Our son received a call from admissions 2 days ago (4/17) and was admitted from the waitlist - we are so surprised! I didn’t think anyone actually got in off of waitlists in general! So he still has until May 1 to decide, so chance to weigh in with other options.
We literally just returned from admitted colleges tour where among other places we visited Vassar – but received the Wes info too late to be able to go (we live in Northern California). Is there anyone out there that knows both schools (Vassar and Wesleyan) well enough to comment on the differences? Our son interested in double majoring in a science and a humanities or social science. Thank you in advance for any help!!
Congrats! It really depends on the school and the year as to whether they admit from the waitlist. Looks like last year Wesleyan admitted 81 from a waitlist of 1,557. Did your son submit a LOCI? Also, you may want to start a new topic to compare the two schools since on here will mostly be Wesleyan people. Good luck on your son’s decision!
They’re very similar. The biggest difference is Wes has more of a symbiotic relationship with Middletown than Vassar has with Poughkeepsie; it’s hard to tell where the campus actually ends, there are so many curious-looking gingerbread houses that have been converted to office space or student residences. The bookstore is on the town’s Main Street.
Did he get just a phone call, or an email and online portal update as well? Just asking, as my D is also on the waitlist - and if it were just a phone call, she probably wouldn’t answer; she checks her email and Instagram messages constantly, but tends to never answer the phone LOL.
He just got a phone call! And didn’t answer it so it went to voicemail – I’m amazed he actually listed to the voice message! No email, and portal update wasn’t until today (2 days later)
All of the college admissions podcasts I’ve ever listened to (an embarrassing number), the AOs say that students need to be answering their phones if they are waitlisted. My daughter’s friend got off a waitlist at University of Chicago last week because she answered her cell phone.
We had a big discussion about whether or not my S21 should change his outgoing voicemail 2 years ago because it was recorded when he was in 6th grade and he’s always kept it as just kind of a funny thing. But he was on 6 waitlists that year and we were concerned AOs might wonder if they had accidentally called the wrong number . Ultimately he decided to leave the voicemail and just be sure to answer his phone. But he still never got off of any of the waitlists lol.
(To be clear, he listened to the voicemail, which said to call back as they had a “status update” to discuss with him, so the next morning he returned their call! Offer was then extended to him by the admissions officer over the phone)
Interesting! Like a call to a school counselor? My daughter’s friend is not at the same school as her, but it’s also a large public HS so I don’t know what a call to a school counselor would do . None of my two high school kids at our large public ever had the same counselor for more than two years — I don’t think they know them at all beyond what they read in the profiles our kids had to write about themselves for the counselor to use to write a LOR!
at least there was a voicemail - I’m not going to tell her to answer a call in the middle of the school day, and with the time difference from east coast to CA any call WILL come in during the school day
My S23 also was called on 4/17 from an admissions officer to offer him a spot off the WL. Admissions officer left a voicemail, and son returned the call. Portal was updated the next day. We had just driven through CT earlier that day (we live in Virginia) so missed an opportunity to visit then. We are headed back to New England tonight! Decision is down to my alma mater (Boston College) and dad’s (Wesleyan)
At least in our case, the Admissions Officer called from his cell phone so the number wasn’t from Middletown, CT. There would be no way to know it was a call from Wesleyan.
Hi. My daughter also has Vassar and Wes as 2 of her options. We weren’t able to visit either in person prior to applying, so accepted student days were our first visits. Before we visited, she thought she would prefer Vassar with all that it offers and its proximity to NYC for going to shows, potential internships, etc. However, upon visiting she didn’t like how walled off Vassar felt, and while it looked like there was a lot going on it felt kind of low energy. My daughter also hadn’t appreciated the gender split was so uneven-60%females. Poughkeepsie felt more remote than she had anticipated and thought she would feel isolated.
We attended Wes Fest and had a blast. Wes has the energy of a much larger school than it actually is, and a real buzz with so much going on. Everyone was so helpful and friendly - a diverse group that seemed to gel, and an artsy intellectual vibe as opposed to an artsy alternative vibe. She was empowered by the opening talk by President Michael S. Roth- was so different in a very good way from other heads of schools we heard. We loved the architecture of the campus and Middletown grew on us the more we got to know it. There is a definite center to the Wes campus vs Vassar where she felt was more of a labyrinth with various lawns and less of a central point. Wes is a defined campus with a buzzy center but feels open. The career office was incredibly helpful and already followed up with my daughter. We loved Wes, but I would say it’s a campus u really have to see to know if it appeals or not. Perhaps an AO could FaceTime and do a walking tour, as well as a link to President Roth’s speech. Will be interested to hear what your son decides.
. Ultimately he decided to leave the voicemail and just be sure to answer his phone. But he still never got off of any of the waitlists lol.
. None of my two high school kids at our large public ever had the same counselor for more than two years — I don’t think they know them at all beyond what they read in the profiles our kids had to write about themselves for the counselor to use to write a LOR!