<p>Rejected at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Dartmouth, Williams
Waitlisted at CalTech, Amherst, Penn, Pomona, and UChicago
Accepted at U of I</p>
<p>ACT 33
SAT Subjects: 2220
3.99 UW, 4.55 W
6/730 at very competitive public high school in Illinois
Sports, math team, piano, research, community service, science competitions</p>
<p>Please help. This is the worst feeling ever. What do I need to do to get off the waitlist somewhere? :(
P.S. I just realized that I spelled "nowhere" wrong.</p>
<p>you need to show LOTS of interest in the school. colleges are going to be using the waitlist a lot more this year so start sending emails to the admissions offices! my friends who have gone through this usually send emails or letters with updates of what they are doing in school and extracurricularly as well as trying to explain why they want to go to School X and why they would be good for the school. im really sorry about your situation because you obviously deserved to be accepted to many more of those schools just from looking at your stats.</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice. Please respond people :(</p>
<p>I feel really terrible for you...last year, one of my best friends got into the same exact situation as you. He was top 3% of the class, 36 ACT, yet got rejected by 7 reach/target schools for whatever reason and only got into safety, which was u of i. So, he's at u of i right now, but he's trying to transfer. Make sure you finish your year strong and do well at college, then try to transfer if you want. </p>
<p>Getting off the waitlist - it depends largely on luck and the number of people who get off the waitlist varies each year for each college. I wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>Sorry to say your list seems to be all reaches (hi and low, but still reaches) and the one safety. As the previous poster stated, to get off the waitlist you have to show a great deal of interest, update all your activities, show you haven't started to take it easy, maybe ask one of the people who wrote a recommendation to update that.</p>
<p>You have the best shot at U of Chicago, show intense interest and write to your adcom. With your academic qualifications I think you have a reasonable chance. Focus on "Why Chicago" when writing to them. Send any new credentials. Show interest! Penn is a wildly popular school so I doubt that the wait list will move much. Caltech class size is too small so again not much movement. I dont know about the other two schools.</p>
<p>Spend a few hours reading the U of I website and find things to love about the school. Lots of students are very happy there.</p>
<p>I agree with dntw8up.
Your list had all reaches and one safety. It's important to create a balanced list. Applying to a long list of reaches doesn't mean that one will get into one.</p>
<p>It's also important to apply to a safety that one loves. After all, the reason to choose a safety is because one may end up going there.</p>
<p>I agree with the advice to go after the U of Chicago agressively. My child goes there and I hear that while no one was admitted off the waiting list last year, they expect to use the list a lot more this year. There was a surge in applications this year and they are turning to the waiting list to manage admittances. But, only go after Chicago if you really want to go there as it is not a fit for everyone and it would not be fair to those who really want to go there who are on the waiting list if you took a spot and didn't go.</p>
<p>I would actually pursue them all aggressively. Get your guidance counselor to re-affirm your commitment to the one you like the most. Maybe get a teacher to write an additional letter of recommendation. Send a really nice letter describing why you like the school. Call the admissions office. Do whatever you can.</p>
<p>Wow, I just feel really bad for you.. what are the chances of getting 5 out of 11 waitlists.... that's pretty insane.</p>
<p>UChicago was supposed to be a match, but so many more applicants applied that I guess it turned into a reach. I was shocked by the decision.</p>
<p>In the updated information that I send each school, should I explain my situation? Are admissions directors at all sympathetic?</p>
<p>U chicago is not a match for anyone. None of the top 15 or so most competitive LACs or national universities can be counted on to be matches. In addition, U Chicago has a very quirky admission policy in that it looks for some kind of personality match. </p>
<p>I doubt that colleges will be sypathetic to learn that you're waitlisted everywhere. You can, however, have your GC try to get you off one of those waitlists.</p>
<p>Unless you achieve the rather long odds of getting off the waitlists, either fall in love with your safety or take a productive gap year, making sure you have safety and match schools you'd love attending. Admission at all colleges is expected to be more competitive than this year, so if you decide to take a gap year, be much more conservative than you were this year in making your applications.</p>
<p>Besides having definite matches on your list, this example also proves another point: When creating a college list, always include a safety that you would be HAPPY to attend. I am strongly considering going to the college that I was considering my "safety" (Willamette) because I genuinely like it. Finding good safeties is just as important as finding good reaches.</p>
<p>Edit: I guess Northstarmom already said what I said... She's just ahead of the game</p>
<p>I am in the same situation as you right now, waitlisted at 5/9 schools and rejected by the other four. </p>
<p>I had a question about being waitlisted and I figure I might as well post it here instead of making a new thread. So you CAN accept to be on the waitlist at more than one college right? And what happens if you somehow manage to get off more than one waitlist, can you choose where to go? Thanks!</p>
<p>Sounds to me like you applied to ten reaches and one safety. You should have found more match schools.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I find it difficult to help you because you are a Cubs fan.</p>
<p>NL CENTRAL STANDINGS</p>
<p>Milwaukee Brewers 1-0
Chicago Cubs 0-1</p>
<p>Nuff Said.</p>
<p>Yes, it is permisssible to be on multiple wait lists. If you receive one or more offers of admission from the wait lists you will be given a date by which you have to accept or decline the offers.</p>
<p>Typically, when colleges offer a chance for a student to get off the wait list, the college want a reply within 24 hours so that they can move on to another student if you turn them down.</p>
<p>Go to Univ of Illinois and don't look back. Be a proud Illini, and get the best education you can. It is an excellent school and many of its departments are top rated in the nation. Oskie-wa-wa Illinois!</p>
<p>Make sure to give admissions a call and express your interest. Also ask them if there is anything missing from your application.</p>