I’ll try to provide some background before I ask my question. I had my heart set on Wellesley and was told by everyone I encountered that I was a step-in (1450 SAT I, 780,700,680 SATII, 3.7 GPA, rigorous curriculum, strong essays, recs, ECS, etc). I seemed to forget how competitive (and seemingly arbitrary) this whole process is and assumed that the evaluations of people around me were indicative of the evaluation of the admissions committee. Today, I received an “unlikely” letter, which was a bit of a shock. I was, however, not nearly as upset as I had anticipated, as I took this as an indication to start focusing on the other schools to which I applied.
I was deferred from the University of Chicago under the EA programme, but I am still extremely interested in attending if I were to be accepted. There were a few red flags when I applied, namely my SATII scores which were in the 500 range, but I there have been many positive changes to my credentials since the fall. My question is whether I should send a letter to one of the schools explaining that it is absolutely my top choice and that I would matriculate if accepted. I would be equally ecstatic about attending either school, but I recognize that I could only send a letter of this nature to one institution. My counselor is going to call Wellesley to see whether she can get them to provide some kind of explanation as to why I was basically rejected. I am absolutely clueless as to what to do, but writing a letter seems to be the most viable option I can think of. If you can provide me with any guidance or share some past experiences, I would greatly appreciate it.
<p>It would not hurt to show that you are still interested. You could write a short note to each, and include any updates (ECs, awards, etc. that are important). BTW, what does an "unlikely letter" look like?</p>
<p>They do indeed send out unlikely letters. I mean, I checked the box for Early Evaluation, so I knew a letter was coming. It is kind of a strange system, because my friend who attends Wellesley told me she had several friends who were in the same position I was who eventually got accepted. Oh, well. </p>
<p>Anyway, I will definitely draft a letter to one of the two places after my counselor speaks to someone on Monday. Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>Also, lemaya, I go to Oakton...the location I listed is a bit deceiving, as I live in Annandale.</p>
<p>You have my sympathies for getting such disappointing news. I am impressed by how you have bounced back well enough to post requesting advice. That says a lot about your strength of character.</p>
<p>Which colleges have not yet given you their decisions?
Do any not require SAT IIs? If so, I would imagine those are your strongest possibilities because based on your post, I think it was those SAT II scores that hurt you with Wellesley and possibly with Chicago.</p>
<p>Yes, you definitely should update all schools and let them know about awards, honors,achievements since your application. CC also offers advice about handing deferrals. I think you can find the advice on the homepage.</p>
<p>Well, Chicago doesn't require SATII scores, but I am sure they were a bit apprehensive about the low scores I had originally. The admissions woman from Wellesley actually said their mean SATII scores were in the upper 600's. How strange. But anyway, all of my other schools, with the exception of Chicago, require SATII scores. The other three schools to which I applied (BU, Tufts, and WM) don't seem to have as stringent standards as W and the U of C do. Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>You are such an articulate person that I would encourage you to write your favorite schools and state your Ongoing High Interest. Since your stats are good, it is not a waste of your time to remain charming, sincere, and focused on possible acceptances. You are definitely going to be looked at but it is worrisome to not be sure. Can BU be considered a true safety for you? I am concerned that Tufts and W&M are also notoriously difficult admits, and W&M has higher standards for out of state than you may realize. They also instituted "optional" on campus evaluative interviews this year with trained seniors, so I hope you took advantage of this. It is not too late to visit again and make an appearance!<br>
I think it is time to pull out the stops and send Updates with Midyear reports with a sincere brief statement of interest to your top choices. Any other achievements to add at midyear? Any place you could do an overnight and follow up with a letter to them? You are obviously balanced and qualified, so best wishes for a happy outcome.</p>