I got an email AND call from admissions -- waitlisted

myronnie · 05-09-2008, 08:21 PM

Dear [name],
I tried calling you last night and today, but thought that maybe I
should email instead. I was so pleased to see that you had returned the
Wait List reply card to us, deciding to stay on the Wait List. I am now
trying to get ready, in case that the Dean gives me the call to start to
consider Wait List candidates. Are you still interested in attending
Swarthmore? If we go to the Wait List it will be for only a few
candidates, and we would like to be able to accommodate those that are
most interested. Please let me know what you are thinking. You can
either respond to this email, call me at the office at 610-328-7764 or
call my cell (after hours or during the weekend).

i don't want to go there...my mom made me apply.
Did any other waitlisted people get these emails?

interesteddad · 05-09-2008, 08:37 PM

Why did you stay on the waitlist if you don't plan to attend? That doesn't make any sense....

That is probably your regional admissions officer trying to go to bat for you in picking the waitlist winners. It would be courteous to e-mail tonight and just say that you've already decided on another school, thanks for the interest, but "no thanks".

Or, just e-mail the truth: "i don't want to go there...my mom made me apply."

That will save everybody from making a big mistake!

myronnie · 05-09-2008, 09:05 PM

ok interesteddad..it wasn't my fault that my mom is a little overbearing on the whole college thing.
yea i wanna know if any other people got the email to see if it was special or something
i already said no i'm going to williams where i got accepted in the first place
and i didn't want to accept the waitlist..i told my mom NO do not send the waitlist postcard and she went on and sent it. i didn't want to be on it because then if i got accepted i would be taking that from another person who would actually wanna go to swarthmore.

interesteddad · 05-09-2008, 09:38 PM

Sounds to me that you might want to quietly e-mail the admissions rep and tell them so that you don't get an acceptance that triggers more issues between you and your mom.

I'm not suggesting it was your "fault". I'm just saying step up and take responsibility and let Swarthmore know. To me, it's jerking a college around for no reason to remain on a waitlist when you have no intention of going. Not that you owe Swarthmore anything...I mean they offered waitlist to you and a thousand of your closest friends.

But still... your admissions officer is a real person who has a stack of "x" number of real people on the waitlist and she's working this weekend trying to engineer a spot in Swarthmore's freshmen class for as many of "her kids" as she can. There's no reason to waste her time.

interesteddad · 05-09-2008, 09:44 PM

To answer your question, yes, your phone call and e-mail was "special" to some degree.

It means that admissions met and Jim Bock told each admissions rep how many slots might be available off the waitlist for each region. They are engaged in a fierce intramural battle to see who gets "their kids" accepted.

Your rep is sitting there with a stack of her choices, calling them to find out this weekend who is and who is not interested so she knows who to go to bat for in the meetings on Monday. She doesn't want to "sell" a kid to the admissions committee only to find out the student didn't even want to attend.

Remember, the Swarthmore admissions reps know these applicants. Admissions reps at Ride the Tide introduce themselves to students and say..."oh wait, you are from Acme High and you are second chair oboe player in the San Antonio Orchestra, right?"

When my wife introduced herself to the Dean of the College during Swarthmore freshman orientation, he said, "oh, must be ******'s Mom. I loved her essay on ******".

A.E. · 05-10-2008, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Sounds to me that you might want to quietly e-mail the admissions rep and tell them so that you don't get an acceptance that triggers more issues between you and your mom.

Sounds to me like you should quit sticking your nose in someone else's family business.

myronnie · 05-10-2008, 06:53 PM

A.E. thankyou!!!!!

lol
stop being so judgemental..

interesteddad · 05-10-2008, 07:17 PM

Hey, you are the one who said that you didn't want to apply. That your mother wrote your essays for you and mailed your applications. And, that your mother sent the card to Swarthmore accepting a position on the waiting list.

I don't know what the deal is between you and your mother, but from what you have described, the last thing on earth you need is your mother getting an acceptance letter from Swarthmore and enrolling you. I'm trying to give you honest advice here. E-mail your admissions rep and take your name out of the hat.

It probably doesn't matter at this point. Jim Bock reads this forum. I doubt you'll be getting any more calls from Swarthmore!

embeezy · 05-10-2008, 07:41 PM

What's with this Capp and Monty bickering between you two?

MBP · 05-10-2008, 10:02 PM

as an outside opinion, I didn't think interesteddad was being very judgemental, but isntead giving his 2 cents (which is what you get when post on a public forum).

my 2 cents is to take the advice given to you, but always with the proper dosage of salt.
maybe intersteddad stepped over the line by making an assumption about your mother, but I think it was merely an observation.
good luck at williams. responding saying you're not interested was the right thing to do.

duckedtape · 05-10-2008, 10:08 PM

where does it say he reads this forum?
and is myronnie really an obvious name?
give me a break

nngmm · 05-10-2008, 10:16 PM

If myronnie does not want people sticking their nose in his business, he should not ask for advice on a public forum. He got an answer to his question. Wasn't that what he asked for??

duckedtape · 05-10-2008, 10:18 PM

he asked
Did any other waitlisted people get these emails?
i dont think idad is a student.

arador · 05-10-2008, 11:36 PM

I actually was talking with Jim Bock yesterday, and he mentioned that a year or two back some student posted something along these lines, admissions rechecked the individual's application, and decided not to offer that student a slot in the class. So while Jim Bock may/may not read these forums, someone from Admissions does. (*waves*) And they take seriously stuff that is posted here.

And yes, I am a student.

BTW—did you know that the common consensus on the Swarthmore 2012 Facebook group seems to be that this forum is a place of overwhelming negativity vs. Swarthmore?

duckedtape · 05-10-2008, 11:41 PM

and yes this board is full of negativity. It was all started by the all work and no play thread.