<p>I've followed NU admissions for some time and have never come close to seeing as strong a group of candidates waitlisted or rejected as appears the case this year.</p>
<p>Historically, anywhere from a handful (~50) to a hoard (~500) of waitlisters have ultimately been admitted to NU. Acceptance rates have been as high as 1/3 of those accepting spots off the waitlist.</p>
<p>This is one year I wouldn't give up hope. Unlike some top tier schools, NU outright rejected large numbers of still well-qualified candidates. The high, high quality I've seen of those offered the waitlist suggests this may well be another "year of the waitlisted" a la 2008.</p>
<p>So, for whatever it's worth, this year my words of advice are: </p>
<p>At least at Northwestern, a waitlist decision is not a gently phrased rejection, but a very real "possible" admission opportunity If you have sincere interest, maintain a place on the list, sit tight, and light some candles.</p>
<p>So if Northwestern does not tell people on the waitlist until after May 1 then if we accept another universities offer then can we reject it if we find out that Northwestern offers addmission?</p>
<p>Today I got the postcard to send back in order to accept your waitlist spot. I filled it out, then dropped it in the mail. Now, I’m second guessing whether it required a stamp. I didn’t put one on it. I think it was a postage paid, no stamp necessary thing, but can someone please confirm? Thanks!</p>
<p>dts1dlm, it was a pre-paid postcard, you should be fine.</p>
<p>To the OP, yes, I’ve noticed this year how NU rejected a number of truly outstanding students. Just from my school alone, kids who made HYPS were waitlisted at NU. That being said, I was one of the ones waitlisted at NU too, and was wondering what I could do to get off the waitlist. </p>
<p>I’ve been reading advice from different college confidential forums, and they’ve been recommending that I send a letter of interest to the college ASAP. But should I send it to the local admissions director (I live in San Diego, CA), or the one in Evanston? And I’m really not sure about how to phrase my interest in the university…I really want to go to NU but I’m afraid of messing something up. Could you maybe provide an outline on what the sample letter should entail, or maybe direct me to a link with a sample letter? I’d appreciate it so much. Thanks!!</p>
<p>I was stressing about this quite a bit as well. I felt like what happened with me was that NU assumed I’d go to HYPS, but HYPS kind of rejected/waitlisted me…
I took steps to get off NU’s waitlist, sending an email explicitly stating how the school is my first choice to the point where I’d turn down Cornell (didn’t mention Cornell by name, of course). Hopefully that works.</p>
<p>My only concern is, with admissions percentages this historically low across the board, NU played it safe and chose people who would attend. This year might thus result in a very high matriculation rate and a proportionally low waitlist acceptance rate. But that’s all hypothetical.</p>
<p>I think students who sent in a letter of interest right after hearing of their waitlist and before hearing from other schools (e.g. Ivies) are at an advantage, esp. their stats are very strong and they promise to attend. In the end though, NU will pick who will complement the incoming class the best. Good luck to everybody.</p>
<p>Nonsense, NW has never engaged in “Tufts Syndrome.” And if they had decided to start this year, they surely would have waitlisted my son, who had academic stats as perfect as they can get (ACT 36.0, PSAT 2400, dual 800 SAT IIs, and a 1/400 class rank) and who did, in fact, get some very compelling alternate offers.</p>
<p>Perhaps you didn’t write a convincing “Why NU?” essay. Perhaps your ECs were weak. But it mostly certainly wasn’t because you were “overqualified.” You need to realize that this is no longer your Daddy’s Northwestern: With only an 18% acceptance rate, down from 27% two years ago, NW is now as hard to get into as Cornell. And intangibles matter more and more as the entire cohort’s academics alone get better and better.</p>
<p>Despite my post above, I encourage everyone who has been waitlisted by NW and who still really wants to get in to remain on their waitlist and not give up hope: This could very well be the year that the college’s yield management projections go haywire and perhaps as many as a third of those on the list will get their shot.</p>
<p>Thanks for the referral to the link to the Waitlisted thread – that was very helpful. My D was waitlisted at NU where she applied to the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) which is a small school. I assume the waitlists are by school at NU? Do you think this makes her chances smaller? Any specific advice on follow up at NU? We plan to send a letter. I never considered involving her Guidance Counselor but will definitely follow up. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Hopefully you explained to the admissions dept that their policy this year of “playing it safe and choosing people who would attend” was unfair to you, and that they were wrong to have been so starstruck by the impressivenss of your obvious HYPSM type credentials as to reject you. I’m certain they will see the light.</p>
<p>Okay, this is getting out of hand. I’m going to set the record straight right now: NU probably waitlisted me because my NU Statement was a generic piece of garbage but I’m a fairly compelling applicant (considering other acceptances). You’re both misinterpreting the first paragraph, through no fault of your own. It’s more accurately “they felt I’d ditch their school the second I got the chance.” Sorry about the poor word choice. And my concern was not something I actually believe, it’s more of a nagging worry that I have concerning the waitlist (one of many ways I’m convincing myself to not get my hopes up). At NO point did I or do I believe that I am overqualified for NU.</p>
<p>@hinsdale1, hopefully that smooths any ruffled feathers. @LoremIpsum, I read your posts. Beyond hoping your predictions come to pass this year, I commend your clear reasoning and intriguing thoughts.</p>
<p>LakerFan, I was present when my son when through the end game of the submission process just before the new year: Yet another supplemental essay to write as the clock ticks off the remaining time. Yea, it’s easy to get tired and frustrated and throw together a generic essay rather than research the school’s website and find those specifics that really hit your hot button.</p>
<p>My son took his time on the Northwestern and Princeton essays and ultimately ran out of time for the Stanford supplement, so he didn’t apply there; Cornell and UPenn were also on his radar screen, had there been one more week. Was that a mistake? Who knows? We make our choices and live with the consequences.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone was expected such a harsh acceptance threshold from NW this year. I hope you, and many of those reading this thread, do get a chance to get off their waitlist and into the school. Perhaps, even, you’ll appreciate the school and its opportunities more if you do, leading to a better 4-year college experience than you might have otherwise had. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think I’ll send it by both mail and e-mail just to be safe, since a mailed letter might not reach them in time for May (International here). Thanks, by the way!</p>
