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Dear _______:

I am writing to inform you that the Admissions Committee has placed your name on the wait list for the freshman class entering next fall at Washington University. If you are interested in remaining on the wait list, please read the enclosed sheet and complete the enclosed card and return it to us as soon as possible, postmarked no later than May 1, 2004. If you prefer, you may submit your response on our Web site at admissionswaitlist.wustl.edu.

We recognize that deciding whether to remain on the wait list can be difficult. All of us on the Admissions Committee carefully considered the credentials you submitted, and while we are not able to offer you a place in the class at this time, we would very much like to work with you if there are openings in the class. We will determine this and be in touch with you no later than June 30.

If we determine there is a space available for you, someone from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will call you. If you are interested in accepting the offer, we will immediately send you a letter of admission. Final wait list decisions, if any, will be made by June 30 and we will notify you on or before that date. We hope there will be financial assistance available for students admitted from the wait list. If you choose to enroll, you will be asked to complete the information requested in the admission materials and to withdraw from the institution to which you submitted your initial enrollment deposit.

This year our decisions were extraordinarily difficult. We had nearly 20,000 applications for our freshman class of approximately 1,350. We hope that we will have spaces available after May 1. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to call any of us in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

My best wishes for a successful conclusion to your senior year.

Sincerely,


Nanette Tarbouni
Director of Admissions

__________________________________

what do you think our chances are now??? I really can't believe this crap...

Hispanic from Honduras - 1300 SAT

By Mjl86 (Mjl86) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 04:49 pm: Edit

i would say just sign the enclosed card but don't count on getting in. there are other colleges in the top 25 that are equally worthy of your attendance

By Mfacusse (Mfacusse) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 04:52 pm: Edit

do you think being waitlisted from wash U will would be equivalent to getting into U of Chicago? how about columbia??

i really want to get into columbia though...

I'm really upset right now

By Svenska (Svenska) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 04:54 pm: Edit

Do you think that they rejected people as well as doing the weightlist?

By Mfacusse (Mfacusse) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 04:57 pm: Edit

check online!

https://aisweb.wustl.edu/Admissions/appstat.nsf/uawapstat?OpenFrameset

By Mjl86 (Mjl86) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 05:00 pm: Edit

i applied to u of c and got in ea. I'd rather go to u of c than uwash for several reasons

-u of c boasts having the most nobel prize winning graduates affiliated with the school
-think of psychology, physics and economics, all of which are very good departments, ranked one or two in the world
-u of c is in chicago, while wustl in no where in a white town.
-i like diversity a lot
-plus u of c is way more prestigious. not many people know about u of c, at least at my school and the us rankings don't mean that much. they vary every year, so basing your decision on that wouldn't be wise.

i don't know about columbia, but it is very very competitive

By Mfacusse (Mfacusse) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 05:03 pm: Edit

do you think i'll get into uchicago? my essay was pretty amazing... plus, i think wash u is more selective

By Bigman82085 (Bigman82085) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 05:47 pm: Edit

white guy, 1500SAT, 800MathIIc, 800Chem, 1/318, varsity tennis...waitlist

By Justinfiddler (Justinfiddler) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 06:19 pm: Edit

got into u of c ea.
waitlisted a wustl

By Cotton (Cotton) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 06:50 pm: Edit

waitlisted;

White guy
SAT: 1410
ACT: 28
EC: Varsity Track/X Country 5 years, captain of track 3 years; MUN (Sec CO, SocHum); Nat'l Honor Soc (Treasurer 12th grade); Nat'l Latin Honor Soc (VP 10th?); VP of class (11th); TEAMS (11th); 3 AP Classes (11th--all passed); 3 AP classes (12th); etc.

By Chen (Chen) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 07:13 pm: Edit

WUSTL's waitlist is notorious for being huge.

Heck, I was rejected. Asian. 1420. bad GPA with Cs. deferred ED II originally. 700 writing 690 math ic 660 biology and worse other ones.

By Brandywine (Brandywine) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 07:24 pm: Edit

all i have to say is "WTF".. lol this is actually pretty halarious.

M 790 V 730 C- 1520
Top 1 %
Varsity Sport 4 Year Letterman
State-Wide Leadership Position in Largest Student Service Organization
A bunch of other great ECs
awesome recs
asian
...

wow what are they thinking?
what do you guys think of the theory that wustl admit less qualified ppl to increase yeild? it was brought up on the other threat.. kinda neat

some person got rejected at WUSTL and Tufts but got in Harvard and Brown. (of course tuftst would have same mentality)..

or maybe its just that im retarded.. lol!

By Atpchik (Atpchik) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 07:37 pm: Edit

Once agian, my goodness. I don't think that theory is correct. I got waitlisted at MIT and I'm accepting the randomness of college admissions, not discreditting other students who were accepted saying they are less qualified.

By Mafmaf22 (Mafmaf22) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 08:05 pm: Edit

I got accepted/ recieved a likely email and free trip to visit
1470 (780 Math), 700+ SAT2 avg
top 7% of good northern nj public school
(includes 4 Cs last year)
good rec/essays
lots of leadership ecs, music ecs, lacrosse, archery, newpaper editor (4 years)
white jewish male

By Xdtish (Xdtish) on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 - 11:50 pm: Edit

WTF....just got waitlisted.

^%#%ing pissed off right now. What can I or we do to increase our chances? >0.000000001 % ?

I feel hopeless. Life was good to me until now.

By Chen (Chen) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 12:25 am: Edit

Write them a letter saying they're your #1 school if it is (or just that you're still very interested) and update them with your new accomplishments and activities.

By Qwerasdf (Qwerasdf) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 12:26 am: Edit

DUDE WTF, I GOT WAITLISTED. WTF??


1430 SAT
780 CHem
800 Writing
800 IIC

3.75 UW, 4.35 weighted

OMG

By Chen (Chen) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 12:49 am: Edit

Wow, Qwer. I wonder what WUSTL is basing admissions on...maybe it's more heavily on recs or essays than we thought? Maybe they're trying to increase their yield?

By Jmstnfrd08 (Jmstnfrd08) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 12:50 am: Edit

Everyone needs to realize that practically every student around here applies to WashU (almost like a given), and also that although you might be an interesting person with high scores, there are lots of other applicants who are just like you. Once they have accepted enough of a certain "kind" of applicant, they won't take any more. That's just my theory.... So, even though you may be very qualified (and perhaps even more so qualified in terms of GPA and test scores than others who have been accepted), they just didn't have enough room. I guess they are not necessarily looking for the "smartest" group, but the most diverse and interesting group of students.

By Pdragon17 (Pdragon17) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 01:03 am: Edit

That was so well said Jmstnfrd08. Some people have all forgetten how competitive admission is today to all the elite schools. At all these schools there are many more qualified applicants than spots available. When this occurs, schools like Wash U rely less on stats, and try to build an interesting and diverse class. After all, isn't that the second type of learning that goes on in college? And, although their stats may be a little lower than yours, it's not like the kids who are getting in are merely average. They all have some strong credentials.

And by no account can somebody actually consider Washington Univ a safety school, even with insanely high test scores and grades. Any school with an acceptance rate hovering around 20 percent is a crapshoot.

Again, this is not the end of the road. You all will hear from other schools and end up at some pretty good schools.

By Masterwenbodu (Masterwenbodu) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 02:34 am: Edit

I got waitlisted too...

1470 (670V, 800M)
790 Writing, 800 IIC, 800 Chem, 750 Physics
3.7 unweighted gpa, 4.2 weighted at super-tough California public high school
I think pretty good ECs, won awards in piano and chess
I thought pretty good essay and recs too.

Oh well now I have an incentive to become famous and laugh at wustl for not taking me

By Frizzbug (Frizzbug) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 10:28 am: Edit

I like your outlook Masterwenbodu

By Chardonnay (Chardonnay) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 11:53 am: Edit

haha, masterwenbodu, way to go! and be sure to throw in an extra laugh for me (waitlisted too). darn, my best friend got in ed there, so i was kinda hoping to get in. oh well.

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 12:29 pm: Edit

my son too, waitlisted.

..1550 SAT (1st time taken)
..750, 750, 720, 720, 740 SAT II's (Lit,MathIIC,
Chem,Bio,Writ)
..3.7 unweighted GPA at competitive private school which does not weight or rank
..Took multi-variable calculus at local Univ got an A (took BC as junior), currently in Spanish VI, advanced history, physics, and European Lit
..National Merit Finalist (224 index)
..AMC12 top 2% in country
..Scholar's Bowl regional champion team, jazz band, soccer, camp counselor, mountain biking,
..Adultcenter volunteer

Do you think it is a few "B"s on his transcript in 9th and 10th grades? Do they value straight A's over higher test scores and good grades?

By Kjofkw (Kjofkw) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 01:03 pm: Edit

The Wash.U. application was not "easy". If you truly were interested, there were numerous forms for admission as well as scholarships. I'm wondering if filling out all the extra scholarship forms was another way of seeing how committed you were to the process, and thus made a difference whether accepted or wait-listed.

By Nickster (Nickster) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 01:34 pm: Edit

I don't think the scholarship apps made a big difference. I didn't apply for the "big" scholarships, but I did get admitted. I have absolutely no idea why, and I'm not a big believer in posting stats, but I would sound like a broken record if I did - nothing much different than others on this thread who weren't admitted. The thing about me that I do think helped make a difference were my rec letters. My counselor and my teacher showed me the letters after the fact, because I needed additional letters for other "non-Common App" schools. Both of these people really worked to put together custom letters that showed how well they knew me...the letters definitely were not "fill in the blank" type rec letters. I don't know for sure whether that would have made a huge difference, but it could have.

By Youngmom (Youngmom) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 02:16 pm: Edit

To all who were rejected or waitlisted - You all seem to have excellent stats but one reason could be (my theory) that WUSTL thought that you were a sure fit at the HYPM's and concluded that you may not matriculate with them. How else could you all have been accepted at MIT and Yale and get rejected/waitlisted here. Just my way of reasoning. you all are excellent candidates and it is definitely WUSTL's loss.

By Colstud1986 (Colstud1986) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 02:45 pm: Edit

waitlisted!

By Shanghaichick20 (Shanghaichick20) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 03:15 pm: Edit

I really don't understand how these admissions offices work...here are my stats: 1530 SATI, 800 bio, 750 writing, 740 math IIC, VALEDICTORIAN/ 500+ students, president of three clubs, research internship for which i was PUBLISHED in a research paper, got rec from research mentor...the only thing i can think of is my essay...and it REALLY WASNT BAD AT ALL...and i cant imagine my recs being bad, not to sound arrogant or anything...WTF HAPPENED??? i seriously dont understand...cuz now im just worried about getting rejected from upenn and duke

By Fftd (Fftd) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 03:56 pm: Edit

Youngmon,
Your theory is quite strange. My D was accepted by WUSTL but rejected by MIT. Her stat is in the top 25% of admitted MIT students if she would be accepted. Based on your theory, Does MIT think she deserves better so ADMIN rejected her on purpose? Her stat is
PSAT 231 (NM scholarship Finalist – now winner)
SATI 1560 (M790, W770) (one sitting)
SATII 800MIIC, 800Chem, 770Writing
GPA unweighted 4.0, rank 1/181
Lots of Ecs, etc…
My point is that they are all good schools and it is good enough to get accepted by anyone of them. There is no need to say people accepted by MIT must be accepted by WUSTL.

By Chardonnay (Chardonnay) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 04:08 pm: Edit

i think youngmom was sorta talking about a tufts syndrome deal, since wustl still isn't quite up to the level of the top six (hypsmc). it's great, i'm not denying that, but still...

By Copper45 (Copper45) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 04:10 pm: Edit

Waitlisted, 1440

By Martinguitar (Martinguitar) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 04:18 pm: Edit

yea wtf?....good thing i wasnt going to washu anyway..but waitlisted..thats bs

SAT 1450 (710 M, 740 V)
SATII (690 writing, 750 Bio, 800 US)
GPA: 3.75 (Un-weighted)
4.4 (weighted)
APs: Bio 5, US 5, Chem 5

Like i took some of the hardest classes in my classes and excelled, my last two years have been pretty good..like an avg junior wgpa of 4.8 and senior wgpa of 4.7....so im kinda pissed

Good luck to the rest of u guys/gals...im prob not gonna return the card just for kicks

By Colstud1986 (Colstud1986) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 04:24 pm: Edit

What is harder to get into...Washu or Georgetown?....I was waitlisted at Washu...Do you think I have a shot at Georgetown?...i hope...it is my 1st choice....

By Youngmom (Youngmom) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 05:00 pm: Edit

Fftd - I was only trying to cheer up the rejected/waitlisted kids. We all know that admissions are a crapshoot. Who knows what kind of reasoning is applied? But after reading how WashU tries to entice kids by bombarding them with brochures, offers of visits etc and advise by others to deferees to affirm their interest in attending WashU, I deduced that they probably felt that these kids would end up in HYPM's even if they were offered admission. It was not an exact science just an observation that many MIT and Cornell acceptees were either rejected/waitlisted. Does not make one school better than the other and my theory definitely was not meant to dampen the spirits of the accepted students. Congratulations on your daughter's acceptance. FYI my son was also accepted at WashU.

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 05:15 pm: Edit

damn!!! waitlisted! i didnt really wanna go there till like 2 weeks ago and i'd never thought i'd of got this far, so wtvr....

1380 sat
3.95 gpa
avg 650 sat 2s
crazy work experience n community service
award winning essays

By Warriorlax22 (Warriorlax22) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 05:18 pm: Edit

wow, what a pool. i too was wait listed, but i had a 1350 SAT, 3.55 GPA and never scored above a 700 on the SAT II's. it was like 570 US History, 640 Writing, 660 Math IIC, and 690 Math IC. my AP's were 1 physics b, 2 calculus ab, and 3 us history. but they never saw them. my midyear report was in the 90's except for physics (75) and calculus (2x 76). i started and finished the application in an hour. i never had an interview nor did i express any interest beforehand.

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 05:57 pm: Edit

I know it is not the end of the world being waitlisted, but I too am a bit worried like Shanghaichick20.

But please, if anyone has any info, please give me your take on all A's vs. a few high B's +great collegeboard scores.

By Chardonnay (Chardonnay) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:05 pm: Edit

worriedmom, i have a 4.0 uw and aced every sat except the writing (780) and i was still waitlisted, take what you will from that ...

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:06 pm: Edit

Also, what do you think about "showing real interest in a school?" It seems to me that people that showed little interest got in anyway, and some that showed alot were waitlisted. How much do you think that really counts at selective schools?

By Chardonnay (Chardonnay) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:08 pm: Edit

did your kid apply ed 1 or 2?

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:10 pm: Edit

so Chardonnay, are u worried about the other schools u have applied to? I wouldn't if I were u with your grades. However my S has B's on his record, even though he got straight high A's his senior yr and and A in college concurrent enrollment. He is also a "yr young for grade" and should really be a jr. but we did alot of moving around and he ended up this way. What do you think?

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:12 pm: Edit

no...he wasted his ea on yale and did not get in. We were not ready to have him commit ED but I sure wish we had...He was RD to Wash U

By Chardonnay (Chardonnay) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:14 pm: Edit

i'm not too worried, i got in mit just surprised about being waitlisted here. don't worry about your son, he sounds pretty great, just hang on till april

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:16 pm: Edit

congrats on MIT!! Thanks, I hope things go well too

By Sostressedout (Sostressedout) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:17 pm: Edit

colstud1986 I was wondering the same thing! Georgetowns my first choice too and I also got waitlisted. I think it would make sense if we got into Georgetown though as WUSTLs ranked 9 in selectivity and Georgetowns like 20. Atleast I hope so...

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:23 pm: Edit

dam guys, do u no how many people are on the waitlist or how hard it is to get off wash u's wait list?

cause it really seems like there's a lot of people on it for such a small scool

By Momsquared (Momsquared) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:24 pm: Edit

DD was accepted: 1510, SATII's decent not great (can't remember exactly), EC's good, rec's probably very good, didn't visit. But, she's 4.0 UW in a strong competitive full-IB program. Did apply and got finalist in Honors Scholars. We had heard they accept in the 80% range of full-IB students (assuming they're doing well) Perhaps the scholarship apps do show interest because they weren't easy or quick.

By Worriedmom2004 (Worriedmom2004) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:30 pm: Edit

I don't know Momsquared, my S also took the time to apply for the scholarships and was still waitlisted

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:31 pm: Edit

i just was checking my college guide from 2004 and it said last year wash u had:

Total # of applicants: 19,514
Admitted: 4,594
Enrolled: 1,342
Waitlisted students admitted: FRIKKIN 23
ED Admits: 534

LOOKS LIKE ALL US WAITLISTERS R PRETTY SCREWED...

By Warriorlax22 (Warriorlax22) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:53 pm: Edit

well, depends on how many were waitlisted. if it was like 200, it's not THAT bad.

By Copper45 (Copper45) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 06:59 pm: Edit

A family friend of mine was wait listed three years ago and was accepted off the wait list. Does that make anyone feel much better?

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 07:18 pm: Edit

i guess, but what bothers me, just like many others here, is the foreshadowing this brings for my other decisions like yale n penn.

i got into brandeis n a bunch of others for now, is neone else thinkin about there? (i no, wrong thread for that)

also, if anyone could find out how many were waitlisted in previous years or this year that would be awesome.

By Warriorlax22 (Warriorlax22) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 12:28 am: Edit

does anyone know the size of the wait list? it seems like they wait list more than they reject.

By Dm15 (Dm15) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 01:56 am: Edit

Hrm. I needed to rant somewhere and this seems like a nice place.

I was really into Wash U. at the end of last year so I decided to apply. Now, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go even if I were accepted, but getting waitlisted completely freaked me out today. It's cool that they got decisions out this early, but I haven't heard from half of my other schools yet, so this doesn't bode well for my self confidence. I did get into Stanford early, and I know I'm into Dartmouth and Duke, but there's one school in particular I'm waiting on, and the next two weeks are going to be an even worse wait than it would've been since I got this waitlist letter. Oh well. G'luck to everybody. I'm pretty sure I won't be asking to stay on the waitlist.

Uhm. Stats: 1600/36/IIC-800, Writ-800, Phys- 780/graduating early/1st in old class, 6th in current/4.5 GPA/8 APs this year/lots of ECs, though I dropped most of em this year cause of course load/decent essays/good recs

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 01:59 am: Edit

dam DM u seem like one of those that admissions thought was TOO GOOD for the school prob. u got some crazy stats, u sound like u would be ok anywhere...i wouldnt worry too much about wash u, stanford n duke are MUCH chiller anyways

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 03:42 am: Edit

DM15-

It's funny that you needed Wash U to get your confidence up. I would believe that after getting into Stanford EA, and getting likelies from Dartmouth and Duke, your confidence would be soaring.

At this point, I don't think getting admitted to Wash U will help your confidence. You should make a call to the local shrink...

By Shanghaichick20 (Shanghaichick20) on Friday, March 19, 2004 - 11:32 pm: Edit

Hey guys dont feel bad-my mom called admissions today and spoke to the dean of admissions, nanette tarbouni. She said that they have a huge wait list, consisiting of REALLY talented students with perfect board scores and such...what was interesing is...the first thing she asked my mom was " are you just worried your daughter won't get in to other schools?" when my mom said yes, she told her to not worry. she also said that if i really wanted to go to wash u. she'd talk to me and arrange something...so that kinda does verify the "too good" theory.

By Pdragon17 (Pdragon17) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 02:17 am: Edit

Again, I think this overqualified theory is simply b.s. No one can realistically call a top ten school, with an acceptance rate around 20%, a safety school and a guranteed acceptance. And if you look at this board, you will see people with very high board schools and high school rankings that were accepted. You people have to accept the fact that you are not going to get into every single school that you apply to. College admissions to elite schools are not predictable. Certain factors that we may not know about could play into the decisions.

However, WUSTL may have waitlisted certain very qualified candidates because they did not express a lot of interest in the schools. A lot of schools admit that this plays into their decisions. Whether you visited the school's campus, had an interview, meet with your regional admissions counselor - these are things that WUSTL, and pretty much every school besides HYP use. Why would a school want a group of students who do not seem to want to be at their institutions?

Another thing I want you guys to consider is that the tone of this thread as well as other recent WUSTL threads can be considered offensive. Instead of congratulating those who got accepted, or moving on with WUSTL's decision, people are claiming that they were wronged. When you say that you did not get into a school because you were too qualified, it offends those who got into the school. You are implying that those that got into the school had "worse" or lower credentials. You are taking away from their accomplishments or achievements. Just be careful about what you say.

Again, the people on this board are all very qualified, and I am sure that you are going to get into some very good schools. Just be patient, although that can be very hard to do!!

By Nsmith1 (Nsmith1) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 08:50 am: Edit

Well said, Pdragon! I'm amazed at the students who are posting their stats on here and expressing complete disgust that they didn't get in with a xxxx SAT. If you visited many admission sessions with top schools, you surely heard the speech urging you not to take admission for granted even with a 1600 SAT and a 5.0 wgpa, because they look at so many factors, and have far more COMPLETELY WORTHY applicants than they can ever accommodate. People are taking their rejection personally, and they shouldn't. If some of them will read back over their posts, they will realize that simply by wording their posts the way they have, they are justifying the decision that was made. Nobody wants a college roommate who thinks they are better, smarter, or more worthy than someone else because they got a xxxx SAT score. And they CERTAINLY don't want a roommate who would post a smiley face and a "HA-HA-HA-HA" to belittle another poster who got in with a lower SAT! People, stop and think about how you are making yourselves look before you post some of this stuff.

By Colstud1986 (Colstud1986) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:37 am: Edit

This is the reason you need to apply to MANY schools! Not getting in is a given in this game and boy is it a game!

By Su1954 (Su1954) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:57 am: Edit

Well, my son got the wait listed letter today. I think we were all suprised. He is # 1 in his class, had 1570 SAT , 35 ACT, top scores on all AP tests, really great recommendation letters, is in band , the school plays, several clubs , raises money for community projects with his rock band. This is why I told him - you never know what they really are looking for.
He already got into Yale which he is thrilled about so it wasn't a huge deal.

By Arizonasenior (Arizonasenior) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 10:11 am: Edit

People get hurt when they FEEL rejected whether it is the case or not. Students have worked very hard in high school and are going to feel bad if they are waitlisted. EVEN if the rational side of them knows that it can be a crap shoot and admissions may be looking for a specific kind of kid to round out their class. I did not feel students were disrespecting the great ones who got in. They are just letting off steam and disappointment and trying to make themselves feel better.It is like a break up to some who had already pinned their hopesand dreams on going there..Wash U also has not helped as they send out catalogues, notes on how wonderful you are and how you'll be a great addition to the school. This board is here so people can let of steam in a good way and we need to be able to allow that to these great students. Congrads to those who got in and a year down the road this will not matter to anyone who did not get in BUT I know it hurts now.You will all get into great schools but this March is the Longest month!!!

By Krpatel (Krpatel) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 10:30 am: Edit

Oh, about the waitlists, I hear that Wash U is notorious for accepting many more people from the immediate area than from, lets say, the northeast or west coast. Is it possible that the reason that so many excellent applicants were waitlisted is because of geography. I know that Wash U is an excellent school, so many great appliants are waitlisted, but there are too many this year.

By Sagrl (Sagrl) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 10:47 am: Edit

I don't understand the point of waitlisting so many people if only 23 are going to be accepted off the waitlist. Does anybody know how many people WUSTL waitlists each year?

Anyway, I got in and my stats, ECs, ect. were lower or about the same as some of you guys who were waitlisted.

I'm a pasty white female from the midwest.

The only explanation I can think of is that they are basing their admission decisions partly on geography, race, or gender to create diversity.

By Nsmith1 (Nsmith1) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 11:03 am: Edit

Arizona, I agree with you completely about the reason for having these boards. For the most part, the students posting on this particular thread have not been nasty and disrespectful...they are demonstrating their disappointment, and that's absolutely okay. Check out the posts, though, on the "decisions posted" thread, and I think you'll agree that many of them go far beyond "disappointment". For many of those posters, it sounds as if it just never occurred to them that they would not be the greatest student to ever apply to WUSTL or anywhere else. I know that it is a very trite old cliche, but it really fits here - "Life isn't always fair." And that applies whether we're talking college admissions or landing a job down the road. I, too, am sorry for the vast majority of posters who were not admitted to their first choice. It does hurt. My sympathy stops, though, for posters who run down others who were admitted and might have had "lower stats". There's absolutely no excuse for that.

By Rondafaye (Rondafaye) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 11:12 am: Edit

When you have 20,000 applicants for about 1,400 spots, some excellent candidates are going to be disappointed. I'm sure they look at all the things Sagrl mentioned. They also probably consider which school within WUSTL you applied to and what you want to major in. Also, maybe they waitlist a lot of students instead of rejecting them because they believe it is less hurtful than a rejection. After all, it seems that all of the posters' scores/grades/ecs are good enough for WUSTL but "there's no room at the inn."

By Asimplemind (Asimplemind) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 11:19 am: Edit

Give me a break! Will all due respect, those posters who have been admitted EA/ED to schools like Yale, MIT etc and are complaining about being placed on WU's waitlist are simply spoiled self-obsessed college-obsessed children. Try putting your lives in perspective given that there are children dying, starving and being forced into labor and the sex trade in this planet that we live in.

By Chen (Chen) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 11:28 am: Edit

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see much negativity in these threads about WUSTL. It IS just the normal disappointment, questioning, consolation, and venting out of emotions. When SO many people are waitlisted (and so many compared to the ivy leagues) and only a very few accepted, what do you think would happen? I don't think I see people putting others down? Well, maybe the post above mine is an exception, but for the most part, we're just trying to figure out what's happening. To try and hold an intellectual discussion over this absent "negativity" is just pointless.

Waitlist is not the end of the world, speaking as a person who was deferred ED and then rejected at her #1 school. WUSTL is most likely not your #1, but I think for a lot of us, it's our first disappointing decision. It's a learning experience. All this posting is A OK with me because we don't understand really where these initial disappointing judgments are coming from. Let's just stop this BS (BS being the "intellectual" discussion) talk and get on with it.

By Pdragon17 (Pdragon17) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 12:42 pm: Edit

I totally agree with asimplemind. A lot of people who are crying foul were already admitted to some great schools early action. Not getting into WUSTL can be a disappointment, but there are going to be many disappointments in life. This is good practice for later on in life. What are you going to do when you don't get the job you want, or somebody who worked less hard than you gets the promotion instead of you?

By Bsukrachand (Bsukrachand) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 12:44 pm: Edit

I also got waitlisted at Wash., but my stats aren't nearly as good as some of the people on here, 1400 sat and decent gpa, good EC, etc. So I don't know what to think about the whole situation, maybe there waitlist really is HUGE.

But Wash. is prob my second choice, I really want to go to NYU. Anyone think being waitlisted at WUSTL is a good sign for NYU?

By the way I applied as a double-major, Fine Art/A&S.

By Bobbyh (Bobbyh) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 03:22 pm: Edit

i bet only about 50 people will get accepted from the waitlist. it sucks.

By Pdragon17 (Pdragon17) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 05:04 pm: Edit

I know one of the only few people who got off the waitlist last year (another poster said it was only 23), and I can tell you that it was very difficult for this person to get off of it. The guidance counselor at the school, who has a very good relationship with Wash U, had to literally pull every string to get this person in. This person were only accepted to one other college, the state school, and they desperately wanted to go to Wash U. The catch was that they had to start in January, and not in September with everyone else, and now has to go to summer school this summer to catch up.

By Tian (Tian) on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 05:08 pm: Edit

from somewhere i heard that wash u is not completely need blind..so they accept more people with better financial status. appearently that is true...

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 03:45 am: Edit

-bsukrachand

i just wanna let you know that 2 of my friends like myself have just been waitlisted at wash u. one of them was admitted to nyu's general studies program and the other to the regular CAS.

I'm waiting anxiously for NYU also but for now i'm pretty content with brandeis which i was accepted.

have u ever been to nyu btw, i was there multiple times n i thought it was kinda weird?

By Pennedin (Pennedin) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 12:41 pm: Edit

wash u is not need blind it would be interesting to hear stats with need required to see if there is a trend-

By Admitmeplz (Admitmeplz) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 01:08 pm: Edit

Perhaps Wash U is purposely waitlisting those kids which they think have a good chance at getting into a better school to increase yield?

By Chump25 (Chump25) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 01:13 pm: Edit

duh....

By Bsukrachand (Bsukrachand) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 02:57 pm: Edit

chump - i went to nyu and loved it. it has always been my first choice, and when i visited this summer i thought it was perfect for me. i agree the area and the school is a little eccentric, but i loved that. and since i want to double major in photography and psychology it would be nice to have a place with good fine art and liberal art schools, same thing with washington.

did ur friends apply early?

By Argilospsychi (Argilospsychi) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 12:56 am: Edit

is there a website or something that will say how many people are on the waitlist or this year's acceptance rate?

people talk about having "shown interest" in the school. I didn't hear/see anything about interviews...i can't afford to fly accross the country to visit campus. how does one show interest within the application provided?

By Running124 (Running124) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 06:11 am: Edit

I think it is really rude for some people to constantly compare WUSTL to MIT, U of C, Harvard, Yale, etc. College Admissions are extremely competitive. WUSTL is one school that does not completely care about test scores and GPAs, but good applications. The reason why some of you may have been waitlisted/rejected is because WUSTL has been known to accept a lot of ppl in the past and only have a small percent actually attend the school. Thus, they may not accept some brilliant people, but the only reason is so that they can make sure that they accept students who they think will most likely attend. Lastly, all the schools that ppl have mentioned are great, and WUSTL is just as good. It is pointless to harshly criticize WUSTL just as a self defense mechanism for those of you that cannot handle rejection.

By Spacechic20 (Spacechic20) on Monday, March 29, 2004 - 10:06 pm: Edit

thank you.

By Libsters (Libsters) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 04:19 pm: Edit

Running124 --- Wash U. is DEFINETLY not just accepting students who they think will attend -- out of the people that applied from my school, myself and two others were accepted, and everyone else was waitlisted. The three people who were accepted were the ones with the best overall application - SATs, SAT II's, GPA, Essays, Recs, and EC's. The three who got in all have a few college choices above Wash U. --- like Ivy's and good southern schools. So you saying that Wash U. is rejecting the brilliant people and accepting those who they think will attend doesn't exactly fly.

By Tjchokri04 (Tjchokri04) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 04:24 pm: Edit

um, i know of at least one kid who was waitlisted at wash u and called to see why. all the rep said was "would you have actually come here?"

so the theory that wash u has tufts syndrome isn't completely off.

By Running124 (Running124) on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 - 04:26 pm: Edit

Obviously not in every instance, I mean they accepted our valedictorian who has a 1600 and is just brilliant. Overall though, Wash U doesnt accept a lot of people who are amazing in terms of test scores and GPAS but who put together the best application. Our valedictorian last yr got into Harvard but was waitlisted at WUSTL. I am not saying that WUSTl accepts dumb people, but from what I hear, if they dont think an applicant shows interest and or are already accepted elsewhere, they are not as likely to accept them. Sorry this post was really incoherent.

By Washu07 (Washu07) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 01:23 am: Edit

"um, i know of at least one kid who was waitlisted at wash u and called to see why. all the rep said was "would you have actually come here?"

so the theory that wash u has tufts syndrome isn't completely off. "

give me a BREAK. that is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard. first of all, even if the rep personally FELT that way, they would NEVER have verbalized it to the applicant - they'd lose their job. that is just ridiculous.. but hey, if it makes you feel better about not getting in, go with it..

By Argilospsychi (Argilospsychi) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 02:45 am: Edit

yeah too bad several people have reported being told that


for all the people who have called in and stuff, what do you say? who do you talk to? i'd like to call in but i have no idea what to say or anything.

By Vdisappointed (Vdisappointed) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 06:38 am: Edit

has anyone else heard of other instances in which ppl have gotten off the wait list ???
i really want to go to wash u ....
most of my other colleges rejected me...

By Tjchokri04 (Tjchokri04) on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 - 07:49 am: Edit

i wasn't referring to myself. i thought i had a pretty strong application, so i was sorta surprised about not getting in. my friend however, is without a question, overqualified. he has straight a's, a 1570, is a really good writer, and his ec's included stuff like football and president of a few clubs.

so i'm not saying EVERYONE on wash u's waitlist is overqualified. but at least a few are.

but hey, if it makes you feel better that they accepted you because they knew you'd come, go with it..

By Wlrsqtr (Wlrsqtr) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 05:12 am: Edit

No WUSTL does't reject students because they are overqualified. They offer scholarships to "overqualified" students and I think that makes up the bulk of their admitted RD pool. They do favor those who show an interest (that includes scholarship aps). For WUSTL, kids underestimate the difficulty of the RD pool and are less accepting of the randomness of admissions decisions in who gets turned down. This is largely because they look at the admitted ED class (which is more like Tufts than an ivy) and can't figure out why they didn't get in. The average SAT of accepted students from Ds school RD is probably 1570. The average GPA is well over 3.9 in the hardest curriculums with the most APS. Half the kids waitlisted have comparabe stats. The average SAT of ED accepted students is somewhere in the high 1300s fewer APs, lower GPA. So yes kids don't understand why they weren't accepted. But it is because the space was already filled up.

By Milkshakeh0ney (Milkshakeh0ney) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 06:08 am: Edit

waitlisted too. their waitlist is looking HUGE from what i've heard so far...basically everyone i know got WLed...except for a girl who got admitted(i'm international btw). =[ and so many ppl here got WLed. ahhh.

By Parent101 (Parent101) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 10:56 pm: Edit

A question for all those waitlisted at WUSTL and elsewhere: Did you demonstrate a knowledge of the University in your essay? Did you show some enthusiasm for the school and show how you would be a good fit? Could the admissions committee see that you had visited and knew the traditions of the college? Did you mention the clubs and organizations to which you would contribute at the University?

Maybe they prefer enthusiasm and interest and are willing to sacrifice a few points on the SAT score to find dedicated and interested students.

Been there. Done that. Twice. Generally successfully.

By Itscool (Itscool) on Monday, April 05, 2004 - 11:53 pm: Edit

no I dont think that is true...I was accepted and didnt show any interest in the college what so ever...I turned in my application with all the supplements 3 days before the deadline, didnt request and interview, and had never visited the campus before... I think that all the waitlisted applicants just werent qualified in the board's mind to be admitted into the school. Sure they had high test scores but it takes more then just a 1600 to be admitted into top notch universities. And for all those who think that Wash U accepted less qualified are just looking for someone besides themselves to blame for not gettin in...I was admitted to Brown, Tufts, and Wash U so obviously Wash U is accepting qualified applicants...

By Ne22 (Ne22) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 08:40 pm: Edit

I don't know. Wash U's application process is screwy. I applied to Olin was waitlisted but I got into Wharton, the top undergraduate business school in the nation, so... hmm. I was also accepted to Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon. I felt very qualified, and obviously I am if I can get into the best business program. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I was very surprised, especially because a guy I know was accepted who is #3 while I'm #1 and I have more and better quality EC's. Don't get me wrong, he definitely deserved to be accepted to Wash U! He's an awesome person and also very qualified...but why wasn't I as qualified? What was wrong with my application...what did they not like that my other schools did? It's just hard when a school like Wash U was at the top of your list and you "fit the bill" and get waitlisted while getting accepted at other, more selective schools. Everything happens for a reason though. I guess it just wasn't meant to be! I see it as God making my choice that much easier

By Mafmaf22 (Mafmaf22) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 09:18 pm: Edit

ne22, if washu was/is truly on the "top of your list" i mean first choice over wahrton, call them and if you tell them this they'll probably give you more consideration, but honestly is it above wharton on your list or just in the top few?

By Argilospsychi (Argilospsychi) on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 03:30 am: Edit

"Everything happens for a reason though"

Nothing happens for a reason. Stuff just happens.

Dude, I didn't even know you could interview for Wash. I was never contacted or saw anything about it in the admissions info. So what's the scoop? Do they ever grant waitlistees interviews?

By Chris_Tan (Chris_Tan) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 06:05 am: Edit

Okay. Wow. After reading the stats of the people here who got waitlisted at WUSTL, I'm wondering why I wasn't outright rejected. I was waitlisted too. Maybe it's because I'm an international student. Hah. Anyway, my stats:

SAT - 1270
Rank - top 30% (900 people in my college doing A-levels)
Predicted A-levels - AAAB
Activities - Nothing much, just 2 years editorial work on the school magazine, Japanese Language Society and one year of martial arts.

I really don't understand the US college admissions process!!! It's puzzling. But I got into UCL and Durham in UK, so it kinda soothes my ego after WUSTL waitlisted me =)

Good luck to everybody!

By Dallasstar (Dallasstar) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 08:13 pm: Edit

I got waitlisted: 1540 SAT. 3.77unweighted, 4.27 weighted. I visited campus, had an on campus interview, and I signed up for their mailing list. I'm not sure what else they would want from me as far as showing interest is concerned.

Anyway, I know of someone with somewhat lower SAT and GPA (but still great student) who got accepted. His grandpa went to Wash-U. Unfortunately, he won't be attending the university.

By Mafmaf22 (Mafmaf22) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 08:50 pm: Edit

yo dallasstar, if washU is genuinely your first choice and you know that you'd attend if you wee accepted, call them and be like if you accept me i will attend, guarenteed (only do this if it is true) I mean maybe they'll accept you, but i mean you have nothing to lose by trying this if you actualy want to attend more then anywhere else

By Dallasstar (Dallasstar) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 09:44 pm: Edit

Yeah, I plan to do that tomorrow. Wish me luck ;).

By Purple_Fiish (Purple_Fiish) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 08:58 pm: Edit

did you actually get to talk to an admissions officer? this is very fustrating..i'm on the wait list too and i've been trying to talk to someone, please anyone at all...
i called four times and ALL FOUR TIMES they said all the admissions officers were busy. the girl who answered the phone told me there is basically no information to give me when i asked about how many were waitlisted, etc. i was like, why not?!?? dont you think this is a lil shady.

By Goofy (Goofy) on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 - 08:33 pm: Edit

One small thing:

The stats at the beginning of this thread seem to tell me that about 1 in 20 get in, a bit better, but let's not split hairs. 1 in 20 is not 20 per cent. Its five percent. WashU's admittance is nowhere near 4 thousand, as one person suggested. Regardless of where that stat is, it is wrong. I wouldn't believe it if God himself swore on a stack of Bibles that it was true. I know it isn't. Don't feel bad if you didn't get in. As one person in here has said (and several recent alumni I know as well), WashU's admittance is screwy. But, somewhere in that screwy place they call an admission's office, I'd like to imagine someone in there has an inkling of what they are doing. This may account for WashU's meteoric rise from top 25 to 9th. They know who they want, and they go after them. Furthermore, the "would you really have come here" comment is almost certainly b.s., but let's say its true. If the admission's counselor is asking that, then they probably have a reason besides scores (tons of people who got in have phenomenal scores). If you had a big fancy rich university behind you, and you were letting people in, would you let in the ones with just the best scores, or would you also see if they really want in and for what reasons. The fact that alumni-relations (pappy went to WashU etc.) plays into admissions does not distinguish WashU from any other good school. If you really think that one out, you'll understand why this is the case. Enuf sed. Congrats to all the brilliant people here, you'll do great things, for sure. Just don't take this personally, and don't try to figure out why you didn't get in. There are many, many options.

By Mkjwoa40 (Mkjwoa40) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 04:36 pm: Edit

Responding to Goofy, they don't accept 1,350 students for 1,350 spots in the incoming class. That would be a 100% matriculation rate, even Harvard doesn't have that kind of rate. Wash U's acceptance rate is around 20% because they know that some of the students accepted will choose to go elsewhere. I guess that this post won't do anything to change your mind becuase I am not God and I don't have a stack of Bibles.

By Travism (Travism) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 04:46 pm: Edit

Who all decided to remain on the waitlist? Did anybody decline it? And yeah, they definitely accept 4000 Goofy...

By Goofy (Goofy) on Thursday, April 29, 2004 - 08:11 pm: Edit

I'll take my leather with a hefty scoop of "oops." My bad for confusing admissions and enrollment. God spoke thunderously, I guess

By Angryseniors (Angryseniors) on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 09:12 pm: Edit

Brewster got in off the waitlist. Anybody else heard anything?

By Trebleclef829 (Trebleclef829) on Thursday, June 10, 2004 - 11:39 am: Edit

I got in off the waitlist. They waitlisted a lot of very qualified people. I sent my application reader an update of everything I've done since I've applied. Anyone else who's going? It would be great to talk to you...
the stats:
SATI 1440 V730 M710
SATII Lit720 MathIC710 Writing 700
straight A average - 2/48
6 AP classes
massive extracurriculars

I think that it's crazy to try to predict what colleges will do. I got waitlisted at G-town, Haverford, and Swarthmore (all very differently ranked, different schools). It all depends on how many "people like you" apply and what they're looking for. I'm thrilled about Wash U, and it was always my first choice. Wash U's was the only waitlist I chose to stay on.

Much luck to the rest of the waitlist crew. I hope that everyone has great success at whichever school they attend in the Fall.

By Missmolly (Missmolly) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 07:34 am: Edit

Trebleclef829 and all Wash U students-to-be:

Check out Wash U and other schools that are reviewed by students/ www.studentreview.com
I think you all are going to love Wash U!!!

By Hoya_Saxa01 (Hoya_Saxa01) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 12:14 am: Edit

I think everyone has some pretty valid points about this, but I think everyone goes a little stat-crazy at times. If they based acceptance on just stats, the applications wouldn't be as rigorous as they are. There are essays, interest, interviews, etc. I also got waitlisted to WUSTL. My heart dropped when I read that. WUSTL was my second choice, while Georgetown was my first. My thinking was, "If I can't even get into WUSTL (I know it is a great school, I do; I just thought that GU was higher ranked in academics), how am I ever going to get into Georgetown?" Lo and behold! A few days later my Georgetown acceptance arrived (in a teeny white envelope, by the way). I cried with relief. After reading everyone's stats, I felt like a complete outcast. 1150 SATI, 25 ACT, 590-610-650 SAT II's, but I was #8 in a class of 560 and had excellent references and good extra curriculars. I was so extremely grateful. I have a point, I think. These admission officers look at EVERYTHING. Of course, people with shiny and not so shiny stats will be accepted. Because there are other factors. My interview with GU alumni was awesome! I had such a good time and was able to open up about all of my hopes and worries for my future. I think that had a lot to do with my acceptance. So, don't get discouraged. If you've got great stats, then you should be content in knowing that you are an excellent student. And most likely, you'll know this when you've got acceptance letters from a bunch of other schools. Good luck to all future WUSTL students!

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 01:46 pm: Edit

Almost a full month late...VERY impressive.

By Hoya_Saxa01 (Hoya_Saxa01) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 06:15 pm: Edit

I'm sorry. Has my posting my THOUGHTS upset you? Don't be so uptight. I was trying to be encouraging by telling my story. Holy cow! And ,believe me, I'm not trying to impress anyone.

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 06:25 pm: Edit

Nope, your post was completely legit. I just found humor in the one month response time.

By Hoya_Saxa01 (Hoya_Saxa01) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 08:09 pm: Edit

I didn't discover this site until about 3 days ago when I was doing a google search for dorm room pictures and it gave me this site. I don't understand what's funny about a month lapse in responses, though.

By Milemarker7 (Milemarker7) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 10:34 pm: Edit

Ay, it's getting a little chilly...

By Tao (Tao) on Friday, July 09, 2004 - 06:19 am: Edit

When it comes to being humorous among people you don't know, sarcasm works extremely well, allowing others to see the sincere person inside.

By Kd410 (Kd410) on Friday, July 09, 2004 - 04:37 pm: Edit

i denied my acceptance to Wash U...hope it gets some of the waitlist people, who really want to go there, excepted...good luck next year

By Missmolly (Missmolly) on Friday, July 09, 2004 - 04:46 pm: Edit

Kd410

Where are you going instead? Why not Wash U???