<p>Please accept my apologies, if this has been answered in other threads/posts but I was wondering what the percentage is of Early Decision candidates who are eventually accepted to Bates or any college? If the candidate has applied to the college Early Decision 1 does that give her/him an extra point than a person with similar background/academics , when admissions is making it’s final decisions? Perhaps the percentage changes every year based on the number and/or the quality of applicants. I’m trying to give some encouragement to my son who after being accepted to his safeties with great merit scholarship aid has been recently either deferred or been turned down from his reach or more competitive schools.</p>
<p>Hi - my son was deferred at Bates as well from the ED1 pool. According to our admissions officer, about 10% of the deferrals are offered a spot during regular decision. Not great odds unfortunately. I do know this year was extremely competitive and the ED1 pool was about 30% larger vs. previous years. </p>
<p>Bates is a wonderful, wonderful place and if my son were offered a spot via RD he’d go in a heartbeat. He’s also applied RD to several other schools - I think our guys are applying to similar places (UMass and UNH I think I’ve seen you on their boards?). As great a fit as I think Bates would be, it IS very selective and who knows why a school selects who it selects. I was joking with my son if he had all the credentials he has but was from South Dakota rather than NH, he probably would have been admitted. It’s hard to not take it personally and not be discouraged but I think it’s important. Someone on one of the threads said to not let your child fall in love with a school. Very wise words! Good luck to your son - I know both our guys will land on their feet.</p>
<p>MACLASS and BTMell - I know exactly what you are going through. A couple years ago my daughter didn’t get into her dream school. It was heartbreaking to watch her pain. She ended up going to one of her safety schools. She took the max number of credit hours and ended her freshman year with a 4.0 (she even took a physics class and science is not her strength). She got involved in activities on campus and in the community. I don’t think she has ever pushed herself as hard as she did that year. She made getting accepted her number one goal. After freshmen year she reapplied to her dream school as a transfer student and was accepted. She tells me all the time how much she loves her school and all the extra work was worth it. My advice would be, if they really want it tell them don’t give up and give it everything they have.</p>
<p>Thanks, Phllsfrs - that’s a route I’d never considered. There’s a friend of ours, a young man, who didn’t get into his dream school because of finances and ended up at UNH in the engineering school. He ended up loving it there - graduated with honors, had his pick of four great jobs, and married a beautiful young woman. Almost like a fairy tale! Things work out but I definitely will pass this along to my son.</p>
<p>Remember all these schools seem highly competitive but Bates took 75 kids off the waiting list this past year (Class of 2016) which is a very high number for such a tiny class. I would suggest staying in touch with Bates frequently with emails etc. Even if you get waitlisted you still have a shot. A couple years ago Bates took 100 students off the waiting list. Refer to Common data sets for all different colleges to get the numbers each year. Good luck…</p>
<p>Thanks rubyjane - much appreciated. Any suggestions for staying in touch? Do you think it’s best to email his admissions counselor?</p>
<p>I suggest if you have anything new to add to your folder like additional letter of recommendation, award, something sports/art, volunteer related etc or possibly asking a follow up question. I didn’t see all the specific of your previous note but I am assuming they did interview or overnight etc? My daughter sent thank you note immediately after interview. Best to follow up with college counselor in your state/region. Hope this helps a tiny bit. Good Luck…</p>
<p>Thanks - that’s exactly what he did. He interviewed with an alum who lives in our area but hasn’t done an overnight. We’ve visited twice. So? Fingers crossed! They have to choose someone to fill their class, right? :-)</p>
<p>Just wanted to report back that my son WAS accepted after being deferred ED. Dreams DO come true. We are beyond thrilled that he will be a Bobcat next year. Bates felt like the right place all along for him.</p>