<p>I received an invitation by the scholarship team at Vandy to apply for this scholarship in Journalism and Public Policy. In the email, it stated that I was "selected as a possible candidate" based "upon your interest in journalism from high school". Does this mean that I could be accepted RD since they invited me as a candidate?</p>
<p>congrats on your invitation for consideration. Send them back an enthusiastic assent, and find it in yourself to put forth a good new effort without any further information on the odds of winning this particular opportunity. You never ever know, but all experience in the attempt for underwriting/scholarships is good experience. Our son was asked to apply for one of 5 full rides to another college in March, and asked to submit a new essay and application --and then was informed that he was not after all a finalist. Then a finalist apparently accepted another college early offer and our son was given a finalist berth. They expected him to come to College X for a full weekend in April to basically make a pitch and compete! That was only one of three such offers that had new “essay and performance” demands, even though March and April are ridiculously busy for seniors in high school.
He ended up accepting an offer from Vandy and declining before the College X weekend. </p>
<p>In other words, venture forth and just get in the game with your most positive outlook. Speak to what you would bring from home and where you might contribute for four years. Every year, Vandy loses 1600 students and wants to get a segment of new students involved in every arena. Look for the webpages on Vanderbilt Media Alumni and awards given to alum in that field. Vandy alum hold some very significant roles in the media throughout the country. Do some googling and by all means study up at insidevandy.com. Vandy undergrads are also active in producing academic journals and other specialty publications. The First Amendment Center is on campus in the Seiganthaler Building and it has ties to the Newseum in DC. Admitted students to Vandy get a general invite to apply (essay, work examples) for early move in to the Vandy campus in order to get up to speed in Vandy media enterprises. Only the most experienced students are accepted (our son applied and was not selected for this opportunity before orientation). </p>
<p>as to your natural hope that this ensures an admission…no one can say. A well drafted application for this particular niche in the admitted student pool will certainly help.</p>