Should i bother applying to Vandy

Colleges & Universities Vanderbilt University
1

<p>Hi all, sorry for asking for the chances, but i want to know whether or not to apply to Vandy.</p>

<p>Student : International student
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Curriculum** : Central Board of Secondary Education
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Degree** : Mechanical Engineering</p>

<p>I don’t have GPA grading in my school. The grading is purely based on marks obtained:
9th - 85% (maths-A, science-A, social studies-A, English-B, Hindi-B) :slight_smile:
10th - 90% (maths-A, science-A, social studies-A, English-A, Hindi-B) :slight_smile:
11th – 75%(maths-C,physics-A,chemistry-B,computer science-A,English-A) :(</p>

<p>Rank : 7 / 59 :frowning:
**
Courseload** : Most rigorous courseload offered by the school.</p>

<p>I had also received a scholarship in grade 11 due to my academic excellence in grade 10. It is only offered to students who have passed out of grade 10 with really high grades in the Central Board of Secondary Examination. Approximately every year around 10 students receive such a scholarship.
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ACTIVITIES** :
1) Attended the Global Young Leaders’ Conference (GYLC) in Washington/New York this year.
2) I have been learning Indian Carnatic Music vocal for over 10 years and have given a 2 and half hour concert. Apart from this i have also received the First Class Distinction in the Carnatic Music Vocal Junior Exam (which is pretty tough to get).
3) Made Robot for science exhibition which uses sensors to travel through a maze and then using LED’s to show the intensity of the light in its path.
4) I have also been learning Carnatic Music violin for over 4 years and have recently won 3rd place in the Inter-House Talent contest held in my school.
5) Information Head in the school Anti-Smoking Committee in which a presentation is going to be made to the Grade 9 and 10 students on the Harmful effects of smoking, why we smoke, how to stop smoking and the harmful chemicals present in cigarettes and cigars.
6) Singing - Star of the Section winner in grade 9, 10 and 11.
7) Swimming
8) Made a presentation on Periodic Table for the Science Exhibition in Grade 9 and a presentation on Tessellation for the Maths exhibition.
9) Helped the team in coming 3rd in an inter-school robot competition
10) Participant in the Duke of Edinburgh Scholarship Program
11) Certificate of distinction in the Green Olympiad which is an Olympiad based on knowledge of the environment.
12) Recently participated in the Computer Olympiad.
13) Donned the role of a teacher on Teacher’s Day for 2 years.
14) Have acted in many cultural plays and have also been a narrator in many other activities. </p>

<p>SAT SCORES:
MATH - 730
CR – 600
W - 640 </p>

<p>SAT II SCORES
MATH - 650 :frowning: - Fortunately Vandy does not need SATII scores as a part of the app.
PHYSICS - 710
CHEMISTRY - 740
They are asking to send 2 scores, so i would be sending my physics and chemistry scores even though they are not that great.</p>

<p>Can’t say much about the essays because i feel they are good but it depends on the adcoms view point.</p>

<p>Recommendations from the Guidance counselor and Teachers are excellent (atleast for the other universities). All the teachers told me that they had written excellent ones. </p>

<p>My math teacher mentioned about my C in the recommendation by stating that even though i got only a C, in comparison to the class my scores were really high and that i had the analytical and logical thinking that is most essential in mathematics.</p>

<p>**
AID **: DO NOT REQUIRE FINANCIAL AID - if it makes a difference.</p>

2

<p>I am applying EDII</p>

3

<p>Note, you can’t just send in two of your SAT II scores- they’re all sent in on the same notification form. They’ll see every examination you took for College Board. Your app looks good, but I’d work on beefing up the essays, since they can really top-off your app.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the reply…i know that they get to see all the SAT II’s but in their app i will mention only physics and chem. </p>

<p>Just finished their essays, waiting for my dad to come home and proof read them.</p>

5

<p>busygirl, it would behoove anyone applying for anything to have someone proof read an essay, especially one as important as a college essay that can sway whether or not you are accepted into college. His father is NOT writing his essay, just checking the clarity. I’m sure you had one of your friends, a college counselor, or teacher read one of your essays…and if you didn’t, then that was a mistake on your part. An error in clarity is a big deal. Don’t tell me that you’ve never written an essay for anything that seemed completely clear to you, but someone had a few questions or corrections for you to consider. There is no need to be mean to sudu1989…</p>

6

<p>if you have nothing constructive to post, then don’t post…</p>

7

<p>I believe sudu did write his own essay…and you still haven’t told me…did you have anyone read your essays?? Have you ever written an essay that seems perfectly clear to you because you know what you want to say, and yet when someone else reads it, it isn’t as clear to them??</p>

8

<p>There is absolutely nothing wrong with using an “editor”…every published book is the result of at least one, if not many more. It doesn’t give a misrepresentation to the college at all. Many college professors will edit or critique papers if you submit them with enough time before the deadline. Admissions officers know this, I’m sure, and probably expect the candidate with the most desire to attend their particular school to put in the effort and time to find an editor.</p>

9

<p>well said littlelostflute!</p>

10

<p>busygirl - what seems to be your problem? i don’t understand why you have to act like a snob. there’s really no need for the childish animosity. please get a grip on yourself.</p>

11

<p>First of all, I’m sorry for your loss. As awful as that may be, I’m sure your parents would not consider it an excuse to be hateful to others. Secondly, I never said that having someone edit would make or break your admission. It’s just a nice last touch to the application for those who want to go the extra mile.</p>

12

<p>busygirl, sorry for your loss, but you need to stop attacking people…chillax</p>

13

<p>FYI: I did just fine my first semester at Vanderbilt (I’m a freshman this year), and my parents did edits on my essays.</p>

14

<p>busygirl,</p>

<p>Having someone else proofread an essay, any essay, is not intellectually dishonest. I had friends, professors, and family members proofread various admissions essays when I applied to undergrad and grad-- nobody seemed to think it was a problem. Yes, it’s important that the essay represent you as a person, but it’s also important that a person see herself from different viewpoints as well. That, and having the occasional comma splice or typo fixed is never bad.</p>

15

<p>Okay, I’m not seeing the conjugation problem. Where is it?</p>

16

<p>Not in the least bit. I don’t see a conjugation issue in there. This is not pertinent to the thread, however, so if you feel that it’s important, PM me with the answer to this riddle!</p>