Vanderbilt Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello there, I’m a Junior at a fairly small high school in Colorado right now (graduating in 2017) and am looking to apply to Vanderbilt next year.

Currently, I have 33 on the ACT (31 in English, 32 Math, 35 for science and writing), and will be retaking it this spring (including the writing portion). I also plan on taking the SAT this summer. I got a 1450 on the new PSA, which has a strong chance of placing me in the semifinals for the National Merit Scholarship and hopefully the finals.
My GPA is my weak link (3.8 weighted, and 3.45 unweighted) although it is going up; my class rank is 34 out of 200 or so.
I took 2 AP classes last year (AP Physics 1 and AP US History), 4 this year (AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Language, and AP Psychology), and have plans to take AP Literature, AP Physics (Calculus Based), AP Computer Principles, and a calculus class at a nearby community college, possibly more (Economics, Statistics).
Also, I will have 4 years in band and Chinese.

Vanderbilt isn’t the only school I am looking at, but it’s definitely a top choice. Any ideas on my chances of getting in, as I am now? And any suggestions (past GPA) to work on? Or tips in general?

Thanks for reading!

EDIT: Chances for Ivy League level schools would be nice as well, or other high level schools.

2

Vanderbilt has a 12% acceptance rate; with a 33 ACT and a 3.8 weighted GPA, your chances of getting into Vanderbilt are in the range of slim to none. Ditto the Ivy League, which have acceptance rates of 6-7%.

Your GPA is the big (but not only) impediment; and at schools like Vanderbilt and the Ivy League, NMF students are a dime a dozen, so I wouldn’t count on that being much of an admissions help.

What are you interested in studying, and what can your parents afford to pay for?