Vanderbilt only cares about test scores

I often hear that Vanderbilt puts a huge emphasis on test scores. I have a 31ACT and was wondering if it would be possible for me to get in. Also, I am Hispanic if that helps. (spanish-speaking Caribbean to be exact.) I don’t necessarily want to get chanced, but just want to know if I even have a chance. Thanks in advance!

Really really high chance. You’re a URM, so that 31 is functionally about a 34 I would say. Add .2-.3 to your GPA as well. This applies to any school you apply to. Now, if you were white or Asian, this would be a completely different story.

@derp125 Wow didn’t realize it would be that helpful. Do you think I could likely be admitted ED? GPA-4.3
President of Spanish club, spirit committee, and art club
Student government officer
Treasurer of key club
Lots of volunteer work

You’re going to have to give me your unweighted GPA (Unless the 4.0 at your school is actually a 4.3?). Colleges don’t really care about your weighted GPA since there’s such a large discrepancy in the number of IB/AP classes that different high schools offer.

As long as your unweighted GPA is like…3.6? 3.7? You should have a really good shot with ED. ED+URM is a deadly combo which can get you into virtually any school you want.

@derp125 I currently have a 3.95 UW. I got a B sophomore year in honors geometry.

You’ll get in. If you retake that ACT and get a 34 though, you should start looking towards HYPSM.

@derp125 thank you so much for your help!

Maybe.

You are still a high match, at best. They want URMs, but you are not the only one applying, and some will have better stats.

If you want to get into a school of Vandy’s caliber (same-tier elite private university…), I suggest you also apply to (some of) these to give you much more solid chances:

Johns Hopkins
Rice
Washington U
Georgetown
Emory
Notre Dame
Carnegie Mellon

Also, don’t forget to add a couple of true matches and at least one safety.

Agree with what @prezbucky said. I apologize if I gave off the impression that you should just blow off Vandy as a 100% guarantee. As with any top school, there’s always a little bit of luck involved, and nothing is guaranteed. You should definitely apply to more schools than just Vandy, like prezbucky said.

@prezbucky @derp125 in your opinions, do you think it’s worth applying to Yale? And derp125 I assumed you meant a good chance. I know that sadly there are no guarantees.

If you have the time and cash to apply to Yale, sure, go for it. You’ll never know unless you try.

Yale is a reach for everyone, but you cannot get in if you don’t apply.

@Ohio2city : You don’t have to hear about it, the ranges are published on their and other websites. However, I would always apply anyway if interested, because every school has a bottom and top 25% and it doesn’t matter what the scores are below or above those marks (although maybe for the top it is more favorable to have perfect scores at an ultra stats sensitive school, may even get a scholarship!) that mark so much as it isn’t detrimental to their chances of doing well at the school (like if you had below 28 or something and were going into STEM). Remember, those quartiles just tell you how many people are above or below that score and not what score they have. Didn’t know about the GPA thing…seems weird they would do that considering that performance at most schools is perhaps best correlated with GPA and much lesser so ACT/SAT’s (which tell how well people take the types of tests that shouldn’t be given that often in college).

And, yes, if you actually like Yale, apply. I would just avoid throwing apps to top schools b/c they are prestigious or supposedly “awesome”. Don’t waste your time. Be sure to research the schools and know whether or not they have the social and academic environment you want because they are NOT all the same. Like Vandy and Yale would be similar socially, but different academically (programmatic offerings are different for undergrads and the curricula differ a bit in many areas, especially STEM). Avoid the “I just need to get into a top 20-25” attitude if you can. I know people claim that they are thinking differently, but unfortunately many people show otherwise based upon the questions they ask once enrolled. It exposes them as not having considered certain important issues before enrolling, much less applying.

I had a 31 and a 3.6 unweighted and I got in so you have a shot at least.

@bernie12 GPA is completely subjective relative to the high school. Tons of factors affect it. For example, if you go to a crappy high school vs. a private one. Much easier to get a 4.0 in a crappy high school. Also, the difference in IB and AP between schools. I was in the IB program and I had a weighted GPA of 5.1. What does that really mean? What about kids who are in the AP program and can only take a few of those a year?

In my personal opinion, test scores are much more valuable in college admissions. Everyone takes the same test. All of the common arguments against test scores also hold true for GPA. For example, people say that you can prep for the SAT and ACT with prep courses, giving an unfair advantage. You can also hire a private tutor and the like for your high school classes. Another argument is that so much weight shouldn’t be given on a single test, and some people might be inherently bad at test taking. Your entire life in college (and perhaps after college) will be filled with tests. Test taking is a valuable skill to have. MCAT, GRE, LSAT, the list goes on.

Just my opinion, open to discussion.

@derp125 : I have taken a nap and had too much caffeine. I’ll PM you my logic, though you should seen it before. It is more complicated than you think. I think the scores “should” have value.

I would just like to chime in and warn you against applying ED unless you are truly 100% sure somewhere is your dream school. I know people who apply ED because they think it will be easier to get in, and while I think that is true to some extent, the admissions bump isn’t worth finding out you don’t love the school and having no other options. I am a big believer in the power of having a variety of acceptances and aid packages in your hand to pick from come April, even if you have one or two rejections or waitlists that may have accepted you ED. When your senior year comes to an end and with acceptance in hand you really start envisioning yourself going somewhere, it can be nice to be able to take a second look and then make that decision.

Lets look at what U’s have to work with to select the best students:

  1. GPA. While this may help your state U decide which students will graduate and those that will not it is of little use as 90%+ of applicants to the most selective schools will graduate. They are useless to compare students at different high schools or even the same HS as rank is often times not reported. With grade inflation everyone has a high GPA today. So not much help here.
  2. Essays. These are edited by parents, friends, teachers, and hired guns. If a STEM major has to write essays why not make the English majors solve a few physics problems.
  3. Letters of reference. Form letters downloaded that say “great kid, let him in”. Private high school teachers are well informed on how to “play the game”.
  4. EC’s. Does a baseball player who plays the violin trump a soccer oboe player? How about class president vs yearbook editor? Does a kid with a connected father who gets an internship on the Capital Hill trump a kid that worked for Ben & Jerry’s to save money for college?
  5. Leadership helps but not all great candidates are leaders in high school. Most leadership positions in HS don’t require much work or leadership but they can help a U know what a students peers think about an applicant.
  6. Hooks, or class building skills?
  7. Test scores. While they have problems they will be used until someone comes up with a better way to determine a students potential and to compare students from different high schools.
    In general, the admission process is fairly similar at most selective universities. They all want bright, diverse, and talented students. Vanderbilt like other most selective U’s use test scores as a part of the process. VU (like 99.9% of other U’s) has been accepting high test scoring students for decades. The reason VU scores have skyrocketed today is more and more of these students elect to attend Vanderbilt. Like other most selective U’s high test scores alone will not get you accepted as they have the luxury to select students that excel inside and outside the classroom.