Hello Everyone!
I am currently a senior in high school and I am heavily considering applying to Vanderbilt Early Decision 1. Unfortunately, my freshman and sophomore year I struggled with severe undiagnosed ADHD, and my grades struggled throughout. For the most part, I took the most rigorous courses my school offered (with maybe one or two exceptions) and received a strong mix of A’s and B’s with a few C’s. Once I was medicated and diagnosed with ADHD my grades shot up and I received all A’s and one B junior year. I plan to mention this in the “additional information” section of my application but is there anything more (other than getting straight A’s first semester) that I can do to show Vanderbilt my growth. My counselor retired last year and I plan on having a conversation with my new counselor and possibly seeing if she could mention it on the recommendation letter I will ask her to write but I am just not sure.
Any and all thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated! Please let me know if you need more information.
Update: My SAT score was 1570, I have strong extra curriculars and I am continuing to take rigorous courses so my application should look strong other than what I stated above.
Do you have access to Naviance? Can you check to see where your stats put you in comparison to other students from your high school who have previously gotten into Yale and Vandy?
For perspective, my son has a 1570/36/3.87/4.7 and is well below his high school’s acceptance range for those two schools. Just one piece of information. I’m sure others can help you with more specific advice. Congratulations on your SAT and upward trend!
Just like on your other thread, what is your cumulative unweighted GPA in core courses only on a 4 pt scale? Will you be graduating with 4 years in each of the five core subject areas? What math do you have senior year? Any AP test scores? I agree that Naviance or Score is the best resource, if you have access to either.
My school calculates GPA in a very weird way but I think unweighted, on a 4.00 scale my total GPA over the last three years is about 3.45. So far I have taken five AP tests and gotten two 5’s, one 4, one 3, and one 2. I have met and exceeded all required courses and I am currently in three AP courses (AP stats, APES, AP Lit) and two dual enrollment courses. I plan to major in political science/gender studies and I am my student body president, speech capitan, mode un VP, mock trial capitan, gender equality club president, I work two jobs, and I worked as the campaign manager for a local campaign. There are a number of other activities I am involved in but those are some of the most substantial.
With an uwGPA of 3.45 in core courses, I don’t think that Vandy and Yale are reasonable reaches for you.
It’s great that you have an upward trend, but even with that, the GPA is just too low for the tippy top schools. Do you have any hooks, e.g., legacy, URM, first gen?
There are many schools that will love to have you, you just have to do the work to find ones that are better fits. Create a balanced list: a couple of reaches that are in the realm of possibility, as well as a handful of matches, and at least one affordable safety (two or three if you want to make sure you have a choice).
Does your school use Naviance or Scoir? I will also reiterate having another good semester under your belt will be helpful to your admissions process.
Same as on your duplicate thread, you are way over reaching. An Elon or Syracuse or SMU might be a nice get. A solid flagship might be a target or if you want private midsize perhaps a Fordham, American if you demonstrate interest, Butler or College of Charleston.
What state are you from?
You’re way overreaching here. Your SAT is great but does not carry weight vs. your GPA.
The good news - there are many GREAT colleges out there for you in both poli sci and gender studies.
Thank you for your insight on both threads and I do have plenty of safeties! Do you think that a strong upward trend (straight A’s junior year) and a clear explanation for my earlier poor grades will have any real impact? And either way, where do you think I should explain that/how can I make the impact greater?
(This is for all of my college applications, not just Vandy).
Truly, thank you for all of your help and I am open to any ideas
Thank you for all of your insight.
I do have a long list with a wide variety of schools, but that is a helpful reminder either way.
I do not have any clear “hooks” but I do have some experience that I believe will be beneficial for my majors (organizing a candidate forum, working as a campaign manager, organizing a protest, and organizing a menstrual hygeine drive with over 11,000 donations).
Do you think that a clear upward grade trend and a clear explanation will have any impact on my applications? How can I make that impact stronger? How exactly should I state my “explanation” (severe untreated ADHD)
Once again, I do appreciate all of your insight and I will continue to way my options. Thank you so much and I do not mean to overwhelm you with questions!
Also my school does use Naviance and I just checked Vanderbilt- my SAT score is 40 points higher than the highest accepted score and my weighted GPA is about 0.4 points lower than the lowest accepted GPA. I understand that my SAT is far from a life saver, but I’m hoping a clear explanation of my poor grades from freshman and sophomore year will have some sort of impact
At some colleges, absolutely and you don’t have to point it out. People were acting like Vandy is 12 steps down from Yale. It’s like a quarter step down.
There is a section on Common App to say extra stuff - you can address it there. I probably wouldn’t…but if you did, just a couple sentences. Don’t forget, when you say something negative about yourself (ADHD), while that’s common, someone could hold it against you. But if you feel good about explaining.
Where are you from (state wise)? Are you only looking at mid size schools? Is there a certain geography you want.
Or - tell us what your targets and safeties are.
btw - it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply to Vandy/Yale - you have 20 slots - take your shot. Just make sure you have a complete list.
I apologize I am a bit confused by the first part or your response- why would I not offer a brief explanation if I have shown a clear improvement (because it is now treated) and it was a situation out of my control. Wouldn’t an explanation be better than just allowing admissions officers to assume I was lazy freshman and sophomore year? Would a clear explanation take away some of the negative weight that my fresh/soph grades carry?
I am from the midwest and I want to go somewhere not in the midwest. My list is super long right now but I have at least five safeties!
I think it depends on the school. I think a lot of people assume these things are read. I’ve talked to a professor at a prestigious school who’s served on an admissions committee and they told me half the essays aren’t even read because they eliminated the student on GPA/ACT - even though they are “holistic”. Schools would tell you they all are.
If you want to put an explanation, add it to the additional info box. Learning issues are common - so i’m sure it’s fine. But generally, I don’think it’s good to add things that others might see as a negative. They may feel bad for you - but pass you on to the next school. But ADHD is very common, so probably fine.
Your 5 AP tests - does your school offer ample APs or few APs? In other words, if it offers many and you took a few, you have rigor…but lack the rigor of top schools. If they only offer 5 and you took them all, you get a pass.
I have no doubt you’ll have great opportunities and again strive for those you want. Just have targets and safeties and know what those are. I think you’re giving your ACT too much credit. It can definitely help you earn merit aid though.
5 safeties are great - but you probably don’t need that many. A safety has to be somewhere you would be proud to attend.
Many kids attend schools that aren’t the most prestigious they got into - both my kids in fact. Some choose for location, money, or otherwise.
Not sure if money is an issue - or you’ll get aid. For those that don’t get aid, your parents may still not want to spend $80K a year.
So you don’t want to be in the midwest - I’ll just say, schools like Evanville and Bradley (assuming you want small/mid) will tell you up front your offer.
You may look at schools like UVM, Trinity (small - but in the capital), College of Charleston (govt. hub although not the capital), Denver, SMU, or Truman State for mid size.
If you want a small school, the Colleges that Change Lives - Beloit, Kalamazoo, Hendrix (will match a state flagship for the right candidate), Dickinson or any # of LACs.
Or state flagships - I wouldn’t eliminate your school as money matters. And you have the MSEP to help save money. And you can find great public schools - large and medium.
You’re cryptic with info…but hope that helps.
I don’t think Yale or Vanderbilt are likely. Your GPA isn’t strong enough even with your outstanding SAT score. Of course, if you have some kind of hook (URM, recruited athlete, notable musician, child of big donor) my answer would be different. Without a hook, admissions to those schools are extremely unlikely for any student. With that in mind I’d consider saving ED for a school a notch down where you could possibly get a bump (if you have another school you really, really like that is a bit of a stretch) – of course it would need to be affordable as well.
While it’s great that you have overcome adversity and you have pursued a lot of interesting ECs and community service projects, that is not going to compensate for your GPA at T-20 schools, unless you attend a HS that does not inflate grades and that 3.45 UW places you in the top 5-10% of students in your class.
By way of comparison, I have a kid who graduated last year from a very competitive HS. The top students had unweighted 4.0 GPA, 99% ACT/SAT scores, many national merit finalists, multiple APs with all 5s, significant ECs at the regional and national levels, etc. Some of these students got into one or two T20 schools (especially if they applied ED and/or had hooks) and some got rejected or WL to all schools at this level.
College admissions move so quickly that Naviance data can become outdated very quickly. It also doesn’t take into account any hooks an applicant might bring, like being a recruitable athlete. Even if the data is relatively current, you should not overweight SAT and underweight GPA. Even though Vandy likes high test scores, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between a 1530 and a 1570 SAT while there is a great deal of difference between a 3.45 and a 3.85 UW GPA.
The good news is that you have a wonderful profile that is likely to yield interest at schools that are a bit less selective and/or value the kind of leadership and community engagement you have developed. If you are female, have you considered women’s colleges? And while you want to leave the midwest, I could totally see you at a LAC like Macalester, St. Olaf, Oberlin, College of Wooster, etc. where you would be more competitive for admission.
If 40 pts above average, it would be 1560 SAT. That’s roughly the 70%ile of enrolled students.
If 0.4 below average GPA, it would be 3.46. That’s roughly the 6%ile of enrolled students.
Note that enrolled students have a bit lower stats than admitted students. They will also give a boost to applicants with hooks like recruited Div I athlete, Pell Grant, special talent, state of residency (considered), racial/ethnic status, work experience, etc. Which of those hooks help your case?
A really great SAT will be favorably considered at SMU, Syracuse, Villanova, GW, Fordham, Miami, etc. and hopefully the combo of your junior grades will get you admitted and some merit. You’ll need to show interest at many of these. An option is to attend your state flagship and transfer if you make great grades. Top 20 schools don’t have many transfer needs because they graduate 93+% of their incoming freshmen.
I am wondering whether a really good essay about your experience with ADHD and how much better you did once on treatment would help with your application. The reality is that most people with high SATs and high GPAs still don’t get into T20 schools. But you are an intriguing candidate, with strong ECs. Perhaps a very well-written essay, which shows what academic life was like for you before and after treatment, might draw the attention of the admissions committee officer to take a closer look, so that they realize that you’re not just a really smart, but academically lazy, applicant. Sure, you could tell them in the additional info section that you have ADHD and were only diagnosed and effectively treated after your freshman and sophomore years. But it might be more effective if you had a great essay, one that gave the reader a view of the ADHD mind, before and after treatment. The kind of essay that made the reader sit back and think, “Wow. I never realized this before. This kid must be something special. And he is obviously bright - look at his test scores! He’s seriously motivated to do (insert your goal here). And as he says, smart ADHD people, when they’re highly interested in something, are able to hyperfocus and achieve amazing things in their field of interest. We should think about taking this one.”
But it would have to be a seriously special essay. Based upon the writing in your postings, you’d need help with it. Your ideas. Your way of approaching the material. Proofing and polishing help from a great writer.
I don’t think that this would work for Yale. It might for Vanderbilt. More likely to work for a T50 school, and maybe for a T30 school that strongly favors ED. I’m assuming that you’re not chasing merit aid, and that you’re not reliant upon financial aid.
Take a look at this article there’s some sound advise in it. Regardless, start thinking more about your holistic list and less about what T## school you may get into. AP scores, grades trending upward, leadership positions, high test scores all signal to a AO that you are ready for the challenges of college but in the end it’s still a crap shoot.
Think about the program in your intended major(s). What type of PS is of intent to you, National (schools in Washington DC), international (schools in NY). How do the Gender study programs differ? Is the program flexible to allow you to major in both? How about outcomes? Do students do internships? On Capitol Hill? at the UN?
Unless I didn’t read it properly, 3.45 is your 10th+11th grade GPA. What is your actual GPA including freshman grades?
I’m sorry you had severe undiagnosed ADHD – but your GPA will not let you move past 1st cut at Yale, Vanderbilt, etc.
Have you taken biology, chemistry, and physics? 3-4 years of a foreign language? Precalculus?
What APs have you taken?
I second looking into Colleges that change Lives (ctcl.org).
Have your parents communicated what budget they have for your college? Can they afford to pay their EFC?
Some colleges in California don’t count 9th grade results- @Gumbymom ? Would some CSUs work?
@kevpink:
@MYOS1634 is correct that the California CSU’s (exception Cal Poly SLO) and UC’s do not consider 9th grades in their GPA calculation but they still review 9th grades for completion of the UC/CSU a-g course requirements. However, if OP is not a CA resident, then the costs of the Cal States and UC’s will be a full pay since they offer little to no financial aid to OOS applicants.