<p>To Ladylazarus and all others who may be disppointed,
Years ago I was stunned that I didn't get into certain California grad school (it should have admitted me). I drove to the school to ask what I could do to improve my chances/appeal for a reconsideration. Before getting to the school, my husband called me to say never mind. A big fat package from the east coast grad school of my dreams had just been delivered to our house.</p>
<p>Moral of story, each school sees things its own way. Schools place different values on the various elements of an application. Some schools like essays more; others want oboe players. Some focus on SATs; others focus on grades. Keep your head high and don't be discouraged. Wellesley is a great school, but there are others.</p>
<p>Coquettish... thanks... but they're not academically inferior, or at least not to my mind. TheDad's D chose Smith over Wellesley, so we'll see. Congrats on your likely : )</p>
<p>stickypenguin, what I meant to allude to is the US News and World Report rankings. I totally agree with you though...I recently had a Smith interview and can tell that women from any of these colleges are very intelligent and talented. According to GPA and SAT scores, however, Wellesley is slightly more selective.</p>
<p>If you were to look up some of the reasoning behind this (read TheDad's comments on Smith's percentage of students on Pell Grants, for example) you might find that SAT score range and GPA (which each college usually recalculates anyway, so it isn't a perfect inidicator either) are not the best indicators of potential. I'm assuming you can infer from this post how I feel about US News, too.</p>
<p>In terms of acceptance rate, Wellesley's is lower - I'll give you points for that one. But on the same page, Scripps College in Claremont, CA, had an acceptance rate of 46% - lower than Smith and Mount Holyoke and similar to Wellesley's 37% - and an SAT range of 1260-1460 (Wellesley's was 1280-1480), yet ranked 27 in US News (though the stats I gave are for the class of '09 and have not been published in US News yet). This is all purely in terms of statistics, of course. I would have a hard time arguing that the populations of any of the schools I have listed (particularly Smith, Barnard, Scripps, and of course Wellesley) are THAT much different from each other academically. But if you want to argue selectivity, sure - Wellesely is more selective than Smith and Barnard.</p>
<p>Regardless, I COMPLETELY understand what you said...and have to say I agree occasionally. US News and World Report is not the only ranking...and can sometimes be misleading. Some factors, such as peer assessment, are way too subjective.</p>
<p>I guess I don't follow? Selectivity doesn't equate to quality of school or academics, which I assume is the most important factor for people on this board. Possibles and unlikelies will survive this bump and then thrive at the college they ultimately choose (which will, undoubtedly, be a great school).</p>
<p>As I remember, ladylazarus saw herself as a serious voice student. This is one of those places where, for what is available to her, it is isn't even close, and Wellesley may have just done her a great favor.</p>
<p>Oh wow, I really want to see "Mona Lisa Smile" now. Apparently it is filmed at Wellesley and showcases all of the school's majestic beauty. I haven't even visited the campus before :-( Soon enough...</p>
<p>I know you've proabaly heard this 1000 times before, but college admissions are one of the wonders of the world. Just becuase you don't get Wellesley doesn't indicate anything about the others. You may well get into any or all of the other schools you apllied to. Keep your chin up, and take comfort in reading stories about students rejected from thier state U but excepted at Ivies or Duke, Vandy, ect. ect. </p>
<p>I am sorry about Wellesley :( but I bet everything will turn out for the best. !!
Hey, now that's at least one less decision to make come April 1st.<br>
:) :)</p>
<p>PS the same is true for all possible/ unlikely applicants</p>
<p>In short, admissions are often a crap shot, (pardon my french.)</p>
<p>sat: 2270
sat II's: 800, 790, 760
APs: 5 5's, taking four more now.
gpa: 4.5-ish weighted
classes for senior year:
AP Calc AB, AP Music Theory, AP Econ, Photo 1, AP Lit (all A's first semester)
extracurricular stuff:
- fluent in Russian and French (born in Moscow, and I played up the immigrant card in my essay)
- taking Spanish
- student exchange in France
- studied at Oxford for a summer
- some prizes in poetry for my school's lit mag
- created/released my own literary magazine
- piano/drums for many years, including private lessons, orchestra and marching band
- 30 hours of community service
- some speech and debate awards
- I'm sure there's more but it's probably all insignificant</p>
<p>Wellesley is probably my first choice but I don't know if I can handle an all-women's environment for four years, but at the same time I'm willing to undergo a challenge. I grew up in Newton/Needham which just neighbor Wellesley so I'm excited to return to a familiar and beautiful location.</p>
<p>Now, does "likely" definitely mean "accepted"?</p>