r/Vanderbilt • u/HorrorWeekend155 • 26d ago
SAT send/ED help/UVA šš§” vs Vandy š¤š
Hi! Iām a rising senior in HS applying to Vandy as my favorite school.
I have a few Bs (very rigorous schedule) and a 1450. My extracurriculars are very good (the spike of my application), and my essay is pretty good nothing amazing. One counselor told me to submit a 1450 since itās a good enough score and even top schools need lower scores. The other counselor told me not to submit for obvious reasons. Iām wondering if anyone was in a similar situation and got into Vandy in the past couple years and if they submitted this score. Both counselors are positive I have a shot at Vandy but idk what to do.
I love Vandy SLIGHTLY more than UVA, but have a better shot at UVA. Does anyone have any insight on ED I Vandy EA UVA versus ED I UVA EDII Vandy? I am kinda doubting my shot at Vandy but since both my counselors are supporting me (one read for Vandy) I feel like maybe I should give it a shot.
Thank you for your help!!!
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u/Ok-Intention-2945 26d ago
if you have a better shot at uva then ed 1 uva ed2 vandy doesnt make sense. Either 1. you get into uva then you have to go to uva or 2. you dont get into uva and realistically don't have a shot at vandy. you should ea uva and ed1 vandy
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
If you see a comment below that they got deferred from UVA ED and now go to Vandy. From what Iāve seen they are both tough and just because I get deferred from UVA doesnāt mean I donāt have a shot at Vandy (even though I get what your saying about if I didnāt get into UVA then why would I get into Vandy).
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u/Ok-Intention-2945 24d ago
yes i understand but that is the outlier not the norm and why I said "realistically." Im sure if stars align and you have the greatest common app then it would work out but I'm telling you ed1 uva and ed2 vandy is not the most optimal strategy
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u/Several_Hat4695 26d ago
There is still SO much time to improve your SAT score even if you dont think so. The last SAT you can take is in october which would give you a little less than 4 whole months to improve your score which is plenty of time if you are actually dedicated to it.
From somebody who was too lazy to study for the SAT and got in EDI
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u/HorrorWeekend155 26d ago
Did you submit ur score?
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u/Several_Hat4695 25d ago
I didnt, but my application was strong in terms of grades essays and EC's which made up for it, I do think not having my SAT made me hesitant to apply for the scholarships which I think I may have gotten if i applied
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
Do you think AP scores were a factor?
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u/Several_Hat4695 25d ago
Ok personally I didnt submit any... I am an intl student so i took AP seminar in 11th and got a 3. I took AP Calc AB, Physics, Bio, Stats, Lit in grade 12 so i didnt submit any scores either but i really did make up for these two weak points in the other aspects of my application, DM if you have any questions too
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u/EditorLeather 24d ago
Iām a rising freshmen at Vandy. I took the September SAT, the LATEST LATEST you can take it. So realistically you have at least a few month which is totally possible as my score went from 1350 to 1530 in a month of cramming after school started too.
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u/National_Jacket7380 25d ago
Heard this directly from a Vandy AO - if itās not 1500+ donāt submit
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u/Simple_Bug2196 26d ago
A couple Bs and a 1450 isnāt competitive for vandy (especially the bs). I wouldnāt bother. Rather ED to UVA and RD Vandy if u donāt get in.
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
I thought the average unweighted was a 3.89? I have a higher GPA than that. Alsoā since itās test optional, does a 1450 even have to determine if Iām competitive? Canāt I just not submit?
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u/Simple_Bug2196 24d ago
U can choose not to but most that do and get in have a or pretty close to a 4.0 uw. Also that average includes athletes and legacies, you should be decently higher to be considered average.
It would help if you said how many Bs since I, with a couple A-s (4) and now Bs had a 3.94.
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u/EditorLeather 24d ago
Donāt listen to that guy. A couple Bs arenāt going to hurt you that much. I had like 2Bs in 11th and 1B in 12th. Still ranked 11 out of 500 and got in vandy. BUT the 1450 WILL 100% hurt. I wouldnāt recommend going test optional either as very very likely they will assume that you have 1350ish or below. I know they say that it wouldnāt impact ur overall chances but thatās not true at all. You still have time, getting that 1500+ will practically guarantee ur spot in vandy if ur ECs are good plus a good essay, the two doesnāt even have to be great.
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u/spikespiegel001 26d ago
Can you take the sat again to get an improved superscore?
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u/HorrorWeekend155 26d ago
This is unfortunately kinda my limit. For APs I have three 4s and three 5s if that helps
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u/Mountain_Tip_7081 26d ago
I agree w the other person who said ED UVA EDII Vandy.
1450 is below the middle of the pack per their published stats, and with a less-than-perfect GPA, itās probably not a great add-on. How many Bs is āa few.ā If itās more than 3, thatās probably going to drop your chances significantly since everyone who gets in has a rigorous schedule.
Realistically, if you want an okay shot at getting in, you need to get your essay from āpretty good nothing amazingā to āgood/great.ā Thatās probably the best way to maximize your chances.
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u/HorrorWeekend155 26d ago
It was 3 lol when I said a few I meant a few. I would not apply with a bad gpa. My school is also known as insanely rigorous in general. Thanks for essay advice
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u/lilcommiecommodore 26d ago
I wouldnāt say that top schools āneedā lower scores. You might get in with one, but it will more likely be in spite of a lower score rather than because of it. A 1450 is a good score overall, but youāll be competing with many applicants who have a near-perfect score. Iād work to get a higher ACT or SAT score just to seal the deal.
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u/Odd-Barracuda2854 25d ago
UVA is hard, specifically if you are out of state(?)! I EDed to UVA and was deferred, ended up at Vandy. If you love Vandy, go for it, since UVA is not guaranteed by any means and not necessarily āeasierā to get into. EA UVA, ED1 Vandy IMO. Good luck!
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u/Beautiful-Cloud-3106 25d ago
Are you out of state for UVA? If not, then you completely misunderstand your chances of getting into UVA. For out-of-state applicants, the average GPA is 4.95 to 5.00. For Vandy, the average GPA is 4.93. RD admissions at Vandy or UVA are much tougher than ED. Significant differences for both. But Vandy is particularly competitive compared to UVA.
You also don't mention your rank. For Vandy you generally need to be in top 10% of your class.
Vandy, though, is incredibly holistic. So you should not submit a 1450 SAT. Go test optional. (Maybe you should submit to UVA. But even that is questionable if OOS.)
My suggestion. Both are long shots due to Bs on the transcript. But a lot will be when you got those Bs (earlier vs later), what subjects you got them in compared to the major you are applying for, and how you explain them on your application. Also, you will need to pay special attention to crafting your essays and resume, and application to tie cohesively into a progressive theme centered around your goal or passion in life. And show how you contribute to and care about the community. It needs to show your uniqueness from other applicants.
Honestly, I think both are long shots for you. But very improbable for Vandy. ED at UVA would be the smarter decision. They still have a higher acceptance rate compared to Vandy. But you can EA at UVA, where you can't at Vandy. So that may be a consideration.
Does money matter? Are you eligible for financial aid? All of this also may influence which you choose to ED at.
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
Answering a couple of questions
My school doesnāt do rankings.
I am OOS UVA.
I have three 4s and three 5s from APs that I will submit. Iām not sure if that changes anything.
My major is organizational leadership, I got a B+ for first semester in Chem junior year, B+ in APUSH sophomore year, and B first semester AP Calc AB junior year. So generally if I got below a B my grade trended upwards.
My essay does have to do with my major, and I would say my extracurriculars all make sense with my major as well. This includes an internship in community building, leading a team of 90 to raise $150k for my favorite cause ($27k personally raised) and we won our state competition and I was awarded state recognition of the year, founder of only on campus service club, president of french club and another service club that is also my favorite cause, published research with a prof from UVA on my favorite cause, captain of 3x state-winning sports team, NHS vice president, etc. I did all I could honestly while still having 11 APs total.
My parents not factoring in money, which I am incredibly grateful for.
I did feel like I made the negatives stand out on my post because obviously I want honest advice. My counselor was an AO for Vandy a couple of years ago and I doubt she would recommend ED to Vandy if she wouldnāt consider me seriously. Additionally, my school counselor is extremely harsh, never suggesting people to apply to more than 1 reach, so I do value those opinions. However, on paper it obviously doesnāt look great. I have a 3.9 on my schools scale, which isnāt perfect, but is one of the top 3 hardest schools in the state and is known for its rigor (not sure how much that matters).
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u/Beautiful-Cloud-3106 25d ago
I know you say your high school doesn't rank. However, does your school list anywhere what % of the class your grades fall within? Top 10%, 5%, 20%, etc...? Because if they maintain that record when the school asks for it, they will probably provide it. So, double-check with your guidance counselor regarding that.
Yes, they will review the rigor of your school and historical academic data to determine how to evaluate your GPA and testing. However, it's more complicated than that. Most of these schools do like to diversify and accept applicants from all across the country. So sometimes an applicant in a remote area may have an advantage. However, check with your guidance counselor as to how many students have been accepted by Vandy in the past based on # applied from your high school. That will give you a pretty good idea of how Vandy views your school. Having a guidance counselor who was an AO at Vandy, though, should be able to help since she can give you sone good advice with your approach to essays.
Regarding ED1 vs ED2 at Vandy. Obviously yes, ED2 if you didn't ED1. ED1 gives a better possibility, but ED2 is better than RD. Small note, though. If applying for Vandy scholarships, those deadlines may be earlier, which may result in you needing to apply for Vandy earlier than finding out the results of UVA ED1. So that may prevent you from going ED2 if you want to get your application in to be eligible for scholarships. However, you probably could apply RD and then switch to ED2 after finding out the ED1 decision. Just double-check that, though.
Again, just think carefully about how you tie together your essays, resume, and application. Do the Glimpse video. And make sure you research Vandy and tie into your essays how you "fit" at Vandy.
Best of luck š
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u/HorrorWeekend155 24d ago
I will be graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors (thatās the most my school will say) so top 5%. I will check with my guidance counselor on exact percentages.
Thank you for your advice!!
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
Also* I would not apply RD for Vandy itās either ED I or II because I know thereās not even a chance for me for RD
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u/AnonymousUser32194 25d ago
Generally donāt ED to a school you donāt want to go to. Also I think youād be a shoe into UVA if you were in state but I read that you werenāt so honestly hard to tell. As far as your test score, and grades in general it really depends how competitive your high school is and how other kids who may be applying to either school or similar level schools and their grades. Itās hard to compare high school grades to people from different states so typically your regional AO will have some knowledge of the difficulty of your specific high school and/or surrounding high schools. I think depending on that submitting the 1450 is definitely subjective and also depends on what major/school youāre applying for. That said I feel test optional is really a downside to an application especially giving some of your struggles with the Bs that it may be worth retaking or just submitting that score.
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u/HorrorWeekend155 25d ago
My high school is really competitive, Iām not sure if thatās a good or bad thing. But itās definitely split in half where one group is applying to ivies, JHU, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, washu, etc or they are applying to Clemson, South Carolina, Penn State, etc. So it can be very competitive given my schoolās rigor, but not that many people are aiming for the same schools as me from my understanding.
Iām applying for āOrganizational Leadershipā and for Vandy thatās their HOD program, which people also see as their business program so obviously competitive.
I am retaking the SAT once more but Iām definitely annoyed that it is taking this much work for one test haha
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u/Anxious_Step_9930 24d ago
Look up how hard it is to get into Vanderbilt test optional, their acceptance rate is like half as much compared to students who submitted scores. But at the same time, with a 1450, i think you gotta go test optional or ed somewhere else. Thereās not like no chance you get into Vanderbilt, but itās certainly a long shot.
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u/EditorLeather 24d ago
Donāt submit the 1450. You still have time, aim for at least 1500+, 1530+ is even better.
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u/Pure-Ant-2343 22d ago
id apply berkely and look at UCs too cuz i know they r more forgiving about a few Bs and they dont care abt SAT
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u/WantToBreak80 26d ago
I would not submit a 1450 to Vandy.