Undergraduate Admissions Office Behind E. Bronson Ingram College, as photographed on Aug. 27, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/Nafees-ul Haque)
According to the survey, 85% of students took some form of advanced class, such as AP, IB, honors or dual enrollment. Eighty-seven percent of students said their school offered AP classes, 19% of students’ schools offered IB classes, 82% of students’ schools offered honors classes and 60% of students’ schools offered dual enrollment classes. Matus said she took 6 AP classes, which was the maximum allowed number at her school, and 45 college credits worth of dual enrollment courses.
“I knew that taking these courses would help me stand out to colleges, as well as potentially allow me to graduate early. Now at Vandy, I am able to graduate an entire year early,” Matus said. “Where I lived, dual credit courses were only $75 per credit, and we received $4,125 [from the school] to use toward college credits. This allowed me to save thousands of dollars.”
ADVANCED CLASSES
Students participated in a variety of extracurricular activities in high school, with the top five being community service (87%), academic clubs/competition (75%), athletics (62%), paid work (46%) and music (37%). First-year Annie Shi discussed her role as president of her high school’s Chinese club for two years.
“We had approximately 15-20 members, and most of us were inspired to join because of our Chinese teacher, who made learning the language and culture accessible to everyone. As a group, we would perform during festivals and fundraise for a local homeless shelter,” Shi said. “The club allowed me to form connections with others outside my classes, and it gave us the ability to leave a positive impact on the community around us.”