Hey, I've been eating, sleeping, and breathing with Vanderbilt on my mind for the past few months. I'm aiming for this university and I would like to know if anyone can share what the admission statistics look like for the recent years. Admission rates, high school profiles they prefer - that sort of thing. Just trying to figure out how high I need to reach.
Vanderbilt is definitely a selective school, with a single digit acceptance rate hovering around 8-10% in recent years. It's a highly competitive institution and typically attracts numerous high-performing students from all over the world.
Regarding high school profiles, Vanderbilt usually looks for students who have excelled academically. The middle 50% of admitted students generally have ACT scores in the range of 34-35 and SAT scores between 1500-1560. A strong GPA is also crucial, with most successful applicants having unweighted GPAs above 3.9.
However, admissions doesn't focus only on academics. They're also interested in students with strong extracurricular profiles. Remember the tiers of extracurriculars I mentioned - most successful applicants will have involvement in at least one Tier 1 or Tier 2 activity. These showcase leadership or achievement at more competitive levels, like a national award or a prominent leadership role in student body leadership.
It's important to keep in mind that these statistics are just averages, and there are always successful applicants who fall outside these ranges, due to other strengths in their applications. Taking Vanderbilt's commitment to holistic review into account, your essays and recommendation letters can also play pivotal roles in helping you stand out.
Also keep in mind that early decision can give a small boost to your chances, if Vanderbilt truly is your first-choice school. But remember, ED is binding so only choose this option if you're certain Vanderbilt is your top choice and you'll be able to afford it, which you can figure out using Vanderbilt's net price calculator.
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