I recently got rejected from the University of Washington knowing that other people with worse grades and SAT scores got in (I do know that the personal statement is a huge part of the application process) which is why I want to appeal. Are there any tips for the letter and if anyone would help me edit it that would be great!
I’m not sure you can do that at this point of time. UW has a holistic admission process so they look at your overall and not just your SAT score. Personally, I’m an international student and got through UW- Seattle with an ACT score of 28. However, I had applied for 3 patents and have conducted lots of research. Hence, it was probably the ice-breaker for me. I’m not entirely sure why they accepted me but its cool i guess. I’m sure you will do well wherever you end up going. Just be positive. You could try for an appeal but I’m not sure whether it will make a difference. Your essays must have not shown a perfect match between Udub and you, which is a very important factor as you said.
hey i really really want to go to UW. Would you mind sharing your gap and sat score just to let me see if i have any chance??
Hi, @derektsanghk . You could try the appeals process, but definitely don’t do it if the only reason is you have a higher GPA and/or test scores than another student who was admitted. The UW admissions process focuses a lot (actually the MOST) on the quality of your course load in high school. It is really hard to compare yourself to another student based on numbers only. Other factors that are important would be your leadership and involvement in your community, as shown in the activities logs.
Successfully appealing the decision is rare, but possible (less than 5-10% of students are successful). Major reasons to appeal: 1) something changed between when you applied and now. Example: You raised your GPA from all Cs to all As. 2) There is a pressing need for you to be at UW/ in Seattle specifically. Example: You are from another part of the country and your parent is undergoing treatment for a disease at UW’s hospital. You need to be in the area no matter what and UW is the only school you are interested in attending. 3) You recently won a major award or were recognized for an outstanding achievement in or out of the classroom. Example: Won a national competition. Were invited to perform a solo with the Boston Symphony. Bad examples: You got 1st place in the school talent show. Your debate team made it to districts.
I know these examples are extreme, but these are honestly the types of rare cases that would be considered valid for appeal.
Also, contrary to what @ComMITment said, UW doesn’t factor in “fit” into the equation. It is such a huge school with so many opportunities, they are not worried about you coming in and finding a major, club to get involved with, etc. This is generally the same for other very large public universities - there simply isn’t time to evaluate fit.
I hope this helps!
If there is the slightest chance of getting admitted into UW, then go for it! I sent in my petition for appeal 3 days ago! I was rejected admission but I have a lot of new compelling information that I can add. I significantly raised my standardized test scores, grades, took full advantage of Senior Year, & mentioned some personal information that was not previously mentioned in my original application. I also sent in three letters of recommendations that talked about things in accordance to my appeal letter which was 3 pages long. I am glad that I decided to give my dream school another shot! It’s worth trying regardless of the decision. I’m truly passionate about attending UW and am giving it a shot! You should too, don’t let anyone discourage you. (:
Hello,
I don’t really know about the appeal process, but I’ll share my experience.
I got into UW out of state with around a 3.8 unweighted GPA, 1700 SAT, and 2 AP classes (I only got credit for 1 though after testing). I also have been taking college classes while in high school, so that might have affected my chance of getting in. Good luck! Message me if you need any help, I’m more than willing to help.
Last year, UW accepted 55% of its 30,199 applicants, rejecting about 13,500, accepting 16,679. Of those not accepted, UW offered 1720 kids a spot on its waitlist. Total accepts + WL was 18,399 or about 61% of total applicants. They enrolled 27 of the waitlisted kids eventually.
The fact that you weren’t even offered a spot on this year’s WL should indicate something. You’re going to appeal and ask them to not put you on the waitlist, *but to propel you in front potentially other 1700 waitlisted people/i. Does this sound like a plan with a good expectation of success?
Post #4 is dreaming just like you. I think neither of you have the slightest of chances. I sincerely believe that moving on is the best and wisest course of action for you and @pchristian90.
Generally, there are only two legitimate reasons for an appeal:
- An error in the processing/scoring of one’s application (for example, miscomputation of one’s GPA); or
- New – and very pertinent – information to be added to one’s dossier (for example, Scientific American just decided to publish an article one authored and discussed in his application).
Ardent desire to attend and/or opinions that less qualified/deserving applicants were admitted are both irrelevant and (when one thinks about it) insulting to the admissions staff (they do this for a living, they evaluate tens-of-thousands of candidates annually, “just maybe” they know more about who should be admitted to UW than you do?).
@T26E4 You are the definition of individuals that I don’t listen to. Learn how to have some desire. You are so wrong by being discouraging to people like that. I still appealed and even if denied again, it’s the desire that I have to attend my dream school that counts. I appealed because I have new ACT scores and I also have a lot of personal information that I did not incorporate into my original application. Go ahead and say all the words you want, but they don’t effect me.
No argument from me pchris. I mean – someone is in that 20-30. Maybe it’ll be you. Best of luck to you - really. But I’m trying to give OP and you some perspective.
The OP, et al, are not even aspiring to be among the 20-30 accepted off of UW’s waiting list, because they were rejected outright. I hope that they accept their second rejections more gracefully than they did their first.
Think about this for a second. Last year UW rejected over 13,000 students. Do you really think colleges have the time to go through a 2nd round of apps from thousands of people they’ve already rejected? I’m sorry you didn’t get into the school you wanted, but it’s time to move on. I hope all the students who were rejected from their dream schools are finding something to love about the schools that accepted them.
^ ^ ^
I entirely agree and it’s not only “the time” (as @austinmshauri indicates), it’s also the staffing and the budget. Why do so many CC participants never consider that universities are large enterprises – and like all organizations with many thousands of employees and annual budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars – they require painstaking management? Even if “re-reviewing” every rejected application were smart – and it isn’t – it wouldn’t be managerially or financially viable. Good grief!