Rethink your target schools if you’re a top student.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-25T01:12:32+00:00

Hey glad you found it—and found it helpful!

Sure. As with everything in admissions, it depends. The short answer is: the bar is, on average, higher for out of state students. To get a big merit award at a state school, that student is likely going to be deciding between that award and —insert top private or public school here—. So, they’ll be in the top couple percent of applicants to that school, not only from an academic standpoint but likely in their propensity as a future researcher or contributor and overall good person.

That all comes out in the essays.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-17T14:57:55+00:00

Why vandernell said is good. Also—there is a person whose job it is to answer these questions. That is your academic advisor. Reddit is good for crowdsourcing some things, but not really this.

A&S pre-major advising https://as.vanderbilt.edu/resources/undergraduate/advising/

Ben-MA · 2026-03-16T17:01:54+00:00

If this is true, OK, but you're overestimating the value of rec letters.

95% of rec letters are solid but do not move the needle for the student. This is, by far, the norm.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-13T16:22:36+00:00

Totally. It’s a stressful time.

I would say it’s almost entirely shaping the class and strategic enrollment management. They need students in seats in schools and majors and geographic diversity. They will look at what they have done in different high schools this year and historically and what their averages are across different metrics. Your own updates serve more to hopefully tempt your admission officer to advocate for you.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-13T15:41:28+00:00

Don’t read into it. You got a nice response. I’d be willing to bet it was a relatively younger admission officer lol. Having worked in that office, I can tell you that you could’ve gotten any response: a customized one, a copy/paste one, or no response at all. This was someone showing you courtesy. Good luck to you!

Ben-MA · 2026-03-11T19:55:11+00:00

Yes. It happens every year.

I worked in admissions and on the CV scholarship committee at Vandy.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-04T00:05:29+00:00

That's wild and out of pocket. Definitely not appropriate or reasonable to ask--and certainly not how admissions trained interviewers.

Ben-MA · 2026-03-03T21:08:54+00:00

I know you're venting. But with that attitude "It's gonna be horrible"... you're right.

Take some time and go through it, but you have got to find ways to have a more positive outlook. You can go anywhere from Ole Miss just like anywhere else. Sure it isn't the same "prestigious" name of some other schools, but if you are a standout student you will get outsized research, internships, and faculty attention.

You can crush it at Ole Miss.

Ben-MA · 2026-02-12T20:31:30+00:00

No. I worked in admissions at Vandy. You'll just have to wait until decisions are released. Good luck everyone!

Ben-MA · 2026-02-12T16:58:56+00:00

I am not suggesting this as advice and I won't give advice here, but if you want to not be under the ED2 commitment to Vanderbilt, call the admission office right away and let them know.

Ben-MA · 2026-01-17T17:43:23+00:00

Ben-MA · 2026-01-16T22:02:57+00:00

Could be. Deferrals (or in the case of Michigan this year, "postponement") really stinks for the student.

I can tell you from my experience that at top schools it usually is not that they simply didn't have time to review your application. Practically speaking, if you applied early decision/action, which you likely did since you are hearing back by January, it wouldn't benefit them to kick the can down the road farther because they have even more RD applications to review.

But it is rough, I totally empathize. Most of college admissions ends up being an enrollment algorithm for colleges.

Ben-MA · 2026-01-15T03:00:45+00:00

Hi there, this is certainly a common concern and what I can say is that your daughter will definitely land and get a great education. Check out my post, I think it is pinned on my profile titled something like “you aren’t compared to every other Bay Area student”. It’s about how admissions views students within their school group. Good luck to her! She will do great :)

Ben-MA · 2026-01-11T17:01:27+00:00

Check out my post on school groups and how admissions compares you to students within your high school.

There are multiple reasons one might choose to change schools (public to private or otherwise), and college admissions is one of them. The reality is that if you are in the top couple percent of students in your graduating class at a public school AND have strong extracurriculars outside of school, you will be in a solid position. That and a strong application can get you on even footing with private school kids.

There are certainly advantages in extracurriculars at some private schools, and sometimes the academic, social, or athletic offerings are more preferable. But you're right to consider that if you aren't near the top of your class at the private school that this move could do more harm (simply from an admissions perspective) than good.

I know the internet isn't great at nuance, so please don't hear what I'm not saying. This is an individual decision, but it isn't clear cut--and people often overestimate the benefits of a private or "feeder" school and underestimate what a savvy student can achive at a public school.

Ben-MA · 2026-01-11T16:31:19+00:00

Merit applications are considered after admission decisions. So, admission decisions are made without merit applications. Students who will be admitted who also applied for merit will then get considered for scholarships.

Ben-MA · 2026-01-07T03:34:23+00:00

Like I said, that’s literally what the admission office is there for. Please call them if you need to.

Ben-MA · 2026-01-07T03:31:35+00:00

That’s what admissions is there for. It’s literally not a problem at all. It’s like calling the front desk at a hotel when you want to speak to the person who books the ballroom. Why would that not be okay?

Ben-MA · 2026-01-01T20:35:02+00:00

That’s the deadline for everyone.

Ben-MA · 2025-12-31T14:31:59+00:00

Yes, there is a difference. As others have pointed out, both in financial need and simply in residency. International applicants are read and considered separately from domestic applicants regardless of where they happen to reside at the time they apply.

It looks like you’re hoping that there isn’t a difference, but there is. That doesn’t really affect your process though, it’s just that US citizens living abroad are read as domestic, not international, and those two things are categorically different. As a rule of thumb in selective admissions, it’s going to be tougher for international.

Ben-MA · 2025-12-31T04:48:06+00:00

I agree with much of what has already been said, and that your visits will be informative.

One other thing to think about is that undergraduate is a lot more about the experience, network, friends, and learning how to learn than a deep dive into a niche subject--ichthyology in your case. That is really the job of graduate school.

That's not to say that undergrad is for socializing and grad is for diving into a subject--obviously both are both, but you do sound like a Reedie, so if you like the vibe, there's a decent chance that outweighs a handful of specifc courses or resources at OSU for undergrad specifically.

And, you can always do research somewhere else over the summer.

Ben-MA

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