HELP!! early decision I

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

<p>well ive been wanting to go to vanderbilt eversince my freshman year.
i have a really good SAT score, really good SAT II scores [ perfect/close to it]
and i have amazing extracurricular activities [ including 6 leadership positions in clubs that ive been in for the past 4 years ] ...the only problem is my GPA. i had a lot of family problems that threw off my grades for a little while so my gpa is around a 3.3 ..</p>

<p>if i apply early decision is there any way i can get in? assuming that my recommendations/ essay is amazing?</p>

2

<p>Be sure and explain why your grades may have suffered early on. They'll understand.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, you might want to write some of your essays on the family problems. That would explain your GPA and show Vanderbilt that you can overcome obstacles</p>

4

<p>thanks!!! the only thing is ..it wasn't early on...it was mostly the last semester of my soph year and first semester of my junior year</p>

5

<p>To be honest with you, that can really hurt your chances. However, it's not impossible and if you give it your all (and I'd recommend you apply Early Decision I if Vandy truly is your first choice) it can happen. Class rank is a better indicator than your GPA (which varies like crazy from school to school).</p>

<p>For public schools, the entering freshman class had 74% in first decile (top 10% of class) and 18% of second decile. For private schools, those numbers are 85% and 10% respectively. So bottom line is that about 95% of Vandy kids go there if they're in the top fifth of the graduating class, and if you are too, that gives you that much more of a chance.</p>

6

<p>our school doesnt have class rank
and well yeah i am applying Early Decision I
how much are EC's considered? i have done outstanding research - publications etc.and i play varsity tennis [ state sectional title plaques etc ]
it's just i feel like everything is going for me but my grades =(</p>

7

<p>well my weighted GPA is around 4.3 or 4.4
i would say that im in the top 15% of my class if our school was to have class rank</p>

8

<p>I would say you have a very good chance with so much going for you, but I would definitely be upfront about the grades and explain the situation--much better than saying nothing and hoping they don't notice!</p>

9

<p>and how much does it count if we're like one of the youngest to do something in the country</p>

<p>well i live in nj ..would that help me when applying cause it's a different region?</p>