I’m a high school junior in North Carolina (suburb of Raleigh) and I’m thinking about being a math major, and I’ve been looking at Vanderbilt. I’m thinking of applying ED1. I’m a middle class white male if that changes anything.
SAT: 1380 (retaking in April)
ACT: taking for the first time in March
Unweighted GPA: 3.95/4.0 (My only B was in AP Physics 1)
Weighted GPA: 4.9375
Class Rank: 2 out of 601
ECs:
High School Varsity Tennis Team
2nd Chair NC Central District Honor Band-9/10
6th in NC All-State Honor Band Audition-9/10
2nd Chair NC Central District Honor Band-11/12 (I’m eligible to audition for all-state again this year in March.)
I’ve gotten 1st and 2nd chair at local college honor bands
Marching Band “Rookie of the Year”
Concert Band “Underclassman of the Year”
I played in the pit orchestra sophomore and junior year (this year)
Member of National Honor Society
Tri-M Music Honor Society President
“Students for Barrow” Campaign Coordinator (He ran for NC House Seat 37)
Attended NC Governor’s School
Your sat will need to raise a lot. Isn’t there no act in March? Maybe it’ll work better for you though. It’ll be a reach either way, though. I know people very similar to you that got rejected ED, but you never know. Good luck!
Yeah, not to ditto everyone else but retake that and study. Maybe try your hand at the ACT, too… I know a lot of people who have found that a much better fit for them, so just make sure the SAT is right for you before you retake it. Your GPA and class rank are great, I’d guess you’ll need 1470/34+ or over to be really competitive at Vandy. Good luck.
Thank you all so much! I know I’ll definitely need to get my scores way higher. Is there a benefit of taking the SAT Subject Tests even though they aren’t required?
Oh, I guess I forgot to add that. I play saxophone. I play alto, tenor, and soprano, but I’ve made all those honor bands on alto. I haven’t really considered auditioning for Blair. I haven’t heard much about it. It’s probably something I should look into. Do you know anyone who has gone to Blair? Or anything about it?
Subject tests will help, more so if you want to focus on some specific major, i.e. a specific STEM field or literature or something to that effect, which will likely have specific subject tests to show that you’re good in that area.
Thanks! I’ll definitely take at least the Math II subject test. How does Vanderbilt view foreign languages? As of now, I’ve only taken through German II, and I plan to take German III next year. Is it a good idea for me to take German IV next year, which would be instead of something like AP Environmental Science or AP Psychology? Thanks so much!
Do the 10 Real ACTs…study the answers. Time your tests. Do this before March…really preparation is worth it. Then you face down making your list of colleges with peace in your heart knowing you did your best on standardized exams. Some colleges consider the ACT subtests to suffice as subject exams. Do not take a subject exam without preparation…taking the three timed exams in the prep book. So many students do only OK on those one hour exams because they falsely think they don’t need to prep…or that an AP course was enough in a related subject. Your class rank is impressive but don’t obsess on it too much. Regarding Blair…admission requires audition. Admittance means a commitment to music excellence. Our sons were middling string players who won regional orchestra chairs but did not have the goods for the state symphony in high school. One son went to Duke so he could enjoy playing in their symphony (which is not full of music majors–no conservatory), one went to Vandy and stopped playing strings. There are non Blair students in the music performance groups but they are pretty talented and seats are competitive. Also, I believe that Vandy Blair students are now directing a less competitive symphony for players who wish to play but would not want the rigor of the Blair sponsored orchestra. I know Rice conservatory students do this as well. This gives students who enjoy playing a venue to play without the high expectations for rehearsals in a conservatory. And it gives the conservatory students experience in music leadership and direction/conducting. good luck sorting things out. Once you hit your best effort on your tests, quit, and focus on your general strategy for college applications. Money matters. Always look hard at your ability to pay and weigh that in realistically.