Best advice I can extend is read, “The Gatekeepers.” It provides great insight into the selection process at highly selective schools. Bottom line is that grades, class rank, and SATs are almost too important to overcome. There are smaller factors such as diversity, talents, first-generation, and the essays, but the schools are shopping for themselves (and I don’t say that in a pejoritive sense). They want students who will improve their campus and their standing (and possibly their endowment); so they start with certain baselines to ensure you can do the work and so they can maintain the “highly selective” status, and then they will look at discriminators. The problem is that unless a student attends a nationally known high school, a 3.8 is a 3.8 (but Vassar will recalculate your GPA), there are thousands and thousands of 3.8 GPA students in the country. The SAT distinguishes which 3.8s are inflated. Bad test taker? There is no relief for that from Vassar, but Wes may be test optional. There are lots of test optional schools with great reputations, you can look them up. Frankly, Vassar has a reputation as a “Sister School,” but that reputation was crafted decades ago. Visit the campus today and see for yourself; there’s not much growth, the dining facility is Spartan, the town is at odds with the school, and you will ask yourself, “Where are the kids? (Lisa Kudrow attended Vassar and discusses how she did little her four years but stay in her room)” That said, the library is beyond stunning, but be wary choosing a school solely for the grand library entrance. There are dozens of liberal arts schools that have a much greater vibe for students and a much more energetic staff; Vassar targets a certain kind of student and not every student is served well by trying to become that kind of student. Sorry if it sounds like I’m knocking Vassar, it is a pretty school and kudos to the hard-working kids who are accepted, but I don’t think their standards are flexible and students shouldn’t be despondent if they can’t get it…it might be in their best interest to look elsewhere.