Wellesley is the only college I’ve heard of to offer this, so I wondered if anyone’s familiar with “how it turned out” in previous years. The early evaluations are scheduled to be available next week – telling each applicant whether it is “likely,” “possible,” or “unlikely” that she’ll be accepted. The question is, of course, what do “likely” and “possible” mean? (Unfortunately, it’s clearer what “unlikely” means). Do they in fact accept all or almost all of those they evaluate as “likely,” or is it more a “you have a 70 percent chance instead of our overall 28 percent acceptance rate?” Thanks for any insight!
As far as I understand, a “likely” means that, as long as you don’t get expelled or arrested, you’re in. In the past, possibles have had about a 20% acceptance rate, and very very few (if any) unlikelies get in.
What Wellesley says:
Likely: If you are among the top group of applicants, you will receive notification indicating that it is likely you will be admitted in the spring. Students in this highly selective group represent the very best applicants in our pool.
Possible: In some cases, an early assessment is difficult to make. If you are in this category, you will receive notification that it is possible you will be admitted. In the recent past, Wellesley has accepted approximately 20 percent of students in this group in March; many more will be placed on our wait list or refused.
Unlikely: If the committee determines that your candidacy is not strong in our pool this year, we will notify you that it is unlikely you will be admitted in the spring. Candidates in this group have been refused admission in March.
Yep. It’s basically like Early Action except they don’t give you definite word until official RD decisions are released.
Likely = Accepted
Possible = Waitlisted (your application will be reviewed with RD applicant pool)
Unlikely = rejected
Thank you so much for all your help!