<p>Of all the top schools, Vanderbilt takes one of the most holistic approaches to the admissions process (I knew the old admissions director William Shain). Vandy doesn’t care about “demonstrated interest” because that isn’t real. Real “demonstrated interest” is showing it in your essays and not some superficial visit or phone call. None of those actions demonstrate that you actually understand the school. Emory only instituted that policy because they were tired of being passed over for other schools. GPA and test scores are obviously important factors, but they certainly don’t make you.</p>
<p>You wrote the “most memorable” essay in the applicant pool? You “deserved” it more than anyone you know? I’m sorry, you’re wrong and you’re being unbelievably presumptuous. I’ve done some incredible things (like having a worldwide rank) that even my very best friends know nothing about. It’s nice to know that you think you’re special, but you’re not. It’s also nice to know that you’re assuming you’ll be accepted by Rice and Emory. Good luck with that.</p>
<p>Hopefully this doesn’t come across as me kicking someone when they’re down, but the previous post deserved a response. I don’t coddle people. We live in the real world.</p>
<p>In the end, I’m sure VandyPrayer will love whatever school he ends up attending. I hope you find what you’re looking for. all the best</p>
<p>rejected
32 act, 3.8 uw, 6 aps total, good essays and ecs. i was upset at first but i know there are great schools out there other than vanderbilt. whats everyones second choice? mine is usc</p>
<p>If anyone hadn’t noticed, I personally stated how I felt about the admissions decision. I care less how you feel that I am “not that special” because I know that I am, I know that I am more thany worthy of attending the school.</p>
<p>I know for a fact that my essay was oustanding, so don’t even try to run that by me. Presumptious? Sure. That’s fine by me. I am a cocky person. I just feel that I deserved this more than anyone, and if I will be attacked and tried to be disproven by the what that I FEEL, then who is the presumptious person now…?</p>
<p>This is my last post on the message board, under this account. So, with all do respect, continue to say that the “hollistic” process is truly hollistic and that demonstrated interest isn’t even “real interest”.</p>
<p>USC is an awesome school. It has come W-A-Y up in the rankings since the 1980s. If you are “in” there, congratulations. Great campus (just don’t wander OFF campus too much at night), great kids, phenomenal teachers.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with being a Trojan. :-)</p>
<p>Wow I got it with a 27 act, barely top 10% of my class. Maybe it’s because I applied to peabody but I have to say it is not just numbers because if it was I wouldn’t have gotten in.</p>
<p>for prospective applicants reading this thread who may go back and read VandyPrayer’s essay: None of us knows why he didn’t get in, and none of knows how much essays count. But please do not submit an essay like his. It was not well written, it was neither serious nor funny, and it did not tell the reader what kind of strengths he would bring to Vanderbilt or why the applications staff should overlook his low standardized test scores. If you have weaknesses in your application, the essay is a way to try to counteract them. His essay was not memorable, and it did nothing to suggest that he would be able to succeed in the rigorous academic environment of Vanderbilt. I feel sorry for the kid, because he obviously had his heart set on attending. But neither his stats nor his essay was up to par.</p>
<p>Describe a character in fiction, a historical fiigure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that I had to tell them why my ACT scores are out of their range! The prompt said nothing like that! Wow, my essay wasn’t “well written” and didn’t “tell of my strengths” even though I did what the prompt asked me to: DESCRIBE A CHARACTER IN FICTION AND EXPLAIN THEIR INFLUENCE ON YOU.</p>
<p>jnm656–I’m surprised you got rejected. You definitely had a big chance. My friends from PAVE got in with 32s and 7-8 APs. I guess there is a huge difference between EDI and EDII. My number stats are only a bit better than yours [32, 4.0 and 10 APs] so that makes me more discouraged. I wish I could just get the bad news now before it kills me.</p>
<p>whodunnit–you wrote “Vandy doesn’t care about “demonstrated interest” because that isn’t real. Real “demonstrated interest” is showing it in your essays and not some superficial visit or phone call. None of those actions demonstrate that you actually understand the school.”</p>
<p>I agree and disagree. I agree that a visit and a phone call is definitely not demonstrated interest. Though, demonstrated interest is real, atleast for me. I attended the 6 week summer PAVE program at Vanderbilt this summer just because the college visit I had back in 2007 was simply not enough Vandy for me (and of course, I love science which is what the program was based upon). I wrote an essay stating why I wanted to attend Vanderbilt by using references of things I loved about the campus that you wouldn’t get from a simple tour. It’s been my dream school for years. And sadly, they won’t take this into account. </p>
<p>dwhite–I’m sure he meant he wanted this more than anyone else. Though maybe he is pretentious enough to say that he deserved it more than anyone. But I think he just feels bad and upset and is saying stuff that he doesn’t mean.</p>
<p>mirimom & hookem-- I agree with you. And hookem is Mr. 800 CR so he has credibility (and Luke is just awesome in general). Though, I can see how anyone can think their essay is really great, like VandyPrayer did. I mean, I’d think everyone spent a bazillion hours on their essay, putting their whole soul into it as they should. Hell, I think my essay is really good myself [but to reiterate my point, I could just be thinking that since I spent so many tens upon tens of hours thinking, planning, and writing it… it MUST be good, which definitely isn’t always the case]. But I could most likely be just as naive, as it could be a mediocre essay. Though, VandyPrayer, I do remember you saying somewhat that, in regards to your essay, you “faked it until you made it.” Maybe they could tell that.</p>
<p>guys…don’t argue…Vandy, like Emory is HUGE on demographics…now, if you can figure out which group they are targeting in a given year, then kudos to you. As an un-hooked applicant, a 25 ACT score would have to have an extraordinary reason for admit beyond an essay & demonstrated interest (even if it matters or not)…</p>
<p>Vandyprayer: pls tell me that you have safeties on your list…</p>
<p>im sorry that you didnt get in, but doing ED (especially EDI) is possibly one of the best way to show interest…considering that it locks you in before other colleges release their decisions</p>
<p>i can understand the POV of everyone…
however, I have relatively decent stats, an amazing essay, great ECs, plenty of hooks, and still didnt get in.</p>
<p>i dont want to generalize, but Vanderbilt admits (for the most part) the same <i>type</i> of students. I can attest because I have friends who go to Vandy & i’ve visited the campus a bajillion times.
Stanford was my number one choice for a looong time because the diversity (racial, socioeconomic, intellectual, etc.) was soo great–the same with Columbia, UChicago, and Brown. These colleges take risks and admit students that may not have perfect scores, but are interesting intellectually. Thats why colleges like Stanford have so many essay & short answer portions to their application–they want to know who YOU are. It’s a shame that Vandy only has ONE essay portion…</p>
<p>so, kudos to the universities that look deep into a student & attempt to measure a “fit” from there. Shame on Vandy for sticking with the status quo (staying on top of the USNWR rankings)–even though Vandy is taking great strides to diversify its student population.</p>
<p>I think everyone should just calm down and realise that there are a lot of disappointed, and angry people here, who may have spent hours applying to Vanderbilt but have been rejected nonetheless. In their current state, they may say or do things which they normally wouldn’t do or will come to regret later. Please just let everyone deal with their emotions in their own way for now, and don’t take these temporary emotions too personally.</p>
<p>I wonder how it feels to be an admissions counselor who has to shatter so many dreams in a small amount of time. I know that the happiness of the ones accepted would make up for atleast some of it, if not all, but still. I would get sad over every applicant of fighting chance who gets rejected.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why USNWR rankings matter at all. Do they get paid more money if they rank higher or something?</p>
<p>OK VandyPrayer, you wrote about a character in fiction that had an impact on you… um… Spongebob is like some stupid cartoon for first graders. If it had a real impact on you, maybe you are looking at the wrong schools. Couple that with a 25 ACT, I don’t see how you deserved to be in more than anyone else.</p>
<p>I got in with a 3.69/4.29 GPA (My school doesn’t rank, but this would make me in the top 10-20% range) and 1490/2270 SAT. Technically, my GPA should be 3.74/4.45 since the 3.69/4.29 includes some classes I took in middle school, but I’m not really complaining.</p>
<p>Granted, my GPA might seem low, but GPA is such a variable number. At the school where I go to, if you’re ranked in the top 20% and have a decent SAT, you have a legitimate shot at most schools ranked 15-30, and if you’re in the top 10%, you have a strong shot at the Ivies and other top 15 schools. If you’re in the top 5% you are almost guaranteed to go to an Ivy, Stanford, MIT, or other school on full scholarship.</p>
<p>I wrote my essay about some trip to China and how it related to my interests in politics and human rights. If you’d care to read it, just ask.</p>