I was waitlisted to a school with a 65% acceptance rate despite having a 1570, strong ECs, good essays, etc- why could this be? Am I going to be denied from my other far more selective schools?
While I can’t say for sure why you got this unexpected bad news, my best guess is that your “Safety” school waitlisted you because the admission officials there didn’t think there was much of a prayer that you’d actually enroll. This is definitely the era of “Demonstrated Interest,” and colleges, more than ever before, seem focused on admitting not necessarily the very strongest candidates but those who are not only solid but who are likely to show up in September. (Check out this recent College Confidential article on how to “How to Think Like an Admissions Officer: https://insights.collegeconfidential.com/think-like-admissions-officer )
Of course, this message has gotten out to students and parents loud and clear, so now the admission folks are bombarded with a barrage of suck-up emails and phone calls from prospective students determined to show their love. The upshot is that admission committees have to read the tea leaves to try to determine which students are genuinely interest and which are playing the demonstrating-interest game while actually hoping for an acceptance from elsewhere. And even if you did indeed act enthused about enrolling at this school that waitlisted you, the savvy admission officials may have sniffed out “Safety” anyway, based on your above-par profile.
It’s not an easy dance for anyone. But—unless your recommendation letters called you “the class stoner” or “a future axe-murderer”—chances are good that this explains your waitlist status. But this status does NOT mean you won’t be accepted at more selective colleges on your list. Hopefully you’ve shown some interest in them, since you ARE truly interested. But if you get more bad news, and Safety U becomes a front-runner, be sure to write to your admission rep there and proclaim, “I will definitely come if admitted from the waitlist.” If the college takes students from the waitlist at all this year, the odds are very decent that you’ll be one of them. Good luck!