williams, amherst, swarthmore, pomona, bowdoin, haverford decisions today

[Anonymous]

And that is why tuition is so high, paying for the coaches and athletic facilities. Nobody watches some of these obscure sports anyways and yet the colleges recruit for all these sports. It’s a real shame that All sports matter more than academic achievements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

Why? They told you the rules beforehand - if your kids wanted to take advantage of their legacy status, they had to apply ED. Your kids chose not to take their golden ticket and now you're all out of joint that they're not getting the special treatment THEY CHOSE to reject.

Did your kids take advantage of the extra college counseling help the College offers children of alumni? Did they set up a meeting with a Dean who will go over your child's information and give a candid assessment of their admission chances? Did they participate in the "Admission 101" program the College puts on every year? https://alumni.williams.edu/events/admission-101/

Williams is a great school. Sorry it didn't teach you to take responsibility for your own failures.

[Anonymous]

DC Public School straight As, 9 APs, >1500 SAT

Amherst - R
Bowdoin - WL
Williams - WL
Haverford - A

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

They could fill their entire class with legacy applicants. Do you think that is the way these schools should all go? If not, then someone has to be the legacy applicant who doesn't get in. And...even if they filled the entire class with legacy applicants, there would still be legacy applicants who don't get in. Kind of a no-win, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC Public School straight As, 9 APs, >1500 SAT

Amherst - R
Bowdoin - WL
Williams - WL
Haverford - A

Congratulations! Haverford is an amazing school...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

Why? They told you the rules beforehand - if your kids wanted to take advantage of their legacy status, they had to apply ED. Your kids chose not to take their golden ticket and now you're all out of joint that they're not getting the special treatment THEY CHOSE to reject.

Did your kids take advantage of the extra college counseling help the College offers children of alumni? Did they set up a meeting with a Dean who will go over your child's information and give a candid assessment of their admission chances? Did they participate in the "Admission 101" program the College puts on every year? https://alumni.williams.edu/events/admission-101/

Williams is a great school. Sorry it didn't teach you to take responsibility for your own failures.

Yep. The kid ( read the legacy parent) "wasn't ready" to apply ED to Williams despite the fact that at Williams, specifically applying ED as a legacy IS the hook. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC Public School straight As, 9 APs, >1500 SAT

Amherst - R
Bowdoin - WL
Williams - WL
Haverford - A

That's wild. I would've thought Bowdoin would have been an Admit for a kid with your stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

I know it is disappointing but if you went to Williams you surely have better critical thinking skills than this? Or is it just an exaggerated sense of entitlement? My DC didn't get accepted at my Ivy alma mater and I was disappointed but didn't blame the school or take it personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC Public School straight As, 9 APs, >1500 SAT

Amherst - R
Bowdoin - WL
Williams - WL
Haverford - A

That's wild. I would've thought Bowdoin would have been an Admit for a kid with your stats.

Bowdoin has a 9% acceptance rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

I know it is disappointing but if you went to Williams you surely have better critical thinking skills than this? Or is it just an exaggerated sense of entitlement? My DC didn't get accepted at my Ivy alma mater and I was disappointed but didn't blame the school or take it personally.

Ouch. I'm comfortable with my critical thinking skills. I am wondering if you read that I fully understand that no one is entitled to admission (and that that by not applying ED, my kids lost whatever benefit legacy status would have given them). All I said was that I was mad at the College. I know the rejections weren't made because of anything having to do with me. Most likely the rejections were just a function of the number of applicants (with the caveat that maybe my kids didn't cut it relative to other admitted students, though I doubt that's true). Doesn't mean I can't be mad at the College. As I said before, the College doesn't really have any more claim to my "loyalty" than I do to its loyalty to me. Its just become more of an arms-length relationship than it was. That's OK. I'll survive, the College will survive, and my kids will certainly survive. I think Williams can provide a fantastic experience and education, but its not the only place on earth where that can happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Denied - Swarthmore
Waitlist - Haverford
Accepted - UVA

Doesn’t make sense! If good enough for UVA, absolutely at least WL at Swarthmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC Public School straight As, 9 APs, >1500 SAT

Amherst - R
Bowdoin - WL
Williams - WL
Haverford - A

That's wild. I would've thought Bowdoin would have been an Admit for a kid with your stats.

Definitely pick Bowdoin over Williams any day. The town for Bowdoin is so nice, so safe, and so welcoming. Academics for top SLAC all about the same. So just because Williams ranks higher, it doesn’t mean it is better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

did your DC apply ED?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

With those stats, there's nothing wrong with a legacy admit in this case. Clearly qualified.

But did they apply ED?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williams is tiny and half the kids there are legacies.

Didn't help my kid, with straight A's in HS and a 4.53 wGPA, a 35 ACT, and good EC's. Second kid who didn't get in to Williams, notwithstanding legacy status. Both kids were easily qualified to get in. I get that there are tons of super qualified kids who are rejected every year, but its really left a sour taste in my mouth. Gonna be a while before I think fondly of Williams again. I'll remember the good education and experience I had there, and I value the friends I made there, but I'm pretty mad at the College right now.

I'm also a Williams alum and I understand your disappointment. I do need to ask, though, whether you and your kids were aware that legacy status will really only be considered in the early round?

I was wondering this too. Because all the schools I know that give legacy preference, it only helps if you apply ED.

Disappointed Williams alum here from upthread: I've been told this in the past, and the legacy kids I know that have gotten in to Williams and other similar schools generally have applied ED. But my kid wasn't ready to commit to Williams at that point, so ED wasn't a good option for him. And to be clear, I knew that he wasn't entitled to anything, and that getting in was never a sure thing. The College has its own admissions priorities, and my smallish (but until now incredibly consistent donations) were not going to move the needle. But the College has made a statement to me that I'm not terribly important to it, and that approach will likely go both ways in the future. Its disappointing, because one of the great things about Williams is the community it fosters, both while in school and throughout life. (Its always been amazing to me to see how many Williams widows (who never went to Williams) come to the 50th reunions). And while I'm not in the least bit upset at my Williams community, my relationship with the College itself has been damaged.

DC was considering three schools - legacy at one and zero hooks at the other two. DC good at math, so DH finally framed it in terms of stats and visuals. Showed how ED works for legacy in first round (different pile), then in second (much larger pile as not URM, obviously not first gen, etc). Then showed no hook piles at the other two schools. DC ended up applying ED at legacy school and got in. Now another classmate who is legacy just got in RD as they had applied REA at other parent legacy and deferred. So maybe it would have worked out for our DC, but DC decided to go with safer bet.