i think 'enraging' is a bit strong but I kind of get the sentiment. In a typical year waitlists and rejections are both rejections. This year, not so much. And yet the kids we know who were waitlisted and those who were rejected were pretty much the same kids, qualification wise. My own kid applied to about 10 top20 schools with top grades, stats, extracurriculars, yada yada. Was admitted outright to 2, waitlisted at 3 and rejected at 5. He's since been admitted to all the waitlisted schools (insane year) but his top choice was one of the rejections. There is no way he wasn't qualified to go to the rejected school but for whatever reason, he wasn't chosen and as such, his story at that school ended there. But kids from his school with identical or lesser stats who were waitlisted there have since all come off. So there is definitely a sense this year that falling on the right side of the waitlist/rejection divide (which in any other year are both rejections) meant everything. I get it that this is all a first world problem and life will go on. Just sharing the psychology of it all to a teenager. |
It's emotional language in an emotional moment, so I guess I tend to give a lot of grace. It is an atypical year and reopened a wound for them. |
In the era of Trump, a WL is not ever a rejection. May be true for the next few years. |
I assume schools can't plan well this year because Trump and his henchmen might forbid the foreign students from re-entering the country for the new semester. They could very well lose previously foreign students in addition to new foreign students not being allowed to come to the US in the first place.
Opening the WL seems smart if the above is true. |
If you're asking us to pity a kid who got into 5 tops 20s you're on the wrong website. |
kids have been getting off waitlists since forever. |
I'd like to hear more about your child getting off of 3 waitlists. Must be quite the whiplash. Did your child send LOCI to all three? Did your child switch schools and then switch again? Or just stick with one of the original schools that admitted them? |
You’d like? Who are you? No, no tips for you. |
Sent LOCI to all three. Ended up going with the first waitlist offer, declined the next 2. Had never visited 2 of the 3 so kept those open and visited them when offers came in. |
We know someone admitted from the WL this year by: Brown, Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Columbia this year.
Insane year. |
where are they going? Agree that it's been a crazy year for the very top kids. Everyone is fighting over them. Lots of other kids (those a hair down in qualifications) have not received offers. |
I am the PP and parent of two high school kids. I am not looking for tips - I am just thinking that for a parent, it must be exciting to have your child get off of so many waitlists, but also have some mixed feelings since your child has already made a decision and it's a mental shift. Like, maybe if one of these WL schools had admitted your student earlier, maybe they would attended admitted students day and liked that school over the school where they put in a deposit by May 1st. |
Yes, it has been a crazy year, considering all of these top schools pay consultants to tell them how many to accept. |
My kid applied to Duke ED and got rejected. No deferrals or waitlists were available for ED - you're either in or out with no recourse. Wonder how many of those students would have ended up on the WL if they applied RD. |
Chiming in on the “enraged” parent. I get it. Was in the same boat with Duke. To now see kids get off WL in July who may have had lesser qualifications is really crappy. Good for those kids - they stuck it out. But it sucks. |