Transcript:
Unofficial transcripts and test scores are acceptable for initial consideration, in most programs. For admitted students, Vanderbilt must receive official GRE (and if applicable, TOEFL or IELTS) scores and official transcripts before students register for classes.
Personal Statement:
The Statement of Purpose is an essay about why you are applying to the program you have selected.
Your statement should include information on your motivation to pursue a degree in the program, what you have done to prepare yourself for the pursuit of this degree, and what you hope to accomplish during and after your training.
Some programs have more specific requirements for the statement of purpose. These requirements will be listed on the Statement of Purpose page of the application.
There is not a minimum or a maximum number of words required for the Statement of Purpose. In general the statement should be somewhere between 1-5 pages and only contain information pertinent to the application you are submitting.
Recommendation Letter:
The required minimum number of recommendation letters is three, and maximum is five. Make sure that your recommenders know you well enough to sell the "you" that exists beyond what your scores and grades might tell us. These letters should tell us information that cannot be gleaned by looking at other pieces of your application.