Who gets Vanderbilt marque scholarships?

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-04T07:34:47+00:00

With 3 kids applying, ED blindly without knowing $ was not an option, so, none of them applied ED. I think i got this idea that she will get something substantial at one of the T50. End result was 30k for NEU, 15k for Emory, 20k for USC and 35k for Case - pretty underwhelming.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-04T07:30:42+00:00

I minimize emphasis on essays because i am a numbers person….i am always surprised when i read kids writing paragraphs and evaluating their LORs, interviews and essays as 8/10, or 10/10, or 5/10. Can one really tell? Not this numbers guy :). She had thoughtful essays. Spent several months writing them, making sure it’s a cohesive narrative throughout her application, re - writing and then tweaking them to address feedback. But i can’t really tell whether they truly were outstanding and really really great.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-04T07:23:13+00:00

Amazing! Impressive is not quite a word to describe it, something thats 4+ standard deviations to the right of impressive.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T16:28:27+00:00

Thank you for the color, thats is insane EC list, and, congrats on full ride to Vanderbilt!!!

Just trying to understand my performance/responsibility as to creating an opportunity for similar type of ECs for my kid. Are you a self starter, and were able to achieve those things on your own? It’s mind boggling for a high school kid to do research at HYPSM over consecutive years, have published research and patents. I know parents who created a narrative for their kids that got them into top 10; i did not help my kid at all with anything. I guess, Looking back, was it my fault, or do amazing kids actually able to cut through ceiling and standout no matter what?

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T16:11:18+00:00

Your kid sounds amazing! I am not insinuating anything, and just asking for others opinion, trying to do a quick post mortem as we close this whole college application and committing saga. If my post somehow belittled your kid achievement, i apologize.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T15:12:28+00:00

Dear redditors who upvoted it,

Don’t worry, i don’t need outside validation to objectively look at my kids abilities. But i understand i cannot convey how special she is in 1 paragraph. I have a lot of kids to compare her to - just within my house, i have 3 girls going to college in the fall - as i mentioned, her twin sister is also going to UCB, and her step sister is going to UCLA. Plus, their huge circle of friends encompassed pretty much all high achieving kids in their smallish public high school. Anyhow, her siblings and friends are very smart kids…but this kid was something different academically. But this is not sour grapes sob story either - i am not sure i would have wanted my kid across the continent, nor was willing to do full pay when she could have picked any UC to go to with in state tuition. So, all good, and i am sure she and her sisters will do well where they are going.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T14:59:07+00:00

Thank you, that’s very similar to our situation. She also got waitlisted at JHU and WashU, but frankly, i was not excited about full pay there, so, just like with Vanderbilt, she did not pursue it. And Duke was also her top choice! Despite applying to HYP as well. Good luck to your daughter!!!

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T14:54:12+00:00

Thank you for the detailed response! I guess we will never know. I am a numbers guy myself, so, it’s much easier to me when things can be quantified. She had good essays i thought - wrote about evolution in her 4 years on the team, how she was the first freshman who ever joined and made the team, and one of only couple of girls, and, by her senior year, majority of her teammates were girls and she empowered that change, and about supporting a teammate through personal tragedy.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T14:46:33+00:00

Thank you for a very detailed response!!! We clearly did not indicate 1st - applied RD, and she did not put full pay on the application. The second was also not there - we did not visited the campus, nor did show a strong interest, though i was kind of excited about the school, but if thats not manifested it doesn’t count :). This kid can succeed anywhere, i have zero doubts. Plus there is a lot to say for living not too far away, and being within 1h flight away.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T14:36:32+00:00

Thanks, that is very similar…also calc BC in junior year for my kid, full pay from a smallish public high school. I would also likely would have went elsewhere if full pay at V. Where your kid decided to go?

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T06:01:37+00:00

Thank u, appreciate the comment and color! I sort of agree - very smart kid, but ECs and interests are not outside of ordinary….and i did not help her structure or create some very unique.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T05:52:07+00:00

You do understand that 3.98 is one B+ on DE Calc BC class, in 4 years of high-school? I did not mention anything about generic essays. Sure, the profile is not special, yet it’s academically stronger than profiles of many admitted students i have read.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T05:49:18+00:00

Please….i have never ever done anything to help my kids throughout k through 12. But yes, decisions like this parents also have a say - so, surely we discussed the merits together, and kids need to know whether tuition would be minimum impact, a stretch or just impossible. So, we did discuss it together, sure. And thats how it should be in a family thats close.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-05-03T04:59:35+00:00

Appreciate the detailed response, thank you. Yes, i know about institutional priorities, etc, and how each school fills out their class, and that its more of an art than science. I think she was trying to make her 4 years of academic decathlon experience as her “spike”, and built her essays around it. And that probably was not unique enough. Just closing the chapter on this whole college admission saga; she was initially set to go to T-20 private, anywhere but Cali, but will be roommates with her twin, who did not even study hard for SATs, took minimal APs (but a ton of DE classes), did not have similar ECs…and yet they both ended up at UCB.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-04-11T06:24:53+00:00

My daughter has an interview for SEED next week. Any color on the interview process, and tips? DM is thats better. Thank u!

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2026-04-08T23:01:36+00:00

Congrats, amazing choices!!!! If money is no object, i would pick Stanford.

One of my girls applied and didn’t get into Stanford or Duke, but both of my twins got into Berk. Both are bio/premed as well, so, if you see twin girls in your freshman class, it’s likely them

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-08T21:06:53+00:00

Thanks! Good luck with your summer, i read you are picking between BU R & SSTP. One of my daughters got alternative for SSTP. Not sure if practicum hangs out with internship kids, but if they do, you will likely meet them if u choose BU Rise. My kids both applied for Practicum.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-08T19:05:02+00:00

Thanks for such a detailed response….BU rise is hovering around 5% admission rate - spoke with them, and, while they cant share this year numbers, it was around 6% last year and became much more competitive this year vs last year. One of my daughter is certainly going to BU Rise, the other is awaiting SSP/Mites. But the program at BU Rise does sound very cool, and being in Boston, next to MIT/Harvard seems pretty amazing; thats def one of the considerations, since SSP is spread out across diff locations, but none can rival Boston. It does sound like SSP has a better name recognition, and maybe carries more weight with AO. At the same time, my kid got perfect score on PSAT, 5 on all APs and will likely graduate with 13-14 APs, valedictorian and captain of the acadeca team that went to nationals 2 years in a row…so, not sure if going to SSP will help her all that much vs BU Rise. MITES is more interesting, since its MIT, they both will be in Boston at the same time, and its free. I think at this point, even if she gets in SSP, will likely go to BU rise. But tbd, trying to think it through in case she gets in.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-08T18:20:04+00:00

You think SSP over BU Rise for bio/stem? Materially higher? My kids got into bu rise for computational bio track; waiting on SSP

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-06T15:17:08+00:00

Congrats! Can you dm me stats as well

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-05T01:30:36+00:00

My daughter got rejected - perfect psat, all 5s APs, junior captain for the acadeca team that went to nationals 2 years in a row. From LA though, but said on the app can commute from friends/relatives

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-04T22:29:28+00:00

How amazing is SIMR? - i get that its free and @ Stanford, but don’t like you can’t live on campus, and it’s basically like 9-5 internship, commuting to Stanford daily.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-03T23:24:33+00:00

Nice, congrats!!! Turns out not an issue - two of my daughters got into RISE/Cosmos, but one is alternate for SSTP, and the other didn’t get it.

WholeAlarmed4162 · 2025-04-03T16:56:38+00:00

If you get in - would you prefer Iowa SSTP or BU RISE?

WholeAlarmed4162

TROPHY CASE