Hello! I am a senior in high school and I am currently trying to decide if I should early decision to Vanderbilt or hold off and apply early action to Yale and then if I am rejected apply ed2 to Vanderbilt. My sat score is 1570, i have strong extra curriculars, i plan on majoring in political science or gender studies, and I have an okay GPA (it was bad my freshman and sophomore year due to a number of things which I will mention on my application but it has gone up significantly since then).
In general Vanderbilt and Yale are my top two schools, and I am really wondering if the acceptance rate boost that applying ED to Vanderbilt provides is worth possibly missing out on Yale. Additionally, does anyone have any information on the different acceptance rates between ED1 and ED2 at Vanderbilt (is the ED2 pool really more competitive because it is full of early ivy rejects?)
Thank you so much and let me know if you have questions
Fundamentally, you have to make that decision yourself, and yes, there is some strategy involved.
I am curious as to what your cumulative, unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale is, as you say in 2/3 of HS (so far) it was âbadâ. Best for you HS GC to explain why those two years were low, not you.
Are Vandy and Yale affordable per their net price calculators?
You should not apply ED1 to Vandy because Yale is clearly your top choice.
That said, whatever your bad GPA is - a 1570 wonât make up for it - and both may be a bigger stretch than normal.
But just answering your question, Yale is clearly your top choice - so applying ED elsewhere makes little sense.
If your GPA is under 3.7 UW, Yale SCEA seems unlikely regardless of score, unless you have won national competitions at something rigorous. Yale has high SAT scores to spare and does not need to beef those up to keep up with the Joneses. If you are in the 3.5-3.7 GPA range. I would go with Vandy ED and see what happens.
if the gpa is 3.5-7, not shot at either school. Hence interested to see the students record.
Would you be happy at VandyâŠnot knowing if you would have gotten unto Yale? If so, ED gives a boost and thatâs the way to go. Also what is your GPA? Yale is a reach even with high stats - for anyone.
Do yu have a hook? URM?
Vanderbilt Early Decision admit rate falls to 18.1 percent â The Vanderbilt Hustler.
You are deciding between two tough ones. I was recently somewhat surprised that a Vanderbilt admit is just a hair easier than an ivy. Vanderbilt ED, of course, would be your best shot - but my opinion is you will need to go a level down from that.
Because of your grade situation, you might be someone who needs the academic proof associated with an exceptional first 1/2 of senior year. In other words, no ED.
I donât believe we have the OPs figures yet other than an SAT score so itâs hard to say. Is it a 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, etc.
We just know itâs âokâ - and as we know on the CC, people are rocket scientists and yet say they are below average 
UPDATE:
Thank you for all the insight! I took rigorous classes freshman and sophomore year and I passed all of them but I received multiple Bâs and a few Câs. I was dealing with severe unmedicated ADHD, and almost immediately after I became medicated, my grades shot up. I completely understand that Yale is a huge reach and Vanderbilt is far from being in the bag.
I think ED is going to be a tough admit for you. You may do better to have an extra semester of strong grades under your belt for your reach schools to prove to them that you can handle the work load and be successful.
That makes sense, what if I sent my first quarter grades as more âevidenceâ of change?
yes, you should do that and perhaps a letter from your GC backing this up.
My brother had many severe injuries early in HS (needed PT etc) has been on a major upward trend. He is documenting this along with his applications. He has great LOR and ECs, community service and work.
Keep in mind âŠeven for top students with super high stats âŠthese schools are a major reach. Maybe look at the next tier down (still great schools) and visit if you can. Maybe another option for ED1 & ED2.
I donât know why you have chosen to not give us your cumulative unweighted GPA in core courses. Based on your statement that you received multiple Bs and a few Cs, I would say that both Yale and Vandy are out of reach. I also would recommend you apply RD for most schools to get another good semester, not quarter, under your belt. Of course there is much I donât know about your app besides your cumulative uwGPA, including rigor/# of core courses, ECs, essays, and LoRs so canât handicap if those would help you, or not.
Do you know how exactly your brother is documenting this? Is he mentioning it on the additional information section or reaching out to the school directly? Thank you so much!
Agreed - when we say, you have a better chance at VandyâŠis that like 2% instead of 1%? Vandy is one of the hardest schools in the country to get into.
Do you have no financial issues? Do you need to apply somewhere ED? When you do that, you give up financial flexility.
While we donât know your GPA, multiple Bs and a few Cs - you maybe should be looking at an Elon (similar size), Syracuse, American. And Iâm not sure, depending on your GPA that they are a given.
What is your state ? Perhaps thereâs a good mid size public or you can look at a solid mid size like Christopher Newport or Truman State, etc.
If you think an Elon or Syracuse are not a stretch, you can look - depending on major - to a Rochester or Wake Forest or Brandeis, but Iâm guessing theyâre out of reach.
A great test score does not make up for GPA at most schools.
But thereâs many a great school out there for you.
In policy Sci and gender studies, you can get a great education anywhere. You might look at government hubs - College of Charleston, American, Michigan State, U of SC, Florida State, U of Denver, etc.
additional info section- good luck!
Do you have any idea how much âweightâ a clear explanation would carry? Would it be able to take away a significant amount of the negative weight that poor freshman sophomore grades have? Assuming that my application is strong other than that.
In what way are you interested in poli sci and womenâs/gender studies? For example, are you particularly interested in international politics and the role of women in international development? Or are you interested more in US government/politics and womenâs issues domestically? Or are these two areas of interest for you, but youâre not extra-passionate about where they intersect?
Two reasons for the question: 1) the answer will affect which schools are strongest for your interests and 2) if you are interested in an international focus, it could be well worth considering a gap year abroad between high school and college, both for the valuable perspective and maturity it could give you before you start college, and because it could significantly strengthen your application (both because of the experience itself, and because youâd have another whole year of strong grades on your record before applying).
No matter what, I think youâre aiming awfully high. The question of whether you should give up your shot at Yale to apply ED at Vandy (or anywhere) is more of an emotional consideration than a practical one, as your actual chance at Yale is miniscule. It isnât that you arenât a great applicant; itâs just the Yale could fill their class many times over with straight-A applicants who also have your test scores, not to mention the even larger pool of âimproving trendâ students like you. When you take out âhookedâ applicants like recruited athletes, legacies, and URMâs, there just arenât that many spots left for applicants who had an uneven start in high school and then a strong (but still not flawless) junior year. Granted, maybe you have some showstopping EC achievement that sets you apart. But based on what youâve said, which implies that your ECâs are strong but not game-changing⊠I think you could safely pass on Yale without losing sleep about âwhat if?â In reality, Vandy is very unlikely too, even with ED. I would think that, for example, Tulane ED might be getting into a good reach-school-with-ED-bump range. (And they have some great poli sci and gender studies programs, including a specific international development track of poli sci within which one can emphasize gender issues.) GWU could be another good ED possibility⊠or maybe William and Mary. None of these would be a slam-dunk, but they could be a good use of the âED bumpâ to take your best shot.
But regardless, Iâd encourage you to elaborate on what your interests are, and focus on why specific schools offer particularly great programs for you, as opposed to just trying to get into the reachiest school possible.
Wow!! That is all incredibly helpful, thank you so much. I think I need to do some genuine reflection on what my passions truly are, and figure out what specific intersection of poli sci and genders studies I am interested in.
I do have an extensive college list (many of the schools you mentioned are on it!), I just happened to mention my two biggest reaches here because I do genuinely see the strength in both of their poli sci and gender studies departments.
How much impact do you think a genuine and brief explanation for my poor freshman/sophomore grades could have on my application? Other than showing an upward trend and writing a few sentences in the additional information section is there any way I can make my explanation more impactful? I genuinely do believe that treatment for my ADHD has changed the type of student I am, but how else can I emphasize that to colleges?
Also you are correct, my extra curriculars are strong but not life changing. I have successfully pushed for change on a school-wide and district level and I am writing my personal statement about that (to an extent) so I am hoping that will also strengthen my app