Hey y’all! I’m thinking of applying to Vanderbilt ED this fall and I was wondering if anyone could offer advice or encouragement. Thank you
AP Classes (that I will have completed by graduation):
-AP US Government
-AP Calculus AB
-AP English 3
-AP Comparative Government
-AP English 4
-AP Environmental Science
-AP Macroeconomics
-AP Statistics
GPA:
Unweighted: 4.0
Weighted: 4.35
Testing:
-will complete SAT and SAT Subject Tests by end of Junior year
-ACT: 33 (E:35,R:36,M:29,S:31)-- hoping to raise that score to 34
-PSAT: 1360 (E:720, M:640)
-will complete SAT US History, English, World History subject tests
Extracurriculars:
-Chair of High School Caucus for Tennessee Young Democrats
-former Vice-Chair of High School Caucus for Tennessee Young Democrats
-Media Representative for Wilson County Democratic Party
-Tennessee Delegate to Young Democrats of America High School Leadership Academy
-Volunteer in Tennessee Coordinated Campaign 2018
-Intern with U.S. Representative John Rose
-Member of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope
-former Bible tutor for Friendship Christian School elementary school
-joining Model UN Fall 2019
-member of Science National Honours Society
-member of Mu Alpha Theta
-member of Mount Juliet High School Young Democrats
-peer tutor (IGNITE) at Mount Juliet High School
@abaileca Well, I certainly didn’t mean that everyone has the same chances. What I meant is that you’re in the top class of applicants (ignoring students who are “hooked” for whatever reason), but even among those there simply isn’t enough room for everybody, so it comes down to splitting hairs. Your application will be solid so you just need to be one of the lucky ones; your odds are just as good as any of your competition though.
I agree with @albertsax - you are competitive. Your ACT is on the lower end of the mid 50%, but your GPA is excellent. Your URM stats will also provide a boost. However, at any college with an acceptance rate of 10%, most applicants have a less than even chance of acceptance, usually lower.
So, it’s worthwhile for you to apply, but it’s still a reach for anybody.
Agreed. My daughter has pretty much the same GPA, higher test scores, some fantastic activities but is not an URM. She was wait listed this year. Comparing her stats to those who were admitted she is right there and in many cases her scores are higher. But at that level everyone is fantastic and for whatever reason someone’s application just speaks to admissions or they just fit into the right spot (major, etc.). I think your should feel positive about your chances at Vandy but it’s not a sure thing for anyone. Applying ED will definitely help.
Your stats are fine. As long as you are in the range, you are good to go. Best piece of advice I can give is this. If you look through any of the threads from any of the elite institutions including Vanderbilt, you will notice that there are PLENTY of people with perfect scores that don’t get into their school of choice. Of the 30K plus applications most of the institutions receive, I would argue that there are tons of people who fall within the score ranges (many at the high end too) so you need to make sure you stand out with the other parts of your application.
In other words, make sure you are telling a story when you fill out your common/coalition app. Make sure you have the right people write you recommendations and make sure they are glowing. Of course, they have to tell the truth when writing your recs, but give them a cheatsheet/resume and remind them of how great you are…especially your school counselor. Finally, knock it out of the park with your essays. If you haven’t started on your essays, start on them NOW!! Use the Summer break to your advantage…do not wait until the last minute.
Btw, you have a clear theme of political experience/volunteerism. Guess what? Nobody cares. What they do care about is why you did it, something you learned from it, how it changed you, who you were able to help, causes you were able to impact. Hopefully you get my drift, but that is what you have to get across in your applications.
Again, tons of folks have been in leadership positions. Tons of kids have great grades. Tons of kids have great extracurriculars. The common theme that I have seen with both myself and my classmates is figuring out what makes you different and unique and then expertly crafting an engaging story so that the Admissions officer sitting in a Starbucks somewhere reading your application when they don’t know you from the other 999 apps they have to go through, feel like they would love to meet you. Figure that out, and I think success (admissions) will be yours for the taking.
Oh yeah, I start this Fall and hope to see you there next Fall. Best of luck! #AnchorDown
What they do care about is why you did it, something you learned from it, how it changed you, who you were able to help, causes you were able to impact. Hopefully you get my drift, but that is what you have to get across in your applications.