So basically I was deferred and they asked for my senior mid year grades, is this a bad sign or could it really go either way? I think my SAT scores are what sunk me as I only got a 1230 and i’m an OOS, please be honest Id rather hear what is more likely than what I wanna hear because pitt is at the top of my list.
I have known some students who were deferred, where the school asked for mid-term or first semester grades, and where the students ended up being accepted. It will help if your mid year grades are very good.
Do you have other safeties? Can you afford Pitt?
My suggestion is to work very hard this semester, and try to get the best grades that you can. Also, you need to apply to at least one and preferably two affordable safeties.
yeah i didn’t consider pitt a safety more a match school, but yes I think I would be able to afford pitt considering my financial situation. I’m gonna work as hard as I can this semester and hopefully I can pull out straight As. Do you think i would benefit from sending them a letter of continued interest or do you think it doesn’t matter?
You may want to study for and retake the SATs (or try the ACT) since that seems to be a weak point in your application as they fall below the 25th percentile. https://oafa.pitt.edu/explore/class-profile/
Not a big deal. You give your mid year grades and see how you fair in regular admissions. Of course you should have other schools on your list.
Take the November SAT and make sure your first quarter grades are excellent. Many students who were deferred get in if they show improvement.
However since you clearly thought of Pitt as a match, rethink your list, add more safeties and more matches.
Can I ask when you applied? I have a feeling my daughter will also be deferred but she hasn’t heard anything yet. App submitted early October.
I think a letter of continued interest is a good idea.
I applied around 9/20
I emailed my admissions counselor and she went in my file and told me that basically my they were concerned i didn’t have a hard enough schedule and that (to my surprise) my SAT score was not the issue
Which college did you apply to?
Dietrich for political science
1230 seems fine for Dietrich from what I’ve seen in the past - it’s at the lower end of the middle 50% acceptance range. Pitt doesn’t have restrictions on the number of OOS students that they admit, so being OOS isn’t really a disadvantage like it is for schools like GaTech and UNC. According to the Common Data Set, HS class rigor and GPA are given the same weight (very important) as standardized test scores.
Focusing on getting straight A’s for the fall term will be critical. How many courses are AP and Honors? If you aren’t taking any AP or Honors courses, you may want to look at virtual classes or DE options for now or the Spring in order to make your final year course load more rigorous. If you decide to do that, make sure to let Pitt know.
I’m in AP US government and politics and honors forensics. The rest of my classes are accelerated (no regular/standard classes). I’m anticipating all As except math (i’m getting a B) because that’s always been a struggle for me.
This schedule is pretty consistent w my schedules for the past 3 years, so I hope that doesn’t count against me (like i should’ve taken more APs) I’m also in a DE spanish class
I just want to chime in here - if you have taken a challenging (but manageable) course load in high school things will work out, even if not your first choice school. There are a lot of stressed out kids who are not sleeping and having anxiety breakdowns that I am sure will get into the school of their choice, but at what cost? There is such a thing as too much AP so don’t beat yourself up over that. Have to live life at the pace that it was meant to be lived - those kids that are getting 5 hours of sleep a night taking too many AP classes a marking period are not having a great high school experience, with a few exceptions. Good luck!
I agree with Kirby. My son is taking AP Calc, AP Stat, AP Bio, Honors physics, honors gov, honors English as a senior. He is a varsity football and baseball player, maintains service hours in National Honor Society, and has written a lot of supplemental essays! He does not sleep some nights; the stress is unbelievable. I agree it is very difficult for seniors to enjoy senior year. He easily could have taken fewer hard classes and have been fine. I don’t think it makes a ton of difference overall as long as it looks like you have challenged yourself.
If anyone was curious, I got waitlisted for the fall semester, but in for spring.
My D was also waitlisted for fall. She had a 1310 SAT
Her numbers were on par with Dietrich but was not admitted. for Fall I am guessing this year was more competitive then what was on Pitts website.