Is Vanderbilt known for having lower admission standards for people living in the Northeast? I attend a highly-ranked public school in the NE, and it seems that the people admitted from my school have much lower credentials than other schools of a similar caliber. Of the 28 admitted, the average weighted GPA was 4.06 (out of 5 for honors/AP classes), and the average SAT was 2163. I’ve heard about Vandy being notoriously obsessed with test scores - are the relatively low test scores for those admitted from my school due to a tendency to be more lenient towards northern schools? Thanks!
Unlikely that the standards are any different for students applying from the Northeast. They may be trying to admit more from the northeast but it would not have any significant affect on admission standards – the sheer number and quality of applicants allows that to be the case.
What you hear about Vanderbilt being “notoriously obsessed with test score” is not really true, just an excuse students tend to use to explain their rejection. Vanderbilt actively seeks out students that are very well rounded – when you’re getting 30,000+ applicants, it just so happens that you can find very well rounded students that also have great test scores. Still, Vandy regularly selects well-rounded students with what you’re calling “relatively low,” which are still in the top 3% of the nation. The fact you go to a highly-ranked school is probably why the stats seem a bit lower than Vandy’s average.
Nobody knows outside of the admissions team. It would make sense for them to admit more students from the Northeast to increase Vanderbilt’s geographic footprint and reputation, but they’ve been doing that for the last decade now. Unless there are students out West who also feel the same way, I wouldn’t put too much stock in your school’s stats vs. what you perceive Vanderbilt’s typical admitted student looks like.
I don’t know if this is true, but doesn’t the northeast have better teachers than other parts of the nation? And I think standards are pretty much the same throughout the states but generally, I heard it’s easier to get accepted to a college in the state you live in verses out of state. You are also given more scholarships in state than out of state.
I can’t believe I confused “affect” and “effect” in my original post 