I am an international student who applied to Williams ED last year but was unfortunately rejected. Although I was later accepted to other few colleges, I will be taking a gap year due to some family problems. This is why I’ve thought of reapplying to Williams ED this year as well. Regarding the changes in my application, I’ll have two new ECs (both of which are pretty important to me), a new common app essay (“better than the one I previously submitted” according to my friends and teachers), and increased EFC of $50k. Will I have slightly less chance of being accepted because I was rejected previously or will my application be assessed independently of the previous decision.
Your help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
From what I’ve heard (someone else may have more insight) it is very unusual to be accepted by a school that rejected your application the first time. Most people discourage students from reapplying to schools that previously rejected them for that reason. If you are set on this course, I’d suggest you apply to some other schools in addition to Williams in case you are rejected again.
Unfortunately, you don’t know “WHY” you were rejected the first time. If you were rejected simply because there were too many qualified students who applied for the number of available seats (I am almost 100% sure this is a big reason why), that will absolutely be the case again for the next application cycle and there is nothing you can do about it. You are welcome to reapply, of course, just don’t expect a different outcome and apply to other schools where you are more likely to be accepted.
A new EC of just a year, even if very important to you, isn’t likely to make a difference, unless it has had some notable impact. Additionally, you will need all new recommendations, which might be tricky coming from teachers who last wrote your recs about 18 months before.
By all means, apply if you like, but don’t expect anything different this time around. Meanwhile, did you ask for a deferred year at one of your other accepted schools? If not, I suggest you do so.
When you say you are taking a gap year, it’s unclear whether you accepted a spot somewhere else to start in 2022 or whether you are planning to “redo” your whole application process. Your answer would influence my advice.
If you were to apply to apply ED to Williams next year, then this would preclude you from applying ED I to a slightly less selective college. The effect might be that you would not get into a college on this level at all.
There are SO many colleges to fall in love with which are not named Williams! And if they haven’t already rejected you, you get to start over with a clean slate.
Did you get denied or deferred when you applied ED? If you got deferred, then giving it an shot at ED IMO is worth it. If you were denied, then it is very unlikely that you will get in the second time around.
This may or may not be an area of concern based on what your claimed EFC was in the prior application cycle and whether any dramatic increase in EFC has a reasonable explanation.
I am not familiar with the process or requirements for international applicants financial need verification, therefore, I wonder whether the claimed EFC is based on verifiable factors or subject to the applicant’s judgment.
If the EFC is a significant upward adjustment without reasonable explanation for a dramatic change in the course of one year, I suggest that you consider applying elsewhere. But,if there is a reasonable explanation–such as an inheritance–then reapplying poses no ethical concern regarding claimed financial need / financial ability to pay.
Two new ECs are unlikely to impress admissions officers, in my opinion, and may be viewed with skepticism.