it’s a no
@OliviaM2019, onward and upward!! Have a good cry for an hour and then dive in for more! You are so much more than this!!!
I was accepted to the Peabody College!!! So excited to be in the c/o 2023 with y’all! Congrats to everyone else who got in!
Just a reminder, whether you got in or not, please post your stats with test scores, GPA, ECs and anything else you can provide. This will help those in misery next year, to at least have something to look to as guidance for who gets in.
Rejected
ACT: 34 (36 R, 36 E, 34 S, 30 M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Weighted GPA: 4.59
AP: US History (5), World History (4), Physics (3)
Senior Year Course Load: Orchestra/Chorus, AP English, AP Calc AB, AP Psychology, AP Gov, Honors Research Science
Major Awards: none really, AP Scholar, National Merit Commended, RYLA, Girl Scout Silver Award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Best Buddies (president), Cross Country (capitain), School’s Audition-Only Vocal Ensemble, Q.V. Voice (school spirit club- president), Musical, Student Council (social committee chair), Run my own photography website, National Honors Society (Secretary)
Job/Work Experience: Yogurt Store Cashier (11th grade), American Eagle Employee (12th)
Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts (volunteered throughout community)
Summer Activities: RYLA & photography camp (11th grade), College essay writing camp (12th grade)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think about a 9. I went to a week long college essay writing camp in Maine where I had multiple people, including the admissions counselor at Bowdoin, help me with my essay. For my Vanderbilt supplement, I wrote about being the president of Best Buddies.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Couldn’t read the teacher ones, but I read my counselor one and it seemed pretty good. Only had good things to say about me
Interview: I thought it went well, lasted about an hour, talked about everything I do
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Small, top public school (185 kids in my class)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
I’m honestly feeling pretty terrible rn. Not sure what else I could have done.
My son got rejected as well. It’s a numbers game and everyone who applied “could” do great at Vandy. They only have so many spots. Plus, the look at EC much more in ED process than some schools. Also, as a single parent, I’m somewhat relieved as the money issue and pressure for Work Study & summer jobs would really lock us in stress-mode for four years. Vandy gives outstanding 100% aid, but it’s still precarious for middle-class folk. Plus, every year, the FAFSA and CSS might fluctuate and I’d fear a “gap” that would have to be filled with loans. All the best to everyone in the coming year and beyond.
@OliviaM2019 Don’t be so hard on yourself. When it gets between really capable people, it sometimes comes down to luck. You know in your heart that you would have been just as good of a student, so its their loss. I will say there are other schools like Vandy that you might fall in love with. My brother got rejected from Vandy, but was accepted to Emory. Its campus is beautiful and its community, I think, is friendlier than Vanderbilt’s. Rice is ranked the same and it has the similar feel. Washu is also very similar. Ultimately fall in love with other schools, and don’t think about them being a second choice. Vanderbilt does have some negatives. I would say the only thing you’re still in control over is your essays, so maybe look them over again with a counselor or an adult, and see if it represents who you are but in a original way. Good Luck
Accepted to School of Engineering!!
ACT: 34
GPA: 4.74
Female, Captain of XC and Girls Rugby Team
NHS, FHS, Treasurer of Women in STEM Club, started a yoga club, lots of volunteering, 13 AP’s w 4/5 score by the time I graduate, only 5 Classes (all AP’s) Senior year, lots of leadership positions, I attend a very highly ranked public magnet school
rejected.
Accepted to School of Engineering
SAT: 1540 Superscored (740 Reading 800 Math)
GPA: 97 Weighted (5% weight added for AP/honors courses meaning a 95 becomes 100)
Ex’s: Worked as a stocker at a market one summer, worked at a tennis club as maintenance two summers, volunteered probably 60 hours in total, have been playing/performing piano for years, prefect in my dorm at boarding school, and some small things.
AP Scores: five 5’s and two 4’s
I think why I got in was because I made it to a few Post-AP classes (spanish, physics and math) and wrote about learning for my common app essay which I think teachers/admins liked.
To people who got rejected: I really don’t think college admissions are based off of fairness and usually a lot of the people who take up the spots have connections/insane privileges/lie and act fake in their application. So many people who go to Vanderbilt probably end up unsuccessful: it is not about the college at all, it is literally all about you and how hard you work at your college.
Ok here are my stats (accepted to Peabody)
ACT: 33 (35 E, 34 R, 35 S, 28 M)
GPA: 3.62 UW / 4.65 W (definitely my weak point, all A’s until junior year)
8 APs total by the end of senior year
EC’s: Did a summer project on civil engineering where I helped create more pedestrian infrastructure, founded my school’s bike club, participated in NHS, Habitat for Humanity, Science Olympiad, FRC Robotics, and Math Tutoring.
Essays: I used Coalition and answered the challenged beliefs prompt by writing about my changed perspective about the war on drugs after finding out a family member struggled with drug abuse, was pretty solid essay. For Vandy supplement, I wrote about my summer research with civil engineering and how it impacted my view of education.
Recs: Was very close with my French teacher, and had a good relationship with my bio teacher as well. Counselor I have no idea, but I think he wrote me a good one 
School: I attend a very rigorous STEM school in South Carolina
I’m a hispanic female and my income bracket is about $30,000. In addition, I didn’t have an interview. Hope this helps!
Rejected
ACT: 35 (36 R, 35 E, 33 S, 35 M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
Weighted GPA: 4.5
AP: APUSH, AP Biology
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Economics, AP Physics 1 & 2, AP French, Honors English
Major Awards: Award for Exceptional Service at the hospital I volunteer at
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Student Council VP, Freshman Student Senate Treasurer, over 300 hours of volunteering at local hospital, School Soccer (9-12) and Captain (10-11), Club Soccer and Captain (9-11)
Job/Work Experience: Lawn Mowing Service (9-12)
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital Volunteer (10-12)
Summer Activities: Tons of hours at the hospital
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 probably, I had special counselors work on them and they helped them be really good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didn’t see any of them, but both of my teachers really liked me, and my counselor told me that her essay for me was one of the best she’d ever written because she knew me and loved me
Interview: Was not given one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): IL
School Type: Big, affluent public school (1000 per grade)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
A few years ago, my sister got denied from Vanderbilt Early Decision I and was then admitted to Yale Regular Decision. Everything will work out for all of you. I firmly believe it.
To anyone rejected here are some schools that are similar in environment that you may also enjoy:
- Emory
- WashU
- Rice
- Wake Forest
- University of Virginia
- Georgia Tech
- Washington and Lee
- Tulane
- Miami University in Ohio
- Duke
They’re either similar in size, location, or atmosphere. Some are slightly easier or harder to get into, and just realize a rejection from one school doesn’t mean you can’t get into a school of equal or greater caliber. Hopefully this helps.
Accepted to college of arts and science! Congrats to everyone who got in, and to those who didnt, you will all do amazing wherever you go!!
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
-SAT I (breakdown): N/A
-ACT (breakdown): 35: 31 on math, 36 on everything else, writing 11
-SAT II: Literature 780, World History 780
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 93/100 which I think is a 3.8 or something?? Don’t quote me on that though
-Weighted GPA: 96 ish out of 100 which is probably around 3.9
-Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): we don’t rank
-AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), US History (5), English Composition (5), Physics (4)
-IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
-Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Euro, Calc (accelerated but not honors or AP), AP Environmental, Latin V (only one level)
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar w/ Honors, Yale Book Award, and a handful of local and regional awards for writing
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Varsity Cheer (captain)
-Latin Club (president)
-Student Council (Treasurer)
-English, Science, Math, Language, and National Honor Societies (I think these are a bit gratuitous but joined anyway lol)
-I write a lot of poetry and short stories and I enter them into contests and stuff
Job/Work Experience:
-Lifeguard and babysitter
Volunteer/Community service:
-In a community service club
-I tutor middle schoolers 2X week for free through my school
-soup kitchens, ALS fundraisers, bake sales, etc
-I probably have ~100 hrs
Summer Activities:
-I work at a pool that’s really it haha
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-I think my essay was one of the strongest points of my app. It was very personal (death in my nuclear family) and though it was about something sad I tried to make it more reflective than a pity party so I’m gonna go 9/10.
-My supplement was about Latin club which I <3!! And it was much more lighthearted than my personal statement. 9
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
-English teacher rec: this teacher LOVED me and we are still very close; she is also a great writer. Solid 8, maybe 9
-APUSH teacher rec: this guy told me what he was going to put in the letter and it was good & specific. Also the advisor to Latin club so we are pretty tight. Solid 7, maybe an 8?
-Guidance counselor: we aren’t super close but he interviewed me for 45 mins so he could write the rec and we agree on a lot of stuff. I think he wrote it about why I’m passionate about liberal arts and the humanities. Hopefully it stood out a bit. 8.
-Interview: super intense and long. There were tears (which I am told is an absolute no-no but actually was fine) but we really connected and he made Vandy sound so amazing. Gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: philosophy w/ minor in classics or linguistics
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 100-200 k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): honestly none
Strengths: ACT and tests in general, essay, NM, leadership roles
Weaknesses: G! P! A! Freshman year counts, kids. Thankfully my gpa didn’t cause too much trouble though it could and really should be higher.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve heard Vandy is really big on test scores, so my ACT definitely pulled through. Other than that, I really don’t know.
General Comments: Sorry this is so long I’m just really excited right now! I’m so thankful I got in. Congrats to everyone else who just became a dore! And if you didn’t make it, I want you to remember that there are wayyy too many qualified kids applying to this school. Be proud of yourself for having the discipline to apply ED anywhere, and know that you WILL get to a school you love and have the time of your life!
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
- SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (760/790)
- SAT II: 760, 740
- UW GPA: 4.0
- W GPA: 4.6
- Rank: stopped ranking this year, was 15/600 last year
- AP (place score in parenthesis): Six 5’s, Five 4’s
- Senior Year Course Load: 2 Dual Enrollment, 1 Advanced, AP Chem, AP Music Theory, AP WH, Vector Calculus
- Major Awards: National Merit Semifinalist
Major extracurriculars:
- Classical piano performance, got some small awards but not that big of a deal
- Church Youth group (my only leadership position)
- Internship with federal government agency
- Refereeing youth soccer
- Played piano at charity concerts and volunteered at a hospital
- Played soccer until I got screwed by injuries
Essays
Common app - 8/10, private admissions counselor said it was “really, really good”
Supplement - 7/10, private admissions counselor said it was “great”
Recommendations:
History: 8/10 “One of best this year”
English: 8/10 “One of best this year”
Guidance counselor: Good, explained my medical circumstances very well AFAIK, seemed like she really really wanted the best for me. Also probably emphasized that I had highest possible course rigor.
Interview: Requested and didn’t get one
Applied for Financial Aid?: yeah and I got a ton thank god
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): an underrepresented state at Vanderbilt
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: No le importa
Hooks: (mild) extenuating medical circumstances
Strengths: GPA/SAT/Recs
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: People from my state don’t rly like Vandy/southern schools (neither do I, I just like Vandy and Duke). Also I think I came across as a really balanced/likeable kid, that would have shown through in my recs and essays.
General Comments: Hook em–I mean roll tide–I mean ANCHOR DOWN 2023! GL to everyone on the rest of their admissions cycle
Accepted!
ACT: 35 (34 math, 36 English, 34 science, 35 reading)
SAT II: 760 (math 2) 770 (physics)
GPA: UW: 4.0, W: 4.6
APs: 5s on Physics C mechanics, Physics C electricity and magnetism, calculus AB, statistics, 4s on Physics 1 and English Lit
Rank: doesn’t rank, but award for third highest GPA in school
Awards: national merit, AP Scholar, math competitions, school-wide awards for calculus, Chinese, statistics
White, female
School of Engineering, computer science
North Carolina
Small Private rigorous boarding school
Essays: pretty good I think, super personal
Recs: very good I think
ECs:
Prefect at boarding school, member of honor council at school, 3 sport varsity Athlete, piano since 1st grade, lots of clubs (not very strong overall)
Requested interview but didn’t get one
Super excited !!
Rejected, but it’s okay!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): —
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 R, 35 E, 31 M, 35 S)
SAT II: —
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): —
Weighted GPA: 3.93/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 98/510
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), US History (3), Lang (3), Gov (N/A), Econ (N/A), Lit (N/A), Calc AB (N/A), Environmental Science (N/A)
IB (place score in parenthesis): —
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s (5 including gov and Econ as 2), choir, theatre, and senior mentor
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar
Vanderbilt Merit Scholarship: N
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Theatre (leading roles in multiple shows), Choir (Choir President 2018-2019), Young Life (Freshman Leader), Marching Band (Sophomore Representative), UIL One Act Play Team, UIL Poetry and Prose Team
Job/Work Experience: —
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered on work crew at a Christian camp (served 8 meals a day, did outdoor work, and interacted with K-6th kids); Freshman Young Life leader
Summer Activities: worked at summer camp (above), went to choir camps, did marching band for 3 years
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
- Common App: Solid 8/10. Wrote about how theatre taught me to study life from an interdisciplinary point of view.
- Supplement: 7.5/10. Wrote about working at camp and how manual labor enabled me to spend quiet time with myself.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10. Sophomore English teacher. Super in-depth and character-based.
Teacher Rec #2: 6.5/10. Junior physics teacher. It was really good, but it could have been more specific.
Counselor Rec: ?/10 Didn’t see this one, so not sure— but I know her super well, and her sister went to Vanderbilt so I’m sure it was great.
Additional Rec: 9/10. Written by my boss from the camp I worked at. Again, super character driven as he didn’t know about my academics. He’s a great writer and so this one was awesome.
Interview: I requested one, but I guess there wasn’t someone in my area because I was never contacted about it.
Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Theatre
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): —
School Type: Large competitive public school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,00+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I have a sister who attends Vanderbilt
Reflection:
Strengths: EC’s, ACT, sister attending
Weaknesses: CLASS RANK for sure, possibly one weaker letter of rec
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, Vanderbilt gets a whole bunch of awesome applicants and I just didn’t make the cut. It’s totally okay! There’s so many great schools out there. My class rank probably had to do with it.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Texas A&M; waiting to hear back from University of Texas
Congratulations to everyone who got accepted! If you’re in the rejection boat with me, don’t worry! There are a million great schools out there and one of them has your name on it.