You welcome!
Sad to see all these hate comments for Vandy. Sure Vandy places lots of emphasis on test scores but it’s still an amazing school. I couldn’t happier that I was accepted. Few more decisions to go!
Anyone knows the overall acceptance rate for the class of 2020?
Around 10.4%
@just123098
or a class of 2526 in raw numbers.
Seeing someone get in with an ACT of 29 to 32 while others scored 35 and up did not demonstrates that Vandy doesn’t want top performers, just those who fit the a particular social profile, which based on everyone’s comments seems prejudicially anti-white. Who needs to waste that much for a 2nd rate school that doesn’t pick the best talent?
@IvyLeagueIsMine That seems particularly low. I guess you’re referring to the number of RD students. In total, Vandy accepted 3326 applicants both ED and RD. And for a class of 1600, the yield rate will have to be 48.1%, an almost 4% jump from last year. These are good times for Vandy as it is growing immensely. However, I do think Vandy will accept a lot of students off the wait list this year as an almost 4% increase in yield is unlikely. So if you were waitlisted, I’d advise you hang in there! There is still a chance that you’ll get in.
Based on past years’ common data sets, Vandy waitlisted 6,000+ people but admitted only about 200 off the waitlist. That’s 3%. Not great odds but good for those 200! My guess is getting a waitlist is their way of saying “you are a good candidate so we don’t want to reject you…” and being waitlisted stings just a little less. Just a little.
@aacvj103: Despite the percentage…200 folks is a lot (it mean they were off-target in their estimates by a lot…whether intentional or not, I’m guessing the point is simply to report the lowest admit rate possible. Selective schools have all types of tricks to pump people up, it isn’t just Vanderbilt). Also, waitlists could sting but some of them could be for yield protection (like a good chunk could be people they worried would be admitted to schools that could compete successfully which is especially the case at Vanderbilt where the scores matter more than other even higher ranked school. It already has tons of cross-admits with such schools, too many could be risky to the yield, so you gauge it and waitlist some knowing that if admitted, they will often choose a competitor such as Duke, however they can apparently compete with Penn). You must also take into account how many people actually accept a waitlist position because not everyone is going to do it (maybe like half or a little more will) and that is more reflective of a percentage. 6% is not great either but is still a lot better than on-target schools (where it won’t even hit 3% after 1/2 take a position on the list).
Have any admits gotten emails from Vanderbilt after they were accepted? For me, this doesn’t seem to be the case
@FutureMDParent I am not sure of whether your child was accepted, but regardless there is no need to shoot insults at Vanderbilt. I understand that he did not receive the CV scholarship and at that point you said “bye bye Vandy” yet are still here just to post mean comments? Please try to move forward without wrongly labelling a top-notch universty a “second rate school that doesn’t pick the best talent.” A good score on a four hour test does not recognize “talent,” but simply demonstrates how well one can perform in a high-pressure testing situation. I wish you and your son the best in the remainder of his college process.
@golfergirl537 took the words out of my mouth. Best wishes.
@FutureMDParent : That is just false. Vanderbilt is probably one of the most SAT score sensitive schools among the top private with an SAT/ACT range more tight (and higher) than higher ranked peers. If that is your idea of “talent” then Vanderbilt DOES recognize it much moreso than other schools (it is on their admissions website spelled out as a HUGE consideration where most schools essentially avoid saying that it is and go out of their way to claim that they are holistic). However, that definition is clearly poor and you would also then need to concede that the following schools are second rate: Stanford, Duke, Penn, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins. All of these admit at lower ranges than Vanderbilt and are ranked higher and are likely more academically stressful/challenging. These revered schools clearly have no problems recognizing the limitations of viewing the scores as “talent” and have been doing quite well (I do not know anyone calling these schools second-rate). For reference, Vanderbilt’s admitted student range was 1500-1600 for RD. This is likely higher than most of its higher ranked peers. You can criticize Vanderbilt and elite schools for their admissions tactics, but your criticism is not really based in facts. You need to levy your criticism at basically every other school that admits lower than Vanderbilt whether they are more prestigious or not. I guess you won’t be satisfied with any elite school unless everyone has at least a 1550 on a dominantly multiple choice tests, because, you know, that ensures that they can handle a very rigorous course that gives non-standardized exams that cannot be taken over and over again.
“Talented” people can have other attributes, awards, and accomplishments that don’t show up in their already solid ACT/SAT score and naturally schools like such highly awarded students and attempt to snatch them when they can as both a 29 and a 35 can handle the work at these schools and it is just a matter of who either a) fit more or b) seemed as if they would contribute more to the campus community socially, academically, intellectually, etc. The fact is: Not everyone who deserves to get into these schools will and not everyone who does get in deserves to more so than someone who did not.
I do want to add that the comments about lower stats and URMs are so disheartening. If someone posts an acceptance with lower stats, the first thing they are asked is regarding hooks or race. The specific hooks valued by a particular school indicate the areas in which they are trying to diversify. A holistic review looks beyond the numbers that everyone on this board is so obsessed with. Suddenly the process becomes more subjective and high stats don’t guarantee admission. What ensues is sad. Congratulations to everyone who was accepted to Vanderbilt. You ALL earned it and the admissions committee obviously saw something special about YOU!
Bernie,I don’t think Vandy emphasizes test scores any differently than it’s peers. It’s top crossover schools in RD are Duke, Harvard, and Princeton. So one would expect very high test scores. Vandy, like all top privates has a holistic approach to admissions. 100% (not 99%) have held major leadership positions or won major awards. So grades and test scores alone will not get you in. You need to bring something else to the table.
Yes, there are many talented students with outstanding credentials that will not gain admission. Like PHYS Vandy is now a reach to all students. No one is a match at any of these U’s. No one should expect to be accepted to any of these U’s. When you look at the combination of grades, test scores, leadership, service, and exceptional awards, VU is one of the 6-7 most difficult U’s to get accepted into today.
Anyone received FA information? and how? Thanks.
@SteinerR It should have been included on your portal. Financial aid is one of the tabs. Also, have you received any emails communications from Vandy after you got accepted? I haven’t, and I’m just wondering if it’s normal.
@golfergirl537 Thank you very much for your poignant but polite comment. Many studies have demonstrated that test scores reflect economic background rather than “talent.” That is why Harvard and many top schools (please watch the ABC coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJCHWn2yAs ) recently began to focus more on the “quality” of each applicant than on the “quantity” of his/her achievements. I am sure Vandy is also in this new trend. It seems to me that Vandy’s application process became more holistic than before and the ad com paid less attention to the test scores/grades/rankings than before. I am glad that the administration is serious about making the school more diverse. I believe Vandy’s scores are still very high not because they particularly focus on them but rather because there are so many high achievers with other excellent qualifications among the application pool. It is ridiculous to say that Vandy (or any other college for that matter) was wrong when they admitted a lower scorer over a high test achiever. Test scores are only part of the qualifications that Vandy is looking for.
Minorities with sub 32 ACT and sub 2100 SAT scores getting in and non minorities with 35+ and 2300+ scores getting waitlisted reveals everything that is wrong with college admissions. IMO, Vanderbilt is under pressure to increase minority student attendance and help dispel the idea that Vanderbilt is a white school. As a result, lots of well qualified, high achieving students are getting waitlisted while unqualified students are gaining admittance. It’s no longer about academic achievement in the US’s top schools - it’s about the flawed idea of enforced diversity of a particular variety. More women in stem, more underqualified latinos and blacks in general
@doubleeternity partially agree. While I don’t feel vanderbilt was a particularly good fit for me, I definitely think that as a someone with a 36, 8 APs, and a 5/5.33 GPA, I was a more qualified applicant than anyone with a sub 32 ACT score. In past years, pretty much everyone with a 36 got in and it really seemed as though this school was very stat focused. However, after seeing so many unqualified minorities get in and so many very high achieving non minorities get waitlisted, I can’t help but think Vanderbilt has changed. No top school is immune from the insane diversity pushing PC craze.