Do you know anyone who has actually been shut out?

[Anonymous]

Curious if (now that the dust has settled) do you know any kids who were shut out?
Not shut out as in "has to attend UVA or JMU instead of a top 20 school" but truly shut out?

[Anonymous]

Considering that there are respectable, safety-for-all colleges still accepting applications, I don't think this is really a significant thing.

A student having an inadequate number or inappropriate safeties on their list is not really that interesting.

[Anonymous]

For those cases, there is a list published by May 1st of every spring called the NACAC list of schools (including fairly respectable schools) still looking for applicants. I know someone who took advantage of that last year. Don't expect any merit or FA though.

[Anonymous]

It ain't over till its over

There's always anyone-with-a-pulse schools that accept kids until August, gap years, community college to guaranteed transfer

Land of second chances

[Anonymous]

My colleague said her son didn’t get into anywhere last year and spent the year at home re-applying. I have no idea of the circumstances. They live in a fairly rural area so he wasn’t dealing with the DMV rat race but perhaps his HS is not good. I don’t know the current status

[Anonymous]

There was a girl in my HS who applied basically to all the Ivies...and UNC. She was a UNC legacy (we were NOT in NC).

She was pretty disappointed that Chapel Hill was her ONLY choice.

Most people would have been thrilled with that, especially these days.

I know that isn't exactly shut out, but it is definitely one of those "maybe you needed a better list" situations.

[Anonymous]

Yes. A kid who considered their safeties to be JMU and Pitt. They didn't get in anywhere. Will be doing CC and reapplying next year.

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of colleges with rolling admissions out there, they just aren't "prestigious" in some eyes.

[Anonymous]

Haven't heard about complete shut outs, but many kids unhappy with their options. Mostly one or two tiers down from where they thought they'd be.

[Anonymous]

No - not one. Plenty of complaining but no one I know has zero options and I know a lot of kids that span this year and last year's applicants.

[Anonymous]

Yes, a couple of years ago the child of a couple of Ivy grads was shut out from their list of all reach schools (I think UVA was the school on the list with the highest acceptance rate).
The parents were a little older and didn't get the memo that college admissions had changed just a bit since they applied in the late 70's, so they thought their kid's 4.something weighted GPA from a decent NOVA public and 1400+ SAT was the golden ticket. Some people tried to tell them, but they thought they knew better.

Kid did get into one of those private colleges that still needed students after April 1, and is doing well last I heard.

[Anonymous]

One of mine was shut out from Ivies, waitlisted to each Ivy he applied to, had two T20 offers (coveted half tuition merit award at one) and state with honors and full ride. Funny thing is that he is genuinely everything Ivy looks for. I think his Uber competitive public high school had too many good applicants and counselors were too overwhelmed and indifferent to care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of mine was shut out from Ivies, waitlisted to each Ivy he applied to, had two T20 offers (coveted half tuition merit award at one) and state with honors and full ride. Funny thing is that he is genuinely everything Ivy looks for. I think his Uber competitive public high school had too many good applicants and counselors were too overwhelmed and indifferent to care.

Genuinely curious, if your kid has everything the Ivies look for - what was the counselor supposed to do? Sounds like your kid was well prepared but didn't win the admissions lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't heard about complete shut outs, but many kids unhappy with their options. Mostly one or two tiers down from where they thought they'd be.

Yes, have heard of alot of this, but no one who is actually shut out. This is our first rodeo so not sure if this is normal or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering that there are respectable, safety-for-all colleges still accepting applications, I don't think this is really a significant thing.

A student having an inadequate number or inappropriate safeties on their list is not really that interesting.

I don't think in current times it's hard to envision someone with what seems like an adequate number of appropriate safeties getting shut out of those . . . seemed to be a bit of a pattern of some safeties WL or rejecting kids who were likely too qualified, presumably because they weren't going to come there anyway.

Should this happen? No. Could it? Absolutely, even if you're applying to 6 safeties.