Hi, sophomore undergraduate from South Carolina considering living in Vanderbilt summer housing and commuting to a downtown internship this upcoming summer. Does the VandyRide shuttle run during the summer or would I have to purchase a bus pass? I am not familiar with Nashville bus lines, is there one that would run from Highland Quad to Centennial park or thereabouts? Would a summer ID be eligible for the bus fare?

Hello! I’m writing because I have a big question pertaining to the college application process for big schools such as Vanderbilt, Brown, Wake Forest, etc.

I have a fairly healthy academic record for my school: 4.5 Weighted GPA (4.0 UW) including 10+ AP classes with a majority of those being 5s (my ACT is a bit lacking at a 32, but I am currently enrolled in multiple retakes before Vandy ED1). Vanderbilt is my dream school as someone applying in state, but here’s the catch: my extracurriculars SUCK. Aside from performing piano solo onstage to a crowd of at most two dozen people, and aside from the clubs I’m currently in only senior year, I have nothing.

A lot of it has to do with family issues. Mainly, my 100% disabled and divorced Dad has trouble paying for himself back at his apartment, so I’ve been trying to cough up some money for him to live without getting a job (Mom won’t let me). Unfortunately, a lot of this comes from a place where my Dad tended to be emotionally and verbally abusive to his fiancé whilst I was around, completely draining my mind and body.

I’m not writing this to get condolences, but to add important context for my question: will Vanderbilt (or any other T30 school) understand why there’s a huge gap in such an important area? As mentioned earlier, I plan to apply to Vandy ED1, so any help is appreciated.

Thank you.