VASSAR EDI chances, PLEASE!?!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vassar College
1

<p>I am a white (though not stating ethnic info anywhere) male for coastal California. I absolutely love Vassar, and am applying EDI. Let me tell you a little about my academics - my freshman and sophomore years, I totally messed up. I never got below a 3.0, but there we many c's and b's (also, a fair amount of a's). The only AP's I took these years was AP World History, only 1st semester sophomore year (removed to grade level at semester). </p>

<p>GRADES 9 and 10th GRADE:
English - B-, A-, C, B+
History - A+, A+, C-(AP World, so weighted), A+
Math - B-, C- (Alg I); C+, C+ (Geom.)
Science - C, C (Bio)
French I-II - B, A, A, A
Journalism - B, A</p>

<p>However, junior year was a complete 180, and hopefully my saving grace. I got straight a's taking seven classes, two of which were AP. My junior courseload was: APUSH, AP Psych, English, Algebra II, Chemistry, French III, and Journalism.
My senior schedule is even harder: AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Chem, AP Stats, Pre-cal, Photo I, and French IV/computers (one each semester). At the quarter (grades submitted with app, I believe), I should have straight a's.</p>

<p>Cumulative GPA: 3.33 (UW); 3.52 (W)
Class Rank: bottom of top third, I believe.</p>

<p>MY TEST SCORES: (good-ish, I think)
ACT (12/07) - 33; (10/08) - TBD, hopefully 34+
SAT2: USH(06/08) - 800; Literature(10/08)- TBD, hopefully 700+
* should I take another subject test next week? which one?
AP: Psych - 5; USH - 5</p>

<p>MY EXTRACURRICULARS:
*Interact Club (community service organization): All four years. Board member junior year, VP senior year.
*Mock Trial: 10-12th grade. Our team has been top int he county the past two years. Last year, I won an award for being the best person in my ole at the state finals (from about 30 CA county teams), and was the only person on my team to get such a high award.
*Young Writers Club: 11-12th grade. Founding Member. Secretary junior and senior year. Graphic designer for the school-wide literary magazine which i co-founded sophomore year.
*Political Action Club: 11-12th grade. Secretary junior year, VP senior year.</p>

<p>Please, do I have a chance at my dream school? Where are my chances better: Vassar ED or NYU RD?</p>

<p>Anything else I need to do?</p>

2

<p>Hmm. Your GPA is pretty low, your test scores are fine and ECs are also good. IMO Vassar is a bit of a reach due to the GPA, but I think ED should help your chances.</p>

<p>By all means apply if it is your dream school, but don't forget to line up a few matches/safeties that you'd be happy with.</p>

3

<p>You mention Vassar and NYU in the same sentence as if they are peers in your mind. I only mention this because in my opinion the two schools are very, very different. Chief among the differences is the physical setting each school is in as well as the size of the student body.</p>

<p>Very early we considered NYU for film or theater but eventually discarded it because an inner-city, no-main-campus college experience was deeemed not desirable. Vassar sits amid beautifully landscaped suburban grounds with a real quad and stately, lovely old buildings. NYU, on the other hand, has New York City as it's campus with most of the central happenings going on in the Village. There is no central quad and the dorms are dispersed among the other apartment buildings in lower Manhattan.</p>

<p>For the kind of kid that loves that urban environment, NYU would be great. Personally I would categorize it as much less personal than Vassar both due to it's dispersed size and the size of the student body, but I was also advised that if you decide on NYU you should be the kind of kid who "gets out there and finds other people, activities and things to do". In other words, an outgoing type who doesn't rely on others to bring them into activities.</p>

<p>You say you're from California, so perhaps a consolidated trip East would be in order if you can afford the cost of travel and the time. That way you can see these two, very different schools, first hand and maybe it will help you in making your choices. There are just some things that websites and full color catalogues just can't capture.</p>

4

<p>I would say that Vassar is going to be a reach for you, thanks to your GPA. That being said, colleges do like to see a positive trend upward, so the fact that you were able to improve your standing so much during your junior year is certainly noteworthy. Other than that, your ACT and SAT IIs look excellent and your ECs are certainly suitable. </p>

<p>As for the question of whether you should apply to NYU or Vassar ED... that's really up to you. Yineyes provides you with some excellent advice, which I second. I would also recommend that you ask yourself this: do you want a larger, urban school amid the hustle and bustle of New York City or a smaller, suburban school with more of an enclosed campus feel? NYU and Vassar might both be in New York, but they're very different in terms of the campus environment they offer.</p>

5

<p>Thanks everyone who responded so far! I've visited both Vassar and NYU. I know how different they are, but, I still like both. However, I prefer Vassar. To clarify: I was wandering if I am denied when I apply at Vassar, do I have a chance at NYU RD?</p>

6

<p>I think you need to tell admissions what happened jr. year to make you shape up your grades. You are obviously smart enough and sound interesting and hopefully will do great in college. But what happened? You need to convince Vassar that the last two years are the "real deal" Good luck. It is worth the effort. Vassar is great.</p>