@SouthFloridaMom9 Welcome neighbor! I hope you like it here. The pace is a bit slower, but that can be a positive. Yes some financial aid will be needed, and believe me he has no passion for any one college,lol, but I was just trying to get a feel for what admission at one of our better southern schools might take. I think the education I will receive here will be beneficial and I do appreciate all input ,favorable or not. @twogirls, that is exactly the thought that has been flying around in my mind also, that he go to,perhaps say university of Florida for which we are pre-paid, a fine university from all I can gather and also from what I have learned that a high GPA from a fine public can get you into a great graduate school. We have visited that school and it is a vibrant enviroment.
An environment that I feel he may be more comfortable in. And he is a Gator fan.lol!
Also @twogirls congrats. All wonderful programs and yes it must have been a hard decision with so many choices.
@SouthFloridaMom9 she wanted strong academics with plenty of undergraduate opportunities, school spirit, and a social life that offered things other than Greek life and frat parties (not for her). She is a happy Tar Heel. It was not an easy choice. She was very close to attending Lehigh (received a half tuition scholarship) but decided it may be too Greek for her.
@twogirls - If God is not a Tarheel then why did He paint the sky Carolina Blue? I grew up hearing that! 
She made a great choice.
@junior2017 yes,when I see some of the stats and denials that they get from the top 15 colleges it makes me see that the most selective schools are an extreme reach. Believe me, I have read about famous, rich, legacies, URM, athletes etc. Doesn’t leave very high odds on acceptance, but as they say never hurts to try.mom!
That mom was a lol! Autocorrect?
@SouthFloridaMom9 I love it!!
@snicks1234 I think your son should apply to Vanderbilt as long as you recognize that it is a reach - and you do. As long as he has some safeties and matches than he is set, and UF is a wonderful school.
Now a question that may be a little off topic. Do second semester of senior year get reported to colleges also or just first semester? Thanks for the help catching up in my education with admissions process.
@twogirls yes,thank you. I am starting to see that all top twenties are a reach for just about every applicant save for a few. A little eye opening, but that’s alright because that’s why I opened this thread and I deeply appreciate the education. My wife, his mom, is much more on top of things. I am just trying to be involved and become more familiar so I can be of some help in some way.lol.
Good for you @snicks1234! My daughter applied to all schools in August. First quarter grades were automatically sent. Our school sends first semester grades only if they are requested- nobody requested her first semester grades ( which would include first and second quarter). Second semester grades ( third and fourth quarter) may be late but it’s possible some schools request them.
Thank you @twogirls . I understand. I was asking primarily to ascertain whether he would have the grades from first semester to raise his GPA a little and hoping that first semester grade transcripts might be seen by colleges before making an admissions decision.
@snicks1234 Everyone has those grades and test scores, or better, and can be considered because of it. And thats great about the national spelling bee, but that was also in 8th grade. He hasn’t really done anything in high school to set him apart. I applied to Vanderbilt when I was applying to colleges. I had a 3.96 at the best high school in my state, 33 ACT, and did stem cell research throughout my senior year of high school at a top cancer research center and I got waitlisted. I am saying this to make a point that he needs more to be unique in the applicant pool. A lot more. Many students will have ECs that show they are disciplined and effective learners. But what makes him different?
Also on that same note MIT, Harvard, and Georgetown will all be reaches as well. Make sure you have some good matches in there too. Make sure he has a safety school he loves so that if shit hits the fan, and he ends up there, he will still be happy.
Vanderbilt isn’t out of the question but it is unlikely.
@snicks1234 have you considered Tulane? If you visit the school and show interest I think your son has a decent chance of getting in. My advice is similar to what @picklechicken37 suggested- it seems as though you have visited/considered many reach schools. I would place most of my effort into safeties and matches, and I would throw in Vanderbilt and a few similar schools as a reach. Also, it appears as though Vanderbilt is “easier” to get into if you apply ED. Good luck!
@snicks1234: Regarding your son’s grades, they are low for the students who are accepted at Vanderbilt, unless your son is a recruited D-1 athlete, an URM, or has some other “hook”. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be proud of his high school work, but considering the GPAs of admitted students at Vandy, his GPA is not really outstanding.
So based on the comments above, is the ACT/SAT score alright, or should it be higher to be considered for Vanderbilt?
@gingerspark99: I think that a 34+ ACT or the old SAT score of 2230 mentioned by the OP, along with a 4.5+ weighted GPA, would put a student in a competitive position for admission to Vanderbilt. Special attributes of an applicant could change that, of course.
“Vanderbilt is ‘easier’ to get into if you apply ED”: Yes, see the sortable table, here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/03/31/a-college-admissions-edge-for-the-wealthy-early-decision/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_college-admissions-710am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Of course, if you are accepted ED you are obligated to attend irrespective whether you get any financial aid (should you need it), as it is a binding agreement.
@picklechicken37 @gandalf78 @twogirls yes, we pretty much realize that all those schools were reaches,including Vandy, but we were already in Boston and figured “why not!”.We were already in D.C. and visited for the same reason. Also he was semi interested in George Washington U. and decided to do the tour. the mt.vernon campus is very pretty and the dorms new and nice. I dont know what his weighted GPA would be, would have to figure it, but with 9 AP’s and the rest of his classes honors or college level I would assume it would be over 4. Very tough curriculum at his school and A’S hard to come by,although he got all A’s,A-'s his last semester. I would think with his 1540 GPA that would put him in a fair competitive range academically, but yes,admittedly his EC’s are a little thin and since he was homeschooled up until last year his opportunities for leadership were,are limited. And of course,as I stated,the National spelling bee was just a throw in as a means to show his drive and determination. Actually, the grueling regimen he put himself through for two years to reach that gial would make a nice little essay on his drive focusing and reaching goals. But yes I get that. Actually I could have used any reach school here and probably recieved pretty much the same evaluation because of the selectivity of those schools alone ,much less the lessening i f chances after special box,athletes ,legacies and the rich, but hey, it never hurts to dream.lol! I do appreciate all your comments and advice and it has helped me greatly in seeing that the he has to sell himself in his essays, interviews. Whatever his choice. What mix of reaches, possibles and safeties have any of you found to be a good balance? How many of each?
I have to say, in all the chance mes of so many threads I have read and the threads of accepted and denied students It all seems so unpredictable. No way to figure what different colleges are looking for. I have read threads of students with outstanding credentials get denied and students with average credentials get accepted to the same school. Wheres the rhyme or reason?