Hi everyone! I am not nearly as savvy as most of you about this process. Also, for the record, I am not at all upset about any of DDs results. I just can’t figure them out. I know the general answer is “yield protection” but is that really it?
Specifically I am confused as heck about DD being not only admitted to Emory but also selected as a finalist to their honors program (she is flying out there for interviews) BUT Wash U sent the big denied.
I often hear the two schools compared to each other and I can’t figure out so much love from one and a nope from the other. Again, I am not upset about it - winters in Georgia would be lovely, but I don’t understand it.
WashU likes full pay kids with high test scores. It ranked lowest for Pell Grants students (lowered income and middle class) in its group and has decided to improve a bit but seeing how far they are from other top schools it’s going to be a while till “full pay high scores” doesn’t win over other things.
Thank you all so much. Maybe it is the pay part. We are not pell grant eligible but we could not have full self paid either. Hopefully she loves Emory and they throw money at her, or one of her other applications gets an accepted. It is all just so hard to understand.
There are so many things schools consider thst are beyond your control. And it’s not always about yield protection. Demographics, intended major, FA need… Each has it’s own focus.
Sounds like you have a great option at Emory. Big congratulations!
WashU seems to be more selective than Emory not only in terms of test scores, but also in terms of GPA, class rank, and admission rates. The difference in average test scores is rather small. As for FA, Emory doesn’t publish a CDS but according to collegedata numbers, WashU’s average n-b aid award is bigger and its average debt at graduation is lower. WashU’s average n-b aid package is similar to amounts for Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame, or Rice. For 2015-16, about 41% of WashU undergrads received n-b aid; that’s a bit higher than percentages for Duke, Rice, or Notre Dame (and a couple % points lower than Northwestern).
The fact that WashU is need-aware (and Emory apparently is not) may account for the decision difference if this candidate’s stats were solid for Emory but borderline for WashU. If that doesn’t seem plausible in this case, then who knows? Yes, maybe it was some class-crafting voodo that cast DD out from one but not the other.
Regardless, getting into Emory is a big accomplishment.
It is a crap shoot. All of the top schools have many more applicants than they can admit so they have to deny many qualified applicants. That is why kids are applying to more and more schools because the process is so random. Who knows if they already had admitted students with your daughter’s profile from your state in early decision, needed more left handed trombone players or what. Last year my daughter was admitted to Rice and Emory but waitlisted at Wash U and 4 other similarly or lower ranked schools. She really liked Emory when she visited and had a very tough time choosing which school to attend. Emory is a great school in a great town. As you said, the winters are a lot nicer in ATL than STL. Wash U enrolls a lot of rich kids. Emory is making a concerted effort to enroll kids from diverse socio economic backgrounds. I hope she gets the scholarship. Be happy that your daughter has a great option and don’t look back
Thank you all so much. I hope that even if she isn’t selected as one of the emory scholars, she still receives some merit scholarship - it seems that they give it. She is still waiting on some schools, but she has been coached to love the one that is the least financial burden if at all possible. We did not visit Emory before applying so I am hoping the campus is a match to her. And honestly she would like a more diverse group of people so Emory may well be a better fit.
Think of it this way, they are selecting kids for their tribe. On paper, they are equal, but looking at the softer items, they can select between equals: will you fit here? Is there a need you fill? Did your essay spark my brain as I read it, thinking, this kid is WashU.
Emory obviously claimed her for their tribe. Congrats!
One of my kids …in 2003…did not get accepted at UMD-CP despite having a CR/math SAT score of 1350, and unweighted GPA of about 3.6. Weighted was higher. It was all very odd. He was first wait listed…and then rejected.
He graduated from Boston University with a substantial music performance merit award.
I’m talking about the academic acceptances…as he needed both at both of these schools.
Even longer ago than Thumper’s, but my D did not get into Rutgers Honors, but accepted into Honors programs at UDel, Michigan, and Boston U. That was a headscratcher. As others say, it’s sometimes incomprehensible, but Emory is a great school–congrats!
It doesn’t make sense in any way that individual families can figure out. It does make sense to the admissions office, but they have access to lots of information that we don’t.
If your child ends up with an admission offer from a school that she likes, that meets her needs, and that your family an afford, she’s a winner. This is the outcome you’re looking for. It sounds like your daughter got that outcome.
At my kid’s school they called Wash U “Waitlist U” and reported that the RD round seemed especially capricious with higher stats kids getting rejected and lower ones accepted. As others have mentioned upthread, need aware admissions may also come into play.
I also know of kids who were rejected by Wash U and accepted into top Ivies.
Emory is a fantastic school. Your daughter should love the school that loves her back! Congrats to her!