<p>Just to clarify, I didn't mean that you didn't personally, just that these are some ways that interest may not be demonstrated. Just examples. I really think that people can set themselves up for rejection when they apply to schools that they don't want to go to. </p>
<p>I just don't believe that W&M rejects because of "Tuft's Syndrome" - everyone I know and have known with the stats for more competitive schools did gain admission. That doesn't mean you aren't competitive for UVa (schools look for different things), but I don't think you were rejected because you were overqualified. I know you didn't say that, I'm addressing other comments in the thread.</p>
<p>You may wish to speak to your counselor about this. They could potentially phone the admissions office for you. They are probably getting a lot of calls and emails now so waiting a week or so to do this may not hurt. If you are interested in turning the waitlist decision around, you will have to reaffirm your interest in the school.</p>
<p>Fhimas, how does admissions percentages determine how hard a college is to get in? Chicago has admissions of 40+%, but I doubt many people will put Chicago behind some other schools with less percentages. </p>
<p>Admissions percentages don't mean a thing, since all the quality of the applicants will affect admissions percentages as well. It may simply mean that Yale has double the amount of crappy applicants as Amherst. To serious students who actually have a real shot at Yale/Amherst, the lower applicants don't really count as part of the competition, yet they show up in the statistics. </p>
<p>Still, I agree that Amherst/Williams are probably slightly less competitive than HYP. But that's from comparing other statistics, like overall SAT scores (still iffy) combined with statistics on which schools students accepted to both preferred etc.</p>
<p>"Actually - the acceptance rates that I included both ED/EA/SCEA and RD and since the rates of acceptance between RD and ED/EA/SCEA are proportional, their acceptance rate wouldn't go down. Acceptance rates that you see include all means of acceptance."</p>
<p>Um, did you not get my point at all? I was saying (and I thought it was quite clear, but apparently not) that Amherst accepts about 28% of their class through ED. That means that they leave 72% of their spots open for RD applicants, where only x% of acceptees will end up matriculating, versus 100% of ED acceptees. This means that they need to admit far more students than they would if they were to accept more of their class ED (as most schools do). This means their acceptance rate is higher than it would be in that case. I was very clear, don't be dense.</p>
<p>Again, to reiterate, I don't believe that Amherst, Williams, and Swarthmore are as competitive as Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. However, they are as competitive, or more competitive, than many other schools in the Ivy League.</p>
<p>It's not that I care about the rejection itself. It's more of a why. I just find it hard to believe. One of my friends with a 3.7 gpa and I believe a 3.0 for midyear got waitlisted as did another who had a 3.6. These are the people I would expect to get waitlisted. I had a 3.95 before senior year and my midyear gpa was 4.3. Not to sound mean but I'm in a class above which I worked hard to reach. It seems weird for me to get clumped with these people. All I want is a reason. I want to know why I wasn't as good as others(to them). I could care less about the school. It was also annoying that they sent acceptances and then rejections...shoulda sent them all at once.</p>
<p>Sigma, you have my sympathy. I'm glad you got into your #2 school. College admission is a bizarre world, there are always strange stories about who got in and who didn't, but it doesn't reduce the sting when you're the "didn't". Maybe the kids who got in play a needed sport or instrument, or wanted to major in an under-enrolled program. </p>
<p>If it's any help, at my college when Seniors had job interviews, they would post their follow-up "rejection" letters on their door. It was a way to laugh at what could be an embarassing and frustrating job search. I'll never forget one I saw hanging on a door, with the date circled in red pen and a big red note across the top: "Extra points for rejection on birthday!"</p>
<p>"It was also annoying that they sent acceptances and then rejections...shoulda sent them all at once."</p>
<p>They didn't do that. While it seems like most people who got accepted received there letter first it's not true. Because at my school a kid who lives 5 minutes away from me received his acceptance letter two days after me and most of the other kids got their acceptances. So, for sure there were acceptances mixed in with the second wave - just not as many as in the first wave.</p>
<p>I agree with Princedog to ask your GC to call W&M for you if it's still bothering you in a few days. You have good scores and stats, and you're in-state. Without seeing your whole application (of course), I find it hard to believe you were denied.</p>
<p>I don't care enough to pursue it. All this has really done is get me worried about UVA. I have friends who got in ED with lower stats (and less EC's etc...) than me but now I don't know what to think.</p>