<p>Bottom line is if you’re not accepted into washu, it’s because you’re not deemed to be fitting. The admissions office can tell if you’re a good fit; idk how and frankly it’s quite amazing but they can. The people currently at washu fit well in the community. Grades, ECs, etc. are all just technical stuff. A lot of students already excel in those, and when you can’t make a decision through technical traits alone, you have to consider how well each kid fits in the community.</p>
<p>School isn’t purely about academics or prestige, it’s about finding the correct people for a community. So everyone who got waitlisted and seemingly overqualified, for the most part, you obviously didn’t show enough interest. Or maybe your mindset just doesn’t fit well either, in which case, it’s not your fault. There’s a school for everyone and washu, while diverse, still can’t accomodate everyone. We may have a diverse student body, but in the end, there’s something we all share, and probably only the admissions office would know.</p>
<p>2nd theory: they just throw all the application papers in the air and shoot them with a shotgun. Those that emerge unscathed are accepted.</p>
<p>“Actually, for the Ivys, interest is a factor. Why do you think applying ED makes such a difference? The fact that a student is committing his or herself to the school is a bonus.”</p>
<p>I thought we were discussing the RD round. In the RD round, Ivys don’t factor in interest (ex. if you visited, if you went to their info sessions, etc.). How do I know? Because some of my peers don’t have the financial capability to visit their favorites (ex. Yale) but got a likely letter from them nonetheless. </p>
<p>Based on what I am reading here, it seems as if WashU does indeed factor in interest in the RD round. Do you sincerely think that that is fair? In the RD round? I know ED is a whole 'nother ball game—I applied ED to my top choice so I guarantee you I understand the ED game. But I’m talking about RD.</p>
<p>The fact that some of you complain about not being admitted to WUSTL but to other schools shows that you don’t know about college admissions. Last time I check, college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. Those who complain with demeaning justifications just make themselves look selfish and cocky. WUSTL realized that you are just looking for prizes, not a match. Why does WUSTL look at interest? It’s because they are looking for kids that match the school. They don’t look for students who will take a college acceptance letter and flash it around. They look for students who will take the letter and actually appreciate it’s value.
I hope you guys learn this right now because you sure don’t want to have to learn this the hard way later in life. </p>
<p>College admissions is like applying for a job. Human Resource look for people who not only are smart but will show dedication to the company. In an interview, they look for people who have genuine interest in the company, people who seriously want to be there. I highly doubt one would want to go into the interview and be like, “yeah, I don’t know about your company that well”. It shows ignorance and lack of dedication. So why would WUSTL admit you if you pretty much say “yeah I applied cause there is no supplement essays.”</p>
<p>coffeeannarbor, I respectfully disagree. In my case, I applied ED to the University of Pennsylvania and got in. I made every attempt to showcase how I was a match (via essays) and I love the school every breathing minute I have. When I got in, I was overjoyed—called family, teachers, friends, etc. I only showed the official acceptance letter to those who provided me a recommendation/were close to me. </p>
<p>However, I disagree with your statement that “college is a match to be made, not a prize to be won”. While I 100% agree in admissions being finding that match between student and university, I feel as if I did win. I won the grand prize. Why? Simple. I am able to attend my top-choice/dream school, and most importantly, I am happy. I think that such happiness and the feeling that you did “win” is most definitely very real in such a process. </p>
<p>Why can’t applying to college be a prize you win? After all, if you land your dream job, have you not won the grand prize (in reference to your human resources/job application example)?</p>
<p>I think that everyone who was dumb enough to put WUSTL as their backup deserves to not get in.</p>
<p>Similarly, everyone who keeps on whining and making excuses as to why they got wait listed to WUSTL deserves to not get in.</p>
<p>The college application is meant to show the kind of person you are. And obviously, WUSTL didn’t want these elitist and delusional attitudes at their school.</p>
<p>Sorry to be blunt. Move on with your life.</p>
<p>Wash U forum. The only place where someone on the waitlist can demean someone who was accepted because they were “overqualified”.</p>
<p>To the people who say that there are plenty of people who will be waitlisted at wash U but accepted to everywhere else, invluding Ivys:</p>
<p>No one would be so shocked if that student were accepted everywhere but waitlisted by Harvard. Obviously, Wash U isn’t (yet) at the same level as Harvard, but it’s no safety school. If Wash U is your safety school, Yale might as well be your safety school. Wash U is overall ranked higher than some of the Ivies, and ranked higher than many of them for selectivity. All of this debate just stems from people not being able to accept that Wash U is now truly a top school, and keep treating it like a safety.</p>
<p>Just because someone is waitlisted at Wash U and accepted everywhere else, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily considered a safety. It is often a top choice in those instances.</p>
<p>The issue is relevant in our area when selecting school. Many hesitate to apply to Wash U due to its propensity to waitlist kids. There is a suspicion it is being done to hike up the yield stats. So a kid with great stats may apply to 5-6 schools that are truly lottery tickets and then want a few schools to be the realistic choices. Wash U would not be one I would recommend for that category. I know a few kids who were taken off the wait list after swearing that the school was their *#1 choice. By having so many on the waitlist, including those who might not have Wash U as a first choice school, the school can be hedging its bets.</p>
<p>I’ve been reading this post for a few days now…surprised by the negativity. My son was waitlisted at WashU and while it sounds like thousands of students are waitlisted, he was thrilled to accept a spot on the list. A classmate of his, who got a 33 on his ACT and is in the top 1% of their class, was accepted to WashU and he deserves it. My son has a 3.8 GPA, a 30 on his ACT, is a varsity athlete, State and National hockey champ, and a published author, but his classmate is a stronger student all around, so based on our limited view of the process, Wash U accepted the right guy and waitlisted another great guy, my son.</p>
<p>Thanks jvtDad! I forgot to add that my son fell in love with Wash U from his first visit last summer - loved the people, the campus, everything about it. The students definitely seemed like the happiest bunch of all the schools we visited. He expressed a ton of interest, sent several updates, stayed in touch with the Admissions staff, and let them know Wash U was his top choice. So while he was disappointed to be waitlisted, Wash U got it right with the classmate they accepted over him and several other classmates.</p>
<p>sportsmom42: If your comment could be “liked”, as can be done on Facebook, I think you would have lots of likes! Good luck to your son! It sounds like he would be a wonderful addition to the Wash U community!</p>
<p>sportsmom42 - what a breath of fresh air to read such a gracious and humble response. I hope your son gets off the waitlist and wish him the best of luck wherever he chooses to go.</p>