Hello!
I’ve been seeing this strategy a lot lately, and I was wondering what you all on CC thought of it. For example, you’re waitlisted at Yale - you write something along the lines of ‘though I was accepted at Harvard and Stanford, Yale remains my first choice because X, Y aspects of the school not present at the other universities.’
To be clear - I’m referring to elite colleges, when you have already been accepted to a ‘peer institution’.
Thoughts?
That’s a bad idea. They’ll think, “why don’t they just go there”!
I personally have no sympathy but I’m a bitter parent.
It will hurt your chances, not help them. Schools do not care AT ALL where else you were accepted. Believe me, if you said it to them in conversation, they would cheerily say. “Congratulations! Enjoy your time there!” You can’t strong arm any college by saying you got in somewhere else, and they see right through to what you are trying to do.
They won’t care where else you got in. Focus only on that school and why it is a particularly good fit.
I didn’t mean in a “strong arm way” I mean in a “prestige isn’t my primary consideration - I got into X school of equal prestige but like you more because of Y, Z factors that make you unique. I’ll even bump your cross-admit yield!”
In this link a Dartmouth admissions officer advocates it: http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2009/03/30/dirty-secrets-of-college-waitlists.html
They will see right through it – it sounds like a humble brag, and they are no fools. Don’t do it.
What do you have to lose?
What I might do is write the letter saying it is your first choice, if it is true and that you would definitely attend and why. Then have your guidance counselor call and let them know where else you got in. I think it will sound better that way.