@neonpinklime I honestly have no idea what exactly diversity in thought is, but I’ve seen it mentioned as a reason for inviting otherwise “non-diverse” (aka Southern white kids) to MOSAIC. What I’m guessing is that they’re unique in some way or another, but it can’t be as easily attributed as in race or geography.</p>
<p>I guess it all depends on what Vanderbilt’s objective of MOSAIC is. I would easily say that the majority of the kids are diverse in the literal terms, meaning that they are URMs and minorities. But for the Asians and white kids that got MOSAIC invites, it might have to do with the activities they do that contribute to diversity or such. Activities that might include volunteering and other commitments that show that diversity is important? Just a guess but noone really knows how Vandy decides who gets MOSAIC and who does not. Either way, not getting one does not mean anything at all! They only send out like 300 or so and they definitely accept a LOT more than 300 students into the school. </p>
<p>How do you get an invite? I’m currently a junior and interested in applying!</p>
<p>@berumotto No one applies for an invite, no one knows exactly how to get it. Vanderbilt just invites ~300 students, many from underrepresented locations or from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. There is literally nothing you can do at this point to get a MOSAIC invite – so much of it is an inherent factor. Don’t fret about it. Just apply to Vanderbilt and if one comes, it comes, and if it doesn’t, it does not mean rejection. </p>
<p>Many colleges have some kind of recruitment effort for students who bring diversity to campus. With 30 thousand applicants, the MOSAIC invitations are probably done in committee. A good number of MOSAIC invites cannot even manage to attend due to conflicts etc. Some of them will accept Vandy without going to MOSAIC…others will make alternative plans for college. In some cases, the same student may get multiple invites from diff colleges for such efforts or for scholarship interviews. In other cases, hundreds of students who bring academic merit and diversity to Vandy will not get a MOSAIC invite but will be admitted. Read up on all your favorite colleges in the months of Feb-April and get up to speed on what each college does. Each college has its own traditions. One thing that has changed is that Vanderbilt is on the short list of colleges with no loans in their packages. This has made Vanderbilt viable for thousands of families thus the onslaught of applicants. Do your absolute best in testing and seek the best letters of reference you can muster. Apply to colleges less selective than Vandy and to financial safeties. Good luck.</p>