Vanderbilt...overrated on DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an almost impossible admit at my senior's private school. The ivies outside of HYP are easier. This is based on data from the college office. If you can get into Vanderbilt you can get into Yale.

Other privates have a much easier time with Vanderbilt. there are private schools in the south (in florida, Texas etc) and even locally here that send a half dozen kids to Vanderbilt and they're not in the top 10% of the class. Like anything, it's very much high school dependent.

I think that it’s extremely selective in that it rejects a lot of high stat kids but I dont think a Vandy admit would be a shoo in for Yale. Ever since test optional, Vandy seems to value kids with strong or unusual ecs or a story over higher stat kids. I live in Baltimore and we went from each private sending one or two kids to Vandy every year to maybe the entire group of private schools sending two to three to Vandy a year.

What kind of stories they expect from 17 year old kids LOL like living in a hood and getting a gunshot?

American colleges should be for normal American kids. They shouldn't be looking for exotic stories.

[Anonymous]

People have said it is in the same tier as BC. Take that for what you will

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have said it is in the same tier as BC. Take that for what you will

Does that mean it's also in the same tier as UMiami?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have said it is in the same tier as BC. Take that for what you will

What people? It’s definitely a tier above B , which is itself a very good school.

[Anonymous]

As a statistical perspective, this site placed Vanderbilt 14th by selectivity when compared to colleges and universities nationally:

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/college-rankings/40750

[Anonymous]

Vanderbilt also has an education school which lots of DMV kids do for a much easier shot. Our college counselor recommended this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt also has an education school which lots of DMV kids do for a much easier shot. Our college counselor recommended this.

80k a year to be a fricking k12 teacher?

[Anonymous]

Vandy is a tough but possible admit for ED. Much more possible than HYP etc. Kids get in with 3.9 and 1500s and a story.

But like Chicago, it's really become an ED school now for our HS anyway.

[Anonymous]

Every highly selective school could fill their class ten times over with applicants with perfect stats. Once you cross a certain academic line, it's the rest of the app that matters. I don't see Stanford and Harvard taking the absolute top academic students either. They're looking for students that will go on to make a name for themselves, which is why ECs are so important to these schools. For Vanderbilt, they really value leadership. The student president or the editor of the school paper is going to have a better shot than the valedictorian. Vandy in particular is one of those schools that is looking for compelling narratives among their applicants, though it doesn't hurt if their parents are billionaires or celebrities. But again, that goes in to taking students who are going to make a name for themselves. I don't think it's an accident that Vanderbilt students tend to be smart, well rounded, polished extroverts with drive. Vandy is looking for something in particular.

As for yield protection, I do think that's a thing for Vanderbilt. It's why people are encouraged to apply EDI. I do believe EDII is bogus at Vandy - at that round they are only looking to pick up the students who were rejected or deferred from Stanford and Harvard. That's it. RD is mayhem and luck for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have said it is in the same tier as BC. Take that for what you will

Let's not lie, but it's the same as Emory,Notre Dame, Georgetown etc. Actually Georgetown and Emory are likely harder to get into, at least from our private. Georgetown is test required, and Emory accepts less test optional students. Emory also doesn't look at Freshman grads so some students GPA drops woth Emory if they did poorly sophomore year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every highly selective school could fill their class ten times over with applicants with perfect stats. Once you cross a certain academic line, it's the rest of the app that matters. I don't see Stanford and Harvard taking the absolute top academic students either. They're looking for students that will go on to make a name for themselves, which is why ECs are so important to these schools. For Vanderbilt, they really value leadership. The student president or the editor of the school paper is going to have a better shot than the valedictorian. Vandy in particular is one of those schools that is looking for compelling narratives among their applicants, though it doesn't hurt if their parents are billionaires or celebrities. But again, that goes in to taking students who are going to make a name for themselves. I don't think it's an accident that Vanderbilt students tend to be smart, well rounded, polished extroverts with drive. Vandy is looking for something in particular.

As for yield protection, I do think that's a thing for Vanderbilt. It's why people are encouraged to apply EDI. I do believe EDII is bogus at Vandy - at that round they are only looking to pick up the students who were rejected or deferred from Stanford and Harvard. That's it. RD is mayhem and luck for everyone.

Not there so don’t really know, but impressions I get from what I read. I don’t think it’s a bad plan, gives them a bit of an identity and something to differentiate themselves on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's an almost impossible admit at my senior's private school. The ivies outside of HYP are easier. This is based on data from the college office. If you can get into Vanderbilt you can get into Yale.

Other privates have a much easier time with Vanderbilt. there are private schools in the south (in florida, Texas etc) and even locally here that send a half dozen kids to Vanderbilt and they're not in the top 10% of the class. Like anything, it's very much high school dependent.

I think that it’s extremely selective in that it rejects a lot of high stat kids but I dont think a Vandy admit would be a shoo in for Yale. Ever since test optional, Vandy seems to value kids with strong or unusual ecs or a story over higher stat kids. I live in Baltimore and we went from each private sending one or two kids to Vandy every year to maybe the entire group of private schools sending two to three to Vandy a year.

What kind of stories they expect from 17 year old kids LOL like living in a hood and getting a gunshot?

American colleges should be for normal American kids. They shouldn't be looking for exotic stories.

You're conflating "sob stories" with "stories." My kid attends, admitted in the last couple of years. Sure, he is 'high stats' (barf) but he additionally has a good story to tell. Already, at the age of 18.

I've posted here before about him, but to recap, his story is authentic and goes back seveal years and -- I think this is key -- was fleshed out and supported by his two LOR and probably the CCO sheet that they send along.

I also think it's important to note for people trying to crack the secret sauce formula, that his story has zero to do with what DCUM thinks are ECs. He's never entered a scholastic contest in his life, let alone won one, double let alone a 'national EC.' He isn't the captain of anything. He has never won an award

fwiw, since this thread and most threads on Vandy are pure speculation ... DS's friends at school are primarily from NY/NJ/CT, all across the South, and a few from Chicago area. His best friends are from small-town South (ie, not Atlanta or Dallas prep school). I'd say half of them are LMC or true MC (teacher parents). What they seem to have in common, after having met several, is that they're authentic. It comes across immediately. No one has ever blabbed on to me about their debate team exploits or curing cancer next year or Saving The ____ s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt also has an education school which lots of DMV kids do for a much easier shot. Our college counselor recommended this.

80k a year to be a fricking k12 teacher?

No. You get in for education and switch majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt also has an education school which lots of DMV kids do for a much easier shot. Our college counselor recommended this.

80k a year to be a fricking k12 teacher?

No. You get in for education and switch majors.

my kid decided against this but this is the advice of college counselors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt also has an education school which lots of DMV kids do for a much easier shot. Our college counselor recommended this.

80k a year to be a fricking k12 teacher?

No. You get in for education and switch majors.

NP, seriously? You don’t think colleges know this game well?