Sorry, I thought I was replying to @KidsCollege4 post. My D loves Vanderbilt, but it will be difficult to justify paying the price tag versus some of the other opportunities that are out there. How can anyone justify doing the binding early application without knowing if they have won a scholarship, especially if they are likely to earn a scholarship at other schools. Can someone help me understand this? Thanks.
The binding ED application is done as an informed decision that assumes that the family is willing to pay their estimated cost of attendance. ECA. Colleges offer free calculators on their websites and families can look at their FAFSA outcomes while pondering this decision. The CSS Profile may be applied in a less predictable ways from college to college, and Vandy does factor in the data from this tool before determining your expected contribution. For families who can afford full pay, and for families who are in general quite pleased with the promised No Loan packages offered to students who will receive significant financial need assists, ED can be the most advantageous plan. You agree to not go to the RD rounds, so you do not discover what offers you “might” have received April first. Vanderbilt will award merit scholarships to students who happened to come into the class in the ED rounds, and those students could be full pay or could be financial need students in various degrees. Either way, the ED admitted students are committed to attend. Families whose students wish to compete for a wider range of RD season discounted perks or offers do not opt for ED in order to increase their flexibility. At many schools, the RD round does decrease the odds of admission. For students who anticipate a significant amount of need aid in their packages, the risks of waiting for the more competitive RD rounds may not be smart at colleges with low admission rates.
@CD-Tiger230 What @Faline2 says above is spot on. I know for my child, they would like to apply ED to have a better chance at their dream school. At the Vandy level (and Top 15 selective schools), if your child loves the school and knows they would attend, ED1 is a great way to give themselves the best chance of admission and find out early and be done. Unfortunately for many the financial aspect is an issue, and therefore ED is not a viable choice. For us, unfortunately we are not “rich” nor “poor” and will be full pay. So it behooves my child to do ED. Good luck 
@CD-Tiger230 you cannot justify ED to an expensive school like Vandy unless you are so rich (or so poor) that the delta between paying your efc and paying for your cheapest option will have no bearing on your life. Know that chances are because of how competitive the scholarships are, that no matter who your child is, the chances they win a scholarship at vandy is low.
Can a recipient of the CV scholarship, Chancellors scholarship and other scholarships post there stats for a H.S senior that’s dreaming of Vanderbilt. Thank you
@asr712 Vandy is stats focused school, so ACT 34+ and GPA probably 3.9+ is required for admission and may be more needed for CV. Strong ECs and leadership experience are essential for CV. They offer CV to those who they think will go to Ivy leagues schools without it.
My son had 35 ACT, 4.0/4.7 GPA, 3 SAT IIs with 800s in each, national and state level medals in Science, speech and debate and robotics and head leadership roles. He got admissions to top 10 schools but chose to go to Vandy because of CV.
Just as Ivy league admissions, it’s hard to predict how they select CV.
My kid got a Chancellor Schollie. 35 ACT. 4.0/4.7. With a very strong community service story that obviously clicked with the adcom.
About 1% of applicants get a schollie offer. 8-10% of enrolled students.
D has 1550 SAT, 760 on math, US history, 800 on bio and chem, all one take. 17 APs, 14 5s. Multiple national and state awards in STEM, writing, FBLA, etc.
National Merit Scholar. She was also admitted to MIT, U Chicago and finalist for Duke Robertson. She is Chancellor scholar as well.
@srk2017: Thank you so much for your thorough explanation. I have a 34 ACT with great EC’s, a summer internship at a government research facility, community service ( 400 + hrs), Girl Scout Gold award- building a library in a poverty stricken third world country. 3.9 GPA. 10 AP’s, Swimmer all of high school and before. I am still worried. Thank you Again.
@northwesty & @sincererlove Thank you so much. I am hoping for the best.
I was admitted to Harvard EA but have application into Vandy because of the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship. Anyone know how many get the award and what the exact benefits are (free tuition for 4 years and anything else?)
Pretty sure I have about a .0001% chance of a CV scholarship, but I’m just looking for a second opinion. I’ll be starting college at 16, National Merit Scholar, 1550 SAT and 35 ACT. Nothing outstanding in the subject SATs. I’ve taken 5 AP classes (but only exams for 3 of them) and I am in 4 more this year. 4 years and leadership positions in marching band and environmental club. I tutor middle schoolers but other than that not much community service. No internships/special awards other than NMS. I just don’t want to waste my time hoping for something I have no chance of getting so please let me know what you think (feel free to be blunt). Thanks!
your stats are are outstanding, but no one can guess at odds for merit at Vandy anymore. there is no longer much of a distinction in stats among the admitted student and the merit offer admitted student. Congratulate yourself for putting your hat in the race by doing the extra applications. Focus on everything in your control. Your race is run. Your goal now is to dig deep and to try your best to judge your actual offers shrewdly and fairly, realizing that every institution of learning has a history worthy of your attention and respect. We are so blessed in public and private colleges in this country. There are still those AP exams in the spring which may be useful to you in terms of doing your best to ace them even when you get distracted in your final weeks of high school. (My Vandy son was a laborious grind at Spanish, with not much of an ear for listening skills. He took AP Spanish and his best effort earned a 3. He took the SAT Subject test in Spanish in June after his senior year and did better on that one.) This allowed him to pass out of basic college courses in foreign language that would have been a burden to him although easy for others. Be strategic, be shrewd. Knock yourself out thanking the adults who wrote your references and the people who supported you, and do your best to cheer on your classmates. Merit offers are a bit like being struck by lightning.
@Faline2 , Such wonderful words of wisdom. Definitely cheered me up and spurred me on. Thank you for being a cheer leader. =D>
We don’t find out about CV until acceptance, right? One just finds out when they get their admissions decision?
You will hear about Chancellor around mid Feb and CV one or 2 week after.
So you hear about CV before official acceptances?
Yes, I believe so. Ingram finalists are the first one to hear around early Feb.
How sure are you of this? Is there any source or is it just speculation
@Kolobok92, from what I have seen on previous years cc threads , Mosaic invitees hear mid February and the chancelors schloies invited to Mosaic also hear receipt/rejections of chancellor’s mid February. MOSAIC will be 16 th of March 2019 and I am assuming some of us may hear from Vandy this coming week. Excited and nervous ?