I'm terribly conflicted about applying early to Vassar.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>So here's the deal. I love Vassar. Every single bit about it. I applied early last year, got denied straightaway. It tore me apart. I moved on. But....</p>

<p>You see, due to certain circumstances, I'm on my gap year now. I want to apply to Vassar ED again. Is this a bad idea? Will they reread my last year's application? Deny me again? </p>

<p>Please note that I had kind of bad SAT scores when I applied ED I last year (600something CR, 600something math, 700something writing). I have like a 2200 now, with 700 or above in all sections. The rest of the app will mostly be the same, with my transcript being somewhat stronger (for the purposes of this forum, my overall transcript tells you I'm a good student, but not the best of my class. a 3.7 GPA, perhaps? I did British A Levels. 3A's and 2B's), my essays a whole lot better, and my recos slightly better. </p>

<p>Now, why I'm conflicted about going for this is that I'm more or less guaranteed admission if I apply ED at this other liberal arts college (no, I cannot apply ED 2 there because there's a lot of competition from my high school in ED 1, and if one or two get in, I am not going to get in there due to issues with high school diversity and all). It's ranked 30-40 in US News, and has great academics, but I don't think it is not a very good fit (it's ok, you know, like whatever). Comparatively, Vassar would be my Hogwarts. The other would be........... a muggle school :(.</p>

<p>Now to top it all off, I am an international student applying for aid. That makes it insanely competitive at all other schools so there is a very good chance that I will get in nowhere if I apply RD and I do not want to go to a non-liberal arts college in some other country.</p>

<p>What should I do? Should I go for the dream again, with firm conviction that my application would be better? Or should I go for the <em>other</em> school, where I would have a chance to study what I want, but with a consuming sense of the lack of something intangible, inexplicable.</p>

<h1>whatshouldido?</h1>

2

<p>ED should be used on your first-choice, not as a card to play in some elaborate calculus. Besides, your chances of qualifying for financial aid as an international are probably sufficiently remote that applying ED probably wouldn’t help anyway. Query: Doesn’t your second choice, 30 or 40 ranked LAC offer merit aid?</p>

3

<p>Okay there are lots of liberal arts colleges that give need based aid to internationals. And in college admissions for intls, it should be calculus. And also, my chances are better at Vassar than say, Wesleyan or Kenyon because Vassar has a lot more aid available. My second choice gives only needbased aid.</p>

4

<p>^^

OTOH,

</p>

<p>Let’s make it easy: you tell me what you’d like to hear and I’ll tell it to you.</p>

5

<p>Applying ED helps, and it is sometimes the only way to get into certain schools like the other one Im considering. I said that there are lots of schools that give aid, not that it’s easy to get into them. And Vassar has better numbers for likelihood of admission than many of those schools. Still very difficult yes. But I hope you see the difference. It’s hard, not impossible. Never mind though, I have responses from other people.</p>

6

<p>From the Vassar admissions page:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>[International</a> FAQs - Admissions - Vassar College](<a href=“http://admissions.vassar.edu/apply/answers/international.html]International”>http://admissions.vassar.edu/apply/answers/international.html)</p>

7

<p>That’s still slightly better than Macalester’s 1200 applications and 80 offers (if we’re talking about %)? Or Kenyon’s 25 from 500? Anyway, the point is that there are more spots available. I know that on the surface, statistics (percentages) are better predictors of admission, but when there are more spots available, colleges do in fact try to make the offers geographically diverse. (I am not from a very competitive country.)</p>

<p>It’s hard, I get it, stop reiterating it again and again. It doesn’t help. The schools are competitive to get into, not impossible (I have a back-up plan anyway). Using “calculus” is only going to help to beat the odds (ED does help). Kay? There are many shades to college admissions for internationals. The “other” school, for example, is a guarantee if I apply early – which would not be the case for other intls. Could your statistics have told you that as well? </p>

<p>PS I solicited advice on other sub-forums, and I got many useful responses. It’s ok, there is no need to respond on this particular thread anymore. I am close to a decision. Thanks anyway.</p>

8

<p>FWIW, the"other" thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1560137-dilemma-should-i-go-fairytale-human-tale.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1560137-dilemma-should-i-go-fairytale-human-tale.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>I would choose another school for ED I in light of your history with Vassar last year. Why not choose a similar school like Wesleyan or Barnard?</p>

10

<p>Wesleyan does not offer aid to internationals in ED. Barnard I can’t because of anatomical reasons LOL.</p>

<p>Anyway, if not Vassar, I’d just go for the other school.</p>

11

<p>Wesleyan’s policy is actually very similar to Vassar’s; both are need-aware for internationals; neither admits more than 10% from its pool of international students who have applied for financial aid (albeit, Wesleyan only receives about 400 such applications a year compared to Vassar’s 700.)</p>

<p>If the OP’s second choice college is what I think it is, he has a point; it’s an outstanding school and it does accept three quarters of all EA applicants and as such he would not have to accept their offer if it proved too little.</p>

12

<p>Reapply. End story.</p>

<p>If you’re an international it doesn’t necessarily mean Vassar rejected you because they didn’t like you. Your test scores last time weren’t bad at all, but you’re right, it is harder for intl students.</p>

<p>With much higher test scores, you do stand a higher chance. The fact that you need aid is still an issue, but it doesn’t mean you won’t get in. You’re right, it’s much easier to get in ED for an intl. So, if you love Vassar, do ED, end story.</p>

13

<p>And no they won’t care you applied last year.</p>

14

<p>Lol circuitrider, please do not assume that I’m applying to Bard. Bard would be an amazing school to go to (it’s quite like Vassar in terms of the social atmosphere and like Reed in terms of the coursework) but Bard’s financial aid policy is probably one of the WORST amongst liberal arts colleges (besides, applying EA would simply solve the problem, wouldn’t it? I could just apply ED to Vassar and EA to Bard and either way, I’d be good.) Wesleyan does not allow internationals to apply ED if they need aid.</p>

<p>vell28, my test scores in math and critical reading were below their 25th percentile scores. Surely that must have affected my decision due to the competition. I know test scores aren’t everything, but we all know they can break an application. This year, I think I would be at a threshold where test scores won’t matter and where the rest of my application will matter much more. It “feels” right to reapply ED, but I don’t know if it’s rational and if not, whether or not that emotional decision can be salvaged in case things fall through.</p>

<p>Anyway, are you a student there? How are you liking it? :)</p>

15

<p>It’s not clear that Vassar’s ED policy would allow you apply EA to somewhere else (although the reverse is true for EA schools.) You’re right that it would solve the problem if were true.</p>

<p>So, why all the mystery? What is your second choice school?</p>

16

<p>Yup, I absolutely love it here. I don’t have anything to complain about, really. I have friends who go to other top schools crying about stress, thinking about transferring, etc. and I’m just here, like, damn my school is perfect. Low stress (even though there’s a good amount of work), amazing faculty, lots of things to do, not really a party school (but there’s definitely parties, if that makes sense. You just don’t need to go to them to have fun.), Arlington is a cute little town (not to mention our beautiful campus), etc. etc.</p>

<p>I would suggest applying to some of the schools that are need-blind for internationals, though. Not ED necessarily, but your aid won’t get in the way there, and aid really does play a huge role for internationals.</p>

17

<p>Lol, the only need blind school I will apply to is Amherst. Not going to bother with Ivy league schools for obvious reasons. What is MIT? A trade school? ;)</p>

18

<p>Good luck.</p>

19

<p>Thanks brah.</p>

20

<p>You know what guys, I have decided against the idea of reapplying early to Vassar. I have spoken with specific admissions officers and general people responding to admissions questions, and all of them projected such pretentious, apathetic tones that really turned me off. I know that the admissions office does not speak for the student body, but certainly I wouldn’t want to go to a school with an admissions office that doesn’t even bother to pretend that it cares about applications (let’s not forget the ED 2 fiasco in early 2012 and how they initially responded to it.) And Vassar is the exception. Admissions officers and admission interns at all other schools are much nicer and much more genial. Vassar admissions officers seem to get pis*ed when students call, sort of implying through the tone “EVERYTHING IS ON OUR WEBSITE WHY ARE YOU CALLING US?” It gets annoying when you ask specific questions and those are answered with that kind of tone.</p>

<p>I’m kind of glad I called them a bunch of times. It helped me make my decision.</p>