Getting in/paying for Vanderbilt

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

<p>Ok, so first off I'd just like to know my potential chances for Vandy:
4.0 UW/4.38 W GPA
Ranked 3 out of 500 students in my class
2300 SAT (770 math, 760 CR, 770 writing)
Health Sciences Academy at my high school (specialized program focusing on medicine)
ECs: Tennis team junior year (#3 spot), Captain of Scholastic Bowl Team (won district tournament this year and were runners-up last year)
Junior year classes: AP English 11, Pathophysiology I, AP Physics B, AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, AP US History (all A's)
Awards: Numerous Outstanding Student Awards at School, plus an award from the Daughters of the American Revolution for Excellence in American History
AP: 5 on AP Euro exam, 5 on AP English Language, other scores pending
Volunteer Experience: 120 volunteer hours at local hospital, currently volunteering at elder day care center this summer (expecting to get around 60-70 hours)
Work experience: Bagger at Commissary (varying hours, around 12-18 per week)
Selected to go to St. George's Med/Vet Summer Camp in Grenada (10-day immersion experience featuring actual professors giving lectures)</p>

<p>I think my stats are pretty strong, but in my opinion my ECs are kinda weak. The only "leadership" I really have is being Scholastic Bowl Captain of a pretty successful team. What are my chances of admission/possible merit aid? I know that it says on the site that they give $8,000 to up to full tuition in merit scholarships which don't require an application. How much would you say that I'd get from this source based on what I've presented, considering that I don't want to bank on the Cornelius Vanderbilt/Chancellor's/Ingram Scholarships.</p>

<p>Now to the second part: paying. I really want to go here because of the prestige mixed with a good college atmosphere, something not really offered at any schools in Virginia. I'm going here for pre-med and hopefully on to the Vandy med school if I really like the area. My question is how to pay for the rest of tuition plus room and board, assuming I get some merit aid. FAFSA aid isn't likely, since we're in the 100,000 to 150,000 bracket. And I'm a white male, so no aid there. Does Vanderbilt offer any options for aid besides loans? I heard they had a no-loans financial aid program, do you have to be low income to get that? And if it comes down to loans, are they a good option if I'm banking on becoming a doctor and hopefully paying off the debt quickly with the salary? I know its a huge amount of questions I have, but any help that can be given is greatly appreciated since I'd love to go here no matter what it takes.</p>

2

<p>your stats are really good. We are also Virginians with a son who is on merit aid at Vandy. However, I will be quick to add that most of his classmates were competitive for merit aid and he is a good guy but basically struck by lightening rather than God’s gift to Vanderbilt…merit aid is not a true reflection on the potential of any Vanderbilt student. </p>

<p>The No Loans is related to how Vandy meets demonstrated financial need. Period. Your family will be eligible for some Stafford subsidized or unsubsidized loans…regardless.</p>

<p>If you are considering med school and not wanting to be broke or in debt when you begin that arduous challenge, you should broaden your horizons beyond Vandy. While also putting in maximum effort at Vandy for merit and letting the chips fall where they may. You may get more financial aide than you think based on your CSS Profile and FAFSA combined or you may be full pay and it is in fact worse than you think now. Time to press your parents into pre filling out these onerous documents so the whole family can soak the reality in. What one school deems your Estimated Cost of Attendance may not be the same as what another school calculates once the CSS profile and institutional variance comes into play. Our son was admitted to three top ten liberal arts colleges. One gave him 11 grand off their full pay. The other gave him 8 grand off the top dollar. Another gave him merit money of a sizeable amount (merit money is not that common in liberal arts colleges in the top tiers at all…it is more often financial need calculations only.) That is how this works. Each institution has to make all sorts of random choices.</p>

<p>While stating that Vandy is a great premed atmosphere, I think it is important immediately that you alter your views on Virginia colleges in-state pronto. You are blessed! I always see Virginians half heartedly choosing UVA but when I am in Atlanta, people will pay full out of state rates and be thrilled to death to get into UVA. We tend to discount the familiar. Big Mistake. Your peer group at your VA state colleges is amazing re stats, diversity, test scores and talent. You are lucky.</p>

<p>Every year top stat students (like yourself) who are at Thomas Jeff Gov School in Fairfax County VA or at any high school in VA…come up against the reality that they didn’t get hit with merit dollars and therefore they will be attending their state university. One reason we kept our sanity with both sons was knowing that they could get a good prep for good grad schools at UVA or Wm and Mary! Both sons were fully ready to attend UVA or Wm and Mary with joy. Or you can take a sharp look at the Univ of Richmond merit dollar competition as well. We know a UVA grad at Columbia Med school and plenty of Wm and Mary grads who went on to med school. Your peers at both of these institutions are amazing students. If you write good essays and have interesting references, you might even get Echols or Monroe at your flagship state universities. Boys are also somewhat (not really but %wise) scarce re numbers at Wm and Mary…and you might stand out there since for some reason a lot of fully qualified women apply each year and thus girls have a harder battle to get in at all.</p>

<p>I think it is a mistaken view to think that Leadership Positions are deal breakers. Thousands of kids with great potential (like our kids) attended subpar high schools with negligible programs for extra curriculars. So instead of despairing re lack of leadership positions, instead find out quickly what makes your life, family, cultural background and outlook interesting and write good essays. I know the blank spaces on the Common App for leadership positions can seem daunting but honestly…admissions officers are not bowled over by Offices Held. They like smart, sharp kids who make accurate observations about their own lives and who are ambitious. Work on your essays.</p>

<p>Lastly, you have another strategy to consider besides gunning for merit dollars …that is in the colleges that even have merit dollars philosophically (not the Ivies or little Ivies!). You should make a list of where merit money is offered and get realistic on the odds. But never ever quit without putting in your application for merit dollars.</p>

<p>You can also consider attending a college that is not full of students who are essentially your peers and equals. Your stats are common at Vandy and Duke. They are uncommon at some other fantastic colleges. Be smart and consider applying to colleges that would promote you as an honors admit where you might be unusual. Teachers are good in tons of colleges and the MCAT looms large at all of them. Look for instruction that matches your personality. </p>

<p>Some people prep best for premed at smaller liberal arts colleges. Some manage in the larger classrooms at UVA, some shine in the intense smallter classes at Wm and Mary…Some do well at the mid sized colleges like Emory and Vandy. </p>

<p>Stay open. Go after merit money. Get a realty check on UVA and Wm and Mary. They also can more than do the job and leave you well connected with friends for a lifetime.</p>

3

<p>Wow, thanks very much for the response! I’ve asked around with this question and this is by far the most reassuring and informative one. It’s good to hear from someone who has a child at Vandy giving a different perspective. Congratulations to your son for getting that kind of honor. I see what you mean with UVA and W&M. I don’t think they’re bad schools at all, just that if given the choice and I ended up having to pay the same amount for them or Vandy, I’d definitely take Vandy. Something about the campus when I visited just struck me as amazing, a feeling that wasn’t reproduced at UVA. But then again, I’ll only let that get in the way pending the amount of assistance. Definitely have to keep options open. When it comes down to it, I highly doubt any med school will look down on a BS from UVA.</p>

<p>Also, I’m glad to hear about the leadership positions not being as important as I thought. My high school has a bunch of dinky clubs that no one cares about offered, but nothing really major that would actually stand out. Absolutely no leadership opps either. Essay writing is definitely a strong suit of mine, so I’ll be sure to use that to its full potential in compensating for an average list of ECs. Once again, thank you for your helpfulness and I’ll definitely have to consider what you’ve said.</p>

4

<p>I notice you also work at a Commissary (I am also a military brat.) Perhaps you are as well. Write about your real life vividly and show that you understand where you have been while you are heading to college to prepare for where you are going. It is difficult to understate the diversity at UVA or Wm and Mary that many private schools long for but cannot buy and that is because of the huge miltary complexes in Virginia and of course because of NoVa (northern Va) which is full of dual career families who are employed in Washington and its environs. Almost none of these students are native Virginians from many generations…most are from families with origins and roots elsewhere. The real tragedy in our state is when a straight A student can’t get into UVA or Wm and Mary due to the intense in-state competition. This is particularly true in our highly successful public school districts that are really extensions of Washington and its missions where the entire class each year is college bound. Once you recognize that you can get a high quality education at Wm and Mary or at UVA (Wm and Mary just opened a wonderful new bio and science building)…your stress level will drop and you will be able to apply for merit dollars at a few other colleges. The recession hit the fall of our Vandy son’s senior year in high school and reality hit. We had to tell him that he was not going to be attending private schools full pay after we had let him apply to several that he liked a great deal. Fortunately he loved Wm and Mary (such a serious college with a great ethos and a close knit faculty/student atmosphere) and had already spent a summer in Charlottesville at UVA, so he was prepared for that outcome, although he had to turn down admission to what had been his dream private college in the end. Vanderbilt has been a complete joy for him and has delivered high quality classroom experiences in a fantastic setting, so he is very attached to Vandy now. At one time it was on the bottom of his list and he refused to even apply.<br>
If you are premed, I would also consider putting in an application for Emory Scholars…not a likely “win” situation but you would get a look–this has an early deadline. They have a very fine premed program and the competition is less intense for admission there compared to Vandy/Duke. Merit programs at liberal arts colleges tend to be limited. However both Davidson and Washington and Lee, Richmond, Wake Forest and Furman (my alma mater which has a nationally respected chem and bio undergrad program) do give merit dollars, as does Wash U in St Louis, and other fine colleges in corridors you may not be considering like schools in Ohio, in the Midwest and beyond the usual suspect regions. Rice gives a high percentage of admits some merit money. Rice is an amazing premed college…however the merit money amount they award is not going to take up as much of the costs as the merit programs at some colleges. </p>

<p>I see Virginia premeds coming “home” now in their twenties and choosing the less expensive Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in some cases over other admission options. Look ahead. </p>

<p>Every year, we watch students get waitlisted, rejected and accepted in permutations that are entirely surprising. Attach to your state colleges, consider showing some love to colleges that would be thrilled to get you (hint: most fine liberal arts colleges have less male applicants than female applicants) and any college in the top 75 is going to have a great faculty…don’t hyperfocus on top 10 or 20 rankings. Another hint: sometimes being outstanding at a college where you were the standout admission leads to great graduate school options…and you may be overlooking merit money options at colleges you aren’t giving a fair shake.<br>
We are in a major recession. Your career goals should influence your decision on debt load for undergrad school. Many grad school pathways incur high debt. Some grad school pathways require that you go to work for a few years before applying or that you mature in other ways before applying. If you have to borrow heavily for med school, be very shrewd about your debt in undergrad school.<br>
If you are going after merit money, you may want to provide 2-3 SAT Subject test scores that are high. That takes preparation but there are many fall test dates left open. Sorry but it is terribly hard to compare Student A with Student B and you have to play every card you can to prove that you mastered courses that are essential for premeds. You might want to surprise yourself and also nail the ACT. I would certainly not make my son take the SAT again after your scores but if you plan to compete for merit dollars…why not broaden your test results. I think a lot of kids quit testing because testing is onerous and questionable as measure of self-worth. Agreed! But don’t quit testing if you are trying to be in the 1-2% that gets merit dollars among “equals” at a selective college.</p>