I know this is super last minute since we find out this coming Monday, but I’m just really anxious and panicky because of my low test score.
ACT: 30
GPA UW: 3.959
Class Rank (unweighted so looks low): 34/410
AP Courses: AP Bio, AP Chem, APUSH, AP Comp and Lang, AP Comp and Lit, AP Art History, AP Gov, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC
Gender: Female (I know it’s harder for females to get into Vassar)
Volunteer/Community Service:
Jamboree at local YMCA
Blood Donation
Career and Pathway Expo (CAPE)
Hospital Gift Shop
EC:
Interact Club
Piano
Varsity tennis and captain & USTA tennis (year-long competitive tournaments)
Health & Science Internship
Awards:
Nike Camp Award
Sportsmanship Award
Most Hard-Working Award
Most Inspirational Award
Essays: About tennis and overcoming adversity so learning about team work and importance of not giving up (cliche but important to me), piano, and I stupidly talked about the importance of Vassar’s community to me especially from talking to the coach and students at the school. It’s vague and has been causing me quite a bit of stress.
*Also, I am being recruited for the team so I got two positive early reads from the coach, which means that the coach got positive feedback on my profile from admissions. It’s the only thing that’s giving me hope right now and also the fact that I’m applying ED.
Based on ACT alone, you are scoring below the 25th percentile based on the admission stats for the Class of 2021. So for a regular unhooked candidate, ED or RD, Male or Female, probably won’t make a difference. The chance is POOR. But you are being recruited by the coach, unless something is truly off in your application, you shouldn’t even need to worry. That’s the reality of college admissions into these top schools. For unhooked candidates, high scores won’t get you in, and low scores are sure to keep you out. For hooked candidates, count yourself lucky to have the hook and run with it.
There was an article in the campus paper exactly one year ago that addressed - among other things - athletic recruiting at Vassar. Also, according to the 2016-17 CDS, a 30 ACT is the 25th percentile, so it’s in no way a disqualifier, especially with your excellent GPA and rigor. You seem like a solid candidate among the 15 to 19% of women who’ll be offered admission, especially with the extra reads the coach helped with. I’d be surprised if you were rejected or even deferred. IMO, your tennis accomplishments are a golden EC, especially with a coach pointing them out to admissions. Good luck! I’ll be ED2, so I hope to see you on campus next fall!
Pretty much as I had said earlier, why even worry when there were pre-reads and coach support. For these LACs, getting both are pretty much a sure thing, regardless of academic credentials. These schools are small, they need to build a class with specific needs - let that be the % of minorities, % FG, % legacies or specific skill set for the athletic teams. Stats alone will never be enough for an unhooked candidate to feel certain, but a hooked candidate can sure feel certain once the minimum threshold is met.
" … a hooked candidate can sure feel certain once the minimum threshold is met."
That is a ridiculous claim in direct opposition to statements made by Vassar admissions, coaches, and the athletic director. It also feels like a thinly veiled attempt at diminishing the OP’s accomplishment.
From the 12/7/2017 Miscellany News:
Although there are early reads, Coach McCowan says that he and other varsity coaches at Vassar College cannot help students with admission or “greenlight” applications, a procedure characterized by guaranteeing acceptance to outstanding athletes even if they are not admissible.
“It can be hard to get top prospects committed to Vassar. The academic window is small, and there aren’t a lot of truly exceptional scholar-athletes at the highest level,” Coach McCowan continued. “When it comes to actually applying, we have a limited number of recommendations we can submit along with students applications. These recommendations won’t change anyone’s prior academic performance.”
This process can be disheartening for Vassar’s coaches. McCowan added, “It is definitely frustrating to see a great student who I know could succeed here, academically and athletically, be turned away. Even more frustrating when they end up admitted to a supposedly more rigorous school when they could not get in here.”
Vassar’s Director of Athletics Michelle Walsh also said that there are no admission exceptions made for student-athletes.
“For hooked candidates, count yourself lucky to have the hook and run with it.”
There’s nothing “lucky” about a swimmer who spends 750+ hours a year in the pool. The better word is “commitment”, or perhaps “dedication”. It’s easy to be flippant about students/athletes, but schools search for people who’ll bring ambition to their campus community. A great high school tennis player might add a win or two for a college, but plugging in that positive drive has far reaching benefits. A kid who goes heavily into some science research might also not nail the EBRW side of the SAT, but admissions officers are geared to recognize that student’s potential. Athletes, actors, science kids, writers, and whatever else are what make colleges better places.
IMO, it’s hugely dismissive to suggest a student/athlete should consider themselves lucky. Did you wake up at 6am, spend the day in school, then have twice a week varsity basketball games that tipped-off at 7pm? And did you get back from away games at 10:30pm on school nights?
Kids with great ECs aren’t “lucky”. From the perspective of an unrecruited mediocre tennis player, I know I could have worked harder and earned a better look. I missed too many unofficial season winter practices. But I have total respect for the kids who upped their game. There was no secret and no luck involved.
You wanna talk luck? Then let’s discuss legacy kids, of which I’m one at a different school.
My dad talks about people he hires. Funny that he looks for the same things that colleges do. Smart kids with drive. Grades show the “smart”, and sports can show the rest.
OP, congrats and well deserved as an accomplished student and athlete!
Agree with @CGCC20 that its simply not true. Unlike a D1 or D2 student-athlete where sports may be the only reason someone is admitted to a school, highly selective D3 schools aren’t in that business - the Accepted Student Profile for the Class of 2021 is very transparent as to the high bar that is required to be accepted at a school such as Vassar https://admissions.vassar.edu/about/statistics/
@CGCC20 and @Chembiodad: Totally agree. As the parent of a recruited athlete who gained admission last week, he’s certainly well-qualified academically. I have nothing but praise for these student-athletes. Congrats @JJ4812 - Vassar surely seems like a special place!
@kjs1992, I also have a student-athlete; in her case at a highly selective NESCAC; shes’ first and foremost a really smart student and second a great athlete and team member - we couldn’t be prouder.
The skills collegiate student-athletes develop are irreplaceable - commitment, drive, resilience, teamwork, leadership, balance, amongst others. As @CGCC20 mentioned, these student-athletes develop those skills that are in high demand when job placement recruiting occurs.
Enjoy all that Vassar has to offer!