i just made a CC account so i could post this because vassar is my dream school sooo… here we go
i’m a white girl who goes to a private school in new york city. i am a dual citizen of the US and italy. because of my mother, i have the GI bill and will be taking advantage of vassar’s yellow ribbon fund (college is expensive!)
we don’t have GPAs, but my whole high school career has been a transition from mostly B’s (freshman year) to mostly A’s (senior year), so i’d put my GPA at a 3.8. (my first two years of high school were spent in virginia, btw)
my superscored ACT is a 31. (E 30 M 29 R 34 S 31 and in writing a 9 out of 12)
my clubs/activities listed for the common app are (in order):
-chorus (specifically foreign exchange trip where i sang in europe for two weeks)
-intern at nyc-based lobbyist firm for six weeks during the summer
-musical theater/acting (inside and outside of school)
-cofounder of the feminism club at my old school and current member of the existing club at my current school
-multi ethnic cultural awareness club leader (MECA)
-vice president of my school’s nutrition club
-member and active participant of my school’s young democrats club
-member of the queer-straight alliance
-barista at a local coffee shop during the entirety of my junior year
-game master at a laser tag place for my sophomore year of high school
i’ve only taken two APs previously, AP world (4) and APUSH (3)
my senior schedule is: AP physics 1&2 (one class in my school), calculus, AP human geo, AP lit, engineering physics, chorus, and a senior theater performance class
my personal essay is called “how jesus camp made me a feminist” (somewhat self explanatory) and my supplements are about singing and for the why essay i just talk about the open curriculum that vassar offers, clubs, the campus, my visits, etc
Impossible to say. Vassar is a reach for everyone. I would make sure that you interview with Vassar and do your best to let them know that Vassar is your first choice. Be sure to explain why that is–by using examples of what you hope to do at Vassar (as opposed to another institition).
The yellow ribbon fund looks like it’s for vets and not for children of vets. Have you fought as a member of the armed forces? That’s who this program is aimed at.
That being said, Vassar is a LAC that offers 100% of need (however the define that).
Do your homework about what Vassar offers before your interview and before turning in your application
That’s good to know. The stronger argument, though, is that Vassar will provide 100% of need. The yellow ribbon benefits theoretically at least will adjust the need. Vassar’s package usually includes work study, Pell (if eligible), etc. They want the student to have some skin in the game, and the FA won’t make the student rich by any measure, and the student will prob have some sort of loans at the end. But Vassar makes sure that the student can afford to complete four years with reasonable debt. The debt load is far below the national average. I think it’s about $16K on average (YMMV) for all four years or something similar. The student should be aware of this before applying.
Also it’s unclear how the Yellow Ribbon will affect the student’s application assessment. It could work as a sort of hook, but then again it could not have any weight at all. the hook argument goes that Vassar is a school that has made helping vets part of its mandate. They have a program in place and take it seriously. It may be that the program has slots to fill and this candidate is one of the few vying for a seat. In that case, her application may act as a hook. On the other hand there may be far too many apps for this program, In which case, it may be taht the vets who have served overseas may take preference of children of vest (or not). It;s hard to say. All I know is that from what I’ve heard this program is taken very seriously by Vassar. They would want to see it active and successful.
Vassar’s focus has been on building cohorts of vets that come through the process together. It is seriously oversubscribed, and as @mrbenzedrine is not a vet herself, she won’t be considered for that program. It certainly won’t be a ‘hook’. I think it is worth asking Vassar FinAid about Yellow Ribbon for a non-Vet applicant directly- before you apply. @mrbenzedrine, have you run the EFC to see how it would work out for you that way?
Dual citizenship will neither hurt nor help.
As for chancing you, bluntly (and based solely on what is here): you are a middling applicant. Your grades, tests, ECs and course rigor all seem to qualify you- but not especially strongly. And you are an ORM, which doesn’t help.
But (and it’s an important but): there are a lot of parts of you that should show up on your application that nobody here can see. And they may be the pieces that take an on-paper middling applicant and make them a ‘must-have’ applicant. Good luck.
@Dustyfeathers Vassar interviews are non-evaluative and according to the website have no impact on admissions. They don’t even offer them on campus. Are you sure that would make a difference?
The interviews are done by alumni in the candidate’s local area. They can’t hurt and it’s an opportunity for the candidate to make their case in person.