Hello,
I’m in sort of a quandary concerning my Stanford application and I need some advice…
Despite wanting to apply as an Early Action candidate to Stanford last November, I was told by the admission office that the 62 college credits I have accumulated (and the resulting anticipated completion of my A.A. degree) from an Early College program required me to apply as a transfer. Because I am only eighteen years old, however, I am dedicated to the prospect of a full four-year experience at Stanford. When I submitted my transfer application in March, I included a lengthy appeal of sorts which contended that despite my accumulated college credits, my application should be considered for freshman admission instead. Just yesterday I heard back from Stanford – they accepted my appeal, agreeing that I may be considered for freshman candidacy instead of transfer status, but claimed that they could not offer me admission to the Class of 2009 because a waiting list had already been assembled for any available spaces.
Though I am appreciative of the fact that I am being considered for freshman admission, I am nevertheless frustrated that I never had the opportunity to be fully considered under early action or even regular review. With the window of opportunity closing as May waitlist admission offers are made, I am not sure what to do. Of course I will accept a spot on the waitlist, but I am not sure how much of a chance there will be this late in the game. It’s rather disappointing that challenging myself with early college work has essentially precluded me from receiving normal consideration for freshman admission – had I been able to apply in November, space would not have been an issue.
Anyway, does anyone have any advice for me? This is a rather complex matter, but Stanford is my dream school and I do not want to miss out. Below is the text of the letter I received from Stanford yesterday… I’m told it’s the standard waitlist letter but with a few changes for my unusual circumstances. Is this letter just a polite rejection or is the fact that they offered me a place on the waiting list so late in the game a sign that they are planning on letting me in? Oy…
By the way, I’ve been accepted as a <em>transfer</em> (ick) into Georgetown, Brown, Bard, and UC Berkeley (out-of-state).
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Dear Ian,
We have just completed our review of your application as well as your appeal to be considered as a freshman applicant. I write to offer you a place on our freshman waiting list. Please know that your file was reviewed as a freshman and your significant strengths were viewed in the context of that pool, not in the context of the transfer applicant pool. Although we cannot offer you admission at this time, I want to assure you that any student we place on our waiting list is someone who has shown great promise, whom we would like to be able to admit if space becomes available.
Should you choose to accept a place on our waiting list – and I encourage you to do so if Stanford is where you would like to be this fall - we would notify you of your status by late June. We realize that you may need to respond to offers of admission at other colleges before that time, and we advise you to secure a place at another college. The college to which you commit at this time will understand if you are later offered admission from the waiting list to Stanford.
Please let us know whether or not you wish to be included on this list by returning the enclosed card by June 10, 2005. If you do decide to remain on the waiting list, we ask that you arrange to have your final spring grades sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admission as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience with this process and your willingness to be flexible. I hope you understand how impressed we were with your application and how much we value your interest in Stanford.
With best wishes,
Anna Marie Porras
Director of Admission
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