<p>
</p>
<p>You may “believe” it. That doesn’t make it true. The admissions department clearly didn’t think it was true.</p>
<p>Lots of people are “qualified” to attend Ivy League schools, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will get in. Can you imagine how vast any college would have to be to provide living spaces for every single student with a 3.5+ gpa in the United States?</p>
<p>Perhaps this is not the thread for this, but …</p>
<p>I am curious why someone with the apparent qualifications of the OP would not have applied early decision to the college they wanted to attend after researching for the best fit. I see no reason for collecting acceptances and wasting effort & time on applying to schools that they would probably not attend anyways.</p>
<p>Are any guidance counselors reading this thread? What advice would you have given back in September?</p>
<p>^I think that it may be because the OP did not wish to have to give up her chance at Harvard or Princeton, or at least the chance to be accepted by them.</p>
<p>I think that after you get past the objective checkpoint, it comes down to the question–is this student right for our school, and is our school right for this student? I think that colleges are concerned about fit just as much as students are, and don’t want to accept people simply because they are qualified. You don’t see WashU as the right school for you, WashU may have realized the same thing.</p>
<p>I felt the same when I was waitlisted alongside a bunch of less qualified student, but you know what I found out?</p>
<p>It’s not just the numbers and packing on your application that matter.</p>
<p>Which I found as a good thing. Since no matter what your numbers are, if you don’t connect through your essay, it’s hard to accept you.</p>
<p>And WashU has a reputation for waitlist “overqualified” students that they predict getting into better schools and it would be a waste of space on their admit list. Which I believe describes you.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is a very astute observation. This can present special problems for the superbly-qualified applicant: The stats, ECs, and essays are outstanding, but if one hasn’t figured out the intangible of “fit”, then you probably cannot use a shotgun approach with the very top-tier schools because you are competing with applicants with similar stats who may also have figured out how to spin “fit”.</p>
<p>Well, I heard they need people who really showed great interest in them, not people who is like “yeah I really like the school but I ain’t going because I have better choice”. </p>
<p>So I guess maybe those admission officers did consider some fact that you are too good, but don’t take it too seriously, it’s just a “guess”.</p>
<p>WashU also asks for alot of information about major and ECs the applicant will participate in, so each applicant is not competing for a spot in the university as a whole, but for a place in a particular college and to fill in a complete picture for the school. </p>
<p>You can look at the waitlist for all the top schools and see that “more qualified” students got waitlisted over accepted ones. As has been said ad nauseum, it is not a simple numbers game. These schools are creating a well-rounded student body and encouraging a particular culture.</p>
<p>I take it as a tribute to WashU that they do look at fit. This gives credence to the view that the school will feel more like a smaller college than an impersonal insitution. When I read that the student body is “caring, involved, friendly,” this descripion fits my admitted daughter to a T.</p>
<p>So they actually considered which major you planned to join into admission?</p>
<p>I’m glad you were waitlisted. I don’t mean that in a harsh way, but from the get-go, you considered WashU as a safety. </p>
<p>The admissions guys prefer not to be considered second-rate and they aren’t. But they are not ivy league and therefore have to be delicate about who they thought wouldn’t really accept their acceptance. (That’s also why I believe Harvard and Princeton do not have ED. Their yield is already high.) </p>
<p>It’s about fit as SDon wrote. One of the ways they know you’re ra-ra-WashU is if you visited. Did you demonstrate interest? Interviews are not required, but did you have one?</p>
<p>Their application is pretty easy–no extra supplements–so they have to really look at other factors. Georgetown has a different process: their application is so unyielding that it takes a very motivated applicant to complete it. UChicago has its crazy essay.</p>
<p>It’s all “our” fault really. If kids didn’t apply to so many colleges, the colleges would have a better sense of who really wants to go. Then, they’d just look at scores and gpa to see who can cut it there.</p>
<p>I don’t know how the major you put down fits into their admissions decisions. I"m just a parent! But, I would imagine that it goes into the thinking process. Or not. They do say it’s for advising purposes and students can switch once they get there, but I would have to guess that if they have 10,000 students wanting physics, for example, and only 300 for English, say, then it would harder to get in as a physics major!</p>
<p>You would be amazed what you can read into an application packet, after you have read thousands of them - year after year. Yes, fit is a very important part of the process, since WashU is assembling a mosaic to continue the existing feel and personality of the existing campus culture. If you think that is easy, then try to put together a puzzle with 25,000 pieces.</p>
<p>SDonCC- they don’t consider by major, they consider by school.</p>
<p>Ie they admit a certain number who put arts & sciences as first, a certain number of engineers, etc. Some of the smaller schools could not possibly handle having the number that a&s does (imagine architecture trying to deal with 800 students in one year if there was a serious fluke!).</p>
<p>Sure people switch (and its very easy to do so), but it tends to remain fairly constant overall from what I’ve observed (I know a lot who have switched out of engineering, but a lot who have switched in).</p>
<p>Logic…uncertainty…logic…uncertainty…deal with what you know…you have a great record of performance; the WUSTL status is not a statement about you as a person but simply a reflection of supply and demand; you are highly likely to be accepted to one or more fine colleges; have you never ‘lost’ to another person? for a position or opportunity?; if not you can learn from this and move on; Logic? how much logic would you perceive in your anticipatory state (mentally/physiologically) in what the Univ is doing? Not much…you are supremely biased towards…ta dah…yourself of course. I do think it is telling you would not attend WUSTL according to an earlier response; it suggests adcom at WUSTL pegged you just right…using WUSTL as ‘backup’. They gotcha!!!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No. WUSTL knows exactly what it’s doing.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No. The admissions department clearly thinks the OP is TOO qualified.</p>
<p><<<no. but=“” is=“” that=“” the=“” point?=“”>>></no.></p>
<p>Yes, I think it is; psychically, Wash U. knew. I think it right that your “deserved” spot might have gone to someone for whom attending Wash U. meant everything. Was it possible that your “less qualified” friend (maybe, he/she was qualified in a way that you weren’t, that is not measurable by objective criteria) was earnest about attending Wash U?</p>
<p>I think that what largely enhances the CRAZINESS around the college admissions process is all the disingenuous applicants who don’t care a fig about attending the respective institution to which they are applying. Much easier, integrity-ridden process, if students applied to heartfelt safeties, targets, and reaches. In some way, the EDers have the most sincere applications, then, I suppose.</p>
<p><<<Perhaps this is not the thread for this, but …</p>
<p>I am curious why someone with the apparent qualifications of the OP would not have applied early decision to the college they wanted to attend after researching for the best fit. I see no reason for collecting acceptances and wasting effort & time on applying to schools that they would probably not attend anyways.</p>
<p>Are any guidance counselors reading this thread? What advice would you have given back in September?>></p>
<p>Voice of sanity!</p>
<p><<it’s all=“” “our”=“” fault=“” really.=“” if=“” kids=“” didn’t=“” apply=“” to=“” so=“” many=“” colleges,=“” the=“” colleges=“” would=“” have=“” a=“” better=“” sense=“” of=“” who=“” really=“” wants=“” go.=“” then,=“” they’d=“” just=“” look=“” at=“” scores=“” and=“” gpa=“” see=“” can=“” cut=“” it=“” there.=“”>></it’s></p>
<p>Exactly with the proviso that the schools would look at data and the more personal aspects of the application–essays, interests, recs, etc.</p>
<p>First of all, liberration: CONGRATS!!! 
I’m sure you’ll love WashU
Second: thanks for all the replies guys, all of you definitely had some good points. Yes, you are right- I probably will not attend WashU. And certainly, WashU has every right to reject me…It’s a fantastic school with great programs and kids. I suppose the fit factor is a large part of my rejection, as I didn’t interview or visit WashU. I don’t want to subscribe to the overqualified argument because in reality, I don’t think I am. There are certainly a few hundred kids much more qualified than I am. I just feel that in terms of the caliber of kids who apply/attend to WashU (for the most part), I am definitely on par with their academic/extracurricular/passion abilities. This is not at all a post about me whining, because I’m really not special when looking at tens of thousands of kids, so please understand that. I just don’t feel that with my credentials, I should have been put on the waitlist. How does WU know that I, in all likelihood, will not attend?</p>
<p>^Simple. It’s their job and they can see through your application.</p>
<p>Also, with your credentials, they see you getting into more noteworthy schools and giving you an acceptance is a waste of a slot for someone more set on WashU.</p>