<p>Hi all, I visited Vassar this week and fell in love. I have seen 8 schools, and none even come close to Vassar. My interests are English, political science, medieval/ren studies, and education. I've talked it over with my family, and we all agree that I should apply early decision to boost my chances.
My combined SAT is 1920 (I've only taken it once, without studying and will be retaking this October) and my SAT II's are relatively low; 630 literature and 670 USH. </p>
<p>I'd like to retake both SAT IIs to score at least in the 700 range for both, but in order to do so I would have to take the SAT I in October and SAT IIs in November (or vice versa). ED I application is due Nov. 15, and I'm pretty sure they must have all test scores by that date. ED II's deadline is January 1st, the same as their regular decision. If I were to go with the latter, would I be considered along with all the regular decision applicants and would that defeat the advantage of applying early decision? </p>
<p>Mainly, if I could only retake either the SAT I or SAT II in order to apply ED I, which would give me more of an advantage as an applicant? </p>
<p>Additionally, my GPA is 4.00 unweighted and 4.22 weighted. As a junior I was copy and photo editor of my school's newspaper, and next year I will be EIC. Otherwise, I'll have taken 7 AP courses/4 honors courses, 4 years of lacrosse, Key Club, Interact Club, and one year of concert/marching band. </p>
<p>There is still a significant advantage in acceptance rates for applying ED II, because you are still legally bound to a university if they accept you. But my suggestion would be to take the ACT WITH writing. The date for that is in September, (which gives you plenty of time to get your scores for ED I, and you don’t need to submit any subject tests with the ACT at Vassar. As long as you can score anywhere from a 30-33 in that (25-75 percentile of applicants) or even above, you’re in good shape in that regard. Best of luck!</p>
<p>@235423 Thank you! I hadn’t really considered the ACT, mainly because I didn’t want to spend time studying for two separate standardized tests. I will take a couple practice this summer and hopefully feel confident enough for September. </p>
<p>I totally agree with taking the ACT with writing in the fall. S2 retook it in the fall (in time for ED1) and improved his previous score significantly. Check the ACT schedule - I think you could take it in September and then retake it in early November in time for ED1. Your skills in English (reading and comprehending text quickly) will be an asset in taking the ACT. You have this summer to practice. The ACT may be an easier test and with practice you can master it - go for it!</p>
<p>Hahaha, you sound like my daughter. She chose Vassar because they have Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Her first SAT score was 1920. She improved it to 2060 superscored. She took ACT too and scored 31. I think ACT was better test for her. She applied ED II. Like 235423 said, you won’t be considered along with the regular decision applicants because you are still bound. By applying through EDII, you are showing your love for the college. Good luck! </p>
<p>@Hitowamom haha that’s ironic, I am also interested in their Medieval and Ren studies department! Did she end up submitting her SAT or ACT score? Thanks for the insight!! </p>
<p>I think ED I gives you more of a boost than ED II, so you should see if there’s a strategy to go for that. But many students find the ACT to be harder than the SAT, so do a practice test SOON to assess that so you can decide which to focus on. You could re-take the SAT and go with the SAT II scores you have. </p>
<p>“Mainly, if I could only retake either the SAT I or SAT II in order to apply ED I, which would give me more of an advantage as an applicant?”</p>
<p>Retake the SAT I if you have to, but also take the ACT. I got a 36 on my ACT while I got a 2340 on my SAT (which would translate to a 35 on the ACT… i.e. students tend to fare better on the ACT for some reason).</p>
<p>OR, you could retake an SAT subject test and prep for the ACt at the same time. This should be the case when you’re consistently scoring highly on the ACT (relative to your 1900’s SAT score).</p>
<p>If you’re planning on doing ED anyway, go with ED 1 first. Take the tests, try to score well on them as best as you can (start prepping NOW when you have time, before school starts).</p>
<p>If you need help with prepping, hit me up and I can share a few books (pdf’s) and tips. But really the tests are usually more about practice. Keep practicing them over the summer! The last thing you want to do is let this chance to substantially improve your application slip away.</p>
<p>Also, if you need editing essays with Vassar, hit me up as well. Just make your uniqueness shine through; Vassar’s supplements are unusual in that they give applicants a lot of freedom. Take hold of that.</p>
<p>But don’t end up making some video of how you love Vassar. There’s already a question for that. Some people post on Youtube their supplements, and it usually varies from good to wince-inducing. Take a look at those if you want to submit a video supplement.</p>
<p>Also, start writing your Common App essay NOW. DON’T PROCRASTINATE. Get the essays done so that you’ll be able to submit your application early. While this doesn’t <em>necessarily</em> give a huge boost to your application to schools, submitting it early doesn’t hurt it either. Plus there are some colleges that have rolling admissions.</p>
<p>@AkLvKk thank you! So much great advice here…I will definitely PM you after I get rolling on the CommonApp ( the updated version with this year’s prompts will be released on Aug. 1). I’ve decided I will for sure take the ACT with writing in September and the SAT I in October. Does the admissions committee need the scores the day the application is due? Should I fill in Vassar’s code at the time of the SAT I, or not bother at all if I’m satisfied with my ACT score?
P.S. after receiving responses on this forum, I’ve been practicing the ACT sections daily ( mostly math, as strangely that’s my worst testing subject but best during the school year). My first full practice test is tomorrow.
Thanks again for all your input and congrats on your acceptance!</p>