Tech’s pretty clear on wait list protocol via the FAQ’s page. Current emotions are understandable - maybe take a minute and think about whether he wants to be THAT student re: the call/letter, etc. I would be very surprised if his HS guidance staff actually makes any call, whether they tell him up front that they can’t/won’t make that call. Not being confrontational, just realistic.
Thanks all for the added advice.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with writing a letter of continued interest to admissions They want to know anyone they pull off WL will def. commit. Another thing that a former AO told me is that ability to pay may play a role on who gets off. They may decide they don’t want to provide aid to anyone admitted off WL.
Yep - although I’d assume that any merit or general scholarships will be gone, as well. Right? And my son was pretty jacked up about the Galileo LLC, which might be out of rooms by then. Here’s to hoping things work themselves out. 
Trying to figure out the whole policy. Student was a Davenport finalist (highest COE scholarship) and ended up wait listed. 4.56 GPA, IB school, 1350 SAT and extra curriculars with leadership roles out the wazoo. I hope they are forthcoming with an explanation as to why students with far less credentials were granted admissions.
I’m sorry for your disappointment, it seems many strong students were not accepted, or waitlisted to VT this cycle.
My advice is to have a talk with your D’s GC…they should be the one to call admissions to see if they can get any feedback wrt your D’s application.
VT has holistic admissions, which means many factors are evaluated when making the admissions decision…not just GPA, test scores, and rigor. There is a list on VT’s website detailing these factors.
What holistic means is that one can’t compare just stats when wondering why Student A was accepted with lower stats vs your D’s higher stats. There’s just too much we don’t know…about your D’s app, and the content of others’ apps.
For example, we don’t know your D’s unweighted GPA or math SAT score, which are both very important pieces of info for COE admission. Other components, such as essays, ethnicity, volunteer experience, first gen, legacy, and more, are also important factors in VT admissions decisions.
Fundamentally, VT is building a class comprised of individuals with the traIts that when combined, create the class they want. That’s why you will see applicants with lower stats accepted over those with higher stats, especially when you look across majors.
I hope that your D has at least one other acceptance that she can commit to and be excited about.
Good luck.
Thanks… she has been accepted the University of Wisconsin - Madison school of engineering, Missouri Science and Tech (with large scholarship), and has a good chance at Cornell. I know a lot of very strong students have been wait listed this year. School counselors are in shock. I am a cynic when it comes to things like this, so I see the holistic thing as very non-committal, without criteria they cannot be held accountable.
I do not have her unweighted GPA, in her HS career she has 2 A-s and 1 B+, all others are A or A+, Math SAT is 680. Volunteer out the wazoo, from events to VCU childcare, dental assistant on mission trips to Guatemala, proficient in Spanish and Korean (Korean ethnicity). A high performer all around. Looking at many who got in, no legacy, minimal leadership, next to no volunteer, worse grades and worse SAT. As an engineer I analyze and there is no logic to this whatsoever.
The fact she was a finalist for their most valuable engineering scholarship says something. So far I know of multiple scholarship finalists who have been wait listed, several top 10 (not 10%) candidates who were wait listed (actually, none of the top 10 in her school or other schools with friends were accepted… but of course that is a select list).
At first look they are not striving for excellence, they are striving for average. That concerns me.
It’s great that she has some other options.
Beyond stats, I can’t offer more insight…again, perhaps the GC can make a call to admissions.
One thing is that your D’s Math SAT is below VT’s Fall 2018 freshman class (707 avg math SAT for engineering, don’t see stats for Class of 2023 yet), and her composite is right around the average. https://eng.vt.edu/about.html Those numbers could have influenced the decision to waitlist.
I would be careful about rating her chances as ‘good’ at Cornell…at least in front of her. RD round is very tough, and here her math and composite SAT are below the 25%ile marks of 720 and 1420 (class of 2023, don’t see engineering broken out separately). Students with test scores below the 25%ile are typically hooked in some way. http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/university-factbook/undergraduate-admissions
I point out this data just to illustrate how competitive admissions are. Your D’s stats and experience are great, and I am sure she will succeed wherever she ends up. Meanwhile, I know it is stressful!
@Makingsense My son was also waitlisted although not in CoE but in Business. His GPA and SAT were equal or higher to many that were accepted and he had many EC’s as well. VT was not his first choice but could have been but I agree this is very perplexing esp. when you see others who have lower stats . Just not sure how they made their decisions but they owe the students who are on waitlist a better explanation and at least the data (How many total accepted EA/ED and how many are now on the WL. At least that way you have a better idea of how many could possibly come off. My son has many other options so even though he will stay on Wl he will have a place to commit he feels good about
@HokieCrazy my son is In State and wasnt expeceting any money but the room situation would be a problem in if you get off the wait list you wont have a great choice of places to live. He has merit at U of SC so he will probably be going there or a few others which could be coming. I feel for those that really were banking on VT but i am like you I now have a very bad feeling for the school
I like the tag name Hokiecrazy. good luck
This makes NO sense! I would definitely call them. Why bother having somebody get past the first round of Davenport and not accept them? That was supposed to be a very select group of kids, right?
I wrote this on another VT thread, but the GC should call to get feedback on an applicant’s admission decision. Always the GC. Not the student. Definitely not the parent.
You hit the nail on the head with this! You cannot compare yourself/child to anyone on CC or in their high school. Just too many factors that go into admissions.
Does anyone know the average % (IS vs OOS) for those who getting off waitlist actually end up enrolling VT?
Virginia tech was WACK with their admission decisions this year. I’ve been waitlisted as well and I have catered my application towards engineering since birth. My friend with a 35 on his ACT, super involved in the school, and taking Multi-variable calculus this year has also been waitlisted, yet a friend of mine with an 1190 on his SAT, only taking pre-calc as a senior got in purely because he is a first gen, and is doing corps of cadets. They claim to have an ‘unranked’ waitlist which implies that when a spot opens up, they re-evaluate every application, BUT this seems like an incredibly laborious process which makes me believe there is a hidden ranking system, or only a select few even made it on the wait list. If you look on their web sight, we are in an even year, which historically for Tech is when they offer those on the waitlist admission, but again this could just be a coincidence. Don’t worry you are very much in good company with the rest of us! It’s most likely going to be NC State for me until I can transfer in!.
I know of several students, myself included, who have been waitlisted from Engineering (I was deferred from ED) with very competitive applications (both my parents, uncle, and grandpa are all engineering alum from VT). I even made the 4 hour trip to Blacksburg to reinforce my desire to attend the school as well as my application, and was told I had done more than 99% of other applicants, only to be waitlisted. HOWEVER, a friend of mine with a 580 in math out of his 1190 on his SAT, got accepted to engineering (note he is a first gen and also doing corps of cadets. No one could be more involved in the school and community than my fellow waitlisters from my school, and its heartbreaking to have to force myself to go to another school and waste my parents money for a year at a school I don’t want to be, only to then TRANSFER into VT. Your daughter is in very good company with the rest of us beyond pissed waitlisted students.
If stats were all that mattered colleges wouldn’t ask for an application. Stats are a bar to meet. Once you do, everything else matters. The attitude that stats trump all and students who score less are “average” and “inferior” is not generally part of the everything else colleges look for in a student. Attitude and how a student would fit on campus are important too.
Dude, I feel your pain. My whole app is oriented toward engineering. Most of my ECs are STEM-related. I have a 1450 and a 4.2 but I’ve been waitlisted. I’m still figuring out the plan because Virginia Tech was my first pick but I’m really disappointed with my decision.
The key will be to find out how many have been accepted total so far and how many are on the waitlist. If there are 5000 on the waitlist then chances are not great If there are 1000 chances may be better but it all depends how many have gotten acceptances