<p>I have been lurking on the forum for years. Two of my kids have already gone to college and one is now doing her master’s. But my third is filled with indecision and really needs guidance on where to go. Recently, UGA Honors has come on her radar. She is trying to decide between UGA, Emory, Vanderbilt, Tech (but is suddenly lukewarm about Tech where S goes) Any suggestions? Her stats: ACT composite: 33; SATs are low: 680 writing, 690 math and 690 CR. She has a 4.0 and is in the top 10 in a very competitive public high school. She is so worn out from working so hard in high school…just how hard are Vandy and Emory? Thanks.</p>
<p>Post a question about rigor at Vanderbilt on the Vandy forum; apparently it depends on the major…</p>
<p>vandy’s acceptance rate last year was about 16%…son had a 33 act and gpa about 4.1-4.2 and was waitlisted. with her scores on act she qualifies for great merit from any of the alabama schools…they will take act with writing. if also an nmf would get full ride from alabama schools</p>
<p>Has she visited these schools? That would help her get a first-hand feel and “re-energize” her a bit.</p>
<p>Shouldn’t she wait until she has acceptances in hand before deciding?</p>
<p>Also, the difficulty will depend on her major. If she’s thinking of Tech, I assume she’s considering an engineering field? Many people find engineering programs to be difficult. Pre-med competition and weed-out classes in basic sciences can also be an issue. So the difficulty of Vandy and Emory for any particular person depends a lot on the major and on the person’s strengths.</p>
<p>I think she should apply widely and decide once she gets acceptances and aid packages.</p>
<p>Is money no object? If not, how much can you afford to spend each month.</p>
<p>My nephew is at Vandy…cost is about $60k per year. Very nice school but maybe not worth it if you’re paying full price and the major can be completed somewhere else at a good school. </p>
<p>What’s her major? If it’s pre-med and money is an issue for med school, then she should spend less for undergrad and save her money for med school.</p>
<p>Would your hard working, worn out D consider taking a gap year after she makes her decision about which school to attend? One of my kids was completely frazzled by the end of high school and decided to start college in February. It was a great choice for her.</p>
<p>That’s not a bad idea. I will definitely suggest it to her.</p>
<p>I know I have pushed too hard for Tech and she has pushed back. My S is there - not an engineer though. She sees how hard he works, and he is doing exceedingly well. And she just doesn’t want to compete with that.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wow…how many other places besides CC will someone say SAT scores of 680, 690, and 690 are “low?” Seriously?</p>
<p>I think she has already decided. She wants a Southern school that has good academics, and she doesn’t want to attend her brother’s college.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt, Emory, and the University of Georgia honors program would all meet her needs. It seems reasonable for her to apply to all of them. </p>
<p>Now what she needs is a good safety school (which could be UGa without the honors program) and a thorough discussion of finances with you.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4: Already I’ve been told D “might” get early acceptance honors at UGA; she will “probably” get waitlisted at Vandy’; and Emory is a “reach” although she is applying there to their Emory Scholars Program because, my gosh, she was actually hoping for money…or at least recognition to go someplace as expensive as that. And, let’s face it, that’s not gonna happen. She wanted to get into the 700s somewhere in math: all of her friends did. Maybe she should make new, less smart friends…the downside of doing well is that it’s never good enough.</p>
<p>If you look back on these boards, you will find people that got into Emory and didn’t get into Vanderbilt and the reverse is true. I have also seen people get into Tech, Georgetown and Emory and not get into UGA Honors. At this level it’s unpredictable.</p>
<p>Emory Scholars is hard to get anymore, you have to have something Emory wants, but it is a good way to show interest. For all four schools rigor of curriculm is important. It is particularly important for UGA Honors.</p>
<p>Emory and Vanderbilt are alike, but different. UGA and Tech are not similar at all. I agree she needs to apply to all and see what happens, her stats are in range.</p>
<p>Difficulty at Emory is dependent on the major and how much effort you are willing to put in. I have heard the same about Vanderbilt, but that information is old.</p>
<p>For UGA Honors you do need to apply for the early deadline because it fills up.</p>
<p>33 ACT on the conversion chart is a 1470 SAT. Submit ACT instead. Good luck!</p>
<p>Agree with memake - She should apply wholeheartedly to all of the schools she wants to go to, and then that will be the right time to really sit down and make a choice. And visiting the colleges is a must, and so is knowing the total cost of attendance for each, too.</p>
<p>But she shouldn’t decide against applying to a school just because she think it’s too hard to get into. The cost of the application is so very minor when compared to the sense of accomplishment she’d feel if/when she was accepted. If she doesn’t apply, she will never know.</p>
<p>Is she only applying to three schools?</p>
<p>second the recommendation to submit only the ACT – yet another example of a kid who scores much better percentile-wise on the ACT vs the SAT. Same situation as that of many kids I know. The ACT is accepted EVERYWHERE.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great suggestions. MomCat2: she did submit ONLY her ACT score to UGA and will do so when she applies to Emory. She is still willing to add schools to her list which right now is: Auburn (her safety, already accepted and waiting on scholarship info); Emory; Vanderbilt; UGA; Tech; and possibly Berry which I know NOTHING about.</p>