I applied regular decision to UGA, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. I got into UGA and Virginia Tech, but not Georgia Tech. I’m disappointed, and would really like to try to understand why I was rejected. Here’s a bit about me:
- 3.889 GPA || My school also does 100 point scale so: 90 unweighted, 95 weighted
- 10 APs
- 34 ACT (superscore) || One was a 32 and the other a 33
- 50+ hours of community service every year
- Captain of successful fencing team for 2 years
- Georgia Resident
- 2 Dual Enrollment classes (at a local college, both CompSci related)
- My mother and Grandfather both went to Tech
I feel like I had really strong essays as well. I took my time with them and had multiple qualified people look over them. I have a hard time believing that I was rejected because of numbers. Compared to those accepted last year, I was above average in every department other than the number of AP classes I took. I know several people that got in that do less community service, don’t really do extracurriculars, and have sub-par grades - and it’s not a demographics thing, they’re all wealthy and white.
I am a bit angry, as I really wanted to go there - it was my top choice. I just have no idea why I wasn’t accepted. I’m more angry with myself though. I’m sure the admittance people had some reason, I just don’t know what.
Thanks in advance for replies.
Were you rejected outright or were you offered conditional transfer admission ?
I ask because Georgia Tech takes legacy status into consideration & you seem qualified otherwise.
I was offered conditional, but it seems to be just a courtesy. If I didn’t have family that had attended I feel that they would likely have rejected me outright. And while it is at least something, I’m still curious as to why I wasn’t accepted fully.
Georgia Tech was very competitive this year. I have a relative who was also offered conditional admission & both of his parents are Tech grads & were very high profile students, plus at least 6 other close relatives are graduates of Tech as well. His ACT was 31, but he did not take the most rigorous courses at his school.
Conditional admittance requires one to take courses that Georgia Tech deems necessary, so I suspect that your high school courses taken may have been a concern. Just my best guess.
I was waitlisted from tech. As an instate female with a 34 ACT(one sitting) and a 95.6UW/101w GPA with 12 AP and ranked 6/530, I’m surprised about my decision too. I can’t tell you why you weren’t accepted, but I can share in your disappointment.
My relative detailed above was also in-state URM.
@MorrisonHotel
What major did you apply for? I think that CS is an extremely competitive major, and all the people who apply probably have comparable stats. Moreover, the whole college admissions process is somewhat arbitrary to me. Sometimes it’s down to pure luck. You never know what they are looking for. I think the best you can do is keep moving forward. I mean you can always use your conditional acceptance is GT is your absolute first choice. There’s absolutely no need to beat yourself up over this. Best of luck.
CS is a very competitive major, for IN or OOS applicants. You should be happy about you conditional acceptance. The requirements aren’t that difficult ti fulfill. Maybe if was a resource issue, the freshman class cannot be that big, or resources would deplete.
Is your 3.889 GPA weighted? If you have a 90 out of 100, that looks high for an unweighted.
Georgia Tech has become more and more competitive. With most students that I talk to, I sometimes see that they don’t believe in the importance of the essay, but I think that it could be the tipping point when you are competing against other top flight students. I have read essays that were functional okay with my own student, but I always wanted her to show who she was (her essence) and maybe that was your missing piece. When so many students have such great stats and ECs, breaking ties in the admissions process must be excruciating. You have a path to go Georgia Tech which is an amazing accomplishment and I hope you find the path that is best for your college matriculation.
Rejected (after Deferred from EA)
BME
ACT: 36
History SAT 800, Math II SAT 790, Biology SAT 790
AP Courses: 10 (Scored 5 on all tests taken - Biology, AB Calc, Enviro Science, US GoPo, US History)
GPA: 4.00 (uw) and 5.15 (w) at HS ranked Top 5 in state by US News&WR, WaPost, and Niche
GPA senior year: 4.00 (uw) and 5.83 (w) – 5 AP (6 w) and 1 Honors (5w)
Class rank: HS does not rank, but in Top 5%
Co-curriculars: NHS, Sports Captain, leader SGA, Honor Committee, Social Committee
Community Service: Eagle Scout, church leader, community fundraiser, camp counselor, other
OOS
Congrats to everyone that was accepted to Georgia Tech. Not sure what else needed to be admitted.
Schools Accepted, all to Honors programs: UVA, UNC-CH, NCSU, Clemson
Unknown why not accepted to GT since accepted to many other ACC schools, all at Honors Program level.
No conditional transfer offered. Thought essays for GT were good.
@NewbieDad2000: “Not sure what else needed to be admitted.” Other than things beyond your control, probably nothing. Here is a link to a blog from Rick Clark, the director of admissions at Georgia Tech, from last year where he discusses the fairness (or lack thereof) in the admissions process: http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2017/05/16/admission-its-not-fair/. Perhaps you have seen this already.
College admissions decisions are no longer about weeding out those who can’t do the work, they are about putting together a freshman class that the university wants. For reasons known only to Georgia Tech, your son was one of those applicants who did not get included in the freshman class that Georgia Tech assembled this year; neither was my child, and neither were a lot of students. On a certain level, it’s really not personal at all; and I would encourage your son to not take it personally – as hard as that might be.
It looks as though your son has some excellent options available to him, and his relevant facts as you have related show that he will likely be successful at whichever school he enrolls in. Best of luck to him!
@gandalf78: Thanks for the link. That is an excellent blog and provides helpful insight into the process.
My son understands that admission is very competitive at great schools like GT, which is ranked #1 in BME by USNews. He continues to have a positive outlook and remains very respectful of the qualification standards and excellence of GT.
Not suggesting that any student is better or more qualified than another or that someone should not have been rejected. My post was just following up to MorrisonHotel who started this thread hoping to better understand reasons for acceptance or rejection.
Post was only to provide a comparison for other students and parents to realize how fortunate they are to have been admitted to GT or to not be discouraged if rejected because many other well qualified candidates were rejected too.
Best wishes to your child as well.
@NewbieDad2000: I am sending you a PM.