Ahh, Vassar College: the quintessential college of English, Art History, and Biology. Though, they’re also known for other majors as well. The most common majors taken at Vassar include Psychology, Literature, Linguistics, Social Science, Biomedical Science, Foreign Language, and Visual and Performing Arts.

So, what does it take to get accepted into this school? Let’s take a look at Vassar College’s stats.

Vassar College Freshman Admissions Stats

• Mean Unweighted GPA: A/A-
• Admissions Rate: 24.3%
• SAT Mean Scorein EBRW: 718
• SAT Mean Score in Math: 720
• ACT Mean Composite: 32.6

We provided a pdf of Vassar’s class of 2024 freshman admissions stats here.

Understandably, this can be quite a dreadful set of stats. If you’re below the mean, you will need something to compensate for your stats. If you’re at or above, you will need other factors that can solidify your chances of success.

So, how does one stand out amongst the rest of the super smart and ultra-intelligent women applying for Vassar? The best way to stand out is to leverage the Vassar application essay. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to write the Vassar College supplemental essay.

Note: there are other “optional” essay sections to the Vassar application. However, we would not suggest ignoring these. With a competitive mean unweighted GPA of 3.9-4.0 (A/A-), you’ll need to capitalize on every part of the essays to maximize your chance of success.

Table of Contents

1. How to Write the Vassar College ‘Why Us’ Essay.
2. How to Write the Vassar College Additional Info/CV/Resume Essay.
3. How to Write the Vassar College ‘Your Space’ Essay

How to Write the Vassar College Supplemental Essays

1. How to Write the Vassar College ‘Why Us’ Essay.

Why are you applying to Vassar? (Limit 350 words).

Vassar College –Common Application

So, this is the typical ‘Why Us’ essay.

What you’ll notice about this essay question is that it is much shorter than other ‘Why Us’ essays. This means you have fewer words to leave a lasting impression on the admissions committee. So, you’ll have to be smart with your words.

More often than not, we see people write about things that typically shouldn’t belong in an admissions essay. If you want to write the Vassar College supplemental essay well, you want to demonstrate that you have a genuinely valuable reason for applying.

This means you probably shouldn’t write about how you wanted a beautiful campus to study in, or that you wanted to attend a seven-sisters school. These are surface-level reasons for applying.

To write a stronger Vassar College supplemental essay that beats out the rest of the competition, show that Vassar is vital. Perhaps they have particular research opportunities that would play a major role in the future projects you want to conduct. Maybe the Liberal Arts Program they have will play a crucial role in your future career success, and you can’t attend any other school without major compromise.

Whatever the reason is, you want to show you have a very strong reason for attending Vassar College.

One of the common questions we like to ask our clients who are writing ‘Why Us’ Essays is this: “If you were accepted into Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, why would you take Vassar?” It’s a hard question to answer, but it’s certainly a good question to ask yourself. It will help you understand better just exactly why Vassar is a school you ‘need’ instead of simply just ‘want’.

2. How to Write the Vassar College Additional Info/CV/Resume Essay.

If you wish to provide details of circumstances not reflected in the application, please upload a file here. Similarly, if you wish to upload your resume, include it here.

Vassar College –Common Application

Although this part of the Vassar college supplemental essay is optional, it really isn’t. We don’t mean this in a technical way, but it’s more useful to think that this essay is something you should take the time to fill out.

With an admissions rate of 24.3% and the mean freshman unweighted GPA is at 3.9-4.0 (A/A-), it’s reasonable to be cautious. You don’t want to cut corners when applying for a school of such a competitive caliber.

This is also the opportunity to explain to admissions officers some of the negative aspects of your academic transcript.

If you earned a lower grade in a class that is relevant to your major, or you did not earn the awards and extracurricular leadership positions you thought you could in high school, now is the time to explain why! Maybe you had a rough time at home and struggled with family dynamics. Or, maybe you struggled with extraneous situations in your personal life which affected your performance in certain classes.

These explanations will help you patch up situations that the admissions officers may normally view in a negative light. Thus, this part of your Vassar College supplemental essays is critical if you want to maximize your chances of success

3. How to Write the Vassar College ‘Your Space’ Essay

Your Space is your opportunity to allow the Committee on Admission to learn something about you that you have not addressed in another section of the application. Your Space is entirely optional. If you choose to include a Your Space submission, be sure it is labeled with your name, high school, and date of birth. Due to the volume of submissions, we will be unable to return your work. Please do not send anything that is irreplaceable.

Vassar College –Common Application

Okay, so this question is sort of a wild card. However, it’s important to know whether you actually should or should fill out this section of the Vassar College Supplemental Essays.

On one hand, this part can help you tremendously. You can stand out amongst the rest of the admissions pool by showing your unique qualities. You can show a portfolio of art, a writing sample, or even create something on the spot.

However, it is just as easy for this to work against you. You can submit something fantastic and strong, but it may also confuse admissions officers and only make it harder for them to know if you’re a good fit. Remember: the admissions officers at Vassar College need to know that you’re a good fit for the school. This essay can make it either easier or harder for them to accept you.

At the end of the day, this part of the Vassar College supplemental essays is a high-risk and high-return investment. You need to know that you are absolutely certain you know what you’re doing before you begin submitting something here.

Not sure whether you can answer the Vassar College supplemental essays correctly? Having trouble trying to stand out amongst the rest of the geniuses applying for the school? Fear not. Our admissions experts have helped countless students get into their top choices even with lower than average GPAs and scores through essay editing. Contact us for a free consultation; we’ll provide you with free advice on how to approach your Vassar essays, and get accepted.