<p>I applied to Wellesley EE, and I got a letter saying I was unlikely, which was really a shock. I thought I would at least end up in the possibly pile. Maybe someone could give me some insight as to why they hated me.</p>
<p>3.6 UW GPA at the best public school in Washington
I have taken all Honors and AP courses at my school
1300 SAT 29 ACT</p>
<p>I went to three summer academic enrichment programs which I paid for with the money I earned from my own landscaping business. I also work as a secretary and I tutor. I have done some volunteer work with my Mom's special education students and for the rotary club.</p>
<p>I have done 12 years of private gymnastics. I was team captain two years of our high school gymnastics team. I have four Varsity letters from hs gym. I also qualified to state every year and earned a spot on the All-State-Academic team.</p>
<p>I have also earned 4 Varsity letters for track, I run the 100 and 300m hurdles.</p>
<p>I played in the wind ensemble as first oboe for three years and traveled to California for competitions. I had to stop this year because it was band or AP Gov....I chose Gov.</p>
<p>Clubs are NOT big at my school, hardly anyone does them</p>
<p>I loved my essays, my recs were solid...</p>
<p>I visited the campus to show even more interest, stayed the night, went to classes, spoke with the crew coach because I am interested in rowing in school.</p>
<p>WHY....I seriously need some closure....this blows</p>
<p>I'm slightly ticked off at my own possible letter too...</p>
<p>SAT: 1540 (v:790)
SatIIs all above 750
GPA 3.9 unweighted, 4.3 weighted
5's on three APs
Natl Merit finalist + AP scholar
State speech tournament top 18 jr year, top 5 last year
According to my counselors, solid essays
"top few in my career" recs</p>
<p>AND minority...</p>
<p>what else do they want from me? my soul? firstborn child?</p>
<p>I'm just kinda ****ed off bc i was really confident about this, and now...well now im thinking that if i cant get into wellesley...i wont get into any of the other schools i applied</p>
<p>To me, this definitely seems like a situation where you should have your guidance counselor call and politely ask if there was anything specific about your application that they didn't like. The worst that can happen is that they'll give the waffle "so many applicants, so few spots" answer. Did anyone else from your high school apply? Did your midyear report arrive on time? I'm sorry that I can't be of much help. :( I was rejected from a summer program last year, and even though you know intellectually that a rejection/unlikely/etc. is no reflection on your intelligence, talent, etc., you can't help but be upset.</p>
<p>I think it really does come down to lack of space. Britty, your ECs sound great, so I'm guessing your weak spot was your GPA and SATs. That said, you're still a great student, and I'm sure you'll get some wonderful offers come April.</p>
<p>Sunnypenguin- Wow, I don't know what happened. I agree with Sneveu- have your guidance counselor call. It seems to me like something went wrong. Remember, it's still possible. </p>
<p>I know exactly how it feels- I was flat out rejected from Dartmouth in the Early Decision round. No deferral, no nothing. Just one piece of paper telling me that they'd decided to reject me. It feels horrible, but I promise that you'll adapt. Don't lose hope- you'll get into a great school, even if it's not Wellesley.</p>
<p>yea there was one other girl who applied at my school, a friend of mine actually. She had better STATS, 3.7 UW GPA, 1400+ SAT, also went to a summer school, but not as many ECs...oh well. I like her anyways...</p>
<p>The more I look at the cases on this board, the more I'm becoming confused about my own possible letter, because our numerical stats are pretty similar. I had a 3.6UW/4.0W, 1320 SAT, very involved and dedicated in ECs and had pretty good essays/recs, but my Mid-Year Report didn't get there until after the date written on my letter.</p>
<p>Seriously, none of us know what goes on in that admissions committee, and we're living proof that there is no formula to get into X college. For all we know, they didn't get to every application and threw some of us into random 'possible' and 'unlikely' piles based on who knows what.</p>
<p>Unlikely doesn't mean you should be expecting a rejection or a waitlisting in April, though. There have been students at Wellesley who went from being told they were 'unlikely' to being accepted. I hate throwing out second-hand statistics, but a student from Wellesley said she heard that something like 25% of 'unlikelies' are ultimately accepted. Try sending in an extra letter, letting them know if anything new has happened and that you're still interested in the school.</p>
<p>I actually called my admissions rep at wellesley, (nothing to lose right?). They gave me that "We had a record number of EE applicants who were all very qualified" speech. She wouldn't tell me anything specific about my rec, but she did let me know that "unlikely" means 100% YOU ARE NOT COMING HERE.</p>
<p>I then thanked her and returned to my bed to wallow in misery.</p>
<p>Well, if you check out the LiveJournal communities for Wellesley (wellesleyblue, wellesley08, and wellesley09), you will hear otherwise on that 'unlikely' matter, so I'd take it with a grain of salt--though they may be 'typically' refused, there's still hope. Don't give up. And even if you are refused in April, you've already accomplished so much and I suppose they figured you were set for something greater than they could handle ;) Wellesley may not give you the green light, but you're a great candidate for a lot of other equally competitive schools. Good luck, and let us know where you end up!</p>
<p>I would agree with laurak. With your stats and record the Adcomms may be thinking you're going elsewhere and would therefore lower their yield. I got the impression from your post that you think of Wellesley as a safety school. The Adcomms may have gotten the same idea.</p>
<p>I too have read posts from people on the livejournal Wellesley communities who have been accepted after receiving an "unlikely" letter. I think whoever you talked to on the phone just didn't want to get your hopes up. Whether or not you get into Wellesley, I'm sure you'll get into a lot of great colleges! Good luck!</p>
<p>Sunnypenguin, like mardad, I believe it is definitely possible that Wellesley believes they are a safety for you. You scores are significantly above their middle 50% range and your GPA and everything else is superb. They probably don't want to risk a rejection from you and ruin their yield.</p>
<p>You will be successful at other top schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>"They probably don't want to risk a rejection from you and ruin their yield."</p>
<p>It annoys me SO much that schools do this. Stupid US News Rankings! Especially schools like Wellesley... If an intelligent and talented person wants to go a woman's college, there is no better school to turn Wellesley down for! I guess the only solution is super-stress how much one wants to go to a woman's college in one's interview and essays, or apply ED (but that doesn't work if you need compare financial aid :( ).</p>
<p>i didn't know that schools reject applicants if they think it will lower their yield rate- that is so crummy! Anyways, I am surprised at their decision, brit. But I think that you should not worry too much. Unlikely, as the others pointed out, is not always definite. Also, there are so many other amazing schools out there. I have learned that this process is slightly arbitrary and we should try to not emotionally invest ourselves in any one particular school. i speak from experience here, trust me! However, i think that you may want to send them a letter thanking them for their time and updating them with every interesting thing you have done. I think that a written letter is probably the best way to communicate interest in this regard. Hope this helps and I wish you and everyone else the best of luck and lots of happiness later in this dreadful process!</p>
<p>Breath in Breath out, clear your head and then decide if you want to take this on as a challenging opportunity to send another letter or an additional rec. or if you just want to focus on your other schools. Everyone will be somewhere in the fall, good luck.</p>