We live in TX and she is an auto-admit to UT. She is considering Vandy as one of her possible options to apply to. Would Vandy be a good fit for her. Here’s some of her info:
GPA: 4.0 UW/5.2 weighted
Class Rank: 11 out of 700+
ACT: 36
AP classes: more than 10, AP Scholar with Distinction
ECs: Multiple science fairs up to state level, DECA president, DECA global finalist, Interact, Student Council, NASA high school scholar.
Ethnicity: Asian
Cost/Finance: Don’t expect any need based aid. Merit would be nice but not a deal breaker.
Intended Major: Bio/Pre-med/Business
Would she be a good candidate for Vandy? How hard is it to get merit aid?
Vandy loves high stats students so I think she a good chance. Merit scholarships require separate applications and essays. She should definitely give it a try.
@minstrel01, Vandy offers 250 full tuition merit scholarships. See their website. Your kid has a chance given her stats, though much comes down to essays and (I would imagine) recommendations. Vandy offers 3 signature scholarships and I believe they plan to have around 40 students for each of the 3 signature scholarships accept each year. So I figure they offer about 250 and plan for about 120 of these students to matriculate each year. If, by chance, they mean they have 250 of such scholarships out at any given time across the entire student body, then the amount of scholarships would be around 60 per class. I think it is 120 per any given class. Either way, your kid will have her best shot at receiving merit from a top school by applying to Vandy. Most top 20 schools don’t give this sort of money away in merit. WashU makes an effort and may also be worth considering. Try to visit Vandy for the tour and info session, have your daughter meet her regional admissions rep should the rep visit her high school, and see if the school is a good fit. The scholarship application is due by December 1. Consider applying ED to maximize chance of admission.
What Sam-I-Am says. Keep in mind that you will pay room and board and all other expenses even if your student is one of the lucky “less than 1% of applicants” who wins full tuition. At Vandy, need aid will kick in at a fair rate to help students with high need with the room/board factor based on your ability to pay your EFC. The merit scholarships also come with a 5000 dollar one time stipend for which you must have an approved proposal submitted for a summer research experience. My advice is to apply. My son was a Chancellor’s Scholar-- had a couple other offers, but was passed over here and there for merit. The experience of putting your hat in the ring is on its own merit valuable. Students will continue to write essays, seek reference writers, interview and seek out opportunities all four years. It’s part of the learning curve to start trying now --and to accept being passed over gracefully. You can’t win if you don’t put yourself in the ring. best wishes