<p>Just wanted to hear the thoughts of people who really know Vandy on this one.
Senior at a top 3 public HS in PA
3.25 UW GPA, 3.88 W (slight upward trend)
SATs: 2200. 730 CR/710 M/760 W
SAT 2: 730 on US History
ECs: NHS (senior year), School Newspaper (writer 9th and 10th, Sports Editor 11th, Op-Ed 12th), Student Council (Member 10th and 11th, Treasurer in 12th), Wrote and maintained website for the school basketball team in 11th and 12th, Volunteer tutor to a disadvantaged elementary student (10th), Volunteer youth basketball coach (11th and 12th), Class President (9th), Member of the Golf Team (11th, 12th), Ref in a local flag football league (10th and 11th, head of refs in 12th), Umpire in a local baseball league (9th-12th).
Curriculum Strength: Took mainly Honors courses, will graduate having taken 5 APs.
AP Scores: 5 on APUSH and AP L&C.
Also I'm Jewish if that still helps?</p>
<p>Thanks for your help on this one. I'm seriously interested in the HOD program and am not trying to backdoor my way in.</p>
<p>You actually have a pretty good shot despite your rather low GPA. The fact that you’re Jewish helps a lot, as Vanderbilt has been trying to diversify it’s campus recently. Your ECs are pretty respectable. Once again, the only thing you need to worry about is your GPA. I applied ED II which helped me a lot because I was able to submit 1st semester grades (which they asked for) and were a lot better than some of my other years. Maybe take the SAT again and see if you can get a slightly higher score, remember, Vandy only looks at Math and CR so work on those.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt offers (or at least used to offer) $5,000 per year for National Merit Finalists. If you’re a semi-finalist, there’s a 90% chance you’ll move on to become a finalist (15,000 out of 16,000 semi-finalists become finalists). They love padding their admissions statistics, so you’re pretty much a shoe-in if you’re a National Merit Semi-Finalist.</p>
<p>Just had an interview with an alumnus and I think it went VERY well. Will this help me a great deal? Also Vandy just sent me some mail saying that if I get in I’ll get 5K a year due to NMF. I feel like that won’t help me in terms of admission at a school as prestigious as Vandy, no?</p>
<p>Dan, your best shot at admission at this point is a cogent honest statement as to why your grades are not commensurate with your test scores. Be honest. I am not asking you to pontificate on this issue in a public forum but adcoms have seen- heard it all and some kids have had parents with cancer, change in schools, hardships, paying jobs, grueling sports practices, fanatical hobbies, musical recitals that eclipsed school etc. and some (boys often), just weren’t mature enough to focus on proving themselves daily with grades when they were 15-16. Were you arrogant, or immature? Were you an outdoors person or someone who is interested in life outside of sitting at a desk and getting things correct on exams? Did you do 3 hours of homework nightly or get by on your wits? I have no idea. I am just saying. Don’t let the adcoms “make up” the reason your grades are subpar. Tell them the real reason. Veracity in an application makes it shine.
Being Jewish is not unusual at Vanderbilt anymore. Our son eats in the Jewish life center daily…
Rejoice that your test scores show your true potential. Be honest with your references and ask one of them to address your natural talent and your READINESS now to buckle down and put out in the classroom.<br>
Adcoms know that some of the most interesting people in the future were not high school grinds. They admit people with your grades every year based on other reasons talents etc. At the same time, Vanderbilt is a school of academic equals. Everyone tests well. They won’t admit someone who is aiming for mediocrity. Teachers expect everyone to be self disciplined.
If you sense you are ready for academia focused living in the big leagues, say so in your essays, and say you are just now really ready to go.
Since you are not taking a place on a school team or first chair in the orchestra or something, why should they pick you to be one of the 1600? I think it is going to come down to your essays.<br>
Tell your story, your family roots, values, and make your essays show your strengths as a human being. Tell them how much you want to be at Vanderbilt for four years and tell them how you might use Vanderbilt classrooms.<br>
I wish you all the best. Be grateful for those good test scores. Be open to other colleges. Apply ED to Vandy</p>
<p>Thank you for the encouraging words Faline! My essays were definitely strong, and showed a lot about me. I had a nonverbal learning disorder (Dysgraphia), which basically is bad handwriting, but many teachers were completely ignorant of this and it is fairly well explained by me, and perhaps more importantly, my counselor, on my app. I did apply ED to HOD, so I’m just hoping at this point. I got into PSU’s Smeal College of Business, which was one of my other top choices, so being rejected from Vandy would not ruin me by any stretch of the imagination.</p>
<p>great about PSU’s College of Business being solid already, and best of luck with your ED application to Vandy. you will love college no matter the outcome–neither of our sons atttended the college that was their first love or choice and they are very happy now</p>
<p>Someone want to chance me i cant start a new thread im a rookie.</p>
<p>Senior
Weighted gpa 93.33
Rank 12%
SAT 2010 cr 590 m 750 w 670
SAT 2 Us 710 Math 1 670
Ap Us 4
Current classes AP calc AB (current grade 90ish) Ap enviro also 90 then senior electives all high 90s
Junior year GPA 97 sophomore 87 freshman 95 ( two 8th grade classes 84 avg -___-)
Extras: many things math tutor NHS math honor society, Life guard water safety inst. mentor NFTY.
Recs: all good read my teachers and counselor said it was really good but didnt let me read it.
Have expressed a lot a lot of interest starting in sophomore year been to several regional events and have visited and have kept in contact with admissions officer.
applied ED submitted very early.
White
jewish
male
public NY school.
essay i feel was really stellar.</p>