Hi all,
I am an intentional student from the UK hoping to apply to Vandy ED
Here are my stats:
GPA - presumably around 3.9 (dont have this in the UK so it might be higher or lower but i have a very strong academic record, only 1 B the rest A* or A)
ACT - curently have a 24 (i know, cringe) but suspect i can get that to a 30/31 now i know what i am in for. That being said realistically i cant get it higher than a 31 as my ACT is in September
EC- I was a prefect (think Harry Potter if you dont know what that is), have taken Drama for 10 years now, volunteered at a war memorial event earlier in the summer and organised a RSPCA fundraiser which is comingup soon, also will mention my sport commitments, weekend job, a dissertation i wrote for Cambridge Uni, a international realtions programme at Nottingham Uni, i was also a (what my school called) “code leader”, I interviewed teachers and organisations open days typa thing, and now am on my school marketing team which i suggested and co lead. (Not sure how good all of those are, but i never planned anything to look good to US unis!)
Essay - i know this counts a lot, i hope to write something quite creative and show a vibrant side to my personality. I am a decent writer so not too concerned.
I know my ACT is not in the range, but considering i am a self taught international student, i hope they can forgive me somewhat for that? Can someone please tell me if they think i am in for a shot, please be honest if you think not!
@dayna
Vandy is very SAT/ACT sensitive. A 24 won’t work. For ED1 at least a 32/33 as you are international, which makes it harder. I would advise to aim lower if you are truly interested in US Unis.
@dayna
I’m not even sure if you are tro*ling or not, but I’m trying to help you, no need to be sassy. You do know that international students are full pay( as in $270,000 out of pocket cost). If you are self taught I assume your parents can’t afford this.
ECs and grades seem fine. Test scores need work though, you’d ideally want to be around a 32-33 for EDI. If you’re around a 24, you probably have some gaps in skill with content, so I would try to get one of the prep books and read through it - won’t help much for reading and science sections, but you can at least bump up your score on the english and math. I would also get the “10 real ACTs” book and do some full-length practice tests so you can work on timing, and just getting more experience answering questions.
Thank you. Im scoring 33’s in English, around 26/27 in science and 23-28 in reading it chances drastically, for math I havnt dont much work yet but i think i can cram revise and obviously hope to improve reading and science. Im just not sure i can score higher than a 31, but do you think one point matters that much? I feel like if they will reject me at a 31, they probably would do at a 32 as well, because for 1 point to be the reason seems a little fetched. What do you think?
VU and most elite schools like SAT scores solidly in the 1400s at least. This equates to a 32+
Also, with a sub 25% admit rate for ED, I do not know why anyone would bother predicting your chances. All I could say is get the score to 32+ if you can and you have a shot. Cross your fingers and look for other schools you like for VALID reasons. Do not bank on being made an offer from any of these schools because you meet a score and GPA threshold and have fine ECs.
There are around 50 institutions i know off and the Sutton Trust know of that are full demonstrated need for admitted international students. Someone on the programme got into Vanderbilt with a 30. This is because admissions officers in the states know (which you wont) that when it comes to studenrs from the UK the program holds very high prestige. We have been told from Admissions officers that out scholars get the 2nd and 3rd look. Moreover the program has great relationships with schools like Vanderbilt because the staff literally hold meetings with admissions officers to try and get us a place. I and the rest of us are very lucky. Why dont you think i dont like Vanderbilt for valid reasoning? I dont bank on being made an offer because of my GPA ans EC’s either. You’re making a lot of assumptions about me without knowing anything.
@dayna : “someone” does not mean it will be you or everyone with a 30 or below coming from the program. A single anecdote is not data. Try to raise the score as high as you can and then apply (take 1 or 2 more times if needed). But again, no one should expect anything. I don’t think even those who get a 36 should expect anything from these schools even if they came from an awesome educational program. A lot of it is just luck. That is how elite admissions in the US works. I have heard of that program BTW. I do not need to make assumptions about you or anything to know that you should aim for something in the IQR and that even if you make it, it does not mean you will gain admission. To check this, go to the results threads and look at all the highly qualified (and perhaps well connected) students that were wait-listed or denied.
And also I didn’t say that (here you made the assumption). You may like VU for valid reasons, but you need to entertain other options in case it doesn’t go your way and you need to ensure that the your reasoning for these other schools is not a hasty replacement/decision and goes beyond rank, campus beauty and that type of stuff. I am mainly just telling you to look at other schools, because despite whatever relationships your school or program has, and whether or not you are a qualified applicant, being denied is a strong possibility with many other qualified applicants perhaps coming from well-connected/feeder schools in the US and a sub 25% admit rate. At my school, and I am sure it happens at Vanderbilt, I have unfortunately seen legacy students (and I mean BOTH parents attended undergrad, participate in the alumni network, and one even attended professional school there) in the 75% be waitlisted or denied. The parents had a very personal relationship with the school and not just a business or strategic relationship and the daughter still did not gain admissions. Give VU a shot, cross your fingers, be hopeful, but do not EXPECT an offer. Many/most applicants coming from high caliber networks, and well connected schools will end up denied for who knows what reason. Instead hope for one and celebrate if you get it. The system in theory looks like it is in many folks’ favor.
Also, many schools make the “demonstrated need for admitted students” claim. Guess what? Many of these places get VERY selective with who they admit when they make this offer. Do not use that one person’s success to set a low bar for yourself on the SAT/ACT retake in hopes that it can get you in as well. Use fdg’s advice, beat that score and instead be in or very close to the IQR and be more sure of your chances. This way, you can breathe easier knowing that your stats were in range no matter what happens.
In the US, even if super qualified, you should hope to get into a top school, but plan to be denied. If you are denied ED for some reason and have only a 29 or 30 and want to apply to other top US publics or privates (especially those offering need-based aid to internationals), then you are put in a dangerous position as the RD pools tend to be much more uniform in terms of standardized test scores, skewing much more heavily to the top end in terms of those who apply and are admitted. If you get a 32+ or even a 31, then you are in a better position for RD admissions. We are trying to help you. You do not need to be so defensive. I am alluding to the randomness and trickiness of the process for these types of schools. Again, no matter how qualified or connected you are, you MUST be aware of this and be ready for some pleasant and unpleasant surprises (but again, a denial just should not be a surprise). Focus on VU, but start looking at other schools you will like. And again, take a serious look at them. For some reason, many are over-confident on an ED1 option, get wait-listed or denied, and then suddenly scramble to find other schools to apply to for RD without much of a direction other than say: “I will randomly throw applications at every other top school”. This can be a disaster. That is what that piece was based upon.
