<p>DD got waitlisted at UGA. We totally expected admission - in fact we felt she could have been admitted early action (OOS, 31 ACT, 3.9 weighted GPA, college classes, student body president). But it was the best admissions year for Georgia, statistically, to date (learned over the weekend from a friend who knows the director of admissions). She, however, is crushed. She (we all!) made the mistake of picturing herself only at this one school. It's the fourth kid - you'd think I'd learn.</p>
<p>She also was admitted to USC (South Carolina) and offered a very good scholarship (Woodrow) which almost gets tuition down to in-state levels. When we toured both schools, UGA was #1 and USC #2. We liked USC, had a nice tour, but nothing grabbed her or me. Of course, we'd already had a great visit to Georgia and kind of fell in love with it. Sometimes I think if we'd visited USC first they might have been reversed. </p>
<p>I mean, it's all so arbitrary. At this point she's not trying very hard to adjust her attitude, although with this kid I could see it coming in time. We're visiting USC again on an Admitted Students Day (had taken two visits to UGA, including a game day). But she's moping around like it's a jail sentence, which of course is ridiculous. </p>
<p>Now that I'm looking at USC with fresh eyes again, I have to admit some things there are better than Georgia. It's prettier for sure. Smaller campus, physically. Waaaay more kids are from out of state (38% compared to 13%). It's a $53K difference over four years, although she'd have to take out loans for Georgia. We can cover USC and probably take on another $5K annually for Georgia, but it's still $32K overall loans for her compared to ZERO loans at USC.</p>
<p>Anyone have a kid get over this? She's saying if she clears the waitlist she'll go to Georgia, which may be the best outcome. I know from seeing other people's kids, once they get their head around a place it can be hard to force them to switch. Help!</p>
<p>I’m sorry for her disappointment, but if I read you right, she could: deposit at USC, go on the wait list at UGA, then if she’s accepted to UGA, she would have a choice to make. My daughter was WL at 4 schools, finally got in April 28 at Emory. It wasn’t her dream school but it was one she wanted to go to more than the 2 she was accepted at (Occidental and Fairfield). In terms of attitude adjustment, I think your D has to feel her feelings – she’s upset – disappointed – down. In time, she may come to love USC for all the reasons you’ve mentioned, but she isn’t there yet, emotionally. Give her time.</p>
<p>It’s tough being in limbo, waiting for the WL outcome. She might decide on her own that she’d rather not twist in the wind for UGA. Any idea when they go to the WL? And of course do all those things you know to do – she should email her adcom and say she was disappointed and UGA is her first choice, etc. There is tons of advice on CC on how to “work the wait list.”</p>
<p>You made up a good list – she has choices. Let us know how it turns out.</p>
<p>I think the admitted students day might swing her opinion - these days are usually a great sales pitch for the school and hopefully she will get caught up in it and never look back. </p>
<p>My oldest didn’t get in his #1 school. It was crushing at first since he was in the upper half of admitted student scores (and we had many family ties including a building named after the family) but he ended up loving #2, getting a scholarship, forming great friendships, and getting a super job. He made the best of his second choice and found that it likely had better outcomes than at his former first choice. I hope your daughter thrives wherever she ends up!</p>
<p>*full disclosure-S2 attends USC and it was his #1 choice</p>
<p>She sounds like a great kid – what WERE they thinking in the UGA admissions office?? </p>
<p>What opportunities do the better financials at South Carolina open up for her? That’s a significant difference!</p>
<p>Nephew was in similar situation last year – WL at UNC, his lifelong, in-state dream school, and admitted to USC with generous scholarship. He was disappointed, but it didn’t take long to fall for the school that wanted him. It helped that USC has strong international business program, which is his major. Bonus side effect – he knew some kids from home at USC but not nearly as many as would have been in class with him at UNC, so he’s branched out socially instead of sticking with his high school friends. </p>
<p>Here’s hoping she either moves off the UGA WL soon, or has a great experience at USC admitted students day!</p>
<p>(I am not a new poster, but since the conversion to the new system, I have not been able to log on. Finally gave up and registered new account.)</p>
<p>I am hearing it was a brutal year for UGA admissions and I wouldn’t expect much movement on the waitlist. Lots of top GA kids didn’t get in either.</p>
<p>USC is a great school. She probably needs a few days to be sad and then she needs to start looking for the positive.</p>
<p>As a GA mom, I find much at the SEC schools (w/ the exception of Vanderbilt of course) to be very similar. Not sure what attracted her more to UGA but to me most of these schools have far more in common than not. I will say that Athens is more of a college town and Columbia is a small city. But I think cities can offer some advantages as well. </p>
<p>Does she have other choices that might need revisiting?</p>
<p>She’s going to have to accept admission and submit a deposit to USC (or some other school). That’s the only way to guarantee that she will have a school to go to in the fall. The question is whether she wants to remain on the UGA waitlist.</p>
<p>Some kids don’t like the idea of being on waitlists. They prefer to commit to and prepare for attending a college that has accepted them. Being on a waitlist feels like being in limbo to them. Many years ago, I was one of those kids. I was waitlisted by my first choice school, but it felt wrong, instinctively, to string things along by staying on that waitlist. I had two other good options. I chose one of them and never looked back. </p>
<p>But some young people don’t feel that way. I know one young man who was admitted off the waitlist to his first choice school less than a week before classes started and who chose to ago to that school, even though he had already been to orientation for another school, corresponded with his prospective roommate there, and planned his course schedule.</p>
<p>Different personalities, different choices. </p>
<p>I am sorry about your daughter’s disappointment. I don’t have time to research the UGA admissions blog but it seems that over the past few years they have not taken too many off wait list. In fact, one recent year they had too many acceptances and didn’t even go to the wait list. If I were you I would take some time to look over the blog and realistically analyze your daughter’s chances of getting off wait list.</p>
<p>We lived in SC until my older daughter’s sophomore year of high school and I I know many extremely bright, capable kids at Carolina who are very happy there. The scholarship at Carolina is a huge plus. If you want to spin it, tell her that the money you save could be used for semesters abroad, nicer spring break vacations and more spending money. And you really can’t underestimate the value of no loans over her head after she graduates.</p>
<p>Another USC fan here. It was ultimately our daughter’s second choice. But if her first had not come through, she would have happily gone there. We know more than a handful of very happy students at Carolina. </p>
<p>Thank you docmom for your original post. I was not a member and joined just to respond to this thread. my youngest is waitlisted at Syracuse - his 1st choice. And he is honestly devastated. We all thought that SU was a lock for him (he applied reg decision) he was accepted at 3 other schools including American Univ & Drexel. But they are distant 2nds to Syracuse for him.</p>
<p>Anyway as a parent it has been very difficult for me, knowing that there really isn’t anything concrete I can do. I will recommend that he attend the admitted students event for American. I think that may take some of the sting away.</p>
<p>But being waitlisted is very, very hard.</p>
<p>Question for parents - if your child was successful in being admitted off of a waitlist, do you have any suggestions or tips for us?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, she has to be allowed to feel her feelings. (How refreshing that no one on this thread is yapping about entitlement and the usual garbage hurled at kids who dare to be disappointed or surprised by a negative result.) I’m sure she will come out of it, and Admitted Students Day will help. She’s probably been visualizing herself in GA all along. Being able to visualize herself as a student on the USC campus may help drive that out of her head. </p>
<p>If I were you, given the plusses at USC, I would secretly hope that she doesn’t get taken off the WL! </p>
<p>As a GA resident I’ve noticed that more and more GA kids are going to UGA and using the HOPE scholarship instead of going out of state. It’s getting harder and harder to get accepted each year. Hopefully she will get but just in case maybe you could have her visit USC again? </p>
<p>It’s early, Consolation, I’m sure those responses will arrive soon!</p>
<p>I think most of us have had kids disappointed by admission results, most end up adjusting and loving the schools they attend, the others transfer later on. It takes time.</p>
<p>Yes, I had a kid get wait listed at top choices and have to revisit lower ones. We visited campus again.He went back with fresh eyes, saw himself there, and was fine. </p>
<p>It’s hard for kids to focus once their excited about a first choice. FWIW we’re another USC family. D loves it, can’t see herself anywhere else, yet as HS senior it was several weeks of tears and a decision made at literally the last minute and neither of her realistic financial choices was her top choice - not WL anywhere but just didn’t get money to make some of favorites reasonable. Even after picking USC she was questioning her decisions, but she truly loves her experience. Hope your D has a good Admitted Students day experience and gets excited about USC. </p>
<p>If you want to give her intended major and some of other interests maybe some of us USC parents can point you toward some things to nudge her toward looking at on Admitted students day.</p>
<p>One other thing…technically you could wait until last minute to deposit at USC and it wouldn’t change housing since that’s done based on application date not acceptance date. But as I remember it, you can’t sign up for orientation until you deposit and for good class selection, the earlier the better. Orientation sign up is on-line now. Also, lots of kids seem to worry about roommates when they sign up for housing. You can sign up now and you have until the final deadline to change things, so if she met someone and clicked at Admitted Students day, they could edit their housing to request rooming.</p>
<p>I do almost wish she’d been just flat out denied at Georgia. As it is, it leaves open that sliver of hope, which might make it much harder to get her head together and go all in for SC!</p>
<p>S1’s first choice was big state u. in our state but USC was a close second. We were very impressed with the tour and the attention they gave him after acceptance (more than his own big state u.). He also got the merit award (McKissick or Coopers, I forget) that brought the tuition to instate price and was invited to the Capstone program. DH and I would have been happy if he had chosen USC. He ended up w/ a fullride at our own big state u so off he went. </p>
<p>The little sister of S1’s friend is at USC and loves it. She was a NMF, Val. of her class (skipped a grade in elem. school).She was 16 when she entered USC. She had lots of choices but needed to get the most she could out of NMF. She was awarded a McNair scholarship and set sail for USC. She loves it.</p>
<p>We are in a similar boat. D has heard from everywhere except her number 1. She has fantastic options with top 20 schools but her heart seems set on her #1 and is dreading that she might be turned down. Was literally in tears as she let for school today. Keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for good news tomorrow. </p>
<p>I tried to tell my daughter that she was in good company as all across the country kids were in the same boat. Didn’t get much response about that. My sister keeps reminding me their frontal lobes are not developed yet at this age! The pressure at that age seems ridiculous - it certainly wasn’t like this when we went off to school. I just picked a college and went off!</p>
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