Waitlisted at Duke, Davidson, WM: which to focus on?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hello parents...</p>

<p>As the title says, I got waitlisted at Duke, Davidson, and William and Mary. However, as my GC wisely advised me when I told her about it, if I want to send a letter/more recs, it needs to be to ONE school. I agree with her; it's hard to focus your "attack" and say "I really want to come to your school" when you're saying it to three schools. I've got it narrowed down to pretty much Duke or Davidson, but I need to let her know so she can start writing a new rec and I can start my letter.</p>

<p>My stats, in brief:</p>

<p>1410/730/730/660, 3.9 gpa uw, many ECs</p>

<p>Here's my feelings, coupled with comments that other people have made to me. Bottom line: any of those three, should I get off the waitlist, would give me a great education that would be pretty comprable to any of the others. More specifically, off the top of my head:</p>

<p>Duke:
Pros:
-great intellectual atmosphere and energy
-pretty diverse, good for someone like myself who likes to think outside the box
-closest to home - probably less than 2 hours away
-it has a club softball team for me to play on!
-I can do my own thing; choose to go to parties or not. As a pretty much nondrinker, that'd probably be a no, but there's still other stuff to do.
-the odds are probably the best of getting off the waitlist here
-Duke is just...Duke. It has a good feel to it. I can't explain it any better than that.
Cons:
-athletics?? I was raised a Carolina fan, and it might just make my dad excommunicate me if I went to Duke. He already told me he'd address the check "Dook", lol. :P Just kidding, that really isn't a huge deal, I suppose.
-Too MUCH intellectual stimulation (ie, everyone smarter than me??)</p>

<p>Davidson:
Pros:
-has a good "feel" - buildings well maintained, etc.
-good admit rates to professional/med school
-it didn't feel like a school of less than 2000
-ranked highest for quality of life
Cons:
-too conservative and Old South-ish?
-too homogenous??
-it may seem really small in four years, ie, the Davidson bubble
-it is kind of like my private high school
-no club softball :(
-they've taken VERY FEW people off the waitlist in the past few years.</p>

<p>WM:
Pros:
-state school so probably a decent amount of diversity
-"academic powerhouse"
Cons:
-out of state/being female probably working against me, because I think they'd take instate kids and boys before out of state girls to balance the class
-athletics don't seem to be that big of a deal
-social life is...interesting in CW</p>

<p>Do y'all have any more pros/cons to add to my (probably incomplete) list? Which one would you pick? I've already gotten into some pretty good schools, Wake, U Richmond, UNC, and Elon, so it's not like I don't have choices. It's just that I'm leaning toward Wake, but I still have some major doubts about it.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance! :)</p>

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<p>I would do research on how each school handles their waitlist and how many they generally admit from it as opposed to which you prefer if you're trying to get into one.</p>

<p>Some schools have waitlists that almost no one gets off of and others accept 25% from the list. </p>

<p>Chances are that you have the best chance at the lesser selective school and the one where your stats put you above average (not Duke).</p>

<p>Your counselor can also probably talk to the schools to assess how they see you.</p>

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<p>Your odds are very poor at all three. I don't see any reason why you can't approach all three. As long as you don't lie and tell them you are sure to attend, there is "nothing in the rule books" that says you shouldn't maximize your odds. Once you're written one letter and gathered materials, you've got 90% of it done for all three.</p>

<p>Is it just that your counselor doesn't want to do the work? S/he could, for example, do the assessment BEFORE you wrote the letter(s).</p>

<p>You should focus most of your energy of figuring out which of the accepted schools you wish to attend. Love the one you're with.</p>

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<p>I would say to try the one which takes the most students off the waitlist, that way you'll have the best chance of getting in</p>

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<p>Davidson! My reason: functioning honor code, a bigger contributing factor to a satisfactory experience than any I know. I know several people whose children attend Davidson. They are all happy with their experience and their education.</p>

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<p>You can stay at the waitlist at all three even if your high school will only push for your admittance to one. You can send letters emphasizing your continuing interest and any new achievements to all three, though you can only tell one of them that you will definitely enroll if admitted. Ask your GC whether she thinks the chances are better at Duke or Davidson--I agree that as an out of stater your chances at WM are probably less good. I would say both Duke and Davidson are wonderful choices, just different because of size and focus (graduate and professional programs versus only undergraduates). I don't think Davidson is all that conservative incidentally--and about half its students are from regions other than the South, so I would not let the fear of its being too Old South be a factor either. The only real consideration at this point is where you have the best chance of getting in (and as you know, unfortunately, WL odds are poor everywhere). And then send in your deposit to your favorite among the schools that accepted you and learn to love it. Then you will be in a win-win situation.</p>

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<p>juba2jive, Why Wake over Richmond?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
though you can only tell one of them that you will definitely enroll if admitted.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Why?</p>

<p>I see absolutely nothing wrong with telling all three that you will attend if admitted. First one to offer an spot gets an acceptance deposit. The other two get a letter advising them to remove your name from the waiting list.</p>

<p>If, by chance, a second school calls with an offer before receiving your letter, just say, "Snooze, ya lose..."</p>

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<p>No one is going parse the language - "I definitely will attend" from "I will sell my future offspring to attend" - or whatever equivalent nomenclature one uses.</p>

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<p>Do you have financial considerations as well? Do waitlisted admittees still get merit aid--or is it already handed out by then. Just one more mystery factor in the decision process. My d is waitlisted at Davidson and Vanderbilt. We have absolutely no hope for Davidson, hear they didn't take anybody last year. As for Vanderbilt, my d hasn't had the heart to send the "you're still my first choice" letter.. I think she'd rather choose a school that chose her--Wake, u of miami or Rhodes.</p>

11

<p>Well, I realize the odds are pretty poor anywhere, and if I actually got off the waitlist at more than one, I would be very, very surprised. In fact, I was kind of surprised that I even got waitlisted and not flat-out rejected. But the odds are probably best at Duke. Like I said in my opening post, out of state works against me at WM and at Davidson, I don't think they took anyone off last year and maybe only one or two people the year before. Duke, on the other hand, has taken anywhere from 11 to 125 people in recent years - an indicator that their waitlist, as well as any other school's, can vary from year to year. Who knows? It might be a high-yield year already, and they might not need anyone, or they may need several. Regardless, I've already sent back my reply cards to all three saying I want to stay on the waitlist.</p>

<p>It's really a matter of which I want to focus my attention on and just leave the other two alone - what happens with them, happens. My GC is pretty good at what she does, and she wants to focus on one that I really would want to attend the most. It's not a matter of her not having the time or not wanting to help me. She's going to see the admissions people from each school and talk with them at a conference she's going to next week, and I think that's probably her main reason she only wants to do one. But I always could send out a letter on my own just updating the other two on my own, I suppose, since my grades have come up some and I'm still really involved in activities (spring is the most hectic time of year for ECs, and then I have all this college stuff on top of it.)</p>

<p>I do love a lot of stuff about Davidson, and I haven't really heard a negative review from anyone I know that went there - they all loved their time there, so I need to take that into consideration. But then again, I have several friends that are current students that are very happy with Duke. Financially, it probably won't matter that much, as we have a too-high EFC. Davidson's full price is cheaper, though.</p>

<p>I'm not sure why I like Wake more than Richmond, and that is, by no means, my final decision. I guess I'm just more familiar with it? I'm going to visit again on Monday, because I'm still mulling it over, as there's certain things about it that do bother me somewhat. I think what I have to realize is that there's no perfect school out there for me and that I have to overlook the faults and make the best of whatever one I do decide to matriculate to.</p>

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<p>We'll be at Wake's admitted student day on Monday too. Maybe we'll meet you there!</p>

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<p>Rikki55 - tell her to go to Wake, or if she prefers urban, Rhodes. I've been to all, Vandy is a great school, but it not significantly better academically than Wake or Rhodes - and from some of the things I've heard about Wake, Wake may be stronger academically. Not sure how Miami fits into this, just know there is at least one parent here who is excited to be sending a child there.</p>

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<p>If Davidson was located in the northeast it would be on the same lists for students looking at Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore. Unfortunately, for many a little "southern bias" kicks in and they fail to recognize what a quality school it is. Small classes, great faculty access, beautiful campus, one of the only schools that I know of that room and board includes free laundry service (not just bedding) but laundry and dry cleaning!</p>

<p>If you are planning to major in hard sciences or go the pre-med route be aware that Wake grades these classes on a very strict bell curve and students often see grades they have never before seen in their lives. Of course the med and professional schools are aware of this and Wake does have very good admission rates but it is still something you should know going in. Wake is known as "Work Forest" by those who attend.</p>

<p>If you are in state UNC, offers a great education at a bargain price and even if out of state, your cost would be lower than at others you have mentioned (excluding FA or merit money) and bringing little or no debt to grad school is certainly a plus. Elon is one of those "hidden gems" that many outside the southeast are not aware of. Small classes, excellent engagement with faculty,beautiful campus etc. The only thing negative I have ever heard about Richmond is that Greek life is the dominant social factor. The campus is beautiful and its reputation is on the rise as is its selectivity.</p>

<p>You have great choices, if you don't clear wait list at any of the three you will still have the opportunity to attend a very good school and receive a great education. Good luck!</p>