Secrets from the Admissions Office
While I know everyone reading our Vandy Admissions Blog loves hearing from me, I want to point readers today to a Newsweek Education article. Our Dean of Admissions sat down with Newsweek Education and answered critical questions we hear everyday in OUA.
Dr. Christiansen is truly an expert in the field of higher education. I love the way he talks about diversity at Vanderbilt,
“Real diversity is about diversity of thought, of expression, of experience, of background. We want students who come from small towns in Iowa and from New York City. We want students of color and majority students. We want people who can add thought perspectives to our educational environment. People don’t have to agree, but they need to have the ability to understand and empathize, be able to put themselves in someone else’s perspective, know that there is a different perspective.”
Check out his advice! Read over the article. More questions? Let me know and I’ll find you the answers!
September 18th, 2010
What exactly does Dr. Christiansen mean about diversity of thought? I come from the small town of Long Valley, in suburban New Jersey. The life i’ve grown up in is very homogenous, but i don’t want that anymore. I want diversity, I want new opinions and original ideas. But, i feel my almost sheltered life has prohibited my expansion as diverse person. Vanderbilt is my dream school, because i want to achieve this. I want to be able to experience the incredible insight every different person at this school has to offer. I want to change and become a worldly thinker, but through experience. I’m afraid the fact that i have not achieved this yet will hinder my chances of being accepted. In your opinion, will it?
September 19th, 2010
Alisa, I can’t speak for Dr. Christiansen. However, I can tell you that your experience growing up is very different from the experience of many of our other applicants. The combination of all these backgrounds creates a diverse group of individuals who think differently about the world. That’s diversity of thought. You background does not hinder your chances of receiving admission, we celebrate our students from all over the world!