Vanderbilt Transfer Thread [Fall 2017]

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
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“also I have heard of Vanderbilt grade deflation, is this true?”

I would chime in: if this is true then what? you will not attend the school? also, lots and lots kids are at Vandy and they are not afraid of this thingy. In fact, my son graduated Engineering May 2016 finished with flying color grades and has been hired right after Vandy with high paying job (entry level) as Aerospace Engineer in Cali.

Thanks to grade deflation to separate the boys and the men. Manly men are not afraid of grade deflation or inflation.

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life for B students at Vandy can also be satisfying. I agree with Tulanefan’s sentiment --if not his macho delivery. Here is a softee Vandy and Duke Mom’s delivery of the same idea: flowers don’t compete with each other…they bloom and achieve their own potential. haha. That is really too soft but anyway…
But seriously, there is no bottom quartile in general at Vandy. This may come as a bit of a shock when test curves are created. After all the professors really do deserve to know who the smartest students are in each department. Why not? But that doesn’t mean that the merely Very Smart kids have no value.

There are no people who showed up to Vandy, moved in their rooms and do not know how to study.

There are only students with good work habits and students with lapses in work habits or students with lapses in maturity or students who may change their majors as they discover their talents more specifically. Everyone is capable of making it. There will be a weed out in hard sciences and engineering. But a good work ethic can win the day.

There are students who discover they are in fact B students among their peers in testing in college exams who still enjoy successful careers and recruitment as doctors, lawyers, business people and engineers. There are a grad school paths that favor high GPAs…one is law…which usually leads to prelaw students avoiding riskier courses.

You have to know yourself. My son made a 36 on the ACT math but I can pretty much assure you he would work very very hard for a B in Calc or Econ at Vandy. Why? he has some inklings of his limitations and some ideas of his talents. He has excellent work habits. someone else with a 32 on the ACT math who got into Vandy may in fact have oodles more talent in math but just be hitting their stride in maturity and work habits and will knock it out of the park in college math. High school testing does not predict everything is my point. Mastering a little high math in high school does not tell the tale for the long haul.

I have a friend in the CIA with a genius IQ. He graduated with a C average from my college. His high school performance was even worse. He had a great career and got a PhD. The CIA and other agencies have their own entry exams and they know what they are looking for. Not everyone matures by age 18.

Take the long view of your life. A Vanderbilt degree is something that conveys rigor. It also conveys that you are capable of treating your education like a race you are running on your own. It implies that you can stand up and hold your head up in a room where there will most certainly be students who will ace Vanderbilt exams and lab work beyond your performances.

My Duke grad had a B average in Econ. He still got a modest scholarship to grad school, and eventually got a very excellent job after one or two forks in the road. He did his level best daily. What I like about him is how much he admired his classmates and their talents. He ran his own race.

My Virginia Tech B minus or C student engineering graduate nephew (very weak high school prep) just nailed high grades in his master’s program. He got hired quickly in an engineering firm in DC as soon as he got out of Virginia Tech and is excelling, knocking down more credentials and very happy in his career path.

You definitely don’t want to come to Vandy with any attitude but that of admiring the savants that are floating about campus in different programs. You definitely have to have excellent work habits to keep any decent GPA at Vandy. Same at many many other selective schools. Students at Vandy are really not competing against each other. Not at all. They have long term goals. So take the long view in your own life. good luck

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Yeees, I was looking for this thread. I’m applying to a couple of colleges as an incoming sophomore, and Vanderbilt has been in my top 3 since the beginning. It’s a shame they don’t have a CommonApp supplement though.
Amazing university, amazing place… I look forward to sharing the admissions process with you guys!

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@HopefullyIGetIn

  1. How do you like Nashville? I am OBSESSED WITH NASHVILLE. I am so passionate about music, and this city has music and more. I am so proud to call Nashville my new home!!

2.How was transferring credits-did most transfer?
Literally all of my classes besides a dual enrollment class from high school transferred over. They are incredibly generous when it comes to transfer credits- I really would not worry about it at all. For example: I took a History of Rock n’ Roll class at UF and they took it!

3.Compared to UF, how are the classes? are they harder, are professors better? also I have heard of Vanderbilt grade deflation, is this true?
They are harder, but in a different way. Instead of constantly being lectured at, it is so discussion based, which was a slight challenge for me to adjust to. The professors are so much more approachable and willing to help all students. One of my HOD profs even invited our whole class (90 something people) to her house for Thanksgiving!! They are nothing but kind.
Yeah, there is deflation which was a let down. However, when you transfer from a state school to Vanderbilt, it is to be expected. Stars at state schools are just normal people at Vandy. Once you get over that mental hurdle, it’s not a big deal at all.

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Could someone chance me?
College: University of Massachusetts Amherst
College GPA: 3.93
Major: English and Political Science
So I am going to join a few clubs next semester and last semester I wasn’t really involved but took 5 days out of university to volunteer for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin where I worked in the office and went door to door, made phone calls, and helped volunteers, etc. so I think that could set me apart from other applicants. In addition, I may write about how that experience changed my view of the political world and instead of ignoring the (obvious) disapointment that came as a result of the election, particularly in Wisconsin, I could talk about how the things we can take away from the defeat/the improvements that need to be made in reaching out to voters.
I also took a gap year last year where I lived in Berlin, Germany for six months and worked the entire fall and directed a show at my high school/acted in another show simultaneously.
My high school GPA was a 3.3 (I know, pretty low) but I was very involved in theater and have several awards I can cite. My SATs are also 1850 which is well below their average.
I think if I emphasize how important my gap year was to me I can make up for my poor high school performance and as far as extracurriculars go I don’t have many but the ones I believe could set me apart.

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@emmajane2 , I think you have a really phenomenal chance. However, I would advise against writing about politics for your transfer statement. Your transfer statement is about why you want to transfer, and only that. I would include your anecdote in the supplemental writing section, though.

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@Vandy2019xx Hey there. No question here, just wanted to thank you for being open to sharing your experiences with us! Your hard work and helpful nature shined through your profile and I’m sure they were more than happy to accept you!
I doubt I’ll get into all of my top three choices, but if Vanderbilt happens to be the one that accepts me, then I’ll most definitely be attending. Wish us luck! <3

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In general, for all of those worried about grade deflation. By the definitions used for it at Vanderbilt, I would say that it exists in STEM at least half of the top 20-25 or so schools mainly in STEM and perhaps economics. But again, I don’t consider it deflation so much as “challenging” (and believe it or not, the schools with more inflation, if you look at these areas and the content they cover, and the level they expect students to know it…well many are actually even more challenging than these less leniently grading schools). I really only consider grade deflation as artificially deflating the grades by say curving them downward. “Rigorous” grading standards I do not consider deflation (deflation is really when grades decline at an institution or remain flat over several years. Vanderbilt and most schools regardless of SAT increases have experienced increases). By worrying about this, you close the door to most elite schools you may want to transfer into including Vanderbilt. It is best to have the cautious attitude of “okay, I should prepare myself for the likely reality that I may be more academically challenged at this school”. This even goes for places with “inflation” (as in more inflation than elsewhere). Many such schools in areas like STEM flat out have harder course work than other selective schools, so the inflation sometimes mitigates some effects of that. And many transferring to said places will have to adjust to more of a raw intensity.

One thing to consider if going into a rigorous grading discipline at a very selective institution vs. a much less selective one is:

Standard level courses are considered challenging enough at the less selective school, but for a huge chunk at a selective, are considered medium/very doable. This means, that there may be lots more padding and/or a curve at a less selective (especially flagships), but hardly no adjustments at an elite (they will just assign grades by normal scale, no curve).

Difficult instructors: Perhaps a lot more common at selective institutions and to be considered difficult requires much more than at less selective schools. They have to have an unusually high reading or writing load (hum and Soc. Sci) or design exams and problem sets that ask for a lot of critical inquiry and higher level problem solving (STEM), a fast pace is not enough to increase difficulty, it is faster pace in addition to more depth (often sudents may be expected to learn extra things or solve problems unlike ones in book, lecture or HW for example. Some students call such test items “unfair” because they require extrapolation or more judgement than normal).

The only way this could be considered deflation is if you assume that grades should take into account the standards (level of dept students are expected to learn) at other schools as opposed to discipline/departmental norms. Basically, people feel as if they deserve to be graded in a way that assumes they would do much better at a college where more professors expect less. This is somewhat valid but many in places like STEM and econ. still use grades mainly to sort within a cohort of that institution, so more so internal standards. In addition, STEM and econ are under no pressure to increase enrollment numbers.

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@Vandy2019xx thanks for your response, its much appreciated. @bernie12
Yea, I mean I wouldn’t be applying to Vanderbilt if I didn’t want to be challenged. But, as somebody who is strongly considering going to law school, I would be dumb not to even consider it-even if its a very small consideration. Honestly, as a new Englander, I am much more worried about the culture if I am fortunate enough to be accepted.
Sidenote: One of the most annoying thing about classes here is there is almost no higher level, application thinking. So this kind of rigor is actually exactly what I want.

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@Hopefully1GetIn : You are really not guaranteed to get it at a more elite school unless you make it a point to choose smaller classes (or mainly professors) that Vandy2019xx alludes to that require you to discuss (which suggests that you actually read in some detail or have thought about the reading). But regardless, outside of economics, the social sciences basically never have grade deflation at hardly any school, so you didn’t really need to worry about it if you were considering a social science or humanities discipline to study. I am just reminding folks that the grading schemes that people make a big deal about at places like Vanderbilt, Berkeley, and some other schools, are really the norm among elites and many non. Some student bodies just complain more or bring it up more than others whereas many just accept it or are convinced that it is an expectation. Usually when you hear this constantly from student bodies where there was not an official effort by the school (eg Princeton for a while or places like Reed or Purdue), it suggests that many are concentrated in majors that are not typically generous with grades (Berkeley and JHU for example have a lot of engineering and other STEM majors that “make a lot of noise”…and it likely comes from the STEM and econ. students at other places like Chicago as well, though some schools like Chicago are known to also have unusually high reading and writing loads in many humanities and social sciences courses ) OR that many students flat out under-estimated the academics. Many do this, and most are willing to admit and some are not so may deflect and make the grading standards out to be a special case for their school.

I just usually find all the talk confusing because it is never clear which schools the elite school in question (the one typically being derided for “grade deflation”) is being compared to. My only conclusion is that most are comparing to the standards of much less selective schools and what they would have to do to make a certain grade at such places and then wondering why the grade distributions in courses at the selective colleges look similar to some of those at others. The truth is that most instructors scale the standards (whether it be grading or actual content) based on what they think students will and can do at that institution. As in this thought often does not occur among those teaches who give easier grades : “Maybe I should be more generous because at X school, they only do such and such” so much as “If I do not keep the students happy, they will complain or my enrollment numbers will decline and lose funding for the department”. Again, STEM and economics do not need to respond to such pressures at any school (elite or non, they get to retain a weedout culture at certain levels of courses) so the effects observed among students in these at elites are very real…they will have to fight harder to ensure a good grade.A lot of Humanities and Social Sciences will often require more cognitive complexity (mainly because class sizes are smaller so it isn’t as burdensome to facilitate discussion and grade more rigorous assignments) but will not be that hard to achieve a good grade (as in most soc. science and humanities teachers are not making assignments and grading harder simply because students are better, so there are usually an abundance of A grades. And again, they are also much more sensitive to enrollment politics).

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Right- thank you for your feedback! I’ll definitely focus on staying on topic to the writing prompt/keep my statement from being too political. I actually have not read over the prompts or the actual application process yet either so I’m still unsure about what I will write about. Thanks again!

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Good luck to all those applying for transfer!! Hoping for the best for all of us.

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Hey guys! Anyone care to chance me?

HS Stats:
GPA: 4.0 weighted (I can’t remember exactly but will update when I check with my school later this week)
ACT: 31
Class Rank: 6/287
Extracurriculars: Student Athletic Training, National Honor Society, worked 40 hour weeks during the summers

College Stats:
Current School: Middle-tier state school in Texas
Major: Economics

GPA: 4.00 institutional (my first semester), had a 3.81 coming in from high school dual credit, applying as a Junior
Currently in my second semester of my first year but am a second-semester sophomore because of dual credit classes
Extracurriculars: Honor’s College, Engineers Without Borders, Lion’s Club, Honor’s service organization, Honor’s book club, College Republicans (debating mentioning this one)
Letters of Recommendation: one “glowing” letter from one of my honors professors and one average letter from my economics professor
Essay: Hopefully strong

I am also applying to the Columbia, UNC, and SMU.

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Anyone pre-med applying?

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I’ll get in on this (please chance me);
College: top 40 liberal arts college
Prospective Sophomore
Major: Economics (hoping to do Human and Organizational Development)
GPA: 3.93
ECs: Investment Club, Men’s Club Rugby, Improv Clyb
ACT: 32

HS: 3.15 (went to a nationally-ranked private school)

Will be sending in my app in the next few weeks

36

@HopefullyIGetIn Uhhh, not for a while. Like Early April, or maybe a week into april the first wave came out and they kept going until like late May.

37

Applied to Vanderbilt as a transfer student for Fall of 2017. Posting this on all the transfer forums I applied to (that exist) for reference. Will report back come decision day, maybe even live in the suspense as it approaches.

22YO white male from Michigan
Also applied: Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Harvard, Brown, UPenn, Columbia, NYU, Cornell
School: Arts and Sciences
Major: Neuroscience
Other major of interest: Psychology

Objective
Currently Attending: Community College in Michigan
Credits: will finish with 88, which includes 12 from APs… I expect somewhere around 50 to transfer due a semi-difficult social work program I am completing that is nontransferable, as well as the APs being taken out.
College GPA: 3.95 (UW), 1 W in Fall of 2013
College course load: Sporadic courses from fall of '13 to winter '15. 17 CH’s in fall '15, 21 CH’s in fall '16, 22 this semester (never received lower than an A-, haven’t received A- since winter of '14)
Two gap semesters in winter '15 and winter '16
HS: Meh Public School in MI, ~1500 students, sends 2-3 students to Michigan every year and a student to an Ivy once or twice in a decade
HS GPA: 3.2ish
ACT: 28 (one and only sitting in March 2011)

Subjective
EC’s: Work as a “full time” school bus driver in addition to the 22 CH’s I’m taking, internship at residential juvenile delinquency rehabilitation program, another job in leadership role, the gap semester jobs and travel, serve on board of directors of local youth baseball league, run umpires program for the league for last three years. Passionate about them all.
LOR’s: I doubt they get any better than what they may have wrote. I didn’t see them, but the two professors absolutely loved me. Both hold PhD’s for whatever that’s worth.
Gap explanation: Really good. Solid reason, involved travel and learning
Why Transfer: Liked this essay the most, but it’s kind of supposed to be a lay-up for a CC transfer lol
Supplemental Essay: I’m a perfectionist, and I felt like there was something still to be said, but I know I’m a really good writer, so shrug… Did notice one stupid typo after submission >.<

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Can you guys chance me? I have very good extra curricular activities, and GPA, but very low sat scores
High School:
-National Honor Society (Legislative branch)
-Student Government (2 yrs- Legislative branch)
-French Department Honor award
-French Club (secretary)
-Anchor Club (1 yr)
-Varsity Soccer (4 yrs- Senior year team captain)
-Varsity Cross Country (2 yrs- Senior year women’s captain)
-Varsity Tennis (1 yr)
-Varsity Swimming (1 yr)
GPA: 3.75

Community College: (first year)
31 credit hours; Associate in Arts
-August - October 2016
NC District Attorney’s Office
Internship
-two part time jobs

SERVICE
-2007 Heart to Honduras
Construction and Service Project Mission Trip
Traveled to Honduras with a mission team to work in Tegucigalpa and Conchias. We built homes and served women and children in the communities and discipleship school.
-2009 - 2013 Annual Mission Fuge Summer Camp- for mission work
-Doctors Without Borders
Medical Service and Teaching Trip
Traveled to Uganda and set up free medical clinics and taught health classes in 3 rural villages and impoverished cities; served and treated over 1600 patients in one week.
-Taking this next year for a gap year service exchange program, The World Race, to live out of a back pack and serve in India, Nepal, Nicaragua, Swaziland, and Lesotho for nine months.

I plan to apply for this next year and defer for a year to be there in 2018 when I get back to the US.
Major: Political Science & International Relations
GPA: 3.94
SAT: 1160 (my biggest concern)

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@superpinksquish
Vanderbilt is known to be very picky with its test scores but…
Your ECs are extremely impressive and will most likely outshine the scores. Couple that with your excellent GPA and hopefully good essays, you will definitely have a fighting chance.

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thank you so much! That was very encouraging, I was trying to decide if I even had a chance, so I am definitely going to try.