Hey Guys! Thanks so much for reading. Vanderbilt is my top-choice, but I fear I cannot apply ED because of financial concerns. Here’s my stats!
I go to a top public high school in Upstate NY.
Weighted GPA: 4.45
Unweighted GPA: 3.98
Weighted Junior Year: 4.79
Unweighted Junior Year: 4.0
My school does not rank but I’m almost certainly in the top 10%
So far I’ve taken 5 AP classes and 1 dual-enrollment. Next year I’m taking 4 more APs and two more dual-enrollments.
Have taken:
AP Bio-5
AP Lang-5
AP US History-5
AP Calculus BC-5
AP World History-4
SUPA (Dual-enrollment) Sociology
Will Take:
AP Physics C
AP Spanish
AP Environmental Science
AP US Government and Politics
Calc 3 dual-enrollment with community college
SUPA (Dual enrollment) Academic Writing
I’ve also taken college-level anatomy and physiology but it was not a dual-enrollment course.
SAT- I took the old SAT twice in my sophomore year. Best scores: CR: 760 M:770 W:690
SAT Subject Tests:
Math 2: 770
Biology: 770
Spanish (sorry it’s really low, probably won’t submit this): 580
Leadership:
My sophomore year I was the secretary of my school’s chemistry club.
Junior Year I was vice-president of Mock Trial and vice-president of Chemistry Club. I was also the secretary of chess club.
Expected Senior year (based on teacher recommendations) I will be the president of Mock Trial and the president of Chemistry Club. Chess club is pretty low-key so I could also have a leadership position there again.
Volunteering: 150 ish hours. I’ve volunteered at the local library and at two local hospitals. I also have local events I’ve volunteered at here and there through girl scouts.
ECs:
4 years of Mock Trial as lawyer and witness.
4 years of Chemistry Club, 3 as an officer.
3 years of Book Club
2 years of Chess Club
2 years of Select Choir
7 years of Private Voice lessons
9 years of playing Harp
Inducted into NHS junior year
3 years on JV then Varsity Tennis
3 years of Masterminds
4 years of Math League and went to county all-stars league.
My negatives:
I got an 85 in Algebra 1. I took it in 7th grade bc I’m double accl for math but it still shows up on my transcript. I’ve gotten an A or A+ in every single class I took at the high school.
My essay will be on how I survived domestic violence and how it shaped my view of the world.
If you need any additional information feel free to ask!
Thank you so much
P.S. If you’d like me to chance you back, just ask!
At this point, Vanderbilt is less of a reach and closer to a low match. Your extracurriculars and leadership positions are strong, and your SAT score should only help. As someone who took the AP Bio test this year, I can only imagine how you got a 5. Your essay topic should definitely appeal to admissions officers, because its not something that they typically read. Good luck! Maybe chance me back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2006193-chance-me-please.html#latest
I think you definitely have a great shot at getting into Vanderbilt and I agree with the above poster. Your coursework is strong as well and so is your GPA and testing. You will more than likely get some form of merit aid with your credentials if I had to bet on it. If you have the time, could you chance me back as well?
Can you elaborate on ED because of financial concerns? If you request financial aid and they don’t offer you enough to support attendance, you tell them thanks but no thanks. But run their Net Price Calculator to see if there’s a realistic chance.
@vonlost
The issue for me is that my abusive father is still alive and would likely be considered in financial aid considerations despite the fact he is unlikely to contribute to my education, and attempting to have him contribute could be dangerous for me. He earns significantly more than my mother, (he earns around 150,000 per year while my mom earns around 30,000 per year) Although it’s my understanding that Vanderbilt does not look at non-custodial parent income, it’s really important to me that I am able to apply to other schools early and give myself an opportunity to get merit aid at lower-tier schools as a safety net.
Yes, only one ED app is allowed, though simultaneous EA apps are unlimited. By Vandy’s definition you can afford the school (they meet full need), so if you’re still hesitant, it does seem ED is not for you.
Everything looks great. The only thing you might look at bumping up is your SAT. If you took it as a sophomore and now have a bunch more APs under your belt (and it looks like you scored well in challenging subjects), it should be quite easy to increase. You could either consider the new SAT or the ACT.
You’re competitive with your current score as the rest of your application is also strong, but the RD pool is very score sensitive and bumping things up (to a 35+ ACT, 1560+ or so new SAT) could make you a lock (as long as your recs/essays are good as well).