<p>SoCalDad2, I don’t think all varsity athletes are getting admitted through the ED pools. Also, the number of athletes coming into the freshman class is probably greater than your estimate as some athletes leave school (lately that’s been particularly true for men’s basketball, but that’s another discussion) and some simply stop competing as the demands of their academic programs become too rigorous, as they lose interest, etc. So I would guess that overall athletic admits are a larger number most years. Maybe not a huge difference, but possibly.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt employs a fair number of student workers in the Admissions Office throughout the year and some are employed during the summer for office duty and as tour guides. One of my kids fit that category and part of the tour guide talk was that there is an ED advantage. As well, I have a child currently in a M.Ed. program at VU. They often have high level campus administrators as guest speakers, so based on what I hear repeated from those classes, I think that ED advantage still holds true.</p>