Vanderbilt University

Essay prompts (2)

1. identity2026-27250 words

   Applies to: All first-year and transfer applicants

   Vanderbilt University's motto, Crescere aude, is Latin for "dare to grow." In your response, reflect on how one or more aspects of your identity, culture, or background has played a role in your personal growth, and how it will contribute to our campus community as you dare to grow at Vanderbilt.

   This is the 2025-26 wording, carried over: Vanderbilt University has not republished this prompt for 2026-27 yet. Schools usually post updates around the Common App opening on August 1; we re-check after that and change this text only against an official source.

   source

2. academic interest2026-27

   Applies to: First-year applicants to the Elementary Education, Secondary Education, or Special Education majors at Peabody College

   What prior experience with and enthusiasm for the field of education will you bring to Vanderbilt? In your response, reflect on why you want to be an educator.

   This is the 2025-26 wording, carried over: Vanderbilt University has not republished this prompt for 2026-27 yet. Schools usually post updates around the Common App opening on August 1; we re-check after that and change this text only against an official source.

   source

Admissions states that "AI should never be used to replace independent thinking on the part of the applicant": essays and short answers must be in the applicant's own voice and about their own experiences, though AI-type tools may be used as one form of assistance, similar to help from teachers, peers, or grammar tools.

How reviews use this page

When you request a review for a Vanderbilt University supplement, the feedback is grounded in exactly what you see here: the prompt itself, its word limit, and what the school publishes about its values and programs. That's the whole claim — calibrated to the prompt and the school's own published guidance, scored against a consistent rubric. Not insider knowledge, and never a rewrite: Second Read is a coach, not a ghostwriter. It flags weaknesses and tells you what to fix and why; it never writes a sentence of your essay.

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