Vassar’s most recent ED acceptance rate was posted at 39% and about half the class is typically admitted through ED.
The aggregate acceptance rate (including ED) is approximately 20%.
This means that RD acceptance rates have historically been around 10% (high single digit female and high teens for males).
These differences are meaningful particularly for international applicants as sometimes geographic diversity goals can sometimes be hit in ED round further lowering RD chances. The advantage of ED at small LACs extends well beyond the “hooked” bias often referenced.
Hope this helps define some of the decision criteria.
The OP is an American citizen currently living in India. But the information about the ~39% acceptance rate in the early rounds is meaningful, as the overall acceptance rate in 2022 was around 19% (the 2023 admission rate was around 17.7%)
That’s my take as well. Whatever risk the OP is taking, which I would score as small at this collection of schools, it’s a trade off for some advantage, whatever it is, in likelihood of admission. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stat that shows that 99.999% of ED admits are hooked. So whatever it is, when admission is as keenly competitive as it is at these 3 schools, you take it.
The OP is already willing to do it for Amherst. May as well take the same approach with the second choice.
Exactly!
This student is clearly willing to apply ED without having the luxury of flying half way around the world to do campus visits. They are clearly happy with their choices.
Vassar indicated total acceptance rate 17.7% including ED rounds.
” It was our most selective year ever with a 17.7 percent admit rate.”
Vassar College’s early decision acceptance rate varies by year, but has generally been high in recent years:
2022–2023: 38.62%
2021–2022: 39.92%
2020–2021: 46.67%
2019–2020: 40.42%
@merc81 if quoting me please include in its entirety (particularly if editing it in after the mods asked us to move on).
Perhaps you could provide your often used “Schools like Brown” article from 2018 that if memory serves includes several of the schools OP is considering. If ever there was a time it was relevant this might be it.
The risk for OP is they don’t choose either Wes or VC for ED and consequently miss out on the enhanced chances for admissions and are rejected by both RD. Decision made for them.
Alternatively they get into only one of the two RD and the admissions committee by default makes the decision for them.
Or lastly they get into both and are confronted with the same decision and travel challenges they have today in which they can only choose one school to attend.
With all that in mind accelerating the decision to an ED round provides them the best outcomes.
OP asked a simple question based on their desire to attend one of these two schools if Amherst doesn’t work out.
And hopefully all the information we have provided, especially those of us with direct, first hand experience, has been helpful to the OP (if they return!!)
One fundamental difference between Wesleyan and Vassar is the difference in layout of the campus. Vassar is entirely enclosed (in fact, you enter through a gate) while Wesleyan tends to bleed into the community. Thus, there are entire blocks of university-owned clapboard houses that serve as student residences (you can recognize them by the red color of the front doors.)
This is in keeping with the tradition of many of the formerly all-male colleges of New England that for many years “hid in plain sight” of their host towns. One oft-told tale of Williams involved the family that drove all the way up for their son’s interview and knocked on the door of one gracious looking home asking, “Can you direct us to Williams College?” to which the occupant answered, “You’re standing in it.”
If you would like statistical information regarding comparative difficulty of admission, this site ranks Wesleyan 46th and Vassar 48th by selectivity when considered nationally:
It is somewhat amusing to me the sheer number of different ways in which Vassar and Wesleyan look similar on paper (which is definitely not all that matters, but still).
Yes - I last checked this post a few days ago and thought it would die down. Didn’t know the people at College Confidential were this engaged, as it was my first time posting here.
There have been so many responses (many of them very insightful to me) and I haven’t had the time to respond to all, but I would like to thank everyone for assisting me in this endeavour!
OP, you’re smart to be developing a plan in the event ED1 doesn’t work out. I’m not deep in the weeds on either of these schools and suspect that overall, ED2 odds are similar at both. They attract the same “quality” of students and are similarly selective.
Your odds, however, may be better at one if you are bringing something they value and/or can demonstrate fit. Would you be able to make a better case at one than the other, perhaps because of an EC or your global perspective or interests that could be connected at one particularly well? That’s the one where your odds will be better.
