Vanderbilt...overrated on DCUM?

[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?

[Anonymous]

I think people who are trying to hype up Vanderbilt are private school family types who are upset their kids didn't get into Duke or Rice and hyping up Vandy like they are equivalent.

[Anonymous]

I don't think so. I have no connection to Vanderbilt and know no alumni personally but I think it's a great school. If you look at test scores, acceptance rates, percent of students taking out loans, and endowment/per capita, Vanderbilt performs just as well (and better in certain categories) than WashU, Brown, Chicago, Emory, Northwestern, JHU, Columbia, Cornell, and a few others. I do not think it's on par with Rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Emory is really easy from our private. Like top 30 to 40 percent of class if you ED. Vandy and GT legit hard admits. My kid isn’t at any of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think so. I have no connection to Vanderbilt and know no alumni personally but I think it's a great school. If you look at test scores, acceptance rates, percent of students taking out loans, and endowment/per capita, Vanderbilt performs just as well (and better in certain categories) than WashU, Brown, Chicago, Emory, Northwestern, JHU, Columbia, Cornell, and a few others. I do not think it's on par with Rice.

Same poster but I'll also add Duke, Dartmouth, and Notre Dame to the just above Vanderbilt category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Vandy parent. This isn't the hack that you think it is. It's not an easier admit, but they may accept with lower stats. What's more, the most sought-after degree at Vanderbilt the HOD, which is done within the Peabody (education) school anyway. There's a lot of competition to apply directly to Peabody, because people -want- HOD, and people want HOD because they imagine it gives them an advantage for a consulting offer upon graduation. There is no biz school, fwiw, so HOD or econ are what's done instead.

The planned admit to education hack definitely won't work for engineering or pre-med or adjacent.

If I were a parent of a junior trying to find a disingenuous workaround, I'd rely instead on the kid's musical prowess. Get admitted into Blair (by tryout and portfolio), then take a bunch of econ or bio or whatever classes in another college and get a dual degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Emory is really easy from our private. Like top 30 to 40 percent of class if you ED. Vandy and GT legit hard admits. My kid isn’t at any of these schools.

Can say the same about Vandy, so you're proving my point. Also Gatech yeild protects heavily (see test scores) And they play the differ game moreso than other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Emory is really easy from our private. Like top 30 to 40 percent of class if you ED. Vandy and GT legit hard admits. My kid isn’t at any of these schools.

Can say the same about Vandy, so you're proving my point. Also Gatech yeild protects heavily (see test scores) And they play the differ game moreso than other schools.

My point is that Emory is a significantly easier admit from the private my kids attend than Vandy or GT. That does not prove your point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Emory is really easy from our private. Like top 30 to 40 percent of class if you ED. Vandy and GT legit hard admits. My kid isn’t at any of these schools.

Can say the same about Vandy, so you're proving my point. Also Gatech yeild protects heavily (see test scores) And they play the differ game moreso than other schools.

My point is that Emory is a significantly easier admit from the private my kids attend than Vandy or GT. That does not prove your point.

Maybe reread, One I don't beileve you, either way I'm saying Vandy admissions isn't different than Emory admissions so Emory is easier at your school but harder at mine and vise versa. Gatech isn't elite so who cares really, no one was talking about it. GT knows private school students don't want a public school so they yeild protect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Emory is really easy from our private. Like top 30 to 40 percent of class if you ED. Vandy and GT legit hard admits. My kid isn’t at any of these schools.

Can say the same about Vandy, so you're proving my point. Also Gatech yeild protects heavily (see test scores) And they play the differ game moreso than other schools.

My point is that Emory is a significantly easier admit from the private my kids attend than Vandy or GT. That does not prove your point.

Maybe reread, One I don't beileve you, either way I'm saying Vandy admissions isn't different than Emory admissions so Emory is easier at your school but harder at mine and vise versa. Gatech isn't elite so who cares really, no one was talking about it. GT knows private school students don't want a public school so they yeild protect.

GT is Georgetown not GATech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know I’m going to get heat for this but I’ve read others say same, my stellar across the board got into a few ivies and waitlisted there, noticed they took lower stats but still very strong kids. I do wonder if they have some sort of model, not saying yield protect, that forecasts likeliness to attend whether it be stats, location, high school record, and so on.

Vanderbilt uses WL for many val/sal in RD and takes lower kids with ED and even in RD. They yield protect. Lots do this, UChicago and even some lower ivies who have not yielded well from that private in previous yrs (Dartmouth, brown). Vanderbilt goes deeper in the class for ED acceptances than those ivies do but it is on par with Uchicago ED: no need to be top10% for those two.