So... Who's Ready to Break the Bad News to Me? (Chance Me)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>I am in love with Vassar. The campus, the students, the size, the location, and the exceptional academics. I would love to go to a school where I can be supplied with all the knowledge necessary to become the best at whatever I choose to pursue in the future.
Anyway, Vassar is definitely my top choice behind NYU. However, I feel that I have low chances of getting into either. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Gender: female
State of Residency: Kentucky</p>

<h2>Race: White/Caribbean (biracial)</h2>

<p>GPA (weighted/unweighted): 3.43/3.34. Yikes.
ACT: 30 (English:34; Math:24; Reading:34; Science: 28) I took the December test and I'm waiting for results.
AP: Language and Comp (4), Biology (4), US History (3), Literature, Psychology.
Dual Enrollment: NKU History 110, NKU English 101</p>

<h2>*My school doesn't submit rankings because my grade is only 33 people. My school is also listed by the Washington Post as one of "the most difficult high schools in America". </h2>

<h2>ECs include guitar, Photography Club, VSADD (destructive decisions prevention club), VP of World Cultures Club, JCL (Latin club) and 100+ hours of community service.</h2>

<p>Special Circumstances: Undiagnosed ADD/Depression for all of high school. My psychiatrist says I'm a "mystery" because I never respond properly to any medications. We're still working on finding something that "works". The ADD is especially hard hitting because as much as I want to succeed and learn, it's extremely difficult for me to pick up things and retain information. The side-effects of all these medications I'm trying certainly didnt help my academics. For example, just got put on something new last week that makes me sleep 15 hours a day, leaving no room to study.</p>

<h2>Not sure how much it matter, but my school has a slightly different grading system than a lot of other schools. 93-100 is an A while 86-92 is a B. </h2>

<p>I'm sincerely very, very, interested and Vassar, and I hope to improve my chances slightly by demonstrating that interest. I'm definitely going to do an interview and fill out the YourSpace section with some of my photography (which is pretty good, not going to lie). I'm also planning on contacting an admissions counselor to show interest. </p>

<p>Any other tips on improving my chances are appreciated. </p>

<p>So... how bad is it?? </p>

2

<p>All about dat essay </p>

3

<p>Ha, I figured. I’m really not sure how I did concerning the quality of my essay. According to my teacher it was pretty good, but I’m not sure. I’ll probably re-write it specifically for Vassar. I’m a pretty decent writer so I think I’m capable of upping my essay a notch.</p>

4

<p>@dweeb1996 - Your ACT is right at the 25% line, and your grades are pretty low for Vassar. When you apply, Vassar does get the “school profile” which would explain the difficult grading, so that’s good. At first glance though, with the ACT score on the lower end of those accepted and your low GPA, I would guess that you would be denied. You definitely DO have a shot though, especially if your ACT retake is better. Good luck, but there are a lot of great colleges out there if Vassar doesn’t work out.</p>

5

<p>Sorry about the medication issues, sure makes things that much tougher in high school. While I think everyone should apply to their top choice because you really never know, I also think everyone should have realistic expectations and make sure they apply to schools that are academic matches at or above the 50%.</p>

6

<p>Pluses: average acceptance rate for class of 2018 females was 20% while for men it was 34%. So it helps to be a male applying to Vassar. </p>

<p>Negatives: Your GPA is very low. It’s going to be hard to explain four years of a B+ average and convincing Vassar that you will be able to handle the academic rigor. An ACT of 30 is competitive but the mean ACT last year was 31 if I’m not mistaken. Hopefully you have taken it again to take advantage of Vassar superscoring applicant’s standardized tests.</p>

<p>Write good essays, pay $70 and hope for the best. Vassar is a reach but you can’t be accepted if you don’t apply.
Best of luck!</p>

7

<p>I’m not a male, though. I was pretty sad to learn the acceptance rate for girls was lower. I got my last ACT back annnnd it wasn’t good. The only thing that went up was my english to a 35. So, my superscore is still the same as my highest score. I was hoping since I’m not going into anything math/science related they’d overlook my mediocre math and science scores. Unlikely, but still. </p>

<p>I’m really going to push my interest in the school. I’ve e-mailed the admissions department explaining my high school complications, I am going to schedule an interview, and I’m going to rewrite my essay to make it even more passionate. I’m a pretty good writer, so I think if I really buckle down I can knock the essays out of the water. </p>

<p>I understand my chances are pretty low, but I’m sincerely interested in receiving the best quality education I can. </p>

8

<p>I wouldn’t worry all that much about your ACT, I was accepted into Vassar with a 30 (although applying ED did slightly help my chances). I didn’t have an interview or fill out the YourSpace section, though I figure those can only really help your chances. Focus on writing solid, different essays. Vassar is very artsy, they want essays that uniquely describe you and are unlike any of the others they’ll be reading. Best wishes!</p>

9

Explain as much as possible about your condition. Don’t try to score pity points, and instead try your best to explain how it hindered your academics. Also maybe mention how you can overcome your ADD/Depression at Vassar or in the near future. They’re certainly hard-hitting, but that’s not going to convince adcoms that you’ll be able to handle the workload here.

10

CONGRATULATIONS!!! :slight_smile: (ps I also sent a photography portfolio, could you link me yours?)

11

Thanks! And sure, it wasn’t nearly as developed as I wanted it to be (and frankly it’s not super great) but I’ll link you to it. Theres so much I havent uploaded!
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/72115913@N02/sets/72157650045268542/

12

I know the feeling, but it is super great! I love that I can sense a personality from your friends (and even cat) from the tones of the images. Here’s mine https://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/maridock/sets/72157648089077395/