Vanderbilt ED1 Class of 2022 Discussion Thread

@Nosh786 don’t worry dude, you’re not alone

Accepted into School of Engineering!
ACT: 34
SAT: 1510 (Math: 800 Reading:710)
W GPA: 4.72 (1/670)
8 AP’s
Captain of Speech Team and Math Team. Apart of club and school volleyball from freshman year to junior year.

Congratulations to all of those who were accepted, and good luck to everyone else whose college journey still continues.

My D was rejected. 95 unweighted, many APs. 1480 SAT, 33 ACT. Lots of ECs and awards. Very disappointed , but we move on. We have 2 HSs in our town. 6 known Vandy EDs, no one accepted. I guess they don’t like us. Hopefully she will have some good choices going forward. Congrats to all those who were accepted.

Same here buddy, Don’t worry about being outright rejected as I’m pretty sure Vanderbilt doesn’t have a defer option anymore. I kinda prefer it that way as it helps me move on. I’m sure everyone in this thread who didn’t make it will go somewhere great, just keep your head high.

Rejected- It seems like everyone on here for the most part was accepted. My daughter was not. She had a 35 ACT (not superscored). She had a 4.0 full IB gpa. A TON of awards and leadership activities. She had more than enough to get in but she didnt. I really thought she had a good chance. Amazing letters of recommendation. I guess it wasnt meant to be. She visited the school from Easy Coast. Only 4 students attend VU from our state. No clue why she didnt get in. She is taking the news well. But I am sad for her as she worked so hard for so long and I eanted it for her. Congrats to all who got in! Another school will get one amazing sweet girl!

@Nosh786 Don’t worry dude, Iqra and Qarshi are always there…

I was Accepted!!!
35 ACT (36 Superscore)
All the AP’s that my school offers, captain of a varsity team, two pages of extracurriculars, lots of service activity, great essays about experiences that are unique to me. My recommendations were great, and I was the only student from my school to apply ED. The only negative part of my application was my class rank. I’m ranked at the botom of the top 10%, yet my grade is extremely smart and High achieving. I had a 4.8 weighted GPA.

I just wanted to put out what I feel is a very strong application, because people tend to only post if they had an unexpected outcome. This means that students reading this thread will often be angry that they were denied and someone with lower test scores was accepted, or future students reading this thread (I read last year’s thread religiously) will worry that they are not enough after seeing seemingly highly ranked students get denied.

To those applying EDII, RD, or applying next year: work hard on your application and keep your hopes up. The admissions process is holistic, and takes everything into account.

Best of luck to all, Anchor Down!!!

@Nosh786 You seemed so down, I wanted to reach out to you. True story: Family member was rejected from a very competitive first choice school. He went elsewhere, enjoyed college, and worked hard. He got out of school and continued to work hard. 30 years & many jobs later, he worked his way up to an executive position in large company and was asked (and went) to be a guest lecturer at the same prestigious school that rejected him. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep your spirits up & don’t let this one setback throw you off course. Best of luck in your continued journey - keep working hard & you’ll achieve your dream, just following a different path.

As a mom of a student who got accepted last year, I can say that for many this is heartbreak. But, I think the process does work. The kids that don’t get in to Vandy, will, for the most part (99.9999) love the school they eventually get into and go to. I don’t think it is about getting high GPA or high test scores OR wonderful outstanding ECs or presidents or officer of many clubs. I do think it is ALL of these. I believe that one does have to be competitive at their high school. Each high school is so different in what they offer, when they offer, etc. But being competitive in your high school class is a great start. And of course, scoring well on SAT/ACT. But from there…it really is how did you make an impact and what can you bring to Vandy (or other college you are applying). What did you do in high school that you will bring to Vandy…Vanderbilt has a really high achieving student body with varied interests. I don’t think it is enough to be straight A and perfect scores and some ECs…Follow your passion, excel and make a difference. That is what they are looking for. Tell your story…

ACCEPTED!!!
32 ACT
4.2 GPA
AHH SO EXCITED

My daughter was rejected with a 3.95 unweighted, 5.2 weighted, tons of AP classes, Valedictorian, Class Pres., Pres. of NHS, Top 10 in the world in international competition, major community service, has a job, but her SAT was a 1420. I am thinking her SAT score is what kept her from being accepted, but then I see others with near perfect SAT or ACT scores who were also rejected, so who knows? Their loss. This girl is a mover and a shaker, with great compassion for others, and I know she will land exactly where she is supposed to be. VU was not meant to be for her. Congrats to all who were accepted, and to those who were rejected, don’t take it personally. I know it hurts, but this, too, shall pass. Good luck to everyone!

Ours was reject from their number 1 choice during their college search. It was heartbreaking to watch knowing how hard they had worked. However, we keep hearing how much they LOVE the school they are currently attending and has actually said, if I were accepted to my number 1, I am not sure I would be as happy. Good Luck to all.

To ctc237 – that really hurts. Your daughter sounds spectacular. It’s really hard to know why one student gets in and another does not. My son was accepted and we are, of course, over the moon, but I still ache for those that seem so qualified and don’t get in. As I’m sure you know, wherever your daughter gets in, they will be lucky to have her.

@ctc237 My D has a little higher but similar stats and qualifications as yours and was also denied. Very sad and disappointed. I know the process is very complicated, and I’m not sure anyone in Admissions could explain specifically why our Ds were rejected instead of others who were accepted. You’ll see others accepted with SAT/ACT scores lower than 1420. CollegeBoard didn’t do us any favors this year; they will have their concordance tables straightened out next year but that doesn’t help our kids this year. Hard to remember that life is not fair but we are trying to understand and move on…

VU gets more female applicants so it’s tougher for girls. Bigtime alumni and donor children apply ED as well. I’m not sure if athletes and such are included in the ED round. But all of this impacts how many kids they “really” accept so I don’t believe the rate is quite as high as VU claims. Is there an appeal process – does anyone know?

Accepted into A&S
ACT: 34
Weighted GPA: 4.583
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank: 22/450
11 AP’s by the end of senior year

I’m so ecstatic yet so terrified!

@ctc237 honestly, when it comes down to top tier schools like Vanderbilt, a vast majority of the students who apply ED are qualified to attend. And that’s probably the hardest thing to come to terms with since so many accomplished students are essentially being told they’re “not good enough”. But here’s the thing: that’s NOT TRUE. Your daughter is going to go somewhere that she will thrive and make a difference. Vanderbilt may not have seen how she would fit into their incoming class but I’m sure that wherever she goes, she will do awesome things! Sad I won’t get to meet her next year though:(

@Living61 I read somewhere that ED admissions don’t include athletes, but legacy/donor students are probably included if they applied early.

Thanks to many of you for the kind words. I am really proud of my daughter and how she has handled the rejection from VU. She cried that first night that the decision came out, then the next day she was angry, but now she has brushed herself off and moved on. She has been offered a full ride at several in state public universities, and a half-ride at a prominent OOS public university. She is waiting to hear from some reg. decision private schools, as well. But, it is looking like the in state public school with the full ride may likely be where she ends up. As a single mom and a HS public school teacher myself, that makes the most financial sense for us. I know God has a plan for my girl, and I know she will bloom wherever she gets planted. This college admission process is quite stressful, and I can’t wait for it to be over! I have twins, so my son is going through the process, as well. NOT FUN, for sure…anyway, all the best to those accepted and not accepted…I truly believe our kids will get out of college whatever they put into it, wherever that may be.

Woot Woot!
Son was accepted ED1 to School of Engineering with UW GPA 3.35/ W GPA 3.59 and SAT 1550.
It was a “reach school” for him. Had a really rough freshman year- parents divorced,moved across the country, 2.9 GPA
Honestly, I think his very strong teacher recommendations tipped the scale for him.
Thank You, Vanderbilt! You will not regret giving this young man a chance. He is so creative!

@MapleSugar I mean absolutely no offense here, but are you serious?

No rhyme or reason to these decisions.