I feel for all of you on the waiting list who had/have VT as your 1st choice. The waiting is always difficult. It is very easy to try to compare your stats with those of past classes, but you really need to get away from doing that. Remember that you’re application is only being compared to others in this year’s application pool. Also, the SAT test that you all took is very different than in past years. Go online and do the comparison… a math 600 on the old test is the same as a math 630 on the test you all took. There is also up to a 40 point increase when you convert the old reading & writing score to the new reading. Your scores are going to naturally be higher. You are unfortunately also at the mercy of those students who thought it was a good idea to apply to upwards of 18 schools. Absolutly ridiculous! All it did was cause bigger waitlists, artificially inflate the pool of applicants and take spots away fron student who may really want to attend. For those who have decided to stay on the waitlist, I wish you all the best. Contrary to the bashing that some have decided to do, VT is a fabulous school with a bright & talented student body. And no…everyone is not from NoVa…Stay positive!
The engineering “student body” is 7,500 students. The entire “student body” is 24,000 students. Maybe this is a problem with your nephew and not the 23,999 others.
How does he know this? And, what’s his point?
LOL
Insights for tight acceptance this year at VT - 2nd hand info but reliable source - last year, the acceptances exceeded their dorm maximum by 600 students, mostly engineering - thus, created huge stress on dorm capacity, dining halls and classroom size. From what I understand, they are trying to have 600 LESS acceptances than normal this year (ie:1200 less than last year) so that they can correct the dorm and dining hall capacity problem. With this lower acceptance rate in 2018, they had a record number of applicants (this year was 32,000, I believe last year was 28,000, a record itself). Last year they didn’t take any (or at least negligible) from the wait list. Bottom line, Tech is in high demand and increasing.
For reference, my son applied Engineering (4.3 GPA, 35 ACT, 1540 SAT, all the AP’s, CS, Artificial Intelligence and BC Calc, a “TJ kid” for those in NOVA who recognize that). He didn’t get accepted to Engineering!! Got his second choice. He is now considering either a VT Double major of BIT and CMDA (he has 26 hours of college credit), or going Engineering/CS at UVA where he has been accepted.
Does tech have regional admissions advisors? Also, does anyone know how many students were put on the waitlist this year? I am trying to do anything I can to increase my chances of getting off the waitlist as tech is my top choice, without harassing the school! Any advice would help, thanks 
"Can I do anything to increase my chances of being offered admission from the wait list?
The only thing you can do is to be certain you can access your Application Status Page and that you select to remain on the wait list. Unfortunately, there is nothing else you can do at this time. Since offering students from the wait list depends on space, letters of recommendation or personal visits will not affect our decision. Should space become available, we will use the information already contained in your file to re-review your application."
My advice, don’t have your heart set on VT. Explore your other options, put down a deposit somewhere else and start making plans.
Has anyone been pulled from waitlist yet?
They will not start pulling from the wait list until after May 1st if at all.
We all received the information in regards to the waitlist. We just want to see if there’s any updates or extra things people know. You have not been encouraging whatsoever, just regurgitating information to us that is already known. We have much interest in tech and want to do our best to persist and express that interest. Please keep this in mind.
@dad0903 So what was his second choice? BIT? Just wondering what majors have a higher acceptance rate over engineering. They can always transfer their second year, correct?
@thessaly1 it’s not very accurate to say they “can always just transfer” into engineering they have to take the first 2 semesters of engineering, get the minimum GPA to apply for a transfer, and then are ranked by GPA and given spots if there are any openings. No guarantees. I met a lot of people at VT who spent over a year spinning their wheels trying to transfer into engineering.
Xtorgensen
“Tech engineering is not that well-known outside the NOVA area”
Tech is ranked #14 to Cornell’s #10. Anyone who works with engineers or hires engineers knows VT engineering.
I can give a little insight into the waitlist, as an OOS parents whose daughter did get accepted into Tech and Cornell…public schools like Tech with relatively reasonable tuition (compared to privates and UC schools) are not only getting flooded with applications, their yields have increased unexpectedly in the last couple of years. So they are trying to figure out how many to accept outright without over-enrolling. Placing otherwise qualified students in the waitlist is them just trying to adjust until they have a better idea of their yield.
I can tell you this - a lot of the parents I spoke to at Cornell were not thrilled to be at Cornell Days, and openly discussed the substantial meet offers their kids had gotten elsewhere. My daughter is in the same boat - she could attend RPI or Clemson or Stevens close to us for the same price as Tech after merit money- or ask us to pay double for Cornell at full price.
She heavily favored Tech before her acceptance to Cornell; right now she is still grieving over Cornell being taken off the table. But that is the thing - these colleges are just no longer affordable by their own yardstick of affordability. So excellent state schools like Tech are going to get the unexpected overflow of students who previously might have gone to an Ivy or MIT. (Privates below this level still give good merit aid, which is why I didn’t include them)
Best of luck to all your kids. This whole process feels like such a crapshoot. Can I say that on here?
@thessaly1 - His second choice was BIT, which was what they offered him for admissions. He also got offered Honors. We have since met with the school (they have been incredibly flexible in crafting a path), wherein he can craft something possibly better - Honors gives that flexibility. He is looking at BIT with a heavier than normal CS minor, or possibly a double major of BIT and CMDA. Our understanding is that if you get your second choice, you can still be on the wait list for your first choice, so Engineering is still an option. He is comparing it to UVA’s Engineering, either CS or Computer and Information Engr, with a double minor in Business and CS. The BIT curve ball has actually been very productive because he is now seeing the value of getting some business education. As of today (decision day minus four days) he is STILL undecided. Both choices are really good, while I am working hard to NOT have an opinion, I think his best option is Va Tech with a double major of BIT and CMDA, heavy CS classes, also. As a side note, Va Tech had about 18,000 applicants for 1800 Engineering seats. That’s amazingly competitive. My sense is their national brand is skyrocketing. If you look at the balance of $$$ to education, it makes sense. Tech Engineering is about $25,000/yr in-state, UVA Engineering in-state is about $37,000. Out of state UVA is over $60K.
@annonymous1227 - Don’t know if you got an answer on the size of the waitlist, however I hear it is about 7,000.
DS just got an email from Vtech offering him acceptance. He was waitlisted back in March; general engineering. His stats: 8 APs (1 self-study) and most other classes were/are honors; 3.8 unweighed (5.+ weighted); 1500 SAT; 34 ACT (35 Math); national merit; a few ECs (since he just transferred); lots of community service hours. He already committed to another school since he thought he will not get pulled from the waitlist. We’re OOS. The email said that the status page will change within 24 hours. We don’t know yet if scholarship grant will be given. Now he has to decide until May 7. To all of you waiting, there is hope…
Also received offer email today for engineering. Not the best stats but essays and ECs highlighted eng experience and passion. Already made a deposit elsewhere but willing to forget it if Tech costs are equivalent. No $$ info available yet
I got in!!!
What was your major that you applied to?
Just got accepted off the waitlist as well for Business undecided. Great EC’s and essays, interested in army rotc aspect. SAT and GPA not great but GPA upward trend and I am a IB diploma candidate
Just got accepted off the waitlist for gen engineering
OMG – total surprise. My son was just accepted from the waitlist for general engineering. Really throws a wrench into plans! We have until May 7th to accept.