<p>My D was wait listed and must decide whether to enter that very uncomfortable place known as wait list limbo. She was accepted at some excellent schools but Wesleyan was her number one choice. The known facts as I have them are that 350 applicants were admitted early decision for an expected class of 745. That leaves 395 for regular decision. The letter says that in recent years as many as ninety have been admitted and as few as eleven. The letter also says, rather mysteriously, that people will be taken from the wait list if fewer than 745 accept the initial offers; mysteriously because how could there be 745 initial offers when 350 were admitted early decision and are obligated to attend? </p>
<p>In any event, if are only 395 slots available in a year when applications were up 22 percent Id guess the odds are extremely poor. Unless, of course, a lot of those admits were really aiming for, and admitted to, an ivy (joke!).</p>
<p>Impossible to calculate, I know. But any thoughts out there?</p>
<p>I don’t think calculating chances is useful (or productive). If Wesleyan was her first choice (and still is), she should accept the spot on the waiting list, I think – that’s what waiting lists are for
Maybe have her write to admissions explaining that Wes was her first choice and try to sway them or something?
Good luck!!</p>
<p>If she doesn’t accept a spot on the waitlist, won’t she always have a “what if I had gotten in” lingering regret? I would. So, if Wesleyan is still her top choice (might change this month as she bonds with the school she is accepting), I think she should get on the list and see what happens (understanding the low chance of coming off the list). Last year my impression was that males on the waitlist were more successful, but this is not confirmed and could certainly change this year.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to be overly pessimistic but Wesleyan (like most other schools) tries to maintain a class balanced at 50:50 for gender. More females apply and females tend to have high credentials, especially grades, so that makes it harder for girls to get admitted as compared to boys. Wes will use the waitlist to maintain the gender balance in their class. So, it is likely to be harder for a female to get admitted from the waitlist than a male. And, if my calculations are accurate (see thread on 22 % increase in applicants), I think it’s unlikely Wes will use the waitlist much this year. They seem to have assumed the same yield as in the past in a year in which Wes seems to be “hot.” I think they are at risk of having ten more students than they claim to want. So, unfortunately, I think this is a poor year for a D to be on the waitlist. I agree there is no harm to staying on the waitlist. And, as a university professor (not at Wesleyan), I can attest to the fact that waitlisted students do every bit as well as other students when they are admitted. A letter saying she absolutely would accept their offer even if it arrives on September 1st would definitely help her chances of being admitted off the waitlist. In a year in which the admissions office has been instructed to help bring in more revenue through extra seats in the class, such a letter could tip the balance (especially if your D’s credentials might help their overall statistics). Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure Wes admitted close to an even number of males and females… it’s that they rejected more females. I don’t think anyone knows the ratio of the waitlist, so it’s impossible to say whether a female is worse off for being on the waitlist. (although probably not advantageous to be female, it could be about equal) I agree though, that Wes may have admitted a few too many students. Hopefully they won’t hit 746+…</p>
<p>I just meant that the credentials of females are usually higher than the credentials of males at small liberal arts colleges which are attractive to women, because they get more female applicants, yet admit equal numbers of men and women.</p>
