32 ACT, 2190 SAT, several AP classes, 4.0 GPA, full time work experience as a software developer with excellent recommendation letters, and I thought my essays and ECs were pretty good too. I’m in state and a legacy student. Any idea why I might not have been accepted?
Hmm, that’s really strange for an in-state and legacy student with these stats and ECs. Anyone would’ve thought you were an immediate shoe-in. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this 
A thought that comes to mind is that perhaps your essays were not as good as you perceived them to be. I don’t mean to offend in the slightest, but that’s what I’ve usually noticed with rejected applicants who shouldn’t have had any issue getting in. Or perhaps your recommendations weren’t as strong as possible, but even if that was the case it shouldn’t hold you back that much, as UNC isn’t uber uber selective. I’m placing bets on the essays, as that is the only personal portion of the application (apart from recs) that we can’t see here.
Also, I don’t think this is a case of Tuft’s syndrome. From what I’ve seen so far, it usually occurs with schools less prestigious than UNC and students who have near perfect stats and mind-blowing ECs. Though it isn’t out of the case here.
Either way, I wish you luck with your other decisions. Where else have you gotten in? And what are you waiting on?
Thanks for your kind words and analysis Neoking.
I saw all my recommendation letters, they all lauded praise on me. I’m pretty sure that’s not why. My essays could have been why although I highly doubt it. Either way, I got a 36 on that section of the ACT and a 780 on that section of the SAT, so could they really think I have an English deficiency?
I applied to NC State(I hear back tomorrow) and Stanford (I have no delusions about my chances of being admitted to Stanford, just wanted to apply.)
I forgot to mention that I’m homeschooled, could this have anything to do with it? I’ve taken 3 officially approved AP classes so they surely must not think my classes were a joke… Right? I would have taken more AP classes but as I said, I started working full time as a software developer. Real deal. I’ve been programming since I was 11.
State schools may have a lot of trouble with home-schooled kids.
The UCs evidently are set up for CA public school kids, for instance, and they don’t like any deviation.
Can you afford privates?
Columbia SCS if you work for a year, for instance (or Harvard Extension School, though it isn’t seen as close to Harvard College, unlike Columbia SCS).
You applied to more than 3 schools, I hope.
I realize now that it would have been smart to apply to more schools - or at least apply early. I wanted to go to UNC and quite a few of my family members got in with lower stats so I didn’t think anything of it. Of course they weren’t homeschooled… There are some B engineering/CS schools that are accepting applications still, but I just wanted to attend Carolina 
I could afford privates but it’s not ideal.
If you really want to attend UNC, one thing to keep in mind is that it’s not extremely difficult to transfer in to UNC.
Cobble together 30 or 60 college credits (or however many you need) with a strong GPA. An NC associate degree may help. Check with a guidance counselor at your local CC.
I have heard (nothing verified) that they want to see more AP classes than that. Otherwise your stats look very good to me. NCSU is also a great choice. I wish you the best of luck.
I recently talked to admissions at UNC, since I was waitlisted In state as well. They said they got a lot more IS applicants than previous years and therefore had to waitlist many qualified students.
Thanks for the info.
I got accepted at the college of engineering at state. Very happy!
That’s so exciting! Congratulations 
Your test scores are well in range, higher than mine.
It’s my understanding that legacy is meaningless at UNC except as a tie-breaker for OOS students.
I have homeschooler friends (and I homeschooled until high school) who got in but, who knows what criteria they use for homeschoolers. The ones I know who got in had duel enrollment courses, some easily verified accomplishments, unique interests, and applied early admission.
Grades/AP classes are not a huge factor unless the classes were taken online or in a duel enrollment facility because they figure it’s “mommy grades.” I went through that when I started public high school and even co-op grades are suspect because so many parents change the grades.
Your number of AP classes is rather low. Most accepted I know have around 5-6. I took 10 AP classes and one self-study, which is on the high end (and compensates for my test score).
What other classes did you take and what other ways did you show rigor in coursework? Did you do well on the AP tests? Did you take any duel enrollment or online courses to verify grade? Did you create any unique courses?
How did you do your transcript? Did you put in course descriptions or anything to make it stand out?
Is 4.0 weighted or unweighted?
What did you accomplish in your job? How did you get your job? It’s possible that "full time"work implied not much time put in school without outside verification to back it up…
What did your essays and recommendations highlight? What passions did you demonstrate?
What was your communtiy service like?
What accomplishments did you have? Have you contributed to society or a community is some meaningful way? Made an impact?
Do you have any awards?
What uniqueness do you bring to the table? What makes you interesting? Did you overcome any challenges?
What leadership roles did you have?
What was your social media life like? If you google yourself, what comes up?
It may have come down to extracurriculars. You say you had a cool job, but don’t list anything else or what you accomplished in that job. I think focused extracurriculars is what got me in, especially the leadership roles and what I accomplished in those roles. (I also worked two jobs on top of the heavy academic load and time consuming extracurricular).
The other areas we differ -Early Admission, First Generation boost
I know a homeschooler who had a 36 ACT and was rejected because he didn’t have all the necessary requirements. He had a number of history credits including AP European History, but was rejected because he did not have a US History credit.
To be eligible for admission, a student should present a minimum of 16 units of high school coursework within the five traditional academic areas (literature, mathematics, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, and foreign languages), including these requirements:
4 units of English
4 units of college preparatory mathematics (two algebra, one geometry and a higher level mathematics course for which algebra II is a prerequisite)*
2 units of a single foreign language — please note that American Sign Language satisfies this requirement.
3 units in science, including at least one unit in a life or biological science and at least one unit in a physical science, and including at least one laboratory course
2 units of social science, including United States history
@amg800 can you elaborate on anything else they told you? IS wait list here too and I would love to hear any information they told you! thanks!