ED2 or RD?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

<p>I can't decide whether I should apply ED2 or Regular. It's too late for me to apply ED1, but I'm wondering if I need that extra boost of applying early that ED2 would give me. Vanderbilt is my top choice, but I live 8 hours away and that's the only thing holding me back from the binding agreement. Based only on my grades, activities, etc (not whether I'm okay with the binding agreement), do you think I would have a good chance getting in Regular Decision, or should I go ED2?</p>

<p>Gender: Female</p>

<p>Home State: Virginia</p>

<p>Major: Economics</p>

<p>SAT: 2100
CR: 680
Math: 750</p>

<p>GPA:
4.0, 4.3 weighted
Rank: 1/107</p>

<p>AP: AP World History (3), AP US History (4), AP English Language (4)</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Dual-Enrollment Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Literature, AP Government, Dual-Enrollment Anatomy, Technology Seminar
<em>Half of these classes are taken at a selective magnet school for juniors and seniors in my area</em></p>

<p>Major Awards: AP Scholar, Principal's List (straight A's) every year of school, All-conference soccer player and cross country runner</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Varsity Soccer (Captain), Varsity Cross Country (Captain), SCA, NHS (secretary 11th, president 12th), Band, Community Service Club</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: 10 week internship at a Physical Therapy office</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community Service: Habitat for Humanity, mission trips, work with school's community service club</p>

<p>School type: Public</p>

2

<p>ED2 is tricky because the majority of ED students are accepted ED1 and in general, Vanderbilt does not defer. The ED2 pool could potentially be more competitive (or at least as competitive) as the RD pool. </p>

3

<p>Jess2015: I notice you are a Virginian --like our family. You have excellent flagship schools in state, and our Vandy son was prepared to attend Wm and Mary or UVA with a smile based on financial realities (he won a merit offer at Vandy–so we ended up paying room and board…not that much less than a full price UVA education). in 2009, after the recession, we had to tell Vandy son that it was merit offer or state flagship for him. He developed a strong affection for his flagship in state colleges.</p>

<p>I do know that entry into these and other Virginia colleges can be difficult. I am wondering if you have a financial safety plan? Does your family have an Estimated Cost of Attendance worked out? That is most important factor in the ED round–to be ready to spend your pricetag. You don’t have to answer me on this blog, obviously…that is personal. But I am putting this question out there since paying your ECA is obligatory. </p>

<p>My question to you is to ask if you have you stared down the stats of the admitted students at Vandy? They are posted on their website in several places. Type in Common Data Set at vanderbilt.edu. <a href=“Vanderbilt At A Glance | Undergraduate Admissions | Vanderbilt University”>Vanderbilt At A Glance | Undergraduate Admissions | Vanderbilt University;
You can look back a year on this blog to get a sense of some of the students who posted their stats upon admission or rejection at Vandy ED2. I am not sure that the admitted students in the ED rounds have lesser stats than the students in the RD rounds. </p>

<p>Before you throw down an ED2 application at Vandy, make certain that you have a great safety college for the RD round in your pocket. The early action non binding option at the University of Virginia is coming right up for instance. Lots of Governor’s School and magnet school graduates end up at UVA due to the price point advantage. Thus the freshman class at UVA is very actualized, able and academically ready. Early Decision for William and Mary is coming right up. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>ED1 has better chances than ED2, and ED2 has better chances than RD. RD is brutal.</p>

<p>However, you should only apply early if its your first choice and affordable. </p>

5

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<p>What is your basis for that conclusion? A higher acceptance rate for ED may just mean that the ED applicants are better qualified.</p>

6

<p>What would be the incentive of entering into a binding agreement if you didn’t get a slight admissions edge? Anecdotally, the people I know who got in early had slightly lower test scores/grades.</p>

7

<p>ED rates have always been better than RD rates and @timetodecide is correct in his/her assessment of the three options. ED admits can often get by with slightly ( and I mean very slightly at this point) lower stats because they bring the promise of yield. I don’t know the stats for the last two years, but I suspect they are similar to those I do have knowledge of. VU has looked to admit 40% of the class through the ED options because they will get 100% yield (or very close to it since they’ll only lose those who can’t swing it financially). I think that stat came out in the blog at some point and it’s backed up by the CDS data. This yield percentage boosts the US News stats for them. </p>

<p>RD has become such a tough nut to crack in the last five years that if finances aren’t a consideration and the applicant is 100% sure they want to be a Commodore, they should absolutely apply ED. It’s my understanding that in 2010 when the final stats package on the admitted class was run that half of all applicants with a 34 ACT were denied. That’s brutal.</p>

8

<p>From the Vandy admissions blog:</p>

<p>Early Decision (they don’t separate ED1 and ED2):
<a href=“EDII Decisions Available Online February 8 | The Vandy Admissions Blog | Vanderbilt University”>http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2014/02/edii-decisions-available-online-february-8/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<pre><code>Percent of students who received one or more significant honors or held major leadership positions: 100% (Wow!)
Middle 50% CR SAT: 690-770
Middle 50% M SAT: 710-790
Middle 50% ACT: 32-34
Percent of students in the top ten percent of their graduating class: 95.48%**
Early Decision applications: 3,211
Early Decision Admitted: 739
Early Decision Admit Rate: 23.01%
</code></pre>

<p>Regular Decision:
<a href=“Class of 2018 Decisions Available Online March 29 | The Vandy Admissions Blog | Vanderbilt University”>http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/vandybloggers/2014/03/class-of-2018-decisions-available-online-march-29/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<pre><code>Regular Decision applications: 26,293
Admitted: 2,892
Admit Rate: 11%
% of students in the top ten percent of their graduating class*: 93.8%
Middle 50% CR SAT: 740-800
Middle 50% M SAT: 750-800
Middle 50% ACT: 33-35
</code></pre>

9

<p>Good numbers @MaynardGKrebs!</p>

10

<p>It basically confirms what the others have said. ED is tough, RD is VERY tough!</p>

11

<p>@MaynardGKrebs I know there is no data to back up any argument, but do you personally believe there is a difference between ED1 and ED2?</p>

12

<p>I really don’t know. I think I have seen or heard comments from the admissions counselors that they use the same criteria and that the chances are roughly the same. However, as you noted, there is no data to back that up so only they really know.</p>

<p>I have heard theories that some people believe ED2 is more difficult because you will have more (very strong) applicants that were rejected ED1 from their first choice (HYPSM, for example) and are using Vanderbilt ED2 as their second choice. No idea how accurate this is.</p>

13

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<p>What are the ED numbers if you remove the athletes and legacies?</p>

14

<p>The advantage of ED vs RD is shrinking as students have realized it helps and more and more are using it now. The main advantages now are:

  1. Top U’s are using ED to fill more of their spots to play the “yield game”.
  2. It’s the easy button for the ADCOM. They can fill 40-50% of their class with one tenth the total applications.
  3. They know ED students REALLY want to go to their school so they feel good about admitting a borderline case.
  4. They know students will say yes. No courting in April needed.
  5. ED students tend to be well funded (not that need blind schools care…cough, cough).
  6. With students with similar profiles, 23% > 11%.</p>
15

<p>Good points from @bud123. I remember when #6 would have been roughly 40%>18% and we thought it was a brave new world then! The common thread among my alum friends in roughly my age group and my kids and their friends is that they often speculate on whether they would be admits in the current admissions environment :wink: </p>

16

<p>@SoCalDad2 In the class of 2018, there were 739 students admitted ED. There are not even close to that many athletes in a class. In comparison to other Universities, Vanderbilt does not compete in very many sports. Legacy may help a small amount, but as others will tell you there are a lot more legacies that don’t get accepted. </p>

<p>@bud123 has a good list of why Top Schools use an ED model. Another advantage is that as an ED applicant you have a better chance that the demographic you bring to the class hasn’t been met. As an RD applicant some of the demographics that you would provide may have been filled by an ED that is committed to attending the University.</p>

17

<p>my feeling for the OP…is that if he/she were my 18 year old, they would make the deadline for UVA non binding early action which is November first…no matter what other factors are in play in the family. William and Mary is flooded with more female applicants so males have a little edge there. Lots of Middle Atlantic staters like Virginia colleges and apply. With our sons now taking out hefty loans for graduate schools…no one can afford not to seriously consider a home state university system like Virginia’s for undergrad years. And because UVA gives 40% of its seats to OOS students, there are hundreds of Virginians with the OP’s scores on exams who are turned down at UVA each year. Certainly a ton of valedictorians are not admitted to UVA or to Vandy…which gets more applications that UVA does! Very difficult for Northern Virginians to get into our state flagships! (North Carolina is capped at 18% for OOS students which is more fair for state tax payers…although the geographic diversity at UVA makes it a special community).</p>

18

<p>“5. ED students tend to be well funded (not that need blind schools care…cough, cough).”</p>

<p>While this may be true, most people report that the Vanderbilt net price calculator is very accurate so you can pretty much figure out if you can afford the school before applying. The financial aid amount (or lack thereof) should not come as a surprise.</p>

19

<p>Jess, “but I live 8 hours away and that’s the only thing holding me back”
It does take some courage for 18 year old students to pack up their worldly belongings and move 8 hours away to a school and city where you don’t know anyone to start your new life. Rest assured everyone is in the same boat (only 15% of students are from TN) and everyone is looking to meet people and make new friends. Vanderbilt does a wonderful job in helping with this transition. There are many reasons the students at Vanderbilt are the happiest students in the nation and this is one of them.</p>

20

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<p>According to this website:</p>

<p><a href=“Vanderbilt University”>http://www.forbes.com/colleges/vanderbilt-university/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>5.9% of Vandy students are varsity athletes. That is 94. If all 94 are admitted ED, 645 of the ED admits are non-athletes. That reduces the 23% acceptance rate to 20% for those not in varsity sports.</p>

<p>20% is higher than the RD rate of 11%, but the ED pool may be more qualified than the RD pool. In fact, we can see from the numbers in post # 7 that ED admits have a higher class rank than RD admits. You get to one conclusion about the advantage of applying ED if you focus on SAT scores, and another conclusion if you focus on class rank.</p>

<p>I don’t think anyone outside the Admissions Office knows whether there is an advantage to applying ED at Vandy.</p>