First off, sorry. If you are reading this blog, you have just received some bad news. Vanderbilt was likely your dream school or at least a school you loved enough to apply ED to, and getting a “no” stinks. However, application season isn’t over, and there is still time to get into great schools. All you have to do is put the work in, and you can turn it around for regular decision.
Vanderbilt has become increasingly difficult to get into every year. Last year, their overall acceptance rate was just over 6%, and their early decision acceptance rate was just under 17%. These are very competitive rates and trust us when we say that not every good student gets in.
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This is all to say: Don’t beat yourself up about not getting into Vandy. It is time to look forward and follow a couple of key steps to ensure that you set yourself up for the best odds of success. Let us break them down for you.
Step 1: Breathe
Sometimes, students need 2-3 days to get in the right headspace. Getting rejected can be hard, but bringing those emotions into RD will only make it more difficult. Take a deep breath and check in with yourself. Once you have done that, it is time to jump into the real work!
Step 2: Strategize
As college counselors, we ensure that every student we work with has a good strategy going into application season. However, it is not too late to add some strategy to your RD apps. The first thing you need to strategize is your college list. You need a well-balanced list going into the RD round. Your list needs to be a good balance between reach schools, targets, and safeties.
Just because you didn’t get into Vandy doesn’t mean you need to get rid of your other reach schools, but they should be the smallest part of your list. Plus, they shouldn’t be huge stretches. They should feel “within reach.” You also need great target and safety options. While they are 2/3s of a well-balanced list, they often get looked over. You want targets and safeties that you would actually be happy going to. It isn’t too late to add schools. Think about what you loved about Vanderbilt. We have found students who love Vandy, also often love Emory, Wake Forest, Duke, Davidson, UVA, and William & Mary, but there are a lot of great schools out there that you also may like! We have a blog about how to make a great college list if you are still feeling lost.
We also need to talk about ED2. We advise our students to make an ED2 plan before they even apply to their first school. However, it isn’t too late to select an ED2 school. You should check your list to see if any of your schools offer a second early decision round. ED2 is a powerful tool that you should use, and many schools offer it. For example, from the schools mentioned above, Emory, Wake Forest, Davidson, and William & Mary offer an ED2 round.
Also, we are begging you to check your data! Sometimes, students make their lists based on hunches. This isn’t going to work. You need to make sure your targets are really targets and your safeties are actually safe. Not only should you be checking Common Data sets and class profiles, but you should also talk to a counselor, whether it is a trusted high school counselor or a private counselor like us, to double-check your list.
Step Three: Essays
We are sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news, but you will most likely need to rewrite your Common App essay: if not a complete rewrite, at least a very good edit. At elite schools, there are so many qualified applicants, and great essays can make all the difference. Whenever we work with a student coming off an ED rejection, we look at their essays, and 99% of the time, their essays don’t stand out or shine. Your essays are your chance to showcase your personality and help admissions officers connect to who you are. It is critical that your essays are as strong as they can be.
We specialize in helping students write unique and creative essays and find that a great essay can help students get into a school that they are statistically unlikely to gain admission to. We want to help and have compiled some of our best tips into an Official Common App Essay Guide for 2024-2025. We highly suggest reading it over and taking another look at your Common App essay. We also publish blogs on college-specific supplemental essays and encourage you to look them over before submitting your RD supplements. If you need more help, reach out. We can help you get your essays into fighting shape!
Step Four: Ask for Help
The next two weeks are critical. There is a lot to do; if you feel overwhelmed, it is ok to ask for help. We even offer a specific package for students in your exact position, the “It’s Going to Be Okay” package. It is an application boot camp to make sure your RD plan is in order. We set you up with a dedicated counselor to review your Common App, rewrite your essays, check your college list, and hold your hand through the final deadline. We want to make sure that your RD round is set up for success.
Getting rejected from Vanderbilt might feel like a major setback, but it shouldn’t derail you. While there is a lot of work to do, your application season isn’t over yet! Make the most of it by following these steps.
Need help? We have you covered. Contact us today!