<p>Wow, certainly a lot of back and forth on this thread.</p>
<p>For any student not admitted, it’s never one specific thing that would have made the difference. It’s not as if this one class or this one grade or this one section of the SAT was the factor that made or broke the decision. When strong students such as yourself aren’t admitted, it’s a reflection of the overall strength of the applicant pool and not any wrongdoing on your part.</p>
<p>Holistic review means numbers (GPA/SAT) are several factors of many taken into account during our review but they are far from the only factors. That is why some students with similar numbers got in while others with similar or even better numbers did not. Numbers alone never make or break a decision. Numbers in conjunction with additional information (essays, extracurricular activities, leadership potential, recommendations, and yes, even a “hook”) help us to arrive at a decision.</p>
<p>Remember, there isn’t an average GPA. GPA is very contextual by school. So at Runners2’s school, the average GPA of those we admit might be a 4.3 but at another school, it might be a 3.8. Clearly, Runners2’s school has GPAs above a 4.0. Some schools do not. That’s why we don’t have an average GPA because it may mean nothing given your particular school.</p>
<p>Any deferred student can send additional information to be considered regular decision (first-semester grades, new SATs/ACTs, new information, etc).</p>
<p>For more on not being admitted, check this out. It reinforces the notion that it wasn’t something you did wrong, it was simply a reflection of how many students out there do so much right. [W&M</a> Blogs It’s Not You, It’s Us](<a href=“http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/03/25/its-not-you-its-us/]W&M”>http://blogs.wm.edu/2010/03/25/its-not-you-its-us/)</p>