<p>I just received a "possible" today. I feel absolutely horrible and elated at the same time. Looking on the bright side, a possible is better than an unlikely. But the TENSION of waiting until late March will kill me. An unlikely would at least give me some relief. So...the point of this post is...would anybody like to give me some advice in boosting my chances? Those in similar situations would also appreciate the help. Thanks :)</p>
<p>hmm...well, i was deferred from another school Early Action, so I have a bit of experience in this unfortunate arena. send in another rec, but not from a new teacher if they're just going to say the same thing again...probably somebody outside of the classroom is best, like a coach or a supervisor who REALLY likes you and whose writing will convey his/her enthusiasm for you. if you haven't already, send a "brag sheet," because the Common App really doesn't give you enough space to elaborate on your activities and awards. list them all, but write detailed descriptions for only the most important ones. you could also send in another essay but again, only if you have something new to say. LACs really value good writing, so if you have a paper or a piece of academic writing you're really proud of, by all means send it in. put all of these pieces in a big envelope with an enthusiastic cover letter in which you stress your love for Wellesley and how you can contribute to their community.</p>
<p>also, it sometimes helps to get your HS counselor to give your regional admissions officer a call to ask what areas of your app can be improved to maximize your chances of being admitted next month. from my experience, they don't tell you much concrete, but i've heard that counselors can get more out of them than you personally can. and besides, if in the end they don't really tell you anything specific, at least they know that you're interested and that you're putting effort into pursuing this.</p>
<p>oh yeah, find out who your regional representative is, and MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH HIM/HER. E-mail is the best way. Between now and the end of March, send her a couple of e-mails to get your name to stick out from the rest of the pile of applications. Keep her updated on your life, ESPECIALLY if you win any new awards and such.</p>
<p>That's about it...and i wish you the best of luck!</p>
<p>Fwiw, from the perspective of watching three previous cycles of admissions/deferrals/rejections, some cold but good advice: let go now. </p>
<p>Treat the ultimate one in six chance of an RD acceptance as a wonderful present if it's bestowed upon you but get emotionally engaged with your other choices <em>now</em>. </p>
<p>Denial is not a river in Africa.</p>
<p>I received my letter yesterday. I don't know how to feel exactly. I'm not out of the running, but I'm still not in. Oh well...</p>
<p>TheDad is partially right. sometimes the best thing to do would be to let it go. but i think if you REALLY have your heart set on Wellesley, then you should give it a good solid shot. it never hurts. and in the end, you won't have any regret about not doing anything--you'll know that you did everything you can. plus, you'll probably not get in if you don't act and do something, since probably most of the possibles will. But be emotionally prepared for a denial just in case. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think TheDad is correct. There is no sense in burning one's self out over one college when there are others out there. However, that is not to say that you should quit before you have exhausted all 'reasonable' avenues to acceptance. My D has already been accpted at three others out of 11 applications but is in the RD pool at Wellesley (deferred from ED). She has expended a huge effort trying to get in and there still are things she can do without prejudicing any other application. Already, she is mentally prepared for a negative result but not before playing her final cards. Then it is out of her hands. Do everything you can and then turn your sights to some other place without regrets.</p>
<p>I'm expecting a denial, but I had my heart set on Wellesley for 3 years now. I'm going to send another letter explaining how Wellesley's my first choice. Thanks for the advice chopsticks and TheDad. I'll definitely contact my regional rep. </p>
<p>I have another question, which many probably can't answer, but I'll give it a shot anyway...Why did I get a "possible"? I expected an "unlikely", which is why I'm not as devastated. My SAT scores aren't stellar at all. If anything they're below average for Wellesley standards. My essay, after reading it over and over again, is only good, not excellent. My extracurriculars aren't that impressive either. Do many applicants get categorized into "possibles? If so, that would explain why I got a possible. If not, though, I'm wondering what stopped them from giving me an unlikely so I could emphasize whatever quality that kept them from rejecting me. Thanks again chopsticks.</p>
<p>TiredPapa pretty well nails it. I've seen far too many students operate on the assumption that their extreme desire and taking extra steps will work for them and then the bottom falls out when it doesn't happen and they wind up having a very short time to make a decision from among their remaining schools when their head really isn't in it. Just because you have extreme desire doesn't mean it will pay off. Heck, I've had extreme desire for-- oh, never mind. You get my point. I hope.</p>
<p>H20, the obviously saw something in your app that they liked. <em>What</em>, it's difficult to say. And everyone needs to remember the old mantra, ad coms admit <em>classes</em>, not students. Admissions is not based on some algorithm of absolute merit based on a single standard. Someone passes you with a plate of cookies...why did you take <em>this</em> one instead of <em>that</em> one? If you're a piano-playing golfer who does Mock U.N., maybe they all ready had taken three. Otoh, you may be the missing oboe player they needed for the orchestra this year and you'll get in even if your grades/scores aren't quite as high as the golfer. </p>
<p>Going purely by stats, there's about a 90 percent chance that, assuming you applied to a thoughtfully constructed list of colleges, you'll be happy wherever you are, with now regrets, by, oh...Halloween.</p>
<p>Good luck riding any ups and downs until you get there. I've never said it's easy or not stressful...but it's not worth freaking out over, either.</p>
<p>Hey, no problem! Just remember, put in the effort, but don't stress out about it too much. after you do what you're going to choose to do, then it's out of your hands. (Every time I'm at the post office these days sending off some college app stuff I feel as if I've raised a kid and am now sending it off into the world.) ;) H20nline, I wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you, thank you. Humans are such generous creatures :)</p>
<p>after days of thinking, and i finally come back here, aand wow, there is post for POSSIBLE ppl, and i am one of u guys.
thank you for so many good advice!!!!!
and i hv one question, does wellesley have a local representative??</p>
<p>How come you say that it's a one-sixth chance? In my possible letter it says "In the past 3 years, Wellesley has accepted slightly more than 25% of students in this group".... </p>
<p>Oh gosh, i feel so sosososososooso bad.......................... hic-</p>
<p>So there's about 15 days left before we receive decisions. I'm utterly nervous.</p>
<p>Former possible...Present admittee</p>
<p>Decisions are in!</p>
<p>:) Me too! I got a possible, and today I received my admission letter!
I'm so excited ^^</p>
<p>where do you guys live?</p>
<p>Today my daughter received her official acceptance letter to Wellesley.We live in Michigan. So nice to have the letter and the financial aid information as well.</p>
<p>forgot to say - my daughter was an ee 'likely' candidate. My daughter, my husband and I are very, very happy and excited. Good luck to all of you who are still waiting and hoping.</p>