@sflmom haha that clears it up!
They could have also used the E triple M method. (Eeeny Meany Miney Moe).
It is important to realize that none of these decisions should be used to measure your self-worth.
Again, what is important to keep in mind that you can get anywhere from W&M you can from UVA (and vice versa). What is far more important is what you make of it. And if you do go to W&M but find you still want to go to UVA, the transfer route is still open to you.
It’s funny to me how NoVA parents seem to think they have a greater percentage of highly qualified students. I have a two nieces who attend high school in Loudoun County. They told me that midterms and finals were “done away with” because parents complained that those big exams “brought their grades down”. I simply couldn’t believe it. However, I looked at the high school’s VDOE report card and guess what? MOST of the senior class suddenly has a 4.0 GPA or higher. Meanwhile at my “rest of Virginia” high school, the average GPA is a B. Are we dumber than the NOVA school? Well, I then compared the SAT scores. Our “rest of Virginia” high school had a higher average SAT score. Oh and also, we had a higher pass rate (%) for AP Exams. So I think the question is not “do we have too many qualified students in NoVA” but more like “do NoVA high schools have so much grade inflation that it is now hurting them.”
To address some recent comments…
-I’m not saying all admission officers are perfect, but this notion that we would take something like a car accident out on our students is pretty far fetched. We arrive at our decisions over the course of several months (as this year’s seniors know all too well) and multiple people weigh in on each file. New professionals are heavily supervised throughout their first few seasons as they develop their reading habits.
-Most schools have read electronically for years at this point, so Red Poodles’ story must be either quite old or about a school that is woefully behind the times. Our last year of having paper files was 2007 and we were not on the forefront of the paperless movement in admission.
-We don’t have an initial round that is purely based on numbers (my next point explains why). We read the entire file, front the back and write our notes. I would imagine that that sort of practice (a first round based on stats) might be more common in states with university grading scales and GPA/ranking methodology. That isn’t how things work in Virginia. 
-School-specific stats like GPA and rank don’t tell you much about preparation (the progression of courses and grades on the transcript do). Practices vary a lot. I have schools that give #1 status to anyone with a 4.0 in their weighted system (10-15% of the class wind up with a #1 ranking). I have schools where There are schools where you almost never see a B and schools where you almost never see an A. The counselors provide a profile that explains how their school operates and we use that to adjust to read to the student’s file. Even when I know a school really well, I start with the profile because things change from year to year.
Exo, I think you should spend a week immersed in all things W&M. Dig in and revel in everything Williamsburg has to offer. Look at social feeds and geotags. You’ll see that most students who land there are happy and engaged. Maybe take a few moments to marvel at how nice you look in green.
I hope you can feed off of the excitement of all the people in this thread who are rooting for you. Hang in there.
@“Dean J” thank you for your reply! While I would be elated if I get off the waitlist at UVA, I am still looking forward to all that is offered at W&M. It means a lot coming from you, especially since it is another college.
Again, I appreciate how you reply to all of our concerns. It means a lot to see that you care about us, and that we are not just a number.
OK, let’s calm down. There are thousands of extremely qualified students each year who cannot be offered admission because of a limited number of seats. If UVa doubled in size, most of these students could be admitted, but then UVa would not be UVa. UVa has already had a 30% increase in undergrad enrollment in the last 15 years, but applicants doubled in that time. Part of the problem is that the population of Virginia increased substantially in recent years.
@exoheat11 : “@redpoodles adcom was high while determining student futures??? that’s dope!!11!!111!1!”
Got to admit it, you made me laugh out loud with that.
I guess laughing is appropriate because admissions is a joke. (JUST KIDDING)