Vanderbilt Essay Guide

About the Author

Hello! My name is Kaijia Chen and I am a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. In high school, I was part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP), took several AP courses and was a part of multiple extracurriculars - many of which I led. For example, I was President of the Basketball Club and the Vice President of the Photography club. I have an unweighted GPA of 4.20/4.50. I got 43 out of 45 on my IB exam and a 5 on my AP Physics C: Mechanics and Microeconomics. I also scored an 800 on my SAT II Math, but I didn't take the SAT or ACT due to the pandemic.  

Introduction to Vanderbilt University and Mechanical Engineering

Vanderbilt University is a private research University in Nashville, Tennessee. It was Founded in 1873, and was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million endowment; Vanderbilt hoped that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War.

Vanderbilt enrolls approximately 13,800 students from the US and over 100 foreign countries. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". Several research centers and institutes are affiliated with the university, including the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, and Dyer Observatory. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, formerly part of the university, became a separate institution in 2016. With the exception of the off-campus observatory, all of the university's facilities are situated on its 330-acre (1.3 km2) campus in the heart of Nashville, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown.

The Vanderbilt School of Engineering is No. 36 in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. Vanderbilt engineering offers 7 undergraduate majors (biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering) and 10 minors (computer engineering, computer science, data science, electrical engineering, energy, and environmental systems, engineering management, environmental engineering, materials science and engineering, scientific computing).

To earn a Mechanical Engineering degree (ME) at Vanderbilt, the student must complete a broad-based engineering curriculum that requires a theoretical understanding of physical systems as well as practical experience in designing, implementing, and testing engineering solutions. In my opinion, Vanderbilt has a challenging engineering curriculum, but students have many opportunities to be involved in cutting-edge research and enter some top laboratories, such as the VINSE (Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering), for hands-on operation. The school will assign a professor to correspond to your major(s) to provide professional advice during your four years of studying. There are many clubs and organizations students can join to discover their interests and maximize their academic potential.

Admissions Statistics

Vanderbilt University admission is most selective with a regular decision acceptance rate 4.7% (admitted 1,964 out of 41,610). The Early Decision 1(ED 1) acceptance rate is 24.1%, and the Early Decision 2(ED2) acceptance rate is 10.3%, with a total ED acceptance rate of 17.6%. The ED acceptance rate for the Class of 2026 reflects a 0.5% decrease from that of the Class of 2025 and 3.1% from that of the Class of 2024, according to the Vanderbilt Hustler report. According to the report from Vanderbilt for the Class of 2026:  

Application Process

You can apply to Vanderbilt through three different systems using Coalition Application, Common Application, or QuestBridge. Vanderbilt does not prefer one over the others. However, please do not submit an application through more than one system. *Please Note: In addition to submitting the application for admission, applicants need to submit the Blair School of Music Application, which includes a pre-screening video.  

Supplemental Essay Prompts

There is only one supplemental application essay you have while applying to Vanderbilt and you are required to write this essay. When picking a topic for writing this essay, make sure it does not appear in other essays you’ve written (for example the Common Application essay). This essay is a perfect opportunity to show your leadership skills or personal values. Selecting a unique and representative topic to write about can help you stand out from other applicants.

The Prompt:Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (200-400 words)

My Essay: Growing up as a tall lanky kid, I was fortunate to attend school in the era of Jeremy “Linsanity”, seeing basketball quickly propel itself to become China’s national pastime.
Seemingly overnight, my height was no longer seen as freakish, but instead a great boon, allowing me to quickly rise to the middle school team captain. Even as I joined the prestigious Shenzhen Youth Basketball team, netting a silver and bronze medal at the City Youth Championships, I began to realize that this was not a sport that could be conquered with height advantages or athletic prowess alone.

Although my pro career would face setbacks with my enrollment in a top academic (rather than athletic) program, I would remember that even Jeremy Lin had once been passed up by every Division I team, only for his leadership both on and off the court to achieve the legendary transformation of the non-athletic Palo Alto HS to state champions.
As I rebooted the defunct basketball club, I would commit to doing whatever it took to get my classmates’ heads unstuck from their books and take a study break out on the court. As I disabused them of preconceived notions of who could or couldn’t play the sport and emphasized our inclusion for all those passionate enough to train, we would slowly build the foundation for our own definition of success.

Although we held no illusions of becoming national champions, I would nonetheless leverage my competitive experience and contacts with coaches, offering an accessible regimen for all those interested in learning competitive basketball. As word of this program spread, our classes would grow in scale, soon offering regular pick-up games and a local intramural league.

After months spent selling the benefits of our club to school administrators, we would ultimately gain approval to host a massive regional tournament. With recognition as a formal school rally, we kicked off the event with a student vs teacher exhibition match, followed by over 20 teams going head to head on the court.

Although we may not have left a national legacy like Yao Ming or Jeremy Lin, I can say with pride that to us, our efforts were just as meaningful, laying the foundations for a school basketball tradition that will inspire Shenzhen student-athletes for years to come.

Why It Worked: This article shows the story of the applicant pursuing his passion for basketball and his efforts to influence others inspired by Jeremy Lin since childhood. The story has a complete timeline, showing the applicant's continuous efforts to do what he loves and his persistent attitude. The applicant has also shown leadership through his efforts to hold the basketball tournament. The events the applicant wrote about were so unique that they set him apart from tens of thousands of other applicants.

Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

My Essay:My passion for mechanical engineering began when I realized that I had a knack for understanding and assembling mechanical devices. My stimulation for Engineering has never wavered and I consistently want to learn more to feed my desire. It was during a trip home in 2015 with my physically disabled brother, I began toying with the idea of producing devices for disabled people. I was reading Mechanical Engineering for Makers by Bunnell and Najia to understand the relationship between Maths, Physics, and Engineering theory when I helped my brother go for a walk with his nurse. It did not take me long to realize the height difference between my brother’s two crutches made it difficult for him to walk in balance. So, I began my journey which was to change my brother’s quality of life and others forever. I researched devices to enable the physically disabled to move more freely and found one called Sky Rail. However, it was a static device and not portable which limited its use.

However, I began my research into the plausibility of designing a portable device. I used elastic straps that hung on the ceiling to test the possibilities of reducing weight by lifting my brother when he used his frame. Inspired by the Garner crane in the harbor near my home, I started to think about designing a portable Gantry crane that could be arranged on top of a walking frame. I proposed my plan to a Professor at Shenzhen University. The core issues were the materials of the frame should be light, because too much weight on top of the frame would unbalance it causing it to potential collapse. The height of the portable “sky rail” had to be limited, due to many fixed door frame heights. The “sky rail” had to be removable, so that it is easy to carry and travel in cars. Currently, the nurse is required to lift my brother up which is impractical to do all the time. Using my research, I wanted to create a miniature overhead support bridge that could be attached to a mobile walker. I was inspired by the Balcony clotheshorse which uses gears and levers to ease the burden of weight. I installed gears and levers on top of the “sky rail”. At first, it only had two parallel gears, so it was unbalanced. After adding a second group of gears, the “sky rail” was stable and easy to use. Before applying for a patent, I took an online undergraduate course at Shenzhen University. This course was recommended by Professor Peng and covered the design process and engineering drawings. This enabled me to understand the basic function of each part of mechanics, which was especially important for my design process. This year it was granted a patent.

With a strong desire to help disabled people, I published a paper in China Science and Technology titled Analysis of the Application of Humanoid Robots. Before writing my paper, I conducted research ranging from publications by Beijing Sport University Press to books by Architectural Technology Development.

Studying mechanical engineering at university will grant me the skills to transform and design more personalized equipment for disabled people, to enhance their confidence and enable them to live a better life.

Why It Worked:This article explains in detail the author's interest in studying mechanical engineering and shows the author's achievements in the process. As for mechanical engineering, the author's efforts to help his brother design auxiliary equipment to improve the quality of life through learning and practical actions, show his willingness to help others. His experience in helping the disabled also matches Vanderbilt's rehabilitation engineering value.

Written by Kaijia Chen, PathIvy Vanderbilt University Ambassador