<p>Hello,
I'm a junior in high school and very much interested in Vanderbilt. I go to the top school in NJ, which makes the admission process more competitive b/c everyone here is so smart. Here are my stats:
GPA: 5.0 (Weighted), 4.0 (Unweighted)
SAT: 2180 (I'm taking them again- subject to change)
SAT II: 740 Bio, still have to take other ones at the end of the year, but I'll probably get in 700 range
AP scores; 5 Bio, still have to take other ones, but I'm pretty sure I'll get 4/5s
Extracurriculars:
President of Interact club
VP of Special Futures
VP of Chemistry Club
I'm also in Anti-Defamation League (ADL), GSA, Habitat 4 Humanity and NHS.
I have played for the school basketball team, freshman, sophomore and junior year.
I volunteered at a hospital over the summer and they will probably give me a letter of rec.
Thanks! And suggestions would be awesome!</p>
<p>If you’re a junior and you’re really serious about Vandy, I recommend that you look up PAVE. PAVE is a 6-week summer program for kids interested in science/engineering/pre-med, that sort of stuff- seems like you are. I attended last year, I’m a senior now, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. A lot of PAVE kids end up applying ED to Vandy (I am one of them!) and it supposedly really helps with Vandy admissions, even if you go regular. Doc V, the dean of the program, gets to know everyone there, and he promises to write rec letters for every single kid, which is like a huge ace card for college admissions. If you google Vanderbilt PAVE, the website will be the first one that comes up so you can read about more specifics of the program. I’m a real person, they aren’t paying me to post this or anything, haha, I just really loved the program and feel that it really helped me! Feel free to PM me or whatever if you have questions!</p>
<p>But anyways, your SAT score is good, unweighted GPA is fabulous. You have strong leadership, which is good. In my honest opinion, your ECs seem slightly scattered, so when you apply, just make sure that you really come across as someone who cares about ECs rather than just doing them to build your resume. They’re still very strong though, so don’t worry! Of course, Vandy is super competitive, so no one can realistically say what anyone’s chances are. However, you seem like a good candidate, especially for ED. Just make sure you show interest by communicating with your admissions counselor/go to vandy events in your area/visit campus, etc.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I will be able to do the summer program b/c I already know I’m super busy this summer. My grandfather works at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, so if I put that on my resume that I worked there over the summer, would that help me out?</p>
<p>In my essay, I’m going to write about being an Asian basketball player. Would this help me out? Showing a not so commonly shared side of me?</p>
<p>Absolutely that would help! But obviously, don’t put it unless you really did it. Getting caught lying is a lot worse than having a so-called “weak” resume. As for your essay, it sounds like a unique topic, which is good. What really matters though is what you write, not what you write about. If you really put your heart and some effort into it, anything you write about could be amazing.</p>
<p>read Harry Bauld’s short book on college entrance essays. Then read it again and do the exercises. Let your essays take shape over time. My only other tip is to let your essays show your power of observation and appreciation of your world and the people in it. Your respect for where you come from segues into respect for the community that is Vanderbilt. Coming from a highly competitive high school…don’t let the process freak you out. The name of the game is picking 2 safety/match colleges where you can excell and all other more reach colleges are gambits. I live in SW VA and see graduates of our flagship state colleges landing great jobs all the time…financial safeties matter a lot when you might be in college for grad school as well. Never under-rate your match college and put your heart in all your applications. Do not be a stranger in your essays but be exactly who you are now.</p>
<p>you should get in ED, i mean you have similar EC as mine and I got by ED2 to the class of 2016 with only a 1450 on SAT 1. And i’m an Asian female, which makes my chances tougher.</p>