Episode #42
Tell Your Story: Inside Admissions at Vanderbilt with Mike Drish
In this episode, Mike Drish, Executive Director of Admissions at Vanderbilt University, draws on a career spanning public universities, private institutions, and everything in between to break down what holistic admissions really means in practice. Mike explains how context shapes every admissions decision, including how Vanderbilt's participation in the Common App Student Context Pilot helped the team better understand the full picture of who applicants are, from family responsibilities and part-time work to translating documents and caring for siblings. He also addresses Vanderbilt's decision to reinstate standardized testing requirements for fall 2029 applicants, sharing what the test optional era taught the team and why the change is being announced early so students and families have time to prepare. Mike then tackles some of the most anxiety-inducing parts of the process head on. He explains why a perfect GPA and test scores are not enough at a highly selective school, how to write a "why us" essay that actually reflects a specific institution's values rather than recycled answers, and what the team is really looking for in a personal essay: not polished prose, but genuine insight and personal storytelling that no AI or outside editor can easily replicate. He closes with a message that applies to every student approaching senior year: stop trying to fit a mold, be true to who you are, and remember that a denial from one school is rarely a judgment of your potential. The right fit is out there, and the process works best when students let themselves show up as individuals.
