<p>Sorry it's so long! :( I just wanted to make sure you guys knew all the details. You don't have to read it thoroughlt, please just skim it and give me your input based on your prior knowledge.
Hello,
I'm a rising senior in high school and Vanderbilt has been my top choice for a while. I go to a very competitive high school in my city and am a first-generation American citizen from a family of Nigerian citizens. Here are some of my credentials:
Cumulative GPA: 4.0 (unweighted) with a current average of 100.5
Class Rank: 9 of 100, although the ranks have not been updated yet; it may have gone up
ACT score: 30 composite with a 34 on English, 31 on Reading, and 27 on Math and Science. I plan on taking it again and aiming for a 32-33
SAT score: Haven't taken it yet (I live in Tennessee and everybody here takes the ACT) but I'm taking it June 7th; I've been studying and I'm aiming for a 2100+
AP scores: AP European History- 3 :(, AP Us History- still waiting, but I'm confident that it was either a 4 or a 5. My high school only offers 5 AP courses, and I will be taking 4 out of the 5; next year I am taking AP English and AP Calculus
Extracurriculars:
I was 1 of the 25 chosen to be a junior volunteer at the hospital this summer; I will be volunteering for 4 hours each week and plan on having completed at least 24 hours of community service there in addition to the 80 that I have already completed by volunteering at organizations such as RIFA, ushering at graduation and Senior Awards day, volunteering at galas, etc.
Beta Club: 10,11, and will do it my 12th grade year also
No real leadership position here, although I was involved in the community service projects and plan on going to the convention my senior year and placing in the speech competition
Reading Scholars- 11,and will participate my 12th grade year
Each month the participants read a book of the assigned theme (Black history, biography, drama/play, etc and then give a presentation in front of a panel of teachers and they choose a winner; I have won twice so far
Excel Club: 11, and will participate my 12th grade year
I hold a leadership position in this club (Board Member); the goal of the Excel Club is to lead the organization of the annual winter formal in order to raise money for the Carl Perkins Civic Center (one of our biggest sponsor) and child abuse victims. It actually takes quite a bit of work (booking a venue, calling a DJ, deciding on decorations etc)
Leadership University- 11th grade; I was one of the 40 students in my city chosen to participate; each month we went to leadership development sessions and listened to various speakers and we also did a group service project at a local day care; (I received a perfect attendance award)
I have been elected to Student Government and will participate my senior year. I am also thinking about joining debate (should i or should i not? would it make a difference?)
Honors:
Junior All West Tennessee Band (10th chair clarinet)
Selected for Girls State (faculty chooses 4 girls from the junior class to participate, I leave on Sunday)
Selected for Young Scholars Academy- faculty nominates minority students and then you apply to get accepted; This will be from June 8th-14th
Union University Writing Competition Winner (Creative Nonfiction)
Homecoming Royalty- 10th grade
I also have a chance as being selected as a Jr. Rotarian to represent my school at the Rotary club, although I don't find out till next school year
My essay is really good! I wrote it about how i used to have contempt for my heritage and be ashamed of it and now I've grown to embrace it.
So, what do you guys think? :) Should I work extra hard to get my class rank up? Should I bother retaking the ACT? And most importantly, do I have a good chance of being accepted? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Whoops, one more thing. I also plan on joining National Honor Society next school year. Okay, I think that’s all! :)</p>
<p>If you’re wondering why all my clubs seem to be so obscure, it’s because I’m from a smaller, less affluent town that doesn’t offer as much. I hope Vanderbilt takes notice of that!</p>
<p>You have a great GPA and nice ECs. Your cultural background may also help you in the admissions background. Make sure your essay is really compelling! With an ACT score of 32 or 33, I’d say it is a low reach/high match. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you so much, runorrun! I definitely plan to take the ACT to get those extra few points! :)</p>
<p>“family of Nigerian citizens.” </p>
<p>This will help you a lot. You might want to emphasize your diverse background in your essay or at least your supplements. </p>
<p>Anyways, I think you will get in (very very good chance). </p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, Tannersmith!</p>
<p>Vandy is a mid reach for you still. You have to bring your ACT by at least 3 points. Which will actually be quite the feat if you can. Good GPA. Good rigor in schedule, and great ECs. Will your family be able to afford it though? It’s hard getting merit aid in schools like that because the competition is so steep. Also, even though you are Nigerian, you are in the Vanderbilt zone, which may hurt you. Colleges are trying to increase diversity which includes being OOS. I think you have an average chance, similar to any other high achieving student. Schools as selective as Vanderbilt are almost unpredictable with admissions. So even though you have high grades and amazing ECs, put things into perspective. Other than that, good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for your input, KiaraInNYC! I agree that my ACT score still has a bit to be desired, but I feel pretty confident that I can hit the 32-33 mark. My family definitely wouldn’t be able to afford 100% of my tuition, but I know that if I get in I will receive at least $5,000 ($4,000 HOPE scholarship for getting above a 21 and an additional $1,000 for getting above a 29). I plan on going out for tons of scholarships, also! The more the better. With the amount of scholarships I am able to get plus Vanderbilt’s financial aid (my family’s income bracket isn’t that high, only $75000 a year) I think I should either be able to get it paid for or have to withdraw minimal loans. Thanks!</p>
<p>More thoughts please!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I’d call Vanderbilt a low-mid reach for you. Your GPA is good, though I wouldn’t call a school with only five AP courses “competitive.” Nevertheless, it seems like you have excelled in the courses your school offers, and that’s what counts.</p></li>
<li><p>A couple of extra points on the ACT wouldn’t hurt, but a good SAT score would do the trick as well. Figure out which you like better and focus on only one test.</p></li>
<li><p>Your ECs are nothing special, but they won’t hurt you, either. The Excel Club sounds pretty cool. Emphasize that one in your application.</p></li>
<li><p>Your essay sounds like a keeper. Make sure it explains the “why” and not just the “how,” and it’ll be extraordinary.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you so much, DiscupulusBonus! Haha, yeah, I guess my high school isn’t that competitive compared to most, although every course offered here is an honors course and everybody ranked in the top 10 has a 4.0 GPA and an average of 100+. It’s also the best high school in my city by far (which honestly isn’t saying much.)</p>
<p>@tobester: The fact that everyone in the top 10 has a 4.0 GPA is not at all indicative of a competitive high school. Rather, it makes me think that teachers may not be grading harshly enough. However, colleges look at you in the context of your school, so competitiveness doesn’t really help your application. If anything, it makes it even harder for you to excel beyond your peers.</p>
<p>Care to chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1652569-chances-and-college-list.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1652569-chances-and-college-list.html#latest</a></p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input! Chanced back!</p>
<p>I plan on applying Early Decision II. Would this benefit me or would I be better off just applying regular decision? Thanks for your thoughts!</p>
<p>Bumpity bump. More thoughts please! I’ll gladly chance back if you request!</p>
<p>Early decision may hurt you. It may show that you are more interested, but the applicant pool is usually much strong when not doing regular decision.</p>
<p>@KiaraInNYC Thank you. I may just stick with regular decision, although for Vandy the EDII deadline and regular decision deadline are the same. (January 15th i believe) </p>
<p>Your class rank is fine, just make sure you don’t slide outside the top 10%. Your GPA and EC’s are good, but you should get your ACT/SAT up. I hear Vanderbilt loves high test scores. I think it’s a high match. Your application is good, but Vanderbilt’s acceptance rate is like 13%.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1654818-chance-for-duke-unc-nc-state-honors-college-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1654818-chance-for-duke-unc-nc-state-honors-college-will-chance-back.html#latest</a></p>
<p>Please put spaces between your paragraphs / EC points. It discourages people when there’s a wall of text like that.</p>
<p>Once you get your ACT up to 33 or thereabout, you’ll be a low reach. Other than that there’s really not much you can do. Maybe try to demonstrate a lot of interest : visiting, talking to reps, interview if possible.</p>
<p>Also, I’m a Nigerian as well.</p>
<p>If you raise your ACT to a 33 or have a SAT score of about 2200 Vanderbilt is very realistic. I highly suggest applying ED because you are a strong candidate with a very different background (much like myself) and showing your interest will greatly benefit you. Good luck and chance back if you can.</p>