need help deciding on ed!

<p>i LOVE vandy, it is EASILY my top choice. HOWEVER, i don't think I'm a truly qualified applicant, so I'm hesitant to use my ed on vandy. can someone give me a quick chance?</p>

<p>general stuff-
gender: male
from: north jersey (i heard vandy is exceptionally hard to get in to from north jersey)
school: small private school</p>

<p>scores-
SAT: 2280, 800 CR 740 M 740 W 11 essay
SAT 2's: 700 lit 740 math 2</p>

<p>grades-
unweighted GPA: 3.45 (my school doesn't weight gap's)
class rank: N/A (school doesn't do this either)</p>

<p>curriculum-
frosh: 4 honors, 1 regular (AP's weren't available frosh year)
soph: 4 honors, 1 regular (only AP Euro was available)
junior: 2 honors, 2 AP, 1 regular (took AP Bio and AB Calc, no honors/AP english courses available)
senior: 2 AP, 2 honor, 1 hyper (taking AP Pysch and AP Lit, i would be taking honors latin but that is subject to change based on an upcoming review, and the "hyper" is multivariable calculus)</p>

<p>ec's-
editor of the satirical magazine at my school from 9-12
lacrosse team from 9-11 (planning on 12 as well)
co-founder/captain of ultimate frisbee "clort" (we are a club, but play other schools) from 9-12
track from 11-12</p>

<p>others-
did an independent study in creative writing in my junior year, will continue in my senior year
doing the UVa Young Writer's Workshop this summer
interning at Pacific Global Advisors this summer
creating a delivery company/service in my town for the summer
participated in the AIRS program at my school (advanced independent research seminar, a highly specialized science course) from 9-11</p>

<p>if i forgot anything just let me know. thanks!</p>

<p>I personally think you look like a strong candidate. Because your school doesn’t weight GPA’s, your class rank will be significant. If you’re top 10%, I think you have a good shot. I hope your guidance counselor explains that thoroughly. There’s absolutely no proof that it’s hard to get in from the NE or NJ. There are a lot of kids who apply from up there and a lot of kids who get in from up there. I would do ED, but remember you either get admitted or denied, there are no deferrals. </p>

<p>Highlight your extra-curriculars. They seem strong and I hope you’ve spent a lot of time doing them and just didn’t attend meetings.</p>

<p>I think you actually stand a great chance! Great SAT score and GPA. definitely highlight your extracurriculars. They seem all very meaningful and not simply used as “resume-fillers.” This is especially true with the things you listed under “other” which are all interesting and unique projects/activities you undertook. </p>

<p>That said, make sure Vanderbilt is what you really want. Perhaps apply ED to a place you truly love? If you don’t get in there, there is always ED II at Vanderbilt</p>

<p>I agree that your test scores are solid. However your coursework will not be as demanding as other applicants (only five APs) and your GPA is low. I also like the apparent depth of your ECs. Your creative writing experience should serve you well when writing your essays (although conversely, adcoms might expect more from your essays as a result of your demonstrated skill).</p>

<p>If Vandy is clearly your top choice (and money is not an issue), I would encourage you to try ED. In my mind you would be “wasting” your ED only if you used it to apply to a less competitive school that was not your top choice.</p>

<p>You’re qualified… If you write good essays, you could definitely get in despite your lowish GPA. If Vandy’s your number one choice, go for it!</p>

<p>If its your top school, you definitely shouldn’t use your EA anywhere else.</p>

<p>thanks guys! i was just worried because my gpa was significantly lower than it should be for vandy. what i forgot to mention was that i had an upward trend. freshman year, both semester i ended with 3 b’s and 2 a’s. sophomore year was better, as i ended with the same thing first semester and 2 b’s and 3 a’s the second semester. junior year i started off the same as my second sophomore semester, and i ended my second semester junior year with 1 b and 4 a’s.</p>

<p>@swimmer726: i mentioned in the into part that i don’t know my class rank as my school does not rank. and i have spent a lot of time with my EC’s; especially my satirical newspaper, which i helped revive and care for a lot.</p>

<p>@missjulia423: i really do love vandy.</p>

<p>@rmldad: i cannot physically take much more than 5. the ap sciences take up double periods, so I’m limited. that is stressed in my school’s profile page submitted with my application.</p>

<p>I have similar GPA too and I was pondering this same queastion!
good luck!</p>