<p>My first choice is Vandy, and I applied ED, so if I get in I won't have to worry about finding a backup, but I need to start thinking of some similar schools if I don't get in. Right now I'm thinking either Tulane or Wake Forest. I'd like to go to Duke, Columbia, or Rice, but I think my GPA is going to hurt me in that endeavor. I have a 32 ACT, 3 extracurriculars, lots of community service, and good recs. My problem is my GPA and class rank. I only have a 3.8 weighted GPA and I'll be lucky if I graduate in the top 15% of my class. I have taken every honors/AP class I can though. What do you think? If i don't get into Vandy, where should I apply?</p>
<p>Tulane and Wake Forest are good choices if you’re looking for schools similar to Vandy, but, as you know, they are also quite selective, and becoming more so all the time. You seem to like mid-sized schools in the south (though of course Columbia is in NYC). Have you thought about Elon? Your ACT is in their top 25th percentile.</p>
<p>Are you open to the possibility of an OOS public school, where you might qualify for merit aid? What majors interest you?</p>
<p>Emory and Davidson come to mind.</p>
<p>Southern schools with similar campus cultures, strong academics, good Q of L, moderate size, and uniformly beautiful campuses, in order of selectivity:</p>
<p>Vandy > Wake Forest > Furman > Elon</p>
<p>gadad: you beat me to the post; I remember that you posted this elsewhere early this year and I found it sooo true; actually mentioned it to alot of kids I talk to…</p>
<p>I actually think Alabama Honors is more similar to Vandy than some of the schools mentioned above. If you are looking for the general vibe, that is.</p>
<p>Also don’t overlook Loyola New Orleans, adjacent to Tulane. Its a GEM of a school with fabulous faculty. Pretty campus. With your ACT scores they will pour money on you.</p>
<p>I also recommend Furman and Davidson and Elon. But Wofford is also a very good little school.</p>
<p>@frazzled1
I’m not entirely opposed to going to an OOS public school, but I know I don’t want to go anywhere here in Mississippi. I’ve considered William and Mary, but I don’t think their merit or need based aid would get me very much. One of the most attractive things about Vandy is their excellent need based aid, and my parents can’t really afford to pay anything, so I pretty much have to get scholarships/grants, but I’d rather not take out loans. This is why top tier private schools are my first choice; because they have great financial aid.</p>
<p>I think you could get great merit money from Alabama. I also think you have a very good chance of getting into Vanderbilt. Do you care about frats, athletics etc or are you mainly looking at the academics?</p>
<p>Tenacious:</p>
<p>Dont be so sure about aid from the privates. Vandy does give out good financial aid, but you have to be admitted first and they will likely ask you to take on some loans. </p>
<p>The best scholarship and financial aid ALWAYS comes from the match and safety schools. Trust me.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t give up on W&M just yet. You could still get a sufficient aid package: [William</a> & Mary - Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/index.php]William”>Financial Aid | William & Mary)</p>
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Why? Are you a financial aid officer, perhaps? Someone intimately acquainted with the OP’s financial situation? </p>
<p>Loans from Vandy? You do know that it was one of the first schools to go loan-free, I assume. The scholarship package may leave a small gap between EFC and what a family wants to pay, but Vandy does not “ask” anyone to take on loans. </p>
<p>As someone who graduated from a “reach” school that offered more money than his in-state public school…no, I do not “trust you.” </p>
<p>As for Loyola New Orleans, I am aware you suggest Jesuit schools to all and sundry, but its biggest scholarship is only $20K, and the average scholarship is $15K. Assuming the former, that leaves a gap in cost of nearly $22K, and unlike Vandy, it does include loans – with an average student indebtedness of $22,000.</p>
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I think Rhodes has much more in common with Vandy than Furman (or, before anyone suggests it, Sewanee).</p>
<p>I don’t care much about Greek life, which is a big deal at Vandy, but only about 40% of the student body is actually Greek, so it shouldn’t matter too much one way or the other. I’m definitely interested in academics more than sports, but I do enjoy them, and I’ve always been a fan of Vandy’s basketball team. As far as aid, I know I’ll be eligible for the federal grants, and I’ll probably win a few small scholarships from outside sources, but other than that, I’m going to have to rely on the school’s aid. This is why Vandy is my definitive number 1 choice.</p>
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<p>Why is that?</p>
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<p>Well, I went to Wake, my wife went to Elon, and since we’re comfortable with those models, we’ve checked out their counterparts as options for our kids. Personally, I wish they were less regionally-dominated and less preppy, but otherwise, they feel like home. Frankly, if I could pick a college for our last kid, it’d be Davidson. But he requires a marching band - alas.</p>
<p>I guess I would disagree with ghostbuster as well: sure, the best merit aid will come from safety-stat schools, but the best need-based aid is found at HYPS, with a few other Ivies close behind.</p>
<p>So if I don’t get into Vanderbilt (I really hope I do), then would Wake Forest, Emory, William and Mary, and Tulane be good backups? I’d also apply to a less selective OOS public school for assurance in case I am rejected by all of these schools. I’d also like to apply for Columbia just for it’s so big on things like research and physics (my intended major), but I think it’s probably too big of a reach, and I don’t particularly want to live in that part of the country, but I wouldn’t hate it either.</p>
<p>Emory is about as hard to get into as Vandy. You would have a very good probability at Tulane. I know you are down on Mississippi schools, but I have heard wonderful things about the Barksdale Honors College at Ole Miss. You should apply there as another safety. Certainly the most affordable, I would think.</p>
<p>Bottom line, if you apply to that list of schools in your last post plus Barksdale, you should be in good shape.</p>
<p>Even though Vandy is the only private school in the SEC, the SEC athletic culture is quite present. It is D1 sports and the frat scene is bigger than the statistics would indicate. I am a big fan of Vandy, and I see the D1 sports thing as a plus, but it makes Vandy a lot different than Emory, Tulane et al where the athletic culture is much less- or, in Emory’s case, almost nonexistent.</p>
<p>UVA? Tough for OOS, but you’re not exactly a normal OOS applicant in that you come from Mississippi.</p>
<p>W & M is a great school, and I think you’d have a good shot at admission there. However, its tuition for OOS students is higher than most public schools - the total cost of attendance, including room and board, books, travel, etc., this year is approaching $41K. Their finaid is certainly not as generous as the private schools on your list. Here’s what their website says about finaid for instate vs. OOS students:
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