<p>Well, it just seems like a bunch of people I know who got houses weren’t thrilled with that option. But I’m sure there are plenty of people (yourself included) who want to do it.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about how many students applied, what %age were waitlisted?</p>
<p>Based on that article about a 10% increase in applications and an almost 10% decrease in acceptances, the acceptance rate for this year should be close to 12.6%.</p>
<p>StudLife came out with the statistics in an article on March 29th last year. Any idea why it’s taking longer this year?</p>
<p>Why do people care what the acceptance rate is? You either were accepted or not.
If you want to know because you are wait listed, my suggestion is to focus on the schools you were accepted at. It is highly, highly unlikely that you will be accepted off the wait list.</p>
<p>I just wanted to suggest that WU’s acceptance rate is affected by the lack of supplemental essays in its application. I know of no other school of WU’s caliber that doesn’t require substantial work to apply in addition to the common app. My guess is that several thousand students/year throw an application WU’s way, some for $50, some for free. Why not give it a go? More applications for the same number of places lead to lower admit rates. Maybe it’s good US News gamesmanship. One may argue, but boards may be the best indicator of selectivity (and it is unfortunate that WU is showing ACT rather than SAT). </p>
<p>Does selectivity matter? Good question. My personal feeling:\ it is the students that make the school. Smarter students, better graduates. So, if you attend a school with a reputation for being selective, there is a chance that someone will think you are smart. That presumption is good for about six months post graduation, then you are on your own.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt doesnt have an essay either</p>
<p>Well, I guess Vanderbilt may get a few more applications as well. As a somewhat prejudiced alum, however, I wouldn’t necessarily concede that Vanderbilt is a school of WU’s caliber. Kidding aside, Brown and Chicago have applications longer than most novels. Harvard has only one essay, and it is “optional” (which no doubt means that most people don’t write it ;-). I still suspect that for many, being able to apply to a “reach” school without spending hours/days on an application would be appealing.</p>
<p>Wesleyan also has no supplement.</p>
<p>As a simple way to find a sample, without commenting on the quality of the schools involved, one might generate a survey of the 50 top “National Universities” and the 50 top “National Liberal Arts Colleges” in US News. Check the supplements and see which schools require or request essays. I suspect that there will only be a small percentage who do not. One might find other correlations as well. </p>
<p>At a time when, due to the Common App, students on average apply to far more schools than they used to. I think that it very reasonable to hypothesize that schools whose applications require less effort, get a higher number of applications from hopeful students.</p>