Strange response from admissions

<p>I was put on the wait list at UConn, which both my counselor and I were a little surprised at, not just because of my scores, but also because I had already been accepted to a few, more competitive schools. I guess I'll start with my stats:</p>

<p>GPA (uw): 3.76
Class rank (uw): top 20%
SAT: 2300 (combined), 790 (CR), 780 (Math), 730 (writing)
SATII: 800 (math 2), 720 (physics)
APs: Junior year x2 (Calc AB 5, Physics C Mechanics 5) Senior year x5 (English Lit, English Comp, Calc BC, Stats, Human Geo)
Course load: Very challenging, taking maximum number of APs school offers.
Reqs/essays: all very good
EC: 4 years band (+4 middle school), 3 years soccer, 50+ hours community service, robotics team, 5 week advanced studies program last summer
Applied to Storrs campus as a potential Statistics major. When my counselor inquired, the admissions department said I should have applied early action, based on my credentials. I don't quite understand what that means. I wanted to wait for regular decision so my first term grades would be in (I had a less than ideal junior year), should that really affect my chances that much?</p>

<p>That is strangely odd.
I feel like they’re waitlisting a LOT of people.
I don’t know whether it’s due to the amount of people that applied this year and there’s no room, or maybe it’s because you’re an over-qualified applicant.
I got wait-listed too.
They probably encouraged you to apply EA because you have awesome statistics, but they couldn’t allow you in because it was full? … Not sure. I think it’s due to the size of the applicant pool. Just my opinion though.</p>

<p>I’m assuming that tufts syndrome is the answer. It’s notoriously known for when colleges will reject or place students on waiting lists because they realize the top students are more unlikely to enroll. </p>

<p>I’m shocked as well, your stats are impressive. I know students who are currently in high school who are ranked among the top 20 students and in the National Honor Society with scores similar to yours and are getting branched to satellite campuses. While in high school, I also remembered a student in the top 5 was wait listed. </p>

<p>I’ve said this before, and I will say it about a million more times: the UConn admissions crew is known as being entirely unpredictable. You could have three students in a high school ranked 52, 53, 54. Lets say 53 and 54 get accepted, and 52 unfortunately gets branched while their grade point averages, student involvement and SAT scores are in roughly the same range. </p>

<p>In the past, UConn has also “overbooked.” It does seem that they are wait listing a lot of students, and perhaps for that reason. They are increasingly receiving more applications, especially considering they use the Common App now, too. Best of Luck, I see no reason as to why you would not be accepted into the Storrs campus with your stats!</p>

<p>Just an update. As of a couple days ago I am admitted, also in the Honors program. Still very strange, haha.</p>