<p>My daughter has been rejected from 3 schools so far. Her major is Polital Science. In reading the accepted threads, it appears many with lesser stats have been accepted but to different majors. Is policital science just a tough major to get in to?</p>
<p>I don’t think so.</p>
<p>There are other factors in admissions (ECs, essay, etc). But there is also the “lottery” aspect to admissions when so many applicants apply for so few spaces. Luck can be a big part of it. I hope there are some fat envelopes coming soon for your daughter!</p>
<p>Not really. Perhaps those who were accepted were URMs (under-represented minorities), athletes, legacies or they had other hooks. Or perhaps extracurriculars were a major consideration. Geography can also play a part. Without more details, it’s hard to say what the issue might be.</p>
<p>I think Political Science is one of the more impacted liberal arts majors along with Psych and English. It seems acceptances have been all over the place this year. Kids are getting into schools that are much more competitive and wait-listed and rejected from safeties. The URM and other “hooks” generally do not apply to State schools at least in CA, so that may leave major as a huge factor. </p>
<p>With the increase in applications at schools this year, I have also wondered if seattle_mom’s point is valid. When you have a school sorting through 60K applications are they really looking at each and every application?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input. My daughter is in Europe for spring break so Im home alone while she’s rcvg these rejection notices. My heart is breaking for her! We also rvd a waitlist notification from her dream school, Pepperdine the day she left. Just waiting on Vanderbilt now… I really hope they look at the whole package, unlike the UC’s whom as Yenmor says, couldn’t possibly review all 60K applications.</p>
<p>College admissions are more than just test scores. Significant weight is given to factors like essays, teacher/counselor recommendations, rigor of course load, and overcoming diversity and things like that. If they were simply “not able to possibly read that many applications” then I would have noticed some iffy anomalies among who was rejected and who was accepted among my classmates, who are a pretty comprehensive group of high-level students.</p>
<p>Instead of simply assuming that your daughter’s application wasn’t read (which I know is an easier thing to think) remember that no one knows exactly what those admissions committee members are looking for, and that a denial of acceptance isn’t rejecting your daughter; it’s rejecting a piece of paper. College will be an enlightening and educational experience wherever she attends.</p>
<p>I understand that it’s a mother’s first instinct to comfort her children, but I find it disrespectful to both admissions committees and to students applying for a fair chance (and especially to those who were actually accepted) that some people simply assume, “Oh, they can’t possibly read all the applications.” I think they do. UC’s included.</p>
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<p>I just wanted to clarify that my post was not meant to imply that the adcoms aren’t reading all of the applications. Luck can be whether they need more people from Nebraska, have too many dancers, or have 40% more applicants this year.</p>
<p>Rigor of course load could very well be the problem. While she’s maintained a 4.0 all thru high school, she hasnt taken as many AP classes as she could have.</p>
<p>I like what the admissions director at Lehigh said in the info session that we attended last summer. It made me look at the admissions process differently and with some perspective. This is generally what he said:</p>
<p>Please remember our admission selection process is competitive. We are not simply admitting students we are selecting a class.
He went on to point out that often the applicant with the best stats is not selected for admission because they are selecting students to create an interesting and diverse class.</p>
<p>I hope your daughter hears happy Vandy news!</p>