<p>Hi all you fellow hopeful Vandy Commodores. Hillary here. I hope I'm speaking for more than myself when I write this, so here it goes.</p>
<p>I get stressed out and feel completely incompetent when I go through this Vandy forum. Most of the time I'll convince myself to not look at these Vandy threads. But sometimes I am so compelled by curiosity that I must take a look, and succumb to more anxiety (like now). I know I'm intelligent and hardworking [my qualitative stats are 32; 1410/2180; 4.0 unw; 4.7 w... just to give you a ballpark estimate of how I am, though I have other stuff going for me] but damn, looking at all these "chance me" threads makes me feel inferior. Do you guys feel similar to this?</p>
<p>Though, when I read the stats on the Vandy admissions blog, I feel a bit better. </p>
<p>**Admissions-related statistics for the incoming class of 2008-09:</p>
<p>Total Applications: 16,944 (up 31% over last year, and nearly doubled since 2000)
Percent Admitted Overall: 25%
Percent of incoming class in the top 10% of their HS graduating class: 84%
SAT (M + CR) Middle 50%: 1330 - 1500
ACT Composite Middle 50%: 30 - 33
Different High Schools represented in incoming class: 934
Percent of incoming class identifying as a student of color: 23% **</p>
<p>I'm putting these stats here so people can give themselves a better picture of where they are, because who really knows the credentials of and accuracies of the information from the people chancing you?</p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Post Scriptum: This can be a thread to vent anger/anxiety/stress as well. I'd be ok with that.</p>
<p>Thank you!! I've been freaking out for months over my application, and looking at the very qualified forum posters has been making me uneasy all of today. Seeing those statistics help me to settle down and just do the best I can on my essay. Thanks for posting.</p>
<p>Oh good, someone else feels the same. I knew I wasn't the only one. I mean, yes, these amazingly smart individuals definitely have more of a statistical advantage over us but that doesn't mean that we can't write wonderful essays and they can. I really understand why the essay is so critical nowadays. Personally [though you can argue that I'm biased since I don't have ridiculously high stats myself], I'd rather have a creative/brilliant writer (meaning creative/brilliant thinker) or someone with unique views than someone who is just solely super intelligent.</p>
<p>I hope you do well on your essay. I know what it feels like with the clock winding down. I just finished my essay and submitted my application last night.</p>
<p>I agree completely. I have done well in school and hopefully they will see my passion and drive through my writing and not hold it against me that I come from a highly competitive public school. I would rather feel confident in my voice and opinion than in test scores and cumulative grades. And I hope I will be accepted for what I would bring to the college that is passionate and diverse. Good luck on your applications, both of you, I hope that the college will consider your motivation and great writing skills!!</p>
<p>Don't bother looking at these "chance me" threads because each person that applies has probably a better quality than another, thus getting accepted over another. I felt the exact same way you are hillary, and my scores were not as good as other "chance me" threads, but I didn't let that affect me and I went ahead and applied the best way possible and got accepted. All I'm saying is is to be the best applicant you can be and not to really worry about other stats because it will only affect you negativly instead of positivly.
I hope this makes you feel better and more confident to apply.
Good Luck</p>
<p>I love how in my opening post I said qualitative instead of quantitative. I'm amazing.</p>
<p>Do you guys think the people with higher scores post on this Vandy forum/use CC anyway? Because I've been on other sites where I see tons of people with 630/580/650 [for example] CR/M/W scores and mediocre GPAs who obviously get denied.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for posting this. I reacted in a probably stupid way and made a "chances" thread of my own, when this is more what I needed to hear/wanted to say. I saw all those high scores and private schools and giant community service records...and panicked. I can't get a satisfying opinion around my house about getting in...it's either "You're in! Don't worry! There's no competition!" (boyfriend) or "Don't get your hopes up. You're probably just going to UTK. Actually, why not MTSU?" (mom). I don't know anyone who's gotten into Vanderbilt or anything like it, so getting any good advice around home or school is hard.</p>
<p>I guess what I really needed was to know someone else was worrying as much as I was. Oh, I hope my essay was good enough...(there I go again, worrying...I'm going to be institutionalized by April if this stress keeps building!)</p>
<p>Everyone at my school says that I am going to get in, but I think they're being too naive. I wish my senior notable of "Most Likely to Succeed" would mean I would go wherever I wanted, but that might not be the case. Everyone at my school just knows that I'm in love with Vanderbilt and work hard.</p>
<p>As for you, Conscience, you just have both the optimistic and pessimistic arguments told to you. But what all we want and need is a realistic argument.</p>
<p>And yes, I'm going to be pronounced legally insane before April rolls around. Ever since I submitted my application a few days ago I'm always thinking "could I have written a better essay? Should I have explained my ECs better? Should I have applied ED?" I guess us going crazy means we just care a lot. =]</p>
<p>But then I realize that I wrote the best goddamn essay of my life [I couldn't be more proud of it]. I wrote the mini-essay on an activity that's pretty different and uncommon. I even wrote an extra essay on why I wanted to attend Vanderbilt [but I didn't use generic reasons, such as amazing academics, beauty] so they know I really want to attend and am not just applying to apply.</p>
<p>RANDOM: I always wonder if I met some of you guys at the informational tour session a year or two ago. It's rather silly to think of, I know.</p>
<p>I got "most intellectual" for my senior superlative, so I know how you feel. You really want to get all those people who voted for you to convince Vanderbilt to let you in!</p>
<p>I really wish I could have applied ED, but it would have been impossible for me to commit with my family's current financial situation (at the time of the ED deadline we were waiting to hear if my stepdad's plant would be closing down.) I do regret my essay. I had no idea what to do with it and I'm afraid it feels cheap. I love my scholarship essays to bits, but unfortunately that's not going to help me get in!</p>
<p>I'm glad you're proud of your essays! I'm sure they were great. Do you know if they'll still take some supplemental essays/letters through snailmail now that the deadline has passed? I couldn't put them on the common app and the print copies were at school while we're out on break.</p>
<p>Didn't meet me! I missed all those tours because I'm a horrible procrastinator.</p>
<p>Yeah, most intellectual is my school's most likely to succeed.</p>
<p>I didn't apply ED for the same reason as you. It sucks being poor. Though, it is quite amazing how we smart kids managed to come out of a mediocre family. I always wonder what makes our intellect lightbulbs switch on.</p>
<p>I would e-mail admissions about extra stuff being mailed out.</p>
<p>Well, if we both get in next year, I can take you on a tour and of the suburbs around Vandy. [I hate downtown... it's all bars] =)</p>
<p>This thread makes me feel so much better. But I ditto what you two said about being poor. I just did my FAFSA today and this was the result:</p>
<p>EFC = 0.</p>
<p>I hope the schools I applied to will give me some aid because apparently my parents really can't afford to give me ANYTHING.</p>
<p>But with the whole sending supplemental items, just email your regional counselor. I did that and she gladly has fixed an error in my application and added supplemental information as well.</p>
<p>Does Vandy have quotas for schools? Like, do they think "well, since we've admitted 2 students from X school, we should just reject/waitlist the rest"?</p>
<p>Because I know of already 6 people (maybe more!) from my school who are applying who all have 4.0 unweighted GPAs [4 of them have 8 APs taken, 1 has 9, and I'm the one that has 10], all have 1400+ SATs, tons of ECs/leadership and 1/3 have sports.</p>
<p>Is it possible that most of us would get in? Or would they only want to admit 2 or something?</p>
<p>Honestly, I don't know why I read all these chance threads, they make me feel a bazillion times worse about my self because my school doesn't offer AP, My standardized test scores suck, and my stats aren't as high up there as the rest. I regret sometime even going to the public school, the teachers aren't all that great....well more so in the science department, our science program is terrible!</p>
<p>Hilsa, you have to be I think the worst one I've read (in a good way)! You have such a high GPA, all those extracurriculars, the scores, the AP tests and everything! You need to calm down before you are committed to a mental hospital (Cuckoo's Nest anyone?). I think out of all the threads i've read, out of everyone on the forum you have the best shot of it. </p>
<p>But anyway</p>
<p>I wrote an essay that i put heart and soul into, Vandy is my number one choice school, and I hope that my test scores aren't the ultimate decider of my college future. I'll have to email them or call and see if i could submit anything extra, but I don't beleive so...I guess i just have to wait till April, and if all fails i could try to transfer next year.</p>
<p>Get an interview! It shows that you're doing anything you can to make your chances better.</p>
<p>If your school doesn't have APs, admissions counselors will realize that. As long as you took the hardest course load possible, then lack of APs doesn't matter.</p>
<p>I emailed the person for the interview, she said a date, i responded but havent heard anything back yet...</p>
<p>Can you still take AP exams without having taken the AP courses? (Stupid question i know)</p>
<p>We have "Honors" courses, which are for college credit and I've only gotten A's in them. I posted a "chance" thread, just to get some opinions and its unanimous....my test scores suck...<em>sigh</em></p>
<p>I'm hoping the interview goes well, and that being a first gen college student helps me...but i'm not very hopeful =[</p>
<p>I should have went to LaSalle or Hendricken, but we couldn't afford the private schools...</p>
<p>Yes, you can take AP exams without taking the actual class. But I worn you, I've had friends do that and they mostly get 3's [even for the smarties at my public gifted school].</p>
<p>I like public school. Different walks of people. Private school people have money [though a few get scholarships] and everyone tends to be similar.</p>
<p>I'm applying RD, my family doesn't have it financially to be bound to something i can't afford. I wish i could have though.</p>
<p>So, AP exams are out of 5 right? Assuming i took them, would the scores be sent to Vandy in time even though the application has already been turned in? I don't expect anyone to know...</p>
<p>I like public school, its just i feel like its kind of "screwing" me over. A few of my friends feel the same. We don't have any AP/IB, only some honors courses...our state science test scores SUCK BADLY because our schools science program isn't that great. I also don't feel as though we (the class) were prepared enough for the sat/act. There's very few that even heard of the ACT. </p>
<p>Hillsa, your school doesn't sound bad at all! You have so many EC's there, the classes and such etc...</p>
<p>what do you think ( idk if you've read my chance thread or not, i know you read my essay and thanks btw XD)</p>