@willlogan374 idk, they’re two different sorts of educations and I find both appealing. Why W over CMC?
Funny how CMC and Vanderbilt are both wayyyyy more selective than Williams by the numbers but it still feels like Williams is way harder to get into. Strange.
Williams acceptance rate is deceptive because it does less than most to market for applicants so there’s a fair amount of self-selection going on…
Williams and Vanderbilt seem so different it’s hard to compare. V has 6x the # of students, is in the South, is a research university vs. a liberal arts college, etc. Most of the rankings favor Williams, but, again, so different that it’s really apples-to-oranges.
I’ve committed to University College London, but I’d rather stay in the states tbh
@citivas I don’t think the rankings favor Williams at all, other than in the sense that Williams is #1 in its category and Vanderbilt is #15. It’s near impossible to compare the merits of these sorts of institutions. Williams perhaps has a better undergraduate focus, given that it is a LAC, and it’s so small. Then again, Vanderbilt is ranked #8 for undergraduate teaching (no small feat for a school of its size and research standing) so really the experiences would be comparable in quality. It’s mostly a matter of ‘do you want a small school with individual attention, or a larger institution with nearly unlimited resources and opportunities proportional to its larger population.’
I also disagree philosophically with rankings, and USNEWS is a joke. Harvard is #1 in the world but only #2 in America according to their methodologies, which is just illogical. So I take rankings with a grain of salt. It’s about results and experience and the qualitative stuff I think. Williams is wonderful. Vanderbilt is amazing. UCL is awesome. UVA is top notch. None of us can go wrong!!!
I repeated several times in my post that I was not a big believer in the ranking and that the schools were too different to compare anyway, so I don’t think we really disagree.
However, you only focused on U.S. News, which treats (rightfully so) universities and LAC’s as separate non-comparable categories. Forbes, for example, ranks Williams #2 (and often #1) while Vanderbilt is #15. I prefer the Forbes ranking overall because it is more outcome focused.
We also agreed both were great schools, but very different.
Haha yes we agree - I didn’t mean to sound like we didn’t, I was just reaffirming
Has anyone heard anything yet?
Just called. They’re still in a holding pattern.
I believe around 50 students were admitted off the waitlist last year and from what I can gather on this thread, it appears that only 15 have been admitted this year - and those 15 or so seem to have been admitted in the first week via email rather than phone call. Is that correct? Unfortunately it looks like more were accepted in the RD round this year so I am guessing it may be a light year for the waitlist. But nevertheless, these updates are so helpful.
@Skiier3 - would you mind sharing more about what you heard when you called today? Did you call the admissions office directly? Did they explain what they meant by “holding pattern”?
Thanks to everyone on this thread for sharing what you have heard. It is most helpful!
I received an email from the associate director of admissions also saying that they’re in a holding pattern for now, but that the waitlist process is not over. I don’t know if they’re just saying that to cover their bases should anyone now enrolled accept an offer elsewhere, or whether they intend to actually admit more students off the waitlist in the near future. In any case, I’d say early to mid June is when we’re likely to either hear of more offers, or of the waitlist closing. An email of rejection could come as late as July realistically.
Based on the response I got, I’d say pretend you were rejected and move on. The odds are literally less than 1% that you get in off the waitlist at this point. If a magical email pops up offering you a place, congrats, but it’s unlikely so you shouldn’t dwell on it. Love the school you’re enrolled at and get excited about going there - makes you more likely to feel nothing when the rejection comes.
Wait did everyone get this email? I never did.
@hyoot7 No, I reached out for more information and received a response.
Apparently (allegedly) there was an email that went out previously that I didn’t receive, but again, this is CC so you have to take everything with a grain of salt.
Any updates? From what I gather on other CC threads, waitlists seem rather inactive at comparable schools . It looks like Pomona has closed their waitlist. It also appears that Yale and Dartmouth may not go to waitlists at all this year. I cannot confirm any of this information as fact, but it seems to be what others have written on those waitlist threads the last time I checked. It would be so nice to know if anyone out there has heard more from Williams in the last few days.
You all need to be falling in love with wherever you committed to right now. Forget about Williams. If you then unexpectedly hear from them, great – all the more exciting if you stopped counting on it. But it’s so, so unlikely. You don’t want to be starting school in a few months at what are probably fantastic schools disappointed.
Called admissions today. They described a “holding pattern” but mentioned an email should be distributed June 1. They have accepted a small number already from the wait list and are not clear if they will be taking more but would not rule it out.
@uncommondad - thank you. That is helpful information. I appreciate it.
@citivas - I am aware of the odds but I also find updates both interesting and helpful.
Thanks to all who have been so kind in sharing the news they have learned and continue to learn along the way.
Got an email yesterday saying they have room for more and to send a paragraph or two if I’m still interested
yepyep^ that sounds VERY fishy. Can you send proof?
I can confirm this. The applicants they were interested in off the WL were invited to state their continued interest yesterday. They deliberated today. Less than 15 have been admitted from the Waitlist so far. I know because I was just offered a spot in the class 
Totally unexpected I’m FREAKING OUT
1 Like
Many congrats Senior2016M! Well, I’m assuming that that’s the last round. Congrats to everyone. Maybe they’ll accept 1-2 more, but honestly I have a feeling it’s probably over at this point. What do you guys think?