Ok, where do I begin? Besides the schools in my state I have either gotten into or know I can get into, I have applied to 4 out of state schools.
-University of Chicago
-Princeton
-Vanderbilt
-Tulane
I received some decisions back today. I was flat out rejected from Vanderbilt which I wasn’t too surprised of. I was expecting the same thing from Princeton, but they deferred me. How does this happen? If my scores weren’t good enough to get into Vanderbilt, how are they even under consideration for Princeton? Or is this just another way of delaying the inevitable rejection? If this is the case, why didn’t they just reject me from the get go, why take so long? Also, are my chances at Tulane and UChicago (my dream school) completely shot now? The only difference between my Vanderbilt application and my Princeton application is that I had an interview with Princeton. I didn’t meet the deadline for Vanderbilt. Also, I wrote a bit more for Princeton including another essay and describing things I like. I requested and interview with UChicago and never heard back so I emailed them and they said it was ok and if I’m deferred, I will be prioritized for an interview. In regards to my grades, they are above average. They aren’t bad, but from my research, they aren’t your typical perfect scores and GPA. This is why I am so surprised I wasn’t flat out rejected. For reference, I am a URM and female.
If anyone could give some clarity on this I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Although Princeton is slightly harder to get into, both of the schools (Vanderbilt and Princeton) are very hard to get into and look for different things in applications. For example, Princeton may value your status as a female and a URM more than Vanderbilt and therefore is giving you more of a chance. Also, your major has a lot to do with it. If Vanderbilt’s program for your major is exceptional while Princeton’s program is decent, then it is going to be harder for you to get into Vanderbilt than Princeton. In regards to UChicago and Tulane, I would say (for many of the reasons I have already suggested) that your chances are definitely not gone now just because you did not get into Vandy and were deferred from Princeton. I know nothing about your stats, but you still have a decent chance as long as your stats are good enough to the point where you should have applied to these schools to begin with.
“Under the nonbinding program, you must complete your application by Nov. 1. You may not apply to an early program at any other private college or university, but you may apply early to any public institution, as long as the decision is nonbinding.”
-From the Princeton website. That is the Definition of SCEA.
You could/should not have applied to Vanderbilt under those terms.
@dragonmom Thank you. I recognized this going in but it’s pretty hard to explain, but there was an exception here. The other schools I applied regular decision.
Princeton and Vanderbilt allowed you to apply early to both in spite of the very clear rules that forbid it? How were you able to get an exception?