<p>I'm getting pretty worried, since it seems like WUSTL likes to waitlist a large number of people from my high school. I was talking to my counselor, and last year they admitted 21 students from my school, and waitlisted 18. Only two were rejected. I'm not sure how many got off the waitlist.</p>
<p>This seems a little absurd compared to data from most schools, and I'm getting pretty worried. Do they factor in demonstrated interest, even if you are applying RD?</p>
<p>My friend who now goes to WashU said that since a lot of Ivy kids use WashU as backup school, they’re more likely to waitlist a lot of kids who are super good.</p>
<p>I live in STL and so a lot of my friends (including myself) apply to WASHU because it’s seemingly “the thing to do” and people talk about WASHU alllllll the time. What I can tell you is that last year, they overenrolled their freshmen class, so this year they are going to wait list a lot more people as well as overall just admit a smaller class :/</p>
<p>Sorry, the typo bothered me.</p>
<p>Wash U waitlists a lot of people and doesn’t accept many people from it. But truthfully, that’s what many schools do.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that you shouldn’t feel betrayed if you’re waitlisted and you don’t make it in, because the wait list does not mean you’re guaranteed to be accepted. It means there are plenty of people ahead of you in line and only if they don’t enroll, you’ll get your chance. It’s unfortunate that people get their hopes up if they’re waitlisted, but they should be expecting the worst in the first place. In other words, you might consider treating waitlisted status as a rejection, both so you’re not disappointed if you can’t enroll and so you’re pleasantly surprised if it turns out you are able to enroll.</p>
<p>Listen to RaVNz… and take that advice and apply it to all schools.</p>
<p>My guidance counselor in high school said the exact same thing- treat any waitlist as a rejection, and move on. If you get in off the waitlist, great! But the chance you will be is slim… at ALL schools.</p>
<p>^correct.</p>
<p>In fact, Wash U admitted 0 people off of the waitlist last year.</p>
<p>Deferred is different than waitlist if you applied early (ED). They take the 500 most qualified from that pool and defer most of the rest till regular decision. Admissions department told us.</p>
<p>So do I still have a chance if I was deferred then?</p>
<p>Yes, but you will be placed against the RD pool people, who are generally more qualified. However, this can be a time for you to hone your application and reaffirm your interest in WashU.</p>
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<p>True, but it ONLY makes sense if you understand what Wash U means by “most qualified.”</p>
<p>The ED admits (the students now bound to Wash U) will be those from the ED pool that they want for a variety of reasons: some academic superstars; some with academic or other abilities in specialized disciplines (unlike many elite schools, Wash U selects students for a wide array of separate “schools,” including engineering, architecture, art, social work, and business – something that the critics of Wash U’s admissions practices often fail to note); some athletes; some with significant and demonstrated talents in fields like writing, theater, music, and others; some who have significant legacy ties to Wash U or who are otherwise good bets for future business development; and, like most other elite schools, some from the ED pool are selected primarily because they are strong enough overall candidates who are paying “full freight” and will not be dipping into the FA budget at all (leaving them more latitude to use their FA and merit aid budget during the regular admit round where they are competing with other schools for students). In other word, they use their various ED-rounds to get a strong start in crafting the kind of overall class they’re looking to craft in that particular year.</p>
<p>The foregoing is what THEY mean (in college admissions code) by “most qualified.” It’s typically not what most students or parents hear when the term is used.</p>
<p>Wash U is a great undergraduate institution. There are many great undergraduate institutions. I hope all of you find the very best one for you.</p>
<p>well it’s true that Washu has a big waitlist but thats only because of the number of applicants
it’s the same for many colleges not just washu
and i dont know about the thing about waitlisting “too good to be true” candidates but my friend last year who was accepted in the huntsman program at wharton was waitlisted here
that said, above people are right
i’m a freshmen at washu right now and i can tell you that last year zero people got off the waitlist
of course this is due to the fact that washu was over-enrolled (we usually have a freshmen class size of 1400-1500 but this year we have over 1600). last year was a great year and there are so many talented freshmen here and so diverse.
Don’t lose your hope if you were deferred, however
i know plenty of people here who were accepted rd. just keep your options open.</p>
<p>On a side note, expect even more waitlists this year than last as there was an overenrollment. Depending on numbers, this may allow them to accept few people off the waitlist, unlike last year.</p>