<p>i dunno, i think interest is a major factor at WashU. I mean, I have all the stats necessary for an Ivy (1540 SAT, 4.00, etc.) and they accepted me early without me applying ED. i think it is because I applied for one of their scholarships - it made me look serious</p>
<p>i sincerely believe interest is an integral factor.</p>
<p>i got a 1590/2320 sat. i'm #5 in the state for forensics. i'm in the top 6%. but i didn't apply for any scholarship (and because wash u didn't have supplements to its application, it left me little room to show "interest")</p>
<p>i was waitlisted.</p>
<p>a girl in my class who had a 1900 sat and didn't really do any ec's (i'm saying this objectively) was accepted. i think it's because she showed interest by applying for the scholarship. it could also be that i'm asian, and she's black.</p>
<p>also, i admit that wash u was a safety for me. they could maybe tell that i was going to opt for an ivy or what not and didn't want to be my second rate school. wash u is still an excellent school - it just lacks the recognition, i believe.</p>
<p>WashU isn't a safety for anyone and I don't know where people get that idea and then complain when they don't get in. Great stats will only get you so far. Plenty of people with 2350+ don't get into other top schools, so why when they don't get into WashU do they blame it on admissions being skewed?</p>
<p>Do people really think this stuff only happens at WashU? I know someone who was accepted to Princeton and Penn, but rejected from Harvard, Yale, Cornell, and Georgetown. Does that make a lot of sense? Not totally, but it happens...</p>
<p>I've said it once and I'll say it again: anyone who relies on washU as a safety is foolish. How can a school with arbitrary admittance factors can NOT be a safety, that's just ridiculous</p>
<p>what is with the disdain? i've apologetically admitted that wash u is a great school and seems to be safety to many simply because it's not branded as an ivy and because it's underrated. </p>
<p>people aren't necessarily complaining about being wait-listed (especially for those who made it a safety and never a first choice). We're just surprised by it, as fogged by our overconfidence, and we're just guessing why others got in and not we. Take it for what you want, but it's haste to assume we're "foolish," and that we're completely clueless and dumbstruck by this.</p>
<p>re: my earlier post on demonstrated interest; many schools claim that interest plays no part in admissions; we have seen/heard differently from WashU, and was just pondering out loud what more interest could have been demonstrated by my son...wasn't saying that interest was THE deciding factor; all things being equal, as I think rodney said earlier, you will never know why the decision made was made! congrats to all accepted, and good luck to the wait listers!!</p>
<p>yeah, I kind of agree with some of the posters on here. WashU will not waitlist someone b/c they are "overqualified" -- rather, they will see if you are trying to use them as a "why not?", and do not genuinely want to matriculate there. I think this can be substantiated by the RD Decisions thread. There are some people with amazing stats (Vals w/ 2300+) who were admitted because they actually showed interest towards WashU. Others with equal stats who showed absolutely no interest would probably be waitlisted b/c they simply did not give a reason why they wanted to be accepted to WashU other than the fact it's ranked 12th in the nations and 6th in selectivity. </p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>When building a class, I imagine WashU and other selective colleges desire a percentage of that class to be SAT/GPA superstars--but they clearly do not intend to give all their spaces to this type of student. To round out the class, the also require superstar artists, musicians, athletes, social activists, community builders, leaders, humanitarians, and so forth. When filling the slots for each of these categories, they will find more than enough applicants who qualify so part of the narrowing process must include determining how well a particular student will fit the culture of the school. At that point, expressed interest can be useful to the adcom. For the lone soprano saxophone virtuoso with national awards (in a year the school desperately needs a soprano sax player) perhaps less weight is given to the interest she has shown. To the 400th NMF with excellent ECs, there will be more attention paid, I believe, just how sincerely they want to attend WashU.</p>
<p>Agreeing with TheIndividual's two cents and adding two cents of my own.</p>
<p>Just to throw in my own experience:</p>
<p>I attended a campus tour and info session as a junior in HS. I did not have an interview, and had no further contact with Wash U. I was accepted.</p>
<p>I have two friends who were waitlisted. One who did an on-campus interview as a senior, and one who did an alumni interview (as a senior as well). Both were waitlisted.</p>
<p>It was very, very surprising to me, because I, also, have heard that Wash U really values demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>I don't think demonstrated need means as much as everyone has said it does. One of my friends applied to a bunch of the merit scholarships, but I didn't bother with any of them, never visited or anything. I got in; she got waitlisted. And we have really similar stats.</p>
<p>There are always other factors besides interest. Essays, extracurriculars, manner in which extracurriculars were presented (effectively or not - I've seen many students just submit a bulleted list, rather than actually describing involvement).</p>
<p>Hell, they could have something as random as only allowing X number of High School Frisbee team captains into the university each year...</p>
<p>Yeah, it seems completely random to me. Some people on here have perfect stats and still get waitlisted. On the other hand, I have mediocre stats, never showed interest, and got in. I would love to see what goes on in the adcom room.</p>
<p>I think they very much like unique essays. I am absolutely positive that was the greatest strength of my application.</p>
<p>What everyone is describing here is THE SAME at almost ALL of the top colleges. I just don't think there are really "rules" that you can apply to certain schools, like this notion of demonstrated interest at WashU. I'm sorry, but it seems like there are far too many exceptions to say that "you should show interest to get in"</p>
<p>Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Use your apps to highlight the former and outshine the latter. I have gotten into all of the shools to which I applied (so far) without obsessing over which school wants what. I just lived my life and applied to schools that fit.</p>
<p>"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Use your apps to highlight the former and outshine the latter. I have gotten into all of the shools to which I applied (so far) without obsessing over which school wants what. I just lived my life and applied to schools that fit."</p>
<p>gatnom, excellent advice...i really hope more people see this and take it to heart.</p>
<p>i agree with theindividual (and I am in the same scenario)</p>