院校文书20172018范德堡大学补充文书题目解析

必备干货！美国TOP100综合大学补充文书题目解析！

142017-2018    

范德堡大学

补充文书题目解析

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricularactivities or work experiences. (150-400 words)

This common question seems to demand asimple, straightforward response. However, since this is Vanderbilt’s onlysupplement, it is important that your response illustrates your character andpersonality. Treat this prompt in the same manner that you would treat a morecreative one. Use the same writing skills that you used in your commonapplication: show don’t tell, vivid figurative language, detailed narration,etc.

Step 1: Choose the extracurricular.

Any activity that has mentally orphysically changed your perspective on life will work, but the best ones arethose that you’ve devoted a lot of time and effort to, and are preferablyrelated to the theme of your application: surmounting challenges, learning tobe a team player, adjusting to new environments, etc. However, your supplementdoes not have to directly connect to your major or your common applicationessay.

For example, if you’re planning tostudy biology on the pre-medicine track and your common application essay wasabout how volunteering at a hospital opened your eyes to the healthcaresituation in this country, your supplement does not have to also be aboutsomething medicine-related. Perhaps it could be an artistic endeavor such aspainting or photography that opened your mind to abstract thought and creativeexpression. In fact, it would add flavor to your candidacy if through thisprompt, you can demonstrate your depth in multiple fields.

Notice how although medicine and artare very different, they both support the idea that you are an open-mindedstudent who relishes the opportunity to look at and change the world withdifferent perspectives.

Secondly, your activity does not haveto be something that is seen as “prestigious” or something in which you’ve wonmany awards. Choosing something that you actually care about as opposed to anactivity you participated in merely for awards will often lead to a more movingessay. If you’re a championship debater but your true passion is sailing in thesummertime, a well-crafted essay about sailing and how it has served as yourmind’s escape from this chaotic world would show the admissions team arelatable, worldly side of you apart from the high-achieving academic side thatyour activities and achievements list already demonstrate.

Keep in mind that this does not meanthat you have to choose an out-of-the-box activity. You simply have to convey acommon experience in an emotionally engaging way.

Step 2: Decide how you want to start your essay.

Instead of a paragraph describing whatyou do, you could use a tipping point in your journey to lead the discussion ofthe activity’s influence on you.

Weak example: In high school, Iparticipated in model congress. It was very difficult for me at first, becauseI am not a great public speaker and don’t know much about politics. However,after a lot of research and many unimpressive performances at tournaments, Ifinally was able to overcome this at the Yale Model Congress tournament in myjunior year where I was awarded best delegate after a speech in a full sessionof over a hundred students about environmental regulations, which I am verypassionate about.

Stronger example: “DECORUM!” A hushfalls over the room with the sound of the gavel pounding against the desk.“Speakers for a two-minute speech in negation,” the chairman of our committeedemands, looking out toward the hundreds of students dressed in Westernbusiness attire with their placards held high in the air. Mine meekly joinsthem.

“Senator Smith?” The chairman points the gavel directly atme and my face grows hot under the realization that I will have to give aspeech in front of hundreds of more talented, better-spoken peers. When Iarrive at the podium, I thumb the engraving that reads “Yale Model Congress2016” and open my mouth. No sound comes out so I clear my throat twice.

“Senator Jones,” I start out weakly. “This proposed pieceof legislation reminds me of my aunt’s chihuahua. All bark, no bite.” Scatteredbouts of laughter erupt in the room. Subtle attempt at humor, check. “We allwant to protect our environment, but this bill provides very little specifics,and the ones provided are a mere slap on the wrist for the huge corporationsthat pollute our rivers, lakes, air, and environment.”

You can clearly see how the beginningsof the two different essays differ in sentence structure, use of diction,imagery, and altogether effectiveness of displaying character and writingskills. Be careful to not go overboard with flowery language or fluff though; a400-word limit requires you to be concise.

Your essay does not have to begin thisway; you can start with a memory, a detailed description of an object or eventyou have built, or an excerpt of a speech or story you’ve penned. You have alot of creative jurisdiction here, but the most important component to anintroduction is the captivation of your audience.

Note: The stronger example weaved twodifferent passions into one essay (model congress and environmentconservation). You can definitely do this and it may lead to a strongersupplement, but be wary of trying to cram multiple unrelated extracurricularsinto one essay. It will distract the reader from your message.

Step 3: Flesh out the idea that you’ve introduced.

Using the same writing skills,elaborate on why you chose to write about this activity. If woodwork in yourbasement was a peaceful way for you to spend quality time with your siblings,show your reader why family time is priceless to you.

Example:

Away from the banging on the bathroomdoor on weekday mornings, the loud thumps of feet rushing down the stairs tocatch the bus, and the occasional stress-induced yelling match, the soft hum ofthe sander traversing the piece of wood in our basement on Saturday morningswas my solace. It was the only time during the week that I saw my sister cracka smile.

You can also use this area to includea few bragging points. If you founded a club or an organization that had grownin membership size, you can point out how the number of people who showed up toa meeting was overwhelming and further motivated you because you didn’t want tolet them down. If you’ve won several awards, you could point out that thetrophies did not compare to the process, as even before you started winning,you have pursued the activity for six years.

For example:

It wasn’t just about the teary eyesafter I’d finished a sonnet, or the shiny trophy that exclaimed ‘Youth PoetLaureate 2016.’ It was about imbuing meaning into the abstract shapes we call‘words’ on a page. It was about the inexplicable smile that props up my cheekswhen someone else understands all my emotions without me having spoken a word,just by reading ink on a page. It was about being understood.

This step is the most important inrevealing your character, so make sure you dedicate adequate space and time(more than 200 words).

Step 4: Relate this activity to how it has prepared you to…

After you’ve figured out what you wantto write about and how you want to style your essay, the next step is to relatethis activity to how it has prepared you to pay it forward in college andbeyond.

Although the prompt only explicitlyasks for a description of your extracurricular, the true purpose of thesupplement is to see what kind of a student you would be at Vanderbilt.Therefore, it’s important to include this element as a form of reflection onhow your activity has impacted you.

For example, if you participated in acultural interest-based club in high school, you can discuss your yearning tobe exposed to more cultures that are represented in your community, culturesthat are present at Vanderbilt University due to its diverse student body. Thisis also a great spot to conclude by relating back to elements of yourapplication theme, such as a change in attitude toward social responsibility.

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