Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid got off waitlist for school I suspect you’re speaking about a few years ago. They are making a name for themselves on campus. There was not a deficiency, just a lack of space. Ignore everyone saying otherwise.
Of course it's not always a deficiency. But if
acceptance rates are 5-7%, that means 93-95% of applicants are REJECTED. And of those, majority are actually qualified and have what the school wants. There just isn't space. Now the issue is with parents thinking someone with a 1560 and 4.0UW and 10AP is better than someone with a 1500/3.95UW/5 AP because that is all their HS has (or even if they have more, kid didn't take it). At some point, essays do matter, and yes it's a fine line between acceptance and rejection when I suspect only 5-15% of those applying are not actually "qualified" candidates. It's a numbers game and someone "qualified" should easily understand that
And yes realize that others may actually have a better essay or teacher recommendations or just better life story---these top schools are looking for game changers, including those who have not had all the privileges for the first 18 years of their lives.