Did emailing my admissions officers affect my decisions?

Applying to College
1

Hi everyone!

What I did was a little unusual/complicated, so hopefully I can explain it well:

In around mid-March (I know, really late!), after completing a ton of scholarship applications, I realized I could have framed the extracurriculars section of my CommonApp a lot better. I had explained my activities in a super vague way in order to encompass everything I had done (ie. lead meetings, organize conferences) instead of being more specific (start a district-wide program, raise $3k for charity). To me, this seemed like a pretty big deal–really the difference between doing something for the sake of doing it and being truly dedicated.

So, with the help of one of my friends, I wrote an email to each of my regional admissions officers explaining my situation. HOWEVER, I had previously sent an application update to some schools through their portals (I won a state competition), and to avoid coming off as annoying, I did not send them an email. I tried my best to make the emails brief but genuine. I explained why I was sending it so late. And I attached a document with the details, asking them if they could consider it as an “application update, supplementary material, or extended resume” if at all possible.

Honestly, at the time, it didn’t seem like it could hurt me in any way. But maybe I was being rash because I was really worried about my mistakes?

Here are my results. I’ll put a (*) next to the schools I sent an email to:

Brown: Waitlist
Yale (): Rejected
Columbia (): Rejected
Princeton (): Rejected
Dartmouth: Accepted
UPenn (): Rejected
Hopkins: Waitlist
Georgetown: Accepted
Boston College: Accepted
Stanford: Waitlist

(I sent an email to my Stanford admissions officer and got an automated reply that went directly to my spam. All the other officers responded to my email and told me they added the document to my file. By the time I saw the Stanford response in my spam, it was too late to do a follow-up. I’m gonna bet that the admissions officers disregarded my contact.)

Of course, the schools that rejected me have lower acceptance rates, so IT MAKES SENSE that I got into BC, Gtown, and Darty but not HYP etc. I guess the main thing getting me is the Stanford waitlist, especially because that would put me in the top ~6% of applicants. I also always felt my essays for Yale and Princeton were the strongest—they told the most cohesive narrative and I just enjoyed writing their supplements the most. Obviously, my feelings are subjective, though.

How much of a coincidence is it that the four schools I emailed rejected me, with no waitlists at all?

I just want to say extremely grateful for my acceptances (SO excited to be a 22 at Dartmouth or Georgetown). I’m not at all unsatisfied with my results. However, I think my stats are an interesting addition to all the “Should I send an update” threads. Maybe they’ll end up being helpful to next years applicants? Also, ngl, I’m a little curious to hear everyone else’s speculation :stuck_out_tongue:

2

I think it’s a coincidence.

3

Getting accepted to Georgetown and BC is enough school for two lifetimes! Congrats on your success!! Forget the waitlists and rejects, toss them like a used paper cup.

4

Correlation does not imply causation. The colleges that rejected you all have single digit acceptance rates, so the vast majority of applicants should not be surprised to not be accepted. You got into some great schools and will have great options. Don’t waste time looking back. Best of luck.

5

Some of this may be a “know your audience” thing. If your email to the AO was half as long and rambling as that original post, then it did you no favors. The only reason I’m being that direct was your point about helping next year’s applicants because I know that’s not helpful to you and possibly rubbing salt in the wound. I’m sorry if that’s the case.

It’s OK to ramble and rant here on an informal message board but for important communications, short and direct is best.

On the plus side, you have some fantastic colleges to choose from and it sounds like you have a great outlook. Good luck.

6

@milee30 Ahh sorry if it was too long to read :’) I thought more details would make is more useful. The email ended up being 2 paragraphs, 4 sentences each. Thanks for your input!

7

No need to apologize - anyone who doesn’t want to read it doesn’t have to. Problem solved.

It’s only an issue when a person sends a long, unedited, stream of consciousness message to another person who is (or feels) obligated to read it. And it becomes more of an imposition if the recipient is busy. Like AOs are at the peak of admission season.

8

More likely the rejection/waitlists.were a result of the school’s extremely low acceptance rates and the fact that many well qualified applicants do not get in due to space constraints. But the bottom line is you will never know for sure why you got into one college and not another.

IMO it is time to stop looking at the past and start to look forward. I strongly suggesthat you focus your full attention on choosing a college home from among your fabulous acceptances.

9

As @skieurope wrote above, “correlation does not imply causation.” You would not be rejected somewhere for sending an update or for being invested in a particular school. They did not move you from the “Accept” pile to the “Reject” pile because you sent an update. Don’t worry.

On the other hand, as your thought was to give a heads up to future applicants, if the schools state they don’t want updates, your efforts may be completely wasted if you send anyhow. Many schools are honest that extra updates get filed-in the trash.

@skieurope will be thrilled to know my DD will likely join him at that little known college west of Boston in the Fall.