I have a kid at Vanderbilt. My recommendation is this: Check the Net Price Calculator. If that number is doable for your family, apply ED1. I'm not sure if demonstrated interest is still a thing at Vandy, but go anyway. I forget what it's called, but they have this weekend for prospective students. Really great. If you're going to throw the ED card, you want to make sure the school is the right fit for your kid. Everyone that applies to Vandy is going to have stellar academics. You'll need the APs, the 4.0 plus GPA. I know it's test optional now, but it really isn't for most people. Above 1500 or 34 gets you a look. Vandy really seems to stress "leadership." It's better to be awesome in a couple of things than to be a member of a thousand clubs. And the essay needs to kick ass. You need the admissions reader to be a fan so they argue for you at the table. It's still a lottery for everyone. ED does increase those odds though. For what it's worth, my kid is having a great experience. Highly recommend |
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“You need the admissions reader to be a fan so they argue for you at the table“
isn’t this the same at every T15? |
Yes From what I've gleaned from the college admissions process, the essay is what distinguishes someone from all the other applicants with great stats. It's the only place on the application where you can be a genuine human being. |
Georgetown does this for almost all athletes as well. |
sorry meant only T15 schools |
LOL |
Why do people keep pretending most kids aren't applying TO? Per Vandy's 2021-22 CDS, only 25% of enrolled 2021 students submitted an SAT score (403 kids) and 32% submitted an ACT score (527). SAT range was 1480-1570. |
Dp, but I think she was saying that test optional is only for certain demographics, i.e. the 40 percent test optional were primarily hooked applicants. |
this is 100% not true AOs do not look at TO applications through a socioeconomic or URM lens. There has never been an AO at any college going on record saying they do this another half baked DCUM narrative to make the elite feel that Chase or Colton’s 1560 gives them a leg up vs the other prep school kids. |
Dumb, obviously only highly competitive D1 schools would do this, why would you only limit it to 15 schools. |
This quote is pretty funny bc Vandy had barely any Asians until about 15 yrs ago. All of my Asian Am friends got loads of fi aid and would complain about how they had been bought by the school. They even used to have a recruitment weekend just for Asian Ams. Those were the days! |
I know people keep alleging that, but the numbers in the CDS for several schools just don't support the allegation. We don't know how many kids submitted both an SAT and ACT score. But, I'm guessing several did because enrolled scores are always lower than accepted scores. Based on the local Vandy admissions event, there's no way 43% of the class is "hooked." |
First of all, hooked also includes athletes, legacies and children of donors. And yes, no admissions officer would admit it because every school is planning on using TO/holistic review as a means of skirting the impending Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. Admissions of urm, rural, and first Gen students have increased dramatically since TO has been adopted at the most selective schools. |
| Seems odd. This school was average twenty years ago and still has almost no representation for elite Wall Street / Banking / Consulting and elite Grad Schools. There are exceptions, but this seems all about Nashville hype and Tulane/u Chicago style marketing. Much better outcomes at many lower ranked schools. |
source? Any source will do. |