I have at least quadruple legacy (quintuple if aunt counts). One of those was a professor, another very involved with the school. Some are donors, but not crazy donations (no buildings or anything like that). I have a 36 on the ACT, and highest weighted and unweighted GPAs possible. Decent extracurriculars. Decent essay. Also a sibling (one of those legacies) got in with worse ACT, GPA, extracurriculars, pretty comparable essay though I guess. So yeah I’m very confident about getting in and am worried that I’m too confident. In the relatively short amount of time since my brother got in I assume it has become harder to get in, so that’s part of what worries me. What do you think? Thanks.
You could be waitlisted if Wash U thinks you’re just dangling a hook.
Did you apply for any of the merit scholarships? That can be seen as demonstrated interest.
BTW, I have nothing to do with admissions but your stats look super on their own merits!
@mamaedefamilia yes I did apply for one of the merit scholarships and I have been there multiple times, only once for a formal info session and tour. I did not interview there, though
Wash U is well known for giving preference to full pay. I’m sure the top range of their scores are all those of students on financial aid-holding up the scores of those who are full pay. So if you are full pay, I can’t imagine you being turned down. In fact your scores are much more like those students from families who struggle financially.
@lostaccount why do you say my scores seem characteristic of students from families who struggle financially?
I mean they are high. Wash U accepts full pay students with lower scores and the few on financial aid have higher scores. Yours are higher. Sense of humor.
@lostaccount gosh I’m sorry I don’t get jokes. oh the other thing I didn’t mention is perhaps kind of bad. there was an info session at my school and I didn’t go to it (I didn’t know when it was going on—but that’s irrelevant). I could see them looking down on that
As you have visited campus formally, I doubt they would care if you didn’t attend an info session at your school. Your academic record is superlative. However, as you know, when admission rates are low, anything is possible. Try to relax … if you can! 
I think you sound amazing and would probably get in even without legacy “hooks” with great STATS, exracurr, and also demonstrated interest(you visited school). However, in the world of college admissions “expect the unexpected”. Hoping you applied to many colleges.
WE were told on a visit that Wash. Univ is “needs aware” but that applying for FA didn’t make it harder to get into the school. They said that FA and admissions decisions really only came into play for things like “cherry picking” kids off the waitlist(meaning yes for Needs aware schools less likely to be picked off the waitlist if applying for FA). Kids getting off waitlist are more likely to be full paying applicants, but other than that we were told that Wash Univ is “needs blind”
The FA info above we were directly told in an info session at Wash Univ. I don’t think its accurate to say that those on FA have higher stats than those full paying. In fact, my guess is that it could be the opposite, that they are getting many kids with needs for FA who are diverse and had socioeconomic barriers that make their stats worse (not having resources for test prep and poorer HS which have been shown to not score as well on stand. testing). In fact, what Wash univ told us is that most schools are “needs aware” even those that claim to be “needs blind” and that it really only came down to picking kids off the wt list where FA came into play. Wash univ cares about their rankings ALOT and how they continually move up the rankings is getting kids with great stats and securing their yields(measuring dem. interest ) but like most schools diversity is also important and many diverse kids have lower stats(for reasons I already listed)
@momof2eagles thank you for all the info, I really appreciate it! I did apply to a good amount of other schools, but most are just as selective or more selective than WashU…so it’s pretty tough/annoying having almost no idea about most of my chances of admission. WashU is obviously great though so even if the other schools don’t work out hopefully I’ll still have this really good option
@ihavefewECs good luck to you! I hear you my child is also in the same boat.
OP, did you apply to any safeties?
Hi! I think you have an excellent chance at admission. I’m not sure where @lostaccount gets the statistics to make his sweeping generalizations about WashU - although historically his comments on WashUs admissions are uniformly consistent in that regard. I do understand and even agree with his feelings about need blind admissions, but it is also not fair to label all full-pay students as somehow inferior or lacking in credentials.
I went to WashU in the 80s as a low income student and benefited tremendously from their generous aid as my father died my sophomore year and mom was a teacher with 2 younger daughters to support. Because of that, I am now in a position to pay for my children’s education; they are both WashU students admitted with 3.9 gpas, 34 ACT and 10 AP classes from a small town in the south.
I think it’s important to remember that if kids from disadvantaged backgrounds are admitted to a school (regardless of the admit policy), to some degree the hope would be that some of them may eventually be in a position to fully fund their children’s education. In that case it is a bit disingenuous to suddenly label their children as somehow less qualified or deserving simply because of their parent’s success
^re your post #4, please provide the statistics (and their source) supporting your statements.
In another thread, you stated:
01-09-2016 at 8:52 pm
Your chances depend a lot on whether you are full pay. If you are full pay, wealthy and had every advantage, you can get in with scores and grades a lot lower than those needed for poorer students who got their grades and test scores without individual tutoring and without benefiting from all the ways money can help students. Ironic but true. I bet the top of Wash U’s distribution of scores and grades have a high percent of students who need aid whereas the bottom is full pay.
Please provide the statistics supporting these statements, too. Thank you.
Yes I too would love to see the support of your statements. I don’t believe they are true. Wash University is “needs aware” and like I previously said we were told by admissions when we went there , that FA and admissions decisions really only came into play when “picking kids off wait list” in which case full paying students had an advantage. I don’t believe you can support your statements.
^Still waiting for your WashU statistics and their source . . .
By analogy, perhaps the thread you began on 02-14-2015 in the Brown forum about the university’s admissions is illustrative. That thread is a worthwhile read for all inquirers on this forum.
POST #8 FROM THAT THREAD:
@fenwaypark posted:
02-14-2015 at 6:26 pm edited February 2015
The stats you quoted are not for Harvard, they are for “30 elite universities”.
That detail aside, what is your point again? That Brown has a greater population of “weak legacies” (to quote you) than Cornell? Or Harvard or Yale?
You come to a school’s forum to criticize the school, then the burden of proof of your criticism is on you…not on the forum.
Come up with some data, we can have a discussion. Come here to diss, I think this thread will generate more heat than light. Up to you.
POST #37 FROM THAT THREAD – ITS LAST POST:
@fenwaypark posted:
05-12-2015 at 10:46 am edited May 2015
Lostaccount, you said a few posts back,
Nor is the OP raising any issues that have not been raised by many others including those at Brown
In light of the questions raised about the accuracy of some of your claims, could you give us a cite or two in support of your statement that “many others including those at Brown” are raising issues about whether Brown has “a larger affirmative action(sic)for wealthy legacies then (sic)other Ivy League schools”?
Never be over confident. Washu has rejected candidates they feel know nothing about the school or would be depressed if they didn’t get into an IVY. It is all about fit. Being a legacy substantially enhances your chances so long as your family connections have contributed money or volunteer time to the institution. I have known many applicants who have been rejected but were accepted to more highly regarded schools.
They just failed to show interest and we’re cavalier.