The thing where they waitlist people whose stats are "too high" is frustrating

I’ve heard that from multiple people, including the college counselor at my school. i have a 34 act and 3.7UW/4.5W. I’m worried I’m gonna get waitlisted, and AU is my second choice (i think I’m gonna get rejected from my #1). Is the reputation true and am I gonna get waitlisted?

Yes, they do waitlist people who they don’t think are serious about attending. This means waitlisting some of the most competitive applicants who may perceive AU as a safety and not their top choice. Your decision will likely depend on how much interest you have shown in attending AU like going on an official tour, if you showed a lot of interest I doubt you will get waitlisted. Question though; did you consider going test optional because your ACT score high compared to their 25-75 percentile spread?

Best of luck!

I think there is a common misconception about selective universities and waitlisting students. So many people think just because you have the “numbers” to be admitted you will be. Your GPA and ACT are great and you should feel confident. What about your letters of rec, rigor, activities, essay, supplement, demonstrated interest, etc. AU is also test-optional so they definitely look at other factors when reviewing students. Good luck!

“I think there is a common misconception about selective universities and waitlisting students.”

I don’t disagree with you in general terms, but at AU, this is a real thing. It has the strangest Naviance scattergram I have ever seen. If you don’t apply ED, having really high stats is actually a disadvantage. The fact that poster #1 is suggesting that OP might want to conceal his/her high ACT score shows you how crazy it is.

@beastmode69 I didn’t go test optional, I didn’t even think about it when I was applying. Oof. I did do both optional essays and signed up for the voluntary interview, but I don’t know if that’s enough to show my interest.

I’ve seen some eye-popping rejections on here. but, that said… I don’t think American is making these decisions based on ulterior motives. I don’t think its yield protection and I don’t think its rejecting kids they don’t think are serious about American. I do think the school wants to get the best students it can. Rejecting good prospects seems to go against that goal. I’m open to having my mind changed, but, unless American confirmed as much or there was more than anecdotal evidence, I’m skeptical. That said, if my kid gets a rejection letter I’m totally on board!

@savedorcollege does your kid’s school have naviance? On my daughter’s one, there is a clear sweet spot for AU acceptances. Below a certain gpa/test score it’s all rejects, and above a certain (quite high) gpa/score combination it’s mostly waitlists with a couple rejections. The sweet spot is almost all offers.

@SJ2727 I haven’t looked at the Naviance but I don’t have to… as of 20 minutes ago I am a believer!

Sad and disappointed…I just got waitlisted. I applied test optional. UW GPA 4.0, W GPA 4.71. AP scholar, great ECs, lots of leadership roles, 800+ volunteer hours. Excellent recs & essays. Demonstrated interest- did two preview days (summer & winter), webinars, emails… I honestly don’t know what else I could’ve done

For future students who might be interested in AU - the best thing to do is to apply ED.

If it’s all yield protection why aren’t all the top scorers waitlisted? If there are rejections that seems to indicate they do see differences in the applications of kids with high stats.

@austinmshauri I obviously don’t have inside info on the answer to that, but there is a very clear pattern to my D’s HS naviance at least. What was notable was that the absolute highest scorers (perfect GPA and ACTs) were rejected, though there were only a few of these in the AU pool so it’s a very small sample. It would be interesting to see if others see similar or different patterns if they also have naviance.

I have heard that it is easier to get accepted high stats for those aiming at a “non popular” major, especially one where it may not be as much of a concern (like it might be for politics, IR or communications) that a “better offer” from GW or Georgetown would trump American. I do think it’s a shame that this happens and that high stats students who clearly want to go to AU are being put aside. Hopefully there is some way to express real interest for those on the waitlist. What confounds me is that people who seemed to have done as much as they could to express interest were waitlisted as well. But it seems to have been a brutal season across a number of colleges where applicants who should have been a clear and even easy match are being waitlisted or even denied.

“If it’s all yield protection why aren’t all the top scorers waitlisted? If there are rejections that seems to indicate they do see differences in the applications of kids with high stats.”

My guess is there is something in the high stat applicant that made AU believe there is a good chance he/she will attend if accepted, or maybe the successful high state applicant has an in such as legacy status. So you are probably correct, AU does not just blindly reject all high stat RD applicants. That said, the AU Naviance chart for my kid’s HS clearly demonstrates that high stat RD applicants are rejected/WLed at a much higher rate than applicants with lower stats in the “sweet spot.” What’s the moral of the story? (1) If you want to go to AU, apply ED and (2) AU is not a good choice for high stat kids looking for a safety school.

anyone know if AU ranks students on waitlist??

Does anyone know what AU’s stats are for accepting people off of the waitlist?

@Churro10 AU did not answer the question about whether or not WL is ranked on the last CDS

@aksnowbird last CDS (data for fall 2017 entry) had 4049 applicants offered a place on the waitlist, 609 students accepted the places, zero taken off. Prior year the numbers were 3116/501/0. Waitlist usage can vary a lot if the yield is significantly different to expectations, but based on previous years the prospects unfortunately don’t look good…

@churro10 AU does not rank students on the waitlist.