<p>To all the great students out there who were waitlisted or rejected from W&M: don't take it personally. I attended a college forum last year and on the panel was an admissions officer from W&M. I remember her saying to think of admissions as a pyramid. They accept some at the very top (i.e., scores, ec's), some in the middle, and those who have something special to offer the school (such as athletics). They're building a class. It's also possible for those of you who are outstanding that the school viewed you as using W&M as a safety. (I have heard of a VA community college student who transferred to Dartmouth but was rejected by W&M!) Colleges are also concerned about "demonstrated interest": have you visted the campus? I think that making a visit at the time you apply or before you apply can possibly hold some weight. This can be costly and difficult if you live a distance. Many colleges track the emails and correspondence you've had with the school prior to applying as well. </p>
<p>Keep up the good work, and I know you will all be successful wherever you go! (Yes, I'm a parent talking!)</p>
<p>If that pyramid thing holds any weight, then I might have a chance based off of ECs. My GPA/SATs for OOS are low (2000 SAT / 3.5ish GPA) but I have some incredible ECs and very good essays and reccomendations. I also overnighted at the school and have been on correspondance many times with admissions councelors (But I don't think so many to the point where it's annoying). I have some awesome leadership ECs but also one out of school EC in particular that I really think is my hook-- I'm the only one in the world who has it!! (Im an airline ambassador for jetBlue Airways-- the only one!) But I am coming from a very competitive school who has applicants for more academically qualified than I am...</p>
<p>If my memory serves me correctly, I thought W&M only required one essay (common application) and of course the optional thing that could be anything from an essay to a piece of art, etc.</p>
<p>For me, W&M's application was the easiest as the other schools to which I applied required at least 2 additional essays. But I also feel the other schools provided me with a better opportunity to express myself as an individual. </p>
<p>I don't think my essay was the sole reason for my waitlist status but I can honestly say the essay I submitted was not catered to W&M. In fact, W&M was the only school for which I did not write a specific essay. </p>
<p>If W&M placed a lot of emphasis on essays -- then, I deserved to be waitlisted.</p>
<p>ok, if they track visits and use that as part of the process, that would be unfair to those of us that visited with our parents years ago. and on a school trip in 9th or 10th grade. there would be no way to document that.
i have been there at least 4 times and my mom raves about the school and so do my va relatives. even my aunt and cousins go for a day trip and eat at that little deli/sandwich shop near by that is great. so this worries me cause when you know or have lived near and walked around the campus there is not way they would know that. but i did put on my app that my mom thinks that there is no state like va and that you have to be from va to have the 'background" ...by that i mean the history and the love of history cause va schools hammer that stuff in.</p>
<p>^^ True. I spent two weeks over two summers at W&M staying in the dorms attending soccer camp. I did not feel the need to do an overnight visit or anything. Of course this does not replace staying there when school is in session or attending a class but I did get a feel for the campus during my stays.</p>
<p>lbp, so are we screwed if wm does not "know" we visited. i even did the williamsburg thing like 8 years ago. and the va beach thing a few years ago. so what if they can't "see" that you visited? so as far as emails go, how do they know that my dad's email was for me or that the email at school is me or that my mom's email is me? I guess this is a little scary cause it sounds like you could get denied for the wrong reasons?</p>
<p>I dont see how any school can really track this. i would think it only matters if it looks like you are using a school as a backup. I actually read somewhere that a very good school will reject a student with great scores and grades if he looks "overqualified" meaning that he could get into much more selective schools and his chances of going to said school might be slim?</p>
<p>I am an IB student in Yorktown, VA (Williamsburg's IB school, actually) and was waitlisted also...8 students from my program with all great stats and activities applied and only 1 was accepted. 5 were waitlisted and 3 were rejected. I was so shocked---we have always had good admissions rates.</p>
<p>Wow dewstar123, that is not sounding good for other Virginians. Have in-state non-scholar decisions all been received? My son goes to Governor's School in Richmond, so I'll be curious to see how they did compared to previous years. I was an oos W&M'er and I can't believe how tough it is to get in from in-state. I know the general cutoff at his school for acceptances has been a 4.0, which is tough to get there as so few classes are weighted. It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Let's see... Here are mine:
In-state
3.7 weighted gpa (dunno unweighted)
35/216
All IB classes
2030 SAT (720 math, 620 reading, 690 writing: 9 essay)
Many extracurriculars: founded International Club and pres. for 2 years, officer in Keyettes 2 years, NHS, MUN, French Club, FNHS, steady job for 2 1/2 years, lots of volunteer hours</p>
<p>The most surprising waitlist letter my school has recieved was to a girl who is in the top 5% of our class, has perfect writing and reading scores, probably about a 4.3 gpa...that's just a guess...nevertheless it was surprising.</p>
<p>SoccerGuy says that great stats won't get you in nor lesser stats keep you out-I agree. I felt sure that D was the perfect student for WM. She had what I thought was the right everything to get in and she was waitlisted. Her close friend had a less rigorous course load, interesting and different ECs and he was accepted. Yesterday she found out that another good friend with great stats was waitlisted at WM and got in to her reach school-Cornell. There doesn't seem to be any clear reason for one student getting accepted, rejected or waitlisted. I was terribly disappointed but we've regrouped and are looking at other schools. All of the posters on this board will have great choices and while W&M is an outstanding school there are many others. I am happy for D's friends who got in. They are nice kids. This is a terribly stressful time for those of us who were waitlisted or rejected but things do work out.</p>
<p>To all those waitlisted, my heart is with you. Many years ago, W&M was the only school I wanted to attend (knew it since 4th grade when I went to Wmsbg and had a teacher in NY whose son went there). I was waitlisted and devastated. I went to my state school, transferred to W&M and quite honestly I appreciated it even more because of my experience at the other school. I thrived and everything DID work out, even if it wasn't as I'd planned. And sometimes the admissions officers can see that their school is not the right fit for some applicants when it is much harder for the applicants to see that same thing. My advice is to make the best of wherever you attend and if your W&M dream doesn't wilt, then transfer in and it will be all the sweeter!</p>