<p>Those stats are for overall acceptances.</p>
<p>Stupefy,</p>
<p>Why the freaking heck would you take BOTH AB and BC Calc???</p>
<p>
I was out of math classes. I took statistics sophomore year, so if I took BC calc junior year, i would have no math to take senior year. its actually a great plan 
BC is a breeze, its like a review lol</p>
<p>It’s probably already been mentioned here, but I know it has been mentioned on other places on CC and on Dean J’s blog…</p>
<p>“Sometimes perfection is boring.”</p>
<p>“Stats” are not the only things that matter. It’s the whole picture. Thousands of students apply to UVA with accomplished GPA’s and SAT scores. Thousands also have laundry lists of extracurricular activities that may outnumber the number of EC’s offered by some schools (total!). </p>
<p>Some students may not be stellar test takers, but their intellect may be reflected in an extraordinary way through their essays and personal statements. It may also be reflected to a dedication to a particular activity/cause/etc. in a way that cannot be reflected through traditional “stats”. </p>
<p>One of the biggest things I learned from the college admissions process, and college, is that at some point you need to stop second guessing yourself and over-analyzing things. What is meant to be, will be. I’m sure all of the rejected/waitlisted students will end up in amazing places. Your college experience isn’t just about where you go to school, it also has a LOT to do with what you put into it.</p>
<p>I know a top-notch student–this goes back 5 year ago–who was pretty stellar on paper (the highest test scores and GPA and, even, first author (this was a high school student, mind you) on some important research papers, through the auspices of a top-notch medical school. Even more admirable–English was his second language. He was a varsity tennis player, as well. And National Merit Scholarship finalist. </p>
<p>Well, know that this kid was rejected by every Ivy league school and a few other top-notch institutions. A high school guidance counselor made inquiry of the first school on the student’s list and was told that one of the recs which spoke, glowingly, of the applicant’s intellectual capabilities had also mentioned that the applicant was low on the empathy scale.</p>
<p>Somehow, that seemed like a legitimate reason to reject an applicant and actually heartened me about the college admissions process.</p>
<p>The applicant ended up a top public school, which didn’t require recs, and is now in medical school. And I have heard that he has evolved for the better.</p>
<p>But, at the time, this amazing applicant might have seemed more a liability than anything else.</p>
<p>
This deserves to be quoted and quoted again.</p>
<p>As I wrote in my “perfect is boring” blog post, we admit the perfect students. Everyone does. But few students are perfect.</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<p>"I was out of math classes. I took statistics sophomore year, so if I took BC calc junior year, i would have no math to take senior year. its actually a great plan BC is a breeze, its like a review lol. "</p>
<p>Stupefy…</p>
<p>In your search to find answers to why you were waitlisted, I think your statement above might offer a clue. Perhaps those who read your application wondered the same thing that @oneguy21 asked. Rather than just pad your application with another AP course that added no value, why not branch out and take something that you are passionate about and that might catch their eye (and explain why you did so on the application)? </p>
<p>Just my two cents. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>I assume she needed 4 years of Math. Maybe AB and BC Calculus were the highest level math classes offered at her school. Her other choices then may have been go even further backwards in math or I guess see if she could get credit for a math class at a local college. This would be a silly reason not to accept the OP.</p>
<p>There are a lot of factors that go into admissions decisions. There are disparate standards for IS and OOS applicants. They do need a well rounded class. They can’t admit only math and physics majors with perfect GPAs and SATs. (They need the oboe player and they need to take the “Jeffersons.”) Numbers aren’t everything. </p>
<p>However, the “perfect is boring” statement may be a rationalization (notwithstanding statements to the contrary) for yield control (not taking too many perfect or near perfect candidates expected to go elsewhere).</p>
<p>I agree with robertr, BC calc is basically AB plus 2 extra chapters. If you really wanted to show your passion about math you could have taken BC junior year than taken multi-variable calc senior year at a community college. </p>
<p>I think I’ve seen this stated before, but most colleges don’t look for a reason to reject you, they look for a reason to accept you. It seems as if there may not have been an obvious reason to reject you, but the admissions office may not have found that extra little something that showed you should be accepted. You said at one point that you had tons of ECs, but did you have one or two that you were very involved in, had a leadership role, or which really influenced what you want to study?</p>
<p>WHOA. I’m surprised at the caliber of the waitlisted people here…</p>
<p>I thought it would be a lot lower. </p>
<p>A friend of mine was waitlisted over the weekend, and she her stats were not this high…</p>
<p>O-o …it’s kinda discouraging actually.</p>
<p>
Yes.
my two main school related activities are FBLA (future business leaders of america) and mock trial
for FBLA, I am the president of my region, and have also been the president of my chapter for the past two years. in the competitive events, I am a 2-time national finalist, 2-time state champion, and 4-time regional champion
for mock trial, I have been captain and lead attorney for the past two years. our team went to the regional finals this year. I have won the best advocate award 6 times</p>
<p>aside from that, I have some smaller extracurriculars. I have been on student council for the past two years and this year i am class president. I am also the president of the french club and french national honor society. I am also on the varsity speech and debate team, and won 1st place at districts (qualifying for states) two years in a row. outside of school, I play classical piano on a conservatory level (I participate in and occasionally win competitions) and volunteer for the american red cross</p>
<p>so yeah I used UVA as my safety and now I’m completely paranoid.</p>
<p>Not only should you have been accepted but you should have received a likely letter and Echols. Let us know which Ivy school you get in.</p>
<p>^I half expected a likely letter/echols. which made d-day even more shocking o.o</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is so presumptious! I bet if they accepted all the stellar students that they rejected, they would still get the decisions right 95% of the time, lol. As you said, Admission people are not demi-Gods even though some of them think they are (not Dean J :)).</p>
<p>@Stupe, your achievements are stellar; there’s no doubt about that. Most of the schools you’ve applied to are highly, highly selective though. You’ve reached that benchmark necessary to be considered a viable candidate for admission to all of these schools, so pat yourself on the back. However, what I feel you’ve overlooked is the SUBJECTIVE component that goes int thus process. Clearly you’ve mastered the objective element (test scores, GPA, etc.). Some schools in this upper echelon, though, look for certain attributes in their students while others look for something entirely different. UVA is definitely no one’s safety nor are any schools in the top 30 IMO. Im sure you will be accepted by many; however, you need also to prepare yourself to be rejected by some as well. No one, for example, gets into HYPSM, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Vandy, UVA, Northwestern, Notre Dame, etc. These schools are all searching for different attributes and your likely to be rejected at UVA and accepted at Stanford or visa versa. I’ll echo the sentiment already expressed, you WILL get accepted to the school that’s best for you. Good luck this week and throughout your life.</p>
<p>Sorry for the typos…on my iPhone.</p>
<p>Just found this on the W&M Admissions web site. You may all want to look at how these poor souls did after being rejected by their number one school. I really liked the fact that the Dean of Admissions told Harold Varmus (Noble Laureate) he should enlist in the military.</p>
<p>[When]When</a> Success Follows the College Rejection Letter - WSJ.com](<a href=“When Success Follows the College Rejection Letter - WSJ”>When Success Follows the College Rejection Letter - WSJ) Success Follows the College Rejection Letter - WSJ.com</p>
<p>@jc40- thanks for your post. I completely agree- i do NOT expect to get into all or even most of the schools I applied to. their acceptance rates ridiculously low. in fact, I was just saying the other day that I will be ELATED to receive acceptance to any of HYP and I will be perfectly satisfied to get into any of the ivies+duke that I applied to. that being said, I was expecting to get into UVA, and I kinda feel like if I get waitlisted at UVA, how can I have a shot at the top 10 schools?</p>
<p>Stupefy, I feel quite confident you’ll get into perhaps one (maybe two) of your reaches. I guess my point was people need to start looking at schools like UVA, Vandy, Duke, Georgetown, Northwestern, etc., etc. the same as their reaches. These schools have become increasingly difficult to get into, and they’re now a craps shoot as well; it’s anyone’s guess, and each school looks for different characteristics. (Vandy, for example just released their 2014 statistics, and their SAT middle 50% is 1440-1570 making it as hard, if not slightly harder, to get into as some of the ivys.). If you tossed a wide enough net, you should have (hopefully) a positive outcome this week. I wish you all the best! Let us know where you wind up going.</p>
<p>I personally believe you were waitlisted because UVA thought you would not accept the spot. Yes, I know they deny they do that but I call BS on that. You clearly deserved a spot and they either didnt believe you would accept or someone in admissions just completely dropped the ball and screwed up. (and I have no ‘dog in this hunt’, my child has not, nor will be applying to UVA)</p>