<p>I have found that AMAZING applicants aren't getting accepted.
Some are like valedictorian or top 5%, amazing sat scores, president and founders of all these organizations, and various extra curriculars...but they are either waitlisted(mostly) or rejected.</p>
<p>WHATT?????????????????????????????????????????!!
can someone please explain this?
its bogous:D
ha</p>
<p>I assume it’s because there’s only room for something around 600 students freshman year. Obviously there are more than 600 qualified and overqualified applicants. From what I can tell, they just draw names out of a hat at some point… A bit depressing, isn’t it?</p>
<p>aww thats horrible:(
do people have a better chance at ED?</p>
<p>lol, i dont really think they pick out of a hat, but applying ED totally and completely gives you a better chance.</p>
<p>MZ2009 - lol, I wouldn’t be too surprised. Somewhere here I’ve read an article about admissions and it seemed even more random than I thought!</p>
<p>Two of my daughters freiinds were waitlisted last year. One was accepted at Harvard and one at Williams. I believe they were waitlisted because they didn’t indicate a very strong interest in Vassar and the school may have assumed they were being used as a safety. The second girl went on the wait list and was offered a place. She wanted to defer for a year and they told her that she you cannot defer from the waitlist, but that with her qualifications she would be accepted ED if she applied again.</p>
<p>I think SEGA really hits the nail on the hammer: schools want to know that you’re actually interested in them. Because of the high number of applicants, admission officers don’t need to accept an individual with fabulous stats who shows no interest in their school. They’re more interested in putting together a class of interested, interesting people who they think will actually choose to attend Vassar. That’s why visiting a school (when possible) is important. It’s also why it’s important to be able to express on your application what about Vassar interests you. You really shouldn’t view the “Why Vassar?” question as a throwaway… it’s the only place on the application where you can explain what exactly about Vassar makes you want to attend the school. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that Vassar automatically rejects “overqualified” individuals. Nor would I say that the admissions officers pick students out of a hat once they’ve narrowed the list down. Instead, I think that in looking at applications they look not only for ability and dedication in ECs but also a genuine interest in the school.</p>
<p>Vassar is not an Ivy League where you get in because you did one amazing thing that labels who you are. Its a liberal arts school that is more concerned with a persons fit for the school. Also, if your waitlisted that doesn’t mean anything. All waitlisted students are completely qualified to go. Waitlisted is by random chance for people who could have just as easily been accepted.</p>
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<p>Is that really how admissions to the Ivies work? Lol.</p>
<p>I doubt it… I live near Harvard… and they are trying to shake that blue blood image… but I agree… smaller liberal arts colleges want people that are dedicated. I am amazed at the amount of freshies who get worked up over AP classes, etc… and some other students get through… Waitlisting isn’t random… its their safety net of maybes…</p>
<p>I had the same experience. Top 5% of my class, 2200 SATs, NHS, National Merit Semis, Scholar-Athlete awards and I founded and captained our HS field hockey varsity program. </p>
<p>I think I’m qualified for Vassar.</p>
<p>But I tore up my ankle and needed reconstructive surgery my junior year and because of my rehab schedule I couldn’t visit the school. That’s all it took. They waitlisted me. Since I never visited, they didn’t think I was serious.</p>
<p>But sounds like you have a great shot at being accepted off the waitlist with those stats… or accepted at any school of your choice. Where did you end up going?</p>
<p>In my oinion, Vassar actually doesn’t seem to make all that much of campus visits. My son and I visited last summer. They make no appointments and offer no interviews. Your tour and question session are in a mass grouping of prospies and parents. Though we signed in, I don’t know how much awareness the actual admissions counselors even had of the visit. While they were polite enough, they were probably the least into personalizing the visit of all the schools I’ve visited with either of my kids
I truly believe that in this year of abundant applicants, you probably can’t attribute one specific thing to the difference between waitlisted or even rejected, and not. That being said, I do think that it is important to research the school and show a well designed interest in your application materials as to why Vassar is specifically the place for you. Another thing about Vassar is they don’t seem to really appreciate phone calls in the admissions office…again, “polite enough but curt in their responses” is the demeanor there.</p>
<p>Hi lily, I thought so too. It was a weird year. I saw kids with 2300+ SATs get rejected outright. It really was a year where the schools got to pick and choose their incoming class from a stellar field. The top LACs were in a no-lose situation with the group that graduates this year. </p>
<p>Like I said, with Vassar I know that I was waitlisted because of the sin of not visiting campus. I’ve let them know there were reasons, and I’ve since visited, but the waitlist pool is big and openings are few. If Vassar admits 35% of EDs and 20% of RDs, they admit maybe 5% of waitlisters, so I’m not holding my breath.</p>
<p>I’m going to Hamilton. I love it there. I still hope I hear from Vassar, but if I don’t, I’m very happy with my decision.</p>
<p>From what you’re saying, it sounds to me like the way to go this year was to apply to as many schools as possible, since it seems like admissions turned more random than ever. Of course, the catch is more students getting waitlisted since colleges have more to pick from and it makes it hard to know which student is really serious about which school. However, it seems dangerous to apply to only a few schools… does that make sense at all?</p>
<p>By the way, best of luck in Hamilton! Though I’m rooting for you attending Vassar, obviously.</p>
<p>I think you’re right lily. I applied to 10 and had a 50% yield. Some great schools, a couple of safeties and a couple of honors programs. I know other kids in my high school applied to 15 or more. I guess you can do that if you’re applying to state schools and large universities, but for me that wasn’t an option. I wanted to go to a small LAC and actually visiting campus is an important part of their filtering process. I couldn’t even visit all the schools I applied to as it was because of my rehab schedule. Stupid ankle… </p>
<p>Hamilton’s open house was after I hurt myself, but before my surgery, so I managed to get up there, albeit on crutches. Visiting campus on crutches impressed the admissions folks and I think helped my app stand out, but that’s an example of what it took this year to get admitted to the elite LACs. </p>
<p>Right now I’m busy filling out housing forms and getting stoked to go to Hamilton. Vassar would be awesome, but so will Hamilton and I’m psyched about finally getting to campus.</p>
<p>oh my god, lol, i dont even know how you did ten! i also had kids at my school who did like 12 or 15. (for one girl it was reallllly bad too cuz after she got into some of them her parents told her that since she hadnt picked between teaching or pharmacy they wanted her to go to local community college for two years – that would have killed me.) And props to you for doing a campus visit on crutches, the admissions folks should have been impressed :)</p>
<p>Whoa, campus visit on crutches? I would admit you on the spot.</p>
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<p>Lol, I did like 20. Then again, I’m no longer in high school so the pressure of finals and APs and whatever was off. I could just write essays stuff after work. Besides, Common Application made it all ridiculously easy…</p>
<p>I don’t know the truth behind this statement.</p>
<p>I had straight A’s (I don’t remember my exact weighted GPA), a 2320 SAT, as many AP classes as I could handle, volunteer of the year with a horseback riding program for special needs children, varsity athlete for 3 years, NHS, French Honors Society executive board, etc. </p>
<p>But here I am at Vassar. </p>
<p>I think this may be where Your Space comes into play. How much are you willing to reveal to the college of your kookiness? Mine was pretty embarrassing.</p>
<p>haha, yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking, but I had already RSVP’d to the open house when I tore my meniscus in a game the night before the event. If I had to do it again, I don’t know if I would. But it worked out, so, yay Hamilton!</p>
<p>kayrlis, with your grades and scores and EC’s, I think you might have had to admit to some pretty heinous stuff NOT to be accepted. I was really proud of my 2200. Now I feel inadequate 
I don’t remember what I wrote in my Your Space, but it probably wasn’t very creative. I was pretty stressed out by the end of application season.</p>