<p>Momof2inca:
Let me add my congratulations to the others. My daughter went to Cal and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.<br>
When my son and I attended the information session from Yale this year, the adcom member said that of every 100 applicants, 25% were easy to exclude. Of the next 50%, stats were great, but something about their application was not compelling (ECs, letters, essays). That left 20-25% and all of those students could be accepted to Yale. At that point, luck entered in. He ended by saying that if you were the type of kid who Yale wanted, then you had a 50/50 chance of getting in. His advice was to apply broadly because 50/50 chances would eventually work out.
In my opinion, being waitlisted at both H and Y means that your son was "the type of kid who Yale wanted" - he is clearly in that top 20% by virtue of his being waitlisted. Unfortunately he only applied to two of these "uber-reach" schools. My guess is that had he applied to more, he would have gotten into some of them.
But Chicago, Cal, a full ride at Davis, you've got to be proud.</p>
<p>I'd suggest you read the <a href="http://www.yaledailynews.com%5B/url%5D">www.yaledailynews.com</a> today. It sounds as if Yale may end up taking people off the wait list. (You really can't generalize about these things---each college is different.)</p>
<p>One of my daughter's best friends had to make a choice between Yale and Chicago, and found it agonizing. He chose Yale in the end, but it went right down to the wire, and he was an extremely intellectual guy. I've always loved the <em>idea</em> of the University of Chicago--by which I mean that I've never been there, but I love what I read about the ethos of the place. Maybe it would be a good idea for your son to revisit the reasons he liked Chicago so much. It seems there's a lot there to fall in love with. My daughter went through a similar thing in '03 with an ED deferral and then RD rejection....the limbo status can distort the ability to consider the other options with a clear head, like an old boyfriend that hasn't made a clean break-up. In the end, she's extremely happy with her new love. I also identify with the "mama-bear" anger over the cub's not being accepted....I still let out an occasional lusty "BOOOOO" when passing through New Haven (it's a Philly thing). I am surprised that the Peruvian heritage wasn't more of a hook, though :)
Good luck with those great choices.</p>