<p>In October, Pitt requested midterm grades, which she submitted. She had a 4.0 gpa for the first semester. She just got a letter today saying that she was admitted for spring and put on the wait list for fall. She is extremely disappointed. </p>
<p>I had never heard of spring admissions or a waitlist at Pitt before. Does anyone know if she has a realistic shot at getting off the waitlist and being admitted for fall? She is going to talk to her counselor to see what next steps she should take.</p>
<p>Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. When she applied, she had a 3.45 uw gpa (her high school does not weight for honors courses) and a 2000/2400 sat score with 3 AP courses.</p>
<p>Anyone else placed on the waitlist of get spring admission?</p>
<p>Did she apply for spring? I never heard of a waitlist, as I thought Pitt offered a branch campus instead. Maybe you should speak to an admissions officer directly to find out what’s going on.</p>
<p>I never heard of Pitt offering spring admission, but the SUNYs do it. I guess kids from the fall semester drop out or go abroad, and that leaves empty dorm rooms and seats in classrooms to fill. It seems that your daughter’s SAT and grades would put her well over the borderline for admission. Maybe it’s an extremely tough year. I agree that it wouldn’t hurt to call and ask what’s up.</p>
<p>pierre0913…How exactly do you appeal? Does she send a letter or make a request to a specific person? She was not offered admission to a branch campus, just spring admission and a spot on the waitlist for falll. We would have to pay the $300 to hold her spot for spring. She would definitely go if she received fall admissions. Thanks for any advice! </p>
<p>lkf725, no she did not apply for spring. I double checked her application. The letter said that she had three choices: 1. Be on the waitlist for fall with guaranteed admission for the spring ($300) 2. Be on the waitlist for fall only (no cost) 3. Cancel the application.</p>
<p>This situation doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know Pitt’s reasoning. Usually, from what I have observed, colleges offer this option when there is a student with good grades but middling SAT scores. I read somewhere that a student admitted for the spring semester doesn’t have his or her SAT averaged into the school’s stats (and potentially lowering them). So if a college is looking to raise its median SATs, it pushes the kids with lesser scores to the spring.</p>
<p>But your daughter has SATs over 2000. What is the breakdown? Does she have a low CR? That’s the only thing I can think of.</p>
<p>You should definitely call the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, and ask what’s up. Advocate for her! If that doesn’t work, have her call directly. Best of luck!</p>
<p>LurkNessMonster…Thanks for the feedback. Her SAT breakdown is:</p>
<p>Reading: 630
Math: 640
Writing: 730</p>
<p>I did not realize her SAT scores were below the average for Pitt. I understand that her GPA is on the low side, but her high school does not weight for honors courses and she took many of them. She applied undecided to the college or arts and science. I think what is most upsetting to her is that they asked her to send her semester grades. She assumed that was what was holding her back. She worked incredibly hard and maintained a 4.0 GPA first semester. </p>
<p>Do I just call admissions and ask them to reconsider? What do I say? Sorry to have so many questions, but she is my first one to go off to college, so I am not familiar with all of the procedures.</p>
<p>Bluehen, I didn’t say her scores were below average for Pitt. On the contrary, I think they are above average. To be sure, check U.S. News and World report.</p>
<p>Yes, just call up. Ask directly why your daughter was given this option. </p>
<p>Just as a personal anecdote, which may not even apply in your daughter’s case, a very bright young woman I know was accepted into a top SUNY for the spring semester. It was at a time when the school was trying to raise its median SAT score. Her SATs were not up to par, but her grades were excellent, and she came from a competitive public high school. She was on the wait list for the fall, but didn’t get it. She took a part time job in the meantime and started in the spring. It was a bit discombobulating for her in that she registered for classes late (after she arrived on campus), and lots of sections were closed out already. Also, orientation was minimal. Friendships had been started in the fall, and she was given “leftover” housing; that is, she was put in a room with someone whose roommate had dropped out.</p>
<p>Still, with all the drawbacks, the situation could work for a kid who really wants that particular school and is able to keep a positive attitude. </p>
<p>I’m not talking about Pitt here, but a SUNY. Maybe Pitt would give better orientation for the spring students.</p>
<p>Since you have been put on the wait-list this is what I would do if Pitt is definitely your #1 choice</p>
<ol>
<li>Write a personal letter and send it to the Pitt admissions office clearly stating your reasons for wanting to go to Pitt and state that you WILL 100% ACCEPT THEIR ADMISSIONS OFFER IF THEY ACCEPT YOU! and ask that the letter be put in your admissions folder for further review.</li>
<li>Continue to send them any achievements, awards, 3rd quarter grades, anything that will help your cause.</li>
<li>Don’t let your grades slip at the end of senior year!</li>
</ol>
<p>Since you have been accepted for the spring and waitlisted for the fall. I highly doubt whether you can appeal the decision (appeals are only for students denied outright admissions). I would double check this with the admissions office.</p>
<p>If you follow those 3 items listed above, you will get the best possible look at getting off the waitlist come May. Meanwhile, I would send a deposit somewhere and hope for the best! Pitt has a record for having a poor yield rate from acceptees (30-35%) and about 12% of students on the wait-list end up getting off the wait-list. I have no clue what it will look like with the economy this year but I wish you best of luck getting into Pitt! Let me know how everything goes.</p>
<p>pierre0913…Thank you so much for your advice! I called admissions today at Pitt. They said that they do not consider the writing portion of the SAT (too bad, that was her highest score). They said that I could send in any new academic information along with a letter requesting reconsideration. I guess we will send in her third quarter grades along with her letter of interest. She will not have her final grades until after the waitlist notification date (June 2)</p>
<p>Again, I appreciate all of your time and advice. I will let you know how things work out.</p>
<p>I got accepted for spring too last year and felt the same disappointment. The reason? I applied later than most applicants and they ran out of spots. So don’t take it personally! I know how aggravating it is, but it’s not your fault at all. </p>
<p>I didn’t get into any of my reach schools, so I needed more good fits. Pitt was one of those. I had an alumni friend write a personal letter of recommendation and submitted another portfolio. The admissions department said they’d try their best to get me in for fall, but because of the unusually large freshman class size, I remained in the spot for spring.</p>
<p>I ended up going to another college for my first semester and then moving right on to Pitt. It’s been hard to adjust in the middle of the year, but I honestly love Pitt so much that I would rather be here a little late than at any other school.</p>
<p>Try your best to get off the wait list by letting them know how interested you are. Coming in for the spring isn’t as bad as it might seem. I have a friend who got accepted into USC for spring and spent a semester at community college. Some people study abroad, work or attend another school. </p>
<p>It all depends on how important Pitt is to you. Good luck! I’m sorry you have to go through that.</p>
<p>swissbeauty…Thanks for your feedback. My daughter really has her heart set on going off to college in the fall. She will definitely attend Pitt if she gets in for the fall. She has sent them a letter and plans to send her third marking period grades. However, we are aware that the chances of her getting in for fall is probably slim.</p>
<p>She has some other good options for fall admissions and I think she may end up at another school if she can’t get into Pitt for fall. I am trying to convince her that one semester is not that long, but she is pretty discouraged. </p>