I read OP’s reddit responses and s/he actually does seem to understand the Covid issue. They said that admitted students were able to “bypass Covid safety protocols” and they didn’t see much of a difference between this school’s accepted students and the waitlisted ones (except that now they think admitted students are more likely to be from wealthy families or the children of alumni).
I think OP miscalculated their chance of acceptance and misread the college’s marketing as personal interest. They signed up for a virtual interview which turned out to be a discussion about the college, but even though OP realized their grades were low for this school they came away with the idea that they had a good chance of being admitted.
When they received the waitlist “offer” they decided to give the college “the benefit of the doubt” and sent in all the additional information they were allowed to send. The “benefit of the doubt” is an odd phrase. If the interview gave them a “positive impression” about their admission chances maybe they thought they were added to the waitlist by mistake. They seemed to read something into the way this college delivered the waitlist decision (because it came in an email instead of a notification in the portal like other colleges) which makes me wonder if they thought the method of notification was an indication of where they were on the waitlist.
OP mentions their “previous interactions” with the college several times to justify why the tour rules should have been bent for them and said that their request should have been considered “in context.” They also said that their visit coincided with the release date of the earliest waitlist acceptance notifications. I think they mistakenly believed they were high on the waitlist and really expected the visit to coincide with an acceptance and were frustrated they couldn’t get the business office to understand what they interpreted as their special status.
The way they talk about the divide between the academic part of the college and the “gatekeeping administration” makes me suspect that they think the academic side of the college wants them and the business side might overrule it. The end of their post even mentions turning down an offer if they get one. In the 2 months since the visit they seem to have come to the conclusion that selective college administrations are elitist instead of understanding that they were responding to the college’s mass marketing. That’s unfortunate. I hope they enjoy their time at the college they decided to attend. It appears to have been much higher on their original list than this college anyway so they’re getting what they originally wanted.
I think the whole thing is a learning experience for the OP and potentially for many students/parents reading.
Those mass mailings and more are extremely slick at making one feel they are special and wanted. In reality all that is wanted are applications because more applications = better prestige and more students to select from to fill a class. It’s a sales pitch, nothing more, but so many believe it’s personal and they are the star of the show.
The schools marketing scheme was either too effective or I got too personally involved. Maybe a bit of both. Imagine if you applied for a job, got an interview, and than got a personal letter from a current employee telling you how excited they were about you wanting to come work at their company? What if you were also actively in contact with many people working at the company, including your potential managers, but all of a sudden the unrelated hiring department says they are on the fence about you?
Yes, it is marketing. And BTW the analogy with the job search is very similar. In the job recruiting process, one often gets positive feedback from HR, current employees, department heads, etc. and still not get an offer.
Yes, and this definitely happens with jobs. Any company wants to hold onto a potential talent pool in a hot market, but at the same time, they are limited in the number of actual openings. So no matter how you feel about the communication, it’s not an offer unless you have an offer letter in hand. Even if your “network” extends into the company, your friends usually don’t have the final say.
Now I’m suddenly having flashbacks to “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” Remember how Rory is hounded for months by an internet media company and when she finally bites out of desperation, she’s shocked to discover it’s an interview, not a coronation? No? Well, it’s a lot of time to invest and maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but Gilmore Girls has many object lessons in what not to do in school, career, and in life.
I spit out my coffee. D20 was also inundated with Vandy and Harvard; she thought the Harvard marketing was very creative, but since direct marketing was my main career, she knew the “game.” I apologize for all the crap I sent you guys over the decades
This reminds me of why I first got on College Confidential. UCSC sent a COVID update in January about how “Our redwood trees and beautiful Pacific Ocean views await your student!” without the disclaimer that they haven’t made any admissions decisions yet. I knew enough not to read anything into it, but I was a little shocked at how easily it could have been read as a sign my son would be admitted. In fact, he was waitlisted, but I assume they sent that email to everyone.
very well thought out response and probably what best describes what the OP thought. I work in presales. My job sometimes is to tell the sales reps that they have to say “no, we cannot do that” as they promise customers undeliverables. Marketing creates the hype and admissions is the gatekeeper.
What - I didn’t get into Chicago…with a full scholarship?
The OP also missed that a waitlist is, for all intents and purposes, a rejection. It’s simply a hedge for the benefit of the college in case they need his revenue if their yield doesn’t pan out.
