<p>“agent of sense, that is actually PRECISELY what happens, every single year, at every single school”
To sf606508: How do you really know that? You are not an admission officer, and unless the people who told you the “fascinating and controversial” story are admission officers themselves who have agreed to divulge such imporant information , I still say that your complaints are unreasonable and your idea of racism in the application process is still groundless.
You know what, I am an international student from South East Asia. So if what you said is true, then I was accepted simply because my skin color is not white?</p>
<p>haha I feel for you kwu, asian males have it the hardest :P</p>
<p>We went through the same thing in reverse 4 years ago, as D was rejected first choice, and on the school’s thread, all kinds of kids with lesser stats were being accepted mostly because they were in IB which our schools did not offer at the time. And, as a teacher I wrote some letters of rec for other students, so I know, because I taught them, that that were not the caliber I expected for those elite schools. Then, although D was accepted UCh but their FA was horrible compared to Amherst’s. And when we dealt with the FA officer, she was horribly rude and not helpful at all. D was very disappointed as UCh was her second choice. She had not visited Amherst yet, and when she went, she chose it over UCh. To this day, she says it is the right place for her, and can’t imagine going elsewhere. Your son, too, will say the same thing, very shortly after arriving at UCh. This disappointment will fade and won’t even matter in a little while. I think it bothers the parents more than the kids once they go to their final school and make friends and get involved. Goo9d luck to all admitted, and all still waiting.</p>
<p>It rather bothers me, how every time I feel compelled to write on ludicrous issues like affirmative action, my style (and quality) of writing seemingly devolves from one reflective of an Economist reader (which I am) to one reflective a Newsweek reader. It really quite buggers the mind how instant and appalling the transformation in the quality of the discourse is. I do suppose, however, that it is not a singular fault of my own mind or the momentary rot of my faculty of reasoning: it might, indeed, the suggestive of the lowliness and ludicrousness of the very debate. I am incredulous as to how the demerits of institutionalised racism & sexism could even merit serious public discourse, much less provoke prolonged verbal (and much of it hypothetical) jousting. I must say, seems like racism or no racism, I will have to resign myself to the bumbling stupidity and inanity of admission officers. For I know at least that they are fools, because I have met at least twenty members of that tribe in person. None of them seemed to have the slightest inkling as to the irreconcilable differences between Utopian ideals and circumstances of reality.</p>
<p>sf606508, Amherst does not exist in order to accept every student with high SAT scores and grades. That has never been its mission, thank God. Amherst seeks to provide the best educational experience that it can - there aren’t many students there who could truthfully claim that we wish the school were filled entirely with grade-grubbing white and Asian kids, and I think our experience would be much worse for it. Amherst spends a lot of time on each application, and I am guessing that your entitled personality caused some red flags. Amherst made a good choice not accepting you, and good luck at Wesleyan, it is a great school.</p>
<p><em>snap</em> <em>snap</em> Mmmhmm</p>
<p>Someone needs to get a better grip of the English language if “<em>snap</em> <em>snap</em> Mmmhmm” is anything to go by. It reminds me of the scrum-half on my squad who couldn’t handle the rugby ball properly.</p>
<p>The logic is bizarre. Read the Economist. It debates much more eloquently on equalisation schemes than I. No point in my being a hanger-on to this topic.</p>
<p>LMAO, you are criticizing my language skills based on that? Beginning with “lmao” will incite the same reaction, I presume? </p>
<p>"i am gonna friggin sue the goddarn schools, not just Amherst, for Affirmative Action. After talking with a bunch of folks who got into Ivies, anecdotally, if we were simply to isolate the race factor, seems like affirmative action played a decisive role in knocking out superior applicants with greater athletic prowess, artistic talent, leadership experience, and academic aptitude in favour of lesser folks with simply a different shade of skin.</p>
<p>racism anyone?"</p>
<p>I wonder who posted this?</p>
<p>Hypocrisy, anyone?</p>
<p>If there is no point in continuing, why did you introduce it?</p>
<p>I believe <em>snap</em> <em>snap</em> is an Amherst tradition. 
Am I right?</p>
<p><em>raises monocle</em></p>
<p>Sir,</p>
<p>I am writing to inform you that the Admission Committee has decided, with regret, to deny you a place in the Class of 2012.</p>
<p>LMAO,
kwu
Avid Reader of The Economist Publication</p>
<p>P.S. I’ll see your Economist and raise you a New Yorker</p>
<p>“I believe <em>snap</em> <em>snap</em> is an Amherst tradition. Am I right?”</p>
<p>I remember reading an article that it was…but people stopped doing it. 
Anyone confirm this?</p>
<p>My previous few posts were less than perfect examples of English writing, regrettably. Whoever does that sort of obnoxious snappity snap things in college needs to go through prep school again. They iron that sort of silliness out. (not those silly Int’l School or Montessori things, I am talking about good old-fashioned blazer-and-tie rowing schools. Skunk, you probably went to British School Kathmandu, you would know)</p>
<p>The New Yorker. haha. I much prefer New York Magazine if I want a NYC publication. At least it has got punch and wit, not some monotonous ivory tower babble-speak. But then, as of right now, Economist, the Daily Telegraph, and (occasionally) the Journal do just fine.</p>
<p>Oh please, I hope your neck doesn’t hurt that much from having your head up all the time. </p>
<p>“Who said that?” </p>
<p>Yeah, me, I’m down here.</p>
<p>sf606508, your posts are a far cry from what would be deemed colloquial English. Stop trying so hard: you’re impressing no one.</p>
<p><em>snap, snap</em></p>
<p>Hopefully the previous 2 pages have helped air the concerns of one waitlisted candidate, from posts 170-194, above.</p>
<p>For a thorough, fact-linked discussion about the role of race in all college admissions today (beyond Amherst), interested readers might want to redirect their attention to this lengthy thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/441477-fastest-growing-ethnic-category-great-colleges-race-unknown.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/441477-fastest-growing-ethnic-category-great-colleges-race-unknown.html</a></p>
<p>As for this thread, it’s time to return discussion to specifics about the Amherst College Waitlist of Summer, 2008.</p>
<p>Yeah, I apologize for the digression. But when someone blames AA for not getting into Amherst…well, those who like Amherst will definitely respond.</p>
<p>Anyway, is the waitlist over? I was on the waitlist to Swarthmore but I’ve been officially put down.</p>
<p>I think most colleges “close” the waitlist for all but a small number of candidates just in case somebody drops out really last minute. That’s what Amherst said in their letter, at least - they’ve completed their class, but they’re keeping a few more people on waitlist just in case. I’m still on the summer waitlist but the likelihood of anyone dropping is very low :(</p>
<p>No false hope intended, but I did just notice this article over in the College Admissions forum, in general, about waitlists: “summer melt” could be “summer flood” due to downturns in the economy. Whether or not it applies to Amherst, I just don’t know…it’s written as a very generalized article:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/532911-will-you-part-summer-flood.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/532911-will-you-part-summer-flood.html</a></p>