One of my kids went to a private school that was VERY generous to Vanderbilt applicants. Most of the kids who really wanted to go there but fell s bit short in ideal stats were accepted.
The other went to a school that did not have that connection and I can tell you that the numbers and Naviance like charts excluded anyone with the OP’s kid’s numbers unless there was a good strong hook in the picture. My son had the school on his list, similar test score but top 10% of class, and I think he’d have had to do ED to get a reasonable chance of acceptance.
Mamaedafamilia
His GPA is actually a 3.65. That’s one of the things that I’m wondering about. According to the stats I’ve seen on Vanderbilts incoming freshman class 67% of them had a GPA of 3.75 or higher. My S is only .1 out of that group. No disputing his GPA is low. But is it so low that an improved ACT and good scores on the SAT2s wouldn’t give him a shot? Provided of course the rest of his application is really strong?
I might consider 1 more ACT to raise the math score and get the composite to 35.
OP’s son’s grades/test scores are similar to my son’s (doesn’t attend Vandy but one of its academic peers). I might consider doing an ED1 to Vandy if it was an overwhelming favorite.
A former coworker of mine who is a Vandy alum wanted my son to apply and said that his grades and SAT would have been fine for ED1 and possibly RD. Son started the application for Vandy RD, but got into his ED school so it was a moot point.
Vandy has gotten harder and harder to get in. D17 joked it is actually easier to get in as a transfer student, and that is how they boost their acceptance rate.
D’s good friend applied in 2018 cycle. Perfect ACT, SAT, high GPA, loads of APs, National writing awards, state debate awards, tons of leadership, etc, she was waitlisted.
^kid was unhooked Asian. Primary ECs were National History/Quiz Bowl and Eagle Scout. He applied to his current school as a History/Biology major ED and got in.
Vandy sent him lots of stuff and he may have gotten a few waiver. But he’s happy with his present school although he claims that he would definitely be rejected now based on their average GPA/SAT.
Vandy engineering is ranked relatively low compared to the school as a whole. There are many higher ranked engineering schools that should admit the OP’s child without issues.
TooOldSchool
Agreed, There are more highly rated Engineering programs that could be had a lot cheaper and closer to home.
The problem with a lot of those schools is that they are so highly compartmentalized. As a society I think weve fallen into the more Asian philosophy of super-specialization of out technical professions.(We got this when the Japanese were kicking our manufacturing buts back in the 1980s)
We were at a college fair a while back and my son was speaking with the recruiter for a regional public university with a VERY highly rated engineering program. The recruiter was pleased with my sons STEM grades, course load and his overall performance but didn’t understand why he hadn’t participated in his schools robotics teams. HIs response was that he had pursued different ECs because he had other interests and wanted to broaden his high school experience and meet new people. The recruiter didn’t seem to get it.
That’s the main reason he likes Vanderbilt so much. They don’t seem as focused on “pigeon holing” their engineering students. (separate campus, separate dorms, etc) He’s great at science and math, but he also loves history, philosophy, language, and music. Ask him about the fall of Byzantine empire, the linguistics of romance languages, or the second fundamental theorem of calculus and he’ll bend your ear for an hour on either.
He feels hell get a broader college experience at Vanderbilt. The question is whether he can get that breadth across in his application and whether or not they value it in a student enough to get past his lower GPA.
Guess all we can do now is see if we can boost that ACT into the 35 range and take the SAT2 Subject exams.
@TNSDad your kid sounds like my son-he has multiple interests and doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as a pure STEM type.
At his current school, multiple majors/minors are encouraged. My kid knows someone who is a Computer Science/History double major. I thought that my kid’s Biology/History combination was odd and now he’s doing a Computer Science minor.
If my son did apply to Vandy and got in, it would have been a top choice as the intellectual vibe is similar to his present school, except that his school has no D1 sports.
Your son sounds like a great kid and hopefully he gets into Vandy. If not there are schools who would welcome someone who is intellectually curious.
Hi, we have a Vandy '13 grad who entered with a 36 on the ACT math and I don’t think he is gifted or intuitive in math at all. He was able with high school advanced math --but not gifted. He was also mature in high school beyond what is normal for 9th and 10th graders. Many of our future most gifted engineers are not integrated at age 15! The expectations of perfection in grades are a phenomenon of our era but not predictive for so many promising young people. Vandy son was super prepared for college prep exams by doing the 10 red book of ACTs timed at home (and studying the answers in an open book style in order to learn the test structure).
My Duke '09 grad seems to have woken up summer before senior year in terms of executive functioning and suddenly had the personal drive and desire to ace these exams. He gained 200 points from junior year to senior October on the SAT. The only reason he wasn’t flagged for cheating or something is that he had put back a couple of great SAT subject exams June of junior year. I honestly think some kind of maturity just happened organically. These kids are changelings!
My sons did the 3 practice exams for the Subject tests religiously in the prep books and only took them one at a time which I think matters for mere mortals. If you are trying to plug in a top score on a certain subject, don’t dilute your SAT Subject exam prep with two of them in one sitting. These are one hour tests and have their own pace. They do not resemble the AP exams. I totally think you son should do the Math Level 2 exam in the fall at first sitting but only if he is super prepared. He is going to get into a good engineering school. The goal now is to max his options.
Whatever you do as father, as you gather info and absorb daunting stats, make sure to convey your confidence in your son to him, focus on his mental health and general well-being, and give him the gift of information but also the Long View of life. Above all make memories and enjoy companionship in this process. (ie he may have tons of aptitude for engineering and related work, and as an engineer, you are in a very good position to guess at this). He has done a fine job in high school and Vandy’s stats are ridiculously high.
Focus on what can be affected now which is pretty much the Math Level 2 and securing a glowing recommendation from someone who realizes your son has aptitude and personal energy for engineering. That is all you can do! Vandy adcoms and ditto other college adcoms will recognize he was in a rigorous high school. do not regret that~ Get the best little book on college essays (Henry Bauld, 25th anniversary) and help him find the time to really struggle with the essay challenges. Encourage him to write the prompts in the books now and to let ideas for his essays gestate over the coming weeks. Don’t let him be a stranger in his review by the adcoms. Essays matter. Essays and reference letters may sweeten the offers he does receive, Vandy or no Vandy. ED or RD My sons were rewriting their essays New Years weekend and turning them in on deadline. A lot of maturity happens from now till next January.
lastly and anecdotally, I have a nephew who went to VA Tech with a very weak high school background, and he had a lot of remedial work to do in order to graduate from their engineering school. He is fully employed, has received a few advances already, likes his organization a lot, already got a masters in business at night and loves his career as an engineer, loves the whole shebang. He had the right stuff. but his stats would have said otherwise. Our children look to us for perspective. America’s engineering schools are a point of pride in our nation. Enjoy getting to know each one you consider and appreciate each of their histories. I have some regrets that neither of our sons ever attended Virginia’s wonderful public schools due to the incredible networking. Their friends at Duke and Vandy scattered to the winds. High school friends who were good students and went straight to the state flagships are doing just as well as my kids, and have fine jobs.
Hi, rising senior at Vandy here. I had a similar gpa, was right outside the top 10% of my hs class. However, I did have a perfect SAT score. I’d say to just ED. Your son fits into the range. Honestly, if you just work hard and actually try to learn the material (not just get As on tests), he should be fine in any major if he gets in.