Can anyone tell me what Vassar places the most value on when looking at applications (ex. SAT, college prep classes, extracurriculars)? My SAT scores are on the low side for the school, but I’m taking the full IB diploma with predicted grades of all 6’s and a 7. I also attend an international school, and no one from my school has applied to Vassar in the last 2 years - will they take this into consideration?
Google the Vassar common data set and look at (I believe it is) section C. It lays out the most important factors in admission.
The only thing that Vassar lists as a “Very Important” factor in admissions is “Rigor of secondary school record.” Test scores, GPA, class rank, essays, recommendations, ECs, talent/ability and character/personal qualities are listed as “Important.” On the scattergram from my daughters HS Naviance, it appears that high grades/ lower test scores is significantly preferable to the other way around.
The number of students who have -or have not- applied from your school will not affect their view of your application at all.
Academic rigor- evidence that you push yourself academically- is genuinely taken seriously in evaluating an application, and is reflected in the student body, which is overall pretty hard working.
If you are male, that will give your application a boost.
I apologize. I’m a little late
@mamaedefamilia could you please elaborate on this, I heard that Vassar’s male to female ratio is a little off. But I wouldn’t see why this would lead them to actively recruit males. do they?
35% males accepted
21% females accepted
from College Navigator
Test scores are also posted there, but not GPA or class standing, both of which may be in the CDS.
There is a difference between ‘actively recruiting’ and selective admissions. Most (though not all) LACs skew F > M (think 55-60/40-45ish). Most students - male and female- don’t want a college with more of an imbalance. Vassar gets about 30% more applications from women than from men so (like many LACs) they will try to close the gap, which shows up in the skewed acceptance rates.