Visited March 6, 2014     I had the opportunity to return to Vanderbilt this spring to update my information on the university. I am so glad that I did; there have been many changes in both the admissions process and the academics since I was last at Vanderbilt.

This past year the admit rate at Vanderbilt was 12%. Students applying to Vanderbilt must select the college of their choice in their application. The four colleges that make up Vanderbilt University are: the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, the Blair School of Music and the Peabody College of Education and Human Development. If a student wants to change colleges after taking one full year of classes, this is possible.

Vanderbilt is unique in that it does not look at the writing score on the SAT. Subject tests are necessary for student applying to the School of Engineering; these students should plan to take the Math 2 and a science subject test.

Students must complete a separate application for the three merit-based scholarships that Vanderbilt offers. These scholarships are the Ingram Scholarship Program that focuses on service, the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship that is a general scholarship focusing on both academics and community service, and the Chancellor’s Scholarship that bases its selection on students who have been involved in social justice.

There is a very exciting new major in the Peabody College of Education and Human development called Human Organization. Since there are not any business courses offered at Vanderbilt, the Human and Organizational Development major is where students who want to go into business after graduation learn the necessary skills. Here is the explanation of this major that appears on the Vanderbilt website:

The Human and Organizational Development (HOD) major is designed to prepare you for a successful career focused on finding solutions to human problems in businesses, organizations, and communities. The HOD philosophy emphasizes the importance of connecting academic knowledge and theories to personal and professional practice.

HOD undergraduate core requirements offer an applied liberal arts education that will endow you with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in a people-oriented organizational role.
These skills include:

  • effective written and oral presentation
  • data-driven decision analysis
  • proficiency in using technology toward the goal of aiding organizations
  • interpersonal communication and collaborative work behaviors
  • group leadership, organizational development, management, and training.