Anonymous wrote:

It’s a waste because they won’t be selected (as they might have been 10 years ago). They’re strategic now and cast a wider net among a big handful of highly selective colleges, including Vandy. I’m talking here about the highest echelon of academic kids who aren’t also URM / FEGLI athletes

You must have a Jr so you're trying to discourage kids from applying. Vandy has ED II, which is specifically offered to lock in kids who didn't get accepted via SCEA or ED I at other schools. That's the strategy.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/bowling/nc/ncaa-bowling-rpi

Bowling could pay off with Vandy!

It’s a waste because they won’t be selected (as they might have been 10 years ago). They’re strategic now and cast a wider net among a big handful of highly selective colleges, including Vandy. I’m talking here about the highest echelon of academic kids who aren’t also URM / FEGLI athletes

Anonymous wrote:

This is just ignorant. No it's not. Early Decision and Early Action are a big deal for most kids trying to get into top schools. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford don't really play that game. So if you're an unhooked, suburban middle class or upper middle class white or Asian student you go elsewhere - Penn, Duke, Vandy, Rice, Chicago, Northwestern. Only the naive bother applying to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. Those spots seem to be reserved for rich legacies, athletes, and URMs. And roughly 10 percent of those students drop out after freshman year. Smart, well-informed kids don't bother anymore.

What are you on about and why are you spreading this BS? Harvard, Yale & Stanford (as well as Princeton, Georgetown & Notre Dame) have SCEA which is the most exclusive early option available. It isn't binding, but students can't apply ED to any school or EA to any private. They can only apply rolling admission, EA to public school and RD.

Anonymous wrote:

This is just ignorant. No it's not. Early Decision and Early Action are a big deal for most kids trying to get into top schools. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford don't really play that game. So if you're an unhooked, suburban middle class or upper middle class white or Asian student you go elsewhere - Penn, Duke, Vandy, Rice, Chicago, Northwestern. Only the naive bother applying to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. Those spots seem to be reserved for rich legacies, athletes, and URMs. And roughly 10 percent of those students drop out after freshman year. Smart, well-informed kids don't bother anymore.

What are you on about and why are you spreading this BS? Harvard, Yale & Stanford (as well as Princeton, Georgetown & Notre Dame) have SCEA which is the most exclusive early option available. It isn't binding, but students can't apply ED to any school or EA to any private. They can only apply rolling admission, EA to public school and RD.

This is just ignorant. No it's not. Early Decision and Early Action are a big deal for most kids trying to get into top schools. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford don't really play that game. So if you're an unhooked, suburban middle class or upper middle class white or Asian student you go elsewhere - Penn, Duke, Vandy, Rice, Chicago, Northwestern. Only the naive bother applying to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. Those spots seem to be reserved for rich legacies, athletes, and URMs. And roughly 10 percent of those students drop out after freshman year. Smart, well-informed kids don't bother anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family friend from middle of nowhere Midwest was admitted as Vanderbilt Scholar—RD. Also accepted at several Ivies & Stanford. The kid is brilliant—stellar grades, high test scores, national-level competitions, all at a low-resourced school. The essay was exceptional—the kid has a story to tell.
I think we all need to look outside of our bubbles from time to time. My privileged child, who has great grades, scores & nice ECs, doesn’t hold a candle to this kid.

Why are you reading family friend’s admission essay?

Shared with my child (junior) who is starting to think about the process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family friend from middle of nowhere Midwest was admitted as Vanderbilt Scholar—RD. Also accepted at several Ivies & Stanford. The kid is brilliant—stellar grades, high test scores, national-level competitions, all at a low-resourced school. The essay was exceptional—the kid has a story to tell.
I think we all need to look outside of our bubbles from time to time. My privileged child, who has great grades, scores & nice ECs, doesn’t hold a candle to this kid.

Why are you reading family friend’s admission essay?

Anonymous wrote:Family friend from middle of nowhere Midwest was admitted as Vanderbilt Scholar—RD. Also accepted at several Ivies & Stanford. The kid is brilliant—stellar grades, high test scores, national-level competitions, all at a low-resourced school. The essay was exceptional—the kid has a story to tell.
I think we all need to look outside of our bubbles from time to time. My privileged child, who has great grades, scores & nice ECs, doesn’t hold a candle to this kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

I don't know your definition of average, but Vanderbilt was never average - not 20 years ago nor even 40 years ago. I have absolutely no connection to the school, and my kids go to "average" state universities, but I remember in the 1980s my BFF's cousin who was VERY SMART went to Vanderbilt (we lived in the north). It was considered a very competitive school. Now perhaps you are saying that Vanderbilt is "DCUM average" and perhaps that is true in the DCUM skewed way of looking at things. But the school itself is clearly not "average" overall.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The smart kids don't bother with Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

This is just ignorant.

No it's not. Early Decision and Early Action are a big deal for most kids trying to get into top schools. Harvard, Yale, and Stanford don't really play that game. So if you're an unhooked, suburban middle class or upper middle class white or Asian student you go elsewhere - Penn, Duke, Vandy, Rice, Chicago, Northwestern. Only the naive bother applying to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. Those spots seem to be reserved for rich legacies, athletes, and URMs. And roughly 10 percent of those students drop out after freshman year. Smart, well-informed kids don't bother anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

The smart kids don't bother with Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

This is just ignorant.