Should I apply ED or RD to Vandy?

Is it true that Vanderbilt looks at just the “numbers” of an applicant???
I want to apply next fall ED to Vandy, but my stats aren’t very good.

SAT: 1450 (planning to take again, shooting for 1500+)
ACT: Not taken yet
PSAT: 1450

GPA 3.895
Top 25% of a 750 Class

AP CLASSES:
-Freshman Year: AP Biology(3), AP Human Geography(4)
-Sophmore Year: AP Chemistry(3), AP World (2)
-Junior Year: AP US History(most likely 5), AP Language (most likely 4), AP Calculus BC(most likely 5)
-Senior Year: AP Stat, APES, AP Gov, AP Psychology, AP Literature

National Merit Commended Scholar

I’m hoping that they’d take me RD because my Extracurriculars are better, but apparently you can’t apply again when you’ve been rejected from Early??
But at the same time the acceptance rate is higher for ED…

HELP!

sofpuff, you have time this summer to work on your stats for college. Do the practice tests timed at home when you are rested and focused. Study your mistakes. Once you plateau, move on. Vandy is highly selective and many students with near perfect scores are not admitted although fully qualified. That is not a reflection on your college readiness. It is more a reflection of Vandy’s ability to give financial need aid with no loans and 30,000 applicants.
Most admitted students have clearly demonstrated mastery of rote learning and engagement in their intellectual and community lives. That said, here is a tip for you: at each edu site, type in Common Data Set and get good at evaluating who was admitted and who “Yielded” to build the class. Even very fine schools have a large number of admits who do not put down a deposit and attend, so Admitted class vs Yielded class is what you need to comprehend. You need assists and advice in making a list of Match colleges that you can likely be admitted to and also afford to attend. You need to make smart decisions on reach applications. Your parents need to do their FAFSA form online and at many private schools they will also have to have a CSS Profile online before you can get a guess on what you are required to pay ECA estimated cost of attendance. Seeking out your next step and college home should be an interesting time for you as you get a handle on America’s college scene. Do you want a lengthy decade in school with graduate school next? Be very smart about money. A fine run at your state honors college can lead to many options in graduate school that are on the horizon even if you work for a few years in between. Be positive and shrewd! best wishes

Just to clarify about ED/RD, you are correct that you cannot reapply RD if you are outright rejected ED. The college has already looked at your profile and determined they do not want to admit you. However many students are deferred, which essentially means you become an RD applicant and are reviewed again with that pool.

ED can be great for students with lower stats depending on the school, because you are showing them your dedication to the school and admit rates tend to be higher. However, ED generally is not a good idea for students with shaky financial situations. If you are relying on lots of financial aid or merit aid to be able to afford Vandy, and do not know for a fact that they will give that to you, I would not recommend applying RD because it is binding, if they accept you you must attend.

Also, Vanderbilt, and most other schools, have holistic admissions which means they look at all aspects of an applicant, not just numbers. So if you have weaker scores but exceptional extracurriculars, for example, you could just as easily be accepted as someone with perfect stats but weaker extracurriculars.

@WiscoRunner You are incorrect. Vanderbilt does NOT defer at ED1 or ED2. You are either accepted or denied. there is NO DEFERRAL FOR VANDY. Please be careful when commenting as your comment is incorrect information.

Keep in mind:
Early Decision = you apply, get in and you have to commit to that school.
Regular Decision = you have more options to consider

@sofpuff77 without knowing more facts - like are you URM, or 1st generation it is hard to chance. But based on what you have put above, I do not think your chances are strong at this time. And, is that an unweighted GPA or weighted? Your SAT is too low and quite frankly your AP scores are low. I am not trying to be mean, but having a child there, I can tell you most of the kids are in the top 10% of their class and have very rigourous high school schedules. I would expecct to see mainly 4s and 5s on your AP scores. Have you taken any SAT2 test? I would look at other schools where you are more of a match.

@LvMyKids2 Well then Vanderbilt is the only school I know of that doesn’t defer to RD. Sorry I was misinformed, although at the end of the day I don’t think it really matters whether you can be deferred or not, strategy-wise. OP should still be aware for other schools they may apply to that in most cases they could be deferred if they apply ED/EA.

@WiscoRunner - LvMyKids2 is correct - there is no deferral from ED to RD at Vandy. They were very clear with regards to that during the presentation when we visited last summer. I also have not heard of any other school that holds that policy, but maybe UChicago - they recently added ED so I’m not sure about them.

no. UChicago does not have an “in or deny” policy for ED. i personally think it is the best way to handle ED and EA. Why have a student wonder what will happen in the deferral process. I believe if you are a good fit for that school then you should get in (along with a strong app, etc), or else the school should let you loose. No hoping or anxiety…time to move on