The Chancellor recently stated that diversity is a huge challenge at Vanderbilt. Does anyone know what is being done to increase diversity? Also, I am wondering if this will help me in the admissions process? My father is from the Dominican Republic, so I am Hispanic. My ACT is very low compared to Vandy standards (31.) I applied ED and all other parts of my application are very good. Do you think the school’s new commitment to divserity could give me the extra boost in admissions?
You get a boost in virtually every university/grad school/med school/etc. that you apply to. If you’re a URM, you can quantify it by adding .3 to your GPA and adding 3 points to your ACT score. Honestly, the boost is probably more than that. It’s college admissions on easy mode.
EDIT: Also, I like how you hid your “what are my chances” under the guise of diversity lol.
@derp125 as a student at Vandy, have you noticed that many of the minorities have lower test scores?
Are you talking about SAT and ACT? If so, then yes. In my own personal experience, I would estimate the test scores of whites and asians to be around ~2250 and the test scores of blacks and hispanics to be ~2050. These are just the people I have met though, so who knows. I’m sure a lot of people lied about their scores as well, so yeah.
I don’t really know anyone who talks about their test scores…
Think back to first week of freshman year.
Nope, I haven’t heard anyone discuss test scores, at least openly.
lol
While I students assuredly aren’t sitting around the dorms trying to determine racial trends in test scores, it is quite common to mention them and discuss with friends within the first months of college. Last year the College Board tested out their new exam at Vanderbilt and offered students money to beat their old scores, so that also contributed to more conversation that might be typical. Purely anecdotal evidence, but I’ll say you would be surprised how many students have perfect scores and how many have scores well below the middle 50% and both are doing just fine here. Don’t let your scores deter you from applying, since there really isnt much rhyme or reason on an individual level.
@RedHawk99 @derp125 I am just worries that a 31 will keep me from being admitted. Do you know if a bigger emphasis is placed on GPA versus test scores?
A bigger emphasis is definitely placed on test scores. This is because they are standardized, whereas GPA’s can vary greatly depending on where the student attended high school and how challenging that school was.
With minority status, a 31 is a usable score. It is not a strong point of your application, but the score itself won’t lead to automatic rejection. If you have above average extracurriculars and essays, you can still get in.
Regardless, if you have already submitted your ED application, there is no use in worrying at this point as there is nothing more you can do to affect the outcome. Just make sure to have alternate plans in mind if you do not get in, and know that you still definitely have a chance with a 31.