Vanderbilt released early decision I results for the Class of 2029 on Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. CST, welcoming the first round of students for this year’s early decision cycle. Admitted students expressed excitement at receiving their acceptance letters and said they look forward to joining the community at Vanderbilt.
In an email to The Hustler, a university representative said that specific numerical and statistical information about admissions will not be available until January when the admissions committee is able to meet. This is the third year in a row that admissions statistics about EDI have not been released. Last year’s combined acceptance rate for EDI and EDII was 15.7%.
Gwyneth Frei, who applied to Peabody College as a secondary education major, was admitted to the Class of 2029 through EDI. She said she was drawn to Vanderbilt because the community she witnessed during a tour on campus reminded her of her small hometown of Minonk, Illinois.
“When we were walking with our amazing tour guide, I realized that, for her, Vanderbilt was her Minonk,” Frei said. “This was the community that she was thriving in — just like how I was in Minonk. At no other school did I see a community interacting like that, which was really an incredible experience. I realized I could find my Minonk at Vandy.”
Frei recalled the excitement she felt upon opening her acceptance letter.
“I’m from a town where we only have 2,000 people. Everything here seems so isolated that I really didn’t think it was an option to get out and go somewhere like Vanderbilt,” Frei said. “It literally felt like an ocean away, [but] getting in just completely exploded that barrier. My whole family was dumbfounded. We could not believe it.”
Olubiyi Fabusoye is an incoming human and organizational development major in Peabody College from Lanham, Maryland, and he said he first saw Vanderbilt when his cousin was moving in. That experience eventually prompted him to choose early decision when applying.
“I came from Nigeria for high school my freshman year, and I didn’t really have an idea of the college I wanted to go to,” Fabusoye said. “Seeing a school that was connected to people — that was diverse, with education that was great and even had music that was great — that was perfect, too. Plus, all the financial aid options made it fantastic.”
Fabusoye said he is interested in joining various cultural and arts organizations on campus and exploring pre-professional pathways.
“I would love to do a lot of music stuff, theater or singing in the choir,” he said. “But apart from music, one of my interests is business creation, like entrepreneurship. That would be fantastic.”
Tayden Cole, from Astoria, Oregon, also applied to Peabody College as an HOD major. At Vanderbilt, he said he wants to continue his work with nonprofit fundraising groups and join sustainability-focused extracurriculars.
“I did more research looking into the majors, all the different types of programs [Vanderbilt has and] what kind of school it is,” Cole said. “It was interesting that I really fell in love with Vanderbilt, especially the architecture and the HOD program — that definitely was a selling point.”
Cole recounted the joy he experienced upon getting into Vanderbilt.
“At first, I was shocked, and then I quickly became emotional and then I honestly had no words. I was frozen in time on that one screen,” Cole said. “It was great because I had my family members next to me, and it was just crazy. I would have never expected to get in. It was one of the best-feeling moments of my life.”
Hanna Pinang, a Questbridge Scholar from Houston, applied to the College of Arts and Science as a neuroscience major on the pre-medical track. She said she wants to get involved in journalism, robotics and research at Vanderbilt.
“I [have been] stuck with Vanderbilt since I was a freshman in high school,” Pinang said. “I did a research program there my sophomore summer. I got to visit campus and see people in the dorms, and I was like, ‘Yep, this is where I want to go.’”
Pinang recalled her reaction to being accepted into Vanderbilt.
“When I saw the portal say ‘Congratulations!’ it felt surreal and unreal at the same time,” Pinang said. “I’ve always been in Houston, and my role in my family was to be responsible for my little brother and mother. It just crossed my mind that I have to move to a different city and state.”
Kiran Talim, who is from Las Vegas, also applied to the College of Arts and Science as a neuroscience major on the pre-medical track, and she said she may add a public policy or political science double major. Talim hopes to join student government and Bhangradores at Vanderbilt.
“I wanted to go to a really good school for pre-med and one that would set me up on the best track for medical school,” Talim said. “I wanted [to go to] a college that was also kind of urban because I’m not really ready to leave that city environment with everything super close and in a short proximity. I wanted a school that would be able to not only foster my learning but a good social life, as well.”
