<p>Hi,
My son was accepted at UVA (out of state, Nebraska), NYU, GW’s Elliott School with 15K/yr merit scholarship and honors program, and Tufts (where he has chosen to attend). He was wait listed at AU. One of his best friends was accepted to both Georgetown SFS and Harvard and was REJECTED by AU. Seems to me AU is rejecting some top students they suspect are using AU as a safety school to make their admissions seem more competitive. Anyone else have a similar experience with AU this year?</p>
<p>BTW, my son was NOT using AU as a safety, he was sincerely interested in the SIS program.</p>
<p>They are up-front about placing weight on “demonstrated interest.” Is it possible either of these applicants placed insufficient emphasis on this aspect of the application?</p>
<p>Without demonstrated interest, and perhaps having tipped off admissions that they really wanted to be elsewhere, they were unqualified relative to other applicants. They don’t do that to make themselves seem more competitive, but to build a class that they really want with students who really want to be there.</p>
<p>If your son really wanted to attend, he would have accepted a place on the waiting list, wouldn’t he?</p>
<p>Schools that game the system spend big money on marketing, mail tons of free VIP applications and woo even marginal students to up their number of applicants and lower their acceptance rate. Its a game many highly selective universities play but I don’t count AU among them. It’s not “gaming the system” to wait list applicants who have the stats but not the enthusiasm for the school. Mini is right. If your son really wanted to go to AU he would have accepted his spot on the wait list and proven his interest.</p>
<p>Less than 3% of the applicant pool has tippy-top test scores…I don’t think they can make much of an impact on the admissions rate by turning a few of those folks down.
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Look at Table 15 and Table 30.</p>
<p>What they are trying to influence by including demonstrated interest as a factor is the yield, not the admissions rate.</p>
<p>SIS has the highest admit rate, the highest yield, and the highest test scores university-wide. I think demonstrated interest has to have been the problem here.</p>
<p>I was also waitlisted with above average stats, but I didn’t demonstrate any interest which American considers to be very important according to their common data set (wish I had known that going in, but too late now). It does seem to me, though, that American waitlisted those with above average stats who might be using AU as a safety (even though you weren’t, it might still come across that way if your stats are well above average). I noticed that the people from my school who didn’t necessarily visit/demonstrate interest who got in were those who had stats which fell more within the average range for AU, probably because AU figured they weren’t using them as a safety.</p>
<p>One of the qualifications for admission to AU (among many) is demonstrated interest. They are very upfront about that. The student who got into H. who was rejected was unqualified relative to other candidates.</p>
<p>Accepting applicants who appear to be unlikely to attend–because they didn’t show any interest in the school, seem overqualified, or both–makes it harder for a school to accurately calculate how many to admit and how many to waitlist. I don’t think it’s “gaming” anything to make the process more manageable.</p>
<p>My S was also wait-listed with above average stats. While it wasn’t his top choice school, American definitely wasn’t his “safety”. He was really excited about American after our visit and would have strongly considered attending if he had been admitted. The wait-list felt more like a rejection to him.</p>
<p>They really do admit a higher percentage of the kids with higher grades and scores than kids with lower grades and scores. They just don’t admit all of them. </p>
<p>The admit rate for students with SAT CR+M 1500-1599 is actually 77%, much higher than the 45% overall admit rate. The yield in that group is only 13% (quite a bit lower than the overall rate), so you can see why they’d want to focus on applicants who might actually enroll.</p>
<p>I know GW has been doing this for a long time. They are upfront about the fact that they are looking for people who specifically want to be at their school, and not “in Washington D.C.” American just instituted a required “Why American?” essay this year, I believe, which gives applicants a chance to express their interest in a more direct way, but might also give them a chance to try to distinguish between those applicants who are genuinely interested and those who are not. It sounds as if they guessed wrong with a couple of the applicants mentioned on this thread, and that’s a pity for all concerned.</p>
<p>There was an interesting article in yesterday’s Washington Post magazine with “behind-the-scenes” discussions by local admissions committees. American wasn’t one of them, but they did include Goucher, UMCP, Howard, and…I forget where else. But they included one vignette in which the committee (at Goucher, IIRC) put a kid on the wait list to “test his interest” because he hadn’t demonstrated much interest directly–they figured if he really wanted to come, he’d accept a spot on the wait list…there was kind of the implication that if he accepted the spot, he’d get in. (Although I can’t imagine AU works that way–they over-admit five-fold in anticipation of their 20% yield so they’d have to really have a bad year with yield to go to the WL.)</p>
<p>Going back five years ago, my son refused a spot on the waitlist at Hopkins, because he was also insulted that he was not accepted. Last year he was waitlisted at GW Law and the same thing, he said no way would he go there. They ended up reaching out to him anyway, asking him to attend, but her refused since he was not accepted from the beginning. Guess that is just the way some people are. I guess if Hopkins or GW had been his first choice he would have accepted.</p>
<p>how do you demonstrate interest? I think I will be at the higher end of the applicant pool but am sincerely interested in the SIS and am planning on applying to Global Scholars. I’m international (American citizen) so I can’t visit, any advice?</p>
<p>In your situation, I think I’d try to contact some current students and faculty members, to provide you with some very AU-specific information that you can respond to in writing your “Why American?” essay. In addition, contact the admissions officer assigned to your docket, email, explain how you’d like to visit but can’t, ask that person any questions you may have about the program, etc.</p>
<p>You can also participate in the prospective student online chats, but they may be at very inconvenient times for you.</p>
<p>A year or two ago, there was no “Why American?” essay if you applied via Common Application. One could choose either the AU-specific application (which had one) or applying by Common App. My daughter chose to use the AU-specific app just so she could write the “Why American?” essay. Now, I believe it is a supplement and everyone has to write it. </p>
<p>Make sure you talk about THEIR program. Not about Washington, D.C., which makes them think you’d be equally happy at GW or Georgetown.</p>
<p>@SummerAus Participate in online chats and try to schedule an interview as AU logs what you do with them. In my personal statement, I talked about the ‘WONK’ concept and mentioned how advantageous it would be for me to attend because of their programs. Do some research on the AU website and show that you really know about their school.</p>
<p>to demonstrate interest, develop a relationship with your regional admissions representative. You will need his/her backing when decisions are being made. Go to a college fair, if possible. Set up an interview in your area, if possible–ask if there is an alumni you can interview with, if necessary. Comb through the AU website, and ask a follow up question or two that show you have made the effort. Tailor your essays to demonstrate that you know yourself, and you know AU, and that you are a good match.</p>
<p>And let the rep know your are, indeed, serious about AU.</p>
<p>I can’t do the online chats because they are all either in school hours or in the middle of the night:( thanks for other advice though! I’ve emailed but I never received a reply</p>
<p>I will definitely try and set up an interview, though I doubt there will be any alumni near me. Do they do skype interviews maybe? I’ll look into that</p>
<p>For me personally, AU was a safety school (SIS) and I didn’t demonstrate any interest. I got wooed in by their honors program, merit scholarship, and the really nice admissions letter. Don’t think anecdotes prove anything here :/</p>