<p>Well... near perfect SATs, an "A" average. lots of sports and EC's.. but its just not good enough.</p>
<p>I must have been a bad person because now I'm trapped in Academic purgatory.. neither accepted or rejected .. and just waiting an academic eternity... oh the shame... oh the stigma.. what have I done wrong? .. how do I answer all the questions.</p>
<p>CALTECH was the first: Waitlist
Then Harvey Mudd: Alternate list (that's a cute name)
then OLIN: Waitlist
Cornell was the cruelest (that was suppose to be the easy school) they were sending out "Likely letters" to female engineers...every one was getting a likely letter and yet no letter came .. oh the shame...so that MUST mean wait list or rejection.</p>
<p>and now the IVY's later this week.</p>
<p>Sorry Mom & Dad ... it looks like I won't be going to school next year, trapped in waitlist limbo.</p>
<p>Not being accepted to top-tier schools doesn’t make you a “bad person” and you know it. These schools are incredibly competitive and simply can’t take all the applicants they’d like to, and the fact that you’re on their waitlists means they REALLY liked you and do, in fact, want to take you – they just don’t have the resources.</p>
<p>Also, not getting a likely letter doesn’t mean that you’re not getting into Cornell, so don’t make that assumption. Less than 10% of admitted students get likely letters. It doesn’t mean that you can’t get in.</p>
<p>Lastly, waitlist at Olin is a GUARANTEE that you can attend next year if you choose, so you can take a gap year or even take a year at a different college and then enroll in Olin next year. So it’s not that bad. 
And I got into Olin and am likely going to MIT (and so are a few others, probably), so there’s always a chance the waitlist may actually have some students accepted off it.</p>
<p>femEngineer, I think you should take action and not wait for them to call you. Decide which college you absolutely will go to and call that school. Tell them you would come, sight unseen (not relevant if you visited already)if you got an offer there. At the same time, send an email saying the same thing. You or your parent should call or meet with the guidance counselor and tell her/him the same thing. Ask if he/she would be willing to call that school and commit you to that school if you get an offer. That will put more muscle behind your claim and give the guidance counselor another opportunity to sing your praises. Do this now. Now please choose a school that historically takes a few from the wait list-MIT would probably be a long shot that way. What if you can’t say that because you are waiting to hear from an Ivy or some such. Then, do all the same but instead of saying that you will come if you get an offer say something more like “I have gotten other offers but I really want to attend X. There is nowhere else I would rather attend then X” which does not commit you because there may be other reasons you ultimately to to Y. </p>
<p>Also, include in your letter to the school information about your recent accomplishments. If you dont have any , remind them of your previous ones and also tell them how you are continuing to work on the skills that lead you to those achievments (I continue to coordinate my schools, x. We were proud to score in the top x last year but this year our goal is…</p>
<p>Until the schools are willing to be more transparent, Kids need to do what they can to advocate for themselves. So, get off the computer and start doing what you need to do to get yourself into the dream school.</p>
<p>FemEngineer, I should have explained the rationale. It is all about yields. The schools are risk adverse (despite reviewing applicants in terms of whether they are willing to take risks) when it comes to protecting their yields. It is sickening but true. Banking on their belief that all students are pretty much alike-if their scores are similar-they will pass on a student showing exceptional talent (the next Steve Jobs) to snag good scores and a body that says “yes”. So, if you promise to come they know you will help their yield.</p>
<p>also, if you do these things come back and tell us how it went and what the outcome is.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for your nice words… but I wrote that note with a smile and a little humour.
Yes… I’m one of those “edge” students that seems to live on that academic edge & I knew the waitlist and rejection are part of the elite school experience. … but like most people on this board its not about simply getting into college…this is about OLIN, MIT, Chicago, CALTECH, COOPER UNION, HARVEY MUDD… the other schools are nice but they just aren’t the same. So I am grateful that OLIN offered a seat for the class of 2018… but the “fun” is finding out where we are going in the fall. and I find a twisted humour in the “waitlist” that says your good but not good enough … like some weird biologic state… where I don’t live in the water or in the air but in the 1 mm surface film called the waitlist.</p>
<p>My advice is to take Olin’s offer for class of 2018. Charlie (admissions director at Olin) always says that he gets plenty of kids who say they wish they’d taken a gap year, but nobody has ever regretted it yet. Besides, you can save up money, read great books, develop your skills…there’s lots of reasons!</p>
<p>Is Olin the only one that guarantees admission in the following year to waitlisted students? Or is that common practice. I am specifically interested in CMU’s SCS.</p>
<p>I do not think I would have regretted a gap year. Also, one of the best engineers I know went to Olin.</p>
<p>@Zingerdad: I believe it is an unusual practice. I don’t think Carnegie Mellon does anything like the waitlist/deferred acceptance that Olin has. Sorry 
You should look into it, though, and many schools will let you reapply after a gap year if you so choose – but that’s certainly not a reason to take a gap year if you got into other good schools :)</p>
<p>If Olin is the best fit and Olin is your number once choice then taking a gap year is absolutely the best decision.
You can do so many things during that gap year and then you’ll start Olin and not miss a beat. Think of it as an opportunity rather than something negative.
I have never heard of any other college offering a guaranteed spot for the following year other than Olin.</p>
<p>I understand it’s difficult to have “maybes” from so many schools. </p>
<p>It’s early to be advising that you “take the Olin deal” and enroll as a member of the class of 2018. See where you are with Cornell (I believe admissions decisions come out around tomorrow) and any other school you haven’t heard back from. Then choose a school you did get into to commit to by May 1 and choose a waitlist to pursue. </p>
<p>And know that you’re super smart, there will eventually be a resolution to this uncertainty, and everything’s going to be okay. . . maybe even great.</p>
<p>Hey, I was rejected at all of my US schools except for Chicago (waitlist)
I would love that gap year option, or any chance to attend.
I say take Olin, it sounds like a fantastic deal and you get to go to one of your favorite schools after a year that could prove to be a welcome change of pace.
Don’t give up on a school that you love :)</p>
<p>(Sorry for reviving an old thread)</p>
<p>WAIT! femEngineer! WE’RE IN THE EXACT SAME SITUATION. haha I’m in the exact same place stuck on the waitlists- MIT, Olin, Harvey Mudd, etc etc… I’m thinking Olin 2018 with my gap year at WPI, did you join the Olin fb group?</p>
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<p>I suggested something similar on another thread. Seems like Olin is unique enough that it is tough to get courses to transfer in order to graduate in 4 years (1 at WPI and 3 at Olin).</p>